In this chaotic world, it all started when they found an elf girl

　The fact that the elven girl didn't lash out shows her high level of refinement. She's probably the first person to have ever managed to drive the kind, upright, gentle, and icy beauty like Ryu to such a breaking point. Ryu felt like his head was about to explode.

　This skill is the last thing the elven royal family should know. The elven royal family is even more secretive than ordinary elves. Once it is known... But Lady Riveria is a very rare progressive among the elven royal family.

　So this matter is truly tangled and complicated, even for Miss Liu's clever little brain, it feels like it's crashing and collapsing. Liu looked at Roy with tired and complicated eyes, thinking that she'd really been stuck with this guy for the rest of her life.

　Roy, however, didn't seem to care much and laughed, "Since things have come to this, let's learn magic first!"

　Two-level reversal.

　This time, Roy taught magic to Ryu.

　Ryu can also learn magic through the shared "Elven Royal Authority," but she can only use the learned magic while the contract is active. This contract is of great help to her, instantly granting her several more spells.

　Ryu has learned Roy's Thunder Lord, Life Dream, and Dimensional Severance. At LV.5, the power of these spells has increased several times over.

Chapter 134 Customized Equipment

　Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter!

　Golden lightning crackled and popped from Liu's fair, jade-like hands as she molded it into various shapes, like clay. This was Roy's magic—the Lord of Lightning—which she could now wield under the contract.

　Ryu played with the golden lightning in her hand, her pretty face filled with amazement. The most distinctive feature of this magic was that it required no incantation and could constantly change form. Longsword, axe, shield, creating clones…

　It has countless ingenious uses.

　Although she felt no jealousy, the existence of such magic was truly a miracle.

　There are also Fateful Dream and Dimensional Obstruction.

　Ryu's feelings were complicated. If she hadn't been exposed to Lady Riveria, how could she have learned these two extremely powerful and versatile spells? Huge risks come with huge rewards!

　"Are we going to the secret realm again tomorrow?" Liu asked Roy, knowing that during the time he was "missing," he had been going to those strange secret realms to hunt monsters.

　"Take a day off." Roy shook his head. Guys above LV.3 are tough to deal with. Even the most careful person can get wet; without proper preparation, you might even get killed...

　Having obtained the Synchro Contract, he was no longer so worried about the threat posed by the Ikelos Familia.

　The Ikeros Familia has only one level 5 adventurer, whose leader is Dix Perdix.

　They have two level 5 adventurers!

　Even though Ryu's overall stats decrease by 30% during the contract's activation, making her the lowest-ranked among her peers, she remains a noble LV.5 and won't drop to LV.4. This allows her to deliver a devastating blow to adventurers below her level, at most turning a one-hit kill into a three-hit kill.

　Roy asked, "Is there something you need?"

　Ryu nodded, "Go to the Gubniu Familia to order equipment, and make a set for you too."

　Once he heard that, Roy understood.

　The Gubnew Familia, a weapon-forging family, is far less well-known and smaller than the Hephaestus Familia, but their equipment performance is comparable. The main difference between the two families is that the Hephaestus Familia forges large quantities of finished products, which are then stored in weapon shops throughout Orario for sale.

　The Gubney Familia only begins forging after receiving a request from an adventurer.

　That is, it is custom-made.

　With the same service, the price will be lower than that of the Hephaestus Familia.

　Therefore, the Gubernian Familia is more highly regarded among high-level adventurers.

　For example, the high-ranking elites of the Loki Familia almost all use equipment made by the Gubernian Familia, while only the middle and lower-ranking members use products from the Hephaestus Familia.

　The next day.

　Roy, Ryu, Daphne, and Cassandra arrived at the Gubney Familia's encampment, where a wave of heat hit them, and the crisp, rapid clanging of metalworking filled the air. Blacksmith workshops were scattered throughout the area.

　The blacksmiths in the area are mostly dwarves, whose strength attributes far exceed those of adventurers of other races.

　Liu was used to it.

　Daphne and Cassandra couldn't contain their excitement; they also had a share in the custom-made weapons, with all costs covered by their clan's finances. The Astrea Familia was very similar to the Loki Familia, both operating on a family-like system.

　After Daphne and Cassandra exchanged the magic stone fragments they obtained in the dungeon for Fali, they handed over most of them, keeping only a small amount of pocket money. When they were short of money, they would go to Mama Astra to ask for more.

　So, although the cost of this custom-made equipment was high, no one had any objections.

　Roy and the others entered different rooms.

　Because the equipment was custom-made, the blacksmiths' standards were strict to a degree that was somewhat demanding.

　They wouldn't accept the physical data provided by the adventurers; they insisted on having their measurements taken in person. That's why Ryu dragged Roy along. Of course, women would have their measurements taken by women.

