As the warm hues of the sunset painted the sky through his small room's window,
Kevin's figure abruptly materialized out of thin air.
Compared to his confident demeanor upon his initial entry into the world of Terraria,
He now wore a slightly sheepish expression, a hint of bewilderment still lingering in his eyes.
But after a moment, he regained his composure and let out a soft, helpless sigh.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect to stumble into a 'rockfall trap' quite so soon..."
Just moments ago, while cautiously exploring a dimly lit underground cave, his foot had inadvertently triggered a pressure plate hidden amongst the stones.
If it had been a simple mechanism like a volley of poison darts, he could have gritted his teeth and endured the pain.
But when Kevin heard the ominous, deep rumbling sound of a colossal rock detaching from the cavern ceiling directly above his head,
He mentally braced himself for his first inevitable "death" in the blocky world of Terraria.
The outcome was precisely as he had anticipated. His demise was swift and rather unceremonious, followed by an instantaneous, complimentary return trip to his room in Orario.
"Fortunately, my inventory was practically overflowing, so I didn't lose too much in the process."
Kevin mentally accessed his inventory, his thoughts drifting over the various tools, materials, and curios crammed into its digital slots.
The slight disappointment lingering from his sudden demise began to dissipate.
This initial foray into Terraria had actually been surprisingly fruitful.
Aside from a few utterly useless clumps of dirt and scattered stones,
His inventory was now brimming with items that promised to be incredibly useful in the near future.
This included various gooey materials dropped by the surprisingly resilient slimes he had defeated, such as the ubiquitous gel.
There were also the raw resources he had diligently collected from the environment, including chunks of raw wood, veins of newly discovered ores, and a handful of vibrant herbs.
And, of course, the invaluable contents of the treasure chests he had managed to unearth were also safely stored away!
Terraria's treasure chests, he had quickly learned, could contain a diverse array of items.
The specific rewards within varied depending on the biome and the depth at which the chest was found.
The particular treasure chest Kevin had located during this initial expedition was a common underground chest.
Its contents included a few "Lesser Healing Potions," a small stack of surprisingly potent "Bombs," and several glass bottles filled with mysterious, glowing magic potions, each hinting at different functions.
In addition to these practical finds, there was also a rarer and more intriguing reward – the "Cloud in a Bottle"!
[Cloud in a Bottle (Blue): Grants the wearer 1 extra jump]
In simpler terms, equipping this seemingly unassuming accessory granted Kevin the extraordinary ability to perform a double jump!
This was a skill bordering on the magical, something that even a seasoned warrior capable of executing Dimension Slashes had yet to master.
Terraria, it seemed, was filled with numerous accessories possessing similarly enchanting effects.
A player could actively equip a maximum of 5 such accessories and 3 pieces of protective gear simultaneously.
By Orario's established standards, this "Cloud in a Bottle" was undoubtedly a magical artifact of considerable value.
Its estimated worth was definitely not less than a staggering 1 million Valis!
Of course, the thought of selling it hadn't even crossed Kevin's mind.
Its utility for his own exploration and potential combat applications far outweighed any monetary gain. Why let such a valuable asset slip through his fingers?
"It's already evening."
Glancing at the darkening sky visible through his small room's window, Kevin lazily shed his light leather armor and began the methodical process of organizing his burgeoning inventory.
Although Hephaestus' Familia held considerable assets within the towering "Tower of Babel,"
Those prime locations were typically reserved for established blacksmiths who had earned the qualifications to open independent shops under the Familia's prestigious banner.
His current living situation was far more modest—a small, rented house in the civilian district of Orario.
In this labyrinth city where every square inch of land held significant value, rent was naturally exorbitant.
Kevin had to shell out a hefty 10,000 Valis every single month just to keep a roof over his head.
On ordinary weekdays, he relied on the meager income generated from repairing low-level equipment for newly arrived adventurers to barely cover his daily expenses.
Now that he had officially become a recognized member of the Hephaestus Familia, he naturally needed to formulate more ambitious plans for his future.
"This space is still far too cramped."
"Once I have accumulated a bit more capital, I will definitely move to a more spacious workshop."
The ideal choice, naturally, would be to secure a location within the "Tower of Babel" itself.
The Tower of Babel was a colossal, sky-piercing tower that stood proudly in the central district of Orario.
Gazing across the entirety of the sprawling labyrinth city, no other structure dared to rival its immense height.
Its importance was undeniable—the entire Tower of Babel served as the very "lid" constructed atop the vast and dangerous "underground city"!
