Emptiness
"Boring."
Vergil muttered in a bored tone, and with a flash, Beowulf returned to its dormant state within him.
Around him lay numerous Giant Toads, all belly-up, their white undersides facing the sky.
He had intended to gauge the level of monsters in this world, but the Giant Toads were far too weak for Vergil. Out of curiosity, he had tested Beowulf's punch on their supposedly impenetrable bellies. Contrary to expectations, it worked. Instead of being immune to physical attacks, they could only absorb a limited amount. No low-level monster could withstand the attacks of Beowulf, capable of obliterating demons in a few hits.
"...Hmph."
Thinking he had hunted all the Giant Toads, he was surprised to see two of them get up and hop away. Either he had missed them, or they were lucky. They instinctively understood they had no chance against him.
Usually, Vergil would chase and finish them off, but his aversion to frogs stopped him. He turned his back on the fleeing Giant Toads and retraced his steps back to town.
The next day, the two fortunate to escape Vergil's wrath were caught by a novice adventurer while trying to devour a blue goddess, but that's another story.
*****
"Welcome! Dining or—Ah! The blue guy is back!"
"What!?"
Vergil returned to the guild to collect his reward. As soon as he entered, guild staff were startled by his presence, and adventurers rose from their seats, gathering around him.
"Hey, glad to see you made it back safely."
"But wait! You didn't equip any weapons or armor?"
"Did you manage to hunt the Giant Toads?"
"No way. Judging by the look of him, he must have come back empty-handed. Told him going solo was tough."
The adventurers peppered Vergil with questions. They were curious about his first solo quest and had been waiting at the guild for his return. Even Dust and his party, who had challenged Vergil, were present.
Ignoring the chatter, Vergil walked straight to the counter. The receptionist, intimidated by him, stiffened as soon as she saw him.
"I've completed the quest. I want my reward."
"Already!?"
Vergil's sudden report surprised the receptionist. It hadn't been long since he took the quest, and even though it was only three monsters, his quick completion astonished the adventurers.
The adventurer card also recorded the number of monsters defeated. To prove his claim, Vergil handed over his card. The receptionist, upon verifying the number, widened her eyes in shock.
"F-Fifty!?"
"What!?"
The incredible number left the adventurers and guild staff in disbelief. His card showed a significant level increase and more skill points than before.
"There's no way! He killed fifty in such a short time by himself?"
"Wait, were there even that many Giant Toads?"
"Is it a trick?"
"No, the card can't be forged..."
The guild buzzed with disbelief at Vergil's first quest results. He had defeated an unrealistic number of monsters in less than an hour, without any weapons or armor, at level one. Some couldn't believe it.
However, it was common knowledge that adventurer cards couldn't be forged. Vergil had indeed single-handedly slaughtered a massive number of Giant Toads within an hour, without a scratch.
"Stop dawdling. Give me my reward."
"Uh, yes, but... the reward includes the purchase price of the defeated monsters, and until the guild recovers them, we can't give it to you..."
"...Tch."
'H-he clicked his tongue!? So scary…'
Irritated from fighting loathsome frogs and now unable to claim his reward, Vergil clicked his tongue. The receptionist, more intimidated by him than by any burly adventurer, was on the verge of tears.
Ignoring the curious glances from others, Vergil left the counter and exited the guild without talking to anyone.
"...I had no idea I was messing with such a monster."
"Yeah, I might have said some things while drunk... Let's just pretend I didn't!"
"A terrifying adventurer has appeared. Right, Rin?"
"Absolutely. He's worlds apart from those adventurers still doing construction work."
*****
Vergil left the guild and walked through the streets of Axel. He wasn't wandering aimlessly; he had a specific purpose in mind. He was searching for something.
During his battle with the Giant Toads, he had used Beowulf for hand-to-hand combat. However, martial arts were not his most proficient combat style. When he acquired Beowulf in Temen-ni-gru, it was by chance, and he had used it against Dante because it felt right.
Vergil's true strength lay in swordsmanship, specifically with a katana and Iaido techniques.
Since the day he resolved to live as a demon, he always wielded a katana in his left hand. But having chosen Beowulf as his reincarnation perk, he was now without a sword. This emptiness left him unsettled.
The reward for hunting the Giant Toads would come later. For now, he was scouting the weapon shops in Axel to find a katana that suited him. However, none of the shops had single-edged, curved swords. When he asked the shopkeepers, they only tilted their heads in confusion at the mention of a katana. It seemed such weapons might not exist in this world.
After visiting several weapon shops, Vergil changed his approach. If katanas didn't exist here, he would have one made.
Fortunately, this world had blacksmiths. Shifting his strategy, he asked the weapon shop owner for directions to a blacksmith.
"I need to ask you something. Is there a blacksmith nearby?"
"A blacksmith? The closest one is straight down this road. Turn left when you hit the river, and you'll find it on your left along the riverbank..."
"Ah, I wouldn't go there."
As the weapons merchant spoke, a male adventurer browsing nearby interjected. He hadn't been in the tavern earlier and casually addressed Vergil.
"There's an old stubborn guy there. He decides if he'll make something based on whether he likes you. If he doesn't, no weapons or armor for you. He's been around forever and is skilled, but you'll probably just get turned away. It's a waste of time."
"...Interesting."
Though the adventurer meant it as a warning, Vergil found it intriguing. Specialists like this were often eccentric. If the blacksmith was truly skilled, it was worth a visit.
"Thanks for the help. I appreciate it."
