"Hm?" As the new magic item's crafting neared its end, Fron's stirring rod suddenly halted. He jerked his head toward a certain direction.
"Ryu."
----------------------------
At some point, Ryu had already drawn the short sword from her waist, her blue eyes shining brightly in the darkness of night, vigilantly observing the darkness ahead.
As children blessed by jungle warfare, once elves fight in a forest environment, it's as if they've returned to the sea like fish, moving with perfect ease.
Not only does their combat power increase, but even their perception becomes extremely sharp.
"I know, a large number of monsters have gathered around the camp. I'm afraid our camp has already been surrounded."
"The guards of the Hermes Familia and Artemis Familia must have noticed as well, right?"
As soon as Fron finished speaking, in the darkness, countless noises suddenly erupted!
The sound of weapons clashing against armor, the shouts and cries of adventurers, all intertwined together.
Chaotic footsteps drew near, portable magic stone lamps and torches illuminated the surroundings, casting long, shifting shadows outside the curtain.
Even inside the tent, that sense of urgency could be clearly felt.
In such circumstances, Fron remained calm, steadily pouring the red liquid into glass bottles with both hands, then carefully storing them in his pouch.
"Ryu, let's get ready."
"In the forest, my perception is very strong. Let me serve as the scout."
"No problem."
Grabbing the cloak nearby, he flicked his wrist and draped it coolly over himself. As he walked forward, he picked up 『Scholar Argon』 and his backpack, slinging them on his back with practiced ease, then drew [Short Sword No. 6] from his lower back and held it in his hand.
"For dealing with small types, this kind of nimble weapon is more useful."
Under the reflection of the light, [Short Sword No. 6] glimmered with a cold gleam, faintly exuding a mysterious aura of death.
Forged as an improved version of [Short Sword No. 5] with renewed craftsmanship, [Short Sword No. 6] inherited its "Durandal" property, while being thinner, finer, and longer.
This was also something Fron gradually improved through multiple battles to better suit his own fighting style.
As his strength grew, not only did his equipment need to increase in power, but its size and style also had to keep pace. That was what a truly excellent blacksmith should accomplish.
Clearly, his understanding of smithing had already surpassed most of his peers in Orario.
"Shrrk", lifting the curtain, he entered the already noisy command tent.
"Lord Hermes, Lady Artemis. What's the situation?"
The two deities, under the protection of their Familia, gazed at the frontline where battle had already erupted.
"The enemy is only of one type: weakened forms spawned from Antares's proliferation. Their ability is about Lv.1, with a few reaching Lv.2. Our defenses are holding for now, our strength is more than enough to deal with them."
With the aid of 『Reader』, even under faint light, he could clearly observe the defense line battle from hundreds of meters away.
On the Hermes Familia side, led by Suicia, Falgar and Lulune, they were slaughtering monsters with perfect teamwork, moving so well together they didn't even need Asfi's command, the entire team operated smoothly.
Compared to the side Fron was familiar with, the Artemis Familia fought in a different manner.
Because of their main deity's nature, they seemed quite suited for jungle warfare.
Lante and an Amazoness acted as the vanguard, covering an elf who shot arrows and threw spears to kill monsters. Another mage used short-chant magic to coordinate with their companions, systematically cutting down enemies in groups.
Likewise, Rethusia, as captain, did not participate in combat.
Although the Artemis Familia was weaker than the Hermes Familia, handling Lv.1 and some Lv.2 monsters was still quite easy.
Hermes crossed his arms, pinching his chin, tilting his head as he analyzed the enemy's unusual movements.
"Although the enemy's numbers are considerable, their individual strength is weak. Monsters should be able to tell which foes they can't provoke, right? Especially since we have two Lv.4 and one Lv.5 here."
"It seems these weakened forms are just following primitive instinct to attack us."
As the goddess of the hunt, Artemis retained her instincts even in the mortal realm. She immediately discerned the reason the monsters attacked the camp.
"Not far ahead is the forest that's been completely corrupted. Most likely, the being sealed in the ruins sensed the vibrant life here, and instinctively wanted to hunt. That's the truth, isn't it?"
Artemis gave Fron a surprised look, then nodded.
"Yes, that's about right. I didn't expect that the [Weaver of Night] is not only strong in battle but also so knowledgeable about hunting and monster habits."
"Thank you for the praise. But let me end this battle. Everyone has been traveling for so long, if we don't rest properly, it will affect tomorrow's ruin expedition."
Saying that, Fron handed his backpack and staff-gun to Ryu, then walked forward with only the short sword in hand.
"Not even using your main weapon… this is too dangerous!" Artemis tried to stop Fron's reckless move, but Ryu and Asfi stopped her together.
"Don't worry, Lady Artemis. Just watch here. Leave the rest to him."
At that, everyone looked at the young man's gradually advancing figure with mixed expressions, each with their own thoughts.
'[Weaver of Night], Fron Argon… not only in Orario, but even across the whole world, his name is famous. A first-class adventurer of the [Loki Familia], just how powerful is he?'
Standing beside Artemis, Rethusia's face was filled with curiosity.
"Well, now that I think about it, this is also the first time I've seen little Fron fight in person. Though I've heard his name so often my ears are calloused already."
Saying that, the god gave a playful glance at his own captain. That look made Asfi's cheeks instantly turn scarlet, wishing she could crawl into a hole.
"It's starting!"
...
As he walked, Fron loosened up his body. With his stretches, cracking sounds rang out all over his body.
"Ah~ After working most of the night, not only having to precisely control my output, but also keeping it steady… I'm exhausted."
"A bunch of small fry, let's finish this quickly!"
Muttering under his breath, he lightly tossed the short sword into the air, spun it once, then crouched low, stomping his left foot into the ground, vanishing instantly.
"So fast!"
"I can't even catch his figure!"
"Impossible!"
The members of Artemis Familia also noticed Fron's approach, just in time to witness his movement.
The terrifying speed made it so even low-level adventurers couldn't catch so much as an afterimage.
Their hearts trembled in shock.
"Pupupupupupu"