The wealth gap.
According to Loki, the forging here pursued simplicity and toughness. Its performance was comparable to that of the Hephaestus Familia, and the prices were relatively fair.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Ritsuka could only apologize before entering through the half-open door.
The building truly suited the word "workshop"; the interior was just as dim as outside.
Some blacksmiths occupied spots beside the furnaces, while others used tools to carve metal. Several craftsmen were each absorbed in their work.
"Hello, I'm a member of the Loki Familia. Our god sent me here to repair some equipment."
"May I ask where the Goibniu God is?"
Her gentle voice caught the attention of a craftsman amid the scorching clamor of the forge.
He raised his head, glanced at the weapon in Ritsuka's hand, and understanding flashed through his eyes before he pointed toward an inner room.
"Thank you."
With a nod of thanks, Ritsuka carried Ais's sword past the group of busy craftsmen and entered another short passageway. At its end was a private room.
Inside sat a male god who looked like an old man—the very god Ritsuka had come to find.
His wrinkled face was well-proportioned, with a high nose bridge, white hair, and a white beard just long enough to cover his mouth.
His burly body had no excess fat, only firm muscles that vaguely brought dwarves to mind.
"Hello, I'm a member of the Loki Familia. I came to ask you to repair a weapon."
Without wasting words, Goibniu took the Despair Sword Ritsuka handed over, surprise flashing through his eyes.
Glancing sideways at Ritsuka, Goibniu asked in a deep voice, "The blade's deteriorated this badly. What did it cut?"
"Uh, during training, Ais used this sword to block a Ninefold Thrust."
Ritsuka spoke awkwardly. This sword was the work of the Celtic god of forging before her, Goibniu—a weapon with the Unbreakable property.
She could believe that having a mere imitation leave a crack in it would be considered a disgrace...
"Ninefold Thrust?" Goibniu looked into Ritsuka's eyes. "You did it?"
Ritsuka fell silent, the awkwardness on her face growing stronger. She did not know whether she should answer. If telling the truth angered the god before her and he beat her with Divine Power, she would be in trouble.
She definitely could not beat a god.
"Not going to say? Fine. I'll repair it as quickly as possible. The deterioration is severe, so it'll take seven days."
"Thank you very much."
Seven days would be enough.
The Familia's expedition would begin seven days later. She could come back for the weapon then, making the timing work perfectly.
"Then I'll leave it to you. I'll be going now..."
"Wait."
Goibniu suddenly spoke, stopping Ritsuka as she was about to leave.
He reached behind him to a rack, took down two weapons—a rapier and a katana—and tossed them to Ritsuka.
"Bring the rapier to Ais. As for that sword, you're interested in the Unbreakable property?"
"Yes. Thank you for your help."
If she could fully understand this power that could be inscribed upon weapons in Orario, then perhaps projected armaments could be permanently retained in the future, so long as they were not destroyed—at least some high-grade ones.
"That sword has an affinity with you, so I'll give it to you... Also, remember to bring the repair fee when you come for the sword. Thirty million Valis."
"...How much?"
Safe Floor and the Deeper Levels
Beneath the Tower of Babel, Ritsuka held the weapon she had just obtained and headed toward the Dungeon.
Weapons with the Unbreakable property were rare, and their value was beyond imagination. The money from a few hundred Minotaurs was nowhere near enough.
Yet in the end, the Goibniu God had not charged her much, only taking a token fee.
"When it's time to leave, I'll project a few holy swords as a gift in return."
Projected Noble Phantasms had significant limitations, but for a god renowned for forging, studying them presumably would not be difficult. Perhaps Goibniu could even develop a real holy sword with the help of an imitation one?
As her figure vanished into the entrance, the scorching gaze from atop the Tower of Babel withdrew.
"This time, I'll witness it with my own eyes..."
Only a low murmur echoed through the exceptionally lavish room, yet there was not a soul in sight.
As she gradually became more proficient, combined with the combat experience she had gained from Ais in fighting monsters, Ritsuka was not slowed by the monsters of the lower levels.
Without even drawing her sword, Ritsuka crossed the Upper Layer with nothing but her fists and feet, racing toward her destination with extraordinary leg strength.
With the map she had gotten from Loki in hand, Ritsuka took the quickest route toward the passage to the next level.
Breaking through all the way, not even Minotaurs could stop her this time. After kicking a few Minotaurs apart, Ritsuka reached the Safe Floor on the eighteenth level, a place she had only heard of in rumors.
The area below the eighteenth level was territory she had never entered before, so Ritsuka did not rashly advance and instead chose to pause for a while.
"This is so beautiful..."
Ritsuka gazed at the sight before her in awe.
Unlike the Dungeon's first seventeen levels, with their endlessly repeating strangeness and harsh terrain, the eighteenth level was practically a paradise apart from the world.
Dense swathes of vegetation covered the place, while various wooden buildings formed the ecosystem of the Safe Floor. Thriving was the most fitting description.
The brilliance was so intense that it felt as though she were outside. Ritsuka could not help raising her head. This was also the main reason for her astonishment: the ceiling above the eighteenth level was simply too beautiful.
Crystals.
Exquisitely beautiful crystals containing transparent azure radiance.
The top of the level was filled with luminous crystals. At the center was a blazing white glow like the sun, surrounded by blocks of azure crystal as though standing guard around it.
The scenery did not resemble a Dungeon at all. Ritsuka stopped and quietly admired it.
