There had been something that I noticed during our stay at the mansion, specifically concerning gardening. As Ellaine explained, plants and crops grown in soil with high mana concentration not only grow faster, but yield more produce. The issue was too much mana and it could cause monster spawnings, literally “birthing” a monster from the earth. That was why nobles had to strictly maintain mana in their farmlands, or accidents could happen.
There was also a matter of taste, as produce from areas too saturated in mana could produce bland tasting fruits or veggies. The mana overwhelmed the taste and nutrients; the product essentially becomes a vessel for mana, like mana water. Meaning, it was entirely useless to us.
As such, I had to regulate how much I gave them. We didn’t want to wait for months until they grew up, so I injected my mana almost daily into our plants’ soil. Subsequently, we were now producing fulinoe leaves and fragassa strawberries at a decent rate, though not enough for me to indulge in them every day. A fragassa cake was still a luxury for me.
Whenever I was too lazy, Saori and Tasianna would take over for me. We only had to inject mana into a few potted plants, but I couldn’t imagine a noble having to manage this for an entire farm field! They didn’t have my insane mana pool, after all. I couldn’t imagine Ellaine saturating the grounds with enough mana to significantly speed up the process, so maybe that was why she wasn’t doing it.
And that was when I had this epiphany. I could use mana to speed up crop growths for a few crops, but didn’t I have something else I could commercialize? Why, [Corrosive Fire], of course! In particular, my obsidian. “Why not make it more like an ore or mineral? What if I put more iron into the obsidian, what would happen then?” I thought. Well, this was the result.
“Obsidian? You mean that lava glass? Wait, let me identify this thing first.” Ogni focused on the obsidian, raising his brows the longer he looked at it. He then placed the hand-size obsidian on the counter and then looked at me directly, more serious than before. “You …Where did you get this thing? [Corrosive Fire]? This thing is filled with mana like arcanuit, but it doesn’t seem to absorb my mana like pure euorinium. This mineral is something I’ve never even heard of before. Where did you get this?”
“It’s a secret, sorry.” I shook my head.
Ogni frowned at me for a moment, but then grumbled, “Ha, whatever, no problem. Shame I can’t learn the secret of this thing. Forget about it; tell me what you want to make. I’m actually motivated to know what this thing can do, so just tell me already so I can start forging!”
Saori stepped forward, putting a wooden board filled with diagrams on the table. “I would like a dagger … like this. I am not sure if there is enough ore for it, but I would also like some claw protectors.”
“Hmm …Is that a tanto?” Ogni frowned as he looked at the clumsily drawn illustrations.
“You know about it?”
“Standard side-arm for samurais; the Revolution Queen spread some good and weird ideas from her world, but these tantos and ‘katanas,’ tch, tch, weak. Genius of an inventor, but who wants to use a single-bladed weapon so frail it could snap upon impact? Polearms! Now that is something one should use more often; helps us tazongs exert our full strength!”
We already knew the Revolution Queen was an otherworlder like us. Whether she came from our Earth was a different question. Saori had looked up the history of the Queen, but we couldn’t learn that much from the library of House Helvas.
One thing we did know was she ruled as an Ankoran Queen, the dwarven version of a high-queen or empress, of all Kings and Queens of the dwarven strongholds during the era of the “War for the Faefolk.” In addition, we also learned that the war started in the year 2431 and ended in 2445, roughly 200 years since the end of the war.
“Excuse me, but before we continue,” I interrupted, unable to hold back my curiosity. “We read about the Revolution Queen before, but we barely have information on her. As dwarves, you two must know more about her, right? Could you tell us her name?”
I wanted to know her nationality and how she influenced the dwarven mountains. Ogni knew about katanas, tantos and samurais. Barathan even mentioned how they used chopsticks to eat. Of course, in modern Earth the effects of the Internet had made the world “smaller,” spreading a country’s culture to another with ease. This might also be the case with the dwarves.
Kraftja, Ogni’s wife, nodded and began explaining, “Sure, lass. We call her the Revolution Queen, most of the time, because it’s her honorable title. Her Divine name is used more often by her church.”
Divine name?
Without giving me time to think about that nugget of information, she continued, “In her mortal life, she was the Ankoran Queen called Dravlia Kongun. A member of the Kongun clan. She was favored by Goddess Crustacia and is, as most people know, an otherworlder.”
And then she dropped the bomb. “And now she rules over us as the Goddess of Change, Ingenuity, and Ambition called Chihiro. I think her divine name came from her world’s country.”
Speechless. That’s all that could be said. Tasianna didn’t receive as much of a shock, unlike Saori and me, probably ‘cause she was a Peolyncian. However, Saori and I knew how important the name “Chihiro” was. At this point, we knew for a fact that this Revolution Queen definitely was from Earth. With Aurena informing me that Crustacia was the one who first summoned an otherworlder to Peolynca, there couldn’t be any doubts anymore.
As this Queen had a dwarven name, it was likely that she was a Japanese reincarnated as a dwarf. She became a Queen and was involved in the “War for the Faefolk” and helped end it in favor of the faefolk. She then died and ascended to divinity. Surreal.
I really want to know more about her. To see what her legacy was for Peolynca. I want to experience it for myself.
It’s settled. I had to go to the capital of Artorias, Griffonpeak, and meet with Aurena for the next part of her “Quest.” There was also the chance that I could ask a member of the Morgiana Duchy to fix my mana paths so I could fly again, at least according to Ellaine. There were a lot of things I still needed to do in Artorias, but once I was done here, I had to go to Ankor-Nazta, the land of dwarves.. I am sure Saori would agree too.
Thinking that we had no more questions left, Ogni brought us back to the original intent of our visit. “I don’t like making these flimsy weapons, but I’ve made weapons for our samurais before.”
Samurais? Really? What was Chihiro, huh? An otaku with how she spread samurais into this world? Gosh, that’s cringe.
Ogni continued, “I don’t know how hard this obsidian really is, so I’ll need to test it. For the materials, I’ll need leather for the handle. Bones or claws to strengthen the blade. Preferably, everything should be D at least, so the tanto can achieve harmony concerning its mana flow. The same thing applies to your claw protectors.”
Hehe, this is why we saved up the rank C materials! Huzzah!
Sorting through various monster materials I saved up from my days in the Belzac Forest, I took out all the ones I got from C rank monsters. The three wyverns, the rock-skinned horned grizzly, the various Belzac chameleons, and the panguanas. I was only missing the materials from the garm matriarch as I left them behind. I wanted to show her respect for defending the new-born Saori to her last breath.
“W-wha-wha-wha—Ahahahahahh! This is brilliant! Praise Bleidla! Praise the God of Blacksmiths for bringing you three here to me! Wyvern scales, this thick stone-fur, and these long claws. Fantastic.”
I was thinking of showing him some of my shed scales, but it seemed the wyvern scales had caught his eyes. Damn, that was sad. I would have loved to make some armor or weapon with my shed scales and claws. The best part—I didn’t have to die for some top-quality monster materials.
“Hold onto them for me, lass. I need to first see if I can melt this obsidian first. Don’t want to ruin the materials, eh?”
