Hook, line, and sinker

Ben POV

As we made our way to our new house, I couldn't help but smile; this was so exciting. I am living my old teenage self's fantasy.

"Hey, Captain~" Mobius chimed in, breaking me out of my thoughts. "That was one of the Adamantium ingots I made you right~."

I chuckled, glancing at Mobius. "Yup. I wanted to catch Hephaestus's attention. She is the Goddess of Smithing. She will be able to tell how special it is with a glance. Adamantium doesn't belong to this world, so she won't know what it is. I'm hoping she can't tell it's from another world. I thought it might pique her interest."

"Ara~ Isn't she going to find that suspicious, though."

"That's what I want. We can say that you made it using a secret method. And can't reveal it under any circumstances."

"I like the way you think, Captain~" Mobius giggled. "This should be fun."

The idle banter and small talk continued as we walked. We were all excited about what was to come.

Finally, we arrived at our destination. The house was a charming two-story building with a white façade and a tiled roof. It had a small garden in front. It had a homely feel to it.

"Here it is," I said, stepping up to the front door and unlocking it. "Our new home. Though, we'll probably spend most of the time on The Aurora.

As we entered, the interior was cozy and well-maintained. The furniture was simple yet comfortable, and the walls were adorned with various paintings and decorations. It was a perfect base of operations for our time in the city.

"I'll be in my lab," Mobius said with a playful grin. "Come to me once you get the blessing. I want to analyze it as soon as possible."

"Sure thing," I replied.

With Mobius staying back at the estate, Natasha was eager to explore the city and help out at the orphanage. She would have to wait for a while before we had the funds to start her clinic.

"Caenis, Ghislaine, are you both up for some dungeon crawling?"

"Hmm," Ghislaine replied stoically.

Caenis grunted in agreement. "Yeah, I could use some action. Let's see what this city's dungeon is all about."

With our plans set, Caenis, Ghislaine, and I headed toward the dungeon. As we got closer to the entrance, I could feel the excitement bubbling up inside me.

The first few floors were relatively easy. They were suitable for adventurers who had just started exploring. So for us, it was child's play. I may not be at their level yet, but I was still hella strong. The 1st to 4th floors only had goblins and kobolds. The 5th to 7th floors had stronger monsters like War Shadows and Killer Ants, but we easily dispatched them.

As we advanced to the 10th to 12th floors, the difficulty spiked. Not to the point where it was hard, but things were getting more fun. Well, at least for me, it was.

Caenis was still effortlessly killing these "weaklings," as she called them. She easily killed an Infant Dragon, the boss of the Upper Floors, barehanded. Ghislaine also had no problems, but unlike Caenis, she looked like she was having fun.

As we reached the 11th floor, Caenis was getting bored, so she decided to go ahead of us.

Finally, we reached the 17th floor, we entered the last room before the passageway to the 18th floor, and that's when it came. Grey skin and a large body that reaches seven meters. The Monster Rex of the 17th Floor, the Goliath.

Caenis cracked her knuckles, her eyes glinting with excitement. "Finally, things are getting fun. I've been itching to stretch my muscles."

Caenis said, her voice low and confident, as she addressed us in a tone that left no room for discussion. "I'll handle this one."

I nodded, knowing that even something like that was not her match, but if she could have fun, I wasn't about to stop her. Also, if I tried, she would kick my ass.

Watching Caenis face off against the Goliath was a treat. She moved with incredible speed, evading its powerful strikes and landing her own, even more powerful punches. That's right, punches. She still hadn't summoned her spear. Its size made it hard for the Goliath to keep up with Caenis' agility and finesse.

The Goliath swung its giant fists at Caenis, but she just grinned and matched its fist with hers. The impact caused it to stagger backward.

"This is getting boring," Caenis said, her voice dripping with disappointment. "Time to end this."

Summoning her spear, she threw it at its large body, making a giant gaping hole before its body dissipated.

"Damn, Caenis is incredible," I thought to myself. But something must be wrong with me. That feral grin, her body covered in blood, and that look in her eyes. I've never been so hard.

"That was amazing, Caenis," I praised her, genuinely impressed. "You made it look so easy."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "It wasn't much of a challenge. Maybe the next one will be stronger."

As we made our way back to the surface, we encountered a few more monsters, but they were no match for us. Caenis, as much as she denied it, seemed to be enjoying herself and was in a good mood.

Hephaestus POV

I was sitting in my office, lost in my work, when I was interrupted by Tsubaki entering my forge. She looked unusually serious and excited as she approached me.

"Lady Hephaestus, You need to see this," she said, handing me a dark silver ingot and a piece of paper.

As soon as I laid my eye on the metal ingot. I was stunned. I didn't know what it was. But I could tell it was special. A normal flame and hammer won't be able to forge this.

"What is this, Tsubaki?" I asked, my voice filled with wonder. "I've never seen a metal like this before. It's exquisite."

