For the time being, I closed the lance's status window, rubbed my hurting eyes, and opened it again. However, the display's content didn't change one bit.
"What's going on here?" I muttered in unbridled confusion.
I did use one of the supposed best alloys available to me, a mix of Chromium, Cobalt, and Nickel, but getting this result from just that is impossible. Furthermore, the monster materials I used were only from a level 10 boss monster, so it's not that powerful.
"So why did I get another Legendary?!"
The spear looked plain, with not even a hint of its legendary level, but its effects were astonishing enough to be considered a cheat. To me, who was a melee fighter, the effects were something I'd be willing to PK to get.
I scanned its body once more, a mix of the silvery-white alloy with the black carapace of the leg part hugging tightly onto the metal. It was almost merged perfectly, enough that there were not any gaps between the metal and monster elements. The spear tip was a simple design too, double-edged, with the color black in the middle turning white as it got thinner and sharper.
Afraid of its apparent effect, I was careful when moving the spear, afraid that I'd cut myself with it.
[
Name: Rhinoceros Lance of Death
Type: Lance
Attack Power: 1,500
Durability: 500/500
Ability: Targets wounded by the spear will earn a hex [Death's Hand] that counts down until zero. Once it does, the afflicted target dies. Each successive strike halves the remaining time of the hex. The hex loses effect after the target moves more than 10 meters away.
Description: A miracle created by the hands of a rising crafter. It was a mystery how it was made.
]
A high-risk weapon, where as long as you keep your target close, it is overpowered. Compared to the Staff of Destruction from before, this one seemed closer to a Cursed Weapon, given the dangerous ability it had.
I originally made this for Hailey, but seeing that I made another "Legendary" weapon, I was a little lost. Wouldn't it cause her more problems than benefits if I just gave this to her? Anyway, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere alone. I scanned my pockets, looked for my phone, and dialed Toki's number. After a single ring, the other side immediately picked up.
"(Mahiro? What's wrong? You need something?)"
Toki's voice sounded casual, so I guess I wasn't interrupting her business or anything. So, I decided to pass the message as is: "Actually, I created another weapon on par with the Staff of Destruction—"
"(Wait there, we'll come to the workshop now!)"
Before I could even completely relay the situation, Toki had already cut off the call. She must be on her way here now, but her words bothered me a little... What does she mean by "we"?
About five minutes later, just as I finished cleaning up the workshop's worktable, anvil, and the other tools I used, the door opened and a few figures came in. Toki was one of them, scanning the room quickly before rushing toward me as soon as our eyes met.
"Where is it?! Show it to us!" Toki excitedly asked, shaking my shoulder just like the last time.
I pointed at the lance lying in the middle of the worktable, and Toki turned to it. The smile on her face slowly turned into a frown. "That plain-looking thing?"
She looked slightly disappointed, but still ran to the lance and brought up its status window. As soon as she did, her body visibly stiffened. Her eyes moved faster and faster, reading the words on the display silently.
"T-This... Is this supposed to be my spear?" One of the other figures who came with Toki, Hailey, walked forward with hesitant steps.
Rather, not only she but also Lily and Mina were together with them. It's already midnight, and they're all still wearing the same attire as before. What the hell were they doing?
"Mahiro, we need to talk."
Just as I was thinking about possible reasons why the girls were still with each other after all this time, Toki waved at me, calling me to come closer to the worktable.
I scratched my head as I moved closer before Toki grabbed me by the collar and pulled my head down to her height. "Just how are you able to hammer another weapon with an ability? Even with my family's influence, we can't keep quiet about this for long!"
This was the second time I made a weapon that could probably fetch billions on the market. Although the significance of money was much lower compared to during the time of peace, a billion dollars is still a lot, after all. Moving such a large amount of money would raise a few suspicious gazes from around.
"That's why I called you. What do you think we should do now?" I shrugged my shoulders, smiling wryly.