I then told him to also be careful with the obsidian as it was the only chunk I could get my claws on. Technically, I could’ve made more but the problem was making it with enough iron to make it hard enough for a weapon. After all, [Corrosive Fire] used up the minerals and resources from my body to create the toxins. In other words, it drained the iron from my body whenever I wanted to make this chunk of obsidian.
As iron was important for our body to keep our blood healthy, not to mention that my claws and fangs needed iron as well, I had to stop the production once I felt ill. It could be called self-destructive, but I considered creating the ore an investment. If I could help make some strong weapons for Saori, our party’s overall strength would increase, meaning we will be more prepared for future dangers.
Ogni then headed to the back of the shop, while I asked Kraftja if she could help me pick out a weapon. She smiled and nodded.
“Hmm, come to think about it, lass. Aren’t you a priestess of Aurena? You look fit from a System standpoint, but I don’t think you have the body type for a paladin or templar. Stats don’t affect your overall weight, so a light-weight like you would be tossed around by a larger opponent,” Kraftja scrutinized me as we walked over to the weapons.
“It’s to increase my offense when I have to fight in melee,” I answered. “I’m an elemental mage, but I have high strength and agility. Only my defense is lacking, but I have skills and spells to cover for them, although not perfectly. A normal mage is vulnerable if a warrior gets to them, but I have no problem fighting against them, as long as they don’t overpower me. That’s why I want a weapon.”
“What’s your weapon and unarmed levels? What are your magic skills?”
“Sword and spear techniques are level one while unarmed is eight. For magic, I have sacred at six, terra at three, storm—”
“That’s enough for me,” Kraftja raised her eyebrow for a moment before scoffing, “You know, I might just be a dwarf without much info on magic, but even I know the advanced form of earth magic. Hestia, isn’t it better to channel your strength through a catalyst, or maybe summon a golem, than to focus on close combat? A mage should avoid it in the first place.”
“Fully aware, of course. I just thought this might help become stronger, you know? Diversify my Profile, cover up any weaknesses. I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a weapon, right?” I wasn’t planning on becoming a jack of all trades, master of none, but diversifying my attack plan wasn’t a problem, right?
“Learn how to use your magic better, then. Stop wasting time on something you will barely use. That should be obvious for a mage.”
Wow, she’s stubborn.
It was disappointing, to say the least. Farron mentioned, during last week’s spars, that I strictly didn’t need to learn how to use a spear or sword. A master of the arcane should be able to overwhelm an enemy and a whole army simply with their spells alone. The reason why I wasn’t able to defeat him in a spar was a matter of stats, experience, and equipment. I was only able to persuade him to teach me after I gave him the puppy eyes.
And now a blacksmith’s wife was saying something similar? Disheartening.
As the atmosphere became awkward, Tasianna interjected herself into the conversation, “Mrs. Kraftja, aren’t you managing a smithy? Would it really be bothersome for you to sell a spear or sword to Lady Hestia? She simply wants to train to become stronger.”
“I’m telling this to her because I believe she should focus more on her magic. I’ve seen enough adventurers make this opinion. Magic swordsman, magic knight, spellsword; yeah, I can see the thrill behind combining magic and martial arts, but you’re only gimping yourself. A high concentration is needed to use both spells and your weapon, and many of the more powerful spells can’t be used since you’ll be collateral.”
“I combine magic with my combat style,” Saori argued in my support. “Compared to Lady Hestia, I have to rely on my spells to deal proper damage to enemies. Also, isn’t the hunter’s guild master a swordsman and a wind mage?”
“…You’re a dark mage, right?”
“Eh?” Saori flinched. “You could tell?”
“Simple deduction skills. You’re still holding that steel dagger and you commissioned a tanto, a weapon for rogues. Rogues have great synergy with dark magic since it allows them to further strengthen their ability to dodge and assassinate. As an arcane trickster, you have to cover the weak offensive power of dark magic with your weapon so it’s more a necessity for you, Miss Saori,” Kraftja shrugged, explaining it as if it’s common sense. “The guild master, on the other hand, doesn’t rely on wind magic during his fight. You know his moniker, ‘The Wing Ripper?’ It’s because he’s used to fighting aerial monsters. Wind magic is a support tool, like a potion that becomes a necessity in niche situations. In any case, he relies primarily on his runes to fight, rather than magic. His Job is closer to a runeslayer than a magic swordsman.”
Okay, now I had to admit it—this dwarf knew her stuff. She denied me a weapon, but I couldn’t help but feel wonderment and admiration for her. She was an expert in her field, after all.
“Amazing. You know a lot about the guild master, Mrs. Kraftja,” I said, eyes sparkling with respect.
Kraftja snorted but she smiled slightly. “Of course I would. He and the mercenary guild master use our smithy exclusively to maintain their weapons and armor. Ha, once you get used to the skills of a dwarf, you’ll never want to visit a human-run smithy ever again! Tch, well, I understand why not everybody wants to come over here. For good service, we have to ask for a fair price and not everyone can afford it.”
She explained her smithy was mostly empty due to her husband’s passion in making good weapons, instead of decent ones. Due to the skills of the Firwood blacksmiths, most of them couldn’t compete with Ogni’s skill and took various measures to keep their shops alive. So, they not only reduced the prices of their products, but also offered free repairs for an adventurer’s equipment, so long as the smithy was that adventurer’s preferred shop.
“You know, there is a saying that only a dwarf’s wife can stop their bull-headedness. The saying is practically true. However, even I couldn’t persuade my husband to drop the fees for repairs. ‘Quality work deserves proper payment,’ he said, and I had to shut up once I heard it.” Kraftja sighed in exasperation but looked pretty unfazed by the measures of the other smithies.
Thankfully, due to the loyalty of specific customers and how they recommend friends or acquaintances to him, Ogni could continue working like this. He could keep his standard of work, without going bankrupt. After all, the smithing god, Bleidla, was once a dwarf, so Ogni’s pride hinged on him not compromising on compensation and quality.
Ogni’s smithy didn’t provide free repairs, but he would pour his full attention into any commissions. The reason why no armor was sold in the shop was because of Ogni’s belief that armor should be made specifically for a person to make it more comfortable to wear and increase their combat effectiveness. He would feel proud if his armor could save the life of his customers.
“Armor is there to protect yourself, so faulty or loose pieces can lead to death. Never good to hear your armor failed to save a life, ya know. Weapons, on the other hand, are for him to experiment and improve his skills. All the weapons you can find in the store were made in his spare time using his own pocket money,” Kraftja explained with pride, pointing at the myriads of weapons. “However, that also means everything we sell is expensive in order to recuperate the costs.”
Wow, that is the spirit of a craftsman, huh?
“You know what, now that I said it out loud, I can’t deny you a weapon anymore. Sorry about that; I was so heated up that I couldn’t think straight. Come, let me help search out a weapon for you. You too, wolfkin lass! That dagger ain’t for you!”
Without warning, Kraftja grabbed Saori’s and my wrist, dragging us in front of a weapon rack. She swiped the steel dagger from Saori’s hand and placed it back on a table, before searching and picking up two new daggers.
