Isis spent a great deal of effort trying to come up with a name for her combo, but eventually gave up on thinking altogether.
The name "Gymnastic" wasn't particularly pleasant to the ear, but it had the advantage of being simple and direct; as soon as she said it, her companions understood exactly what she meant.
She would use it as a placeholder for now. Once she thought of a cooler, more catchy name later on, she could just swap it out.
The days spent training regularly in the Training Area passed exceptionally fast. Four or five days flashed by in an instant, and if Balina hadn't personally run over to remind them, they wouldn't have even realized that the delivery date for Isis's new weapon had arrived.
Following Balina at a light jog to the smithy, they found the old smith with obvious signs of exhaustion on his face.
Isis suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. The old smith had just finished working on Altaïr's Seregios set and Long Sword without a single day of rest before her Glavenus Gunlance followed immediately after.
The old smith, who had been retired for years, had been busy for half a month straight; his body was likely struggling to keep up.
"You–"
"I'm fine," the old smith said, waving a hand as he saw through what Isis was about to say. "Compared to a so-called 'leisurely life' that wastes one's existence, it's far more meaningful to forge a few more great works.
Enough of that nonsense. Come take a look at your new weapon. I put quite a bit of effort into this Gunlance; I only hope your strength is as great as you claim.
I've added extra material to the shield, the blade, and the barrel. An ordinary Hunter might not even be able to swing it."
"I can do it!" Isis had absolute confidence in her own strength.
A hint of a smile appeared in the old smith's eyes. "Follow me."
The group followed the old smith directly to the open space in the smithy's backyard. This was the range where the smiths tested weapons and also where Balina usually trained.
Conveniently, the workshop owner and Arman were also there, staring blankly at a singularly shaped Hammer resting on a rack before them.
"Aie! Why are you two still here?" Balina stood with hands on her hips, glaring dissatisfiedly at her father and eldest brother. "Didn't I say the guests were coming to test their new weapon? You're in the way!"
The workshop owner and Arman ignored Balina's scolding, looking expectantly at Altaïr, who was walking behind Isis.
Altaïr, meanwhile, was curiously eyeing the unfamiliar Hammer.
The head of this Hammer was pear-shaped as a whole, with two massive horns mounted on it like sharp axe blades, adding a few degrees of aggression to its look.
Looking at the shape of the horns, they had to be Duramboros horns. So, was this the new model of Duramboros Hammer developed by the workshop owner and his son?
"Young man Altaïr, we'd like to ask you for a favor..." The bald workshop owner rubbed his large hands together.
The old smith frowned and barked, "Scram! Even if you want to ask a guest to help test your new weapon, you should at least wait until the guests have finished their official business before making a formal request!"
"Yes, yes."
The workshop owner didn't dare talk back to his father. With a wry smile, he and his son pulled the weapon rack holding the Hammer to the side, revealing an exceptionally massive red and blue Gunlance on another rack behind it. "Oh!" Isis rushed excitedly to the weapon rack, then turned back to look at the old smith. "Can I try it out?"
"Of course."
Without another word, Isis grabbed the Large Shield first.
Her first impression upon taking the Large Shield was its sheer density. The shield wasn't made entirely of Glavenus materials; instead, it used a high-strength alloy smelted from various precious metals as a base, with the toughest Glavenus shells inlaid upon it to form a double layer of protection. Naturally, it was exceptionally heavy.
Isis gripped the handle of the Large Shield tightly with her right hand and used the straps to fix it firmly to her right arm, swinging it back and forth a couple of times.
Even with her strength, she could clearly feel the weight straining her arm; this Large Shield was nearly twice as heavy as the one she had used before!
But she felt only joy. Weight didn't matter, as long as it was sturdy enough!
As she continued to train and grow, her strength was still steadily increasing. The Defender Gunlance she had found perfect two years ago now felt like a feather in her hands.
Moreover, the sturdiness of a shield was surely proportional to its weight. This shield gave her a long-awaited sense of gravity, there was no need to doubt its Defense!
Next, she picked up the massive Gunlance, which was likewise forged from a combination of high-strength alloy and Glavenus materials.
"Heh-ah!" Isis exhaled forcefully, hoisting the Gunlance up in one go.
Watching from the side, Altaïr's eye twitched.
Is that a Gunlance?!
Under certain classification rules, a Gunlance was actually considered a "light weapon." If one disregarded the additional weight of the Large Shield, a Gunlance was essentially a firearm equipped with a bayonet, its weight not far off from a Light Bowgun.
It only seemed heavy because it had to be held with one hand when used alongside a Large Shield.
But looking at the thickness and blade length of the Gunlance in Isis's hand, it was essentially a Great Sword, wasn't it?! No, it might even be heavier than most Great Swords.
