Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

His brown profile was illuminated by the furnace fire and countless sparks beside him, and even though he was covered in sweat, he still looked incredibly dashing. Only at this moment did his handsome features depart from feminine beauty, carrying a fierce and beautiful quality like a raging fire—the expression of a craftsman.

She didn't even notice Hephaestus and the others arriving; she simply faced the iron block before her with unwavering focus, relentlessly hammering it with her own hammer.

Finn and Loki stood at a distance, while Hephaestus silently gestured to "please wait a little longer," and the two nodded, watching a blacksmith at work.

She swayed her tied-up black hair, brought down the hammer with a clang, and then stopped what she was doing. Immediately afterwards, she used pliers to pick up the sword from the anvil.

Steam rises and the blade is sharpened. After a long period of work that even laymen cannot understand, it is combined with a makeshift hilt and guard to complete a sword.

She stared intently at the red sword in her hand, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tsubaki."

Hephaestus called out to the figure with long black hair.

The woman called Chun turned her head.

"oh oh?"

She seemed to only notice now, her right eye widening as soon as she saw Hephaestus's face.

Then, she immediately broke into a smile.

"It's been a few weeks, Lord God. What brings you here? Wait, take a look at this 'Demon Sword.' I'm quite confident in it."

Although she possessed the features of a mature woman, she wore a childlike smile, holding a red sword in one hand for the chief god to see. Hephaestus sighed as she continued talking to herself, "I was here just two days ago."

"Didn't I say I wanted to discuss the 'expedition' with Loki and the others?"

"oh oh!"

The helpless voice of the Supreme God finally brought her to her senses, and she cried out.

Yes, yes, that's true. She walked over with a smile.

"It's been a long time, Tsubaki."

"Oh dear, Finn! You're still so tiny! I've been holed up in the workshop all this time, and I really miss the warmth of human skin. Let me give you a hug!"

Seeing the other person approach with open arms, Finn replied with a wry smile, "Please excuse me."

Hearing him say, "If Tione finds out, she'll kill me," she—Tsubaki—laughed out loud.

Leader of the Hephaestus Familia, Tsubaki Kobrand.

She reigns supreme at the pinnacle of the forging faction (the Hephaestus Familia), to which many top blacksmiths belong, truly deserving the title of Orario's highest-level blacksmith.

With a beautiful face like that of people from the East, she is a "half-dwarf" born from the interaction between Far Eastern humans and continental dwarfs.

Perhaps due to her strong human bloodline, she had long arms and legs, and stood 170 cm tall. Dwarves are generally short-limbed, and it is said that she often aroused the jealousy of some dwarves.

Her work clothes were also Far Eastern style, from her mother's Far Eastern hometown; the lower half was bright red trousers, and the upper half was simply covered by a white cloth around her chest. Finn had heard her say that even though her skin would be burned by sparks, her clothing still exposed her abdomen and shoulders because "the satin workshop was very hot." Her skin was brown.

A handsome appearance is characterized by black hair and red eyes.

(illustration)

Most notably, she wore a black eye patch that resembled that of the chief god (Hephaestus).

Unlike Hephaestus, who covered her right eye, she covered her left eye.

"I've looked at most of it. You've forged another weapon with malevolent energy, 'Cyclops'?"

"Loki, don't call me by a nickname. I dislike that monstrous name and I strongly object to it."

Loki chuckled as he looked at the newly completed red sword, while Chun pouted.

The gods bestowed upon Tsubaki Kobrand the nickname "Cyclops".

Although this person is a blacksmith, he possesses the combat power of a Level 5 adventurer, making him both an extraordinary and a demonic figure.

The reason why the Hephaestus Familia is not attacked by other factions is not only because it has an unshakable position as a blacksmithing faction, but also because of the exceptional combat abilities of the slightly over-the-top craftsmen like Tsubaki.

"However... hehehe, she still has a pair of proud breasts~. Look at those chests, you can tell how lewd they are even through the bra wrap!!"

"Oh, you want it and I'll give it to you? It's just two lumps of fat, they're really in the way in the blacksmith's workshop, I don't need them."

