As I reflected on the battle with the leader, Lily called out, "Hey! I deactivated the traps and unlocked the treasure chest!"
"Already? Wait, there were traps?"
While I was lost in my thoughts, Lily had disarmed the traps protecting the chest held by the boss.
"Come on, big brother, open the treasure chest! Since I led the way and the boss put up a good fight, you deserve to open it. Right, Leader?"
"Sounds good!"
Hearing the leader's casual agreement, Lily quickly moved to the chest.
"Alright, here goes," I said, feeling a sense of ease since the traps were disabled. As I opened the chest, I discovered three gold ingots and three coins inside.
With my discerning eye, I recognized that the gold ingots were exchangeable items while the coins seemed to be restricted key items, limited to one per person. Honestly, I didn't see any monetary value in the coins.
"I guess I should give the coins to NPCs and keep one gold ingot for each of us," I concluded.
I added one to my belongings and handed the other two to my companions. "Thank you! That completes the quest," I said. "This coin... it doesn't seem to have any monetary or historical value. Shall we head back?"
We made our way back carefully, avoiding traps, and handed the coin to the captain NPC to complete the quest. The captain exclaimed, "Is this ancient gold? It could fetch a high price!" But ignorance truly is a curse. When I tried to inform him that it was worthless, our leader stopped me, saying that dreams shouldn't be shattered. I understood that everyone has their own perspective, so I let it go.
On our return, we were prompted on the system screen to choose between teleportation or sailing back. Unanimously, we chose to warp, and in an instant, we found ourselves in the event field where we first descended, a safe area devoid of monsters.
Emerging from the dim, cramped trap-laden cave into the sunny tranquility of a resort-like beach was exhilarating. I felt an urge to dive into the ocean, but first, I checked the event points I gained from our completed quests with Rhea, the raid battle with Ashton, and our adventures with the leader and Lily.
"...I've accumulated quite a few event points," I noted, enough to exchange for materials to repair the damaged fairy gate key (Fire).
"Leader, can I borrow the workshop again?"
"Since I'm lending you the key, I won't refuse, but… what are you planning to make?"
"I'm not making anything; I'm fixing a key I got from Number Quest…"
At that, Lily perked up.
"The key from Number Quest? Could it be the Fairy Gate key mentioned in the subclass?"
"The Fairy Gate key…? I'd love to see it!"
Even the leader seemed intrigued. For them, it was likely unknown territory, searching for valuable information.
"If Phoebe doesn't mind, then it's fine…"
"The key isn't a secret technique, so it's no problem."
With that, I used nearly all my event points to buy the materials needed for the repair and headed with the leader and Lily to the Zero Order workshop.
I couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness about what would happen once I fixed the broken Fairy Gate key. What kind of key would it become? The apprentice technician had mentioned it could unleash a powerful spell, but what kind of power would that be?
Once inside the workshop, Phoebe and I changed out of our coats and jackets—after all, it's dangerous to forge in swimwear. We laid out the materials and checked the recipe we had obtained from Number Quest.
"When repairing the Fairy Gate key, it will reshape itself into a form that strongly reflects your desires. However, depending on the key's attributes, it might also burn, freeze, or suffocate, so be sure to take proper precautions."
"When forging weapons, imbue them with the fairy's magic more deeply."
Frozen? Suffocated...? This is bad; I've never heard of freezing in forging...
The desired shape... Archie can stab and strike with a shovel, so I want a slashing weapon...
"What is this? Can our equipment handle it? It's decent, but if it's at a level where it's described as freezing or burning, I'm not confident the equipment can withstand that... Should I just buy a state-of-the-art top-tier model?"
The leader said this while looking at the recipe.
"Is that alright?"
"Well, it's more like an investment or a loan."
The leader tapped the system screen on the forging equipment, and it was enveloped in light, growing larger and more extravagant—this is certainly a game, enhancing equipment with a single touch...
Wait, just like that, a debt was created...
"Leader, why are you casually creating a large debt for my brother without asking? Don't worry about it, brother; if needed, I'll pay it back."
"No, I owe the leader a lot, so I'll help within my means... I can't really pay a huge sum, but I can at least create a weapon..."
Saying this, I set the recipe and materials into the newly upgraded forging equipment...
"It says here that all MP and half of HP will be consumed at the start... Is this a new feature from the upgrade?"
"No, there's no feature that consumes HP in the blacksmithing equipment. That key to the fairy gate must be quite special… Still, having all MP consumed and HP halved is really chaotic; it's fascinating…" The leader jotted down notes. Is it really that chaotic?
"But starting with halved HP is tough. The curse blacksmithing skill already drains HP significantly…"
"I-I'll support you with all my strength! It's an important key, so I have to give it my all!"
"Uh, are you sure about that? Phoebe's power doesn't work well with the fairy gate key (fire)..." I really don't want to see Phoebe get burned.
"According to the recipe, I'll need to continuously imbue the weapon with magical power, so even if it's not a great match, I'll persevere! I won't be attacking directly, so I think I can manage!"
