Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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Night fell.

After the War Game ended and things calmed down, Loki and Demeter pulled Hestia away. Hephaestus and the other Gods watched with obvious resentment.

Before leaving, Hestia quickly updated their Falna for Yui, Ui, and Nodoka.

After that, August opened a portal and walked the three tired girls back to their home world.

...

At the Hirasawa residence.

"Mom, Dad, we're home!"

Yui and Ui rushed into the dining room and went straight to their parents to tell them what happened.

Mr. and Mrs. Hirasawa waited anxiously at the table. When they saw their daughters come home safe, looking tired but proud, they knew the girls had won.

"Mr. August, thank you so much," Mr. Hirasawa said, bowing his head.

He and his wife were grateful to August for guiding their daughters through the fight and bringing them home safely. They had been so worried.

"Nodoka, thank you for your hard work too," Mrs. Hirasawa said, smiling warmly at her daughter's best friend.

The girls hadn't fought on the front lines, so making it through a War Game was a huge achievement.

"They did a fantastic job," August praised. "It was a perfect debut battle."

Even though it was their first time in a life-or-death siege, all three girls stayed calm. They weren't just there to watch. August knew he could be strict and practical, but Yui's cheerful attitude kept everyone's spirits up.

Ui took care of the logistics and made sure everyone was alright.

Nodoka acted almost like a second-in-command, helping Lili with the South District defense map and showing she was both brave and careful. It was a strong start.

"Not at all. If the Captain wasn't holding the front lines, the pressure would have crushed us," Yui said modestly.

"Captain, you're the core of our team."

If it weren't for August, none of this would have happened. Going through these challenges showed them how big the universe really was.

"Looks like you've grown up a bit," August said, crossing his arms.

This short but intense experience had helped Yui grow up. Starting a new adventure was making her change, and Nodoka could see her friend acting a little differently too.

"Alright, I'll have to go," August said with a smile, turning toward the door. He left so the family could celebrate together.

Seeing him head for the exit, Nodoka spoke up.

"Captain, good luck out there. Be careful."

She knew August and Hestia were about to explore a new and dangerous world, so she wished him well from the bottom of her heart.

"Yeah."

August waved without looking back, stepped through the portal, and returned to Orario.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Back at the ruined church, August found Hestia relaxing on a sofa with a glass of fruit juice.

Nearby, Lili was fast asleep on a wooden cot. She had used up all her energy running intel, mapping the city, and leading the rearguard.

When August stepped outside, he saw Gros and Lyd waiting near the courtyard. The two big monsters looked awkward, nudging each other and unsure what to say.

"What's up?"

It was strange to see two fierce Xenos acting like nervous kids.

"We want to temporarily head back into the Dungeon," Lyd finally said. "There might be newly spawned kin down there. Plus, we still have comrades trapped in the Dungeon who couldn't make it to the surface."

"Oh, is that all?" August said, walking over and sitting down on a piece of rubble.

He remembered there was a mermaid Xenos and a few others still down in the deep floors. Now that they had a safe base on the surface, they wanted to bring everyone together.

"You can do what you want. Just file an expedition request with the Guild under the Hestia Familia's name, and you'll be officially sanctioned. If any Adventurers try to give you trouble, don't hesitate. Just beat them down," August advised.

He wanted them to work within the Guild's rules. He couldn't go with them right now, but letting them act as Hestia Familia members gave them legal protection.

"August... I don't even know how to thank you," Lyd smiled.

Using a Goddess's name to officially sponsor a monster expedition was unprecedented.

"We won't let you down," Gros said firmly.

With the Hestia Familia behind them, even the city's more hostile adventurers would think twice before causing trouble.

"By the way..."

August suddenly remembered something and took a handful of small metal chips from his pocket. "If you find any new or special floors, bury these in the corners."

"What are they?" Lyd and Gros inspected the tiny devices.

"They're information beacons," August explained. "When I was ambushed on the nineteenth floor, I had no idea what was around me. With your knowledge of the Dungeon, you can help map the places we can't see."

Lyd and Gros understood right away. August was getting ready for a deep dive, and they knew from experience how much trouble he had faced on the nineteenth floor.

"One more thing," August said, suddenly serious. "If these beacons set off an alarm, don't stop to think. Just turn around and run."

"What do you mean?" Gros asked, frowning.

As a strong Xenos, he could usually handle most threats.

"These beacons log data on both monsters and surface dwellers. They detect anomalies."

Lyd caught on instantly. "Are you worried we'll run into the things that attacked our kin?"

They couldn't just rush in without thinking. August had warned them that artificial hybrids were roaming the tunnels.

"Dammit. Those bastards attacked our kin. I still haven't settled the score with them," Gros growled, clenching his fists. He hadn't forgotten the hit squad from the other night. But the Dungeon was huge, and if Evilus wanted to hide, finding them would be almost impossible.

