Chapter 174: A Contracted Order

Nathan looked to be in his mid-twenties. With his tall frame, sharp jawline, and shoulder-length hair fluttering gently in the air, he looked less like a Hunter or a weaponsmith and more like a fashion model.

He confidently strode toward the 1st slab, stealing the breath of countless women in the crowd.

Although he was only the fourth-ranked weaponsmith, the number of customers he attracted was enough to rival both Julius and Sheila. Nearly ninety percent of them were women.

Talent.

Looks.

A promising future.

What girl wouldn’t be captivated?

Nathan stopped in front of the bronze slab. With a swift motion, he unsheathed a rapier.

Unlike ordinary rapiers, however, its blade was jagged, resembling a razor-sharp saw. Even from a distance, the aura it radiated was unmistakable.

He casually raised the sword before bringing it down.

Schlk!

The blade sliced through the bronze slab as effortlessly as if it were tofu.

A faint smile appeared on Nathan’s lips.

Without stopping, he walked toward the refined iron slab.

Another casual swing.

Schlk!

The blade cut all the way through once again.

It was slightly slower than before, but it never stopped.

Next came the high-carbon steel slab.

This time, Nathan finally took a proper stance. His eyes sharpened.

Then...

Slash!

The rapier carved through the entire slab.

The audience exploded into thunderous cheers.

Arsenal’s Fury had always been one of the most thrilling spectacles in Delvan.

"That’s our Nathan! Show them who’s boss!" a female Hunter shouted excitedly.

"I love you, Nathan!" another young woman screamed from the crowd. She clearly wasn’t even a Hunter. Many unawakened people had also gathered to watch the monthly competition.

Nathan smiled brightly and waved toward the crowd in response before walking to the fourth slab.

Titanium alloy.

For the first time, his expression turned serious. He slowly raised the rapier and held his stance, gathering his focus.

Then...

Slash!

The blade bit deeply into the titanium alloy before finally coming to a halt.

Twenty inches.

The crowd erupted into even louder cheers.

"Seriously? Twenty inches into titanium alloy? Has his forging improved that much?"

"I knew he’d gotten better, but this is unbelievable!"

Satisfied, Nathan returned to his position amidst the deafening applause.

Among the remaining weaponsmiths, two people silently exchanged glances. They were none other than Julius, Delvan’s number one weaponsmith, and Manik, the third-ranked weaponsmith.

Meanwhile, upstairs...

Leon finally completed the last item on the list. Unlike the previous nine, this wasn’t a weapon. It was a shield forged entirely from pure tungsten.

Yet after Leon engraved his runic inscriptions, the massive shield felt as light as a feather.

As for its durability...

Any tank-type Hunter would be left speechless the moment they held it.

The young woman’s heart pounded so hard that she could barely contain her excitement.

Every weapon Leon had forged far exceeded what her customers had requested.

In fact, they surpassed anything sold in the other weapon shops throughout Hunter’s Arsenal. And he had forged all ten pieces in less than four hours.

But what shocked her the most wasn’t his speed. It was that Leon seemed to improve after every single weapon he forged. It was as though someone who hadn’t played a game in years had gradually regained their muscle memory, becoming better and better with every attempt.

"Hmm?" After placing the final weapon on the rack, Leon stretched lazily. As he turned around, he was startled to find the girl staring at him like a statue.

He snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"Hello? You still with me?"

"Y-Yeah!" The girl jolted back to her senses.

"I’m done." Leon smiled. "I’d forge a few more weapons if I could, but it looks like you’ve already run out of materials." He pointed toward the empty material rack.

"Yeah..." she replied with a bitter smile. "I was so focused on this order that I only bought enough materials for these ten weapons."

"What’s there to be so worried about?"

"You don’t know." She let out a quiet sigh. "Our shop used to be one of the top weapon suppliers in Hunter’s Arsenal. But after my father passed away, the business kept declining."

She lowered her gaze. "In the end, I had no choice but to accept a high-risk contract to save the shop. Although the payment was huge, I had to put up everything I owned as collateral. My father’s apartment... my scooter... even all the money in my bank account."

Leon’s eyebrows rose in surprise. "A contract for a weapon order? I’m new to this industry, but this is the first time I’ve heard of something like that."

"It doesn’t usually happen," she explained. "But I didn’t even have enough money to buy the materials. The customer paid a large advance, so they asked me to sign a contract as a guarantee. They said they needed assurance that I wouldn’t take the money and disappear without delivering the weapons."

’The customer’s reasoning sounds fair... So why does it feel like something’s off?’ Leon wondered.

"Whatever. Let’s head downstairs. The first test should be nearing its end. Since you’ve never seen Arsenal’s Fury before, it’ll be quite an eye-opening experience for you." She smiled before adding, "Besides, I’m sure you’ll be the center of attention in this very same competition one day."

"Haha. Is that so?" Leon laughed heartily.

The girl was easy to get along with, and she genuinely seemed like a kind person. The two of them began loading the finished weapons onto a trolley. It wasn’t an ordinary trolley, however. It was specially designed for transporting weapons, with more than fifteen long, briefcase-like compartments lined with soft leather to prevent the weapons from being damaged.

Working together, they carefully placed each weapon into a separate compartment.

The war hammer and the three spears were too large to fit inside, so they secured them separately on the trolley.

Once everything was ready, they took the elevator downstairs.

The moment the doors opened, a wave of cheers and applause washed over them.

By then, the third-ranked weaponsmith was already demonstrating his sword.

Leon watched as the man raised his longsword and brought it down against the fourth slab.

Slash!

The blade drove twenty-one inches into the titanium alloy before coming to a stop.

For a brief moment, the entire hall fell silent. Then thunderous applause erupted from every direction.