Rods and the others were carrying a big sack on their shoulders, filled with the powder made from crushing "magic stones" to lure the Violas.
These little gadgets were originally made to protect the coastal waters of the harbor town Melen.
After consulting Njord, Mayor Borug, and that Daedalus descendant from their partners, the remnants of the Evilus, they created this tool specifically for the Violas.
It was very useful, but it also served as evidence of their ties with the Evilus.
But with Orario on the brink of destruction, they couldn't afford to care about such small matters anymore.
Upon reaching the designated position, Rods and the others vigorously scattered the powder.
Almost instantly, the monsters stopped moving, and then the Violas group stopped attacking the people fleeing in all directions, turning their heads with a clacking sound.
"Wh-why am I the one doing this aaaaah, ?!"
Being stared down by countless oppressive monsters, the Lv.2 fisherman Repart felt like he was about to split apart!
"Stop yelling, Repart! Hurry up and get to work, lure them toward the upper-class adventurers!"
The former guild division chief Repart wailed loudly, while Rods scolded him, then took the sack and personally continued leading the monsters.
...
"Hey! Bors! Is this really Orario we remember? Are you kidding me? This feels less safe than the town on the 18th floor!"
"Damn, how do I run into this the moment I return to the surface? I knew it, those big familias led by the Loki Familia, the way they kept going in and out of the dungeon these days, there was no way that meant anything good!"
"Damn it, I finally return to the surface after so long and it's this mess! I'm already sick of seeing these Violas faces from the last time in Rivira!"
At that moment, in the northwestern district, on Adventurer Street.
By coincidence, because of certain events, Bors Elder, the Rivira town boss who had narrowly escaped death in the dungeon, was running while cursing nonstop.
Looking at the Violas monsters rampaging through the streets and destroying buildings, he recalled the nightmare of the 18th floor Rivira town, which was almsot completely annihilated due to the last freakish monster attacks.
Facing the onrushing monsters, the underlings behind him all turned pale, legs trembling, eyes filled with terror. Their fighting power had essentially hit zero.
Bors, as if truly enraged, bulged his eyes and glared fiercely at the Violas, then joined the fight without hesitation, however.
Crack,
"..."
"Damn piece of trash, I knew a half-baked weapon wouldn't work! It broke before I even took one down!"
The Violas' famously tough hide easily shattered weapons, and even swords and axes meant for cutting would chip.
Just as Bors and the others were about to run for their lives, a weapon, clearly a high-quality one at a glance, was tossed from the side.
"Why are you running? Use this-"
"Uh... Lord Goibniu?"
The short old god blocked their path.
It was the God of Forge, Goibniu.
"Right now all the upper-class adventurers in the city are voluntarily organizing counterattacks. You don't want your reputation to rot, right? If no one buys from Rivira afterward... heh."
"..." Cold sweat streamed down Bors's forehead.
Seeing Goibniu's tense expression, he clicked his tongue.
"I'll open the Familia's warehouse. Take our weapons and fight."
The Goibniu Familia smiths, who upheld a creed of simplicity and strength, delivered weapons to the adventurers shouting nearby.
Forced back step by step by the monsters' ferocity, Bors and his men shuddered, snapped back to their senses, stopped complaining, and then greedily lunged toward the "treasures."
"Hssss, first-class adventurer gear forged by the Goibniu Familia...!!!"
"---!!"
Bors and his underlings were ecstatic, touching the first class weapons with trembling hands, faces brimming with excitement.
Spending most of their time stationed on the 18th floor, how could they ever afford luxury gear like this?
With their usual Lv.2 and Lv.3 strength, how could they possibly use first-class adventurer equipment?
Were they going to take these weapons to fight on the 40th or 50th floors? They'd get killed by the monsters before they even got that deep.
They couldn't afford to use them, they'd get targeted, and the cost of maintaining such weapons alone was astronomical, far beyond what they could handle.
Now that they had the chance to use first-class adventurer gear for free, how could they not be thrilled?
"People like us never even get to touch these weapons! Each one of these is nearly a hundred million Valis, absolutely top-tier gear!!!"
"Oh no, I'm too happy! I'm so damn happy! It's good to be alive aaaaahhh!"
Led by the weapon-obsessed Bors, the others following him turned their terror into excitement.
If not for the Violas right behind them, they might have actually tried stealing the weapons, but fortunately, they weren't that suicidal.
They weren't stupid. They would dare offend top-class familias, but they absolutely wouldn't dare offend Hephaestus or Goibniu, the blacksmiths.
In Orario where weapons were everywhere, offending your suppliers was no different from suicide.
Soon, these people from Rivira town, grinning savagely, charged into the Violas with their super-weapons, effortlessly slicing through tentacles and armored skin, shouting "Yahaha!" as they pushed the monsters back.
The smiths led by the old god Goibniu watched with proud smiles as their creations tore through the monster group.
...
Northeast of the city, Industrial District.
Inside a building that looked like flames themselves.
Seeing the adventurers fighting, the goddess Hephaestus narrowed the uncovered left eye beneath her eyepatch, full of concern.
"Although I already prepared for the worst... to think it ended up exactly as we predicted when discussing with Loki."
"No choice. All children with Level 4 and above, including Tsubaki, went with Loki's group. I know this places a heavy burden on you smiths, but I still have to ask you..."