Reward

At least one hundred explosions went off at once. The members of the caravan could only brace themselves as they were knocked around by the force. Turd put up another barrier in order to defend. Since it was done without preparation, it was much weaker. Cracks immediately spread across the barrier like spiderwebs.

"Shit! My ears!" Forg, the unfriendly dwarf screamed.

It would be a miracle if nobody suffered from shell shock after this. Shu's uniform now had several rips and tears. Even when the battle was over, the fight for survival wasn't. His eyes rose to the sky above. Glem, who had been fighting on the cliff, could be seen hurtling down from the explosions.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

The integrity of the high cliff had finally reached its limit. Massive boulders and debris crumbled down toward the caravan below. The young samurai's job wasn't finished. He sheathed his katana once more and prepared for another quickdraw.

Shu had used a lot of energy in this fight. Clearing the way would put him in his emergency reserves. A smart fighter would always give himself leeway with his mana capacity. Right before the boulders flattened the convoy, he drew his blade. There was no sound.

An invisible wind shot out, the pressure annihilating the falling debris. Everything turned to dust as it sprinkled on the fighters below. Some of it landed on Turd's nose.

"Aa…Achooo!" The old dwarf sneezed. He snorted his nose before speaking. "This is why I hate traveling past the kingdom of Laria. Crazy fucks are everywhere!" He grumbled.

"...Hmph." Shu grunted before sitting down.

It was finally over. The group could relax. Several casualties could be found across the battlefield. This had been a brutal skirmish. As everyone began to wind down, Glem came stomping over.

"Heartless bastard! Leaving me after I saved your ass, huh? Wait, are those horns? So you're one of those damn-"

"Oh yeah, please send medics to the ore carriage. Myrrh and Jina are injured." Shu interrupted.

A vein appeared on the mercenary's forehead. This arrogant prick was getting on his nerves! He hated those people who's arrogance was hidden. He had unknowingly put Shu in the same category. Swallowing his frustration, he went to fetch the medics.

…

…

…

Once everything was secure, the group set out once more. It was a bad idea to stay in the same place after that. The battle had definitely ramped up in the end. No one would be surprised if others noticed the explosions and aura flares. Curiosity would bring them over. Especially so close to Laria. Adventurers, heroes, and saints were prevalent.

Shu's feat of cutting the sky and earth would definitely garner attention. They made sure to leave quickly. It took around a week and a half to finally reach the borders of Jarheim. Before they entered the nation, the young samurai hopped off the carriage roof. He was dressed in new clothes.

"I guess that's the end of the mission. We can part here." He announced.

Hearing his words, everyone frowned. They had unknowingly gotten used to the sleepy man. His presence left everyone relaxed. If there was ever any danger, nobody would ever grow nervous. The sword demon had given them confidence.

"Aww, come on! Stay for a while. I still have to give you a suitable reward!" Turd exclaimed.

Shu raised an eyebrow. Princess Sophia didn't say anything about a reward. He'd expected to finish the job and immediately report back to her. The lazy swordmaster wouldn't say no to gifts, however.

"Just for a little bit!" Jina also spoke up.

She grabbed his free hand with both of hers. By now, all of the dwarves and fighters knew how precious his katana was to him. He never let go of it. The sword was a part of him. Such was the reason he only had one free hand.

"...Alright. Just for a while." He relented.

Glem and Myrrh, who were watching the scene, only scoffed before looking away. The convoy made its way into the land of the dwarves. Everything was extremely…sturdy. That was the best way to describe the buildings and structures. As they were traveling, royal dwarven soldiers quickly intercepted.

"Royal Blacksmith Turd! It's an honor to see you here. We've been awaiting your return. Could you please leave the starvanium to us? We'll bring it back to the castle." One of the soldiers exclaimed with a bow.

"Oh? Go ahead then." Turd grumbled before taking a portion of the ore.

The soldiers only watched with wide eyes as he blatantly took some of the material for himself. Was that allowed? Would the king be upset? Probably not, he's a renowned blacksmith after all. That train of thought caused them to stay silent.

As the platoon of soldiers left with the carriage, the group of dwarves and fighters stared at each other. It seemed that it was time for most of them to disperse. Turd cleared his throat.

"Alright guys. Your payment will be sent to you by the end of the day. Be sure to check your stocks. Shu, you'll be coming with me. Does anyone want to tag along?" He asked.

The majority of the dwarves left without even saying goodbye. They'd seen enough of the blacksmith for a time. It's not like they wouldn't see him again. Glem didn't want to stay any longer and left after saying his standoffish goodbyes. Myrrh and Jina remained along with Forg.

The red haired beauty wrapped around his arm. Shu looked down at her to see what she wanted. Her massive breasts were pressing against his skin.

"Shu, am I going to see you again?" She asked. The young samurai sighed.

"You know I'm part of the Golden Circle, so you know where to find me. All battalions visit the capital of Valsir on a constant basis."

"So if I go to the capital-"

"You might see me."

As they conversed, the group walked through a teleporter and arrived in front of a large building. It was large in the fact that it covered a lot of land. Not really in height. Dwarves were pretty short, after all.

"This is my smithy. Come in." The old dwarf spoke.

"Oh my god!" Jina exclaimed in surprise.

The heat of the forge smacked everyone in the face as soon as they entered. It was pretty hot inside. Turd raised his hand toward Shu.

"Can I see your weapon?" He asked. The lazy swordsman frowned.

"Ah, well….you see….no."

"Come on, I won't steal it. I just want to see if improvements can be made."

"...It doesn't need to be improved." Shu retorted. Myrrh scoffed before speaking.

"Stop being so stubborn! We already know that your blade is made with starvanium." Her cold voice rang out.

The sleepy man looked at both the elf and the dwarf before sighing. He then handed over his weapon. Myrrh gave a smile of victory. The dwarf sported a knowing grin. He slowly unsheathed the blade, its silver glint blinding to the eyes.

"Hmmm…not bad." He ran his finger across the flat side. "I see…hmmm. Oh?"

Jina looked at Shu with surprise. She didn't realize his weapon was so important. It was only now that she remembered when it vibrated earlier. The dwarf finally nodded before setting it on the anvil.

"This skinny blade is almost perfect. It's been a long time since I've seen a katana. People don't normally use them. There are a lot of runes already engraved into this weapon. Extreme sharpness, self-cleaning, durability, mana conductivity…hmm."

"Like I said-" Shu was interrupted by the cold elf yet again. A soft hand covered his lips.

"Don't mess up his train of thought." Myrrh demanded.

The young samurai frowned. Due to his personality, people got too comfortable around him. It would always happen so quickly. He gently removed her hand. After a few more seconds, Turd spoke again.

"I'll give it the rune of ownership and the astral edge." He concluded. Shu raised an eyebrow.

"Astral edge?"

"Yes. You'll be able to cut down even the ethereal beings. Ghosts, fairies, spirits, wraiths, whatever. As for ownership, you'll be able to summon your blade from any part of the world. It will always heed your call. Not only that, others won't be able to unsheathe it."

"Oh…Thanks."

"Myrrh, ready an equation for both runes." The old dwarf ordered. It seemed like they'd done this plenty of times.

The elf scientist opened a holographic screen from her holopad and began typing frantically. Turd and Myrrh quickly got to work. It was unknown how long it would take, so Jina and Shu left the room. It was too hot.