The next instant, several thick, vibrant vines burst from the ground and lashed toward him at a speed so frightening that even Finn felt a chill run through him.
A spell? But there was no chant. Silent casting, plus concurrent chanting? And with this much power… You've got to be kidding me.
Faced with an attack on that scale, he had no choice but to defend and retreat. He sprang back several times in quick succession, barely escaping the vines' reach, then turned to look at the place where he had sent Xien flying.
Xien was standing there.
One arm was raised, palm aimed directly at him.
That blow should have shattered his arm. I miscalculated. I didn't think that as a healer, his self-recovery would be this absurd.
A healer being able to treat others did not usually mean they could heal themselves just as efficiently. In most cases, healing one's own body was slower and less effective, because the immediate sensation of injury interfered with the process.
But what Xien had just displayed left Finn speechless.
From start to finish, it had taken perhaps a second.
Finn felt a headache coming on. The boy's combat ability had gone far beyond his expectations. Up to this point, Finn still had not managed to break through his defensive net, much less threaten the teammates behind him. At the same time, he could no longer deny it—whether as a front-liner or a healer, Xien was more than qualified.
Even so, Finn had no intention of ending things here. If he gave up now, his dignity as captain would be in tatters.
Since Xien was determined to keep him away from the others, then fine—he would continue pressing him alone. He wanted to see just how monstrous that recovery ability really was.
The thought flashed through his mind, and he roared as he activated his skill, strengthening himself before charging again.
Seeing that Finn had become serious, Xien did not dare relax either. He immediately reinforced his body with the power of Abundance, his scarlet eyes flaring to life. Flames blossomed along the edge of the wooden training sword in his hand.
The next moment, yellow and red collided once more.
The ground cracked under the force of their blows. Shockwaves from the sheer pressure of their clash swept outward, forcing the two front-liners standing nearby to stagger back repeatedly.
Those watching from outside the field could not help but suck in sharp breaths.
"You're joking… That's really a rookie?"
The few members who had spoken so disdainfully before were now drenched in cold sweat as they stared at the battle unfolding before them.
"Even with some mental preparation, this is still too much. Loki, that kid's main class really is healer, right…?"
Gareth stared grimly at the two figures, who now looked less like sparring partners and more like a demolition crew. If he remembered correctly, that boy was only Level 3. How in the world was he fighting a Level 6 Finn this evenly?
"We don't know either! That brat is way too ridiculous. What in the world is going on here…? Astraea, just what kind of monster did you raise?"
At first, Loki had still been half smug, pleased at the idea of using this as a chance to give the brat who might abduct her precious "wife" a good beating.
But now she was truly shocked.
Xien's strength—and, more terrifyingly, his potential—had gone far beyond what she had imagined.
As a god who had lived for ages, she could tell Finn was not holding back. His offense was entirely genuine.
And yet the boy was still blocking it.
A Level 3 capable of fighting Finn to this degree… if he kept growing, then by Level 5 he might really be able to walk all over this city. It was absurd.
Just what kind of status values did he have?
At that moment, the three still inside the field had become little more than spectators.
Protected by a barrier Riveria had raised at some point without anyone noticing, they were watching the battle from the closest possible distance.
And what they felt was not merely surprise.
It was admiration.
The clash between the two—so evenly matched, so intense—stirred the blood and the fighting spirit in everyone present.
Weapons sang against each other. Air ripped apart under the force of their blows. Their footwork was swift as the wind, their strikes as heavy as mountains. Every movement was pure calculation and counter-calculation.
No one could look away.
It wasn't just the spectators whose blood was heating up.
The two in the middle of it all were getting carried away too.
Finn's advantage lay in his higher base attributes and the polish of long years of experience.
Xien's advantage was his absurd technique and terrifying endurance.
As long as neither side revealed a true trump card, the battle had settled into a delicate equilibrium. Neither could force a conclusion right away.
At this point, it was a contest of will.
And if it dragged on long enough, Xien would be the one to win.
Because a drawn-out battle was exactly what he feared least.
There was another factor as well—
Crack.
The sound of something breaking reached Finn's ears, and he was not the least bit surprised.
That was his weapon reaching its limit.
After all, it was only a training weapon. And unlike Xien, Finn was not using such refined techniques. More of the impact from each exchange was being transferred directly into the wood itself, which meant his weapon was deteriorating much faster than Xien's.
With the battle intelligence of a born commander, Finn recognized it instantly and felt a little helpless.
To be honest, he badly wanted to go all out against this boy, fully armed and unrestricted. He had a feeling that if they fought seriously, he might break through a limit of his own.
But the conditions simply were not right.
Realizing there was no point dragging things on further, he finally raised a hand and called the match to a halt.
Seeing that, Xien smiled faintly and lowered his own weapon as well.
"This match goes to you, Xien. You truly do possess combat ability beyond that of the vast majority of front-liners."
"Then my proposal…"
"I accept it. I doubt anyone here will object."
Finn cast a glance around the arena.
The contempt that had been in the others' eyes earlier was gone. In its place was unmistakable respect.
That was the truest trait of adventurers in this city: a reverence for strength engraved into their bones.
What no one noticed was the faint smile that had unconsciously appeared on the face of the elven princess not far away.
After that, things became much simpler.
People talked excitedly about the "battle-healer" who would soon be joining the expedition, while the rest of the familia made preparations for the days ahead.
Once the time for his next visit had been agreed upon, Xien left the Twilight Manor.
Since it was going to be an expedition, there really were things he needed to prepare.
And so, the next day, he arrived at the Hephaestus Familia's headquarters.
That was right.
He wanted to strengthen Candlelight.
This was not entirely his own decision, either—it was a request from Candlelight itself.
