The undisputed greatest blacksmith in Orario.
The finest craftsperson everyone acknowledged, who had earned her current fame and position solely by showing results and winning everyone's recognition.
That was the measure of the woman known as Tsubaki Collbrande.
But regarding her, her goddess Hephaistos had always said this:
"She's a headache. She's not talentless—not when she became a first-class adventurer on top of her blacksmithing—but she's far too single-minded. Too stubborn. Sometimes that can be her strength, like it is now... but that's exactly why I'm worried she'll end up running into some pointless wall from here on out."
Among craftsmen and other specialists, stubborn people were common enough.
Especially those who had clawed their way to the top purely on skill from the bottom up; that tendency was even stronger.
And that made sense.
After all, to start with nothing, with bare hands and no backing, and still surpass every rival to become the best among them, you needed not only exceptional talent but also an extraordinary backbone and relentless, bitter effort. It was only natural.
Ordinary people could never imagine how much suffering, anguish, and rage-filled despair was mixed into that process.
So it was only natural that the origin of such stubborn personalities usually came from those reasons.
Because the road up had been so hard, they came to trust absolutely in the past that had forced its way through it and the present self they had finally built.
Tsubaki was no different in that regard.
A half-dwarf born to a human mother and a dwarf father.
There was no need to say how much of a disadvantage that racial difference, along with being female, must have been in the already narrow world of blacksmithing.
In such an environment, the stubbornness that bore the name of pride was bound to be extraordinary in a woman who had reached her current position purely through skill.
In other words, she was in a state where she was more vulnerable than anyone else to falling into arrogance.
And yet, despite being called the greatest blacksmith by everyone around her, she had never become arrogant.
No, far from it—she had instead devoted herself even more to hammering, worked harder, and pursued something beyond that.
That was the skill of a craftsperson who had reached the realm of the gods, the same realm as her own goddess.
Entering that domain was her goal and the whole of her life.
In that sense, she was never satisfied with her current position, never complacent.
She simply hungered for it greedily, more intensely, for the ideal before her, for the realm beyond.
In short, all she was doing now was growing increasingly anxious over her own growth, which had begun to slow.
She had not yet seen the edge of her own limits, but the slower pace compared to the past was clearly weighing on her mentally.
The problem was that this very anxiety was the source that narrowed and clouded her vision.
And that clouded vision became her narrow-mindedness.
Her narrow-mindedness, in turn, trapped her without her realizing it, tainting her with unintended arrogance and conceit.
When one traced the start, process, motive, and result of it all one by one, it was nothing short of ironic.
Hephaistos, her goddess, with the long perspective unique to a god, had long since noticed and watched that painful state from the side.
And yet the goddess gave her precious child of the Familia no advice at all.
She kept an eye on her, but never interfered in the middle.
Because the goddess knew that this was the only answer.
Growth sometimes demanded such a nasty period, and there was no helping it.
"That girl will surely get through it."
In the end, time was the only answer.
The simple, fundamental truth that Tsubaki herself had to cross that invisible wall of limits with her own strength alone.
So her goddess could only watch in silence, giving her no advice, with nothing but a sorrowful gaze.
There had been people who suffered unfairly from Tsubaki's irritated, narrow-minded temper as she vented her frustration.
But even the aftermath of that was something Tsubaki herself had to resolve and overcome, so the goddess remained silent.
And then, one day, after letting time pass while hoping she would someday find the answer...
"Pia-taaang~ A notice came from the Guild. It's a forced quest, for once."
"A forced quest? At a time like this?"
A forced quest.
Literally, an assignment forcibly handed down by the Guild to high-ranking Familias.
In other words, a kind of duty and obligation imposed on those who held strength and authority within the city.
These quests were usually annual events that mostly involved participating in wars with the neighboring nation, the Kingdom of Rakia.
But that season had long since passed.
At the very least, there should have been no particular news from that side for another year or so.
So Hephaistos, upon hearing the news, wore a genuinely puzzled expression.
Loki answered that question.
"It's not that side. This time, the opponent's monsters, they say."
