Durandal

Inside the workshop, facing Tsubaki's curious gaze, Riezel didn't hesitate much and immediately stated the requirements he had thought about in advance.

"I need a sword that is as sturdy as possible, not easily damaged, and preferably with the Durandal attribute."

Durandal.

As the name suggested, it was an attribute that made weapons indestructible and absolutely resistant to damage.

Weapons crafted by advanced blacksmiths with the 'Blacksmith' development ability often carried some magic attributes, magic effects, or special attributes like Durandal. It was a relatively rare and advanced special attribute.

Ais's sword, Desperate, was an example of first-class equipment with the Durandal attribute.

Given her use of Ariel, which put a huge strain on weapons and could potentially lead to their destruction, she custom-made her sword to prolong the time she could spend in battle without breaking her sword.

With this scenario in mind, Riezel, who was also prone to weapon damage due to possessing Ariel naturally considered a weapon with the Durandal attribute as his first choice.

"Wait, you want special equipment with Durandal?" Tsubaki exclaimed with evident enthusiasm. "Looks like it's gonna be quite a big order."

Indeed, special equipment with the Durandal attribute, even for Hephaestus Familia, was considered a big order.

To put it bluntly, it was expensive as heck.

Special equipment with the Durandal attribute was at least second-class equipment, and sometimes even first-class equipment, with a price tag that was definitely not trivial.

Speaking frankly, even second-class indestructible equipment could fetch tens of millions of valis, and it was not uncommon for first-class indestructible equipment to sell for hundreds of millions of valis.

And this was precisely the problem that gave Riezel a headache.

"My budget isn't too generous. If it's too pricey, let's forget about Durandal." Riezel added with a wry smile. This was also why he said 'preferably' rather than insisting on it.

With a price tag of at least tens of millions of valis, it was a significant burden for him, who had only been in the adventurer business for a little over a month.

Even though since teaming up with Lefiya, he no longer ignored magic stones and drop items, returning home every day with a full load, he still couldn't accumulate that much wealth in just over a month.

Since reaching Level 2, Riezel and Lefiya had explored the middle floors beyond the 13th Floor. They earned hundreds of thousands of valis a day, and if they split it, each person got close to a hundred thousand valis.

At that rate of earning money in a month, Riezel had only earned a few million valis, including the 800,000 valis he needed to repay Lefiya for lending him the money for his current weapon.

Fortunately, during the duel with the 17th Floor Boss Goliath, he not only obtained a large magic stone but also a drop item called 'Goliath's Skin'.

The value of a floor boss's drop items was self-evident.

Adding to this was the significant earnings from the monster feast encountered on the 16th Floor a month ago. After selling all the magic stones and drop items, his savings were barely around 10 million valis.

This amount, if used to buy second-class equipment, was just enough.

Second-class equipment could be good or bad.

The good ones were not much worse than first-class equipment, while the bad ones were just a bit better than third-class equipment. Therefore, the prices for second-class equipment fluctuated greatly, ranging from a few million valis to even a staggering ten million valis or more for those that were pushed to astronomical prices.

Unfortunately, the Durandal attribute fell into the category of special attributes. Most special equipment with Durandal was of high quality and rarely priced below 10 million valis.

Riezel, eager for a weapon with the Durandal attribute, found himself constrained by a limited budget. If there was no other option, he would have to settle for Tsubaki forging sturdy second-class equipment.

Honestly, it felt like wasting a precious opportunity.

The finest blacksmith in Orario was right in front of him, and her creations were undoubtedly top-notch. Any order from this master smith would typically warrant first-class equipment.

Riezel was practically asking this renowned blacksmith to create second-class equipment, and it felt like a missed opportunity.

But with no money, there was no choice.

He accepted reality.

If Tsubaki wasn't willing to forge second-class equipment, he would have to look for another blacksmith.

If Finn hadn't suggested it, Riezel wouldn't have even considered ordering a weapon from Tsubaki, the strongest blacksmith in Orario.

Originally, he intended to wait until Finn settled his order commission for the expedition and then have another blacksmith from Hephaestus Familia take on his own order. However, with Finn's suggestion, he decided to just go for it.