Though the weapon had already become a living armament and possessed some capacity for growth, its development was still limited by the quality of its base materials. After all this time being nourished by Xien's power of Abundance, it had reached its current ceiling. If it wanted to go any further, it would need to be reforged, its body rebuilt with stronger materials.
Candlelight had told him that itself.
It was a matter of destruction before rebirth—of being broken down and forged anew.
With his hood up, Xien stepped into the shop, but since he had come often enough by now, the receptionist recognized him immediately. Without hesitation, she hurried over and personally guided him inward.
The few customers inside the store were visibly surprised.
A member of the familia staff treating someone with such respect? That did not happen without reason. After all, the people who worked here all had their pride.
Naturally, once she saw who it was, she led him straight toward the back of the shop.
Soon, Xien found himself standing before what looked like a forge chamber.
Just as he was wondering, the receptionist girl smiled and explained:
"The captain said that whenever you come, you can go directly to her. She's inside right now. Her forging isn't done yet, so it may take a little time. You can go in and wait, just try not to disturb her."
"Understood. Thank you. Sorry to trouble you."
"Not at all. It's an honor to help the hero who saved Orario. Oh, by the way… could I maybe get an autograph?"
"Of course."
Taking the pen she offered, Xien wrote a few encouraging words in a notebook she had clearly taken great care of, then signed his name in his now-practiced stylish scrawl. The result earned him a dazzling smile.
"Ahhh, you're so kind… My sisters are going to die of jealousy…"
"I'll head back now, then. If you need anything, just let me know."
She looked so excited she was on the verge of dancing in place, held back only by the fact that Xien was still standing there.
"…Right."
Xien could only offer an awkward but polite smile and wave goodbye.
When she had finally disappeared from sight, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
It was certainly… an experience.
Turning back, he pushed open the enormous door before him.
It was even heavier than it looked.
In fact, he had to put real force into it just to move it. Judging by the thickness—around ten centimeters, and clearly solid all the way through—it was less a normal door and more a blast door.
Apparently, Tsubaki's usual forging sessions were just that intense. Otherwise there would have been no need for something this thick. In a way, she and certain dwarves from another world really did seem to speak the same language.
Shaking the random thought out of his head, he slipped inside and shut the door behind him.
At once, the room plunged into dimness.
Only the faint glow of fire deeper within served as a light source.
But that was no real hindrance to Xien. Even without relying on his sensory perception, his eyesight alone could see clearly in darkness now.
As he walked toward the light, the sound of repeated hammer blows grew louder and louder.
Finally, when he reached the heart of the chamber, he saw the person he had come for.
Tsubaki was forging.
Her upper body was lightly covered—really only wrapped in bandages across her chest—and those were already soaked through. Sweat glistened across her body. Her expression was utterly focused, her muscles taut with effort.
There was nothing suggestive about the sight.
What one felt instead was awe.
Awe at someone giving themselves wholly to the craft before them.
Xien instinctively eased his breathing, minimizing his presence as much as possible. His eyes locked onto her movements, watching her hammer new life into the metal.
About half an hour later, Tsubaki finished.
After passing through one final sequence of steps, the weapon in her hand at last emerged complete.
And yet the expression on her face was not joy.
It was disappointment.
"It didn't turn out the way you wanted?"
"Yeah. It's a finished product, but not the one I wanted."
She had noticed him the moment he entered. She simply hadn't had the freedom to speak while her hands were occupied.
"So, Tsubaki… are you trying to break through to the next stage?"
"You really do get it, Xien. That's right. I've been searching for a way to go a step further. And as you can see… I failed again."
There was disappointment in her voice, but it vanished almost as soon as it appeared. Her nature was too straightforward and robust to wallow in it for long. If this attempt had failed, then she would simply continue studying and trying again.
Setting the weapon aside, she picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from her face.
"So, why are you here? Need your equipment maintained?"
"Not maintenance. Enhancement. I'm joining the Loki Familia's expedition. Candlelight needs to be strengthened."
The answer drew an amused snort from her.
"Every word in that sentence is a surprise. But I guess when it comes to you, that all sounds weirdly reasonable. Fine, I won't ask too many questions."
What do you mean it sounds reasonable coming from me?
As if he were some kind of catastrophe magnet.
Xien very nearly protested, but Tsubaki was already looking at him with open curiosity.
"So? Candlelight—that's the weapon I forged for you, right? And you're not talking about maintenance, but enhancement? Does that mean there's some special circumstance here that's going to surprise even me?"
In Orario, once a weapon had been forged, that was generally it. One could maintain it or discard it, but "upgrading" it afterward was essentially unheard of.
The reason was simple.
It wasn't worth it.
The composition and material balance of any weapon had already been determined in advance by the smith who forged it. There was no spare room left to casually add rare materials later. Trying to force new materials into an existing weapon usually just ruined it ahead of schedule. This wasn't a game. Blacksmiths here had no magical system that let them directly "raise the item's grade."
And even setting that aside, such a process was terribly complicated and costly. If someone had the time, money, and precious materials for that, they would almost always be better off simply forging a brand-new weapon from scratch.
Tsubaki knew Xien was well aware of those basic facts.
So if he had still come here saying this, then it could only mean one thing:
This was an extremely unusual case.
And given what she knew about him, that seemed entirely possible.
Under her intent gaze, Xien found himself at a slight loss for words.
In the end, he simply reached into the air and pulled Candlelight from his storage space, then handed it over.
"Oh, that's cool. Really useful too… Wait, Xien—this, it's…?"
The moment she took the weapon, the casual admiration in her voice vanished.
The feel of it was wrong.
No—not wrong. Changed.
This was not the weight, texture, or balance of the blade she had forged for him.
And there was something else too.
Something she could feel through her hands.
A pulse.
A heartbeat.
....
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