The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Mithril?

"Yes."

"This is too valuable, I cannot accept it."

Lisette put the dagger back into its scabbard and put it away.

Putting aside the craftsmanship, the sword itself, made entirely of mithril, along with the obviously high-quality gemstones, is worth hundreds of credits just for the materials alone.

Adding to the 300 credits previously earned, it seems to go far beyond compensation.

“Yes, I don’t object to you giving Lisette weapons, but what about mine?” Felix also raised his objection.

Even though they were living together, he had no idea that Vena was secretly crafting equipment for Lisette.

"I'll give you the dull blade."

Wiener offered Felix a deal he couldn't refuse.

"Lisette, why don't you just accept it?"

Felix's attitude instantly reversed 180 degrees.

"Let me explain first, then you can decide whether to accept it."

After dealing with Felix with a dull cleaver that she estimated she wouldn't be able to use for several years, Venus finally had time to continue persuading Lisette.

"This Mercury Sword can be used as a magic staff, but its most important function is storage."

“If it’s just a magic device for storing magic power, I have many.”

Lisette was born with a strong affinity for magic, and after awakening her dual emblems, she never experienced the feeling of running out of magic power again.

Even so, after learning that Lisette had been attacked, Hanneman secretly gave her a lot of magical artifacts for self-defense, including magical artifacts that could store magical energy.

"What if I asked you if it could store more than just magic?"

"What else can I store if not magic? You don't expect me to develop battle aura, do you?"

"...If you really master it, I can make you another one. But the most special thing about this sword is—it can store magic."

"Like a pre-engraved magic scroll?"

"Pretty much, but you can think of it as a temporary spell slot." At this point, Vena added regretfully, "What a pity, I thought I could store two."

"...Do you know what you're saying?" Lisette touched her forehead, unsure of what to say.

One-time use magic scrolls and spell slots that can be replaced at any time are completely different concepts.

Perhaps for a novice, a scroll that can unleash high-level magic that they cannot cast themselves simply by injecting magic is more appealing.

However, for a seasoned spellcaster, the advantage of an extra spell slot is self-evident.

"While I maintain my previous stance, I'd like to ask one more question. What is the maximum number of spell levels that extra spell slot can store?"

"I don't know! Do I look like someone who knows magic? You can't test how many levels of magic I can store yourself!"

Whether it's the Lionheart or this Mercury Sword, experience doesn't play a significant role in crafting these magically-related equipment.

The only way to make it was by piling up materials and selling blood; the rest was left to my sudden flash of inspiration.

When asked about the final result, Wiener could only ruthlessly recite the instructions.

"As a blacksmith, you give away the weapons you forge to others without even testing them?" Lisette was completely exasperated by Vena.

A finished magical artifact, from its blueprints to the compatibility between the required components and materials, undergoes countless tests.

Wouldn't it cause an explosion if someone like Viner, who knows nothing, tried to create a magical weapon with his eyes closed?

"Why should anyone else test the equipment I specially crafted for you?" Viner said firmly.

"I..."

"If you don't want it, then it's because I didn't do a good enough job. I'll go back and melt it down, and keep redoing it until you're satisfied."

“Alright then, I’ll take this sword. But you must have spent a fortune crafting this, so at least let me return the three hundred credits you received before,” Lisette compromised.

Lisette always keeps a score in her mind.

She understood the principle that the more you owe, the harder it is to repay.

"Why are you still worrying about these things? We're teammates who rely on each other. No matter who improves, we're all the ones who benefit. Why are you fussing over a few measly credits?"

To make his point more convincing, Wiener slammed his student ID card on the table.

"And I'm coming clean. There are still 2,500 credits involved, and I, Viner, will be footing the bill for tonight's expenses!"

Upon hearing this, Felix immediately perked up and excitedly asked, "Then I'll add more food?"

"Add, add, add, even having food can't shut you up."

"...Did you go to rob a place or gamble?"

Even Lisette, a top student who had never worried about credits, was taken aback by this number.

It's only been a short time since the start of the semester, how could any new student have accumulated so many credits?

"I guarantee that these credits were obtained through legitimate means. You can ask Anna to verify this if you don't believe me. If I had to say, it's because we discovered a business opportunity during our last exploration of the dungeon."

"So you don't need to feel guilty. Just treat this Mercury Sword as a bonus for the team. If you feel unworthy of it, just put in more effort on the second and third levels."

Wiener earnestly advised him.

"In this case..."

Just as Lisette was hesitating, the closed door to the private room was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

“Take it, why wouldn’t you? Don’t think this kid spent a lot of money to forge this thing; he used all my materials.”

Jessica unceremoniously found a seat and sat down, then took Felix's cutlery from the table next to her.

