Ethan couldn't close his eyes for the entire night. He kept thinking of a way to escape while his racing heart refused to calm down. He couldn't understand how he had ended up in this situation.
What had he done to deserve this?
Why had he been thrown into the world of DanMachi, a world he barely even knew?
Then, all of a sudden, the locked door to the room swung open. As soon as it did, another guard began banging his sword against the doorframe.
"Wake up! Move it! Eat your breakfast and get back to work!"
Ethan immediately got to his feet before everyone else and left the room.
He took a better look around.
'It's a hallway lined with rooms.'
No... they were cells.
Heavy iron doors that someone as weak as Ethan and the other adventurers could never hope to break through.
'That place...'
At the end of the hallway, Ethan noticed another door. It was probably the exit. Four men were guarding it.
He let out a quiet sigh and silently followed the others.
They were taken to the dining hall, where they were given stale bread with cheese and a cup of tea filled with dirt.
Some time later, everyone was led back to the massive shared forge. The furnaces had already been lit, and the hellish heat scorched Ethan's skin.
Before getting back to work, he looked down at his hands.
The skin on them was peeling away little by little. The pain was unbearable.
They looked infected.
He could die from this.
But he knew asking for help was pointless. They would only laugh in his face and tell him to get back to work.
Ethan heated the metal and picked up his hammer, beginning to shape another sword.
'I just need luck... a lot of luck.'
Time passed.
The wounds on his hands worsened, and Ethan forged another failure.
However, on his second sword of the day, he finally forged something that could actually be called decent.
Sword (Bronze) ★
Attack: 99
Magic Conductivity: 78
Skills: Minor Strength Increase
As soon as the sword's status appeared before his eyes, Ethan smiled.
Then another message appeared.
[Congratulations on forging a "★" Bronze-ranked sword.]
[Bonus Received]
[Random Status Points +10]
[Luck Increased: +1]
Ethan looked at the messages with an indifferent expression, despite the excitement surging inside him.
He attached the hilt to the sword and, after finishing it, placed it on his filthy workbench.
The guard walked over and picked it up.
"Huh? What's this? You actually made this?"
"Yes," Ethan answered coldly.
"Hahahaha! A piece of trash like you finally managed to make something decent. I'm impressed. I thought we'd have to throw you away, but I guess we can keep using you for a little while longer."
The anger inside Ethan continued to build.
'I'll get out of here within three days. Three days. I swear it to myself.'
Grinding his teeth, he heated another piece of iron and began forging yet another sword.
He had to make as many swords as possible during those three days.
####
By the end of the third day, Ethan returned to his room and opened his status.
His attributes hadn't changed.
The only difference was his Luck.
After it increased, he began forging Bronze swords one after another.
They were all one-star swords, each with around 100 Attack—or slightly above—and simple abilities.
But what caught Ethan's attention the most were the points he had earned after forging so many swords.
[Available Points - 130]
After looking at the number, Ethan came to a conclusion.
'It's not enough.'
'Not even close.'
Without enough strength, escaping this place would be impossible.
Besides, he was a member of the Alectro Familia, whether he wanted to be or not. Without enough power, there was no way he could ask a god to release him from his Familia.
But Ethan had realized something.
The guards weren't that strong.
He remembered a few details from the original story and was certain those men were nothing more than low-level adventurers.
They could be killed.
But he needed more points first.
At the very least, he wanted all of his stats to reach 300 before attempting anything.
With that in mind, he lay down to sleep.
At least he could still sleep in this place, even with every inch of his body aching.
And so, several more days passed.
####
Ethan had no idea how many days had gone by, but it had been quite a while.
During that time, he had only been allowed to bathe once, and the entire room reeked of rotting flesh.
It didn't matter.
At least he was still alive.
His hands were almost nothing but raw flesh now.
They bled constantly.
His shoulders ached, and his muscles felt like they were about to burst.
Even so, Ethan was satisfied with how hard he had pushed himself over the past several days.
He finally had enough points to improve his status.
He didn't know if it would be enough.
But he had to try.
The problem was simple.
If he failed to escape...
He would probably die.
[Available Points - 910]
'910 points...'
Ethan muttered while forcing himself to eat the horrible-tasting meat.
His friend, sitting beside him, looked over and asked,
"What are you staring at?"
Hearing the question, Ethan replied,
"Nothing."
[Strength +300]
[Agility +300]
[Dexterity +150]
[Endurance +160]
Name: Ethan Walker
Familia: Alectro Familia
Level: 1
Strength (STR): F 336
Endurance (END): G 241
Dexterity (DEX): G 215
Agility (AGI): F 367
Magic (MAG): I 43
Luck (LUK): I 97
Available Points: 0
The moment he spent all of his points, Ethan felt his entire body change.
His exhaustion vanished.
The pain in his hands disappeared.
His wounds hadn't healed, of course.
But his body felt lighter.
Much lighter.
"You're acting weird," Ethan's friend said.
Ethan ignored him.
'It's still not enough.'
Still, with his improved status and his Luck steadily increasing over time, he would be able to endure this hell a little longer.