　The Gubniu tribe also has female members; the female dwarfs are broad-shouldered and strong, and their imposing presence is in no way inferior to that of the men.

　The measurement is complete. All the monster materials accumulated by the Astrea Familia to date have been handed over to the blacksmith of the Gubney Familia, and then all that is left is to wait.

　Ryu returned to the Star Garden with Daphne and Cassandra, but Roy did not leave immediately.

　Roy approached a thin old man and said, "Gubernius, I have long admired your name."

　The old man was shirtless, thin but muscular, just like any other blacksmith. He was unkempt, but the divine aura he exuded suggested that he was a deity.

　Lacking any divine arrogance, he worked in this workshop just like any other blacksmith.

　Gubernius glanced at Roy. "Sprout of Justice, I've heard your name so many times lately, I'm practically sick of it. What do you want?" Gubernius, the adventurer who leveled up the fastest in history, had a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

　The gods greatly admire humans who can accomplish great things, and Gubernius is no exception. The reason he descended to the mortal realm is that the weapons he forged can help these people. "I dare not accept such praise."

　Roy humbly placed the Ghost King Armor in front of the other party, "God of Gubernius, may I take a look at this equipment?"

　Upon hearing this, Guberniu saw the Demon King's Armor and, after just one glance, he could no longer look away.

　Taking it from Roy, Gubernius examined it carefully, tapping and striking it, his brow furrowing more and more.

　Gubernius said, "This breastplate is made from the torso bones of some kind of monster. It enhances its abilities by absorbing blood. It must be uncomfortable to use every time."

　Roy gave Gubernius a thumbs up, "Impressive! The gods' eyesight is no joke."

　"Could you please make some improvements?"

　Roy said that the human body only has four or five thousand milliliters of blood. This thing draws out a thousand milliliters of blood every now and then. If it does this several times in a row, he will probably be drained dry.

　Gubernus shook his head decisively, "No, this breastplate is perfectly crafted."

　As he spoke, a hint of anger appeared on Gubernius's face. Who on earth did this?

　This breastplate doesn't look like it was forged; rather, it seems to have been created by some kind of force.

　So it can be called "perfect," like a perfectly fitting jigsaw puzzle. Adding or removing even one piece would cause it to get stuck. But there is no such thing as "perfection" in the world.

　In Gubernius’s eyes, this piece of equipment was an insult to the blacksmith’s profession!

　Gubernius could forge equipment of a higher level than the Demon King's Armor, but he would never forge such a seemingly "perfect" piece of equipment. Perfection means the limit; once the limit is reached, there is no possibility of further improvement for that piece of equipment.

　A hint of disappointment appeared on Roy's face.

　Gubernus played with the Demon King Armor, his deep eyes growing brighter and brighter. "Don't rush, little guy. I only said there's no way to improve it, not that it can't be 'degraded'."

　Roy perked up. "You mean?"

　"I'll take this job!"

　At this moment, Gubernius had a wicked idea. He wanted to make the equipment "imperfect" and slap the person who created it hard across the face.

Chapter 135 Divine Art

　Looking at the old but young-hearted God Gubernius, Roy wasn't worried about the Demon King's Armor being damaged by him.

　There are differences even among gods.

　The kind of god who could shatter the Philosopher's Stone and destroy the years of hard work of "Sage" Fels is a complete idiot. Even Roy would have to find an opportunity to have the dungeon monsters kill him.

　Gubringer is undoubtedly one of the more serious and upright gods; he was the one who built the Hero's Bridge in Orario. However, Roy was quite curious about Gubringer's plans. "Gubringer, what are your intentions?"

　Gubernius grinned. "Give me that monster's blood, and don't say you didn't collect it."

　Upon hearing this, Roy reached into his waist bag with his left hand, actually taking out the Demon King's Blood from his spatial ring. The small bottle contained about 100 milliliters of the most essential blood from Kibu Muzan.

　Gubernius took the small bottle. "If I'm not mistaken, this monster has extremely strong vitality. This blood is from the same source as the armor." Roy nodded. Although the Demon Dance made Muzan's combat power weak, his personality cruel, and his cowardice cowardly, no one underestimated his regenerative ability. He had five brains and seven hearts, splitting and regenerating. Even after being poisoned by a compound drug specifically for demons, he did not die on the spot.

　Gubernius said, "I will destroy its structure, reduce its performance, and then forcibly integrate it with the blood of this monster to make it have greater growth potential. Kid, pump the bellows!"

　With that, Gubernius returned to his workbench.

　Since it concerned his equipment, Roy quickly followed and, following the instructions of the god Gubernius, pulled the bellows to push air into the furnace. The originally dark red fuel instantly turned bright red, and the temperature rose sharply.

