The What?!

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/Crackle!/

"Hm?"

'A few minutes after pocketing the scale, Silver was still performing the finishing touches in 'restoring' the forest back to its original appearance when he heard something strange nearby.'

/Grovel…/

'The stone he had just finished repairing shifted and trembled as if something was about to erupt...'

"... I knew it…"

/CRACK!/

'A few dozen meters from him, the ground cracked and split as a ravine formed and soon after, dozens of boulders flew from within!'

/THUD THUD!/

"..."

'As he evaded the falling boulders, slowly, crawling from the depths of the earth, a stone giant made its grandiose appearance!'

"Hum… This is rare, never seen one of these on the surface… Much less heard about it." Silver said with great surprise as he raised his head to stare at the tall beast

"It must've survived centuries by remaining in a place like this."

This is a Deep Floor monster, similar to the Flame Rocks found around the 40ish floors.

The Stone Giant.

It's a pretty strong and durable Level 4 monster, but since they're so easy to track down, in the past few centuries, whenever one was found, they would be quickly dealt with.

They also don't reproduce that efficiently. I wonder why...

/ROOOOOAAARR!/

"..."

'Despite the monster's exotic cry, Silver wasn't bothered by it at all as he stood far away, waiting for it to dislodge itself from the ground like an unskippable cutscene.'

The higher the monster's level is, the harder it is for them to reproduce… If they can at all.

A monster's reproduction doesn't follow ordinary methods since it involves their magic stone and the Magical Particles within… And for a Level 4 monster, it's almost impossible for them to reproduce at all.

Level 5 monsters would terrorize the surface world as moving disasters, and they would take over entire nation-sized areas as their territories, and sometimes, they would terraform a region to fit their needs.

So seeing even one of them multiple would be a turn-of-a-century event that could and would shake the borders of Kingdoms and Empires.

And this monster could even be one of the original monsters the monster spat out 1000 years ago if not older… Given it was hibernating this deep in the mountains a dozen meters beneath the ground.

It makes me wonder sometimes if out there, monsters the Dungeon doesn't make anymore still live… Like the Black Dragon, Leviathan, Behemoth… And other Ancient Beasts…

Though I can't really prove that since what lies beyond the 59th floor is kept tight in a dark place by the Guild… And I tried asking for it but was refused.

Well, they've given me many books already so I'm sure they'll surrender it to me soon enough if I keep pestering them about it.

Maybe those monsters were one-time events, maybe not... I can only imagine how it would be to see the floor where they can appear in...

Over time, the Dungeon slowly changes as it tests out new ideas, although, for the last few centuries, there haven't been any mentions of the Dungeon changing the structure of its floors that much.

Even if it has, people didn't notice it, albeit it's not unusual for paths to be blocked off or change, but that isn't that large of a change.

Maybe I could look into it, as a pass time of sorts.

"In any case…"

/ROAAARRR!/

'The large beast took 'slow' strides in his direction, slowly picking up the pace as ancient roots and stones broke free from its body.'

"Yeah yeah… You're angry I blew up your home and waked you up from a century-long slumber… Can you understand me?"

/ROOOOAAAARR!/

"Yelp, that's what I thought. Never too sure to give it a try."

Some will call me crazy for even trying to talk with a monster, but I have my reasons…

The Xenos believe to be the only ones of their kind, but it's hard to say how many of them are born every day in the Dungeon.

And considering they are targets of other monsters, the ones who last long enough to meet with them are likely just a faint fraction of the total produced over time.

The Xenos can also live rather long lives since they have little need to fight or defend the Dungeon in the same way other monsters do, allowing them to reach the end of their lives and to develop themselves in ways maybe not even the Dungeon knew possible.

It's hard to say when Xenos began to appear, but if I were to assume they've been around for thousands of years... Who's to say several of them didn't escape to the surface in ancient times? The Dungeon has been there for as far as Human history goes...

However, it was only after Orario was established that people started to venture inside.

So maybe the Xenos were the Dungeon's attempt to make something of equivalent power to adventurers, beings that can grow...

Unfortunately, it lacks the essential key aspect of what makes an adventurer themselves...

Nonetheless, it's just a theory, for all I know the Xenos could be a mistake, a side effect from the Dungeon's experiments, a result of the Dungeon's meddling with the Soul.

Or even just a natural effect of accumulation over time.

All Monsters have Souls... But it doesn't mean they have intelligence, at least, not at first.

