I Just Awakened My Sharingan, and You're Telling Me This Is DanMachi?

Ryota gently pushed her hand away, trying his best to look serious.

"I'm not running a fever, Lady Loki. I mean it."

Hephaestus shifted in her seat, then asked,

"And your reason?"

"I'm broke."

"…?"

That one line didn't just stun Loki, it even left Hestia and Tsubaki momentarily speechless.

"Sure, I've joined the Loki Familia, but the daily expenses are still sky-high…"

"So after thinking it over, I figured smithing is a good way to keep the money flowing long-term."

He spread his hands, wearing the expression of someone being very honest and practical.

"Besides, there's no way I can afford to commission a personal weapon from you, Lady Hephaestus. So—looks like I'll just have to make one myself."

The way Ryota said it sounded perfectly logical, leaving everyone in the room without much of a retort.

Money, after all, was a universal truth in any world.

The Loki Familia might be a household name in Orario, but every time they launched a deep Dungeon expedition, the valis they burned could be measured in the tens of thousands.

Potions, weapons wearing out, frontline logistics, and support—one expedition alone could eat up enough to make even Loki break into a cold sweat.

Finn had more than once suggested going to the Guild to talk to Royman Mardeel—known to everyone as "the Guild's pig"—about sharing some of those costs.

After all, a Dungeon expedition wasn't a burden one Familia should shoulder alone.

So, in this moment, Ryota's reasoning—though a bit "unique"—felt strangely reasonable.

"Waaaaahhhh!!"

Hestia clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling like she'd just seen some miraculous lifeform.

"So handsome, so strong, knows how to smith, and can make money… uuuu, isn't this the perfect Familia member?!"

"How could I, Hestia, have not met you just a little earlier—!"

Seeing this dangerous blue-ribbon goddess stealthily inching closer again, Loki stepped forward, blocked the space between them, and shot Hestia a glare before turning to Ryota.

"Ryota, you'd better think twice about this whole smithing thing."

"I think you should at least tell her what you need, and as for the money…"

Loki really wanted to say she'd cover it for him, but the words stopped in her throat.

Ryota had only been in the Familia for less than a month, and while he already enjoyed "core member" treatment on the inside, to outsiders, he was still just a fresh face.

If word got out that she, Loki, had paid a fortune to have Hephaestus personally forge a weapon for a rookie—

All those older members who'd been with the Familia for years would probably grumble.

After all, aside from a few people who knew Ryota was a "dual S-rank in all attributes" monster, the rest of the Familia still had no idea.

Sensing Loki's dilemma, Ryota just smiled and waved a hand.

"It's fine, Lady Loki."

"Smithing really isn't that big of a deal for me."

If anyone else had said that, it would've sounded like the bragging of some clueless rookie.

But Ryota was different.

His Sharingan was, after all, the ultimate eye technique said to be able to "copy everything."

Once upon a time, Kakashi Hatake, the famous Copy Ninja, had mimicked thousands of jutsu with just a single Sharingan.

With both of his eyes, every skill, every movement, was laid bare before him.

As long as he saw it once, no matter how complex, he was confident he could replicate it—and even surpass the original.

His Sharingan was never just for show.

Hearing this, Hephaestus and Tsubaki exchanged a glance and ended up giving Ryota a long, searching look.

Then, in both of their eyes, the same word appeared:

Unbelievable.

They'd seen too many eager "newbies" before, heard too many loud boasts about "I think I can do it."

If everyone could just casually say smithing was easy, then forge weapons on par with the Hephaestus Familia, well—

Their entire top-tier smithing Familia would have long since shut down and gone to sell fried potato balls on Northern Mainstreet instead!

Still, Hephaestus didn't outright crush his "naive confidence" on the spot.

Instead, she slid a glance toward Tsubaki beside her.

Tsubaki immediately understood, flashing a trademark grin.

"Alright then, kid."

"If you're really not afraid of hard work, come learn with me for a couple of days and see how you do."

"Don't say Lady Hephaestus never gave you a chance."

"But… let me make one thing clear up front."

Tsubaki leaned in close, and the air around her seemed to shift with a faint pressure beneath her eyepatch.

"Smithing is not something you can master just by throwing a bit of hot-blooded enthusiasm at it."

"Don't go crying and begging to quit halfway through."

Ryota nodded, and was just about to ask when he should start, when the loli goddess's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts:

"That's too much trouble!"

"I can pay for it!"

Hestia balled up her fists, her cheeks flushed as if she'd made a monumental decision, and declared in a loud voice,

"I—I might be a little poor right now, but I can borrow money! I'll make sure Ryota gets the best weapon ever forged!"

"You shut up already!"

Before Ryota could react, Loki, face twitching with frustration, lunged forward, claws out, pinning the blue-ribbon goddess in place.

"My Ryota hasn't even said he wants to switch Familias yet, and you're already throwing yourself at him?!"

"This is called an investment, okay?! You flat-chested witch! Let me go!"

"Investment my foot—get out of here and calm down!"

Loki dragged and wrestled Hestia all the way to the door.

In moments, only Ryota, Hephaestus, and Tsubaki were left in the room, the air suddenly a lot quieter.

Tsubaki laughed, her impressive assets bouncing as she shook, and teased Ryota with a grin,

"You're really… quite the popular one, huh?"

"Alright, come to the forge in a bit. We'll start with the basics."

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