“You’re a rogue, so we have to maximize your attack power and abnormal status application.” She handed Saori two daggers and gave us her ring of appraisal to look at them. As we already had [Identify], we gave her the ring back.
Ew, frog. Not touching that.
The power of items!
Our stares of wonderment were enough of a reward for Kraftja as she burst into laughter. The smile she was showing carried the pride she had for her husband’s craftsmanship, showing no reluctance to boast about him. They seemed rowdy at first, but her affection for him was no lie.
“Don’t look so surprised! These aren’t anything special, these are stuff you give to beginners!” Kraftja dialed our expectations up even further. “If you want stuff for rank C or B adventurers, you need some more work. The skills can go up to level ten and you can have over ten of them on a single weapon! Wait until my husband makes you those daggers, haha!”
Ellaine gave us some money to spend on equipment. Saori and I understood it was good foresight from her, seeing as these “beginner’s” weapon already caught our eyes.
A favor for a favor. Ellaine anticipated we wouldn’t have enough money to spend on weapons and equipment, so she lent us some of hers. Our protection was important to her and her House.
In return, she commissioned Saori to make her a mana dress for her social debut. Since she missed her actual one for us, she wanted to dazzle people on the second. And nothing showed “I am rich” like a dress made from expensive mana threads.
Sure enough, it was a smart move. These two daggers alone cost 10,000 Davi in total.
Once Kraftja confirmed Saori’s purchase, she recommended that I buy a spear over a sword. “You are still growing, probably, but your current height will be a disadvantage for you if you face a taller enemy. Their weapon will reach you before yours can reach them. A spear will alleviate this problem. Hmm, let me see, one fit for a beginner to wield …”
As she was searching through all the weapons, I took this chance to ask her about identifying strong weapons. How would I know how much damage a weapon will deal? How would I appraise the quality of the skills and the weapon itself? The first step to not being ignorant anymore was to ask questions.
Kraftja scratched the rock-like hide on her ears as she answered, “Yeah, I get those questions a lot from newbies. Honestly, you’re a dragonewt, so you must have come from Loatryx and that’s a long travel. My husband told me you three are strong, so why don’t you know the basics of weapons? Sigh, sorry, you must have your own circumstances as a void-touched.”
Void-touched? Oh, right, Master mentioned something like that. Those who can use [Space-Time Magic] are called like that.
“No reaction? Heeeey, when it comes to magic, you know things!” Kraftja laughed, sounding a bit condescending but I forgave her since I was asking all these basic questions. “Damn, certainly feels weird that a void-touched is so ‘normalized.’ [Space-Time Magic] is extremely rare, and people used to call it a ‘divine blessing,’ until the Revolution Queen explained it comes from touching something outside this world. I won’t ask for your past, don’t worry. You’re here as customers and I will respect your privacy.”
Was it possible that Kraftja noticed that we were otherworlders? Most likely not, since void-touched existed before the Revolution Queen. But that did create another question.
“Wait, wasn’t Goddess Chihiro a dwarf? I know dwarves can’t use magic, so how could she use [Space-Time Magic]?” I asked.
“No idea, I didn’t live in her time. As you correctly said, dwarves cannot use magic since our body doesn’t allow mana to flow outside our body for too long. However, that doesn’t mean we have little mana. In fact, the opposite is true.” Kraftja took an iron rod from behind the counter and started bending it with ease. “We dwarves have above average mana capacities compared to humans and beastmen, but we can only use it to strengthen our bodies and the weapons we wield.”
She then straightened the rod and used it to break another iron rod by striking at it. “That’s why us dwarves are known as the best blacksmiths and runesmiths in all of Altrust. We temper our hammers with our strong mana. Ha, we also accumulate arcane corruption slower than other races, too, hahahahah!”
Her laughter sounded like she’s really saying,“dwarves are the best race.”
“Anyway, I see you like derailing discussions. Here, let me show you how to identify good weapons. Take these two spears and examine them.”
At first glance the wolf fang spear should be stronger. It had more offensive skills, unlike the golem spear which only reduced the durability loss of the weapon. If you thought about it, wouldn’t a weapon that chipped less be more useful for extended fights as you didn’t have to maintain it all the time? Plus, not every fighter was a good blacksmith. However, I personally leaned more on the wolf fang spear as it would enable me to deal more damage, ending a fight faster.
However … shouldn’t this be an easy question? It’s too obvious if she’s asking me specifically to determine which weapon was stronger, I thought for a second, before remembering something. Wait! Didn’t they say that weapons made with monster materials high in mana were stronger and showed their effects more? Maybe the answer isn’t to look at the skills but at the weapon itself?
…Can’t I use [Mana Eyes]? Mana Eyes!
Using my [Mana Eyes], my suspicion was confirmed as I gazed at the two weapons. The wolf fang spear had mana concentrated in the blade of the weapon. It was evenly spread around the edges while the rest of the spear tip was filled with thick mana that looked like a bright blue light. On the other hand, its steel shaft was lacking.
Turning my eyes to the golem spear, my eyes widened as the whole spear turned blue. From the bottom of the shaft to the tip of the spear, it was pure blue. However, compared to the wolf fang spear, the light wasn’t very bright, in fact, it was easier on my brain to look at it than the wolf fang spear.
As I noticed the System saying something, another suspicion rose and I examined the spear once again, this time with [Identify] and [Mana Eyes] active.
…!
“This one.” Holding up the [Golem Steel Spear], I declared with confidence. “This spear is stronger. I can deal more damage with this one.”
“Oho? Why?” Kraftja asked with an interested smile.
I nodded. “I feel there is more mana infused into this weapon than the other. The wolf fang spear has more mana concentrated at the tip of the spear, but the golem spear has its mana spread throughout it. It’s more stable and has more weight behind it, allowing me to put more strength into it.”
“Oho? Do you perhaps pray to Bleidla, little dragonewt whelp? The skill [Blacksmith’s Appraisal] is the only skill I know that allows you to fully understand the attack power of a weapon, but you can only get it if you are a true follower of the God of Blacksmithing. Most people would say the wolf fang spear would deal more damage.” Kraftja’s eyes widened in greed as she looked at me, similar to how Ogni looked at my scales. A chill went down my spine as if I was being dissected by her eyes.
Was it a mistake to answer like that?! Scheiße, did I make a mistake?
“However, your answer is wrong. No, the golem spear is weaker.”
… And my worries lasted for only a second.
“Huh?! W-why?! Didn’t Ogni say that objects with more mana infused into them from monster materials were naturally stronger?”
“Yeah, he did. It isn’t wrong. The golem spear has 291 attack power while the wolf fang spear has 231. Objectively, the golem spear is more powerful … but that is purely because of the metal. The real strength of a weapon comes from the skills. It’s the obvious answer, I wanted you to say it so I can have a proper segue,” Kraftja laughed at me while slapping my shoulder. “Ahaha, don’t think too much about it, lass. I loved your answer. If the question was ‘which weapon had more attack power’ then you would have aced it. Honestly, whatever skill allowed you to determine the concentration of mana is kinda worrying. Equipment appraisal is a good revenue source for us blacksmiths, so a mage who knows what weapon is stronger could ruin our business. You might get reprimanded by the blacksmith guild, haha!”