Loki's attempt to take advantage of Loki backfired spectacularly, and he coughed up blood.

As Chun laughed heartily, her breasts, enclosed beneath the bodice, swayed restlessly.

"It's about time we got down to business."

"That's true, time is precious."

Ignoring the flat-chested Loki lying on the ground, Finn and Hephaestus began to talk.

After several days of not eating or drinking and focusing on the forging work, Tsubaki bit off a piece of dried meat covered in coal ash that had been lying on the table at some unknown time to fill his stomach, and nodded and said, "I understand."

Loki, who had been resurrected shakily, also joined them. The chief gods and leaders of the two factions began a meeting in the dark workshop to discuss the "expedition".

"I'll just get straight to the point and ask, Fifi, can you lend me a few of the skilled blacksmith's children?"

"Well, their craftsmanship goes without saying, and they also have considerable skills as adventurers... There are about twenty of them, including Tsubaki. Everyone is at least Level 3, so I can guarantee their strength."

Hephaestus answered Loki's question.

No one can predict what will happen in the dungeon. Although the main task is to repair weapons, as a fellow member of the "expedition," it would be ideal to at least ensure one's own safety once we reach the "deep layers."

"Hearing the goddess say that makes me feel relieved, but... Tsubaki, are you coming too?"

"Yes, I also wish to see the 'deep' scenery that I have not yet witnessed. And if all goes well, I would like to obtain the materials for weapons myself."

Finn and Chun talk beside the gods.

Chun, with a carefree smile on her face, was deeply interested in the areas that were inaccessible to her own faction and deeper than the Deep Zone, and told Finn that this was a good opportunity.

"How are the 'Durandal' weapons coming along?"

"Absolutely foolproof. Five custom-made weapons for each person were made according to the order, all prepared by myself."

"Oh, thank you, Tsubaki."

"Let's put that aside for now. Finn, Loki... tell me about Bert Roca. I agreed to that kid's incomprehensible request and painstakingly crafted silver boots, only to have them destroyed by him! It took me a lot of effort to remake a pair. That werewolf kid is really something."

To avoid the larval monsters encountered below the 50th floor of the dungeon—extremely troublesome enemies that spray corrosive liquid to destroy weapons—

Finn and the others also asked Hephaestus and the others to prepare special weapons with indestructible attributes (superiors). Apart from Ais, who already possessed the indestructible sword (the sword of despair), and the mage Riveria, all first-level adventurers had one.

Tsubaki said she had already forged all the non-damaging weapons. During the incident on the 24th floor, Bert's special weapon, "Frosvelt," was damaged by the strange woman Revis, which seemed to have angered Tsubaki. Upon asking, she learned that as soon as the incident ended, Bert came to find Tsubaki and asked her to forge a new pair before the "Expedition."

Upon hearing that Chun had worked tirelessly to prepare the equipment for the entire squad, Finn and Loki expressed their gratitude once again.

"But really, we don't need to prepare the 'Demon Sword'?"

"Hmm~, I've already ordered a lot of special equipment from Feifei and the others... Besides, Feifei, your stuff is really expensive..."

"Oh, if it's Loki or your friends, you can borrow as much money as you want, right?"

The "magic sword," capable of long-range attacks in real time, is also one of the alternative methods to effectively deal with larval types.

When Loki mentioned the expensive "magic sword," which was a top-grade product made by the Great Forging School (Hephaestus Familia), he couldn't help but shrink back. He said to the goddess, who was smiling with her narrow left eye, "Spare me~" while sweating and pretending to smile.

"But speaking of 'The Demon Sword,' there are actually better candidates... and more outstanding authors."

"Oh, so your [familia] has a prized student hidden away?"

Finn responded to Tsubaki's self-talk with a "Mmm." She nodded happily as if it were her own business.

"There is a demon sword blacksmith who is far more skilled than me. In terms of 'demon swords,' that kid is much better than me."

Upon hearing this, Finn and Loki both widened their eyes.

Tsubaki Kobrand is the most skilled blacksmith in Orario.