It is debatable if monsters on the surface return to the Dungeon when they die, or if they vanish into nothingness under whatever principle that governs such transformations...

If their Soul goes to heaven, then the Gods would be aware of it. Though I wouldn't be surprised if they feinted ignorance.

But if this isn't an intelligent creature… Then there's only one thing left to do.

'Silver moved his left sideways against the air, drawing a line across the monster…'

/BLAST!/

'And immediately after, a powerful explosion rang in the center of its body, cutting it in two.'

/THUD!/

'Like a sand castle, the beast collapsed into a million pieces, turning into a pile of boulders no different from any of the ones lying around.'

"Done, now, moving on…"

'Silver returned to his task as if nothing had even happened…'

…

/Later that day… Further South.../

""...""

/Silence…/

"Whew… That's my first time seeing it up close and it's all wriggly. Just what did you put it through for it to get bent up like this?" 

/Clink... Clank... Clong.../

"Did... Did a part just fall off? Woah, it's been quite some time since I've seen a First Class weapon so beaten down, and I have that Dwarf in a contract..."

"Did you go to the Deep Floors to fight a whole army of those rocky monsters? But even so, its edges would've been broken and the hammer might've been a bit flatter, but this is just..."

"Didn't you say this weapon was..."

"Tsubaki... Please... Less..." 

Before I lose the rest of my mind.

"..."

'Back in Orario, Hephaestus, and Tsubaki watched in complete and utter astonishment as Silver showed them the state of his Halberd.'

'While Hephaestus' expression was completely dark in a mix of desperation and confusion, Tsubaki was almost impressed Silver managed to damage the weapon so damn much.'

'And they had seen their fair share of broken equipment.'

'It was indeed impressive to break one of the finest weapons of her Goddess to such a degree, and it was important to say this hadn't been Silver's first time doing so.'

'Last time he came here, the Halberd was half molten due to his flames…'

'The Halberd had always been something Tsubaki had been interested in. But never had the chance to see it up close due to reasons, mostly from her own problems though.'

'Since Tsubaki was someone so focused on her own task of improving her techniques and forging, she didn't even bother to go to the Hestia Familia to ask, and she couldn't quite ask Hephaestus since even if she did, the Goddess may be unable to explain the process through which she made it.'

'So this was her first time seeing it up close because when her Goddess was working on it, not even she was allowed to carelessly enter her forge.'

'It was not only disrespectful, it was also an infringement of privacy, and for the prideful Tsubaki, she would never go so low as to spy on her to catch her secrets.'

'If she wanted to learn anything, she would immediately ask, and the combination of her honesty and straightforwardness made her the most trustworthy person in her Familia... Although all blacksmiths were straightforward in some way, mostly seen through their prices...'

'Not like Hephaestus could say much about that since she herself rarely interacted with anyone aside from Tsubaki daily...'

'Everyone else saw her as... Well... A God, revering her with the intent of being recognized by her, not seeing her as a person. Though this was a fate shared by many Gods, and for good reason.'

'Was it disrespectful to see a God for what they were or was it disrespectful to not treat them equally?'

'That was why her life was always so frustrating, and maybe why Tsubaki's desire to surpass her felt so...'

'Refreshing.'

"I'm also curious… Just what did you do to break it like this?" Hephaestus asked as she exhaled lightly

"... You won't get angry?" Silver asked in a somewhat meek tone as he prostrated on the ground

"..."

'Obviously, Silver didn't feel the need to be so dramatic or reverent, but given this had been the second time in about a month he visited her with a half-broken weapon, he felt it was necessary to show some devotion and appreciation for the girl since she fixed his weapon for mostly free as per their contract.'

'Though she would likely still do so even if there wasn't one anyway…'

'And not once at that... And for such a busy girl that opened up her tight schedule for him, he needed to show her he cared, even if in such an exaggerated way.'

'It may be humiliating, but amidst friends and family, what was a bit of pride lost in the face of upholding honesty and displaying affection?'

'Besides, if he tried to act tough here she would likely shove another hundred million bill down his ass, he knew what to do. Even if it cost some decency.'

"Sigh, do you think I have the time for that? I won't get angry, I just want to know what you were doing to break it up so much."

Maybe this way I can understand just what you've been up to.

"..."

'While Hephaestus exhaled lightly on the side, Tsubaki smiled a little as she turned around to pour some tea into a cup.'

Look at her, acting all concerned.