Technically, I can destroy this weapon and make it as if nothing happened, but doing that is a waste. Given the increasing threat of monster attacks, having more powerful weapons is actually a plus, after all.
Toki frowned, looked down, and slowly let go of my crumpled collar. She paced back and forth, thinking about what steps we could take in this situation. After about a minute of silence, she finally came up with an idea.
"I guess all we can do now is sell your name as a crafter," Toki sighed. "Tomorrow, we'll release information that Prometheus was the one who made the Staff of Destruction and that he made another weapon of a similar level."
Her suggestion seemed logical, but there's one problem regarding that. "Wouldn't announcing the presence of a crafter able to make weapons with abilities drop the prices of similar weapons in the future?"
Unlike cursed weapons, which are cheap and can be bought easily through backroom deals, weapons with abilities are rare. Due to their rarity, the prices of such weapons were inflated to such high levels, reaching billions. However, as more such weapons appear, their prices will surely drop as time passes, which will hurt the profiteers and companies relying on selling weapons, like Toki's.
"It's fine; don't worry about our company." Toki smiled lightly, reading my thoughts completely. "My father started it up to create cheap and quality weapons for all, so rather than hindering, this will help in his goal."
"I see. Alright." I nodded my head lightly before turning to the lance. "But what about this one? Can Hailey use it as is?"
"...!"
Hailey visibly got more excited after hearing her name called. Toki turned to the lance, then at Hailey, before smiling sweetly. "Fortunately, the lance looks plain, so nobody would suspect anything. I say she can use it."
Hearing her approval, Hailey's eyes sparkled with excitement, enough that she jumped around and waved her arms. "Yes! Thank you, Ruin, Toki!"
She couldn't hold back her thankfulness and ended up pulling both Toki and me into a tight embrace. It was a little uncomfortable, though. Soon enough, she released the two of us and grabbed the lance.
"Uwah! H-Heavy...!"
However, as soon as she tried to lift it up, the lance slipped through her fingers. Realizing the weight of the lance, she then used both hands to hold onto it firmly this time.
Her face turned sharp, and she gazed at it from the hilt to the butt, and to the tip of the blade before nodding her head with a smile. "This is a good weapon!"
As she finished speaking, she started rotating the lance in her hands, playing around with it as if it were just a wooden stick or something. The way she handled it made it look like it didn't weigh more than 20 kilograms. Her exhibit lasted for a few seconds before ending with her slashing the lance down, causing the air pressure to sweep the floor and kicking up the dust that gathered around.
"... This is a great lance, but its weight means I need to think of how to bring it along with me." Hailey smiled with satisfaction.
"I'll make a back holster for it later then. For now, I want to rest," I proposed before rubbing my sleepy eyes.
After all, I had been crafting for more than 10 hours already. Toki smiled wryly, probably realizing just how long I had been working nonstop. "Alright, mister, go and take a beauty sleep. I'll handle the rest while you're out."
With Toki on the case, I can rest assured. After waving goodbye to the four of them, I walked back to my room in the hotel and went straight for the bed. I was too tired to even change clothes, so I just laid down, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. Within seconds, I fell asleep.
Morning came, with the sun's rays hitting my eyes, making me squint as I woke up. I stretched lightly while checking the time, being a little before 7 a.m. Having nothing better to do yet, I sat on the couch in the living room with a cup of coffee in hand and turned on the TV.
"... Prometheus is a living legend. Whoever he is, or whatever he's doing right now, nobody can tell. All we know is that the Todoroki Enterprise was connected to this person in some way."
*PFFFFT!*
As soon as I saw the headline news, I involuntarily spat out the coffee in my mouth. Toki did mention she'd handle the case, but why is it suddenly inflated enough to reach the news?!
I turned the channels, but all the news channels I passed were talking about nothing other than Prometheus and his masterpieces, the Staff of Destruction, the Blast Wands, and the Rhinoceros Lance of Death.
In just a single day, or night, to be specific, my name was already known to the entire world.