The Journey Begins in Danmachi

Rose took the form, glanced at it, and a few black lines appeared on her forehead.

Noah Cipher, human, male, seventeen years old—that was it.

Place of birth: blank. Background: blank. Every other field was also blank, blank, blank...

Good grief, just like that little girl.

The look Rose cast toward Riveria silently conveyed this complaint.

Yet, she had no choice but to accept it helplessly, skillfully stamping the parchment with the acceptance seal.

As long as one was not a spy or an infiltrator, no questions were asked about one's origins; anyone could become an adventurer. That was the rule of the Labyrinth City.

After finishing the registration at the Guild, Riveria and Noah left the Pantheon.

However, Riveria did not continue walking down the main street; instead, after passing a few stalls, she suddenly turned into a back alley.

After navigating a complex maze of alleys that Noah was certain he would have gotten lost in had he been alone, the two finally arrived in front of a stone bungalow.

"Noah, you know the general difference between production-type Familias and exploration-type Familias in the city, right?"

"More or less. Exploration-type Familias are like our Loki Familia, focused on entering the Dungeon to explore and acquire resources. I don't know much about production-type Familias, but the main ones are the Demeter Familia, which provides most of the city's agricultural products; the Hephaestus Familia, which occupies a significant portion of weapon manufacturing; and the Dian Cecht Familia, which provides potions and medical services."

Riveria couldn't help but nod at Noah's analysis, a hint of a smile appearing in her eyes.

It was unclear whether it was because Noah had said "our Loki Familia" or because this junior had actually done some research on the city as a whole.

Most adventurers only knew the locations of weapon shops, taverns, clinics, and the Pleasure District; who cared where the massive amount of food needed for the city's population came from every day?

Being able to place the Demeter Familia first showed that Noah possessed a leader's strategic thinking.

No wonder Finn had said he wanted to cultivate him after meeting him just yesterday.

"The largest forging faction is indeed the Hephaestus Familia, but this Goibniu Familia, which has a priority partnership with our Loki Familia, is not bad either."

Pointing to the emblem engraved with three hammers on the door frame, Riveria explained to Noah as she pushed the door open and entered.

The Goibniu Familia was a forging faction that handled the crafting and repair of weapons and armor, while also taking on construction contracts.

Although their fame and scale were far below the Hephaestus Familia, the performance of the arms they forged was arguably on par; they could be called a "Familia" of simple, sturdy integrity.

The main difference between the two was that the Hephaestus Familia forged large quantities of finished products to stock in weapon shops throughout the city for sale, whereas the Goibniu Familia primarily began forging only after receiving a commission from an adventurer.

To be precise, they specialized in custom orders, and their prices were even lower than the Hephaestus Familia for the same services.

Therefore, among high-ranking adventurers, the Goibniu Familia was actually more highly regarded.

The Loki Familia had a priority partnership with the Goibniu Familia.

Simply put, the Goibniu Familia had to prioritize providing weapon forging and maintenance services to the Loki Familia.

In return, the Loki Familia had to prioritize offering the rare forging materials they obtained from the Dungeon to the Goibniu Familia for selection and purchase.

This privilege was exclusive to powerful exploration-type Familias like the Loki Familia, which were among the few capable of delving into the deep floors of the Dungeon to acquire rare materials.

Beyond Familias, individual adventurers would also sign direct contracts with blacksmiths; for instance, Gareth had a partnership with a "One-Eyed Master" from the Hephaestus Familia, using only weapons forged by that person for promotional purposes.

"Is anyone here?"

Entering the building, which was well-suited to the term "forging workshop," Noah could feel the scorching heat emanating from the depths of the room, completely blowing away the winter wind from outside.

Seemingly to cut through the loud clanging of hammers, Riveria called out.

Soon, a bare-chested, burly man emerged from the room, wiping sweat from his forehead as he greeted Riveria.

"Oh! Isn't this Nine Hell? Eh? And who is this young lad?"

"A new member of our Familia."

Noah bowed to the man at the right moment. "I am Noah Cipher. Please treat me well."

"Um, is the patron deity Goibniu here? I have something I'd like to ask him to handle."

"The old man is inside. Please, come in."

"Thank you."

Riveria led Noah through the curtain and into the inner room.

It was a room with very little furniture, yet it didn't look shabby at all, thanks to the various weapons hanging all over the walls.

Inside the room sat a Heavenly God with the appearance of an old man, examining a longsword in his hands.

Though his face was lined with wrinkles, his features remained dignified with a high nose bridge, white hair, and a white beard.

His burly frame had not an ounce of flab, and his muscles were solid, vaguely reminding one of a dwarf.

Neither Riveria nor Noah had entered in stealth, yet this Heavenly God remained focused on the sword in his hand, not even sparing them a glance.

Riveria did not speak, and Noah could only stand quietly to the side, observing the weapons that were not at all flashy, yet instinctively made him feel their excellence.

After about three or four minutes, the white-haired old man—Goibniu—finally set the sword down and looked at Riveria.

"What is it?"

"This is a newcomer to our Familia. I would like to have weapons and armor crafted for him."

"Hmm?"

Noah, who had originally thought he was just here to show his face, was about to step forward to offer his greetings when he heard this. He couldn't help but turn his head and lock eyes with Riveria.

I don't have a single penny on me...

Riveria blinked one eye, a playful glint appearing on her refined, intellectual face.

It's fine, I'll lend it to you. You can pay me back later.

After hesitating for only three seconds, Noah gave up on the struggle and continued to bow to the deity Goibniu.

