Black Clover: The Son of Fire Dragon Igneel

"Evolution and the Guild"

After instructing Drake on the Divine Blessing and its secrecy, Hephaestus, upon learning he was currently without lodgings, arranged a room for him in the mansion.

True to the Hephaestus Familia's reputation, even the spare room was fully furnished.

After Hephaestus left, Drake placed the paper detailing his abilities on the table.

He'd expected his stats and magic, but the appearance of the [Dragon Slayer] skill was a pleasant surprise.

Unlike learned magic, skills originate from an adventurer's inner desires and potential. For example, the Bell's [Argonaut] and [Liaris Freese], or Ais's [Avenger].

The awakening of the [Dragon Slayer] skill wasn't unexpected; Drake's ultimate goal was to defeat Acnologia.

What pleased him was the skill's effect. While a dragon-type special attack skill wouldn't be overly useful in most battles, it was undeniably significant for Drake.

Putting the stat sheet aside, Drake retrieved his grimoire from his waist bag.

Since his arrival in this world, the grimoire had shown anomalies; the pages describing World Magic displayed constantly shifting characters.

Drake sensed that, after absorbing the Magic-Powered Spirits, the World Magic had changed—evolved, to be precise.

Perhaps the god's power, combined with the Divine Blessing, had provided the final catalyst for this evolution.

Drake was eager to see the changes to this magic, previously unanalyzable even by gods.

The World Protection effect remained largely unchanged. Drake's astonishingly high stats were likely a direct result of this effect.

Adventurers in this world are like containers; training and adventuring (gaining experience) are like filling them with water.

Of course, the size of the container varies from person to person, reflecting an adventurer's limits. A full container can't be filled further; geniuses have larger containers, while ordinary people have smaller ones.

Divine Blessings are necessary to break and reshape this container, allowing adventurers to continue growing stronger.

However, Drake's permanent World Protection magic included the ability to simultaneously enhance magic and physical abilities, an effect that strengthened with training.

In other words, Drake had no inherent limit; even an ocean of experience wouldn't fill his container.

Each level is a precious opportunity for ordinary adventurers to grow stronger, as they can only accumulate ability values after breaking and reshaping their container.

But for Drake, there was no need to break his container to enhance his stats; the important factor was the abilities gained through leveling up.

The changes to World Magic primarily affected world travel; this magic had undergone a complete overhaul.

First, Drake could now use more magic to bring others with him through his travels. Even if bringing one extra person cost several times more magic, it was still highly advantageous.

Even more valuable was a new effect added to world travel: the ability to adjust the flow of time between different worlds.

Currently, the ratio is approximately 10:1; ten days in Drake's world equates to one day in another world.

This alone made the risks he'd taken worthwhile.

Closing the grimoire, Drake's mood improved significantly.

Successfully joining the Hephaestus Familia and the surprising evolution of his magic—it had been a highly productive day.

Next, he would systematically explore the Dungeon and learn forging.

Learning forging was a long-term plan; for now, Drake intended to visit the Dungeon.

He wasn't in a rush to level up, as abilities are only obtained upon leveling up.

Leveling up now wouldn't grant him the Forging or Mystery abilities, as he hadn't previously engaged with those skills.

Drake's immediate goal in visiting the Dungeon was to earn money.

Orario's position as the central city in this world is due to its Dungeon, the only source of magic stones.

Magic stones are energy crystals produced from Dungeon monsters and are Orario's most important resource.

In this world, magic stones are equivalent to oil, powering most technological creations. The lamp by Drake's bedside was lit using magic stones.

The primary means of livelihood for adventurers in Orario is to slay monsters in the Dungeon, collect magic stones, and sell them to the Guild.

Although he'd successfully joined the Hephaestus Familia, this didn't eliminate Drake's need for money.

Familias do provide some support to new members, but this is limited to basic equipment and supplies.

While Familia members are considered family, adventurers ultimately must rely on themselves.

Drake possessed Innate Spirit Equipment and could easily navigate the Dungeon even unarmed, eliminating a major expense for other adventurers.

However, he still needed living expenses, and crucially, resources for learning forging. The cost of learning forging was substantial.

Furthermore, a novice blacksmith's work is difficult to sell, and even if sold, the profit is minimal.

Drake would require even more resources to research the special equipment he envisioned, the cost of which was almost unimaginable.

Therefore, Drake had to plan ahead; entering the Dungeon was unavoidable.

After packing lightly, Drake lay down on the bed. He switched off the magic stone lamp and quickly fell asleep.

The next day, refreshed, Drake left the Hephaestus Familia mansion and arrived at the Guild Hall.

While the Loki Familia and Freya Familia currently dominated Orario, the actual governing body was the Adventurer's Guild.

Their relationship was similar to that of the martial arts leader and the imperial court.

The Adventurer's Guild lacked famous powerful adventurers but controlled the collection and circulation of magic stones, and also coordinated and managed the various Familias.

Even the Loki Familia and Freya Familia must abide by the Guild's issued adventure requests.

The Adventurer's Guild could also be described as the Ouranos Familia.

Ouranos is the head god, long stationed in the Babel Tower, suppressing the Dungeon with divine power.

From the original story, Ouranos is the only god who seems to understand the Dungeon's secrets, but his true intentions remain unknown.

Perhaps only Hermes might have some insight.

The Adventurer's Guild Hall was bustling with adventurers carrying weapons.

Drake entered the Guild Hall, went straight to the counter, and said, "Hello, I wish to become an adventurer. Is this where I register?"

A pink-haired girl in business attire sat behind the counter.

The girl hurriedly organized her documents, finding a registration form. "Yes, I'm Misha, a Guild advisor. I can register you. Your name? Have you joined a Familia?"

Drake nodded. "Drake Dragneel, member of the Hephaestus Familia."

Misha quickly recorded this, saying, "Newly joined, a Level 1 adventurer. But since you're with that goddess, you should know the basics… Ow!"

Before she finished, a girl with brown hair struck her on the head.

"Misha! We must properly instruct all new recruits, regardless of their Familia."

Her pointed ears indicated elf blood. Drake recognized the brown-haired girl: Eina Tulle, a half-elf and popular Guild advisor.

Eina turned to Drake. "Sorry, Misha is careless. I can help you."

Drake waved his hand. "It's fine. My goddess already taught me about the Dungeon. I only need an upper-level map."

Eina said, "Entering the Dungeon? Please be prepared, and bring sufficient equipment and supplies! Life is precious; please come back alive."

Drake accepted the map, impressed by Eina's kindness and consideration, unlike Misha.

Drake raised the map. "Don't worry, I'm not reckless."

Under Eina's watchful eye, Drake left the Adventurer's Guild and headed towards the Dungeon.

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