Nothing Beats Being Prepared!

"Wait, since you're here, could you also be a relative of someone in the military?"

Of course, I couldn't help but be curious. I didn't have the habit of checking out all the girls I met, but Garuda was probably an exception. She has something that pulls me in, making me want to learn more about her.

Garuda smiled, not minding my question at all, and answered. "My mother works in the first-aid station of the military, so I was allowed to come here."

I nodded my head, finally understanding the reason she was here. "Then, that person beside you is...?"

To her back is a shy-looking girl with blue hair and eyes. I couldn't clearly see her face as her hair was cast over it, hiding it from plain view. Although she looked gloomy at a glance, I could feel the aura of an intelligent person in her. That, and since she was wearing a lab coat over her simple clothes, it made her look smarter.

"This person is Selen. You must've been guided in here by her father, right? Major Lucas."

"xXSerenityXx!" I instantly knew her username from Garuda's introduction. "It's nice to finally meet you, Selen!"

"*whisper...*"

Although she seemed to have said something, I couldn't catch it at all. Her voice was so quiet that it was lost in the sound of the surrounding chatter.

"She said it's nice to meet you too." Garuda, the one standing right next to her, quickly relayed what she just said.

This girl—isn't she a little too shy around strangers? Well, not that I mind.

After that, we went around the shelter's floor, checking its structure while chatting idly. Our chat was mostly regarding monsters, though, just like what Major Lucas asked.

Soon enough, I saw everything on the shelter's 29th floor.

"Then, let's go check Selen's workshop. They should be done setting it up." After the tour, Garuda suddenly said this.

"Workshop?" I tilted my head, wondering what it was for, before recalling my initial purpose for coming here. "Right! Weapon Crafting!"

I almost forgot about it.

Just like that, I followed them out of the shelter, riding the lift, and going to the surface. Then, walking out of the shelter's dome, we headed deeper into the military camp.

"The workshop was asked to be made pronto after Selen learned that her skill might be the key to defeating monsters."

That wasn't how I worded it, but I guess it's technically correct. I nodded toward Garuda's words, prompting her to continue.

"And so, the military is currently providing their full support for her." Garuda stopped and raised her arm to point ahead of us. "Look, over there."

I followed where she pointed and saw a large tent. Inside it were wooden crates with labels of "iron ore," "copper ore," "chromite," and many other metal ores. As we came closer, I confirmed that there really were various kinds of ores present.

"Are these materials for the Weapon Crafting ability?"

I thought they'd come in ingots, but ores...

"I, I a-asked for the metals to c-come as ores..."

As I was wondering why they did that, a slightly high-pitched, stuttering voice came from behind me. I turned around, looking at Selen, and mused. "You have such a cute voice; it's a waste if you don't increase your speaking volume."

For some reason, she hid behind Garuda after my compliment. I'm not sure if she hates me or something. Feeling awkward, I turned to look at the chat and gazed in wonder at how convoluted my viewer's brains were.

"Garuda, please step on me~!"

"I'd be willing to sell all my organs just to stay by the side of these two beauties."

"A Dandere! She's definitely a Dandere!!! :excited:"

I felt like my IQ would fall if I continued reading the chats, so I returned to reality.

Selen was confirming the pile, with a checklist in her hand, and making sure that she had all the ores she requested. Garuda was also helping her out with confirming the inventory. Having nothing better to do, I decided to help out the two, doing mostly menial labor for them, like lifting the heavy crates.

With just the three of us, it took about five hours to complete the inventory. Fortunately, the items were complete.

After that, it was finally time for Selen to show us her skills. I kept my gaze fixed on her figure and the various ores before her. I didn't dare blink, wanting to see how she would work on them.

"Then, I'll begin." Selen's tone changed the moment she began working.

It was confident and loud, not the usual almost inaudible whispers. I wondered if it was intentional, but seeing her serious expression, I guess she just forgot about being shy when she focused too deeply.

She waved her hand above the ores, and in a snap, a common dagger was there instead.

"... That's it?" I was left with no other words to say. "It was instant! I thought you'd need to melt the metals and such, but instant!"

Right, it was an ability given by God, so having some cheats like this is understandable. Still, isn't this too much of a cheat if she can instantly create any weapon with enough material?

"Test 1 cleared. As expected, imagination and understanding of the object to be created are essential. The current dagger was made with approximately 90% similarity to common Damascus daggers..."

After creating one dagger, Selen began her monologue, analyzing the weapon she made in depth. She seemed to be recording her monologue, seeing the small voice recorder on one side of the table.

"Next experiment, begin."

Then, as if forgetting my and Garuda's existence, she continued to create another weapon. This time, it was a sledgehammer. The design was simple, with a hexagonal head and a long handle. It was harder to mistake its form than to imagine it correctly.

"Simple designs can be made with 100% accuracy. Geometric shapes that follow easy-to-calculate coordinates are to be desired for creating weapons. Moving on to the next..."

Just like that, until deep into the night, Selen continued making more and more weapons. The only time she stopped was when she got hungry, returning to her usual shy self as she tagged along with Garuda, like a duckling following the mother duck.

"But still..."

As they left, I turned to look at the pile of weapons she had made. At least a thousand prototypes of various weapons were present, each in three categories: slash, blunt, and pierce. Weapons of various shapes, as suggested by my other viewers, were made without hesitation. Honestly, I fear her talent, seeing what she could make with just random ores.

"And if these weapons do work against monsters..."

If that happens, then maybe even I...