“…”
Ignoring how I felt about the situation, Kraftja began explaining the attributes of a strong weapon in detail. In general, an adventurer would ask the blacksmith about the attack power of a weapon in advance before buying it. The “Attack Power” of a weapon increases the effective strength of an owner while wielded. It was a base stat increase, meaning buffs would affect them, too.
However, because of skills and abilities, people who fought with their fists alone weren’t weak; in fact, some were very strong. Take for example my [Hellblade Dragon] racial skill or Saori’s [Lupine Claws]. Both skills increased the damage we could do if we use our body’s natural weapons to attack with. A monster had to have these skills, otherwise a human with a weapon would just be flat out better and overpower them. The reason why I was so confident in my ability to fight in close combat was due to [Hellblade Dragon] making my claws and tail into lethal weapons.
That was where weapon skills and runes came into play. Skills like [Enhanced Strength Enforcement] increased the strength of a person by a set amount once acquired. Unfortunately, it didn’t apply its effect retroactively to the stats the person got before they got the skill. However, weapon and armor skills were different. They applied a boost according to a percentage of our current stat.
The [Strength Enforcement Lv. 1] on the wolf fang spear would increase my current Strength by 5%, and it added another 5% with every new level. [Sundering Enhancement] increased the damage of all cutting attacks by 1% per level, working similar to the Profile version one.
“Whatever trick you’re using to guess the attack power of the weapon, don’t rely on it. My husband and I can use [Blacksmith’s Appraisal] to see the ‘attack power’ and ‘vitality and wisdom power,’ but we also judge the weapon by its skills. Of course, our assessment is situational. A person with 1000 Strength would benefit more from the wolf fang spear than a person with 100 Strength,” Kraftja continued.
Oh yeah, I might as well examine Saori’s daggers.
Daggers beating spears in damage. Wow, the steel dagger Saori picked out at first must have been trash-tier compared to these ones.
… Still, wouldn’t my tail be stronger, still? No, no! Don’t think that way. The advantage of a weapon is the skills and runes it can have. Don’t look at the attack power alone.
As Kraftja’s explanation ended, Ogni returned from the back of the shop. Surprisingly, he was wearing a mask.
“Hahaha! Where the hell did you find that piece of obsidian?! The furnace had to burn hot enough for a taz before the glass started melting!” Ogni exclaimed after removing the mask. “Phew, the smell was terrible. I thought I was breathing in poison!”
Ogni quickly explained to us what happened in the smithy. His excitement was easy to detect. “The [Corrosive Iron Obsidian] is truly great! It’s malleable and didn’t break even after I tried folding it. It’s durable enough to handle my hammering, so it should be usable as a weapon. However, I can’t be 100% sure. I personally think putting in some steel or eoriant would be the best for the first test run.”
According to Ogni, eoriant was an alloy made with euorinium and steel.
Euorinium was a metal with an incredible mana absorption rate that would suck up mana from the environment until it was full. However, the problem with the metal was how brittle it was while manaless, to the point it could shatter. Due to this trait, it was ill-advised to make a weapon purely out of euorinium.
This fact changed if steel was mixed into it. A mixture of 80% steel and 20% euorinium would create an alloy that was able to absorb the mana from monster materials with ease while having the ability to hold runes without breaking. All the disadvantages of euorinium would disappear. That was the wonder alloy eoriant.
Aside from the corrosive obsidian, we also gave him some wyvern and panguana claws, grizzly hide, and Belzac chameleon scales for Saori’s tanto and claw protectors. “The obsidian itself isn’t enough for everything, but if eoriant is included, everything should be fine. Don’t know how long this would take, but a week max sounds good. By then, I promise you that I will make your investment worth it.”
For my new spear, Saori’s two daggers, and Saori’s commissioned weapons, the money Ellaine gave us was just enough to pay for everything. Saori would most likely have to create a dress fit for a princess for Ellaine to repay everything. I should feed Ellaine tons of cake to try and see if she somehow forgets about it, but that was probably just wishful thinking on my part.
“Ah, oh right. Don’t you need armor, too?” Kraftja commented as we were about to leave. “Hey, Hestia, have you remembered to pick up your scales?”
“Yes?”
“Good! Once you got enough, bring them to us and Ogni will make you some mail.”
Using my dragon scales to make armor would be smart, but …wouldn’t I break it whenever I transformed?
“I have a skill that protects me from attacks and I’m also creating a custom spell that allows me to fortify my defense even further. I don’t think I’ll need armor.”
“Nonsense, lass. Mage or not, you’re still a dragonewt. Making armor from dragonewt pieces has a positive effect on you, so you should take us up on our offer. Looking at your pink thighs, your scales probably don’t cover up your whole body. Take precautions so you don’t regret it later. Scalemail would be a great help to you.”
Maybe I should just tell her I’m a dragon.
With that final advice, we said our goodbyes to the dwarf couple and made our way to the gate. On the way, I explained to Saori and Tasianna that my [Mana Eyes] somehow merged with [Identify] and gained the benefits of [Blacksmith’s Appraisal (Incomplete)].
“I am becoming a bit envious, but it is nice to see us becoming stronger. It is a good feeling.”
“My lady is extraordinary, indeed.”
Those were responses.
As we left the gate of Firwood and gazed at the snow-filled entrance, I couldn’t help but smile. It has been a while since we left for an adventure. Staying in town was nice, but that wasn’t our goal. Saori wished to learn more about this world and I wanted to become stronger. Our goals required us to get back to work as adventurers.
“The ruins were there before this kingdom was founded. My fur is tingling from excitement,” Saori exclaimed with a smile.
I nodded, agreeing with her statement. I activated my party bracelet, set our party up, and set the experience distribution to one-third each, before checking the name of the Quest one more time. “C rank Quest, ‘Investigate the ruins close to Rashan Village and subjugate all threats
In the depths of a cold, dark ruin, the wailing of numerous creatures could be heard. None were pleasant to hear. Growls of anger and screeches of pain flooded the halls and room as their footsteps tapped onto the stony floor. Their eyes glowed red as their deteriorating flesh was patched up by a strange living shadow.
“Vvvvvveeeengeeeeence … taaaaaaaaakkkke…maaaannaaaaaa. Giiiiive meeeeeee … maaaanaaaaaa. Liiiiiiveeeeee …”
An eerie voice echoed through the ruins, none could ignore it as the snarling of the beasts intensified. Four shadows rose. Exposed bones, foul stench, decaying flesh hanging loosely as only a veil of shadow was keeping the creature together. Their four legs tapped on the floor in front of an army.
“Awrooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!”
The howls vibrated through the air like a war horn. It was a call to battle. The pain-filled cries exploded as a wave of creatures ran through the halls. Their destination?
“Huuuummmaaaaaans! Veeeeengenceeeeee! Giiiiiveeeeee … meeeeee … yyyyyyyour … maaaaannaaaaaa!”
The damned do not forget.
