Chapter 25: Dungeon City Exploration

Orario is a city that is closer to a fortress than anything. It has eight different districts, each located in a cardinal direction. The North-west street has clothing shops, the West Street has the shopping district, the South-east Street has the red district, and so on.

I never explored this city filled with wonders fully… until now.

"These shops…"

I landed myself in the clothing district. Going here is a shock for me, considering that every single item here is well-made. There are even rubber shoes and long sleeves here.

Halfway through my journey in Orario, I gave up comprehending it. The knowledge granted by gods boosted their civilization's progress to a huge degree. Only the technological advances seem lacking, considering that they did not study more about the fundamentals—electricity and gravity. It is the confusing part of this city.

It's as if you placed modern people in the middle ages and have them spread modern-era culture But, the said culture is only snippets, which left a mix of modern and medieval culture.

In the end, I entered one of the clothing stores.

"Moirae Apparel Shop…"

Suddenly, my mind recalled something.

"Moirae… Is it..?"

Just as I recalled their origins, a woman who wore a long-sleeved dress welcomed my arrival.

"Welcome. What is it that you require?"

She has long black hair, similarly dark pupils, and a slightly tall stature. I have to slightly look up to see her gaze properly.

"Some formal clothing. Preferably coats and long sleeves."

"The formal attire, I see. Please follow me."

I did as she said. On the way, I saw dozens of clothing. Dresses, sweaters, polos, and many more are present in this place. It made me feel as if I was shopping in Queen's Square or something.

The interior is made out of white concrete. Crystal lights illuminated the entire place, making it look more modern.

When we arrived at their 'formal attire' section, I found a couple of overcoats and trench coats. Each of them is made of different materials. Even…

"Isn't this salamander wool?"

The white trench coat caught my attention.

"That's right. It is dyed as well. Its fire-resistant properties are enhanced due to a development ability."

It is eerily similar to how I made my uniforms. In most battles, they are enough due to their durability and magic engraved into them. It is the feature that my magician's coat lost due to being destroyed.

Fascinated by these creations, I ended up buying more than ten pieces of clothing in a single go. Fortunately, they cost less than 50,000 valis… each.

With that, I blew off quite a bit of my earnings. Still, I am fine with it. I could make two magic swords that cost 500,000 valis each daily. This is my practical experience snowballing.

I could only imagine arriving here and earning money as an adventurer. I would not be as luxurious now if I were not a smith.

"My hard work paid off…"

Feeling satisfied, I headed into the shopping district. I sneakily stuffed my clothing inside the storage bracelet, preventing any troublesome people from targeting me.

"As I expected…"

The stalls that sell weapons pales in comparison to the Hephaestus Familia's shop. As for the accessories and the "magic tools" that they claim…

'What a scam.'

Thankfully, there are some genuine articles out there. I snugged them for myself as I saw the store owners think that they have scammed me.

As I went deeper into the shopping district, I saw a store that sells magic items. Surprisingly, all of them are real.

'Gnome's General Store.'

The shop owner shockingly looks like a garden gnome—the one you place in your gardens. He looks straight out of Snow White's tale.

"Thinking about that tale, no?" He asked. "I get that a lot."

"...Apologies."

Looks like Snow White's tale is in this world too.

I scanned his catalog. I went from one shelf to another and bought monster drops and some magic tools that might prove to be useful.

As the sun had finally set, I planned to return to the forges. I am en route to Northeast Street when—

"Loki Familia's back?!"

"They have completely conquered the 44th floor!"

"So that's the Sword Princess…"

I caught the sight of familiar faces. Momentarily, I felt a gaze coincide with mine, prompting me to blend with the sea of people.

If I'm not mistaken, that was the female knight. Her expressionless face, her golden pupils, and the rapier sheathed on her waist.

"Sword… Princess."

Bits of information regarding Orario's brightest star came to my mind. In less than six years, she went from being falnaless into one of the top adventurers, a Level Five. It is also recently did she step into their ranks.

Strangely enough…

"Her eyes are familiar."

*****

One-eyed Black Dragon, the final monster out of the three Great Quests that the world had issued upon its inhabitants.

Eleven years ago, the Zeus and Hera Familia embarked on a journey to complete them. They had a Level Nine, several Level Eights, and tons of Level Sevens.

