Early the next morning, Suren arrived punctually at Hephaestus's workshop.
The forge was sweltering, the air thick with heat as the massive furnace hummed with power. Advanced tools, many of which Suren had never seen before, were laid out with meticulous precision.
Hephaestus and Tsubaki were already there. Several sketches were spread across a workbench, alongside a few glittering materials that were clearly of extraordinary quality.
"You're here," Hephaestus said with a nod. Skipping the pleasantries, she went straight to the heart of the matter. "Tell me first—what are the primary features you want for this sword?"
Suren stepped up to the table. His gaze swept over the materials: a chunk of Adamantite shimmering with starlight, a pouch of high-quality Magic Stone dust as red as crushed rubies, and a bar of silver-bright Mithril.
"First, it must be absolutely durable—possessing the 'Indestructible' attribute," Suren began, his tone dead serious. "It needs to be even more resilient than a standard First-Tier Armament."
"Second, it must have exceptional mana conductivity. Ideally... it should be able to withstand and channel even greater power in the future."
As he spoke, a stable, searing red light ignited at his fingertips—the manifestation of his own perfectly controlled mana.
Hephaestus stared at the red glow, a flicker of movement in her eye. Such stable mana control... and he only leveled up recently? No wonder his requirements for a blade are so high.
She nodded, signaling for him to continue.
"Based on those needs," Suren said, pointing to the sword profile on the sketch, "I want the design to be simple—almost plain. Everything should be for the sake of utility. The blade should be wide and thick enough to ensure sturdiness, but the balance must be perfect. It has to feel natural in the hand. The crossguard should protect the hand without interfering with my spellcasting gestures. As for the length..."
He moved into a combat stance to demonstrate. Suren drew his old shortsword, indicating that the new one should be longer—optimized for both close-quarters brawling and medium-range magic discharge.
Tsubaki took rapid notes at his side, occasionally asking technical questions about specific dimensions and weight distribution. Hephaestus, meanwhile, fell into a deep contemplation, her fingers stroking the chunk of Adamantite.
"I can grant you the 'Indestructible' attribute," the goddess said. "But if you want it to function as a staff, we have to force the properties of these materials to their absolute limit and fuse them using a new method."
In her mind, simply melting them together wasn't enough. She wanted them to interlock at a microscopic level during the forging process. She looked up at Suren.
"Can your magic be applied during the material fusion stage?"
"Using magic to reinforce the materials as they bond?" Suren's eyes lit up. This was exactly the kind of creative collision he had been hoping for. "Theoretically... I could try to construct a composite reinforcement spell. But it would require your forging to be in perfect synchronization—striking at specific temperatures and pressures so the spell model can merge with the material's natural crystalline structure."
Hephaestus took a deep breath, the light in her eye burning like a forge fire. Combining divine smithing with magic to define a material's properties at the moment of its creation... this wasn't just blacksmithing anymore; it was the creation of a new substance.
She felt a surge of adrenaline. This was a forging challenge the likes of which she hadn't faced since descending to the Lower World.
"Fine. Let's try it," she said, her voice heavy with resolve. "Tsubaki, adjust the furnace parameters. We'll start by fusing the Adamantite and Mithril. Suren, prepare that reinforcement spell of yours."
In the days that followed, Hephaestus's primary workshop became a spectacle of light and thunder. Suren was no longer just a guest or a consultant; he became a core component of the forging process.
He focused his mind, using his own mana as a catalyst to weave complex, dizzying layers of three-dimensional spell models between the air and the raw materials. These models were designed to anchor the reinforcement spell.
Hephaestus, in turn, displayed the terrifying skill of a Goddess of Forging. Every strike of her hammer was perfectly timed, landing precisely where Suren's magic resonated with the material. Every spark that flew bore a trail of magical light.
Under the influence of magic, the internal structure of the molten metal underwent subtle changes—invisible to the naked eye but palpable to the spirit. The different materials were no longer just mixed; they began to form a stable, interlocking network at the microscopic level.
Tsubaki managed the material flow and kept an eye on the big picture, but her gaze was frequently drawn to the logic-defying scene in the workshop. She watched, mesmerized.
To test the material's performance under extreme mana loads, Suren would briefly inject spells like Haste, Fly, or even Dispel Magic into the glowing sword blank. Hephaestus would then observe how the newborn internal network withstood the strain and adjust her hammering accordingly.
Finally, after countless trials, adjustments, and several partial failures that required re-melting, the blade blank was finished.
It was a subdued silver-gray. At a glance, it looked ordinary—perhaps even too simple. But upon closer inspection, the surface of the blade seemed to carry a faint, almost invisible shimmer. As Suren held it, he felt a strange duality: it was warm and smooth, yet heavy and solid, with a faint, rhythmic pulse of magical resonance.
