Chapter 61: Custodire

This was the first time that Atlan actually felt pain in his hands. Even when he crushed the hard outer shell of the Canzers he fought in his first mission, he never felt even a tinge of pressure from it.

But now, he felt like his bones would break if he didn't stiffen his grip.

Atlan had to use his real strength, with no reservations, just to survive the monstrously strong grip of this unassuming dwarf. Little by little, he felt like he was getting the upper hand in this tussle.

Custodire's eyebrows raised as she felt an equal pressure clasping her hands. She was just testing this little cub to see how he'd react, but she didn't think that he'd be able to withstand her strength. She quickly changed her evaluation of this youth.

"Strong body…" she said with a smile.

"Okay, that's enough, Miss Custodire. You can't bully newbies like this anymore. You're in the Specialist Realm!"

Custodire let go of her grip on Atlan and crossed her hands on her chest. "I was just playing around. And it looks like this little cub right here is no newbie at all. He's pretty strong."

Atlan took a deep breath as he took back his hand. She's a Specialist? That's three realms above me! No wonder she could crush my bones.

"You're a Specialist?" he asked her.

Custodire smiled and raised her bushy chin. "That's right. I'm an Operator in the Specialist Realm. That means I can create decent weapons and armor that Specialists can use. But I can create even more magnificent armor for newbies like you."

Atlan was misled by her attire. She wasn't wearing the blue battle suit that Operators usually wore, so he thought that she was just an ordinary human.

He didn't think that anyone would ever guess that she was a Savior, much less an elite one in the Specialist realm.

Just how strong is she? He couldn't even fathom the strength of someone three realms above his own.

"So, Atlan. What stage are you in right now? 7th? 8th?"

"2nd stage," he muttered.

"2nd stage Pre-intern? Not bad."

Lizzie chuckled. "No, Miss Custodire. He's only in the 2nd stage Student Realm."

"What?!"

She couldn't believe that a mere 2nd stage Student was able to withstand her grip. At that stage, Saviors were barely even superhuman. Yet, the strength he displayed was far above the level she expected.

Lizzie saw the look of surprise on her face and she couldn't help but chuckle. This was also the reason why she wanted to introduce Atlan to her–she wanted to see the old dwarf get tongue-tied.

"And that's not all. He only advanced to the 2nd stage yesterday. One week after he got drafted. After one mission." Lizzie's words of praise were filled with pride.

Custodire had to lean on the full metal armor next to her as she processed this information.

She was a well-sought-after blacksmith with a high-class clientele filled with young masters and geniuses from prestigious families. However, this was the first time she saw someone as talented as this youth. In her opinion, he even surpassed those arrogant youths with S class talents!

"What's your job?"

"Porter."

She sucked in a big breath. Although being a porter was a good job, she couldn't help but feel that Atlan's talents were being wasted. If he had a DPS or Tank LifeSkill, he could easily become one of the premier talents of the City that could even compare to big Metropolises overseas.

But she didn't dare overlook a porter's importance. They braved the Remedium with no fighting skills to protect themselves, which was why protective gear was so important for porters like Atlan.

Custodire finally understood why Lizzie brought him here.

She sized up Atlan's body and got his measurements just from one look.

"Well, why don't you take a look around my wares and tell me if you have anything you like." She pulled a lever on the wall and the sword displays on the side suddenly made way for shiny, metallic armor displayed in stands.

"What do you like?" Lizzie said as she surveyed the armors with him.

Atlan was a little bit overwhelmed. There were different kinds of armor, and all were different from one another. Some protected only his chest, some were complete down to the shoulders, and there was even one that looked like it was made of glass.

He didn't know if shiny metallic armor was better than those that had a matte finish with a leathery texture. Should I go big and bulky? Or is minimalistic better?

"Which one do you think I should choose?" he asked Custodire. As the expert in all things armor, she'd have the best eye for these things.

The dwarf nodded and quickly chose the armor at the very front of the selection. It was made out of a black, shiny material, with prominent shoulder guards and gilled designs on the torso. It looked the most complicated out of all the armor.

"This is the Eclipse Bayou, an indirect Masamune original."

What's that? Custodire saw Atlan's confusion and quickly explained.

"An indirect Masamune original means that it is made by a blacksmith with an indirect lineage to the Masamune Family. I am one such blacksmith, so anything I make is an indirect Masamune original."

"Masamune Family? Isn't this district also called the Masamune District?"

The dwarf nodded. "Yes. This district got its name because almost all of our residents are a part of the Masamune Family."

"Are all of you part of one big family?"

"Yes. Didn't you notice that almost all of our blacksmiths and vendors in this place are dwarves? That's because we all have a bloodline that is part dwarf due to our lineage.

Some of us are more connected to the main lineage, and some are further removed.

Since I am from a side branch of the main Masamune family, all of my blacksmith works are labeled as an indirect Masamune original.

Those that are 2nd removed from the main family can only call their works as 2nd removed originals, and so on."

Atlan was surprised to find out that an entire district was dedicated to just one family. He also didn't know why being further removed from a family was considered bad.

But the fact that only one family had a monopoly on an entire blacksmithing district meant that they must be really good at it.

He looked at the Eclipse Bayou armor in front of him and knew that it was technically a good armor. Atlan even estimated that it could withstand the claws of the Deiztruphia Canzer for a few attacks at the least.

However, it just didn't feel right for him.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. Searᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

It was a simple chest armor made out of iron. It had dents and scratches all around, and it was even rusted in most places. However, a strange feeling in his gut compelled him to get it.