If I have to live off a woman, so be it. It's not like I can't pay it back.

I can't exactly sacrifice my weapon for the sake of dignity, can I?

If I really can't pay it back, then I'll just have to...

"Your Familia always manages to dig up good seedlings, doesn't it..."

After sizing Noah up for over ten seconds, Goibniu finally spat out these words, as steady and heavy as an iron ingot.

Faced with such praise, Noah felt like a child being complimented by a relative—he didn't know whether to accept it or deflect it, so he could only remain silent.

"What is the budget?"

"This child's growth rate will likely exceed expectations. It would be a waste to get him ordinary armor, so let's just set the budget at fifty million Valis and forge a set of armor right away."

Even the unflappable Goibniu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this, re-evaluating Noah from head to toe.

"Hmm, you think that highly of him? I've recently acquired some excellent materials, enough to make armor, but as for weapons..."

Upon hearing the figure of fifty million Valis, Noah felt a bit dizzy and hurriedly interrupted Goibniu.

"Um, the armor is enough. I think my weapon should suffice."

Under Goibniu's sweeping gaze, Noah drew his sword from its dusty, grey scabbard.

With a sharp clink, the pure silver blade shone with brilliance, casting a cold, piercing light across the room.

Goibniu's face, which looked like an iron relief, saw his eyes widen instantly.

"Kid, can you let me take a look at your sword?"

As Noah hesitated, he added, "I'll give you a discount on the armor. How about forty million Valis?"

Seeing Goibniu offer a twenty percent discount so readily, Noah knew just how much profit was hidden in this.

Good grief, you look so honest and thick-browed, but in reality, you aren't earning much less than the Hephaestus Familia!

You're all profiteers!

Sooner or later, I'll have to learn how to smith; the money comes in too fast.

"Hmm!"

Goibniu had originally reached out with one hand, but the moment he took hold of the sword, he couldn't help but tighten the wrinkles on his face.

Although Goibniu's forging skills remained in the "Realm of the Gods" even after his divinity was sealed, his physical strength was indeed that of an ordinary person.

"...It's unexpectedly heavy. This is probably much denser than Orichalcum, isn't it? No, for the same volume, it's likely heavier than any metal I've ever seen."

Noah had no choice but to place it on the workbench nearby.

Goibniu walked over to the workbench and turned on the magic stone lamp, which was quite bright due to the light being focused through multiple mirrors.

Under its glow, Riveria was finally able to see the full appearance of the sword—

Aside from the hilt being wrapped in ordinary hemp rope, the blade was entirely silver-white. Under the light, it even had a crystalline translucence, as gorgeous as a meticulously carved work of art.

Both sides of the blade were engraved with patterns resembling intertwined lightning and flames. Looking closely, one could see that these patterns were composed of tiny, intricate runes.

Anyone seeing this sword for the first time would likely mistake it for a decorative one-handed sword due to its ornate texture.

However, the blade was at least 80cm long, and with the hilt, it was likely 110cm. It was undoubtedly a greatsword for slashing. Coupled with the density Goibniu just mentioned, which exceeded Orichalcum...

Riveria surmised that the weight of this sword was likely no less than that of a first-tier weapon like a greatsword or a heavy axe.

The conflict between its exquisite appearance and its bloody nature gave Riveria an ominous feeling—

"Truly a heterodox path—"

Letting out a soft sigh that was part lament and part astonishment, Goibniu finally shifted his gaze from the sword to Noah.

"Kid, if I were to ask you where this sword came from, you wouldn't tell me, would you?"

Sensing that Riveria was also casting a curious gaze his way, Noah thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"I don't know much else. I only heard that the raw material for this sword was a meteorite from the heavens. It was melted down in a volcanic heart-fire to forge the prototype, but it was soon lost. I found it on a mountain peak that is shrouded in lightning all year round."

Noah wasn't lying, but he had only told half of the story he knew.

The materials for this sword included not only the heavenly meteorite but also the annihilation of a race and an empire—

Thousands of years ago, an empire that had conquered most of the continent sought to defeat the Demon Race. The Emperor, having received an oracle, led his army on an expedition overseas. They discovered the heavenly meteorite in a foreign land and sent it to the volcanic ice fields, promising half of it in exchange for the help of the Dwarven race.

The meteorite iron was hammered in the fires of the earth's core for months before it finally melted, yet it refused to take shape.

Lost in his desires, the emperor mobilized his vast army to slaughter the entire dwarven race, and only through their endless blood did the blade finally coalesce.

However, the emperor who obtained the divine sword died during an ambush by a foreign race on his return journey; his army collapsed, and the empire fell into ruin.

The divine sword vanished into the chaos, remaining lost until it was rediscovered by Noah.

In Noah's original world, this piece of history was known as the Oathbreaker's Forge.

"What is its name?"

"Some call it Silent Sorrow, but I prefer to call it Thunderclap."

Gazing deeply at Noah, Goibniu nodded.

"This blade truly harbors a terrifying power. I do not know whether to call it a holy sword or a cursed one."

At a wave of Goibniu's hand, Noah stepped forward to sheath Thunderclap.

"Kid, a weapon that is too powerful will hinder the wielder's growth and may even harm the user themselves. You should know this better than anyone; you've been using this weapon for a long time, haven't you..."

Thinking of certain things, Noah's gaze drifted away.

Beside him, Riveria frowned slightly as she observed his expression.

Goibniu closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The budget of forty million Valis remains unchanged. I will do my best to craft armor worthy of this blade, though, of course, only my best..."