chpt 9, Cursed Smith
It was difficult to listen to Eina as she went into her lecture mode. She had been explaining the intricacies of the dungeon and each monster up to floor ten. I tried to pay attention, I really did, but it was so boring. Even picking apart the gibberish in my spellbook and turning it into a spell was more entertaining. Occasionally, Lili would elbow me to draw me from my haze. thankfully, she did so right as Eina said something actually interesting.
"And on the eleventh through twelfth floor an infant dragon can spawn. You should avoid this creature if you see it as it is considered level two, and it resists magic."
Magic resistance!? That's stupid, and I had only just deciphered Counterspell yesterday! Hopefully it would bypass magic resistance anyway. Actually, scratch that. Hopefully Counterspell isn't something that freaks the dungeon out like Command Hate did.
"Are you listening Matthew?" Eina frowned.
"Of course! The dragon resists magic so be careful when fighting it."
"No, the infant dragon resists magic and is level two so don't fight it." She reiterated. Ha that's what you think Eina. I haven't just been lazing around at home while my rib was broken. I've learned plenty of my own magic and even taught invisibility to Lili. On top of that, Pride has been gathering info about magic from other familias along with my own theories. Most magic comes from the falna and is influenced by the soul. That's why Bell's Booming Blade works differently than it should. It also means that it's more likely that the dragon resists divinity rather than magic itself. Even if the dragon straight up ignored Counterspell, I could always just use Enlarge on Bell to turn him into a fourteen foot tall giant and change his weapon from a knife to a comically large sword.
"We'll be fine Eina, the infant dragon is a rare spawn anyways right?" I said, trying to calm her down, but my words only seemed to agitate her further. "Fine, I won't fight if we run into an infant dragon."
It wasn't exactly a lie. I wouldn't fight the dragon. Giga Bell would. Lili would be able to help as well. During my grounding I was able to teach Lili how to use invisibility without having her directly read my spell book. Another fun thing I learned is that Bell's altered Booming Blade wasn't the only spell mishap. Lili could still attack monsters while staying invisibility. Medior learned mending, only she could seemingly repair much greater damage than I could. The variation in magic made me worry slightly for teaching Loki's familia, given that they should be summoning sapient beings, but that's something to worry about tomorrow.
"Eina I'll make sure we don't get in over our heads." Bell sighed, calming Ms. Eina. Yes Bell! Work your playboy magic and calm the vicious guild lady.
"Bell, just don't let Matthew throw you into something you can't get yourself out of." She said with a sad gaze.
"Hey, you think I can't handle myself? What gives Eina? You've seen my magic, you know I can take care of things!" The audacity of this woman! I was likely the most powerful level one adventurer in all of Orario.
"It's because I know what you're capable of that I worry. Believe it or not I've had to send off dozens, if not hundreds of adventurers stronger than you for the finial time. They all think they're too strong to be killed in the dungeon and every one of them had to find out the truth the hard way." Eina couldn't even finish speaking before tears started rolling down her face. I hadn't even considered she felt that way. It made me feel like a bit of a dick.
"I'm sorry Eina, I'll be careful. I swear." I promised.
"They all say that." Eina sighed. I felt bad for how I've treated her. I've been treating our relationship as purely business. I hadn't considered that Eina felt at least a little responsible for every adventurer that dies in the dungeon.
"I'll start coming to see you every night when Bell turns in our magic stones if that helps." I said, hoping that would appease the guild worker. Her glare lessened but was still present. "I'll also pay more attention during your lessons."
"You should have done that from the start!" She snapped. I suppose actions spoke louder than words. Nothing I could say would actually matter until I. Maybe it was just the 'Matthew is honest' character detail I put in his backstory, but it really made me feel awful that Eina didn't trust me to keep my word. It was something I was going to rectify. "I'll see you again this evening Eina." I said solemnly as I stood up an began to take my leave. I left with an awful feeling in my gut. I used to not care if people would believe me or not, but this was truly sickening. I hated it.
"Matthew," Bell said putting his hand on my shoulder, "I know your status has been falling behind mine because of my skill, so if you don't feel confident on the eleventh floor we can go back to the higher floors today."
I know Bell was just trying to comfort me, but it was really just annoying. Hestia finally relented and told us what Bell's skill was and it was utterly busted. Ultima Speranza. It boosted his stat growth as long as felt strongly about something. Given that he got it once I told him about the dungeon it's probably the hero hopeful in him manifesting as an ability.