They had accomplished the slaying of Behemoth, the sovereign of the land, and Leviathan, the sovereign of the sea. What stumped their conquest, however, is the sovereign of the sky.

Its unfathomable strength made it so their lineup is nothing but a joke.

In the end, both familias were wiped out.

Shockingly, they were not the first ones to fail. The legendary hero, the Mercenary King, had also failed a thousand years ago. But, it is not without any struggles. He took the eye of the Black Dragon, turning it into the One-eyed Black Dragon.

"I saw him. The boy from before."

"Ah, David?!"

On the way to Northern Street, Aiz told the revelation to her friend.

"He found me and ran away."

"I see. Maybe he does not want others to know about him?"

What Aiz did not mention is the fact that she saw something else besides his determination.

Hatred for a dragon.

Nobu was killed by a calamity dragon three times. Each time, his preparations were useless. What's more, escaping from the battlefield did not work as he was eventually felled by it along with his loved ones. The dragon also had an attitude that spat on his useless struggles, painting it as the number one target in his eyes.

The same went for her, the daughter of the last hero. Everyone whom she is familiar with, the dragon took away from her. Even her parents.

This unstoppable rage bore fruit and became a part of her skill.

'What did they take from him..?'

*****

A—

Clang-!

I prevented my sneeze and focused on the prototype Damascus ingot on top of the anvil. It is glowing crimson-orange as a result of being exposed to the forge's flames.

Clang-!

Clang-!

Slowly, it took shape. It became the shape of a kukri knife, a weapon famous in my world. It allowed one to protect themselves as well as use it on their house tasks.

While maintaining [Firmus], I cast several spells to help me measure its precise dimensions. I used that as a reference to perfect this piece of work.

Then, I tried out something.

A string of binary numbers presented themselves in my sight. I calculated and converted them into real number equations.

"Eidos Reductio." (Eidetic Reduction.)

Upon casting, every single distraction is gone. The only thing that mattered is this piece of Damascus (prototype) ingot.

'The effects… are amazing.'

After thirty minutes, I finished it. From hammering to sharpening, it felt as if it passed by instantly. There is also the engraving portion, which I gave the magic of [Electric Induction].

"Another one…"

After wiping the sweat on my forehead, I continued with my work. For the second time, I melded another ingot to the shape of a kukri knife. For some reason, my intuition egged me to continue forging.

I did the same process as before. I engraved the same spell, but this time, I sensed a connection forming between the two kukri blades.

"A miracle…"

I thought that my skill had failed when it did not activate during the first kukri knife. I was wrong.

What I made is similar to the Daishou, a pair of twin blades.

Holding them in both hands, I analyzed their abilities.

"Convergent Field, Return, and… huh?"

The final ability left me speechless.

"Spatial travel..?"

The [Convergent Field] ability is the one that I engraved with a magic equation. Meanwhile, the latter two resulted from my [Miracle Maker] ability.

Just when I thought that I will forge something today…my luck must have peaked.

"I did not expect this to happen."

Mumbling, I tested out the final ability.

I threw the kukri knife to my right to the other end of the room. While in midair, I urged the connection from the blade and cast its spell.

Zoom-!

Moments later, I found myself in the same position. Blue particles surrounded me as I landed on my feet.

"It's similar to that game…"

Back in my world, there was someone with a similar weapon as I. He used a pair of kukri knives and teleported back and forth in the enemy lines. He served as the Kingsglaive who protected his homeland from invaders.

(A/N: That's from Final Fantasy XV.)

Only now did I notice this coincidence.

An instant-cast teleportation weapon… just how did I create this..? I am sure that I could not make one even with my workshop, yet I managed to do so in this world with just a hammer, anvil, and a forge.

Truly, falna does wonders that I could not begin to imagine.

With this weapon in hand, I decided to rest after creating its grip. This reminds me…

"I still have that hide."

Goliath's hide and its humongous magic stone are the most valuable of the drops I gained from prowling. The former could be used as an article of defensive clothing along with my armor. Meanwhile, the latter is an optimal power source.

"...Hm. About time to finish everything now."

At this point, I am destined to come out when the sun rises.

*****

Morning rays of sunlight briefly blinded my eyes. Fresh air entered the smithy that I worked on. As if welcoming it, the flames inside the forge crackled.

"It must have been waiting for this moment."