"I don't know, Lady Hephaestus," Tsubaki replied, looking just as intrigued as I was. "A stranger brought it to the Guild and asked for it to be delivered to you. They said it was a gift. Luckily I was coming back from gathering materials."

"A gift, you say?" I mused, taking the piece of paper from Tsubaki's hand. Unfolding it, all it had on it was a name and address.

"Tsubaki. Come with me. I have some questions to as Benjamin Ward."

Natasha POV

After exploring the city and spending some time helping out at the orphanage, I returned to our new house. The living room was cozy, and I was settled into a comfortable armchair, a book in hand and a cup of coffee on the table, ready to unwind.

The sound of a knock on the front door interrupted my peaceful reading. I set the book aside and stood up, wondering who it could be.

When I opened the door, two women were standing there. One of them had a crimson eye and red hair reaching to the neck. She had a rather sharp face and slender body with an eyepatch over her right eye. The other was a brown-skinned young woman with long black hair, a red eye, and an eyepatch over her left eye.

"Hello," I greeted them, offering a warm smile. "May I help you with something?"

The crimson-eyed woman spoke first, her voice calm and composed. "Yes, it this where Benjamin Ward lives."

"It is. Who might you be?" I asked

The crimson-eyed woman extended her hand politely. "I am Hephaestus, Goddess of the Hephaestus Familia. This is Tsubaki Collbrande, the captain of my Familia." She introduced herself and the other woman.

"And we are here about this." She said, holding up a dark silver ingot.

"Oh. Goddess Hephaestus. It's an honour to meet you," I said, now realizing who they were. "I'm Natasha, one of Ben's comrades. He's not here at the moment, but I'm sure he'd be delighted to meet you when he returns. Please, come in and make yourselves at home."

I stepped aside, allowing Hephaestus and Tsubaki to enter the house. "Please have a seat," I said, gesturing towards the living room. "Ben will most likely be back shortly. He's currently out exploring the dungeon with two of our other comrades to explore the dungeon."

Hephaestus and Tsubaki reacted with surprise.

Tsubaki was the one to speak. "Really. Three non-adventures entering the dungeon the day they arrive." She looked toward her Goddess.

"Yes. That doesn't sound good."

"Hehe," no need to worry, I chuckled. "Those three are quite strong."

"I hope you're right. Entering the dungeon without proper preparation can be dangerous," Tsubaki commented.

"I understand your concern," I said, nodding empathetically. "But, I trust those three implicitly."

As we chatted to pass the time, Mobius walked down from upstairs and entered the living room. "Hey, what's going on here~?" she asked cheerfully, noticing the guests.

Hephaestus turned her attention to Mobius and introduced herself. "I am Hephaestus, Goddess of the Hephaestus Familia. This is my captain, Tsubaki Collbrande."

Mobius showed her usual smile when she found something interesting. "Wow~! It's an honour to meet you, Goddess Hephaestus and Tsubaki-san~! I'm Mobius."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mobius," Tsubaki replied with a smile.

Hephaestus looked around the cozy living room. "You have a lovely home here," she commented.

"Thank you," I said, appreciating the compliment. "We just moved in recently, and we're still settling in."

Just then, the front door opened, and Ben, Ghislaine, and Caenis entered the house. They looked to be in a good mood.

"Welcome back," I said, smiling at them. "We have guests."

Ben's face lit up when he saw Hephaestus and Tsubaki in the living room. He looked so cute.

Ben's POV

"Hello, Goddess Hephaestus, Tsubaki," I greeted them warmly. "I apologize for not being here when you arrived. It's an honour to have you both in our home."

Hephaestus smiled kindly. "No need to apologize. I wanted to discuss something important with you." She said, placing the Adamantium Ingot on the table.

"I see you've already received my gift," I said with a smile. "So. How do you like it~." I couldn't help but be a little playful.

"I'll be frank. What is this?" She asked. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "I've never seen material like this before. That shouldn't be possible."

"Adamantium," I said, picking it up. " It's probably the strongest substance known to man. And before you ask no. I can't and won't tell you how it was made. It's a secret. But I can tell you the lovely Mobius here made it, and she can make a whole lot of other interesting things. Isn't she amazing?"

"Hehe. That's right. Praise me more."

Adamantium...," she repeated in awe. Noticing her slip-up, she composed herself. "So what do you want. Why did you give this to me."

"Well. We're new to the city and haven't joined a Familia yet. I wanted to gain your intrigue, so I left that with the Guild. It worked better than I thought."

"You certainly caught my attention," Hephaestus nodded, understanding my intentions. "I see. You want to join the Hephaestus Familia, then?"

"Yup," I nodded. "I mostly just blessing. Of course, we will help the Familia in times of need and gather material. You seemed like the most sensible Goddess. One who would let us have freedom."

Hephaestus chuckled. "You're right about that. I do value the independence of my Familia members. Very well. I'll accept you and your companions into the Hephaestus Familia."

"Great! Now that that's out of the way. Can you forge some stuff for us?"