　The furnace glowed red-hot, radiating intense heat. Even Roy, a Level 3 adventurer with a constitution far exceeding that of ordinary people, felt a burning sensation. Gubernius, however, was bathed in the glow of the furnace, his entire body glowing red, and though closer to the fire than Roy, his expression remained perfectly calm, as if he felt no lingering heat. He placed the Demon King's Armor inside the furnace.

　when!when!when!

　As the Demon King's Armor glowed red-hot, Guberniu used tweezers to hold the armor in place with one hand, while the other hand picked up a hammer and brought it down. The crisp sound of hammering echoed throughout the workshop, continuous and rhythmic.

　Strictly speaking, this is not forging equipment, but destroying it, so Gubernius doesn't need much time to prepare.

　The Demon King's Armor was quickly smashed beyond recognition.

　Roy paid no attention to this; his eyes were fixed on the movements of Gubernius.

　With each strike of the hammer, Guberniu felt a sense of perfect harmony, as if this strike was meant to be, a truth that no one could question! Gods who seal their divine power in the mortal realm are essentially useless except for bestowing favors. However, a small number of gods use the skills they have honed over a long period of time to perform their duties.

　Gubernius is one of them.

　The forging skills of his opponent had reached the pinnacle of perfection. Roy mechanically pulled the bellows, his eyes fixed on Gubernius. The image of Gubernius was etched into his mind.

　"Half is enough."

　Gubernius poured half of the Demon King's blood onto the crimson armor, and threw the remaining half bottle back to Roy.

　The blood spilled on the armor didn't evaporate due to the high temperature; instead, it strangely merged with the armor, and as the hammer struck, it was completely absorbed. The armor trembled, as if it had come alive.

　Roy's attention was focused on the God of the Ancients and the Armor of the Demon King, and he did not notice anything else.

　A middle-aged man with a delicate face, wearing glasses, and resembling a frail scholar watched him from a distance.

　Blacksmithing is a demanding and arduous job. After a long day's work, blacksmiths often enjoy gulping down a mouthful of fine wine before falling into a deep sleep. Only a handful of clans sell high-end liquor, and the Gubney Clan and the Soma Clan have numerous collaborations.

　Today happened to be the day for delivering the sake, and for such a major client as the Gubernian Familia, the leader of the Soma Familia, Chanis Lustra, was coming in person. Chanis stared at Roy's figure in the workshop, a meaningful glint in his eyes.

　Name: Demon King's Armor

　Quality: Low

　Special effect (Bloodlust): Can absorb and store the blood of the dead within five meters of itself.

　Special Effect (Ascendancy): Consumes stored blood to repair the armor, restoring durability and increasing armor quality, up to Legendary. Special Effect (Demon Wrath): Consumes stored blood to increase all stats (increases based on equipment level). Each activation reduces durability by 10%.

　Special Effect (Forbidden): Cannot absorb the blood of humans, elves, gods, etc.; limited to monsters and beings without reason or intelligence. Durability: 98%

　Four or five hours later, the forging was completed, and Gubernius handed the brand-new Demon King Armor to Roy.

　Judging from its appearance alone, it was far inferior to the original; dull and lackluster, the gray-iron breastplate was unremarkable, looking like it was made of steel. The moment Roy touched the armor, a new information panel popped up in his eyes.

　The quality dropped from epic to low, but four special effects appeared, startling Roy. He quickly scanned the images, his mind reeling with even greater astonishment.

　Instead of absorbing his blood, he now absorbs the monster's blood, effectively eliminating the side effects. Consequently, the boost from special effects is significantly reduced. In the short term, he's at a disadvantage.

　Even without special effects, the Demon King's Armor's epic-level defense can withstand the magic of a LV.4 adventurer.

　But looking at the bigger picture, it's safe to say they've made a killing, raising the equipment ceiling to legendary level.

　This is the work of the gods!

　When Roy saw the final special effect, "Forbidden," he knew it was added by the god Gubernius to prevent him from using the equipment to wreak havoc. Humans are complex; often, just a single trigger is enough to easily lead them into darkness.

　The "deterioration" was truly remarkable, and Roy could feel the deity's protectiveness.

　A hint of weariness flashed in Gubniu's eyes. He put down his hammer, picked up the divine wine brewed by Soma, and drank it all in one gulp. "It's rare to encounter such materials. They are hard to come by. I've put in my utmost effort. I hope you will treat this equipment well."

　Gubernus's last words carried a hint of a reminder; he too knew the special effects of the Demon King's Armor.

　Roy nodded emphatically. "Thank you very much."

　Seeing Roy's humility, a slight smile flashed across Gubernius's usually stern face. "No need for thanks, the forging fee... this amount!"

　Gubernius stretched out a hand.

　"no problem!"

　Roy readily agreed. It took four or five hours to defeat a god. Although the potential of the Ghost King Armor was not as great as that of the Two Hundred Million Blades, it was not far off.

　The debt is fifty million francs!

Chapter 136 The human heart is not enough and the snake swallows the elephant.