Considering Finn's and Loki Familia's reputation, even if Tsubaki wasn't interested in his request, other blacksmiths from the familia would likely take it up, right?

Just as Riezel was lost in thought, Finn suddenly spoke up.

"Help him forge the best Durandal attribute weapon, Tsubaki."

Finn's unexpected words left Riezel stunned.

"Captain?" Riezel looked at Finn in surprise.

"I know your budget is tight, so this time the familia will advance the funds for you." Finn smiled at the astonished Riezel. "With your growth speed, it won't be long before even second-class equipment won't keep up with your strength. When that happens, the weapon you just bought will be abandoned, which is a waste of money."

As someone who had watched Ais grow, Finn understood the troubles that came with possessing overpowered magic called 'Ariel'.

Second-class equipment.

Special equipment at this level was suitable as the main weapon even for Level 5 first-class adventurers. It should have been more than enough for a Level 4 like Riezel.

However, Ariel was an unreasonable magic, not only affecting the user's body but also the weapon. Ais had faced this problem before, eventually spending a considerable amount of money to order a custom weapon with the Durandal attribute.

Now that Riezel had gained the same magic, avoiding this issue was crucial. It could be said that a Durandal weapon was the most suitable for the user of Ariel.

Though its performance was slightly lower than other same-level weapons, the feature of not easily breaking was priceless for Riezel and Ais, who were prone to damaging their weapons.

Finn genuinely believed that, with Riezel's growth speed, he would soon become a first-class adventurer.

At that time, a weapon that barely met the requirements would once again fall behind his strength, resulting in abandonment.

Instead of that, it was better to be prepared early with the best one.

"The expedition is about to begin, and when the time comes, even if you're not the main force, you'll still be a powerful vanguard. A good weapon is essential to unleash your full potential. It's a good thing for you, for us, and for our familia." Finn patted Riezel's thigh and smiled.

"..." Upon hearing that, Riezel fell into silence for a while before finally nodding. "I understand."

"Everything cool?" Tsubaki jumped in at the perfect time, shooting a glance over at Riezel. "So, am I grabbing this order? Any other request?"

"None." Riezel shook his head, then thought for a moment before adding, "If possible, I'd like the sword to be as light as possible."

This was, of course, a request made to trigger the 'Lightweight' development ability effect. A lighter weapon would enhance the effectiveness of 'Lightweight', amplifying its strengthening effects on his 'DEX' and 'AGI'.

Therefore, Riezel's only requirements for his weapon were that it should be sturdy and lightweight. He didn't mind sacrificing other advantages as long as these two criteria were met.

Even if his weapon's performance wasn't outstanding or its power wasn't strong enough, he could compensate with the enhancement from Ariel. Just like how he didn't need armor—with the wind protection from Ariel, there weren't many attacks that could penetrate and harm him through the armor of wind.

"Got it!"

Tsubaki slapped Riezel on the back with a hearty chuckle.

"I'm gonna forge the sickest sword for you! Just wait until you see how high my sword takes you, and you'll be the hero that blows the minds of all the Gods!"

===

At the same time, on the 30th Floor of Babel, a Denatus was in session.

"No time for chit-chats!"

Loki, sitting in her seat, abruptly stood up, propped one foot on the table, and yelled with a menacing expression.

"The umpteenth Denatus! Let's get this started already!"

""OHHH—!""

With her declaration, an astonishing cheer erupted.

Taking a closer look, the hall transformed into a temple that occupied the entire floor, and numerous Gods were present.

In the spacious hall, aside from solemn rows of stone pillars, there was only a large round table in the middle, devoid of anything else.

The walls at a distance were entirely made of enormous glass, surrounded by the vast sky of thirty floors. The unusually high ceiling made the whole space incredibly expansive, seemingly endless.

Gods from various familias in Orario sat around the large round table one after another, and thanks to Loki's declaration, a tremendous cheer echoed.

"Here we go!"

"Finally, the day has come!"

"I couldn't wait any longer!"

"So curious!"

"Hey, Loki! Satisfy our curiosity!"

"Yeah!"

Various Gods, regardless of gender, joined in the excitement.

Their target, naturally was the main character of this meeting—Loki.

"Cut the crap!"

Loki was equally blunt, not mincing words and throwing in a few curses for good measure.