"Monsters...? Don't tell me the [Black Dragon] is coming this way?!"
The one-eyed black dragon.
Of the three great missions called the worst missions in Orario's history, it was the only remaining target of subjugation to this day.
In other words, among the countless monsters known so far, it was the most dangerous beast ever recorded.
In the past, Zeus and Hera, the strongest Familias in Orario at the time, had set out to defeat it, but ultimately failed.
The aftermath had been so severe that both Familias were completely annihilated.
So when Loki brought the news, Hephaistos's face had stiffened in serious alarm at the possibility she had guessed.
"That ain't it, though. Well, if we go there, we'll know soon enough, won't we?"
"Really? Then what in the world...?"
But Loki shook her head again and denied her guess.
Hephaistos let out a genuine sigh of relief.
Even so, the unanswered question remained, and the two goddesses hurried to the Babel conference hall.
And thus the contents of this forced quest were finally revealed.
"Monsters on the surface have gathered outside the city and are advancing all at once toward this labyrinth city. Estimated number: roughly one thousand."
"Good grief, that's a hell of a lot."
"I've heard plenty about Dungeon anomalies, but this is my first time seeing one on the surface."
"I am Ganesha!"
"What in the world is going on? Did the monsters all go mad in bulk?"
"Come to think of it, I once read a paper about the possibility that surface monsters might have a regression instinct toward the Dungeon... could it be that?"
"Nah, no way. I saw that one too, and it was nothing but the ravings of a complete lunatic. If monsters had that kind of instinct, they'd have swarmed out long ago and been wiped out."
"True enough."
The Guild staff's announcement was met by the gods gathering among themselves, exchanging opinions—if one could call it that—and chattering noisily in gossip and idle talk.
But even so, there was no way the cause of such a bizarre first-time event would be revealed immediately. Instead, under the Guild's direction, the result of the meeting was decided smoothly, like water flowing downstream.
"Well, even if there's a ton of them, most are just small fry. There ain't much to gain from this. No point wasting time, so let's quickly clean them up with the standby personnel left in each Familia."
"Agreed."
"I agree too."
"I don't want to, but it's a forced quest, so there's no helping it."
"Everyone is so cooperative! Ganesha is deeply moved!"
"Haa, someone sew that elephant-mask guy's mouth shut."
"Well, isn't this the usual?"
"So? No naming ceremony today?"
"Unfortunately, no."
And so, a hastily assembled coalition of dozens of Familias, made up of the remaining personnel.
They left the city walls for the sake of the city's safety and approached the monster horde charging toward them.
At first glance, it might seem like a strategically foolish and idiotic decision, but the adventurers in the coalition were all at least level 3, including a handful of first-class adventurers.
By contrast, most of the monsters were little more than level 2 trash, and even the stronger ones topped out at level 4.
Even then, there were barely more than ten of them, including the level 3-class ones.
In short, they were a complete rabble.
For Orario's adventurers, trying their hardest or getting tense against such weaklings would be nothing short of shameful.
If they overdid it or let their guard down against those things and ended up with a noticeable injury, they'd probably be mocked over drinks for a while.
That was how overwhelming the difference in strength was, and so most of the coalition's adventurers treated this as little more than a bothersome volunteer job.
Tsubaki was no different.
In fact, for her, this kind of pointless waste of time had left her in a very low mood.
It was bad enough that even if others merely talked normally beside her, she'd visibly snap at them.
The old her would never have been this bad.
And that was something Tsubaki herself understood perfectly well.
"Ahh, this is annoying."
Tsubaki scratched her head roughly and irritably.
These days, she fully recognized that both her outward and inward state were a complete mess.
But knowing something in your head and truly understanding and accepting it in your heart were entirely different matters.
So lately she had been unable to hide the bubbling irritation and anxiety boiling up inside her.
And she had already identified the cause long ago.
"Haa, and of all times, this has to happen now. I really don't feel like doing this."
She let out a deep sigh without caring about the people around her anymore.
She was standing at a crucial crossroads, with the hint of her next stage—the edge of it—faintly visible, tickling at the back of her mind.