No, you—

"I've asked for more cutlery, just wait here. What's wrong? You two continue, don't worry about me."

Not only did Jessica snatch the cutlery, she also adopted a spectator's stance, watching the spectacle unfold up close.

How did you know we were here?

Wiener pushed her cutlery toward Felix, questioning the uninvited guest.

"Um... I was the one who told Jessica," Listie said shyly.

"Don't look at me like that. We clearly agreed on a time, but Little Lisette suddenly changed her mind. I have to ask where she went, just in case she's been tricked by someone, right?"

"But in my opinion, this is a good opportunity to fall for it."

Jessica urged.

Chapter 119 Departure

The waiter knocked on the door and brought in new tableware.

Before that, Jessica was the first to pick up her fork and start tasting the food.

After this interruption, Lisette reluctantly accepted the Mercury Sword.

"Can you please stop doing unnecessary things?"

Vena was really having a headache dealing with this elusive senior.

"Also, this is our operational meeting for conquering the second level of the dungeon. Are you sure you want to sit in on it?"

"Why not?"

Jessica casually forked a small piece of cake, acting as if she were no outsider.

He gently shook the silver fork in his hand, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"I'd love to hear Wiener's opinion."

She hasn't shown her face much during this period, but in reality, she has already thoroughly examined all the other candidates.

I'm not satisfied no matter how I look at it.

On the contrary, it was Vina who stayed behind to observe the situation and surprised Jessica time and time again.

Helping Samif capture suspects, the mysterious blacksmith behind the merchants, and the disgrace of St. Freya, who blew fish in the Bronze Bureau.

These things reached Jessica's ears through different channels.

Regardless of what Viner himself thought, Jessica already considered him half a member of the Silver Wolf Class.

If one absolutely had to choose an heir, they would probably only pick one from this room.

"If you think it's okay for the question setter to participate in the answering process, then I have nothing to say."

However, since the other party didn't seem to care, Viner stopped nagging and directly assigned tasks.

"We already have the sharpest swords and the strongest shields within the third level of the dungeon. I've also replenished all the consumable items that can be used to replenish them."

This was Viner's confidence; students still at the shallow level of the dungeon couldn't possibly have a greater advantage in equipment than them.

"If it's just a regular monster, it poses a limited threat to us before we run out of stamina. But no one can guarantee that we won't encounter monsters that can inflict status ailments."

“So, Lisette, your mission is very important, and I need you to prepare restraint.”

"These are the monsters that might be encountered on the second floor that can inflict abnormal statuses. You can refer to them."

After saying that, Venere took out a small booklet and pushed it in front of Lisette.

These are notes he copied from "The Silly Town Guide".

"Let me take a look." Lisette took the booklet, glanced at it casually, and immediately looked at Jessica.

"These--"

The notes were very detailed, not only listing the monsters that might be encountered, but also noting the skills they possessed.

However, one part of the special training Jessica gave Lisette was training to resist abnormal states.

This made Lisette extremely familiar with these negative skills.

Jessica arranged the training plan, which means she had anticipated this step.

"come--"

Jessica popped a small piece of cake into Lisette's mouth and winked, indicating that she didn't need to say it.

“Leave it to me.” Lisette swallowed the cake and agreed without hesitation.

Potions and scrolls eventually need time to take effect.

Having Lisette, who has the most experience in spell-fighting and the highest resistance to abnormal statuses in the squad, prepare a dispelling spell in advance is indeed the safest option.

“As for Felix…” Vena glanced at Felix, who was wolfing down his food, and said with a sigh, “You should eat as much as you can this meal.”

The second level of the dungeon is not as safe as the first level; once you leave the Land of Origin, there is almost nowhere safe to go.

In such a perilous environment, starting a fire to cook is impractical.

They can only replenish their energy with portable dry food and jerky.

"Received!" Felix bowed upon hearing this, without even putting down the knife in his hand.

Is that all?

After Vina had finished setting everything up, Jessica finally spoke up and asked a question.

“Of course not,” Viner shook his head, then tapped his temple with his fingers. “The rest are here.”

"I have prepared many contingency plans, but not every one of them will be used."

“A brute-force approach only adds to the burden on teammates. So-called brilliant strategies are only meaningful at the right time.”

"Citrus fruit is good for feeding mushrooms," Felix mumbled, chewing something.

"Finish what's in your mouth first."

“I said, Vena, you’re like a strategist—” Felix swallowed the food in his mouth and repeated the sentence.

"That's far from enough; that's just basic squad management. A true strategist must be able to plan and win battles from afar..."

......

Jessica only attended halfway through the event before finding an excuse to leave, leaving the three of them alone.