I wasn't upset because he had a strong skill, it would be hypocritical for me to think that given my own skills and magic was just that skill was totally something that would belong to an anime protagonist or something. which meant that I was totally the side character that will probably die so the hero has a tragic push to grow stronger. that's so unfair.
"It's fine Bell. I'll just have to prove my words with action. Besides, I'm picking up armor today, so I'll be even less vulnerable." I said, waving off bells concern. It's not like I was worried for my own safety. during my own studies I found that my spells scaled with my magic stats. that's why even on the sixth floor my cantrips could still one-shot monsters. as long as my magic stat kept growing, then False Life would remain just as good. Hehe, fuck you fate! I'm not going to die for the anime protagonist.
"If you say so. Just make sure you don't push yourself too hard. You only just healed." Not really having anything else to say I simply made my way towards Babel with Lili and Bell in tow. After being guided to the stores on the higher floors I began looking through the sets of armor. I ended something cheap and effective for now, I can worry about more fancy gear once my business is really up and running.
Mid-way through our search, entering another Hephaestus shop I saw something I never would have imagined. Hestia was manning the counter in an adorable red apron.
"Goddess!? what are you doing here?" Bell asked taken aback by the sight.
"That outfit looks real cute on you Hestia." I complemented. Hestia meanwhile hid her face behind her hands. she was blushing so much her face looked like a tomato.
"It's part of my deal with Hephaestus. What are you three doing here?"
"We're here to get some armor for Matthew."
"I was also thinking about getting a sword or an axe or something." I said shocking the the three of them. What? This isn't a game. There's nothing stopping me from using a weapon.
"But you're a mage?" Hestia asked.
"Wizard is the proper term actually, and it's not like I'm giving up my magic. The sword would be more of a backup than anything." I told her. plus, when I eventually become pseudo-immortal with Clone, I'll have all the time in the world to become both a master swordsman and an arch wizard... well no, by that point I would practically already be an arch wizard, but I would have all the time in the world to learn a whole bunch of useful skills.
"Well as long as you don't get yourself into something you can't handle" Hestia said with a motherly smile, "Was there anything specific you were looking for or were you just going to look around?"
"Actually, do you know if you have any gear from Welf Crozzo." Bell asked.
I would trust Bell when It came to Welf's armor, but I wanted to look around on my own for a sword. I didn't know what I wanted specifically, but I did want something that was easy to swing with one hand so I could still spellcast. I also wanted it to have a bit of weight behind it. for that I had considered a mace, but most of the opponents we faced in the dungeon were unarmored so slashing weapons would simply be more effective.
Picking up a random sword I gave it a few half-hearted swings. the grip was nice, but it felt too light. like I was swinging around aluminum. I wasn't going to trust that swords durability with my life. after testing a few swords and even an axe I was unable to find a weapon that really resonated with me.
"Are you coming Matthew-san?" Bell asked as he was leaving the store.
"I wasn't paying attention, what did I miss." I asked as I caught up to the captain.
"Hestia asked her co-worker about Welf and apparently, he drops off his gears every week around this time a few shops down."
"Maybe we'll catch him." I said as we walking into the shop Bell mentioned. If anything this one was less impressive than the shop Hestia was working in. The weapons, while still looking strong weren't as ornate. there was also the man behind the counter who was rather grungy looking rather than clean and professional. t didn't help his image that he was in the middle of a screaming match with some redhead guy.
"And I'm telling you it doesn't matter how good you think your shit is, nobody's buying it so it doesn't get hung on the walls." The grimy shopkeep snarled at the redhead man.
"You wouldn't know quality if it bit you in your fat ass!" The redhead yelled back.
"In case you haven't noticed I have customers now, so get the hell out of my shop you half witted smith!"
"Hey sorry to interrupt... this, but do you know where I could find some Welf Crozzo armor?" I asked breaking apart the awkward atmosphere.
"See asshole, people do recognize my skill." Welf shouted at the shopkeep.
"Hold your horses sonny," He responded before turning to me, "You sure you want Crozzo's armor, I'm sure we could find you something better."
"Bell said Crozzo's armor is good so I trust him. I may need help looking for a weapon though." I told the shopkeep. Crozzo looked angry for whatever reason.
"So you don't want a weapon from me if it's not enchanted huh?" Crozzo growled. This dude could make enchanted weapons? That's fucking awesome!
"I mean I'm a wizard, so anything I'm going to be using the sword against would have magic resistance. If you're capable of enchantment I would rather have enchanted armor or rings." I told him. The animosity drained from his face and was swiftly replaced with confusion.
