Deep in an alley behind the headquarters of the [Hephaestus Familia], a workshop with a steaming chimney was working busily.
"Clang—clang—clang—!"
The heavy sound of hammering passed through the thick stone walls and echoed through the alley.
Seeing the workshop door open, Ronan politely raised his hand and knocked on the doorframe. He did not just walk in.
"Tsubaki, are you busy?"
"Oh? Ronan?"
A black-haired woman only half a head shorter than Ronan heard him. She had dark skin and wore clothes in the Far East style. She set down the heavy forging hammer in her hand.
She stepped away from the hot furnace and looked at the black-haired young man standing in the doorway. Then she grinned and greeted him as sharply as ever.
"What a rare guest. A miser like you wouldn't come here for no reason. What happened? Did a monster 'teach you a lesson' in the Dungeon?"
Ronan was already used to this kind of greeting.
"Being a miser isn't my fault. It's because I'm poor." He spread his hands with a calm expression. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought that practice gear you made from leftover materials. Have some understanding."
"Hmph." Tsubaki Collbrande put one hand on her hip and gave him an annoyed look.
"Stop talking nonsense. Tell me, why are you here?"
That was right. The woman in front of Ronan was the famous [Cyclops], Tsubaki Collbrande.
Tsubaki Collbrande. Level 4. Captain of the [Hephaestus Familia]. A half-dwarf born from a human from the Far East and a dwarf from the continent. She had black hair, red eyes, and an eyepatch over her left eye. On top of being a top-tier blacksmith in Orario, she also had the strength of a second-class adventurer.
As far as Ronan knew, every piece of work from her hands was a high-quality item signed with the name Hephaestus. Any weapon she made could easily sell for tens of millions, or even over a hundred million, Valis.
The way they met had been pure luck. At that time, Tsubaki was still Level 4 and was selling practice pieces made from leftover materials at low prices.
By chance, Ronan got a huge bargain and bought one of her pieces for 49,900 Valis. Later, after seeing the signature on the equipment, he started coming to her for repairs and maintenance. After a few trips back and forth, the two had become acquaintances.
"Don't even mention it. I ran into an [Abnormal Situation] in the Dungeon. I almost died. I really have to thank your armor, or things would have ended badly for me this time."
Tsubaki waved her hand like it was nothing. She took the bundle containing the damaged armor from Ronan, put it on the workbench, and opened it. Then she began checking each piece one by one.
"Tsk, tsk. So many scratches. The paint and coating are ruined. Whoa, these were left by a War Shadow's claws, right?" Her fingertip ran over one deep claw mark. She seemed to realize something and looked up at Ronan in surprise.
"You actually went down to the 6th floor? What happened? Don't you usually stay on the 4th and 5th floors? Did you get cocky?"
"..."
Ronan gave an awkward smile.
"Forget it. You clearly have your own plans."
Tsubaki stopped asking. She picked up the torn gauntlet and examined it more closely.
"With damage like this, are you sure it was a War Shadow from the 6th floor? Not something from the 11th or 12th? This kind of destructive power..." She frowned, studying the damage again and again.
"Well, it was an [Abnormal Situation]. So it's not strange if something unusual happened," Ronan said.
"Yeah, fair enough." Tsubaki nodded and put the gauntlet down. "Alright, leave the armor here. Come pick it up in a few days. Repair fee: 30,000 Valis."
"..."
Without a word, Ronan took out yesterday's loot and handed it over.
"Check how much these materials are worth. Deduct the repair fee from that. And help me look at this too."
He pointed at the special claw.
Tsubaki glanced at the drop items. With her experience, she knew what they were at a glance.
"Three War Shadow Claws. Market price is about 45,000 Valis total, but these are popular and easy to sell. In our trade, I can count them a little higher. I'll give you 50,000 each, so 150,000 in total." After giving the estimate, Tsubaki picked up the special material.
