They entered the village quietly, long after sunset.
Most of the lamps were already lit, their warm orange glow spilling softly from behind closed doors. The narrow paths between huts were empty, footsteps muffled by packed sand. Somewhere far off, a baby cried. Somewhere else, laughter drifted faintly before being swallowed by the night.
It felt good to be back.
Victor led them straight to the smithy, even before resting. He unlocked the old door, the hinges creaking in protest, and stepped inside, as he belonged there. One by one, they unloaded the bags of black iron. Victor stacked them carefully along the wall, checking weight, texture, impurities, his hands moving with practiced ease.
The dried Stoneback Lizard hide was laid flat, stretched carefully across a wooden frame. Thick. Dense. Still smelled faintly of blood and stone.
Victor nodded to himself. "This'll make good armor."
Arin leaned against a worktable, watching him work. Raul sat on a crate, rolling his shoulders, clearly exhausted but wearing that familiar half-smirk.
Once everything was sorted, Arin spoke. "The meat."
Victor paused, then nodded. "Yeah. That much would be wasted on just us."
Between the three of them, they'd brought back enough meat to feed nearly half the village. They agreed quickly that Rasir should handle distribution. He knew the village better than anyone. Who needed it most. Who had children. Who was sick.
So they locked the smithy and headed straight for Rasir's hut.
The village head looked up in surprise when they arrived.
"Oh," Rasir said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "You boys made it back."
"Quite successful, sir," Arin replied honestly.
Rasir chuckled. "I can see that. You don't look half-dead this time."
Arin motioned behind him. "We brought something. For the village."
When they showed him the meat, Rasir froze.
His first instinct was to refuse. His hand hovered, then pulled back. "That's… too much."
"It's not," Arin said calmly. "We don't need it all. And you know better than us who does."
Rasir looked at them for a long moment, then sighed, the tension easing from his shoulders.
Finally, he sighed. "Very well. I'll distribute it properly." Then added, firmly, "And they'll know who hunted it."
"That's not necessary, sir."
Rasir snorted. "Too bad, I'm not listening."
Rasir waved them toward the door. "Enough standing around. Come eat before you fall over."
They didn't even try to refuse.
The meal was simple: roasted meat, vegetables, and flatbread, but it tasted better than anything they'd had in days. They ate in silence at first, hunger winning out. The conversation slowly returned. Small things, the village, the mine. Rasir is telling an old story about a storm that buried three huts overnight.
For a while, it almost felt normal.
After dinner, they returned to their hut and collapsed into bed without another word.
Morning came quietly.
Arin woke to the familiar sensation of something tugging at the edge of his awareness. He blinked, then focused.
A translucent screen hovered before his eyes.
___________________________
Your subordinates have slain 7 Soldier-rank Sand Lizards. +7 Lord Coins.
Your subordinates have slain 4 Soldier-rank Black Scorpions. +4 Lord Coins.
Current Lord Coins: 200
___________________________
Arin stared at it for a long moment.
Then he let out a quiet laugh.
"That son of a gun…"
He glanced to the side. Victor was still asleep, sprawled on his back, mouth slightly open. Raul's bed was empty.
Arin stepped outside, stretching as the cool morning air hit his face. The village was just beginning to wake. Somewhere, someone was sweeping sand off a doorstep.
Footsteps crunched behind him.
Raul walked up like nothing was unusual, cloak dusty, eyes half-lidded.
"I'm done," Raul said. "Eleven exactly. I'm going to sleep now. Don't call me."
Arin blinked. "When did you even leave?"
"At dawn."
Raul walked past him and collapsed onto his bed without another word.
Arin shook his head, smiling.
When Victor finally woke, Arin told him everything.
Victor stared at Raul's sleeping form, then let out a low whistle. "That idiot…"
But there was respect in his eyes.
Arin pulled up the panel.
___________________________
Subordinate: Victor
Core Talent: Blacksmithing
Rank: Soldier (70%)
Talent Skills: Steelcraft, Forgemind
Regular Skills: Advanced Hammer Mastery, Guardian's Stance, Steeled Nerve
----------
Upgrade Panel (Victor):
Upgrade Rank to Captain — 1000 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Advanced Hammer Mastery > Blackforge Technique — 200 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Guardian's Stance > Bulwark of Steel — 1000 Lord Coins
Current Lord Coins: 200
___________________________
Arin looked at Victor. "Ready?"
Victor didn't hesitate. "Do it,"
Arin confirmed.
Command confirmed. Skill has been upgraded. 200 Lord Coins consumed.
At first, nothing happened.
Then the air shifted.
Victor stiffened, breath hitching as mana surged through him, not violent, not overwhelming, but deep. Dense. Like molten metal settling into a mold. His hands twitched. His shoulders tensed. Veins along his forearms lit faintly, glowing like heated steel beneath skin.
It wasn't like Guardian's Stance. That had been heavy. Grounding.
This was different.
Knowledge poured in, not words, not instructions, but understanding. How metal responded to force. How heat changed the structure. How a hammer's strike could shape more than just steel, it could carry intent.
Pain flared briefly in his head and spine.
Then vanished.
Steeled Nerve absorbed it without fuss, as it had always been there to do exactly this.
Victor exhaled slowly.
The glow faded.
He flexed his fingers, then laughed quietly. "Whoa…"
Arin watched carefully. "How do you feel?"
"Good," Victor said. Then corrected himself. "No. Better. Like… I know things I had no idea about yesterday."
A new panel appeared.
Blackforge Technique: Elevates the quality of forged weapons and armor through precise control of force and material structure. The technique also carries into combat, granting greater force and impact when using a hammer.
Arin whistled, Pretty neat.
Pulled up the panel again.
___________________________
Upgrade Panel (Victor):
Upgrade Rank to Captain — 1000 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Blackforge Technique > Deep Forge Control — 1000 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Guardian's Stance > Bulwark of Steel — 1000 Lord Coins
___________________________
"Thousand coins," Arin muttered. "Same as Bulwark of Steel and Raul's next upgrade, Phaseshift."
Victor laughed. "Figures."
He rolled his shoulders, excitement barely contained. "I can't wait to try this. Once I start forging… I think I can definitely craft some real good stuff."
Arin smiled. "That's the plan."
From the bed, Raul groaned. "If you two start crafting speeches, I'm throwing something."
Victor smirked. "Sleep, hero."
Arin glanced around the hut.
Victor was already talking about metal grades. Raul was half-asleep, still smirking like he'd won something.
"Alright," Arin said, pushing himself to his feet. "Enough sitting around."