"If they're hiding on purpose, we won't find them easily," Lyd said, trying to calm Gros. "We should focus on training and leveling up first."

They were still only Level 5 monsters and needed to reach Level 6. This trip would help them train along the way.

"Right, you did us a huge favor, August. We didn't want to just take without giving something back. So... here." Lyd said as he reached into his pouch.

He handed August a big jagged piece of dark metal.

It gave off a gentle, pulsing energy.

"What is this?" August asked as he turned the material over. It looked like premium forging ore.

"We found it in the deep floors. It's very rare. Fels usually buys small pieces from us for a high price. We managed to scavenge a bit more—so we wanted you to have it."

Hestia peeked out from behind August, and her eyes widened as soon as she saw the metal.

"MITHRIL! That's a rare metal! How did you find this? This is an ultra-rare crafting material for Hephaestus!"

Hestia was shocked. "Half a kilo sells for a hundred million Valis. A piece this size... that's seven or eight hundred million, at least."

"What do you use it for?" August asked as he weighed the heavy metal in his hands.

"It's mainly for mages," Hestia said, her voice full of excitement. "Even a few shavings mixed into a staff make a mage's chant stronger, boost spell power, and make magic much more stable. Using this whole chunk for one staff would be incredibly extravagant. Hephaestus says Riveria from the Loki Familia uses a staff made from this metal. Just forging it cost 340 million Valis, and with the raw materials and magic stones, her staff is worth at least two billion. This is the top material for casters."

She never thought the Xenos would give away such valuable Magic Steel so easily. Not everyone could even use it.

"If we ask Hephaestus to forge this, the results would be amazing," Hestia said, turning the ore over in her hands. She was already thinking about how to make it into a magical tool for August.

With his strong healing magic, a special staff would make him even more powerful.

"As long as it helps," Lyd and Gros said with a smile.

They were glad August accepted the gift. Helping him made them feel useful, even though the surface world still felt strange to them.

"A staff? Why would I need one?" August wondered, rubbing his chin as he thought about the metal's conductive properties.

He used modern guns and tactical gear. He didn't need to chant spells like a traditional wizard.

"With this, your amazing healing magic will get a huge boost! And if you learn attack spells later, it'll make those stronger too," Hestia said.

"Why not make a suit of armor instead?" August suggested. "If I use this metal to forge armor and connect it to my drones as signal relays, I could probably trigger large-scale healing."

He pictured how it might work: he would chant a spell, and the drones flying above the battlefield would spread healing magic across a wide area.

There were so many ways to use this metal.

"Oh! That's genius!!" Hestia's eyes lit up.

She had thought a staff was the best use, but turning the Mithril into a magical network for large area effects was even better.

Using all that metal for just one staff would have wasted its potential.

August took the Mithril from Hestia.

With it, he could probably set up a magical array system.

"Thanks." He really appreciated the gift. It was exactly what he needed. Then he got an idea and opened his spatial inventory.

"If you don't mind, take these." August pulled out a huge pile of weapons and dropped them in the courtyard.

They were all made of modern, high-quality steel.

"Whoa..." Lyd gasped.

Most of these weapons were extra stock from a military base on Earth. The army made them for August—but anything less than perfect was discarded—so he bought all the rejects.

There was also a pile of heavy tactical armor.

"..." Lyd's eyes lit up. His weapons had been destroyed in recent battles, and he had been searching for replacements. Now August had given him an entire armory.

"This sword... isn't this just like yours?" Lyd asked, noticing a pile of greatswords identical to the one August used. "You have this many?"

"Yeah."

"People from August's world made these just for his urban combat training," Hestia explained, picking up one of the blades. "They don't use weapons like this anymore, so August bought the extras. They're all made from high-grade steel. The 'rejects' only have small flaws compared to August's main blade."

She pointed to a tiny—almost invisible bump. "In terms of durability, they're exceptional weapons."

"Oh, you're right," Lyd said as he spotted the flaw. He never would have noticed it without looking closely.

"And this armor," Hestia said, lifting a sturdy steel bracer. "It was designed to transform August into a mobile fortress for alley combat. He can't utilize all of it right now, so take it and distribute it. All of these are top-tier gear."

With August and Hestia's approval, Lyd didn't hesitate.

He grabbed a greatsword, tested its weight with a big grin, and put on the heavy modern armor. It was heavier than the old scraps he used to wear, but the protection was perfect.

It looked pretty cool too.

"Hand these out to the rest of the guys!!" Gros yelled, calling the rest of his kin over.

The male Xenos rushed to the pile, their eyes shining as they chose from the modern weapons.

Wearing the same gear as August felt like an honor.

Watching the group gear up in modern armor and heft their heavy swords, August couldn't help thinking that they might soon become a real unstoppable force.

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BULK UPLOAD OF 6 CHAPTERS IF WE HIT 1100 POWERSTONES THIS WEEK!!

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