"The foundation is complete," Hephaestus said. Her voice was uncharacteristically weary, but it carried a sense of immense satisfaction and excitement.
All her attention was locked onto the sword. Now came the most critical step—sealing the "Core" Suren had envisioned.
"The first trait," Suren's voice was dry, but his eyes were brilliantly bright. "A Reinforcement Attribute. It will provide a stable boost to the user's physical stats—Strength, Agility, Endurance—scaling as the wielder grows."
Hephaestus's single eye remained fixed on the trajectory of Suren's mana flow. Suren's fingers traced invisible patterns in the air as the magical runes began to sink into the micro-circuits pre-etched into the hilt.
"Second: Mana Conductivity. It will maximize the efficiency of mana transfer between the weapon and the wielder, minimizing loss and ensuring a faster response. Simultaneously, it will provide a feedback loop, accelerating the wielder's Mind recovery."
"Faster recovery?" Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. In a life-or-death struggle, that tiny edge could be the difference between survival and the grave.
Suren stared at the sword, his mental focus at its peak. The light at his fingertips became increasingly dense and complex.
"And I've left an 'opening'—a blank, evolving structure. It has no fixed effect right now, but it can safely record and allow this sword to... allow its existing abilities to grow stronger alongside the wielder."
He paused, trying to be more direct. "It's like giving the sword an upgradable heart. Right now, its materials and craftsmanship have reached the limit of a standard First-Tier Armament. but this 'heart' determines how high its ceiling will be in the future."
Hephaestus watched in silence as the sword was gradually enveloped in a profound, mystical light. After a long silence, the goddess finally spoke.
"All greatness is hidden beneath the simplest of exteriors. Pursuing ultimate functionality and the possibility of growth... I think I understand now why you call it Pale Justice."
The final assembly nearly drained Suren completely. He had to "compress" that impossibly complex composite spell model into the hilt's core—a tiny crystal forged from various legendary materials, its internal circuits as intricate as a neural network.
His back was soaked with sweat, but his hands were as steady as iron clamps. Hephaestus assisted with all her might, using her divine skill to stabilize the physical structure, ensuring there were no mana backfires and that the blade itself wouldn't shatter under the pressure.
Hum—!
As the final wisp of light vanished into the hilt, the entire sword let out a low, melodious ring. Across the silver-gray blade, faint cloud-like patterns flashed for an instant before receding completely, returning to a state of calm.
It still looked utterly plain.
Suren gripped the hilt. An indescribable sense of harmony washed over him, as if the sword had become an extension of his own arm. A gentle yet firm power flowed from the hilt through his body. His breathing became deeper, his senses sharper, and the flow of mana within him became incredibly smooth.
More importantly, he felt a vague but real connection to the sword—a wondrous resonance that whispered of "growing together."
Hephaestus let out a long breath, a rare smile appearing on her face—one born of exhaustion and immense pride. She stared at Pale Justice, her eye gleaming. "This is more than just a weapon. It won't break anything that has become a part of the sword itself. That heart... I truly want to see how powerfully it will beat in the future."
Her tone sharpened as she looked at him. "Just this one blade would be enough to make top-tier adventurers kill for it. But you plan to use this sword as the core of an entire set, don't you?"
Suren swung the sword gently; it felt perfectly natural.
"Yes. Pale Justice is the foundation, providing the comprehensive reinforcement and the base for growth. Next, I'll need matching gauntlets to enhance spellcasting, a light but sturdy breastplate focused on defense, and a pair of boots to boost mobility... each made using this same method, with a low-profile appearance."
"By fine-tuning the mana circuits, I want them to have a 'one plus one is greater than two' effect when used as a set."
Hephaestus listened quietly, her fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on her soot-stained apron as she began sketching a blueprint in her mind. This collaboration hadn't just birthed an unprecedented sword; it had opened a door to an entirely new realm for her.
The shadowy silhouette of a legendary set centered on Pale Justice seemed to loom in the future.
"It seems," she said, a determined grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, "that this partnership of ours is going to continue for a long time. Tsubaki!"
Tsubaki, who had been standing by the door with her eyes nearly popping out of her head, snapped to attention. "Yes!"
"Once the brat Suren gets used to his new partner," Hephaestus said, her excitement unmistakable, "we're going to start figuring out how to tackle the first piece of that armor set!"
Looking at the light in her goddess's eyes—a fire hotter than any furnace—Tsubaki knew one thing for certain: many more legends were about to be forged.
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Danmachi: My Magic Style is Different from Yours (90 Chapters – Ongoing)
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