"Crimson Guardian?" Tsubaki tilted her head, asking in confusion, "Why that name?"
Noah looked at the sword in his hand and softly replied, "Because it symbolizes the friendship between girls. Crimson Order represents devotion to the goddess, so Crimson Guardian represents an oath to comrades."
"Though I came up with it on the spot, it's a genuine feeling from my heart. Huh? Looks like this guy likes the name too—it's trembling with excitement... Wait?"
Feeling the power emanating from Crimson Guardian, Noah was momentarily stunned.
"No joke, this thing is actually shaking!"
'What's going on?' Noah couldn't make sense of this sudden development.
Clang!
A sharp sword aura radiated from the crimson blade.
Noah was actually forced back several steps by this power.
The key point was that even though he had released the hilt, Crimson Guardian showed no signs of stopping.
A dazzling light enveloped the sword, and its form began to change.
"What's happening, Noah-boy!?"
"I... I don't know either. For now, let's..."
The two immediately positioned themselves in front of the goddess.
Unlike the two adventurers, the gods had their divine power sealed in the lower world, making them completely ordinary humans who could die from the slightest impact.
It would be terrible if Hephaestus had to unleash her divine power because of this and get sent back to heaven.
After a period of time, the light enveloping the crimson magic sword cracked apart, revealing the transformed blade.
Now, the sword edge had dissipated, leaving only the hilt floating in place.
The hilt now bore vivid crimson spiral patterns that weren't there before, creating a kind of "religious beauty" that made one want to worship it.
Seeing that the sudden situation had settled down, Noah stepped forward and grabbed it again while muttering in confusion.
"What exactly just happened?"
'Could it be that magic swords might go berserk during the forging process?'
This was truly the first time he'd encountered something like this!
Suddenly, Hephaestus spoke.
"Noah, that sword feels different to me now. I suggest you use your skill to appraise it."
Noah nodded in agreement.
"Alright, understood."
Gripping the hilt, he concentrated.
'Truth Seeker activate.'
"Crimson Guardian" (Quality Improved)
・Creator: Noah
・Magic Sword (Fire)
・Fire Attribute Enhancement
・Temporary boost to all attributes when using fire attribute magic
・Can automatically generate crimson mist that blocks projectiles and long-range attacks
・Increased damage against dragonkin
・Greatly increased damage against Amphisbanea
・Weapon Skill: "Crimson Liberation" (Transformed into "Bloody Terminator" due to Truth Seeker effect)
"Bloody Terminator"
・Activation Condition ― Chant "The prairie fire can no longer be contained."
- After activation, consumes all power stored in both the wielder and the weapon, converting it into light of termination for complete release. Power depends on consumption. After use, the weapon cannot be activated for 48 hours.
Having received all this information, Noah stood frozen in place.
'Quality improved?'
'The Truth Seeker's effect that could potentially improve item quality had actually triggered?'
'After a whole year!'
'After a whole damn year!'
'This was finally the first time it triggered!'
He had started to think there was something wrong with his methods.
The activation rate is way too low!
But putting that aside, isn't this sword's performance a bit too overpowered!
Forget first-class equipment—this thing's very existence is practically against the rules.
Even if you gave this to a worthless adventurer, it would be enough to make them rise to become Orario's next rising star!
If Alise were to use this, you couldn't even describe it as adding wings to a tiger—she'd directly ascend on the spot!
What kind of power would fire attribute enchantment magic reach under Crimson Guardian's flame amplification?
As a mere Level 2, he couldn't even imagine that level of strength.
Amphisbanea's two abilities were almost completely reproduced in this sword—the blue flames became the blade, while the crimson mist that served as a shield now became part of the sword's capabilities.
Imagine this: because long-range attacks are ineffective, enemies are forced to engage Alise in close combat.
And Alise's "Agaris Alvesynth" is fire attribute enchantment magic, which boosts close combat power enough to fight across levels.
For enemies, this kind of "while one declines, the other rises" situation is nothing short of a nightmare.
"Hey, why are you spacing out, Noah-boy! Did it shock you that much?"
Tsubaki slapped him on the back.
Noah felt like he was pushed several meters sideways through the air.
This feeling was hard to describe—it was like being shoved by an irresistible force, making him feel less like a person and more like a feather.
In the face of this power, even gravity seemed weak.
'Damn, with strength like this, Tsubaki is basically a monster...'
"Hurry up and tell us the results!"
Noah took a deep breath, picked up a piece of paper from the table and just like when copying status abilities, he transferred Crimson Guardian's attributes onto the paper and handed it to Tsubaki and Hephaestus.
Thump.
After a brief silence, Tsubaki suddenly fell to her knees, looking completely disillusioned.
"How is this possible."
"Something like this... it's just insane, it defies common sense!"
Even Hephaestus showed a shocked expression.
"I never expected it to reach this level. Though the skill plays a part, this sword has truly surpassed the definition of first-class equipment in the city."
Forget just the Hephaestus Familia—the number of people in all of Orario who can forge first-class equipment can be counted on one hand.
And now, thanks to the new materials created by the Spell-Weaver and the quality improvement from Truth Seeker, Noah had directly reached the same level as those masters.
Hephaestus said seriously, "Congratulations, Noah. From this moment, I recognize you as a smith worthy of bearing the Hephaestus Familia name. Continue to refine your skills."
Noah held Crimson Guardian, looking at his goddess's rare display of respect and without any intention of undermining her, placed a hand over his chest and gave a slight bow.
The third person present, Tsubaki, looked at Noah's face with a competitive fire burning in her eyes!
As his senior, if she didn't work harder, she'd be surpassed by a kid who's only ten years old in no time!
"My, my... the world is vast indeed. Monsters of all kinds can appear out of nowhere—it's really exhausting."
....
Alise Magic : Agaris Alvesynth (アガリス・アルヴェシンス): Powerful fire enchant magic that covered Alise's legs, hands, and sword with fire. Alise could use it to release a torrent of flames through her sword or to generate explosions. It was inferior to Ais' Ariel, but it had an incredible synergy with her skill that made it very powerful.