Published: January 22, 2026
“O-Orun, um, these materials?”
Ms. Selma unusually asked hesitantly.
“These are materials obtained from the deep layers.”
“That much deep-layer material? Why do you have so much of it?”
“I got them back when I was in the hero party, but never used them…”
“Amazing… Could it be that the other hero party members have this much too?”
“Hmm, I don’t think so. Except for Luna, those guys tended to be spendthrifts. They would make useless magical tools or sell materials to spend on entertainment. They were pretty reckless with money…”
Back then, Oliver managed the party’s funds, but they kept buying things they never used, nearly draining the party’s finances.
I took over the money management after seeing that.
Since then, we gradually saved some money, but now that I’m gone, I have a feeling the hero party’s financial situation is a mess…
Maybe Luna is covering for them, though.
“Mr. Alan, with this much, can you make swords?”
“Ah, yeah. This amount should be enough. In fact, if you have this much, you should’ve already made some.”
“Haha… I thought it’d be wasteful since I didn’t think I’d have a chance to use them…”
“Amazing, amazing! This is a griffon claw, and that’s a manticore fang! There are even materials I’ve never seen before! Hey, hey! Could these be materials from demonic beasts on the 93rd layer!?”
Lucre asked me, holding a shining white material.
“Yeah, that’s a unicorn horn from the 93rd layer.”
“Whoa, awesome! So cool! — Oh, wait…”
Lucre, who had been high-spirited until just now, suddenly dropped her energy when she saw something.
—It was the black dragon scale I got yesterday.
The black dragon must be a symbol of trauma for this party.
Ms. Selma’s reaction when she saw the black dragon on the 50th layer was abnormal.
The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.
Maybe it was a mistake to bring out black dragon materials…
But, as a floor boss, its materials are far higher quality than those of demonic beasts found on the 93rd layer.
If we’re making a sword from these materials, the black dragon scales should be the main focus.
“...I-Isn’t it true that using black dragon scales could make an amazing sword? What do you think, Mr. Alan?”
Ms. Rain spoke in an effortfully bright tone.
Seeing this, I realized she’s the oldest member in the party.
“Ah! I can make the best sword!”
“But, how did all this fit into one storage magical tool? Aren’t there also materials from the lower and middle layers, consumables, and equipment stored there? Doesn’t it exceed the capacity of a single storage magical tool?”
Ms. Selma questioned.
“That’s true; a normal storage magical tool couldn’t hold this much. But this one is custom-made.”
I lightly tapped the bracelet on my left wrist as I explained.
“When I was in the hero party, I managed all the magic stones and materials we got from dungeon explorations. But normal storage magical tools didn’t have enough capacity, and I didn’t want to carry multiples. So, I had a certain magical tool artisan make me one that holds the equivalent of several storage magical tools.”
“…Can you introduce me to that magical tool artisan?”
Well, of course she would ask.
“Sorry. The condition for making this was to keep the artisan a secret and not show the technique of this magical tool to others. So I can’t introduce him. Also, saying its large capacity is a gray area, so please don’t tell anyone.”
“I see. That’s unfortunate but understandable. I promise not to tell anyone about the storage magical tool. Everyone, got it?”
Everyone nodded at Selma’s question.
“Anyway, getting back on track, we’ll make the sword mainly using the black dragon scales, right?”
Mr. Alan brought the conversation back.
“Yes. Please.”
“Then, tell me your requests.”
“Well, the welcome party will have to be another time.”
Will muttered disappointedly.
“Sorry, Will.”
“Don’t apologize. We can eat anytime.”
“That’s right. Well then, it’d only be a bother for us to stay here any longer, so let’s head back.”