episode_0017

Genevieve arrived at Rabin’s temple.

The temple of Rabin was different from the deserted one before.

“Show your faith to Rabin!”

Elinne shouted as if she were selling goods, dropping her equipment.

In front of her, female believers lined up to express their gratitude in front of a six-pillar stone statue.

Squeak-squeak-

Genevieve didn’t know what to do.

She had come to the temple without any plans in the first place.

I should pray.

‘Thank you, Rabin.’

As Genevieve was about to lightly pray from a distance away from the altar and leave, someone grabbed her.

“Excuse me….”

“Oh, yes?”

“Are you a new believer looking to join? If you want to join the Rabin Church, you should speak to Elinne over there….”

“Yes? Oh, no…! I already have a deity I believe in.”

“…Really?”

Then why are you praying here?

Genevieve was speechless at the believer’s question.

Clearly, the deity she worshipped was Menelaus.

But as she advanced, the first deity that came to mind was Rabin.

“Well, you see….”

She had explored dungeons with Rabin.

She had even received direct help before that.

But she couldn’t figure out where to start telling the story.

“I-I’m sorry…!”

Genevieve ran out of the temple.

***

She returned to her room and checked the screen.

Genevieve offering prayers at my temple.

She must be grateful for being promoted to intermediate.

“Hmm… but this isn’t enough.”

I take pride in the equipment I create.

With my equipment, I’ve helped Elinne, Melvia, and Genevieve all advance from beginners.

Moreover, word of its effectiveness has spread, and believers continue to increase.

But the current situation is a bit different.

Although I’ve made Genevieve an intermediate adventurer, it seems challenging for her to adapt in intermediate dungeons.

Having risen solely through equipment, she now needs new gear for each situation.

‘Maybe this is what Master Nopa meant by her words.’

Melvia hadn’t felt the impact much.

She had always felt like a dealer and tank.

Moreover, her fundamentals were very strong.

Therefore, she progressed well with each gear change.

But Genevieve is different from Melvia.

She comes from a healing background.

She hasn’t properly wielded a sword even once.

Surviving in intermediate dungeons without creating proper equipment is difficult.

“It’s hard to make high-spec equipment with the current believers….”

All the believers are either beginners or intermediates.

There are only a few higher-level ones.

‘It would be great to have at least one higher-level believer….’

No, wait.

Come to think of it, there’s no need to source materials only from believers.

“…Wouldn’t it be okay to team up with high-level or top-level adventurers?”

I immediately switched the screen.

To the top-level dungeons where they’re called ‘Rankers.’

.

.

.

As soon as I switched the screen, exclamations burst out involuntarily.

“Wow.”

The top-level dungeons were on a completely different level from the lower and intermediate ones.

The dungeon itself was open-world and quite vast.

What I was currently seeing was a considerably high floor within the top-level dungeons.

The dungeon concept seemed to be snowy mountains.

A mountain range filled with white snow.

Inside lurked monsters not like the mountain goblins.

Roarrrr—!

“Eternal Ice Dragon….”

Not just the Eternal Ice Dragon emitting ice breath with its blue scales, but also Snow Mountain Giants, Ice Crystal Unicorns, and more….

Monsters that, if even one were to escape, could paralyze a city.

When designing equipment, these were names often seen in the materials demanded by the crafting table when attempting to create provocative gear.

These monsters and top-level adventurers fought effortlessly.

Kwaaaah—!

Roarrrr—!

“…Definitely different.”

No matter how well one fights, at the intermediate level, they are still human.

But on the top-level side, they are not.

With one swing of her sword, sparks flew from the blade, and a quake followed each step she took.

Moreover, unlike intermediate adventurers who gathered in parties, they were all solo players.

“Just a machine.”

Even mages donning celestial robes had basic combat skills equipped. It felt more like watching a ninja than a mage. Whether it was a heavily armored tank or a long-range archer, there wasn’t much difference.

With a substantial mana pool by default and exceptional versatility, they could even heal themselves and their armor was quite sturdy.

No matter where she looked on the screen, she always made the best choices tailored to the situation.

In gaming terms, it felt like watching a local friend’s match at an internet cafe and then checking out a pro gamer’s personal screen.

