Chapter 16 - Weapons for the Freya Familia. (Patreon)

After I activated the skill, an axe slowly began to form in midair. The handle was formed first.

‘I can even choose the material for the handle. I’ll make it out of wood—but a strong, reinforced kind.’

Since I can alter the properties of any mineral or material and make it even more durable, it wasn’t difficult.

“What material did you use for the handle? Iron? It’s black.”

“I used wood, but I modified it and made it more durable. Its durability is probably the same as a handle made of iron or some other metal.”

“That’s interesting.”

“Yes. Using wood is good because it makes the axe lighter—light and very durable. It would be a shame if the handle broke in the middle of a battle, wouldn’t it?” I smiled at Hephaestus as the blade of the axe slowly began to take shape.

Following Hephaestus’s instructions, I created it.

The head of the axe was supposed to have blades on both sides—slightly curved and extremely sharp. I also took the opportunity to carve some nice patterns into the axe head.

They were just a few designs that made the axe look a bit more elegant.

After creating the base, I began working on the more important modifications.

I greatly increased its durability, attack power, and magical conductivity.

“This is turning out great. I can feel the axe evolving in real time.”

“I significantly increased its attack and durability. Now all that’s left is to add abilities. Should I add two?”

“You can do that if you want.”

“Alright. Let’s see… a long-range ability that works with an axe.”

There are long-range attack skills for swords. When you swing a sword, it releases powerful magic.

‘I can add a similar ability to this axe.’

What about an ability that releases magic in a straight line by swinging the axe downward and striking the ground?

I began to visualize it, simulating the use of the skill in my mind.

The axe strikes the ground, and the earth begins to crack. The crack travels at high speed toward the enemy. Then fire—or lava—erupts from the fissure to strike them.

‘Although it looks very cool, it doesn’t seem very practical.’

What if the axe created a massive hole in the ground filled with lava? That would be more effective.

However, if the enemy were intelligent, they could easily escape.

So I decided to explain the abilities to Hephaestus.

“I’ve never seen abilities like these before. It’s surprising that you can create something like this. The ability to create a hole in the ground could be very useful—I’m sure people will like it.”

“Alright, I’ll add it.”

The ability is simple. The wielder of this axe must expend a large amount of magic and strike the ground with the axe. Immediately afterward, a deep pit filled with lava will appear beneath the enemy’s feet.

Even if the enemy is twenty meters away, they can still be affected—though that’s the limit.

‘It’s bizarre that I can even change the magic cost and the maximum range of the ability… I can alter everything.’

After that, I added a second ability. This one was simpler—a skill that generates flames and drastically increases the temperature of the axe blades, greatly enhancing their attack power.

After finishing everything, I handed it to Hephaestus for inspection.

“This… isn’t it too strong?”

[ Magic Axe ]

[ Material Used – Mithril ]

[ Attribute – Fire ]

[ Magical Conductivity – S ]

[ Attack – 5,765 ]

[ Durability – 9700/9700 ]

“Yes, it’s very strong. But they’ll pay a fair price for it. I’ve created weapons just as powerful for the Loki and Freya Familia before—it’s fine.”

“But can you really create several weapons like this today? Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Trust me.”

I sat down and focused on creating more weapons.

While I worked, Hephaestus continued watching, giving me instructions on how the weapons should be made. Although her advice was very good, most of the time I ignored it.

I was far too excited to pay attention to her words.

####

After some time, I finished all the weapons for the Freya Familia—three in total: an axe, a sword, and a spear. All of them were placed on Hephaestus’s table.

She looked at the weapons and said, “The quality of all of them is far above average. I’m surprised by how good they are. It seems you’ve gotten better at this.”

“I’ve started paying more attention to the overall quality of the blades, not just randomly increasing attack and durability.”

“I see. Keep it up.”

“I will. Should I make the swords for the Takemikazuchi Familia next, or create the weapons for the Loki Familia?”

“It doesn’t really matter,” Hephaestus replied.

“But the Loki Familia is larger and more important, right?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t matter much.”

That’s true—it doesn’t matter which Familia is more important. But… “Which Familia will pay more? The Loki Familia, right?”

Hephaestus picked up the documents and showed them to me. The amount the Loki Familia would pay was far greater than what the Takemikazuchi Familia would offer—millions more.

“Holy...” I said.

“Yes, the amount is much higher. But don’t worry too much about that—you can do it however you like. Even if you create the Loki Familia’s weapons first, all orders will be delivered on the same day.”

“I didn’t think you’d deliver all the weapons on the same day.”

“Didn’t you read the documents? The delivery deadline for all orders is two days from now.”

I took the document and looked it over.

She was right.

“That’s true. Then if it’s in two days, I don’t really need to rush.”

“I told you there’s no need to hurry, and you don’t have to make all the weapons today.”

Hearing that, I leaned back in my chair and sighed.

Hephaestus smiled and said, “Are you that tired?”

“Yes. Last night was really exhausting.”

“Idiot.”

“I’m joking.”

Hephaestus sat down to take care of more paperwork, and I remained silent, watching her.

I began to feel bored, so I stood up and left Hephaestus’s room.

‘What should I do now?’

Many things crossed my mind, including the possibility of entering the dungeon.

‘Is that allowed?’