It was not only above her. Crystals were everywhere in the forest as well.
There were small clusters of crystal growing at her feet, as well as huge crystals like a giant's shortsword, large enough to swallow her whole.
Their shapes were diverse, scattered throughout every corner of the forest in breathtaking splendor.
As she looked around, countless clusters of crystals irregularly reflected fragmented sunlight through the silent forest, dyeing the entire woodland pale blue.
Moss and azure fragments also clung to the roots of the great trees that divided the ground.
It was a mysterious, fantastical sight.
"Is the eighteenth level considered a miracle of the Dungeon?"
While marveling, Ritsuka headed toward the human settlement she had spotted from above on the other side of the forest.
The trees gradually thinned out, opening into a semicircular exit at the edge. Overflowing white light obscured everything beyond, as if she could only see reality by taking that step.
Without the slightest hesitation, she crossed the boundary of the dim forest. Blinding brightness instantly engulfed her, and she reflexively shut her eyes.
"Whoa."
Riviera Town
That was the town's name. After asking around, Ritsuka learned that it seemed to have been named after the great adventurer who had first opened up the Safe Floor.
Due to its nature, nearly all the temporary huts in Riviera Town were shops.
Weapon stores, item shops, cramped inns, and the occasional tavern—every establishment served adventurers.
The only people on the streets were adventurers, along with a small number of supporters.
Most high-level adventurers briefly stopped here before setting out to explore again, and even more traveled in groups. Exploring alone was still rather risky, after all.
Their armaments were all heavy and of decent quality, and everyone was fully equipped so they could immediately fight in an emergency.
People carrying two-handed greatswords, halberds, and even wearing full-body armor could be seen everywhere.
That kind of bulk was difficult for Ritsuka to accept.
For her, as long as she wanted to, she could use Divine Beast's Fur to avoid conventional weapons. She did not need heavy armor to evade threats either.
The reason she had not used Divine Beast's Fur all this time was also to train herself.
Compared to Adventurer Street aboveground, this place carried an unusual air of grim tension. After all, both above and below the eighteenth level were places overrun by monsters.
Beneath the lofty crystal sky, Ritsuka walked through the intricate narrow stone alleys. Lush vegetation and crystalline pillars filled every rising and falling section of the uneven town, and light always saturated this underground settlement.
"So expensive."
She casually checked the price of a high-grade potion and found that it cost at least ten times more than outside, making Ritsuka sigh.
Furthermore, the prices for buying back items had been reduced by at least half. This town was quite ruthless, though doing business here was indeed not easy.
Whether transporting supplies to Orario or bringing goods here to sell, both were inherently dangerous.
Not every seller had the strength of a first-class adventurer who could run wild from the first to the seventeenth level.
Even so, it was still outrageously expensive.
"It's the value of water in the desert, I suppose."
Putting down the item she had been examining, Ritsuka, who also carried items like high-grade potions, went to a corner to check her Crystal Dice. The supplies stored inside were still plentiful.
The sword the Goibniu God had entrusted to Ais was also resting safely inside.
From the town square, she could overlook the magnificent sight of the entire eighteenth level. Beyond the railing was a cliff that dropped straight down toward a lake far below. Falling would have terrible consequences.
Surely no idiot would dare jump straight down, right?
After making another jab at it, Ritsuka decided not to waste any more time and set off immediately.
She had risen early today, so she needed to properly grind her Ability Values in the Dungeon. She aimed to reach the peak of Level 1 before the expedition, perhaps even Level 2.
Level 2 would actually be better. That way, when she followed the Familia directly into the deeper levels, her growth rate would become horrifying, and it might even be possible to approach level 3 directly.
After leaving the eighteenth level, Ritsuka swept through everything in her path and entered the deeper floors.
The twenty-fifth floor.
From here onward was the exploration depth of level 3 adventurers, because every monster was level 3 and could greatly increase Ritsuka's Ability Value.
Ritsuka remembered what Loki had said about the so-called Monster Tide in the deeper levels.
Monster Tide had another name in the Dungeon—Monster Feast.
Just like monsters were holding a banquet, the sight before her was packed with monsters: green-skinned creatures resembling orcs, enormous bees, and mushrooms as tall as people, all gathered together in a bustling mass.
At a rough estimate, there were at least dozens, perhaps over a hundred monsters, and every one of them was level 3.
Ritsuka felt that Monster Tides like this should be extremely rare. Otherwise, ordinary solo level 3 adventurers would be unable to face such a formation, much less train amid a Monster Tide like this.
Then again, solo level 3 adventurers rarely came to this floor in the first place.
The long sword hanging at her waist slowly slid free from its sheath as Ritsuka stepped forward. Azure patterns spread along the blade.
This sword was the Goibniu God's work. After successfully wielding it, Ritsuka naturally sensed its defining traits.
Not only did it possess the Unbreakable property, it also had extremely strong energy conduction and amplification abilities. Its sharpness itself was not remarkable, but when enhanced with magic power, it became quite formidable.
If Ritsuka had an elemental Mana Burst, she could even add it to the blade without any loss.
Moreover, it could devour energy attacks coming from outside...
"Sweep through them—Wind Spirit Dash!"
Wind magic flowed through the hilt and covered the blade, while a gentle breeze swirled around Ritsuka.
The Dungeon's Aberration
Holding the sword in one hand, Ritsuka weaved through the monster horde. Like a gale, her figure tore straight through the Monster Tide from end to end.
Before you continue