AbyssRaven They do not forget. ResidentDead
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There had been something that I noticed during our stay at the mansion, specifically concerning gardening. As Ellaine explained, plants and crops grown in soil with high mana concentration not only grow faster, but yield more produce. The issue was too much mana and it could cause monster spawnings, literally “birthing” a monster from the earth. That was why nobles had to strictly maintain mana in their farmlands, or accidents could happen.
There was also a matter of taste, as produce from areas too saturated in mana could produce bland tasting fruits or veggies. The mana overwhelmed the taste and nutrients; the product essentially becomes a vessel for mana, like mana water. Meaning, it was entirely useless to us.
As such, I had to regulate how much I gave them. We didn’t want to wait for months until they grew up, so I injected my mana almost daily into our plants’ soil. Subsequently, we were now producing fulinoe leaves and fragassa strawberries at a decent rate, though not enough for me to indulge in them every day. A fragassa cake was still a luxury for me.
Whenever I was too lazy, Saori and Tasianna would take over for me. We only had to inject mana into a few potted plants, but I couldn’t imagine a noble having to manage this for an entire farm field! They didn’t have my insane mana pool, after all. I couldn’t imagine Ellaine saturating the grounds with enough mana to significantly speed up the process, so maybe that was why she wasn’t doing it.
And that was when I had this epiphany. I could use mana to speed up crop growths for a few crops, but didn’t I have something else I could commercialize? Why, [Corrosive Fire], of course! In particular, my obsidian. “Why not make it more like an ore or mineral? What if I put more iron into the obsidian, what would happen then?” I thought. Well, this was the result.
“Obsidian? You mean that lava glass? Wait, let me identify this thing first.” Ogni focused on the obsidian, raising his brows the longer he looked at it. He then placed the hand-size obsidian on the counter and then looked at me directly, more serious than before. “You …Where did you get this thing? [Corrosive Fire]? This thing is filled with mana like arcanuit, but it doesn’t seem to absorb my mana like pure euorinium. This mineral is something I’ve never even heard of before. Where did you get this?”
“It’s a secret, sorry.” I shook my head.
Ogni frowned at me for a moment, but then grumbled, “Ha, whatever, no problem. Shame I can’t learn the secret of this thing. Forget about it; tell me what you want to make. I’m actually motivated to know what this thing can do, so just tell me already so I can start forging!”
Saori stepped forward, putting a wooden board filled with diagrams on the table. “I would like a dagger … like this. I am not sure if there is enough ore for it, but I would also like some claw protectors.”
“Hmm …Is that a tanto?” Ogni frowned as he looked at the clumsily drawn illustrations.
“You know about it?”
“Standard side-arm for samurais; the Revolution Queen spread some good and weird ideas from her world, but these tantos and ‘katanas,’ tch, tch, weak. Genius of an inventor, but who wants to use a single-bladed weapon so frail it could snap upon impact? Polearms! Now that is something one should use more often; helps us tazongs exert our full strength!”
We already knew the Revolution Queen was an otherworlder like us. Whether she came from our Earth was a different question. Saori had looked up the history of the Queen, but we couldn’t learn that much from the library of House Helvas.
One thing we did know was she ruled as an Ankoran Queen, the dwarven version of a high-queen or empress, of all Kings and Queens of the dwarven strongholds during the era of the “War for the Faefolk.” In addition, we also learned that the war started in the year 2431 and ended in 2445, roughly 200 years since the end of the war.
“Excuse me, but before we continue,” I interrupted, unable to hold back my curiosity. “We read about the Revolution Queen before, but we barely have information on her. As dwarves, you two must know more about her, right? Could you tell us her name?”
I wanted to know her nationality and how she influenced the dwarven mountains. Ogni knew about katanas, tantos and samurais. Barathan even mentioned how they used chopsticks to eat. Of course, in modern Earth the effects of the Internet had made the world “smaller,” spreading a country’s culture to another with ease. This might also be the case with the dwarves.
Kraftja, Ogni’s wife, nodded and began explaining, “Sure, lass. We call her the Revolution Queen, most of the time, because it’s her honorable title. Her Divine name is used more often by her church.”
Divine name?
Without giving me time to think about that nugget of information, she continued, “In her mortal life, she was the Ankoran Queen called Dravlia Kongun. A member of the Kongun clan. She was favored by Goddess Crustacia and is, as most people know, an otherworlder.”
And then she dropped the bomb. “And now she rules over us as the Goddess of Change, Ingenuity, and Ambition called Chihiro. I think her divine name came from her world’s country.”
Speechless. That’s all that could be said. Tasianna didn’t receive as much of a shock, unlike Saori and me, probably ‘cause she was a Peolyncian. However, Saori and I knew how important the name “Chihiro” was. At this point, we knew for a fact that this Revolution Queen definitely was from Earth. With Aurena informing me that Crustacia was the one who first summoned an otherworlder to Peolynca, there couldn’t be any doubts anymore.
As this Queen had a dwarven name, it was likely that she was a Japanese reincarnated as a dwarf. She became a Queen and was involved in the “War for the Faefolk” and helped end it in favor of the faefolk. She then died and ascended to divinity. Surreal.
I really want to know more about her. To see what her legacy was for Peolynca. I want to experience it for myself.
It’s settled. I had to go to the capital of Artorias, Griffonpeak, and meet with Aurena for the next part of her “Quest.” There was also the chance that I could ask a member of the Morgiana Duchy to fix my mana paths so I could fly again, at least according to Ellaine. There were a lot of things I still needed to do in Artorias, but once I was done here, I had to go to Ankor-Nazta, the land of dwarves.. I am sure Saori would agree too.
Thinking that we had no more questions left, Ogni brought us back to the original intent of our visit. “I don’t like making these flimsy weapons, but I’ve made weapons for our samurais before.”
Samurais? Really? What was Chihiro, huh? An otaku with how she spread samurais into this world? Gosh, that’s cringe.
Ogni continued, “I don’t know how hard this obsidian really is, so I’ll need to test it. For the materials, I’ll need leather for the handle. Bones or claws to strengthen the blade. Preferably, everything should be D at least, so the tanto can achieve harmony concerning its mana flow. The same thing applies to your claw protectors.”
Hehe, this is why we saved up the rank C materials! Huzzah!
Sorting through various monster materials I saved up from my days in the Belzac Forest, I took out all the ones I got from C rank monsters. The three wyverns, the rock-skinned horned grizzly, the various Belzac chameleons, and the panguanas. I was only missing the materials from the garm matriarch as I left them behind. I wanted to show her respect for defending the new-born Saori to her last breath.
“W-wha-wha-wha—Ahahahahahh! This is brilliant! Praise Bleidla! Praise the God of Blacksmiths for bringing you three here to me! Wyvern scales, this thick stone-fur, and these long claws. Fantastic.”
I was thinking of showing him some of my shed scales, but it seemed the wyvern scales had caught his eyes. Damn, that was sad. I would have loved to make some armor or weapon with my shed scales and claws. The best part—I didn’t have to die for some top-quality monster materials.
“Hold onto them for me, lass. I need to first see if I can melt this obsidian first. Don’t want to ruin the materials, eh?”