In other words, for the countless Familias and aspiring adventurers eager to delve into the depths of the Dungeon,
The Tower of Babel was an essential hub, a crucial destination that simply couldn't be ignored.
Consequently, the Tower of Babel was a bustling marketplace, teeming with numerous shops selling every conceivable type of equipment and adventuring supplies.
As the Hephaestus Familia was renowned throughout Orario for their exceptional forging skills, they naturally possessed a significant number of these prime retail locations within the Tower.
However, not just anyone could open a shop under the esteemed "Hephaestus" name.
It directly concerned the hard-earned reputation of the Goddess of the Forge. Only blacksmiths who had earned the explicit recognition of the Familia were deemed qualified to brand the Familia's emblem onto the equipment they sold.
As for the specific process of gaining Hephaestus's coveted recognition, it involved a unique event held exclusively by the members of her Familia.
Three days hence, the vibrant and eagerly anticipated "Melten Fire Festival" would commence.
This was a spontaneous celebration, organically organized by the devoted followers of the Goddess of the Forge.
However, for various compelling reasons, it had also managed to capture the keen attention of numerous other influential Familias and high-level adventurers throughout Orario.
During this lively celebration, Hephaestus herself would personally evaluate the various works presented by the members of her Familia.
If a blacksmith managed to earn the explicit approval of the Goddess of the Forge, it would undoubtedly serve as a tremendous affirmation of their skills and provide invaluable publicity.
The Familia would also allocate valuable resources to these recognized members.
This could include the temporary, rent-free use of prime retail space within the Tower of Babel, the delegation of lucrative forging orders from other prominent Familias, and various other advantageous opportunities.
"If I want to gain the goddess's approval, simply presenting ordinary mineral-based weapons probably won't be enough to make a lasting impression."
While these thoughts swirled in his mind, Kevin instinctively utilized his newfound "synthesis" ability to craft a few fundamental items.
He created the most basic of crafting stations—a simple wooden workbench—and a rudimentary furnace capable of smelting lower-tier ores.
He also synthesized a basic anvil, essential for shaping the smelted metal ingots into usable pieces of equipment.
These newly crafted workstations significantly expanded his crafting repertoire within the Terraria system.
He knew that more advanced facilities, such as the Hellforge and the Mithril Anvil, would become available in the future as he progressed.
But even these initial crafting stations were already beginning to take up a noticeable amount of space within his small rented cabin.
Based on the raw materials he had managed to gather during his initial foray into Terraria, Kevin could only synthesize a limited number of additional items at this point.
One of the more immediately practical creations was the simple "torch," crafted from readily available wood and the ubiquitous gel dropped by the slimes.
Terraria, he had quickly learned, boasted a surprisingly diverse range of torches, capable of emitting light in various vibrant colors.
And unlike the fragile torches of Orario, these Terrarian equivalents possessed a remarkable resilience. Unless directly submerged in a pool of liquid, they wouldn't be extinguished even in the heaviest downpour.
As for their lifespan, it was so astonishingly long that it was practically... infinite!
In other words, barring any direct external interference,
A single torch that Kevin crafted could theoretically burn until the very end of the world!
Yet, within the strange and blocky landscape of Terraria, such incredibly durable light sources were considered nothing more than the most basic of early-game consumables.
The gooey gel required for their creation was readily obtained by simply defeating the seemingly endless hordes of "Slime" monsters.
During his brief initial exploration, Kevin had already dispatched a considerable number of these gelatinous creatures.
As arguably the weakest monster in the entire Terrarian ecosystem, their combat prowess was predictably low, making them remarkably easy to deal with.
As long as he didn't succumb to excessive panic, Kevin found he could easily handle multiple slimes simultaneously without breaking much of a sweat.
"I wonder if I can accumulate 'great achievements' recognized by the Danmachi system simply by adventuring and accomplishing feats within Terraria."
"Once I manage to defeat this 'Slime King' fellow, it'll definitely be time to pay Lady Hephaestus a visit and have my ability values updated."
In the short term, Kevin didn't plan on frequently seeking out his goddess to renew her favor.
Defeating weak enemies like slimes would likely only yield a minimal amount of "great achievements."
It was generally understood that only by engaging in combat against powerful, Boss-level adversaries could one hope to obtain a truly significant influx of those coveted feats.
However, just as Kevin was about to step through the doorway of the familiar Adventurer's Guild,
A small, surprisingly clear voice piped up from just beside him.
"Big brother over there... big brother with the black hair!"
Turning his head, Kevin saw a young girl, even smaller in stature than Hestia, hurrying towards him with surprising speed.
"Nice to meet you, big brother! Are you an adventurer? Do you happen to need any 'support'?"