The morning in Orario dawns earlier than in other worlds.
When Kevin, who had toiled through the night, stepped out of the studio with a yawn, he was met by a lively commotion from outside.
"Master! You're finally back!"
Lily, who had been waiting by the door, heard it creak open behind her and hurried forward.
"What's all the noise outside?"
Kevin asked, taking the damp towel Lily offered and wiping the blood from his body.
Logically, there shouldn't be so many customers so early.
But in truth, Kevin knew without asking that it must be related to the title he had just earned.
Sure enough, upon hearing Kevin's question, Lily replied with a touch of embarrassment.
"There are lots of adventurers outside clamoring to see you. They say they're here to see what treasures the Hero Craftsman's shop holds."
"Hmm... that was faster than I expected."
Kevin walked downstairs, deep in thought, and found Hestia already in her work clothes, though her expression was sour.
"That's not the face you greet customers with."
"Kevin? When did you get here... Never mind. I noticed the people outside were a bit odd."
Hestia gritted her teeth, like a cat spotting a mouse.
"There are several members of Loki's Familia in the crowd. I bet that goddess of poverty put them up to causing trouble!"
These words coming from Hestia's mouth were hardly a surprise.
He'd heard that she and Loki hadn't gotten along well even in heaven, mostly because of their differing figures.
"It's harmless... everyone's a customer."
Kevin wasn't bothered at all, as his shop was meant to sell things at a "997" price anyway.
It didn't matter if the customer was a member of that Familia.
But the loli goddess didn't seem to agree.
"What if they make some really unreasonable demands?"
Hestia asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Goddess, don't think so poorly of others."
"That's true... But they're Loki's followers, so it's reasonable to be suspicious, right?"
"What's the grudge between you and Loki?..."
Shaking his head, Kevin unbolted the door and pushed it open, letting the morning light flood into the store.
"Look! The Adventurer's House is finally open!"
"Is that black-haired boy the 'hero craftsman' everyone's been talking about?"
"I heard he's a rare genius blacksmith from the Hephaestus Familia!"
"This shop might have magic swords for sale... Let's go in and take a look!"
It was like opening the floodgates of a dam, and adventurers poured in like a tide.
Most people crowded into the store, their eyes scanning the merchandise on the shelves.
A small number, however, were very curious about Kevin and wanted to approach him for a chat.
"I'm sorry, I have other things to attend to later, so please don't waste your time."
Kevin glanced at the wall clock in the store.
Since the time in the Black Bullet World was synchronized with that of Orario,
there was no need to deliberately convert the time ratio.
In another hour, he would return to the Tendo Civil Security Corporation to register as an Enforcer.
So he wouldn't be spending too much time in the store.
He had only wanted to check out the situation.
As for these sudden guests... it was purely accidental.
"Uh..."
A short-haired boy who looked rather young scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"We were hoping you could customize some equipment for us. Would you be willing?"
"Of course."
Kevin took a good look at the short-haired boy and was impressed.
Combined with the familiar-looking figures beside him, the other party's identity was clear.
"Did Loki send you?"
"Huh? What are you..."
"Hey, Raul, don't say anything unnecessary."
The black-haired girl with cat ears beside him coughed lightly, interrupting her companion.
Then she glanced at Kevin and explained concisely.
"We're from Loki's Familia, but someone actually recommended this store to us."
"We just wrapped up an expedition and really need to restock our weapons and supplies, so we wanted to come check it out."
"Of course, if you refuse, we can always find another equipment shop."
Though the cat-girl said it casually, Kevin knew that if he refused,
there was no guarantee that rumors like "the heroic craftsman and his apprentice are just riding on their titles" wouldn't start circulating.
"Alright, custom-made equipment, is that right?"
Kevin scanned the members of Loki's Familia around him and already had a general idea of the situation.
The main powerhouses of the Familia above Level 5, like Sword Princess Ais, Nine Demon Princess Minami Rika, Hero Welf Crozzo, and Chongjie Tsubaki, weren't present.
Those who had come were the core members below Level 4, along with some lower-level newcomers.
It seemed Loki knew better than to push too hard.
Of course, it was also possible that she couldn't quite control the arrogant top-tier adventurers.
After all, Ais and the others had no interest in playing games with Loki.
"Introduce yourselves first, like what weapons you're good at using."
"Let's start with you."
Kevin gestured towards the short-haired boy who had spoken first.
"Ah? Me, me?"
The short-haired boy in light armor scratched his head.
"My name's Raul Nord, Level 4. I'm good with a one-handed sword and a bow..."
Hearing the young man's self-introduction, the surrounding adventurers immediately erupted into noisy chatter.
Even though he seemed a bit unsure of himself, he was actually a high-level adventurer!
"Just tell me what weapons you're skilled with. You're not here for a blind date."
Kevin rummaged through his inventory, then pretended to reach under the counter to pull something out. He then produced a Ningxi short bow.
The design of this short bow was exactly like the "Desert Disaster" and the "Sahara Double Blade."
Apparently, it was also loot dropped by the Desert Scourge.
"This bow is called 'Barined,' and it can turn ordinary arrows into two high-speed fin arrows that fire one after the other."
Kevin casually nocked a wooden arrow and shot it at the human-shaped target in the store, in full view of everyone.
Only two sharp whistling sounds were heard before they vanished.
Two arrows with fish fin-shaped tails appeared on the target as if from nowhere.
However, one of them gradually faded and disappeared over time.
"Oh, and the high-speed fin arrow has another little trick."
Kevin walked over and pulled the arrow out of the target.
"It won't fall out, and even a newbie like me who doesn't know how to use a bow can hit whatever I aim at."