I then told him to also be careful with the obsidian as it was the only chunk I could get my claws on. Technically, I could’ve made more but the problem was making it with enough iron to make it hard enough for a weapon. After all, [Corrosive Fire] used up the minerals and resources from my body to create the toxins. In other words, it drained the iron from my body whenever I wanted to make this chunk of obsidian.
As iron was important for our body to keep our blood healthy, not to mention that my claws and fangs needed iron as well, I had to stop the production once I felt ill. It could be called self-destructive, but I considered creating the ore an investment. If I could help make some strong weapons for Saori, our party’s overall strength would increase, meaning we will be more prepared for future dangers.
Ogni then headed to the back of the shop, while I asked Kraftja if she could help me pick out a weapon. She smiled and nodded.
“Hmm, come to think about it, lass. Aren’t you a priestess of Aurena? You look fit from a System standpoint, but I don’t think you have the body type for a paladin or templar. Stats don’t affect your overall weight, so a light-weight like you would be tossed around by a larger opponent,” Kraftja scrutinized me as we walked over to the weapons.
“It’s to increase my offense when I have to fight in melee,” I answered. “I’m an elemental mage, but I have high strength and agility. Only my defense is lacking, but I have skills and spells to cover for them, although not perfectly. A normal mage is vulnerable if a warrior gets to them, but I have no problem fighting against them, as long as they don’t overpower me. That’s why I want a weapon.”
“What’s your weapon and unarmed levels? What are your magic skills?”
“Sword and spear techniques are level one while unarmed is eight. For magic, I have sacred at six, terra at three, storm—”
“That’s enough for me,” Kraftja raised her eyebrow for a moment before scoffing, “You know, I might just be a dwarf without much info on magic, but even I know the advanced form of earth magic. Hestia, isn’t it better to channel your strength through a catalyst, or maybe summon a golem, than to focus on close combat? A mage should avoid it in the first place.”
“Fully aware, of course. I just thought this might help become stronger, you know? Diversify my Profile, cover up any weaknesses. I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a weapon, right?” I wasn’t planning on becoming a jack of all trades, master of none, but diversifying my attack plan wasn’t a problem, right?
“Learn how to use your magic better, then. Stop wasting time on something you will barely use. That should be obvious for a mage.”
Wow, she’s stubborn.
It was disappointing, to say the least. Farron mentioned, during last week’s spars, that I strictly didn’t need to learn how to use a spear or sword. A master of the arcane should be able to overwhelm an enemy and a whole army simply with their spells alone. The reason why I wasn’t able to defeat him in a spar was a matter of stats, experience, and equipment. I was only able to persuade him to teach me after I gave him the puppy eyes.
And now a blacksmith’s wife was saying something similar? Disheartening.
As the atmosphere became awkward, Tasianna interjected herself into the conversation, “Mrs. Kraftja, aren’t you managing a smithy? Would it really be bothersome for you to sell a spear or sword to Lady Hestia? She simply wants to train to become stronger.”
“I’m telling this to her because I believe she should focus more on her magic. I’ve seen enough adventurers make this opinion. Magic swordsman, magic knight, spellsword; yeah, I can see the thrill behind combining magic and martial arts, but you’re only gimping yourself. A high concentration is needed to use both spells and your weapon, and many of the more powerful spells can’t be used since you’ll be collateral.”
“I combine magic with my combat style,” Saori argued in my support. “Compared to Lady Hestia, I have to rely on my spells to deal proper damage to enemies. Also, isn’t the hunter’s guild master a swordsman and a wind mage?”
“…You’re a dark mage, right?”
“Eh?” Saori flinched. “You could tell?”
“Simple deduction skills. You’re still holding that steel dagger and you commissioned a tanto, a weapon for rogues. Rogues have great synergy with dark magic since it allows them to further strengthen their ability to dodge and assassinate. As an arcane trickster, you have to cover the weak offensive power of dark magic with your weapon so it’s more a necessity for you, Miss Saori,” Kraftja shrugged, explaining it as if it’s common sense. “The guild master, on the other hand, doesn’t rely on wind magic during his fight. You know his moniker, ‘The Wing Ripper?’ It’s because he’s used to fighting aerial monsters. Wind magic is a support tool, like a potion that becomes a necessity in niche situations. In any case, he relies primarily on his runes to fight, rather than magic. His Job is closer to a runeslayer than a magic swordsman.”
Okay, now I had to admit it—this dwarf knew her stuff. She denied me a weapon, but I couldn’t help but feel wonderment and admiration for her. She was an expert in her field, after all.
“Amazing. You know a lot about the guild master, Mrs. Kraftja,” I said, eyes sparkling with respect.
Kraftja snorted but she smiled slightly. “Of course I would. He and the mercenary guild master use our smithy exclusively to maintain their weapons and armor. Ha, once you get used to the skills of a dwarf, you’ll never want to visit a human-run smithy ever again! Tch, well, I understand why not everybody wants to come over here. For good service, we have to ask for a fair price and not everyone can afford it.”
She explained her smithy was mostly empty due to her husband’s passion in making good weapons, instead of decent ones. Due to the skills of the Firwood blacksmiths, most of them couldn’t compete with Ogni’s skill and took various measures to keep their shops alive. So, they not only reduced the prices of their products, but also offered free repairs for an adventurer’s equipment, so long as the smithy was that adventurer’s preferred shop.
“You know, there is a saying that only a dwarf’s wife can stop their bull-headedness. The saying is practically true. However, even I couldn’t persuade my husband to drop the fees for repairs. ‘Quality work deserves proper payment,’ he said, and I had to shut up once I heard it.” Kraftja sighed in exasperation but looked pretty unfazed by the measures of the other smithies.
Thankfully, due to the loyalty of specific customers and how they recommend friends or acquaintances to him, Ogni could continue working like this. He could keep his standard of work, without going bankrupt. After all, the smithing god, Bleidla, was once a dwarf, so Ogni’s pride hinged on him not compromising on compensation and quality.
Ogni’s smithy didn’t provide free repairs, but he would pour his full attention into any commissions. The reason why no armor was sold in the shop was because of Ogni’s belief that armor should be made specifically for a person to make it more comfortable to wear and increase their combat effectiveness. He would feel proud if his armor could save the life of his customers.
“Armor is there to protect yourself, so faulty or loose pieces can lead to death. Never good to hear your armor failed to save a life, ya know. Weapons, on the other hand, are for him to experiment and improve his skills. All the weapons you can find in the store were made in his spare time using his own pocket money,” Kraftja explained with pride, pointing at the myriads of weapons. “However, that also means everything we sell is expensive in order to recuperate the costs.”
Wow, that is the spirit of a craftsman, huh?
“You know what, now that I said it out loud, I can’t deny you a weapon anymore. Sorry about that; I was so heated up that I couldn’t think straight. Come, let me help search out a weapon for you. You too, wolfkin lass! That dagger ain’t for you!”
Without warning, Kraftja grabbed Saori’s and my wrist, dragging us in front of a weapon rack. She swiped the steel dagger from Saori’s hand and placed it back on a table, before searching and picking up two new daggers.
