The mood was awkward, especially after everyone took Alice's bait.
The food Nate prepared tasted like wet paper compared to what they initially imagined.
It was dry, overcooked, and flavorless, but all of them ate just to quell their hunger.
"Brother in Christ, please don't ever cook again," Arthur spoke seriously, cutting through the silence.
Nate snorted, knowing how serious Arthur was. "I'm glad it warmed you."
He heard many reviews that his food tasted horrible, yet he chose to joke to lighten the mood.
Arthur shook his head, his eyes distant, clearly thinking past dinner
"Can we go deeper? I want to see our true enemy, or at least a glimpse," he said.
Nate frowned.
They could do it, but it was too risky now.
'I could manage against most of the lower-level demons... they won't,' he thought, considering their stats.
He had a 150% bonus, but they were naked with nothing but their levels.
"Too damn risky," Nate answered, eyes narrowing. "We need to have both defenses above 300. Otherwise, it's a guaranteed suicide."
Nate paused, watching their expressions decay.
No one said anything, even Arthur's bravery crumbled. He stayed silent, feeling the dread.
Oliver and Ivy sat frozen; Those stats? They felt like cliffs.
Impossible to climb.
Alice took the initiative to ask. "Really? I thought demons weren't allowed to attack us in the grace period."
A bitter chuckle escaped Nate's mouth.
"Demons aren't allowed to invade or leave their territories, but they're fully free to kill you if you step over there," Nate answered, drowning them in a gloomy mood.
His words served as a cold bucket of water. The illusion of safety shattered in everyone's eyes.
Arthur froze, staring at the ground, saying, "Damn... I thought sudden attacks would help."
"They work, but demons have been invaders for far too long. We are interacting with the system for the first time, they're not." Nate paused, debating whether he should continue explaining or not.
'Fuck it! The more they know now, the more they are wary of the danger.'
"Demons will gang up and kill without regard for any honor. So, how about we focus on gear for now?" He continued, killing their hopes entirely.
Alice nodded, feeling convinced.
The rest agreed, but they were too depressed to respond.
'This will be rough for most of us, even while armored,' Ivy thought. 'The best that can offer is support from behind one way or another.'
Her alchemist class made it worse. She had no combat skills. Nothing magic or physical.
She was merely a support.
'Alice is probably the same,' she thought, feeling annoyed. 'But why is she acting fine?' She frowned, questioning herself.
Ivy wanted to speak up, but her tongue refused to budge.
Among the fear and depression pressuring everyone, her thoughts veered toward curiosity and unsettling greed.
'What factor empowers her? I must have it,' she thought, staring intently at Alice, then at Nate.
'Does she like him?' She asked, recalling her sister's behavior since they met Nate.
'No, that can't be it. Who's sane enough to find love in this hellhole?' She felt deeply conflicted.
'But so what? It's a fair competition,' she nodded internally, immediately then shook her head.
'Nooo, I shouldn't... She's my sister!' Ivy bit hard on the meat stick, harder than intended, trying to muffle the bitter surge of negative emotions.
But logic barely held ground here.
The longer they stayed and the more their awareness grew, the more blurred the lines became.
—
The tension hung heavy like a dense fog. However, no one spoke for a long time.
Nate finally stood, breaking the stillness.
"We resume the hunt shortly. But first, hand over your weapons to upgrade them."
Ivy nodded, her eyes locked on Alice.
'Sister or not, I need to catch up... But...' she thought, helplessness and frustration twisting her.
"I don't even have a weapon!" she roared, startling the party.
Nate smiled silently, already having a decent plan in mind. He wasn't oblivious to Ivy's mood swings like the rest were.
"I will give you mine," he said, intending to forge something better for himself. "As for your sister, I will just modify her staff."
Nate gestured for Vulcan to follow after collecting their weapons.
He noticed the Dark Elf, now guarding the corpses, not far away from the humans. 'Maybe I should grant him a name, can't keep calling him Dark Elf every time.'
Nate asked smilingly, "Do you want a name? Like Vulcan."
"I've one, it's called Shululathoi!"
"Sorry... what?!" Nate frowned; he couldn't catch or pronounce what the Dark Elf said.
"Shul. Ola. Thoi," he responded slowly.
Nate nodded, it was much more understandable when said slower. "Let's stick with Shul and forget about the rest, cool?"
"Your wish is my command. Not that it matters," Shul responded, devoid of any emotion.
Nate smiled, feeling quite nice.
Blind loyalty was something precious because Shul looked like a human. He wanted to weaponize it.
'What a day! He could be a great spy,' Nate thought, rubbing his hands.
"That's great, help me dissect these corpses now," he ordered.
Nate pointed at what he wanted, and Shul did the rest.
Slowly, the various items began piling up over time. Gems, metals, and soul stones torn from within the monsters.
'That should be kept for later, no point in using them now,' Nate decided, swiftly throwing eight soul stones into his inventory.
They were used for enchantments, but the enchanter had died to the Wyrm.
Once everything was ready, it was time to upgrade the old weapons and forge new ones.
"Vulcan, I want you to increase this sword's dexterity and strength in any way possible," Nate said, handing his sword to the giant golem.
Vulcan announced, "Order accepted!"
A massive anvil appeared a little high before falling and crushing the ground below it.
"Items required are six metallic scales. Three gems for dexterity. Two gems for strength," he continued.
Nate handed over the items, curious about the final result.
The sword lay flat on the anvil, below the scales. The hammer struck both down repeatedly, merging the materials.
'This makes no sense, but I've been used to it,' Nate thought as the bizarre process happened before his eyes.
A few minutes passed, and Vulcan moved on to the next step.
He flipped the hammer's head over, revealing a sharp edge, then he struck.
'Five holes. Five sockets for the gems. Very effective indeed.'
Vulcan placed one gem, then flattened it with the hammer before doing the same with the rest.
"Order finished," he announced, feeling slightly proud.
Nate grinned.
He held the sword, feeling the chilly bloodlust leaking from within.
The blade shimmered faintly, a light reddish hue gleaming across its surface.
He felt the lack of weight while swinging it. Despite the size, it moved smoothly in his grip.
'Is it... alive?' he wondered. 'It must be a growth-type weapon."
Massaged the blade, Nate marveled at its texture.
It was harder, sharper, and... hungrier.
'Please be,' he narrowed his eyes and activated the inspection function.
The system responded immediately.
It was time to see the long-awaited result.