And on the chessboard that would decide the fate of this great labyrinth city, the first to make a move, driven by jealousy and desire, was none other than the goddess of the Ishtar Familia, Ishtar herself.
----------------------------------
In the dim, damp, and utterly lightless passageway filled with the stench of decay, the male attendant faithfully held up a portable magic stone lamp for the only goddess he adored.
The goddess's long purple hair swayed behind her with each step. Taking a drag from her smoking pipe, Ishtar exhaled a smoke ring with clear displeasure.
"I thought they might be of some use, but in the end, she was easily taken care of by Loki's Familia. However…"
As if remembering what she was about to see, she suddenly smiled, her steps becoming lighter.
Before long, a light appeared ahead, the end of the passage.
It was a massive room resembling a dungeon, its length, width, and height enough to form a grand underground hall.
"Since that one was so useless… I'll just use this one next."
Within the vast chamber built of neatly stacked stone blocks stood a number of hooded figures.
Hearing the goddess's words, they nodded slightly and led Ishtar to a terrace-like structure overlooking the space below.
In this vast area, there was only one object that could truly be called a thing.
It was restrained in the center of the room by specially made steel chains, sleeping deeply.
Admiring its form, Ishtar's bewitching smile grew ever more dangerous.
In stark contrast to her reaction, her attendant began to tremble the moment he saw the creature.
Glancing at the terrifying being, then at the goddess, he stammered, his voice shaking.
"This… this is… the 'Bull of Heaven,' right? Lady Ishtar?"
The goddess narrowed her amethyst-like eyes, her crimson lips curling, not in denial, nor affirmation.
Before the two of them lay a gigantic bull monster.
It was truly a massive creature, over five meters tall and more than eight meters long. Even curled up in restraint, it was a colossal beast.
From above, one could see its head adorned with twisted, magnificent, and immensely dangerous horns, horns that could only be described as calamitous.
Its strong, muscular body radiated power; even from a distance, the oppressive aura it emitted was terrifying.
Strong, unbelievably strong.
Even the level 4 attendant was trembling just facing it.
And that wasn't all.
On the bull's head stood something, an entity. It wore a seductive yet twisted smile as it continuously crunch-crunch devoured heaps of purple magic stones.
"Shuu, " As if sensing the gaze upon it, her grotesque eyeball twitched and turned toward them.
...
A chilling terror swept through the man, as though he had been stared at by something unimaginably dreadful.
The attendant shuddered violently.
"Hehehe… Excellent. With this trump card, neither that nuisance Loki nor that hateful woman will stand in my way! They'll all fall before me!"
"I am the strongest and most beautiful goddess in Orario!"
...
A day and a night passed peacefully.
Whatever was happening outside had nothing to do with Fron, who was completely immersed in the world of blacksmithing.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The repeated hammer strikes on the staff restored its dulled, worn surface to a gleaming brilliance.
After sharpening the tip, Fron began replacing the old magic stone core.
Unlike the prefabricated ones he used before, this new large spherical magic stone was his own creation.
[T/N: Can a magic stone be created?]
The materials came from beyond the city, from the northern volcanic region's "Volcano Flowers," mixed with special deep-layer minerals called "Mystic Crystals."
The new craftsmanship, fused with the staff, greatly enhanced its magical endurance and power output.
Turning the renewed Scholar's Argon in his hands, he muttered softly:
"The magic output is now adjusted to my limit. My overall combat power has risen significantly. Now I just need to adapt to this strength."
The new magic Surtalogi had first appeared when Fron reached Level 5.
At Level 6, it finally displayed its true form.
Its essence, destruction itself, had nearly blown apart the garden during his first test.
After that experience, he dared not use it casually again, especially for fear of devastating his surroundings.
Not only his main weapon but also his sub-weapon, Short Sword No. 6, had been reforged and strengthened to match his current abilities.
With both weapons reforged, his armor naturally wasn't neglected either.
From the Black Goliath Hide dropped when he defeated the Black Goliath, Fron had crafted a full set of Midnight FA-V. After several upgrades, he still had plenty of material left.
This time, the armor optimization again used that material, but with a twist.
He engraved numerous new runes inside the armor using mithril as fuel, granting mysterious powers to enhance its performance.
The most significant improvement was in magical resistance.
The Black Goliath Hide had exceptional resistance to physical and special attacks, but almost none against magic or curses.
...
That was its only weakness. Now, armed with new knowledge, Fron had improved the design to make up for those weaknesses.
"Not bad. This set of equipment is my greatest masterpiece yet."
Scholar's Argon IV , fourth-generation staff.
Short Sword No. 6 , sixth-generation.
Midnight FA-V , fifth-generation armor.
Together with various magical tools stored in his satchel, Fron's combat power had reached terrifying levels.
After reviewing his own power, Fron grinned slyly.
"The news about my level-up will spread soon enough, but my true strength can stay hidden. Heh."
With a playful smile, Fron opened the long-sealed wooden door and returned to his room.
...
He pushed open the door, walking down the corridor, inhaling the flower-scented fresh air, and stretched lazily.
But before he could enjoy the moment, a sudden small hand interrupted him.
"Yo, good morning, Fron!"
"..."
"I mean seriously, Tiona, how do you walk without making a sound? You're like a ghost! You nearly scared me to death!"
"Hehe, guess who's here?"
Rubbing his sore shoulder, Fron turned around.
In the morning sunlight, dazzling golden hair reflected in his eyes, and in an instant, his mood shifted completely…