“You’re a rogue, so we have to maximize your attack power and abnormal status application.” She handed Saori two daggers and gave us her ring of appraisal to look at them. As we already had [Identify], we gave her the ring back.
Ew, frog. Not touching that.
The power of items!
Our stares of wonderment were enough of a reward for Kraftja as she burst into laughter. The smile she was showing carried the pride she had for her husband’s craftsmanship, showing no reluctance to boast about him. They seemed rowdy at first, but her affection for him was no lie.
“Don’t look so surprised! These aren’t anything special, these are stuff you give to beginners!” Kraftja dialed our expectations up even further. “If you want stuff for rank C or B adventurers, you need some more work. The skills can go up to level ten and you can have over ten of them on a single weapon! Wait until my husband makes you those daggers, haha!”
Ellaine gave us some money to spend on equipment. Saori and I understood it was good foresight from her, seeing as these “beginner’s” weapon already caught our eyes.
A favor for a favor. Ellaine anticipated we wouldn’t have enough money to spend on weapons and equipment, so she lent us some of hers. Our protection was important to her and her House.
In return, she commissioned Saori to make her a mana dress for her social debut. Since she missed her actual one for us, she wanted to dazzle people on the second. And nothing showed “I am rich” like a dress made from expensive mana threads.
Sure enough, it was a smart move. These two daggers alone cost 10,000 Davi in total.
Once Kraftja confirmed Saori’s purchase, she recommended that I buy a spear over a sword. “You are still growing, probably, but your current height will be a disadvantage for you if you face a taller enemy. Their weapon will reach you before yours can reach them. A spear will alleviate this problem. Hmm, let me see, one fit for a beginner to wield …”
As she was searching through all the weapons, I took this chance to ask her about identifying strong weapons. How would I know how much damage a weapon will deal? How would I appraise the quality of the skills and the weapon itself? The first step to not being ignorant anymore was to ask questions.
Kraftja scratched the rock-like hide on her ears as she answered, “Yeah, I get those questions a lot from newbies. Honestly, you’re a dragonewt, so you must have come from Loatryx and that’s a long travel. My husband told me you three are strong, so why don’t you know the basics of weapons? Sigh, sorry, you must have your own circumstances as a void-touched.”
Void-touched? Oh, right, Master mentioned something like that. Those who can use [Space-Time Magic] are called like that.
“No reaction? Heeeey, when it comes to magic, you know things!” Kraftja laughed, sounding a bit condescending but I forgave her since I was asking all these basic questions. “Damn, certainly feels weird that a void-touched is so ‘normalized.’ [Space-Time Magic] is extremely rare, and people used to call it a ‘divine blessing,’ until the Revolution Queen explained it comes from touching something outside this world. I won’t ask for your past, don’t worry. You’re here as customers and I will respect your privacy.”
Was it possible that Kraftja noticed that we were otherworlders? Most likely not, since void-touched existed before the Revolution Queen. But that did create another question.
“Wait, wasn’t Goddess Chihiro a dwarf? I know dwarves can’t use magic, so how could she use [Space-Time Magic]?” I asked.
“No idea, I didn’t live in her time. As you correctly said, dwarves cannot use magic since our body doesn’t allow mana to flow outside our body for too long. However, that doesn’t mean we have little mana. In fact, the opposite is true.” Kraftja took an iron rod from behind the counter and started bending it with ease. “We dwarves have above average mana capacities compared to humans and beastmen, but we can only use it to strengthen our bodies and the weapons we wield.”
She then straightened the rod and used it to break another iron rod by striking at it. “That’s why us dwarves are known as the best blacksmiths and runesmiths in all of Altrust. We temper our hammers with our strong mana. Ha, we also accumulate arcane corruption slower than other races, too, hahahahah!”
Her laughter sounded like she’s really saying,“dwarves are the best race.”
“Anyway, I see you like derailing discussions. Here, let me show you how to identify good weapons. Take these two spears and examine them.”
At first glance the wolf fang spear should be stronger. It had more offensive skills, unlike the golem spear which only reduced the durability loss of the weapon. If you thought about it, wouldn’t a weapon that chipped less be more useful for extended fights as you didn’t have to maintain it all the time? Plus, not every fighter was a good blacksmith. However, I personally leaned more on the wolf fang spear as it would enable me to deal more damage, ending a fight faster.
However … shouldn’t this be an easy question? It’s too obvious if she’s asking me specifically to determine which weapon was stronger, I thought for a second, before remembering something. Wait! Didn’t they say that weapons made with monster materials high in mana were stronger and showed their effects more? Maybe the answer isn’t to look at the skills but at the weapon itself?
…Can’t I use [Mana Eyes]? Mana Eyes!
Using my [Mana Eyes], my suspicion was confirmed as I gazed at the two weapons. The wolf fang spear had mana concentrated in the blade of the weapon. It was evenly spread around the edges while the rest of the spear tip was filled with thick mana that looked like a bright blue light. On the other hand, its steel shaft was lacking.
Turning my eyes to the golem spear, my eyes widened as the whole spear turned blue. From the bottom of the shaft to the tip of the spear, it was pure blue. However, compared to the wolf fang spear, the light wasn’t very bright, in fact, it was easier on my brain to look at it than the wolf fang spear.
As I noticed the System saying something, another suspicion rose and I examined the spear once again, this time with [Identify] and [Mana Eyes] active.
…!
“This one.” Holding up the [Golem Steel Spear], I declared with confidence. “This spear is stronger. I can deal more damage with this one.”
“Oho? Why?” Kraftja asked with an interested smile.
I nodded. “I feel there is more mana infused into this weapon than the other. The wolf fang spear has more mana concentrated at the tip of the spear, but the golem spear has its mana spread throughout it. It’s more stable and has more weight behind it, allowing me to put more strength into it.”
“Oho? Do you perhaps pray to Bleidla, little dragonewt whelp? The skill [Blacksmith’s Appraisal] is the only skill I know that allows you to fully understand the attack power of a weapon, but you can only get it if you are a true follower of the God of Blacksmithing. Most people would say the wolf fang spear would deal more damage.” Kraftja’s eyes widened in greed as she looked at me, similar to how Ogni looked at my scales. A chill went down my spine as if I was being dissected by her eyes.
Was it a mistake to answer like that?! Scheiße, did I make a mistake?
“However, your answer is wrong. No, the golem spear is weaker.”
… And my worries lasted for only a second.
“Huh?! W-why?! Didn’t Ogni say that objects with more mana infused into them from monster materials were naturally stronger?”
“Yeah, he did. It isn’t wrong. The golem spear has 291 attack power while the wolf fang spear has 231. Objectively, the golem spear is more powerful … but that is purely because of the metal. The real strength of a weapon comes from the skills. It’s the obvious answer, I wanted you to say it so I can have a proper segue,” Kraftja laughed at me while slapping my shoulder. “Ahaha, don’t think too much about it, lass. I loved your answer. If the question was ‘which weapon had more attack power’ then you would have aced it. Honestly, whatever skill allowed you to determine the concentration of mana is kinda worrying. Equipment appraisal is a good revenue source for us blacksmiths, so a mage who knows what weapon is stronger could ruin our business. You might get reprimanded by the blacksmith guild, haha!”
