Over this time, he'd created several items: a pair of gloves, leather boots, a cloak, and a large backpack.
Combined with his first creation, a belt, he now had the basic gear of an adventurer.
Today's task was to make a backup weapon—a short sword.
----------------------------------
"Puchi"—the clear water was boiling.
Holding the freshly polished [Short Sword No. 3] in his hand, Fron examined it carefully under the sunlight, a smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"Made from a Infant dragon's tooth—this is probably my finest work. If I sold it... maybe 30,000 Valis?"
"Most of that price is just the material cost. Maybe my craftsmanship is only worth 5,000?"
He shrugged and picked up the hard leather scabbard he had prepared earlier, sheathing the [Short Sword No. 3].
"I should also maintain my staff. That's all money too."
Ten days of intense study and training had exhausted Fron's savings completely, and he was once again strapped for cash.
"No helping it. I'll call Welf and make some money. Might as well check at the guild to see if there are any suitable commissions."
After tidying up the messy workshop, he took his creation and headed to the Adventurers' Guild headquarters.
As always, it was filled with noisy crowds and busy guild receptionists. There was never a shortage of curious people at the bulletin board—Fron squeezed his way in as well.
[Armed monsters appearing in the Dungeon "Lower Levels", reported to snatch adventurers' weapons]
Fron squinted at an inconspicuous notice in the corner.
'So signs of Xenos are already showing up. Well, it makes sense—Fels and Ouranos supposedly started supporting them 15 years ago.'
[Familia recruiting members with healing abilities. Food and lodging included. Except for Freya Familia.]
"..."
'Who the heck posted this? Such obvious misdirection—anyone with half a brain would know this is from the Loki Familia! Idiot.'
Fron ranted internally. Did they really think not naming themselves would hide their identity?
[Looking for adventurers missing on the 27th floor. Number of requests: 17]
[Retrieve items from Rivira town on the 18th floor and bring them back to the guild]
[Mysterious singing heard in the "Lower Levels"—find the source]
[Mass purchase of "Blue Papilio Wings", "Purple Moth Poison Powder" — Dian Cecht Familia]
[Mass purchase of "Blue Papilio Wings", "Purple Moth Poison Powder" — Miach Familia]
"..."
Fron was full of question marks. Were these two potion-making Familia's natural enemies?
In the mythology from his past life, Dian Cecht apparently envied the potion god Miach—so... that rivalry continues here too???
'These two commissions are pretty good. The drop items are main ingredients for antidotes and mana potions. Well within my ability. I'll take them.'
Having decided, Fron headed to the counter to process the adventurer commission.
After waiting in line for a while, it was finally his turn.
"Hello, how can I help—oh, it's you?"
"Long time no see, Miss Misha."
"Whew, you've been off the radar for nearly a month. I thought you went missing."
"...So blunt?"
Misha cutely rolled her eyes.
"I've worked at the guild for years. I've seen this kind of thing too many times. Maybe not daily, but every few days there's a new commission looking for a missing adventurer from some Familia."
As she spoke, she gestured behind her, to a fellow receptionist buried in two towering stacks of documents.
"See her? That's Eina, my best friend. Those two piles? All commissions for missing adventurers."
"..."
Fron raised an eyebrow, his mouth twitching.
Clearly, he was shocked—there were that many?
"Adventurers, you know—mocked or not, surviving is the real victory. Ah well, back on topic. What brings you here today?"
"Ah, I want to take a commission—from the Miach Familia and Dian Cecht Familia."
"Oh, sure—wait, WHAT did you just say??"
Misha, who had initially responded casually, suddenly flipped out, her voice shooting to a shriek.
She pointed at Fron, trembling in disbelief:
"T-Those monsters only appear on floors 7 to 10—you trying to die!?"
Seeing her panicked reaction, Fron decided to keep the truth to himself.
"Relax, Miss Misha. I'm not going alone, I've got a team. You think a rookie like me could go to the 10th floor solo? I'd die without even knowing how I died."
"Phew, you scared me. But wait, since when do you have teammates?"
Seeing her relentless questioning, Fron fumbled his way through an excuse.
"I'm telling you—don't end up being one of the missing ones. Know your limits, don't do anything stupid. Don't let greed blind you."
"Yeah, I got it. Don't worry."
Noting his casual attitude, Misha sighed.
At that moment, a half-elf girl came up beside her.
"Misha is just looking out for you, sir."
"You must be—Eina, the one Misha mentioned?"
Eina adjusted her glasses and smiled, "Yes, nice to meet you."
Fron shook her hand.
"Ah, I heard from Riveria that she knows your mother from way back."
"Huh? Lady Riveria???"
Misha sighed helplessly, "Forgot to mention—this handsome guy is from the Loki Familia."
Eina, "You're with Loki Familia?"
Now curious—women are strange like that.
"Just a rookie. In the Familia, a Lv.1 like me is just a nobody."
Misha, "Fron, being overly humble—downright self-deprecating—really isn't a good thing."
Fron, "You elves are so uptight."
Misha, "Alright, here are the commissions you're taking. Just bring the items to either the Miach or Dian Cecht Familia and you'll get paid. They've already paid the guild's handling fee—don't forget."
Fron, "Understood. Then, I'll be off."
Misha, "Okay, take care."
Eina watched Fron leave quickly, then curiously asked Misha, "A rookie from the Loki Familia? That's odd."
"What's so odd? Big Familia are always recruiting. Look—there's another recruiting commission posted right there."
"—Oh, I guess that makes sense."
After processing the commissions, Fron swung by Welf's workshop to tell him they'd be exploring the Dungeon tomorrow, and to be ready. Then he returned to the base—he had something big to take care of.
Nothing less than updating his status.
He had a feeling he'd hit a bottleneck. No matter how much he trained, fought, or studied, his stats felt stuck, unmoving.
If he wanted to grow stronger, he had to take that next step—evolution/ Level up.
He had mastered forging techniques, and with his recent systematic study and practice of magic knowledge, he could now easily create basic magical items.
He already held the key to the "Development Ability" he aimed for—and with a little cheat-like boost [Increased Potential in Magic], the time had come.
"Loki, you in?" Knocking on the hall door, Fron stepped inside.
"Aiya, I was so bored I thought I'd grow mold. You coming here means you're ready to update your status?"
"Yeah."
"Hehehe, good. Tsk tsk tsk, leveling up in just one month—if word got out, it'd scare the gods senseless. You'd break even Ais-tan's record, you know?"
"Keep it low-key, low-key."
"Come on, let's go to the divine room!"