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"Hey, are those proper manners when speaking to the future chief?" Master Viggo smacked the back of Veldr's head with his large hand.
"But old man, didn't you see this?!" Veldr protested. "These weapons are insane! W-Who made them? Was it you?"
"I helped her, but ninety-nine percent of the work was hers," Master Viggo replied, crossing his burly arms. "Your friend Brunhild made them for you, Veldr."
"Brunhild?!" Veldr asked in disbelief. "B-But why would you go so far?"
"What? Didn't I promise I'd make you better weapons?" I asked. "Remember when I took the Hydra Axe from you? That's why."
"No way…" Veldr stood there, stunned. "You actually kept your promise… But the most shocking thing is how incredible you are at this!"
"Without me, Kara, and Ulf, the weapons wouldn't have elemental power, so you should be grateful to us too!" Sigrid declared, crossing her arms in a cute pout.
"Well, uh, thanks…" Veldr muttered awkwardly. Clearly unused to kindness, he shifted uncomfortably. "Can… Can I hold them?"
"Of course!" I nodded.
Veldr silently took both weapons, staring at them in disbelief as their power surged through his body. His Dual Magic Blade Skills reacted instantly, resonating with the blades.
"Wow… I… Uh, I don't have anything to repay you with…" he whispered.
"No need!" I winked. "We're pals. Your friendship is more than enough, Veldr."
"…"
He looked at me, eyes wide with disbelief, then lowered his gaze. For a moment, raw emotion crossed his face, his lips trembling as if he might cry.
"…Thank you," he said softly, a genuine smile breaking through. "You're a good friend, Brunhild… But I'm not…"
"Nah, you're good," I said, gently patting his head.
He stayed quiet for a moment, gripping both weapons tightly. His eyes sharpened with resolve as ice and fire swirled around his hands.
"I promise I will use these swords to defend our home," he declared, smiling. "Thank you."
"Alright then," I nodded, glancing at my Hydra Axe. "Of course you will. Were you planning to run away or something?"
"…Uh, well," he muttered nervously. "No, not at all…"
Everyone glared at him suspiciously. I simply sighed and shook my head.
He probably had been planning to flee if things turned dire. But perhaps these new swords had changed something in him.
Veldr had always been more detached from the village than most warriors. Despite his talent, he had no family to return to. I'd heard they were lost in the wild when he was only five and never came back.
That was exactly why, with people like him, you had to be kinder than usual and show them that this was where they truly belonged.
"I'm going to upgrade this axe into something even better. Want to see?" I asked.
"Huh? Sure," he said, walking over and crossing his arms.
I infused the axe with several Spirit Stones, then layered molten Mithril over it and fused everything together with the Hydra's bones, fangs, blood—and my own power.
The green and purple axe swiftly shifted to a vibrant red and orange. As I poured Synthesis, Forging, and my other skills into it, the weapon began radiating divine power.
"Can you guys help me with some elemental infusion?"
"Sure!"
"On it!"
"Anything for you, Brun!"
Ulf, Kara, and Sigrid channeled their elemental energies into the axe. Through their combined efforts and Synthesis, they performed an Elemental Infusion—a technique only possible for magicians with high elemental affinity and advanced alchemy skills.
FLASH!
The axe erupted with flames and frost, merging seamlessly with the nature and poison elements already embedded in the Hydra Axe. It evolved into something entirely new.
The weapon had started as a normal-sized double-bladed axe, but after evolving, it became three times larger and twice as thick. The handle had to be extended until it resembled a polearm. It was now a ridiculous weapon of enormous size and weight—something even the most muscular warriors would struggle to swing.
But for me, with my massive Strength stat? It was perfect.
"It's done."
I gave the massive weapon a fitting name.
"Atlas!"
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have successfully forged a Perfect [Four Elemental Spirit Hydra Axe (B Grade)]!]
[Because you've used your Divine Power to grant the weapon a name, its rank has risen to A Grade, drastically increasing its elemental and magical power.]
[You have created the [Pseudo-Divine Four Elemental Spirit Axe: Atlas (A Grade)]!]
Multiple proficiency and skill level-up notifications followed.
"They all leveled up again?!"
"Wow… this is freaking insane…" Veldr muttered.
"S-Such a massive axe!" Viggo exclaimed. "Who is even going to lift this?!"
"Me," I said, easily lifting Atlas with one hand. "Hmm, nice weight. It'll help me crush big things. Hey Viggo, how do you think an orc would fare against my precious Atlas?" I asked, resting the axe on my shoulder.
"…They would likely be crushed under its weight," he muttered. "If you can even wield it. In fact, they might wield it better… so don't ever let this weapon fall into the wrong hands."
"I won't," I nodded. "Alright, let's finish a few more things and then have dinner. You guys want to join?"
"Sure!" Ulf replied.
"Um, but shouldn't we eat with our parents?" Kara asked. "Last time they scolded us…"
"Right…" Ulf nodded.
"Yeah, me too. Sorry," Sigrid added.
"That's fine. Veldr?" I asked. "Want to come?"
"I… uh, can I?" he asked hesitantly. "Isn't it weird?"
"Nah, why would it be weird, dummy?" I laughed.
"Well, I can have double dinner anyway," Sigrid said quickly. "I'll go!"
She ran over and hugged my arm tightly. I found her jealousy adorable and kissed her forehead.