"Uh, sure... Hey, wait! That's the direction to the old man... and he's gone."
Ignoring the adventurer's last remark, Vergil made his way towards the blacksmith.
*****
As dusk began to fall, Vergil walked along the path described by the weapons shopkeeper. After a short while, he saw a building that appeared to be a blacksmith's.
The building stood on a plot of land with wild grass, its walls made of white bricks, and it had a black brick roof with a white brick chimney. The building was surrounded by a wooden fence, with a somewhat spacious yard filled with stacked wood and bricks.
A sign at the entrance read "Gary's Smithy." This was undoubtedly the blacksmith he had been told about. Without a word, Vergil passed through the gate and approached the building.
Peering inside, he saw an old man with short white hair, puffing on a pipe. The old man noticed Vergil's gaze and squinted back at him.
"...Hmm? Who are you?"
"I'm an adventurer. I asked the weapons shop about a nearby blacksmith, and they directed me here."
"I thought no one in this town would bother coming to my place anymore... So, you're a newbie, huh?"
The old man slowly got up, pipe still in hand, and approached Vergil. Despite his age, he stood straight, though he was only as tall as Vergil's chest.
"Indeed, I've been a blacksmith here for ages. I'm Gary Arms. And you are?"
"...Vergil."
"Vergil, huh? Sorry to say, but I don't make weapons or armor for novice adventurers who can't handle them. Leave."
Gary, the old blacksmith, stood firm before Vergil, puffing on his pipe and refusing to make any weapons. But Vergil didn't show any intention of leaving. Instead, he silently took out his adventurer card and handed it to Gary.
"Huh? This is your adventurer card. Showing it won't change anythi... What the!?"
Gary, who had laughed dismissively, widened his eyes just like the guild receptionist had upon seeing Vergil's card.
"These stats at this level... And you haven't even been an adventurer for a day yet, but your number of kills... Who are you?"
Not only were his stats high despite his low level, but the sheer number of kills was astounding. Gary, seeing these incredible numbers, looked up at Vergil, who stood silently with arms crossed.
"I've been in this town a long time, but I've never seen anyone like you... Haha, I like you! I'll make something for you!"
Seeing Vergil's adventurer card convinced Gary that he could entrust his weapons and armor to him. Vergil, slightly taken aback by Gary's sudden change in attitude after seeing the card, sighed.
"So, what do you want me to make?"
"A weapon called a katana."
"A katana? Oh, yeah... I remember making something like that a long time ago."
"What? Really?"
When Vergil asked if Gary knew about katanas, the answer surprised him. He had assumed such weapons didn't exist in this world, so he leaned in, eager for more information.
"Wait here," Gary said, heading to the back of the smithy. He returned shortly with a large rolled-up piece of paper and spread it out on the workbench. The paper revealed a design for a single-edged sword with a scabbard—a katana.
"I kept the design because it was unique. Is this the katana you want?"
"Yes, that's it. Can you make it? I'd like it to have a sharp edge and high durability."
Confident that this was the katana he knew, Vergil asked Gary to make it, adding his specific requirements.
The Yamato he once wielded never broke, likely due to Sparda's demonic power. But since this katana would lack such power, Vergil wanted it to be as durable as possible.
Gary, hearing Vergil's request, puffed his chest out proudly.
"Don't underestimate me! I've been a blacksmith for many years. I'll make you a katana that meets your expectations! ...But, I'm short on the materials needed to make it right now."
"Materials?"
Apologetically, Gary explained that he couldn't make the katana at the moment. Vergil asked what materials were needed. Gary promptly fetched a small piece of paper and a pen before returning to the workbench.
"For a sharp and durable weapon, you'll need these ores."
He quickly wrote down a list of ore names and quantities, handing it to Vergil.
"You can find these ores in a cave straight out the back of the guild. The guild likely has collection quests for them too. You should take one and head there."
"A collection quest... I understand."
"But be careful. The cave is mostly filled with low-level monsters, but there's a section called the 'Cave of Shura.' The deeper you go, the higher the level of monsters you'll encounter. It's a dungeon, and if you leave halfway through, you'll have to start over from the beginning. At the deepest part, there's a special monster waiting. Many low-level adventurers have come back injured."
"...I see."
'Did this guy just get excited about that?'
Gary warned Vergil about the dangers of the Cave of Shura, but Vergil's sinister smile suggested he was plotting something. Surely, he wouldn't venture there at his current level. Gary reassured himself that Vergil wasn't that reckless.
"I'll bring the materials here."
"Hey, wait. Are you planning to go mining without any tools?"
"...I was."
Vergil was about to leave for the cave immediately, but Gary called out, realizing Vergil intended to go without any mining tools.
"Fool! You can't mine without tools! Hold on, I've got something here..."
Gary shouted and began searching the smithy. Vergil, eager to leave for the cave, waited with his arms crossed.
"Here it is! Take this for mining!"
Gary handed Vergil a tool shaped like a golden ship's anchor.
"...What's this?"
"It's a pickaxe! And a great one, more durable than ordinary ones! Use it for mining! Here, take this belt too!"
"...Thank you."
The pickaxe, essential for mining, was unfamiliar to Vergil. He examined it curiously before strapping it to his back with the belt.
Thanking Gary, Vergil left the smithy as the sun dipped behind the mountains, turning day into night.
"I've never mined before... but I'll manage."
With his first collection quest ahead, Vergil headed quickly towards the guild.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
stone