Dungeon of Niflheim

While Frost took in the grandeur of his surroundings Khione stealthily placed all of the shopping boxes he was holding into her storage ring before grabbing hold of his left shoulder and dragging him to one of the most packed booths.

The Crystal Boundary wasn't a single store or workshop but more of a collective, a conglomerate that allowed every workshop in the group to set up booths that advertised their stores.

The booth she chose was a front for a workshop called the Forge of Artemis. It wasn't the highest ranked shop in the Crystal Boundary, but it had a solid reputation, churning out robust and reliable products since its establishment over a century ago.

"Follow me." Khione didn't line up to visit the booth but instead lead Frost onto a large runic plate next to it. The booth was merely for information and the occasional pick up, any non-standard orders needed to be handled at the main shop. The runic plate was a short distance teleportation pad that would transfer customers directly in front of the main shop, saving them time walking and or finding it within this extensive metropolis. A feature that cost the customer nothing to use, an expense that only the most accomplished workshops in the Crystal Boundary could afford to offer.

Another large group of customers were lined up here but given the amount of staff on call and the sheer size of the workshop itself it didn't feel crowded.

"Take a look at the armour sets over there, I'll join you in a second." Khione pointed to an area filled with 4 star armours that focused mainly on chest plates, undervests, shoulder guards and heart shields.

"Happily." Knowing that this time the shopping was for him and that a golden goose like Khione was footing the bill Frost smiled from ear to ear and practically skipped his way over.

His glinted in appreciation as he picked up the different parts and read their descriptions. So much different materials, forge methods and even available runes. He was like a kid in a candy store.

'I wonder how Daki would react if she was here.' Seeing the vast array of stuff on sale and the amount of customers here donning happy expressions even as they transferred over large sums of money to the workshop staff Frost couldn't help but think of the green enchantress back home, his smoke and ash beauty that made even the act of raising a hammer and being covered in soot sexy. She'd likely burst with joy at such a sight, analysing the forging methods used in the equipment and trailing after the 4 and 5 star smiths begging to be taught their secrets.

When it came to smithing she was a lot like him when he trained, completely focused, passionate and unwilling to stop until she achieved her goals. All she needed was access to good materials and a skilled teacher then the sky was the limit. He had long promised to turn his green beauty into an unrivalled smith for as long as she held to true to that ambition.

Unfortunately attracting a blacksmith from the Forge of Artemis or any other store aligned with the Crystal Boundary was likely impossible. He had nothing to offer them, even Borris a newly minted 4 star smith couldn't be kept let alone someone ranked even higher.

"This piece is nice, but it doesn't fit quite right." Frost picked up a breastplate made from a metal alloy that mixed frost borne titanium and blue iridium. The style was fairly basic, lacking when compared to Daki's beautiful designs but the workmanship was solid and without any perceivable flaws. The person who worked on it certainly paid attention to even the finest of details. Alas the weight was a bit heavier than ideal and the area around the shoulders was a bit too loose, designed for a more bulkier individual.

Of course such things could be easily remedied if the alterations needed were minor, but it took out the more personal touch he had been getting used to.

He didn't even bother to look at the price tags since he wouldn't be paying for it in the end, instead he focused on narrowing down his options, crossing off dozens of pieces before ending up with just five options.

Three breastplates, two under armours and one heart shield, the latter being something he'd never thought of wearing before but after crossing blades with individuals far stronger than him he thought it wise to specially protect his more key areas. Without or even a lightly damaged heart his battle prowess would be completely nullified.

"You found something you like?" Khione suddenly appeared behind him making his heart leap into his throat.

"Don't sneak up on me like that, you'll give me a heart attack." Frost exaggeratedly placed his hand over his chest and calmed his breathing. He was so focused on his task that he didn't even notice a three metre bombshell walking up right behind him.

"Yeah yeah hurry up a pick something so we can try it out." Khione didn't fall for his teasing, rolling her eyes as she glanced at the five items laying in front of Frost.

"The breastplates are too mediocre and under armour should always be customised, go for the heart shield then follow me."

"Where?" Agreeing with Khione's views Frost picked up the heart shield and returned the other items to where he first found them.

"To an area that makes the Crystal Boundary so desirable in the eyes of its customers." With a smirk on her lips Khione first purchased the heart shield for her companion, openly showing off that it was her that held all the cash in the relationship before taking him to one of the many backrooms.

It wasn't a forge that she brought him to but somewhere that closely resembled the training room he had at the Dungeon only a little smaller.

While Frost was perusing the equipment on sale she was booking a timeslot for this special room. Here customers could try out their purchased merchandise in live battle conditions.

"Put on the heart shield, you can test the fit and durability of it and have the staff alter the size if it doesn't meet your requirements free of charge." Of course this boon was a one time deal and could only be used within 3 days of purchasing otherwise the alterations would incur a charge. The specialised room also provided some insurance that was included in the rental cost, any minor damage that was incurred by recent purchases would be freely and quickly repaired.

Acquiescing to her instructions Frost removed his suit and donned his back up armour as well as the newly purchased heart shield, readying himself for battle. His usual glaive was unusable and since he was recently practising with the spear he took out the training one that Khione swiped for him from the palace barracks. His choice earning him a nod of approval from his teacher.

"Go to the centre then we can begin."

"Begin what?" She still hadn't told him what this training room could do yet.

"Hehehehe just wait and see." Khione giggled mischievously before placing her hand on a strange crystal obelisk. With a small injection of mana symbols, images and writing appeared to which she inputted a few things, humming a pleasant tune as she did.

Her actions served to make Frost's skin crawl; he had a strange foreboding that whatever was coming wasn't going to be 'easy' to handle.

"You do remember that I'm not supposed to be doing anything strenuous right, Blanche warned of permanent damage." As the feeling of crisis continued to build up he tried worm his way out, using the words of the bath foreman to hopefully deter the muscle bound goddess who's eyes glinted with a joy that he'd only seen when she was literally pounding him against the wall with her spear or fists.

"Big baby that was more than 30 minutes ago, you're now free to dive headfirst into a volcano if you wanted." With an eery innocence Khione smiled and tilted her head, invoking a sense of fear in Frost's heart.

"Gulp." With a parched throat the young Dungeon core audibly gulped, the hands that were wrapped around the shaft of his spear tightened and chakra suffused from his body, forming an intricate set of armour that would protect him from harm. His instincts warned him that something dangerous was coming and that if he wasn't ready for it he'd pay a heavy price.

Khione glanced at him and upon seeing that he was ready for battle she finalised the submission and silently counted down from 5, fully intending to keep him in suspense until the final moment.

Vrrriinggg!

The moment she inputted the last detail of information into the crystal obelisk it shone with resplendent light and a massive magic crest appeared on the training room's floor, walls and even the ceiling. Within moments large bolts made of ice pierced through the crest and launched themselves without any warning at the man standing in the centre of the room.

"KHIONE!!!!"