"Don't be jealous, hahaha. What's wrong with having more friends?" I asked, patting her head.
"Ugh, but don't forget about your older friends!" Sigrid protested.
"I would never…" I shook my head. "Actually, I haven't told you guys yet—we're going to the Swamp Dungeon with my whole family to hunt monsters for more Soul Points. I need them to summon troops. It'll be safer than last time, and you'll get real leveling done. Want to come?"
"Woah, really?" Ulf asked excitedly.
"I haven't been outside the village much, but it sounds exciting," Kara nodded. "How far is the swamp though? I don't want to walk for days…"
"We can get there in half a day if we hurry," I said. "And we can ride Fenrir."
"Nice…!" Sigrid beamed. "I want to go too! I'll do my best to help!"
"Alright, it's decided," I nodded.
After that, we returned home and had dinner together. Veldr became the center of attention for my entire family. For some reason, my parents had decided he was my boyfriend.
"So you're Brunhild's boyfriend?" my father asked. "You know she's barely twelve, right? That's wrong, kid. Come back when she's older."
"What?!" Veldr gasped. "T-That's not..."
"Ragnar, you old oaf, don't be so rude to the young man!" my mother scolded. "Veldr, it seems my daughter likes you if she gave you those swords. Maybe later we could arrange a marriage? Would you like to become her husband?"
"S-Stop it, please! That's not what I want!" Veldr's face flushed with embarrassment. "She's just a kid! Stop saying weird things!"
"Yeah, stop it! I don't want any arranged marriages either, so cut that out," I added, crossing my arms.
"Oh, my bad! Hahahaha!" my father laughed.
"But dear, when I was your age I already had a boyfriend. It's natural," my mother said with a shrug.
"Was it Dad?" my brother asked.
"No, I had three boyfriends before I settled down with your dumb dad, hahaha," my mother laughed.
"Eh?" My siblings and I reacted in unison.
"Back then, your mother was the beauty of the village. Plenty of young men wanted to marry her," my father explained. "But I won her heart in the end by beating down everyone who stood in my way! Hahahaha!"
Huh. Yet another custom that differs from Earth's society. These must be barbarian traditions. I couldn't say I liked them, but I wasn't the type to force others to change, either. I simply wouldn't follow them myself.
"Brunhild still hasn't decided who she loves or who she will marry...!" Sigrid said, a hint of jealousy creeping into her voice again. "Please don't push Veldr onto her..."
"Ahaha, well, are you interested too, Sigrid?" my mother asked.
"Hmm? Well, if you're so involved..." my father added.
"E-Eh? Me?!" Sigrid turned as red as a tomato. "W-What does that even mean...?"
"Ignore them," I sighed, patting her shoulder. "Anyway..."
After that, they finally moved on to other topics. I took the chance to ask if my friends could join us in the future. They agreed, as long as their parents approved. Once dinner ended, I sent everyone back to their homes.
"Sorry about my parents. They're idiots," I told Veldr at the door.
"Nah, it's fine," he shrugged. He stepped outside, glanced up at the night sky, then looked back at me. "Well... Maybe..."
"Huh?"
"Maybe if you were older... I wouldn't... I wouldn't mind..." he muttered, his expression deeply embarrassed.
An awkward silence stretched between us as we stared into each other's eyes.
"Pffff... Hahahaha! No way! Not in a million years, Veldr. Nope," I rejected him instantly.
"A-Are you rejecting me? I didn't even imply anything!" he groaned. "Ugh, goodbye!" Humiliated, he turned and walked away.
I laughed, arms crossed, as I headed back inside. There, I found my siblings peeking from behind the door.
"Look at her. Such a heartbreaker..." my brother said. "They grow up so fast..."
"No way she just rejected a ten out of ten..." my sister muttered, sounding jealous. "She's going to be even more popular once she grows up."
"Would you two shut up?!" I startled them, and they quickly scampered upstairs.
Wow. They act more childish than I do sometimes. Most of the time, actually.
Once back in my room and ready to rest, I noticed several new messages.
[The Divinity: {Goddess of Nature and Spirits, Tierra} is very grateful for what you've done. Thanks to this, your entire village has converted to her faith, and she has gained a sizable amount of divine power. She has shown her gratitude by sending some Rewards.]
[She has gifted: [Rare Trait Scroll (B Grade)] x1, [Spirit Food (B Grade)] x5, [Mother Nature's Necklace (B+ Grade)] x1]
"Oh wow? Thank you!"
[The Divinity: {God of the Sun and Pride, Solaris} seems greatly pleased by what you've done as well. He didn't think it would be possible for a village to hold such strong faith for two gods at the same time, but perhaps dire circumstances can force people to achieve the impossible. He looks forward to your village's growth and wants to show his gratitude with some Rewards.]
[He has gifted: [Spirit Beast Tattoo Ink – Sun Phoenix (A Grade)] x1, [+1 Weapon Upgrade Stone (B Grade)] x3, [Sunflare Cloak (B+ Grade)] x1]
"Huh?! A Spirit Beast Tattoo Ink?! Wait, what is that?"
I was shocked by the sudden rewards, but even more so by the way my connection with both deities suddenly deepened and intensified.
For a moment, it almost felt like—
No, wait.
FLASH!
"Huh?!"
I found myself floating in the middle of the sky. Before me, two powerful divinities shone so brightly they nearly blinded me.
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