Judas, who had been meditating in the training grounds, noticed a guard approaching him with a letter in hand.
"Sir Judas, this is for you."
The guard spoke respectfully, offering a small bow.
Judas raised a brow before accepting the letter and thanking him.
'Who would send me a letter at this hour?'
Curiosity flickered through his mind as he inspected the seal.
Snapping the wax, he opened the envelope and began reading.
"I see..."
Judas muttered quietly.
Simply put, the letter was from Alfia.
She explained that their training sessions would be postponed for some time and instructed him not to come until then.
She didn't bother to explain the reason, but knowing her, Judas figured it must involve something important.
"I guess I've got a lot of free time."
Judas said as he stood and stretched his body.
"I should tell Ais and the others when they get back."
Just as he took a step forward, he caught sight of Raul sprinting toward him at the edge of his vision.
"Judas! The materials have arrived!"
Hearing this, Judas nodded and followed Raul to the courtyard, where Finn, Gareth, Riveria, and Loki were already gathered.
Before them stood a large stack of metal ingots, piled high enough to nearly reach his height.
"Judas, congratulations on your level up."
The high elf princess spoke with a light smile.
"Aye... congratulations, lad."
Gareth added, stroking his beard.
"Thanks."
Judas nodded in acknowledgment.
"Judas, take a look at this. Is this amount satisfactory?"
Finn asked with a smile, gesturing toward the stacked ingots.
"It's more than enough."
Judas nodded in satisfaction as he lifted one of the ingots with a single hand.
'A bit heavy.'
Even with his body enhanced by a level 3 falna, he could clearly feel its weight.
'To be able to gather so much pure adamantite in such a short time... as expected of Finn.'
These ingots were pure adamantite... not the ordinary kind, but material harvested from the deep floors of the Dungeon, offering the highest quality possible, unlike the adamantite found on the upper floors.
"Gathering this much cost us a lot of valis... I just hope the thing you're trying to do succeeds. Otherwise, it'd be a waste."
Loki said with her hands on her hips.
"Judas, is it really true that you can imbue enchantments onto equipment and grant it magical effects?"
Riveria suddenly stepped forward, barely containing her innate scholarly curiosity.
That was right.
One of the main reasons he had ordered these adamantite ingots was to practice his enchantment skills.
The last time he had attempted to imbue enchantments into a piece of gear, it had ended in a violent explosion... an incident that had occurred shortly after he first met the Loki Familia.
As for why he chose adamantite, the answer was simple.
It was the perfect medium for enchantment.
Not only could it store and conduct magical power with remarkable efficiency, but it was also durable enough to endure the strain of having runes engraved directly into its structure.
'I could even try creating a warrior golem with this.'
The thought surfaced naturally.
'If I put enough time into it... I might be able to make one that rivals first-class adventurers.'
'Maybe I could even link my consciousness to it and fight through it instead.'
Ideas flowed one after another before Judas shifted his attention back to Riveria.
"Yeah, I can. But I'm a bit rusty," he admitted.
"It'll take some time before I can apply enchantments properly, so don't ask me to work on your gear just yet."
Despite his words, given his precise control over magic power, Judas had already calculated that it wouldn't take long before enchanting equipment became as natural as breathing.
Before he could say anything else, Loki suddenly closed the distance and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Hehe... what a wonderful child. If you really pull this off, our familia's strength will skyrocket. I'm so glad I recruited you with my godly wisdom."
Loki declared shamelessly.
In response, Judas peeled her off like a piece of old gum stuck under a table.
"Didn't you say you recruited me on a whim?"
He asked with a skeptical look, holding her by the back of her shirt before dropping her unceremoniously to the ground.
"Don't sweat the details."
Loki waved it off as she sprang back to her feet.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. I'm looking forward to seeing some results."
Finn said, his eyes filled with expectation.
Anything that could strengthen the familia... so long as it carried no real drawbacks... was something he welcomed wholeheartedly.
That was precisely why he had approved this project in the first place.
After they left, only Riveria and Judas remained behind.
"You don't mind if I watch?"
Riveria spoke softly.
As a mage, her curiosity toward anything related to magic was not just natural... it was one of her most defining traits.
"I don't mind," Judas replied with a nod.
"Just make sure not to disturb me when I'm focusing."
He had no reason to refuse, and as a mage himself, he understood her curiosity all too well.
Reaching forward, Judas picked up one of the ingots and held it in his hand, feeling its texture.
Closing his eyes, he drew in a slow breath and began to concentrate his magic power.
He raised his other hand.
Riveria watched as particles of light gathered around it, slowly taking shape as they converged into a symbol... one completely unfamiliar to her.
"Amazing..."
Even someone as composed and aloof as Riveria couldn't suppress her awe.
Her eyes followed every movement, studying the process with intense focus, as if trying to burn the scene into her memory.
Judas, having successfully summoned the rune, glanced at it briefly before carefully guiding it toward the surface of the adamantite.
The process was meticulous.
His concentration never wavered, and a single bead of sweat slid down his temple as he worked.
After a few seconds...
The rune was successfully imprinted onto the metal.
There was only a minor fluctuation of magic, one that Judas quickly suppressed before it could escalate.
It wasn't perfect.
But it worked.
"I did it."
Judas let out a small smile, satisfied that his first attempt had been a success.
...
Meanwhile, somewhere deep within the Dungeon...
"Hm... you'll have to do."
Alfia stood before a group of minotaurs.
The moment the monsters noticed her presence, they froze... then trembled in terror before turning and fleeing in blind panic.
Alfia showed no reaction.
She simply began chanting.
"Gospel."
A wave of destructive sound erupted outward, and in the next instant, the minotaurs were reduced to a burst of red mist—save for a single one that Alfia had deliberately spared.
With a flick of her arm, she tossed a sack filled with magic stones onto the ground before the trembling creature.
"Eat those and get stronger."
Her voice was calm, commanding, and left no room for refusal.
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