And in the middle of that, she had been dragged into this utterly unrewarding waste of time.
"Lady Hephaistos, honestly. She knows this is an incredibly important moment for me."
She did not know that the goddess had forced her out precisely because she knew that, and wanted her to get some fresh air and clear her head.
It was a small kindness that the old, relaxed her would have noticed immediately.
"O~kay, we're here! I can see them!"
"All units, prepare for battle!"
"Do we really need to do the same thing?"
"You'll get hurt if you keep that up. If you do, you know what happens, right?"
"Tch, what do you take me for? If I get even a scratch from those punks, I'll pay for every drink for a week."
"Oh! You all heard that, right? Leave every one of the monsters coming this way to this guy! If he does well, we won't have to worry about bar tabs for a week!"
"""We'll eat well, senpai!"""
"Y-you bastards! How dare you stab me in the back like this...!"
"Whoa there, that's cruel. Don't do that to a fellow from the same hometown."
"Shut up! I'll take you down before I take down the monsters!"
"A fight? I'm in too!"
There was not the slightest trace of tension in their conversation.
In truth, the situation itself was exactly like that, so none of them scolded or pointed out their comrades' pointless nonsense.
Still, as veteran adventurers, they handled their actual battle preparations without a single problem.
Front-liners drew swords and shields, while rear guards chanted the incantations of the spells they each specialized in, waiting for the coming slaughter.
Just as everyone was settling into battle stance, then—
"Huh? What's that?"
"What? A person?"
"Someone's there?"
"No way, a traveler?"
"O~i! It's dangerous over there! Hurry up and come this way!"
The adventurers watching the front spotted someone in the distance.
A mysterious wanderer wrapped from head to toe in a pure white robe, with a hood pulled low enough to completely hide their face.
They held some flashy-looking sword in one hand, but against the approaching monster horde, that was far too meager a weapon.
Unless they were a high-level adventurer like them, they were in grave danger.
Was that why?
Even after hearing the adventurers' worried calls, the figure simply stood alone in the middle of the road, unmoving.
It was an utterly baffling, bizarre situation.
"Who the hell is that? Some adventurer from out of town?"
"Tch, what, does he think he's got some skill to back that up?"
"If that's the case, then fine, but..."
Thanks to that, the adventurers who worried about the stranger's safety only grew more anxious.
Meanwhile, the monster horde kept drawing closer from beyond the horizon.
What if, contrary to their assumptions, that wanderer was just a passing traveler, an ordinary civilian?
"Damn it, this is such a pain. I'm going first!"
"Hey! Wait a second!"
Unable to stand by any longer, a few meddlesome adventurers rushed forward to intervene—just then.
"[Thread Thirteen Start]."
A mysterious, beautiful voice reached their ears.
[This is a fight for survival. Rejected.]
[This is a fight against one stronger than oneself. Rejected.]
[This is a fight that does not oppose the path. Approved.]
[This is a fight to protect the weak. Approved.]
[This is a fight for truth. Rejected.]
[This is, a one-on-one fight. Rejected.]
[This is not a fight against spirits. Approved.]
[This is a fight against evil. Approved.]
[This is, a fight without selfish desire. Rejected.]
[This is a fight to save the world. Rejected.]
A voice so mysterious and beautiful.
Was this what the voice of a spirit guiding a hero in an old tale sounded like?
Just as that thought naturally arose, the unknown voice came to an end.
From the white wanderer's lips, a low declaration flowed out.
"[Sword of selection, cut down evil]."
At that moment.
Ping!
The white wanderer's arm moved.
And a single line of light cut across the horizon.
Then came the bombardment of light that followed.
KWAANG!
"Ugh!"
"W-what the hell is that?!"
Blinded by the fierce, dazzling burst that erupted afterward, the coalition adventurers could not force their eyes open.
When the background finally quieted down, their eyes slowly opened one by one.
"Th-this is insane...!"
"The monster horde...!"
They could not suppress their shock.
A single line had carved straight through the earth.