“Wow… It’s fun just watching.”

Since becoming the goddess of equipment, the only joy left was peeking at Melvia while she showered.

There wasn’t much else to do in the confined room.

It felt like finding a game broadcast that only you knew about on a TV that only showed news.

Why didn’t I think of this before?

Rabin watched the battles of top-tier adventurers purely for enjoyment.

Watching a warrior subdue an ice dragon, he applauded, and cheered as another mage used precise mana control to defeat a frost giant.

And then it moved on to the next.

Even though it was a snowy mountain, a woman clad in crimson armor, seemingly unconcerned with the blizzard, caught his eye.

A face he was quite familiar with.

“…Hero Natasha?”

He had never seen her in person.

However, while exploring the world through the screen, he had occasionally come across depictions of her in murals or drawings on parchment.

She was a highly renowned figure among adventurers.

Currently, when discussing who was the strongest on the continent in tavern “versus games,” her name was always mentioned.

But…

“…She’s legendary tier?”

Not just her armor, but a red light emanated from her body as well.

To think I would find the last legendary-tier here.

[Natasha]

Lewdness: 0/999

Tier: Mythic (Legendary)

***

Hero Natasha is of legendary tier.

Yet, her skills as an adventurer are top-notch.

Forming a connection with her would be advantageous in many ways.

“You could get help in farming top-tier materials…”

It might even be possible to conquer her, being of legendary tier.

Knowing about her in advance makes her a valuable individual.

The issue is—

“While I’m tempted to pay attention over there…”

Many of the world’s numerous gods desire strong champions.

In the lower and intermediate tiers that Rabin mainly observed, there weren’t many gods.

Of course, this made it easier to acquire divine support.

However, in the case of Hero Natasha, she attracted not just one or two deities.

[The God of Courage is gazing upon Natasha.]

[The God of Combat marvels at Natasha’s skill.]

[The God of Vitality cheers for Natasha.]

[The God of Swordsmanship gives advice to Natasha.]

[The God of Gems is choosing a gem to offer Natasha.]

To even say a word, you’d have to take a waiting number and wait your turn.

Natasha paid no heed to the gods’ interest.

Engaged in combat with a jet-black dragon that looked like it could make one wet themselves just by appearance alone.

In top-tier dungeons, there was no concept of minibosses or trash mobs; every entity was a boss-level threat.

After a considerable time battling the dragon, she finally brought it down.

Roaaar—!

A massive dragon that seemed to easily surpass 10 meters fell, causing the entire mountain to tremble.

Approaching the dragon’s corpse, Natasha grinned widely.

“Everyone! Today, it was the Black Blood Dragon!”

Natasha was aware that countless gods were watching her.

Continuing her speech as if hosting a broadcast, she said, “It seems the Black Blood Dragon is quite tough due to its excellent armor and tricky special abilities, but thanks to your support, we managed to bring it down easily!”

“Anyway, since we’ve conquered the Ancient Dragon today, let’s just focus on dragon farming and take a break now!”

Natasha behaved exactly as her externally known image suggested.

Hardcore gaming.

She put in effort and overflowed with passion in everything she did.

On the other hand, her daily routine was truly monotonous.

Did she know that many gods were watching over her?

A life thoroughly controlled and self-managed.

After conquering dungeons, it’s back home.

Even at home, she doesn’t slack off on training.

Cleansing her body and clothes not with water but with magic.

As soon as she leaves home, it’s back to the dungeon again.

Observing Natasha, even though most of the time she exuded a passionate demeanor, occasionally one could see her hitting a limit.

Not in the dungeon, but in everyday life.

Loneliness seemed to show in her expression.

“Life doesn’t seem as happy as I thought it would be….”

It’s like being a celebrity constantly caught on camera by paparazzi.

Trading and negotiating with someone is fundamentally quite simple.

Solving what the other party wants and receiving what I want.

Making it beneficial for both parties is what makes a successful deal.

It’s like when I receive a commission request, get paid, and then create a custom piece for the client.

“If there’s equipment that can evade the surveillance of the gods….”

Could Natasha negotiate a deal?

Rabin sat at the crafting table and began creating a custom piece.