Chapter 84: Astonishing Effect

"Talking business with me?"

Early that morning, Hephaestus was greeted by two familiar faces. But to her surprise, the first thing out of their mouths was about doing business, leaving her a bit puzzled about what kind of game they were playing today.

"Alright, let's hear it."

From Hephaestus's perspective, these two had absolutely nothing to do with the word "production," but who knew—maybe they had something unusual up their sleeves.

Such things would be impossible for most people. But when it came to that kid Bell, Hephaestus wasn't so sure.

She immediately guessed that whatever business they were talking about definitely involved Bell.

Hestia? There was no way she had anything to do with it—Hephaestus had known this airhead long enough to rule her out in a heartbeat.

"Hephaestus-sama, it's related to the magical script I learned yesterday."

That didn't surprise Hephaestus one bit.

She looked at Bell with a hint of pity. If only he hadn't ended up with that goddess, he'd probably be in a much better position by now.

Founding a Familia and building up its foundation—sure, those were the follower's responsibilities, but even then, they couldn't be expected to carry everything on their own.

As for those magic runes Bell had picked up yesterday… Hephaestus had gotten used to this kid being unconventional.

He'd only been in Orario for less than two weeks, and yet he'd already shocked her more times than she could count.

"Magical script—what, did you learn a new profession?"

"No, it's not a new spell. Just magical knowledge."

"Well, that's new."

It wasn't magic itself, but knowledge about magic. That actually piqued Hephaestus's interest even more.

"So you're saying you've mastered a special kind of magical script that could be used in trade?"

"Yes."

"No wonder you dragged Hestia here first thing in the morning."

Now Hephaestus understood why they had come running so early. If this could be turned into a business, it might be a big one.

"What kind of effects are we talking about?"

She was genuinely curious about what these magical scripts could do.

"They have all sorts of effects," Bell explained. "Physical enhancement, weapon sharpening, increased agility, strength boosts—all kinds of beneficial effects. And then there are the debuffs for monsters: weakness, fatigue, sluggishness, weapon corrosion, higher mana consumption, healing suppression, that kind of thing."

"Besides that, they can also add special attributes to weapons or even deal direct magical damage."

Even with such a brief explanation, Bell had Hephaestus's full attention—her eyes practically sparkled.

She had clearly underestimated the extent of Bell's magical knowledge. Who would have guessed it could be this wide-ranging?

Still, it also made her even more curious.

"Bell, where did you learn that magical knowledge?"

Bell paused briefly, then pulled out the already-used Grimoire from his four-dimensional space.

Hephaestus's gaze paused the moment she saw the Grimoire, then turned toward Hestia.

"Hestia, I didn't think you had it in you to get your hands on a Grimoire."

It was clear that she assumed Hestia had provided it for Bell.

But Hestia looked a little embarrassed, unable to say anything in response.

Honestly, she wished she could say she had prepared that Grimoire for Bell—but she knew she wasn't capable of something like that.

Bell gave a small cough and stepped in front of Goddess-sama.

"Ahem, Hephaestus-sama, let's set the Grimoire aside for now. The key point is that it gave me knowledge about magical script."

Hephaestus looked at Hestia, being shielded behind Bell. Even as a goddess herself, she couldn't help feeling a bit envious.

How did someone like Hestia end up with a kid like this?

Once the moment of envy passed, Hephaestus shifted into business mode.

"What about the crafting process? You still have to go into the Dungeon every day. Do you even have the time to make these things?"

"Well, to be honest, it's more of a 'practice' for me."

Bell looked a little sheepish admitting this. He felt a bit guilty turning something like this into a business, especially since he'd be the one profiting the most from it.

"Crafting these is part of how I reinforce and refine my understanding."

"I definitely make time for it. Even after coming back from the Dungeon, I spend a lot of time consolidating what I've learned."

"Hephaestus-sama, I don't mean to boast, but those talisman stones I made? Their effects might rival that of a magic sword."

Hephaestus didn't think Bell was exaggerating.

If he was comparing them to magic swords, then these scripts he'd mastered must carry something truly unique.

"In that case, did you bring a finished product?"

"I did."

Hephaestus could barely contain her excitement. She was eager to see what this finished piece looked like.

Bell gave a small nod and pulled out a seemingly ordinary stone from his four-dimensional space.

To the naked eye, it looked like nothing more than a plain rock—but Hephaestus could tell something was off.

She could faintly make out a special symbol hidden within the stone. That must've been the magical script Bell mentioned.

However, the energy radiating from the rune was completely unfamiliar.

Hephaestus didn't know how to activate it, nor could she determine what effect it would produce.

But now she understood why Bell had compared it to a magic sword.

She carefully took the stone and examined it. The symbol was clearly embedded inside, and she could sense a subtle but rare kind of pressure within it.

"How do you use it?"

"This one enhances weapon sharpness. Just bring it close to a weapon and crush it—that activates it."

The usage was extremely simple—even someone with no magic could do it.

Bell was well aware that many adventurers lacked any kind of special ability.

Magic wasn't something every adventurer had.

In fact, magic was considered a mark of the gifted—meaning most adventurers didn't possess it.

And naturally, if you didn't have magic, you didn't have the mana needed to cast spells.

So activating talismans using magic would be impractical.

If Bell wanted to make talismans accessible to a broader audience, then using magic as a trigger would've been a terrible idea.

Now that she understood how it worked, Hephaestus nodded slightly. She walked over to the wall rack and took down a beautifully crafted weapon—a standard piece used by second-tier adventurers, priced at around ten million.

Then she took out a "Goblin Short Sword" from the weapon shelf.

Holding the talisman stone next to the Goblin Dagger, she crushed it. A faint white light seeped into the blade, visible only for a second before fading completely.

Then Hephaestus swung the dagger toward the second-tier weapon.

The blade sliced through it like it was tofu.

The result made Hephaestus's expression shift—clearly stunned by the effect.

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake