"Yes, I went to the dungeon."
"You didn't get hurt, did you?" Hephaestus came closer. Concern etched on her face. She began touching my arms and torso. "If you are hurt anywhere, I'll get you a potion immediately!"
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I didn't go very deep into the dungeon. It was pretty easy. But I did discover something interesting."
"Easy? You're not experienced in battle, are you?"
"I'm not. I just swung my sword and cut down the monsters. They were weak, so I took care of them easily."
"You can't keep doing this. What if I ask Tsubaki to train you?"
"That would be great." I smiled at Hephaestus.
"You mentioned discovering something interesting earlier." Hephaestus sat on the bed and removed her shoes. "What did you find? Does it have something to do with your abilities?"
"That's right. Look at this." I pulled out some orichalcum ores, letting them fall to the floor. Hephaestus's eyes widened as she saw the ores materialize out of nowhere. She got up from the bed and picked them up.
They were large and heavy.
"How did you do this? Is it a skill?"
"As soon as I entered the dungeon, they started appearing everywhere, but only I could collect them."
"Ores appeared inside the dungeon?"
"Yes, randomly. On top of that, many monsters appeared, and they all dropped magic stones and ores. Isn't that strange?"
"..." Hephaestus stared at me, then let out a long sigh. "Your ability is even affecting the dungeon? That's..." She trailed off and walked to the bathroom. "Once I'm done with my bath, I'll update your falna."
"..."
Hephaestus entered the bathroom and closed the door.
I grabbed my dirty clothes, tossed them in the laundry basket, and flopped onto the bed to wait for her. After a few long minutes, Hephaestus emerged from the bathroom and climbed onto the bed, still naked.
"Turn around." She said with a mischievous smile.
I removed my shirt and lay on my stomach.
####
After my falna was updated, Hephaestus handed me a piece of paper. It had some information on it. Incredibly, I could read everything written there… and… it was pretty disappointing, to say the least.
I know I'm weak, but isn't this a bit much?
[Level 1]
Strength: 18
Endurance: 56
Dexterity: 25
Agility: 21
Magic: 14
When I saw all my stats, I felt utterly useless. Even my endurance, which I thought would be high, was only 56. All my stats were in rank I! Unbelievable!
When Hephaestus saw my expression twist, she smiled and took the paper.
"Your stats have improved," she said, looking satisfied.
I stared at her for a few seconds and sighed in disappointment. "They improved, but just a little. It's disappointing. I'm too weak..."
"You're not weak."
"You don't have to try to console me. I know I'm weak, and I'll do my best to improve."
"..." Hephaestus hugged me from behind and kissed my neck. "Alright, but don't overdo it. Oh, and about these ores, I'd like to test them later, if you don't mind?"
"Of course not. You can take them all if you want."
"I don't want all of them~~ I just want to see if they're the same as the ones I use. They seem to be of excellent quality. You can use the rest to forge swords for yourself. It'll be good for your training."
"I can't forge a sword with mithril or orichalcum."
"Yes, you can. You just have to try. I'm sure you'll manage." Hephaestus gave me another kiss on the neck and let go. "Now, let's go eat something. Aren't you hungry?"
"Alright, let's go."
####
The following day, I went straight to the forge without breakfast. I was too excited to try forging a sword using Mithril or Orichalcum.
Once in the forge, I pulled some mithril ores from my inventory and set them on the floor.
"Let's do this."
I picked up an ore and placed it in the furnace. I began working once it turned the right color and was soft enough to mold.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The sound of my hammer echoed through the room. The mithril glowed brightly, hot and silvery. It was soft but not overly so.
I struck it again. And again. The blade's shape began to emerge. It was still just a flattened piece of metal, but it would become a sword.
After several strikes, I paused to examine it. It looked good. I dipped the metal into the oil. A loud hissing sound filled the air, and steam rose.
Lifting the blade carefully, I ran my fingers over its surface. I could feel the uneven spots, the areas where the hammer hadn't landed perfectly.
"I hope I'm doing this right. I'm trying to be more careful to see if it affects the probabilities."
Every sword I forged before was made with the same clumsy technique. Maybe that's why the system always gave me the same probabilities. If I do this more meticulously, perhaps the probabilities would temporarily improve.
"Alright, let's keep going... carefully..."
I began grinding the blade to smooth out all the imperfections. Gradually, the edges took shape.
Hours later, my hands ached. "Damn, how long have I been at this? It's already been hours, right? Normally, I'd finish a sword in two or three hours." I stopped to stretch my fingers. There was still polishing, tempering, and sharpening to do.
After a while, I finished polishing.
The blade reflected a faint light from the furnace. It wasn't an intense shine yet, but it was a start. I held the sword in my hand, testing its weight. It wasn't perfect, but it was balanced. "This will be my best sword so far."
I returned to the furnace. The next step was the most crucial: tempering. It determines how resistant the sword will be.
I reheated the blade, gripping the improvised handle tightly as I held the blade in the flames.
The mithril's glow changed as it heated. It shifted from a silvery blue to something more vibrant, like the sky before a storm.
After some time, I removed the blade from the furnace and plunged it into the oil bath. A loud hiss filled the room as smoke billowed upward.
I pulled the blade out of the oil carefully. No cracks, no flaws. It looked perfect.
[ Points +20 ]
I received a notification from the system. A sudden gain of points!
"Should I test it?" I held the improvised handle and tapped the sword lightly against the anvil. The sound was clear and strong. No cracks.
The edge still needed work. I sat on a bench and grabbed the whetstone. Each move had to be precise. Mithril was tough, but everything was going smoothly. After some time, I tested the edge by lightly running my finger along it. It was already sharp.
"Looks good enough."
I held the blade up to the light of the furnace. Now, it reflected like a mirror, with an almost magical gleam. It wasn't just a sword—it was a work of art.
I stood, tired but proud. There were still details to finalize: attaching the guard and the handle. But the hardest part is done.
I placed the blade on the table and let out a deep sigh.
The sword was finally complete after working on the handle for a while. The moment I'd been waiting for arrived. The blade began to change before my eyes.
The once beautiful, shiny blade became even more dazzling.
The handle, which had been simple, transformed into a masterpiece with intricate silver details. I stared at the sword, and my chest swelled with warmth. Pride filled me.
[ Due to the quality of your forging, probabilities have been altered! ]
[ Failure: 0% / Common: 39% / Refined: 38% / Rare: 20% / Legendary: 2% / Ancestral: 0% / Mythic: 0% ]
The new probabilities appeared—temporary probabilities.
[ You have forged a Level 1 Rare Sword ]
[ The ability "Magic Boost LV2" has been added to the sword ]
[ The ability "Lightning LV2" has been added to the sword ]
"It's perfect. My best sword yet."
Not only had it achieved a rare rank with incredible abilities, but it was also made of mithril.
"It'll take a long time before I make another sword as good as this."
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Read more chapters on my patr eon: patr eon.com/parodygirl
Next chapters: Chapter 28 - Bell? / Chapter 29 - You should get a boyfriend. / Chapter 30 - Forging an armor. / Chapter 31 - Hephaestus' help. / Chapter 32 - Possessive. / Chapter 33 - Don't look. +18 / Chapter 34 - The system that ruins a story.