"Is this also a War Shadow Claw?" Looking at the drop item that was both familiar and strange, Tsubaki frowned slightly.
Ronan nodded and explained,
"This is a drop item from a special War Shadow individual. I got the idea from its effect, so I called it the Magic-Breaking War Shadow Claw."
As he spoke, he explained what it could do.
When she heard that it could actually cut through low-level magic, Tsubaki stopped caring about the fact that Ronan could use magic at all. Her full attention landed on the claw.
"Magic-breaking? It really has that trait? Let me test it."
"Hey, wait... be careful."
Seeing how reckless she was being, Ronan took a step back. His weak body could not compare to hers.
Tsubaki picked up a damaged Magic Sword and swung it. Flames roared out. She held the Magic-Breaking War Shadow Claw and slashed straight through the fire.
In the next second, the flames split open cleanly!
As for the sparks landing on her clothes and the slight redness on her skin, she did not care in the slightest. For a high-level adventurer and top blacksmith like her, that level of magic attack was no more than a warm breeze.
Watching from the side, Ronan clicked his tongue. Once again, he felt how powerful top adventurers really were.
"It really does have a magic-breaking effect," Tsubaki said as she shook her hand. There was a trace of regret in her voice. "But the performance is limited. It works within the Level 1 range, but any higher than that..."
Ronan had already expected that answer. After all, it was only a product of the 6th floor.
"Just tell me how much it's worth," Ronan said, getting straight to the point.
"Tsk, you really only care about money. This is an unknown rare material..."
"How much?" Ronan did not budge.
"..."
Veins popped on Tsubaki's forehead, and she glared at him.
"Don't even think about turning it into a weapon or item. The material isn't strong enough for that. But because it's so unique, its research value is very high. I think Lady Hephaestus would be very interested in it. Wait here. I'll go get the Goddess."
"Is Lady Hephaestus not inspecting the shops in Babel today? She's at headquarters?" Ronan asked, surprised.
As the main god of a huge commercial Familia, the [Hephaestus Familia] had shops all across Orario. Their weapons were sold throughout the continent through merchant groups, nobles, and adventurers.
Anyone interested in equipment wanted a weapon bearing the Hephaestus signature. It was a symbol of strength and status.
This goddess was not like those gods who only looked for entertainment.
Because of the Familia's strength and importance, her influence stood near the very top among the many Familias in the Labyrinth City. She was one of the true major figures in Orario.
"It's because [Evilus] is making trouble again. For Lady Hephaestus's safety, everyone in the Familia adjusted her schedule."
"I see." Ronan nodded.
It seemed the movements of [Evilus] really were affecting the whole city.
It did not take long for Tsubaki to return. After all, the workshop was in the alley right behind headquarters.
A figure with a dignified aura entered with her.
She had slightly curly short red hair. Her right eye was covered by a distinctive eyepatch. She wore a simple white top, black pants, and knee-high black leather boots.
Goddess Hephaestus carried both the dignity of a leader and the detached presence of a god. Together, they created a unique and powerful aura.
"Greetings, Lady Hephaestus." Ronan immediately stood up. He placed one hand over his chest and bowed respectfully.
"So you're Ronan. Tsubaki has mentioned you before. The guy who got lucky and picked up one of her pieces for cheap."
"Uh..." Ronan gave a helpless smile. "You might not believe it, but after that bargain, I didn't see a single drop item for two whole months."
Hearing that, the corners of Hephaestus's mouth curved slightly. "Alright. Let's talk business. I've already looked at that claw. It truly does have very high research value."
Her expression became serious.
"This magic-breaking trait... it's a good thing it fell into our hands. If [Evilus] got hold of it and put it to use, it would become a serious threat to the city, especially for low-level mages."
The Goddess of Forging paused, then named a price so high that Ronan nearly choked from excitement.
"30 million Valis. Or, if you do not want the money, I will allow you to commission one custom weapon within that price range. What do you think?"
"!!!!!"