"Enchanted armor? Wait and why don't you want my swords then?" Welf asked.
"Bell said your armor was good dude, I don't know how your swords are." I said with a chuckle causing Crozzo to groan.
"My swords are the best you'll find in Orario." He said smugly. I wasn't about to argue it. Not like my side arm really mattered, if I was in a position where I couldn't use magic and needed to rely on a sword then I was probably fucked anyways. "Hey do you three mind stepping out of the shop for a minute?"
After following the man outside of the shop he proposed becoming our personal smith. He would give us a pretty decent discount including anything I got today. In exchange he wanted us to tell anyone who asked who we got our stuff from. In addition to that he wanted to join our party in the dungeon so he can unlock some smiting skill.
"If you want to join our party then everything you see in the dungeon has to be absolutely confidential," I told him. The man didn't even flinch at my glare and enthusiastically nodded along to my request, "And how do you feel about crafting armor for monsters?"
"A monster?" He asked.
"We need to stop by our familia home before we enter the dungeon today, I'll show you once we get there." I told him.
Before we left he set me up with a nice set of armor for thirty-two thousand and a sword that actually felt good to swing and had the proper weight for six. After I was all set up we headed back to our church. Once we got home Crozzo dropped his jaw in shock at the sight of my undead supporters.
"Ah, so that's what you meant." He responded dumbly.
"Nah, these guys are just supporters. The spell I used on them makes them much weaker than those born in the dungeon." I explained. Well, that would only be the case until tonight. With Animate Dead, I would have a real undead powerhouse on my side. I only planned on keeping one or two, seeing as it was something that would take up a spell slot every day.
"So you have something else hiding up your sleeve?" Welf asked, not taking his eyes off of the undead.
"Nothing you need to be telling anyone else now that you're our personal smith, right?" I said with a glare. Welf seemed to be taken aback by my sudden seriousness. I need to be able to trust this guy if he's going to be sticking with us. After all it would be really bad if the city found out the dungeon was a sapient malevolent being. Even though things have been calm for generations on the dungeons end, if word gets out... Mass panic. Mass panic means it would be easier for those terrorists to make moves without being detected. Showing him my undead before my business is ready is really just a way to test him.
"No worries Matt, my word is good." He said with a nervous chuckle. Matt? Really? I don't think we're quite familiar enough for nicknames Crozzo.
"Fine," I told Crozzo before turning to the silverback and goblin on through five, "Come on, let's go."
And so we headed back towards Babel once more, Bell taking up the lead with Crozzo, zombies behind me and Lili at my side holding my hand. It was kind of awkward being intimate with her as I still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea, but she needed support, and I wasn't going to turn her down.
After reaching the dungeon I took the lead intending to test Counterspell on the goblin that spawned. If this would cause a pass parade then it would be best to trigger it on the first floor where the danger would be minimal.
"Get ready, this might really piss the dungeon off." I warned as Bell chanted and Lili took a defensive stance with her crossbow positioning herself in between my undead. Crozzo was wise enough to see how the other two acted and drew his own sword and took a combat stance.
We weren't the only ones preparing though. As soon as I spoke, the dungeon began pooling magic in the walls surrounding us. You bitch I knew you could hear me!
"Counterspell!" I cried as two goblins crawled out of the dungeon walls. One of the goblins instantaneously turned to dust as the other continued its suicidal charge. Quickly stabbing the goblin with my new sword, I waited for the dungeon to make a move. Tense moments passed as the four of us waited for the parade to spawn around us. The tense atmosphere broke when Crozzo finally spoke up.
"Was something else supposed to happen?"
"No. I suppose not." I answered as I felt the tides of magic surrounding us begin to recede. I guess insta-kill moves are perfectly fine according to Dungeon-chan. Hopefully, she doesn't change her mind when we run into a boss monster. "Let's keep moving. Crozzo, you okay with heading to the eleventh floor?"
"Of course! How else am I supposed to level up?" He said enthusiastically.
With that, we began making our way down the dungeon. Other than false life I tried to avoid casting any spells and focused solely on my sword today. I have to say, Bell made it look a lot easier than it really was. the monsters were a lot harder to hit with a sword even in melee range then they were when I was just casting spells. Once we got to the war shadows on the sixth floor, I had very nearly given up on using a sword all together. The bastards practically ignored any strike I made unless it hit their eye, and hitting their eyes was damn hard given how fast they were. If I wasn't wearing armor and False Life didn't stitch me back up instantly, then I would be littered with ugly scars.