"If you're happy with this bow... that'll be 5 million Valis. Thanks for your business."
The boy named Raul opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
He had indeed been called over by Loki, who wanted to put some pressure on Kevin by using the excuse of customizing equipment for high-level Familia members.
But he hadn't expected the other party to actually pull out a weapon that made him incredibly excited!
"Um... Anakitty, how much of your reward from this expedition do you have left?"
The boy took a few steps back and asked the cat-eared girl in a low voice.
"Please, I really want this bow!"
"You b*****d… ah."
Anakitty full name was actually Anakitty Autumn's, but the name was too complicated, so her friends usually just called her Anakitty for short.
In fact, she had also seen that the weapons this "hero division" had just displayed were indeed quite excellent.
Even she had felt a slight urge to try them out—but fortunately, she wasn't skilled with a bow.
It was just that her companion… probably wouldn't have any pocket money left this month.
After handing over the money and receiving the bow, Kevin looked at Anakitty again.
"Next up, it's your turn, the furry cat lady."
"...."
Anakitty decided not to say a single word, and if the weapon the other party produced didn't satisfy her, she would refuse it on the spot.
"Sword... That'll be much easier."
Seeing the cat-eared girl's annoyed expression, Kevin couldn't help the corners of his mouth twitching upward.
If there was one weapon that was ridiculously common in the world of Terraria... it had to be the sword.
After a moment's consideration, Kevin reached into the cabinet, just as he had before, and produced a stunning sea-blue sword.
This was a weapon that could only be crafted after defeating the Desert Scourge, known as the Sea Blade.
Its creation required materials from "The Sunken Sea."
The fact that this sword existed meant Kevin had already stumbled upon the Sinking Sea.
However, his exploration had been brief, sticking to the surface.
After all, he'd been a bit swamped lately.
Once he dealt with the Eye of Cthulhu this time, he could finally delve into the Sunken Sea.
"The Sea Blade releases water blade energy when you attack, and it's also 'indestructible'."
"As you can see, it's a 'magic sword'."
Kevin looked at the wide-eyed cat-girl with a smile and then dropped an astronomical price.
"20 million Valis."
For a top-tier adventurer like Ais, this sum might be achievable with some extra work in the short term.
But Anakitty was just a regular high-level adventurer at Level 4, and all her current equipment combined probably wasn't as valuable as this single sword.
"Don't look at me, I'm broke."
Raul clutched the "Barined" he had just acquired and cautiously took a few steps back.
"If you want to borrow money, lend me yours first."
"Huh? Me?"
Hearing her name, a blonde elf girl with a ponytail next to him blinked.
"But even if I pool all my saved mission rewards, it still wouldn't be enough to buy this bow."
"Ugh... Do I really have to give up?"
Angel's cat ears drooped in disappointment. She could only walk aside in frustration, casting longing glances at the Sea Blade as Kevin returned it to the display.
Its elegant form and impressive capabilities had captivated her at first sight.
Unfortunately, her wallet disagreed.
"Next time I come, I'll bring enough money to buy this sword."
Suddenly, Anakitty looked at Kevin's back and said.
"Could you please take it out of the window for me until then?"
"Oh? So, you want to reserve this sword?"
Although Kevin's eyes remained calm, betraying no emotion,
for some reason, Anakitty still sensed a hint of amusement in his tone.
"...Yes, please keep this weapon for me."
The cat-eared girl secretly gritted her teeth. It seemed she would have to hit up other members of the Familia for a loan when she got back.
Luckily, she was usually well-liked and should be able to scrape together 20 million Valis.
She had no doubts about the "Sea Blade's" price.
If it truly had the two magical attributes Kevin had mentioned,
the price actually seemed a little low.
After "serving" several lower-level members of Loki's Familia, Kevin turned his attention to the last adventurer.
"My lovely elf lady, is there any equipment that catches your eye?"
The remaining adventurer was the blonde elf girl, Lefiya.
"Well... I don't think I have any need for anything."
Lefiya pondered for a moment, then shook her head with a touch of regret.
As a mage, her expectations for this place weren't particularly high.
Creating magic items like magic wands and spell books usually required alchemists with [Mystic] or [Magic] abilities.
The Hephaestus Familia was indeed famous, but their reputation was mainly among blacksmiths... the weapon-crafting side of things.
However, seeing Lefiya's lack of interest, Kevin felt an unexpected urge to impress her.
"In that case, how about trying this?"
Then, Kevin produced a five-pointed star emitting a bright blue light from his inventory.
[Magic Crystal: Upon use, permanently increases the magic limit by 20 points, up to 200 points]
During the night in Terraria, shining stars occasionally plummeted from the sky.
These celestial bodies could actually be collected and used as materials.
Every 5 "Fallen Stars" could be combined to create a "Magic Crystal," which increased the magic limit.
Kevin had only recently maxed out his own magic power at 200 points.
This magic crystal was an extra.
Anyway, crafting these things was essentially free, especially during the "meteor shower" event.
Kevin simply took it out to see if it would have any effect on the adventurers of Orario.
"An item that can increase the upper limit of magic power?"
Lefiya took the magic crystal with curiosity and was about to ask how to use it.
But she noticed the blue star in her hand suddenly seemed to melt and sink into her body.
A strange sensation erupted from the depths of her soul, causing Lefiya to cry out involuntarily.
"..."
The next moment, a dazzling magic storm erupted from the elf girl, sweeping through the store like a hurricane!
Even Kevin hadn't anticipated that a magic crystal he'd casually offered would cause such a reaction!
At that moment, only one thought raced through his mind.
"Oh no, looks like I'm going to be late for work today."