Author's Note:Hello to all my readers who enjoy my story. I apologize for the inconsistent posting schedule. Yesterday, I had another exam — one of the most difficult ones — on top of work responsibilities. Fortunately, this week is a bit less hectic, so I should be able to post more frequently. If all goes well, I might even release another chapter later today.
After resolving the situation with Aqua and convincing her to be patient with Familia recruitment, Hachiman took the pouch containing the unique spoils from the irregular Wyvern – the dark green magic stone and the black bone claw. They were dangerous and unknown items, and he knew exactly who could help him understand and, perhaps, utilize them. With a nod to Aqua, who was now busy happily testing her partially restored powers (thankfully without damaging the new house yet), he left again, this time heading towards the Hephaestus Familia headquarters. It was mid-afternoon on his first day as a Level 2 adventurer.
The walk through Orario's streets was, once again, an eye-opening experience. If the previous day the whispers were about the 'Black-Armored Novice' who defeated a Level 2 monster, today the buzz was deafening and focused on a single fact, courtesy of Aqua's supersonic indiscretion at the Guild last night: Hachiman Hikigaya had reached Level 2 in about a month.
"A month! Can you believe it?!" "Impossible! The Sword Princess took a whole year!" "He broke Aiz Wallenstein's record by an absurd margin!" "Who the hell is this guy? Must have some ridiculous Skill!" "I heard Hephaestus herself is backing him..." "What luck... or what cheating..." "He won't last. That kind of rapid rise always ends badly."
Admiration, astonishment, disbelief, venomous envy, open resentment, conspiracy theories – Hachiman heard it all as he passed, keeping his head down and his pace steady. He was now, officially, Orario's record holder, the topic of every conversation in the adventurer city. It was fame he didn't want and that would certainly bring complications. 'I need to get stronger, not just for monsters, but to deal with this,' he thought bitterly.
Arriving at the Hephaestus Familia shop, he didn't hesitate and went straight to the back area, hoping to find the private workshop where he had his lesson. As he approached, he again heard the familiar voices of Tsubaki and Welf Crozzo in a heated argument.
"...it's your legacy, Welf! Creating magic swords! Why do you insist on throwing away that gift?!" Tsubaki was saying, exasperated. "Because that 'gift' only brings misfortune! Greed! Weapons that abandon their user! I prefer to create reliable tools!" the redhead retorted stubbornly. Hephaestus leaned against a nearby wall, watching the debate with a tired sigh.
Hachiman cleared his throat lightly to announce his presence. The three turned, surprised to see him there again so soon. Hephaestus's face visibly lit up. "Hachiman-kun! You came!"
Tsubaki broke into a wide grin, forgetting Welf for a moment. "Look who it is! The talk of Orario! Level 2 in a month, huh? Congratulations, kid!" She approached and gave him her crushing hug. "The Chief here almost had a fit of happiness yesterday when she found out! Talked about you non-stop!"
"T-Tsubaki!" Hephaestus protested, blushing furiously, but Hachiman could see the genuine satisfaction behind her embarrassment.
Welf Crozzo watched Hachiman with uncomfortable intensity. Admiration for the undeniable achievement was there, but the envy was palpable, and there was that subtle resentment Hachiman was now sure was directed at him because of the attention he received from Hephaestus. Hachiman merely offered a polite but distant nod to the redheaded blacksmith.
Sensing the awkward mood or perhaps just wanting to escape the argument with Tsubaki, Welf muttered an excuse about having work to do and hastily left the workshop.
Hephaestus sighed again at Welf's departure, then turned to Hachiman, her expression becoming curious. "So, Hachiman-kun? Came for another lesson so soon? Or is there another reason you grace us with your presence again?" There was a slight tease in her voice about the unexpected visit.
Hachiman felt the sweat drop. "Actually, Hephaestus-sama, I came because of this." He carefully placed the dark green magic stone and the black bone claw on the workbench. "These are the drops from the irregular Wyvern I faced the day before yesterday, the fight that gave me the final push to... well, to yesterday's update."
Hephaestus and Tsubaki immediately leaned in, professional interest taking over. Hephaestus picked up the stone, her fingers tracing the pulsing green lines. Tsubaki examined the black claw with a critical eye.
"So this was the creature..." Hephaestus murmured. "The energy here is potent, but unstable, almost corrupted. And this claw... Tsubaki, look at the density of this." "It's like demonic steel, but organic," Tsubaki agreed. "Materials from irregular monsters are always unpredictable, but these are high quality. No wonder they gave you enough excelia to break all the Level 1 limits."