She should just say it upfront, she's so dramatic sometimes…

'Not like she could say anything, as, despite her age, Tsubaki had zero experience in that field.'

'And that would likely remain the case... Until someone beats her in a forging match.'

'Although as a joke, Tsubaki had already participated in a competition with her hand in marriage as the prize.'

'Though again, she did it mostly out of annoyance in the past when she still used to receive such proposals, she hadn't received them anymore ever since she rose to her position.'

'And in a sense, she felt a bit sad, since now, she didn't have any mortal opponents... Though such feelings were minuscule and so weak she barely even processed they existed.'

"Well… I was, eh... Trying to break something… And I failed miserably." Silver replied slowly as he thought about what to say

"... What?"

'From her expression, it was obvious she wanted more, but Silver was a bit hesitant in sharing too much.'

"How do I say this… Ahh… Fuck it, here, I was trying to break this:" Silver said as he opened his inventory space, carefully dropping the Black Dragon's scale in the middle of the room

/Thud…/

/SPARKLE!/

'The moment she saw the scale, Tsubaki's eyes shined with light as she sprung to touch it, leaving the teacup behind, a very unfortunate thing for Hephaestus who was thirsty.'

/Tap tap.../

'And with each tap of her fingers against it, Tsubaki's expression changed more and more.'

"This is… Way, way harder than even Oricalchum… This sound... Hardness... These properties…"

""...""

'In one single moment, Tsubaki went from an Amazon with an imposing and mature figure to a little kid looking at a toy in front of its mother.'

'But if before Hephaestus would exhale and roll her eyes at the sight, this time, she remained stoic as her expression turned gloomy.'

"... Is something wrong?" Silver asked as he looked at her, using Telekinesis to pour her the tea Tsubaki had left behind

"... No… It's just… Forget it. Just something I got reminded of."

'Memories of the past flowed in front of her eye, but in the end, she closed it, going back to the present.'

"So, let me see if I understood… You were trying to break this scale?" Hephaestus asked as she raised an eyebrow at Silver

"Scale? This is a scale? Tell me! Please tell me where you got this! I'll fetch some myself…"

'But the moment she said that, she shook her head, understanding how naive she was being.'

'A material like this belongs to a monster out of her league, because even though she was a brute and a bit of a blockhead, Tsubaki was still a pretty strong Level 5 adventurer, she knew of the Dungeon's dangers very well.'

'As such, her first thought was commissioning someone else to do so…'

'But as she thought of Loki, she stopped to think again, and again… And…'

"... As I thought, you know what this is." Silver said as he looked at Hephaestus, ignoring Tsubaki

"... I won't…"

"I don't want it." Silver said as he interrupted her, knowing full well what Hephaestus was about to say

"..."

"I don't need it… This is everything I need." Silver said as he looked at his Halberd

'His words, albeit a bit cringy, made Hephaestus a bit embarrassed.'

"..."

"Hello?"

Was I too forceful? 

"Hm?! Cough! S-Sorry, I got a bit distracted… Ahem…" Hephaestus said as she coughed lightly

"..."

"A-Anyway, I understand now, thank you for telling the truth, I won't ask anymore."

'Hearing this, Silver smiled as he exhaled lightly, saying:'

"You don't have to be so considerate, it's nothing special."

"I found it on the Northern Mountain Range, but I would prefer if you didn't go after it." He said as his tone shifted, becoming more serious

"Huh? Why? It's such a good material…"

"Well… These scales already have an owner, I only brought it with me today in case… Well, you already know." He said with a chuckle as he looked at Hephaestus

"I'm only… Borrowing it, I'll put it back in place in no time… Besides… You should stop daydreaming, this isn't something you can work on." 

"Huh?! Let me tell you something, there's nothing…"

'Normally, Tsubaki was pretty chill and all smiles, but being doubted like this itched her in the worst spot possible, causing her to frown as her eyes became fiery.'

"Stop it Tsubaki… He's right, this is something only 'we' can mold."

She has much room to grow, but if it's her... Then she'll for sure...

"Huh?... Just what is this then?" She asked bluntly as her anger went away completely

'It's not every time she was shot down so harshly by her Goddess, usually, she would say something along the lines of "Not there yet" or "Strive for more", not straight up admit she couldn't do it.'

'She wasn't that prideful of a deity to deny her efforts for improvement.'

"... The scale of the One-Eyed Black Dragon." Silver replied with a serious gaze

"... Come again?"

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Notes

Short chapter, the usual size, about 3K words.

Peace!