While I worked for hours straight, I could not compare to the smiths who worked for more than 18 hours a day. Fresh air must be a luxury to them.

Outside, what greeted me are the busied footsteps of many muscular men. They are the so-called "students" of each high smith. They apprenticed for them as they learned the inner workings of being a high smith.

They do get the time to forge something on their own, but their morning routine is basically this.

"Ah! Y'er work done, young'un?"

A dwarf with a thick accent greeted me. He has a height of 138 centimeters. His entire body is burly due to the smithing work he had done since years ago.

"Brontes-san, good morning."

"I could tell from ye'r face. Got somethin' new?"

His sharp senses never failed to catch me. It is as expected from the familia's vice-captain…

"There is."

"Oh! Mind seeing it?"

I tacitly agreed to it. I brought out the pair of kukri knives. They possessed a bright red sheen that came from the red color of the adamantine.

Brontes-san handled one of them carefully, feeling their thickness, balance, and weight.

"Tsk, tsk! As expected of you. Ya' wouldn't settle for normal stuff."

He immediately noticed its abnormalities. Compared to my previous work, it reached a higher level of precision—all thanks to [Hacker]. Simultaneously casting low-level concentration spells became easier with it.

"Chasm of talent goes far deeper than I've ever thought." He said with resignation. "I wonder why that boy could not escape from his shackles."

The face of a red-haired boy rose from my mind. He is the only one who has the blood of Crozzos flowing within him. The boy who could create magic swords with ease. Had not it been for my cheat, I can tell that he would have left me far behind.

However, such a talented person chooses not to use his talents.

Hey, it's his problem, not mine.

"Every people has different struggles. When he breaks his shackles, he would surely take off."

"...Never expected to hear that from ya'. Keeps me surprising 'bout your age."

For some reason, my insights had been taken by them as a confounding portion of my age.

"Right! Brontes-san, is she…"

A foreboding feeling came rushing at me. Just why did I have to ask that question out of all things?!

"I see you made somethin' new again."

The woman in the distance has dirt and soot all over her. Even so, it could not hide her tanned skin… and the massive weapons of destruction hidden by a single sarashi.

"Hoh..? Twin blades that function as a whole? Now, that's somethin' you would come up with!"

Her face is extremely close to the other kukri knife that I forged—making it embarrassing to look downwards.

"It's fine to look at it, Tsubaki-s… Tsubaki-nee." I said as I handed it over to her.

After some time, she judged it as a 'well-made' weapon.

"Even with your skills, this is quite absurd. I mean, a High Smith without the [Forge] skill? Those gods would be goin' crazy if they knew about it."

Having joined the prestigious Hephaestus Familia, it is impossible to keep my identity a secret. In fact, I have updated my status on the guild. I am no longer just a citizen but an adventurer of this dungeon city.

"I bet people would be talking 'bout you when that announcement is made."

"Sure they'll do!" Brontes-san agreed with Tsubaki-nee's statement.

Out of the entire familia, the only ones who knew about my level-up are Hephaestus-sama, Tsubaki-nee, and Brontes-san.

Due to its absurdity, they agreed with my suggestion of putting off the "status update" with the guild for about a week or two. There is always the option to falsify my level, but it would bring trouble with my adventuring career once they knew about my identity.

"I can't wait to see their surprised faces…"

Why does it feel like she is more excited than I am?

Brontes-san wryly smiled at me. He should have known the personality of our familia's captain for years.

"Oh, right! Wanna—"

"Akasaka-san! You have a visitor!"

Suddenly, someone disrupted our conversation.

"Someone is waiting in the Northwest store. We could not do anything to him. I'm sorry!"

One of the store's staff came to us in his uniform.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's… uhm… Dainsleif. The Dainsleif from Freya Familia."

Aside from Loki Familia, the other reigning familia is the Freya Familia. Having "Warlord", the sole Level Seven amongst them, is enough to sustain their current status.

"He mentioned his new magic swords being well-made, so he wanted to talk with its creator."

From what I know, Dainsleif is a Level Five. How in the world did my creations reach his hands..?

"I see. Looks like we'll be talking about everything else later, Tsubaki-nee."

Before she could react, I grabbed the cuff of the staff's sleeves and ran outside.

Another level five... This will be my first time meeting someone from another familia.