In other words, she was a "master smith," and it was astonishing that she claimed there was a craftsman better than herself.

"Who is this blacksmith that you praise so highly?"

As soon as Finn asked the question, Chun seemed to have been waiting for him to ask, and she spoke with great interest:

"Hmph, hmph, don't be scared after hearing that. That kid is the famous blacksmithing nobleman—"

"Tsubaki, stop talking. You know that child doesn't like people praising his lineage, right?"

At this moment, Hephaestus interrupted Chun.

The god and the child, each wearing blindfolds, spoke with emphasis, while the other seemed to be sulking and grumbling:

"What's the big deal? It's not like it'll cost you anything, so what's wrong with talking about it?"

"Really... That kid said it's because you brag about it everywhere that people came to our door wanting to buy the 'Demon Sword,' and he was furious!"

Finn and Loki understood a bit; it seemed there was some internal conflict among their team members.

Despite being admonished by the main god, Chun didn't seem to have learned her lesson and sighed.

"It's a real pity that he has such extraordinary talent, yet he's so wary of everything. I simply can't understand that kid's thinking."

As Chun spoke, she looked down at the red sword in her hand—the newly forged "Demon Sword" blade.

Then, in an instant.

The atmosphere she exuded and her gaze suddenly turned stern.

"—Regardless of bloodline or whatever, children (we) must invest everything we have, or we can forget about touching the realm of gods. To think that we can forge the supreme weapon is simply a pipe dream."

Chun asserted in a low, deep voice, his right eye gleaming with a fierce light like a furnace fire.

That gaze was the same kind that Loki and his companions knew—those meticulous adventurers.

The craftsman's pride, reserve, desire, and insatiable persistence.

Facing a view that only those who have reached the pinnacle of blacksmithing can see—a world known only to her—Tsubaki realizes that she must risk everything.

Otherwise, there is no hope of surpassing "God's creation," and one cannot even reach that realm.

Chun looked away from her work, glanced sideways at the God of Forging standing beside her, and smiled boldly.

Seeing the fighting spirit in her child's eyes, Hephaestus sighed and shrugged.

"That's just the nature of a craftsman, isn't it? It seems Fei Fei has a lot of troubles too."

"Hmm... Anyway, let's get back to the main topic."

Finn corrected the discussion, which was about to go off-topic, and everyone started talking about their future travel plans.

"So, on the day of the expedition, we'll gather in front of the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel) and then head straight into the underground city, right?"

"Yes, in the dungeon, we'll try our best to act as guards. Although this doesn't apply in emergencies, we'll generally handle the combat."

"We'll move half of the supplies too. Since things have come to this, let's not distinguish between you and me."

"I'm so sorry, Feifei, I'm asking you for help."

Chun, Finn, Hephaestus, and Loki each made their final confirmations, and the discussion came to an end.

Finn and Loki left Tsubaki's workshop, watched by Hephaestus and the others.

Preparations for the Loki Familia's expedition are gradually being completed.

◆

"Um... Miss Ais, there's something I'd like to discuss with you!"

On the fourth day of training, after an intense simulated battle on the city wall, the boy spoke these words.

With a little time to spare before sunrise, the scheduled end time for training, Bell stammered and blushed as he approached Ais to discuss something.

"Y-yes, it's like this. Tomorrow, the girl who's supporting me can't go to the dungeon because of something at the lodging... so I'd like to take a day off and not explore... uh, well... how should I put it... if possible... I, I hope tomorrow isn't just in the morning..."

"You want to train all day?"

"Yes, yes!!"

She helped the nervous Bell continue speaking, and he nodded repeatedly.

Ais sheathed her sword, looked up slightly at the clear morning sky, and pondered for a while.

Ais was supposed to accompany Lefia to training tomorrow morning... but since Lefia is in the same faction, she can accompany her anytime she wants.

Moreover, to be honest, Ais herself also hoped to have more time to improve Bell's combat skills.

The short time in the morning is simply not enough.

After making this judgment, she silently apologized to Rafia.

"Yes, that's fine."