"I though you would be tougher than this Matt. Already struggling on the sixth floor?" Crozzo taunted playfully. Yeah I hadn't considered that either. By holding back like I was doing, I probably looked really lame. Stealing a quick glance at Lili she wasn't looking at me as if I was pathetic, so I guess it's fine.
"I'm not using my Magic is why Crozzo." I said curtly. I didn't want to be rude, but something about this smith was just rubbing me the wrong way.
"You should hold your judgement until you see his magic Welf-san. It's amazing." Bell said with a smile. Good old Bell, always there to back me up.
"Enough with the san business. We're friends now so just call me Welf ya hear!" Crozzo said. Wait, that was an option!?
"That goes for me too." I spoke up quickly.
"Alright then Matthew, Welf."
There was other idle chit-chat between Bell and Crozzo as we made our way down to the eleventh floor but I was too focused on not being killed by monsters. I could have easily dispatched them with my magic, but that stat was incredibly easy to level. I gained almost a hundred points in magic sitting at home reading my book and raising a few zombies. Getting my ass kicked by a few orcs would be worth the stat gains in defense, strength, agility and dexterity. It didn't really matter how good my magic is if a "fat and slow" orc was faster than I could perceive.
"Hard-armor coming up, Magic man it's your time to shine." Crozzo said gleefully, likely wanting to see my magic in action. Sorry buddy, I have other plans.
"Magic Weapon!" I cast as... nothing really happened. Not visually at least. There was no glow of power, no runes, no mist emerging from the now magical sword. It just looked the same. Looks aside I could feel the magic radiate off of the blade. With my sword now enchanted I thrust the blade towards the armadillo looking monster. The thing was faster than I had thought it would be causing me to miss though. Or at least that's what I thought at first. It seemed like the blade... corrected itself? Yeah lets go with that. I didn't even feel the blade slice through the monster. It was a clean cut and split the monster in half, my magic stat must have increased its damage. The guts of the monster spilled all over my boots. It was so gross, I wanted to vomit.
"What the hell was that Matt!" Crozzo screamed furiously.
"Magic." I said simply.
"No the magic weapon thing! That wasn't a magic weapon." He frowned.
"I mean it's not a fancy enchantment, but it does make the sword stronger." I explained.
"Enchantments are suppose to be a form of spell that the sword can cast. It will always cause the sword to break. Why is yours different?" He asked.
"If the enchantment is used to cast a spell and causes the item to break I really don't understand why you wouldn't just enchant a ring instead." I said tiredly. I'm not a native to this world so I can't act like I know everything when I don't. But seriously has no-one thought of enchanting something other than a literal weapon that may break in combat?
"That's not how it works. Enchantment only works on weapons." He said angrily.
"And who decided that?" I asked not really wanting to deal with him I turned back to the dudgeon and watched the walls where magic was forming. As two silverbacks crawled their way out of the walls I readied myself for the absolute ass kicking I was about to receive.
"Run for your lives!" A feminine voice screamed in the distance within the fog.
"Get out of my way!"
"I don't want to die!"
Three adventurers emerged from the mist. Followed shortly by a dragon.. then a silverback grabbed my back and flung me into a wall. Fuck. Trying to get back on my feet I witnessed a a bolt hit one of the silverbacks in the head and Crozzo just split the other in half.
"Matthew, we need to run!" Lili said grabbing onto my arm. I know I said I wouldn't fight it, but I wasn't really in the mood to do a bunch of running from a creature that was definitely faster than me. Pointing a finger to Bell I cast Enlarge turning the five-six-ish tall bot into an eleven foot tall monster. After my spell took place he became as big as the dragon was.
"Go Bell kick it's ass!" I shouted in encouragement. Bell seemed a bit dazed for a moment before realizing what the spell had done. As soon as he realized what had happened he bolted for the dragon and plunged his giant knife into the things shoulder. The dragon cried out in pain, but Bell just ignored the monsters cry. Grabbing the monster by it's head he held it to the ground preventing the dragon from biting him or spewing out fire. Taking the Hestia Knife he stabbed the dragon again and again until eventually it died a sad and pathetic death. I knew Enlarge would be powerful, but that was simply absurd. Bell made it look so easy.
"What the fuck was that Matt!?" Crozzo screamed while shaking.