And at the end of that line, the monster horde of nearly one thousand had vanished in an instant.
Only the remains of monsters scattered around the impact site and the few surviving stragglers fleeing in terror in all directions proved that the vanished creatures had ever existed.
At that absurd ending and sight, the adventurers were left speechless.
At this level of power, it was surely on par with the magic of Loki Familia's [Demon Princess].
"Th-that person from earlier! Where did that white one go?!"
"R-right! Find the white traveler from before!"
Only then did they come to their senses and start searching for the wanderer from moments ago.
But that person was nowhere to be found.
Instead—
"This is...?"
"It's the sword that person was holding earlier."
The sword he had used was stuck into a rock near where he had been standing.
It was a golden sword that looked rare and expensive at a glance.
Even after the brilliantly radiant light from before had faded, an unsettling aura still clung to it.
"C-come to think of it, that person earlier... even with that much power, he didn't seem to be chanting anything separately, did he?"
"Then could it be this sword?"
"I can't say for sure it isn't. As everyone knows, there are things like the legendary magic swords of 'Crozzo,' after all."
Gulp.
The moment the last adventurer finished speaking, throats bobbed all around as tension rippled through the crowd.
Unimaginable greed and desire began to overflow among them.
As everyone watched one another warily, then—
"Hey! Who said you could cut in li—"
"Move."
"...Yes, of course. Please, go right ahead."
The strongest and most renowned person present.
She, Tsubaki, moved first.
"A cyclops, huh."
"Damn it, of all people, it had to be Hephaistos Familia."
"They can make strong magic swords themselves, so why...?"
"There's no comparison. That thing is said to be on par with the legendary magic swords of Crozzo."
"Maybe they're taking it for research?"
"If this goes well, maybe we'll be able to get magic swords like that through Hephaistos Familia too."
"Dream on. Just looking at you, there's no way your earnings could cover it."
The coalition adventurers whispered all around her.
But Tsubaki treated all that noise and gossip from the sidelines as bullshit and ignored it completely.
She only stared fixedly at the golden sword stuck in the rock before her.
"No doubt about it."
Tsubaki gently reached out and examined the sword as if stroking it here and there.
From the ornate decorations to the unsharpened sections.
Everywhere she looked, it was unmistakably that same sword—barely even a sword—that she knew so well from before.
The sword before her was exactly as she remembered it.
But that light from earlier, that power...!
"Just how...!"
She frowned deeply, unable to accept it.
Then, as if possessed, she grabbed the sword stuck in the rock and tried to pull it free.
But—
"Ghk! Wha...! Why?!"
The golden sword remained stuck in the rock.
As if rejecting her touch.
As if telling her she was unworthy.
Despite her tremendous strength, the golden sword did not budge even a little from the stone.
"That can't be! Just what...! Just how...! Why?!"
"Hey, cyclops! Take it easy! If you break the sword..."
"Shut up! Ngh, damn it!"
Clang!
At last, unable to endure the rage and impatience surging up inside her, she brought the weapon in her hand down on the rock that held the golden sword.
But the rock did not move at all, as if it were made of steel.
Even though her strength and her weapon should have been enough to slice through a solid steel ingot like soft tofu.
"No, what the—"
"Don't tell me the rock too?"
In the end, after going mad for a while and then exhausting herself, she stepped back, and the other adventurers took turns trying to pull the sword free.
But of course—
"Nngh!"
"Why won't it, co, come out?!"
"Uwo! Uwooo!"
Even after passing through the hands of dozens of adventurers.
Even after they used every means available to smash the rock and the ground beneath it.
"Haa, haa..."
"N-no good. We can't do it. This is impossible."
"No, what kind of magic is on this thing...?"
The noble golden sword remained stuck in the rock without the slightest movement.
Only one thing.
Like the sunlight at dawn.
"Ah, ah..."
It shone alone in brilliant splendor, illuminating the mother who had abandoned it—the creator.
"Aaaaargh!"
Tsubaki was mercilessly trampled beneath the wall of despair she herself had created.
And so she broke herself apart.
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