Danmachi: Strongest Familia

According to Alise and the others, this latest battle could likely mean that three members—Shyvana included—are now ready for their upgrades.

Three new Level 5s in one go, Hermes thought, feeling a twinge of envy. Sol is so lucky—talent just seems to sprout up in his family.

Then, almost as if plotting aloud, Hermes considered, After all, I did him a favor… Could I squeeze a little reward out of him? It'd only be fair, given how things turned out this time. Lost in thought, he snapped back to the present as the others began discussing the return journey.

"Ready to head back?" someone asked, and Hermes nodded. "Yes, although it may be more complicated than it sounds."

Pointing toward the distant entrance, he explained, "The passage between the 17th and 18th floors has been completely blocked by fallen rubble. Clearing a path won't be quick—it's mainly large stones, not just gravel."

The town of Rivera was already in bad shape, with many buildings yet to be repaired after previous monster attacks. With resources stretched thin, few could be spared to clear the entrance.

Veronica and the others exchanged a glance, a knowing smile spreading across their faces. "Not a problem. We'll just break through the rubble ourselves," she said confidently.

Hermes raised an eyebrow as Shyvana transformed back into her dragon form. Using her immense strength, she pulverized the stones with ease, turning boulders into dust as if they were made of foam.

That night, they returned to their family's residence, and, as predicted, the three were successfully upgraded to Level 5.

Despite this achievement, Riveria noticed Veronica looked strangely downcast. Concerned, she approached her. "What's wrong, dear? You were so anxious to level up, yet now that you have, you look dispirited."

With a sigh, Veronica confessed, "My Death Sentence sword… it broke during the fight."

"Broken? Did you bring it to Poppy yet?"

Veronica shook her head. "No… the blade snapped off and flew into the lake." She looked crestfallen. Riveria patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't be so sad. We'll find a solution."

Riveria knew that retrieving the sword from the lake was impossible, and without the blade, repairs weren't an option. Even she, with little knowledge of forging, knew that the sword would have to be remade from scratch. After getting a full account of the battle with Shyvana and the others, Riveria sighed. Weapons aren't cheap, she thought, especially for Veronica's Death Sentence, crafted by the skilled blacksmith Poppy using materials from Valoran, where resources were scarce and valuable.

For now, the family had only enough Valoran metals to equip a handful of members, and Poppy's workshop was already overburdened. Armor, weapons, and equipment—especially custom orders like Death Sentence—were costly and in limited supply.

Meanwhile, down in the workshop, Poppy's voice echoed in distress. "What? The Death Sentence is broken!?" Hearing this, Poppy let out a scream that carried throughout the residence. Tugging her twin ponytails in frustration, she glared at the broken blade. As they say, a weapon's like a blacksmith's child, grieving the loss like that of a family member.

After a moment, Poppy composed herself and turned to Veronica with her usual professional resolve. "There's no fixing it; we'll have to remake it from the ground up. But there's a catch: the material's in short supply, and I'll have to set aside time to do it."

"If you can get the materials," she added, "I'll work late nights to make it happen. But the cost is steep—around 30 million valis. I'm just letting you know up front."

"Understood," Veronica replied, feeling both relieved and daunted by the expense.

"Save up," Poppy said. "I'll keep an eye out for materials in the meantime."

Veronica's eyes lit up with gratitude. Just having Poppy's support felt like a victory in itself. Selling the Black Goliath's magic stone had earned her a decent amount, and Riveria had quietly chipped in to ease the burden. All that was left was to save the remaining funds.

Just millions of valis to go, she thought, sighing.

It seems Potatoes will be needed for a long time…

——

While Veronica focused on scraping together funds for her sword, Renata's business ventures were gaining momentum. Her store opened in a small room on the family estate's outer edge. She recruited a crew of helpers, including members from Sol and Morgana's groups, and in a clever move, even had them handle the renovations themselves to save costs.

In no time, she had the layout set, with shelves in place and products arranged strategically. After explaining the basics of pharmaceutical preparation to her team, Renata organized them into shifts, maximizing efficiency. In less than a week, her warehouse was fully stocked with potions, thanks to this smooth operation.

And the trial potion she gives to the Sol family has played a very good advertising effect, at least letting many adventurers know that there is such a thing.