Eh? That casual?"
As a faction that nearly monopolized the equipment market in the labyrinth city, Hephaestus Familia was not only the wealthiest in the city, but also a formidable force. Countless people tried to join, but more than ninety percent were directly rejected.
Yet with just one letter of recommendation, Shirou Emiya not only met the goddess in person, but was accepted on the spot.
"Of course. You've got to show some respect for Mama Mia. Our kids love the food from her place the most," Hephaestus shrugged.
A good portion of the Familia's smiths were dwarves, and the hearty, high-quality meals at fellow dwarf Mia's restaurant were a big hit.
"Besides, even without Mama Mia's recommendation, I would've taken you in," Hephaestus said, squinting her left eye. "You've got a good look in your eyes. I have a hunch you'll become an excellent 'smith.'"
"My eyes?"
"Resolute and unwavering—those eyes are the most captivating." Hephaestus smiled. "And there's one more reason I want to take you in."
She suddenly reached out and ruffled Shirou's hair.
"We both have red hair. Isn't that fate?"
Shirou looked up at Hephaestus as she tousled his hair.
Even with her divinity sealed, just seeing her was enough to feel the blazing godly essence hidden beneath her divine beauty—a being that surpassed human life.
"Now then, take off your clothes."
"Yes." Shirou removed his outerwear, revealing his youthful frame. He knew that a god's blessing was etched with divine blood onto the back of the recipient.
"Hmm, not bad..." Hephaestus cut her finger with a small knife she carried and smeared divine blood across the boy's bare back.
A cold sensation followed, and glowing glyphs appeared on his back, forming the image of a volcano and forging hammer. Lines of divine script began to float, showing Shirou's stats for the first time.
Shirou Emiya
Lv. 1
Strength: i0
Endurance: i0
Dexterity: i0
Agility: i0
Magic: i0
Development Ability:
Magic:
Unlimited Blade Works
Skills:
Oath under the Snow
???? (Roadless Valhalla)
Chapter 6: Unlimited Blade Works and Oath under the Snow
"One magic, two skills?!" Hephaestus exclaimed. "And one of them is unreadable?"
Adventurer stats were a numerical system derived from divine blessings. They included basic abilities, development abilities, magic, and skills, with level representing overall strength.
These values had been systematically verified over a millennium since the gods descended, yet adventurers still occasionally displayed unknown anomalies even the gods couldn't predict.
Basic stats included strength, endurance, dexterity, agility, and magic. Each stat ranged from 0–999, rated from I to S, with I being the lowest (0–99) and S the highest (900–999). Training or real combat experience increased proficiency and ratings. Normally, the cap for each stat was 999.
Development abilities might be obtained upon leveling up, such as Hunter, Smith, Poison Resistance, Magecraft, Healing, Mystery, etc. These were somewhat influenced by experiences prior to leveling. For example, someone frequently exposed to poison might develop resistance. However, skill acquisition conditions were not yet fully understood.
A new adventurer would typically start at Lv. 1 with all zeros and no magic or skills. But very rarely, some began with magic or even multiple skills.
More remarkably, both Unlimited Blade Works and Oath under the Snow were unique—Hephaestus had never seen anything like them!
"Is this the unknown of the lower world?" Even the goddess couldn't help but get excited.
It was said that Finn Deimne, leader of the Loki Familia, also had multiple magics and skills upon receiving his blessing. Now, that Pallum adventurer was a renowned Lv. 6 hero known as the "Braver."
Hephaestus eagerly examined Shirou's magic and skills.
Unlimited Blade Works
Summoning Magic
Projects and materializes replicas or mirrored versions of real-world items using mana
The better the understanding of the item, the stronger the effect
Greatly reduced mana cost for projecting bladed weapons
Can be cast without incantation
First-Tier Chant:
—Trace, on.
Second-Tier Chant:
Analyze creation principles
Define structural framework
Replicate composition materials
Emulate crafting techniques
Resonate with growth experience
Reproduce accumulated years
Transcend, and complete all processes—
Now, at this moment, manifest the sword of fantasy—
Third-Tier Chant:
[????]
"A summoning spell that projects objects... and it even has three tiers of chants, though the third remains sealed..." Hephaestus marveled. "Shirou, I must say, my Familia really is the perfect fit for you."
To make the most of Unlimited Blade Works, one must understand the items deeply—and what better way than forging them yourself?
Studying other craftsmen's works, being taught by high-level blacksmiths—or even the goddess of forging herself—would all accelerate the growth of this magic.
"I'm even tempted to forge a 'god-forged sword' myself to see if it can be copied!" Hephaestus mused.
She turned to his skills. One was unreadable: ????. Such cases had occurred before. It might simply be that the skill hadn't fully awakened yet. As Shirou adventured or leveled up, it might unlock.
Alternatively, the skill itself might be "undecipherable" by nature—but that was highly unlikely.
