In terms of verbal sparring, ten Lefiya's weren't enough against one Fron.
Sure enough, the girl's delicate face flushed red, puffing her cheeks as she glared at him, angry but unable to find a target, looking rather cute.
------------------------------------
This time, the party (magic stone farming group) heading into the dungeon for exploration (monster hunting) had a total of 7 members.
Lv.6: Finn, Riveria.
Lv.5: Ais, Tione, Tiona.
Lv.4: Fron.
Lv.3: Lefiya.
Support was handled by Fron and Lefiya, the two rearguards. To expect them to hold the main pressure line with just magic? That was obviously impossible.
With a team this absurdly strong, not to mention the "Lower Floors," even if they went into the "Deep Floors," as long as their supplies were sufficient, they could easily reach around the 40th floor.
Therefore, Fron came into this expedition with a relaxed mindset, like a vacation where he could pick up money along the way.
As the group walked through the complex dungeon, many adventurers noticed this conspicuous party.
"That's Loki Familia's squad, right? Hiss... even [Braver] and the [Nine Hells] are there!"
"Are you kidding me, what are they even doing here?"
"Doesn't look like an expedition. Maybe they're just here to make money like us..."
"Does Loki Familia even need to make money?"
"Did you even use your brain before saying that? If they don't kill monsters to harvest magic stones, what do you expect them to do, live off the air? They're an exploration-type Familia!"
"...True enough."
"Idiot."
Conversations like that weren't rare along the way.
Since the "Upper Floors" were crowded with low-level adventurers, nobody really thought it strange.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Tiona swung her weapon like a giant windmill, bulldozing her way forward. Her reckless fighting style made Lefiya, the elven girl, tremble in fear even after watching it so many times.
"Eh, these aren't the kind of enemies I want to chop down. Too light, no sense of accomplishment at all."
"..." While Fron and Lefiya collected magic stones, they heard her complaints... and their eyelids twitched instinctively.
"That oversized weapon of yours, it's practically an honor for Upper Floor monsters to be cut down by it. They probably don't even feel pain before returning to Mother's embrace."
"As expected of a blacksmith, you really understand~"
"No, what I mean is it's overkill."
'Damn it, a giant double-edged blade forged from ultra-high-density refined metal "Adamantine"... Show it to a Level 1 adventurer and see if they can even lift it! Let alone swing it!'
While grumbling internally about the Amazoness, his hands didn't stop moving, and he quickly finished the work with Lefiya.
"Huh, Fron, you changed weapons too?"
Riveria, who was more relaxed, noticed that besides the supporter's backpack, Fron was also carrying a long object wrapped in cloth slung diagonally across his back. Her mage's intuition told her it was no ordinary staff.
She still remembered... it seemed his previous staff had been a gift...?
"Yeah, my [Aquamarine Staff] broke during the battle on the 51st floor. Mainly because my magic power was too strong and I overused spells."
"So it couldn't withstand your magic anymore, I see."
Finn nodded as well: "Indeed. With your current strength, it was about time you replaced your weapon. It's no real loss. So this staff, did you forge it yourself?"
Perhaps out of pride both as a item-maker and a blacksmith, he felt a desire to show it off. Casually, he removed the cloth from his back, revealing the staff in its true form.
It was a wooden staff taller than Fron's height (185cm), measuring 195cm in total, standing just above his head when upright.
The shaft, entirely wooden, curved into a [concave] shape at the grip, enhancing both handling and aesthetics.
Above the [concave] section, the wood twisted upward in a spiral, like a hollow braid, all the way to the head of the staff. The tip ended in a sharp point with double-arched ornamental patterns.
Inside the hollow head, bound within the twisted wood, was a massive spherical amethyst magic crystal, shimmering brilliantly.
The entire staff was carved from a single piece of wood. Its surface was engraved with sacred symbols, giving it both a mysterious and beautiful aura.
"I named it [Scholar · Argon]. Since it's a staff made for my exclusive use, crafted with my own hands, of course it carries my name."
Riveria and Lefiya were astonished as they sensed the subtle magical waves emanating from the staff. Their gazes toward Fron shifted.
"Heavens! This is... a staff on par with the finest first-class weapons!"
Its striking appearance, mysterious runes, and the powerful yet obscure flow of magic within the crystal completely dominated the atmosphere.
Lefiya gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. Even Riveria stole glances repeatedly.
"Not only a Master Smith, but also a High Item-maker? Your talent is truly breathtaking."
"...You're only seeing the finished product. You don't know how many times I failed, how many materials I wasted."
Showing off always comes with a price, especially when crafting a top-tier weapon that's essentially Third-Tier Divine-grade.
"Just for this, the material cost alone was 230 million valis. Now I'm completely broke, well, I still have around 130,000 valis left."
"..."
"That's still richer than me, I'm in debt of 120 million valis!"
"Uh, well, there's that."
Shrugging, he rewrapped the staff and slung it over his back.
Given his current strength, there was no need to draw the staff for such monsters. In fact... he didn't even need to lift a finger.
Soon, with Tiona, Tione, and Ais racking up kills along the way, their empty purses gradually filled again.
And Fron's new weapon quickly faded from everyone's attention.
Before long, they easily arrived at the 18th floor.
"The 18th floor, here we are again."
The first time Fron reached this place, known as the [Under Resort], he had been deeply shocked.
...
A landscape unseen on the surface, a fantastical world belonging solely to the dungeon, fulfilling every fantasy and longing.
This time, though, things felt different.
He was still curious about the scenery, still wanted to collect the beautiful crystals, but the initial shock was gone.
Moreover...
"There's no oppressive feeling from the dungeon anymore. Maybe it's because I'm stronger now? Like how they say 'money gives a man courage.'"
He thought about it for a while but found no answer. Laughing and chatting with the others, he followed them into the adventurers' town, [Rivira].
Rivira Town, [Notice Board No. 334]
Glancing at the sign on the town's gate, Fron smiled wryly. 'Rebuilt 334 times, impressive.'
"Speaking of which, we didn't see the floor boss Goliath on the 17th floor. I wanted to defeat it and harvest the magic stone, that would've been a fortune."
Finn, walking in the middle, chuckled: "I've heard the adventurers in Rivira regularly clear out Goliath. Their excuse is that it blocks passageways. Seems about right?"
Hearing this, Fron was stunned.
"Hmph, those shameless bastards run a high-priced black market here, blinded by profit."
"Well, at least they provide convenience for adventurers."
"So what about tonight, Captain? We only brought simple camping gear, not even tents."
"Let's stay in town for once. It feels refreshing. I remember the last time I lodged here... that must have been ages ago."
"... " Careful, Captain, you almost revealed your age.