After all, a Great Sword was just a simply structured blade, whereas a Gunlance integrated complex shelling mechanisms, including the Wyvern's Fire. It was effectively like mounting a Light Bowgun onto a Great Sword.
Other people added a section of blade to a barrel to serve as a bayonet; you've gone and added a barrel to a Great Sword, haven't you?
"So heavy," Isis muttered. "But that's exactly what makes it powerful! Ha!"
With a sudden shout, Isis took a massive stride forward, twisting her waist and swinging her arm to slam the Gunlance into the solid wood training dummy in the center of the area.
With a thunderous boom, the solid wood training dummy, over a meter in diameter and wrapped in thick leather, caved in as a massive gash was carved into it. It looked as if a Barrel Bomb had gone off, sending fine splinters of wood flying in every direction.
Altaïr quickly stepped in front of the old smith to shield him. He was wearing armor and would be fine, but at such close range, the old smith could easily be injured by the flying debris.
"Exactly! This Gunlance is the perfect fit for you!" The old smith pushed Altaïr aside, staring at Isis with burning eyes. "Plenty of people say the Glavenus Gunlance is too heavy and cumbersome to use.
No! It's just that those mediocre fools lack the right to unleash this Gunlance's true power!"
Grinning, Isis hoisted the Glavenus Gunlance onto her shoulder as if she were carrying a Great Sword. She desperately wanted to perform a full Gymnastic combo on that training dummy, but she knew that with this Gunlance's power, a single rotation would likely destroy not just the target, but the entire courtyard.
So, she planned to take it easy.
Unexpectedly, the old smith hurried to her side, urging her impatiently, "Don't stop! Try the shelling! You haven't realized the true brilliance of this Gunlance yet!"
"Are you serious?"
"It's fine! Just don't use Wyvern's Fire; feel free to test anything else!"
"You got it!"
Isis raised the Gunlance vertically, slammed the spear-like tail into the ground, and snapped the breach open. She glanced into the chamber. "Wide Type?"
"Exactly. It can be loaded with three Wide Shells. If you get the chance to Hunt more Glavenus and use select materials to reinforce it, you can expand that to four."
Isis's grin widened at his words.
She was a Gunlance user who specialized in close-quarters combat. Of the three shell types, the Wide Type, with its devastating point-blank power, suited her taste best, followed by the Normal Type. As for Long Type Gunlances, which could practically be used as ranged weapons, she didn't even care to try them.
After a swift reload, Isis strode up to the training dummy.
"Full Burst!"
As the Gunlance swung, the cannon roared in rapid succession. All three shells were unleashed at once, blasting massive craters into the training dummy.
At this rate, the dummy would likely be scrap metal by the end of the day.
But Isis couldn't be bothered with that now; she noticed with amazement that as she fired, the blade of the Glavenus Gunlance had turned a glowing, searing red.
It looked exactly like a Glavenus tail blade heated by a breath attack.
"Ha! This is the finest part of this Gunlance's design!" the old smith explained with a hearty laugh. "By utilizing the heat-retaining properties of Glavenus materials, we recycle the waste heat from shelling and Wyvern's Fire to heat the blade to a glowing red, dealing extra scorching damage to the Monster!
Against Monsters that fear high temperatures and flames, it will be an even more terrifying instrument of destruction!"
"Ooh!" Isis cried out, thrusting the flaming Gunlance high and swinging it around in excitement.
Leaving Isis to her revelry, the old smith turned to Clawdia. "Your Palico Armor is finished as well. Balina, let's take her to try it on."
"Okay!"
"I'm coming too!" Isis stowed her weapon and followed them with a joyful expression.
Seeing his stern father and daughter depart for the moment, the workshop owner sidled up to Altaïr.
"Young man, Balina mentioned that you are also proficient with the Hammer?"
"I wouldn't say proficient, but I do know how to use one."
"Well, as you've probably guessed, that weapon on the rack over there is our newly forged Duramboros Hammer, the Heavy Tail.
We've adjusted the center of gravity as much as possible, but how it actually feels in practice needs to be confirmed by a truly experienced Hammer user.
Balina is still too green as a Hunter; even if there were an issue, she would find it difficult to pinpoint.
Originally, we wanted to ask her teacher, Mr. Buck, to test it, but as you know, Mr. Buck is still recovering from serious injuries..."
"I understand," Altaïr nodded. "But to be honest, while I can use a Hammer, I'm not a dedicated Hammer user.
I can test it for you first. If necessary, I can also introduce you to a truly experienced Hammer user for more in-depth testing."
Olivia was a lover of Hammers as well; she surely wouldn't pass up the chance to try a new model, especially since one could tell just by looking at the "Heavy Tail" that its destructive power was immense.
The workshop owner and his son traded excited glances.
"We couldn't thank you enough!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)