She then examined Oath under the Snow.
Oath under the Snow
Immune to charm effects
Increases attack, endurance, magic, and skill effects when protecting others
If a bond exists with the protected individual, greater stat boosts across multiple areas
If the bond is deep/intimate, all stats greatly increase, growth accelerates, and stat caps are broken
Effect scales with number and strength of bonds
Hephaestus was momentarily speechless.
This skill was undoubtedly powerful—but it had a rather... peculiar vibe to it.
"...Shirou."
"Yes, Goddess?"
"You have the makings of a harem king!"
"Huh?"
"No, correction: Strive to become a harem king!"
"Huh?!"
Hephaestus teased him, but her half-lidded eyes shimmered with a divine gleam.
"Oath under the Snow... just like a hero. I wonder, who is this child seeking to protect?"
Shirou watched as the goddess tossed his status sheet into the forge fire, his feelings mixed.
To be honest, he had suspected he might have some projection-related magic or skill—after all, in his past life, he had used that technique over and over in the final battle. It was etched into his bones.
As for Oath under the Snow, it was probably the result of abandoning the idea of becoming a "Hero of Justice" and choosing "his sister" instead—and the deeds that followed, leading to its "sublimation."
Fighting for a girl, defeating six Servants in one night, then continuing to battle until he burned himself out... Looking back, it was a bit wild.
But "intimate bond," huh? His "sister" certainly counted. But beyond that...
After teasing Shirou about the unique nature of his skill, Hephaestus turned serious.
"Shirou, I've locked and hidden your status, but there are ways to forcibly unlock it. Protect your back and don't let others learn about Oath under the Snow."
"Unlimited Blade Works can't be hidden once used, but that skill—best keep it secret," Hephaestus added. Then her tone softened, and she smiled.
"But even if it's exposed, don't worry too much. The Familia will protect you."
That was the strength of a top-tier Familia. While Hephaestus Familia wasn't the strongest in combat, its dominance in production and commerce made even the top three battle-Familia tread carefully.
"How much valis do you have, to think of crossing Hephaestus Familia? Adventurer, do you really want to face monsters with low-quality weapons?"
"Oh right, let me introduce you to our captain—"
Boom!
A violent explosion cut the goddess off. Shirou felt the ground shake slightly, and dust fell onto Hephaestus's head.
"—Tsubaki," the goddess sighed deeply.
Chapter 7: Please Help Me Train!
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't test the weapon in the Familia, I swear! The forge just exploded when I was making a magic sword."
Tsubaki Collbrande, a striking woman of Far Eastern and Dwarven descent, stood there. With her long limbs and height of 170cm—rare among dwarves—she was often the envy of her kin.
She wore traditional Far Eastern work attire passed down from her mother's homeland: crimson hakama pants and a simple white cloth wrapped around her chest. Her black hair and red eyes, along with an eyepatch like Hephaestus's—only covering her left eye instead of the right—gave her a fierce, handsome look.
This valiant and beautiful woman was known as the "One-Eyed Cyclops," a Lv. 5 adventurer and captain of the Hephaestus Familia. She stood atop a vast smithing empire within the Familia, revered as Orario's finest blacksmith.
She apparently had a bit of a black history—once testing a new weapon within the Familia and blowing up half the building. For that incident, she had been severely scolded by the goddess.
"A magic sword, huh..." Hephaestus sighed helplessly. "No one got hurt, right?"
"Relax, only half the workshop was blown up," Tsubaki said carelessly.
Magic swords, as the name implied, were blades imbued with magical power. They could unleash the spell stored within them without the need for chanting, but their usage was limited—often just a handful of times.
Yet the woman before them had taken the full brunt of a magic sword explosion head-on without a scratch. That was the endurance of a Level 5 adventurer—utterly terrifying.
Come to think of it, the first two dwarves Shirou encountered in this world—Mia, the restaurant owner, and the half-dwarf Tsubaki—were both so unlike the dwarves he imagined. If he hadn't seen a few "standard" dwarves on the street, Shirou might have formed a completely skewed impression of the entire race.
"So this is the new member of our Familia? Such a cute boy~"
"He's our Familia's future star, full of limitless potential," Hephaestus said, introducing Shirou to Tsubaki and explaining his magic, Unlimited Blade Works.
Since projection magic couldn't be hidden once used, and since Tsubaki was a trusted captain of the Familia, there was no need to keep it secret from her.
"What an incredible magic!" Tsubaki gasped. "Wait a second—does this mean you can project magic swords?"
"I've never tried it," Shirou replied after thinking for a moment. "But... theoretically, yes."
"Then doesn't that mean you could have unlimited magic swords? That's practically invincible!"
"No," Shirou countered, shaking his head. "Even if you ignore the fact that projected magic swords might lose some power, there's still the issue of mana. For example, projecting a sword that can cast a fire spell would consume at least as much mana as directly casting that spell."