“…”
Ignoring how I felt about the situation, Kraftja began explaining the attributes of a strong weapon in detail. In general, an adventurer would ask the blacksmith about the attack power of a weapon in advance before buying it. The “Attack Power” of a weapon increases the effective strength of an owner while wielded. It was a base stat increase, meaning buffs would affect them, too.
However, because of skills and abilities, people who fought with their fists alone weren’t weak; in fact, some were very strong. Take for example my [Hellblade Dragon] racial skill or Saori’s [Lupine Claws]. Both skills increased the damage we could do if we use our body’s natural weapons to attack with. A monster had to have these skills, otherwise a human with a weapon would just be flat out better and overpower them. The reason why I was so confident in my ability to fight in close combat was due to [Hellblade Dragon] making my claws and tail into lethal weapons.
That was where weapon skills and runes came into play. Skills like [Enhanced Strength Enforcement] increased the strength of a person by a set amount once acquired. Unfortunately, it didn’t apply its effect retroactively to the stats the person got before they got the skill. However, weapon and armor skills were different. They applied a boost according to a percentage of our current stat.
The [Strength Enforcement Lv. 1] on the wolf fang spear would increase my current Strength by 5%, and it added another 5% with every new level. [Sundering Enhancement] increased the damage of all cutting attacks by 1% per level, working similar to the Profile version one.
“Whatever trick you’re using to guess the attack power of the weapon, don’t rely on it. My husband and I can use [Blacksmith’s Appraisal] to see the ‘attack power’ and ‘vitality and wisdom power,’ but we also judge the weapon by its skills. Of course, our assessment is situational. A person with 1000 Strength would benefit more from the wolf fang spear than a person with 100 Strength,” Kraftja continued.
Oh yeah, I might as well examine Saori’s daggers.
Daggers beating spears in damage. Wow, the steel dagger Saori picked out at first must have been trash-tier compared to these ones.
… Still, wouldn’t my tail be stronger, still? No, no! Don’t think that way. The advantage of a weapon is the skills and runes it can have. Don’t look at the attack power alone.
As Kraftja’s explanation ended, Ogni returned from the back of the shop. Surprisingly, he was wearing a mask.
“Hahaha! Where the hell did you find that piece of obsidian?! The furnace had to burn hot enough for a taz before the glass started melting!” Ogni exclaimed after removing the mask. “Phew, the smell was terrible. I thought I was breathing in poison!”
Ogni quickly explained to us what happened in the smithy. His excitement was easy to detect. “The [Corrosive Iron Obsidian] is truly great! It’s malleable and didn’t break even after I tried folding it. It’s durable enough to handle my hammering, so it should be usable as a weapon. However, I can’t be 100% sure. I personally think putting in some steel or eoriant would be the best for the first test run.”
According to Ogni, eoriant was an alloy made with euorinium and steel.
Euorinium was a metal with an incredible mana absorption rate that would suck up mana from the environment until it was full. However, the problem with the metal was how brittle it was while manaless, to the point it could shatter. Due to this trait, it was ill-advised to make a weapon purely out of euorinium.
This fact changed if steel was mixed into it. A mixture of 80% steel and 20% euorinium would create an alloy that was able to absorb the mana from monster materials with ease while having the ability to hold runes without breaking. All the disadvantages of euorinium would disappear. That was the wonder alloy eoriant.
Aside from the corrosive obsidian, we also gave him some wyvern and panguana claws, grizzly hide, and Belzac chameleon scales for Saori’s tanto and claw protectors. “The obsidian itself isn’t enough for everything, but if eoriant is included, everything should be fine. Don’t know how long this would take, but a week max sounds good. By then, I promise you that I will make your investment worth it.”
For my new spear, Saori’s two daggers, and Saori’s commissioned weapons, the money Ellaine gave us was just enough to pay for everything. Saori would most likely have to create a dress fit for a princess for Ellaine to repay everything. I should feed Ellaine tons of cake to try and see if she somehow forgets about it, but that was probably just wishful thinking on my part.
“Ah, oh right. Don’t you need armor, too?” Kraftja commented as we were about to leave. “Hey, Hestia, have you remembered to pick up your scales?”
“Yes?”
“Good! Once you got enough, bring them to us and Ogni will make you some mail.”
Using my dragon scales to make armor would be smart, but …wouldn’t I break it whenever I transformed?
“I have a skill that protects me from attacks and I’m also creating a custom spell that allows me to fortify my defense even further. I don’t think I’ll need armor.”
“Nonsense, lass. Mage or not, you’re still a dragonewt. Making armor from dragonewt pieces has a positive effect on you, so you should take us up on our offer. Looking at your pink thighs, your scales probably don’t cover up your whole body. Take precautions so you don’t regret it later. Scalemail would be a great help to you.”
Maybe I should just tell her I’m a dragon.
With that final advice, we said our goodbyes to the dwarf couple and made our way to the gate. On the way, I explained to Saori and Tasianna that my [Mana Eyes] somehow merged with [Identify] and gained the benefits of [Blacksmith’s Appraisal (Incomplete)].
“I am becoming a bit envious, but it is nice to see us becoming stronger. It is a good feeling.”
“My lady is extraordinary, indeed.”
Those were responses.
As we left the gate of Firwood and gazed at the snow-filled entrance, I couldn’t help but smile. It has been a while since we left for an adventure. Staying in town was nice, but that wasn’t our goal. Saori wished to learn more about this world and I wanted to become stronger. Our goals required us to get back to work as adventurers.
“The ruins were there before this kingdom was founded. My fur is tingling from excitement,” Saori exclaimed with a smile.
I nodded, agreeing with her statement. I activated my party bracelet, set our party up, and set the experience distribution to one-third each, before checking the name of the Quest one more time. “C rank Quest, ‘Investigate the ruins close to Rashan Village and subjugate all threats
In the depths of a cold, dark ruin, the wailing of numerous creatures could be heard. None were pleasant to hear. Growls of anger and screeches of pain flooded the halls and room as their footsteps tapped onto the stony floor. Their eyes glowed red as their deteriorating flesh was patched up by a strange living shadow.
“Vvvvvveeeengeeeeence … taaaaaaaaakkkke…maaaannaaaaaa. Giiiiive meeeeeee … maaaanaaaaaa. Liiiiiiveeeeee …”
An eerie voice echoed through the ruins, none could ignore it as the snarling of the beasts intensified. Four shadows rose. Exposed bones, foul stench, decaying flesh hanging loosely as only a veil of shadow was keeping the creature together. Their four legs tapped on the floor in front of an army.
“Awrooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!”
The howls vibrated through the air like a war horn. It was a call to battle. The pain-filled cries exploded as a wave of creatures ran through the halls. Their destination?
“Huuuummmaaaaaans! Veeeeengenceeeeee! Giiiiiveeeeee … meeeeee … yyyyyyyour … maaaaannaaaaaa!”
The damned do not forget.
AbyssRaven They do not forget. ResidentDead
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