"Fron, come look at this… these markings… don't they look like Orichalcum?"
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"Orichalcum?" Everyone was shocked at Gareth's words.
It was well known that metals mined from the Dungeon were categorized by tiers.
The third tier consisted of ordinary metals, commonly found in the upper floors of the Dungeon.
The second tier included rarer materials like Blackstone Ore, high-grade metals used to forge weapons for mid-level adventurers, typically mined from the middle floors and below.
These metals were scarce, difficult to extract, and required specialized processing, entirely different from the cheap and plentiful third-tier materials.
That was why most adventurers' weapons, even the good ones, rarely cost more than a few tens of thousands of valis. After subtracting processing and smithing fees, the metal itself made up only about one-third of the cost.
But the second-tier metals were on another level. Because each ore had unique properties and demanded specific smelting techniques, the costs naturally skyrocketed.
Moreover, only highly skilled smiths, those with the Developmental Ability: Blacksmithing, could even work with such materials, which pushed the final prices to astronomical levels.
Weapons made from second-tier metals could easily fetch millions of valis, let alone those of the first tier.
The first-tier metals were legendary names: Adamantite, White Stone, Mithril, and the hardest of all, Orichalcum.
If an adventurer were lucky enough to find even a small fragment embedded in a dungeon wall, it would be enough to make a fortune, enough to live comfortably for years.
Unlike the other first-tier metals, weapons made from Orichalcum weren't known for sharpness, far inferior to those forged from Adamantite or Mithril in raw cutting power. But… one must not forget Orichalcum's title:
"The Hardest Metal."
As a master smith capable of crafting weapons with special properties, Fron could say with certainty, the essential material for any "Durandal" weapon was none other than Orichalcum.
Only Orichalcum could grant that property, a testament to just how extraordinary it truly was.
And what were they looking at right now?
It wasn't that none of them had ever seen Orichalcum before. As members of the strongest Familia in Orario , Loki Familia, they had handled plenty of top-tier metals. But they had never seen a massive gate made entirely of 100% pure Orichalcum!
"That's right," Gareth said grimly. "It's Orichalcum, and completely pure. If you measured its worth in valis, this single gate would be worth… tens of billions."
Even those who had seen it written in reports felt a chill. Seeing it in person was something else entirely.
"Tch tch tch… those bastards. Just how much money have they made from smuggling all these years? A single door like this, that's a king's ransom!"
Even Finn couldn't keep his composure.
The door before them stood nearly five meters tall, three meters wide, and about a handspan thick.
Its surface was smooth to the touch, engraved with intricate patterns identical to the architectural style of Daedalus Street. But that wasn't what drew the most attention.
Set within the flawless silvery sheen of the gate was a single embedded crimson gem, gleaming with an ominous luster.
The massive Orichalcum door towered over them all, leaving the entire group speechless, their minds blank with disbelief.
Deep underground, in a damp, shadowy tunnel filled with the smell of freshly dug earth, scattered stones littered the ground. The rhythmic pounding of a hammer echoed, driving thick iron stakes into unfinished sections of a vast structure.
With each blow, clang, clang, clang, chunks of rock shattered and fell away.
Hunched over, with disheveled white hair, dark eye bags, and a grim expression, a man worked tirelessly, his every movement deliberate.
"Barca-chan, really now…" came a languid voice from behind. "At a time like this, must you keep hammering away? Why not stop and lend a hand?"
Clang!
The hammer struck the stake once more, but the rhythm faltered, thrown off by the sudden intrusion.
"Don't… interrupt… my work, Thanatos."
The hoarse, shadowy reply echoed down the tunnel, as the dim glow from the mounted magic stone lamps cast long, distorted silhouettes on the walls.
Without waiting for a response, the craftsman, Barca Perdix, resumed his work, ignoring the god behind him.
His aura was heavy, oppressive, unmistakable. There could be no doubt: this man, Barca Perdix, was the very target Loki Familia was searching for.
"Tch tch tch… as expected of that man's descendant," Thanatos said, smirking. "To you mortals, every second is precious. I almost envy you, you children of the lower world, so desperate to cling to time."
He sighed, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Ah, but we gods are different. We barely feel time's flow. A blink, a daydream, and centuries have passed."
"…" Barca didn't reply. He only swung his hammer harder, whether out of irritation or something else, even he couldn't say.
"Ha… You gods should know better," he muttered. "I, and my ancestors before me, have always lamented our mortality. For those of us consumed by obsession, time is a merciless enemy. Even if I give my entire life, every heartbeat, every breath, to this great work of art… I'll still die before it's complete."
Thanatos smiled, beautifully, almost seductively. A strange sight, given that he was a god.
"Too bad," he said softly. "Your work is about to be interrupted. The Loki Familia are already knocking on your door. Do you really want those crude barbarians, those who know nothing of art, to destroy your masterpiece?"
The craftsman froze, his movements stiff and unnatural, like a puppet whose strings had suddenly been pulled tight.
Seeing the reaction, Thanatos chuckled, then leaned closer, voice low and serpentine.
"Your project needs funding, doesn't it? Even after all these years, you've barely made progress. And now, with Loki Familia swarming the tunnels, your funding sources will soon be cut off. Once that happens… your work will suffer greatly."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"So, why not… follow my plan? Let's give these passionate guests a proper welcome, right here, in your beautiful creation. After all…"
Thanatos grinned.
"They've spent their lives under the sun. It's time they tasted the blissful chill of the darkness below."
His voice coiled through the tunnel like a whispering snake, each word eating away at the craftsman's will.