"I was thinking..." Hachiman began, "now that I'm Level 2 and have access to new abilities..." he gestured vaguely, referring to the Mystery Development Ability and the knowledge of Rank C NPs, "...if it would be possible to use these materials to forge a weapon. A personal weapon. I'd like to try here, with your guidance, if it's not too much trouble."
Hephaestus's eyes shone with the technical challenge. Tsubaki grinned broadly. "Forging with Irregular drops? Now you're speaking our language, kid! Of course you can try! Let's see what Orario's fastest Level 2 is capable of!"
And so, for the second time in a few days, Hachiman found himself before Hephaestus's private forge, but now the circumstances were different. He was Level 2. He had access to much deeper forging knowledge through UBW (up to Rank C) and the 'Mystery' ability to perhaps better understand and manipulate the magical properties of exotic materials. And he had the master smiths by his side as guides and collaborators.
The process was fascinating and demanding. Hachiman picked up the black claw, feeling its strange resonance. With Hephaestus's guidance on controlled heating and Tsubaki's precise blows on the anvil, he began shaping the tough claw into the basic form of a long, slightly curved sword blade. It was a difficult material to work, much denser than common steel.
Then came the complex part: infusing the energy of the dark green magic stone. Hachiman used his Mystery ability, trying to 'read' the stone's energy, understand how to fuse it with the metal and claw without causing an explosive reaction. He recalled structures of Rank C Noble Phantasms that possessed energy cores or elemental properties. Under Hephaestus's watchful supervision, he carefully pulverized small fragments of the stone and introduced them into the heated metal during the folding and hammering process, using his mana (now I-0, but with potentially greater control from Level 2) to guide and stabilize the fusion. It was a delicate process that required hours of intense concentration.
Finally, after a long period of hammering, heating, cooling, and the careful infusion of green energy, the blade was ready. Cooled and polished, it was an impressive sight. A long sword of deep, matte black, almost like the original claw, but now in blade form. And running through the black steel, visible under the forge light, were thin, intricate green stripes that seemed to pulse with a soft, sinister light – the magic stone's energy now an integral part of the weapon. Hachiman forged a simple but ergonomic hilt, completing the piece.
"It's... ready," he said, exhausted but satisfied, presenting the sword to Hephaestus and Tsubaki.
"Not bad, Level 2. Not bad at all," Tsubaki praised, taking the sword with a gleam of professional admiration. The finish was clearly superior to the first sword he had forged there.
Hephaestus also examined the blade with approval. "The fusion of materials was successful. The energy seems stable."
Tsubaki, ever practical, decided to test it. "Let's see what it's capable of!" She closed her eyes for an instant, channeling her own Level 5 mana into the sword.
Immediately, the green stripes on the blade shone with blinding intensity! And flames – green and black, crackling and sinister flames – engulfed the blade like a hungry shroud! Even more surprisingly, the sword itself seemed to vibrate and perhaps even lengthen minimally under the mana infusion, as if it were alive and responding to the power.
"Dark fire?! And it... grows with mana?!" Tsubaki exclaimed, genuinely impressed. "Kid, you didn't just make a magic sword, you made a first-class weapon! And it's permanent, isn't it?"
Hachiman nodded, also surprised by the effects. He knew he had created something powerful, but he hadn't expected that. A permanent magic sword, born from the remains of an irregular creature, with fire and growth properties. It was a weapon worthy of his new level. Everyone in the forge smiled, satisfied with the result of the hard work.
As he watched the flaming sword in Tsubaki's hand, Hachiman's mind made an unexpected connection. The way the magical energy was manipulated, infused... He remembered Rule Breaker and how it had broken the magic restricting Aqua. He looked at Hephaestus, at the eyepatch she constantly wore. Rumors said it was a defect, something horrible that scared people. But what if... what if it was magic? An ancient curse? A divine seal? The idea was incredibly presumptuous, intrusive to the extreme. He knew the taboo, knew her history with Hestia and Welf (who hadn't gotten 'there' yet). But the possibility, however small, of perhaps helping the goddess who had helped him so much, using his own unique ability...
The cheerful mood in the forge grew tense as Hachiman turned to Hephaestus, the excitement of the new sword giving way to hesitant seriousness. "Hephaestus-sama," he began, his voice lower. "I know this is... perhaps inappropriate. But after what happened with Aqua... I was thinking..." He took a deep breath. "Could I... see your eye? The one under the eyepatch?"
The silence that followed was absolute, broken only by the soft crackling of the forge and the sinister glow of the new sword in Tsubaki's hand. The eyes of Hephaestus and Tsubaki widened in shock and perhaps disbelief at the audacity of the request.