"Magic." I said lamely as I watched Bell dig the stone out and the dragon turn to dust. Unfortunately its hide and one of its fangs didn't turn to dust. I say unfortunately because Eina was going to be fucking furious. And I had just promised that I would be careful in the dungeon. Yeah the dragon was absolutely no threat after I had enlarged Bell, but Eina wouldn't believe that.
"A fang and hide?" Crozzo said in a daze. This was the breaking point. This is where we would find out if he was trustworthy enough to keep his mouth shut. "Can I have them?"
"Huh?"
"I bet I could make an amazing weapon from that fang and that dragon's hide would make for great armor!" He shouted excitedly. Well I guess he's more concerned about drop items than my magic I really don't need to worry about him ratting as long as we keep finding strong monsters and drop items.
"Bell, Lili?" I asked letting them decide.
"I could use with a second dagger."
"Could you make armor for Matthew with that?" Lili asked. Aww, it's sweet that you would think of me, but you need some armor for yourself Lili.
"Lili you need it more."
"Consider it done hehehe. It's not often I get to work with this stuff." He said enthusiastically. Whatever dude, knock yourself out. I just want to leave, I've had enough dungeon for today. After spending the whole day swinging a sword around and getting knocked on my ass I was drenched in sweat and every inch of my body ached. I really needed to be more physical in the dungeon. Just because I have magic doesn't mean I should neglect my physical fitness. Getting up I ordered the silverback and gobs one through five to bring the two other dead silverbacks with us. One would be my personal undead and given a name like Reginald while the other would be dubbed silverback number two and join the supporters.
As we began to leave the eleventh floor I felt a tingle run down my spine. Looking around all I could see was a large annoyed looking adventurer making his way past us, one of those Boarz people I think they were called. I kept an eye out for the rest of the way back, but ultimately nothing happened.
I did get chewed out by Eina once I returned though. Apparently having access to Giga Bell wasn't good enough reason to fight an infant dragon.
Mathew M. Mathers Lv 1
Strength I 29 - I 51
Defense H 197 - G 226
Dexterity I 43 - I 49
Agility I 36 - I 43
Magic D 553 - D 564
Skills
Arcane Spellcaster V - Rather than drawing from a pool of mind to cast spells, user expends spell slots. Ritual spells do not expend spell slots. Chants do not expend spell slots, functions as if Arcane Spellcaster is not in use
Available spell slots - I (4) II (3) III (2)
Spell slots recovered via long rest or study of spellbook.
Arcane Student V - Ability to learn new spells up to tier III through study of spellbook
Arcane Tradition Necromancy I - Necromancy comes naturally. Study of spellbook reveals necromancy spells quicker, ability to cast necromancy spells as if they were one tier lower.
Magic Sense - Ability to detect nearby sources of magic passively
Spells
Mending (cantrip), Message (cantrip), Toll the Dead (cantrip), Firebolt(cantrip), Light(cantrip), Minor Illusion (cantrip), False Life (I), Find Familiar (I, ritual), Identify (I, ritual), Ice Knife (I), Ray of Sickness (I), Tasha's Hideous Laughter (I), Shield (I), Sleep (I), Crumbling Dead (I, ritual), Cause Fear (I), Expeditious Retreat (I), Protection from Good and Evil (I), Alter Self (II), Arcane Lock (II) Binding Ice (II), Continual Flame (II), Crown of Madness(II), Animate Dead (III), Counterspell (III), Glyph of Warding (III), Remove Curse (III), Spirit Shroud (III) Invisibility (II), Sightless/Soundless (II), Wither and Bloom (II), Life Transference (III), Bestow Curse (III)
Command Hatred (V, chant, incomplete) "Old rivalries, bad blood, hated enemy, destined foe. Let rage flow through your veins, an endless sea of fire. You are mine, my wrath yours"
Bell Cranel Lv 1
Strength F 395 - E 423
Defense G 215 - 248
Dexterity D 551 - D 576
Agility C 632 - C 657
Magic F 343 - F 362
Skills
Ultima Speranza: Greater growth as long as feelings persist
Spells
Booming Blade - "Let lightning strike my foe, true as blade"
Medior Malcute Lv 1
Strength I 1 - I 1
Defense I 0 - I 0
Dexterity I 3 - I 3
Agility I 1 - I 1
Magic I 5 - I 5
Skills
Spells
Mending - "Threaded needle, stitching patch. Fix it up, good as new. Mending"
Phantom-Zero-v2: Thanks, I completely did not notice it was suppose to be falna and not flana. I will be fixing it going forwards, but it may take some time to go back to previous chapters and fix those as I'd have to fix every other mistake I see as well lol.