"We don't know how this will turn out, so if things get dangerous, please come behind me for protection… Can I count on you for that, leader?"
"Understood. Do you need support?"
"If possible, yes."
The leader smirked. "Lily, let's get Rhea here to help. Her cheer technique won't overlap with the support magic, so it should benefit Lena."
"Leader, don't casually summon an idol… And besides, idols are busy; there's no way she can come…"
"I'm just stepping out for a bit..."
As I reacted to the leader's suggestion, Lily exited the workshop. Wait, is she going to bring someone back? Also, she left the party, and now her HP bar has disappeared...
Just a few minutes later, Rhea appeared. I was surprised—didn't expect to see her here. But am I the only one feeling startled?
"The leader really doesn't know how to handle the ladies. With that attitude, he'll never get a girlfriend," Rhea teased.
"Shut up. Don't hold it against me... More importantly, I need your help with Lena."
"...…Do you actually have some free time, Rhea? What about Lily?"
"Not exactly free! Tonight's a stream! Anyway, Lily's helping out by taking over my quest for me. I'm getting the details from her, and I'll be supporting her crafting with my buff! But you're covering the buff costs, Leader!"
"Let's call it even from that earlier favor..."
What sort of debts are Rhea and the leader swapping between them? Lily's stepping in for Rhea on her quest? Are their skills about the same...? Something feels off, but whatever. Right now, I need to focus on fixing the key...
"Um, is it okay for your first time?"
"Rhea's always ready!"
"I'm good to go! Let's fix that key, Lena!"
Hearing Rhea and Phoebe's encouragement, I pressed the start button to begin my crafting.
Failure is not an option… I must give it my all!
As I press the start button, I feel a surge of energy leaving my body, and simultaneously, the temperature in the room rises dramatically. Whether it's from the heat or something else entirely, I can't tell, but blue metal streaked with white is being brought to the anvil. Just standing nearby feels like I'm being scorched…
"Regenerate, Fairy Wish, Slip Guard, Power Up, Element Boost!"
"Hyper Ail! Regi-Ail! Vital Ail! Heat Ail!"
"Flame Guard, Hand Up, Heal Circle!"
A flurry of enhancement icons floods my HP bar, and I notice that a few icons also appear beneath my leader's HP bar. The Flame Guard is one of the spells my leader just cast… There's a magic circle spread out beneath my feet, likely the effect of the Heal Circle.
"I'm going in!"
As I swing the hammer down, blue sparks fly around me. The sight is so unbelievable that I can't help but laugh; inexplicably, I know exactly how much force to use with the hammer… even though I've never seen this kind of metal before. But just one swing earlier left my arm tingling, and my HP bar dropped by half, probably from recoil damage. Thankfully, support spells are rapidly healing me.
If I strike at a consistent pace, there's no way I can fail or completely deplete my HP. Now, all that's left is to vividly imagine the shape I desire for the weapon: a blade sharp enough to slice through metal…
"Ugh…"
"Phoebe, are you okay?"
"I'm fine! With Rhea's support, I can still manage! Besides, if we have a bad synergy, I need to focus my magic nearby; I can't afford to step back! Lena, please concentrate on what you have to do!"
Phoebe, positioned at a similar distance, channeled her magic into the metal… It looked incredibly challenging, but I couldn't increase the speed of my hammering to finish faster. If I did, the recoil from the hammer could knock me over, causing a failure in the forging.
In fact, I could feel my skin beginning to sear…
"Hey Lena, the flames are engulfing both of you! Are you alright? Should I throw a potion?"
"Just hold on! Don't throw it; it would ruin the metal!"
I could hear Rhea's voice, but I had no idea how I must look right now. I couldn't afford to lose focus from the key I was hammering on. My intuition as a blacksmith told me that glancing away could lead to failure, so I kept swinging the hammer relentlessly.
If I swung too fast, I'd exhaust my health from the recoil, but if I were too slow, I'd hit fewer times and risk failure… This was a task with a timing far more critical than normal forging.
But gradually, the metal was taking on a shape reminiscent of a sword…
My body burned with heat, my mind felt drained, and my thoughts were clouding. I steeled myself and envisioned the weapon once more… a sharp blade, the keenness to slice through metal… unyielding strength, shaped like a sword light enough to wield with one hand!
"Lena! Give it everything you've got for the final move!"
"I understand! How about this?!"
With a swing fueled by determination, I poured my soul into the strike, vowing to honor Phoebe's efforts and ensure that the key would never break again.
"Phoebe... please protect it with my fragment..."
Then, I heard a voice—one I didn't recognize—carrying a heavy plea. I couldn't tell who it was. Could it have belonged to the owner of the damaged fairy gate key? The voice came through only briefly.
Then the finishing icon appeared, and as I tapped it, I felt all my strength drain away. The HP bar plummeted to zero—no, it halted at one—while a mysterious barrier enveloped me for a few seconds. As the barrier faded, my HP was fully restored.
"Oh, the Final Terminal activated... I didn't know it worked in situations like this..." the leader murmured.