Arin opened Victor's status panel next, the familiar translucent screen hovering in the air between them. The desert night pressed in around their hut, warm even after sunset, the distant wind whispering against the sand walls. Everyone leaned closer without realizing it.
___________________________
Subordinate: Victor
Core Talent: Blacksmithing
Rank: Captain (0%)
Talent Skills: Steelcraft, Forgemind, Blacksmith's Oath
Regular Skills: Blackforge Technique, Guardian's Stance, Steeled Nerve
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Upgrade Panel (Victor):
1. Upgrade Rank to Commander — 10,000 Lord Coins
2. Upgrade Skill: Blackforge Technique > Deep Forge Control — 1000 Lord Coins
3. Upgrade Skill: Guardian's Stance > Bulwark of Steel — 1000 Lord Coins
Lord Coins: 2229
___________________________
Arin scanned it carefully, slower than before, as if he already knew what he was looking for but wanted to savor it anyway.
"The blacksmithing one, right?" he asked, glancing up at Victor, though his tone made it clear there had never been any doubt.
Victor grinned, broad and unapologetic. "Yeah. Absolutely. Guardian's Stance can wait. This one? This changes everything."
Mina folded her arms, smiling faintly. "I figured you'd say that."
Raul snorted. "If he picked anything else, I'd assume he was possessed."
Victor rolled his shoulders once, like a man about to step into a forge rather than a skill upgrade. "Let's do it."
Arin nodded. "Alright. Upgrade Blackforge Technique to Deep Forge Control."
The moment the command left his mouth, the air shifted.
Command confirmed. 1000 Lord Coins consumed.
Mana surged violently toward Victor, not settling gently like it had with Raul, not wrapping him in a calm cocoon. This was different. This was raw. Unstable. It came in waves that looked almost like heat distortion, bending the space around him. The ground beneath his boots trembled, grains of sand lifting and rattling as if pulled by invisible magnets.
Victor didn't move.
The mana closed in on him like fire, roaring without sound. It didn't merely surround him—it pressed into him, slammed against his chest, his arms, his spine. If Raul's upgrade had felt like being rewritten, this felt like being reforged.
Victor shut his eyes.
To Arin's Lord's Eyes, the scene was overwhelming. Mana flowed into Victor not as a stream but as molten metal poured into a mold. His Blackforge Technique flared, resisting for a fraction of a second before yielding, stretching, deepening. Lines of conceptual heat traced through his body, mapping nerves, bones, muscles, as if the mana was learning him as much as he was learning it.
Victor clenched his fists.
For a split second, Mina thought he might cry out—but he didn't. He stayed where he was, teeth clenched, jaw locked, shoulders squared. He took it the way he took everything else: head-on, as Steeled Nerve surging to blunt the pain before it could break through.
The mana hammered him again and again.
When it finally receded, it did so abruptly, like a forge door slammed shut. The air stilled. The sand fell back to the ground. The night returned to normal.
Victor opened his eyes.
Victor stood there longer than he meant to. Nothing flashy, but there was something about him that hadn't been there before, like he was more awake.
Raul cleared his throat. "You gonna say something?"
Victor blinked, as if pulled back into his body. He laughed once, quietly. "Sorry. Yeah. Uh… yeah. This is good."
"Hm?"
Victor nodded, then shook his head, then laughed again. "No. Better. It's just, give me a second."
Mina watched him carefully. "What feels different?"
He rubbed his palms together, thinking. "Blackforge Technique… it always felt like a battle. Like I was wrestling the metal into shape, forcing it to listen." He frowned, searching for the words. "This doesn't feel like that anymore."
Arin tilted his head. "Then what does it feel like?"
Victor stared at his hands. "Like I finally stopped shouting at it." He looked up. "I can feel where the mana wants to go. Not where I want to shove it and where it belongs."
Raul leaned forward. "Okay. And that means…?"
Victor swallowed. "It means I can do something I couldn't before."
"Victor," Raul said flatly. "Out with it."
"I can now make Mana Steel."
Nobody spoke.
Mina's breath caught, just barely. "Mana Steel?"
Raul frowned. "You mean the stuff nobles use?"
Victor nodded. "That one." He scratched the back of his neck. "Steel that doesn't just hold mana. It works with it and moves with it. I've heard about it since I awakened. Always thought it was a goal for people with better teachers than me."
"And almost nobody ever pulls it off," Raul said.
Victor huffed. "Exactly. You either carve your own path or spend decades under someone who already has. And even then, most fail." He shook his head. "I never thought I'd get there."
Arin studied him. "If what we know about my talent is right… You would've achieved it on your own with enough time. I just pushed you to make the process faster."
Victor snorted. "You say that like it's nothing." He looked serious now. "Talent opens doors while money can only buy keys. But time?" He tapped his chest. "You can not buy time even if you are a King"
Raul shrugged. "Guess we are lucky to have Arin with us."
Victor's smile came back, "Yes", sharp and excited. "And that's not even the best part."
Mina folded her arms. "There's more?"
"Oh yeah." He took a breath. "Blacksmith's Oath, with it I can make no failed works and no degradation. Stack that with Deep Forge Control…" He whistled softly. "Once I reforge your gear, it won't just be better, it'll be transformed."
Raul's grin widened. "So the Dawn series is not done yet."
Victor shook his head. "Not even close."
Arin felt that familiar pull in his chest. "How big of a jump are we talking?"
Victor thought for a second. "More than 50%, at least. Across the board."
Mina let out a short laugh. "That's insane."
Victor smiled. "Yup, indeed it is."
Arin reopened Victor's panel, more out of habit than necessity.
___________________________
Subordinate: Victor
Core Talent: Blacksmithing
Rank: Captain (0%)
Talent Skills: Steelcraft, Forgemind, Blacksmith's Oath
Regular Skills: Deep Forge Control, Guardian's Stance, Steeled Nerve
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Upgrade Panel (Victor):
1. Upgrade Rank to Commander — 10,000 Lord Coins
2. Upgrade Skill: Deep Forge Control > ??? — (Rank up to Commander to unlock)
3. Upgrade Skill: Guardian's Stance > Bulwark of Steel — 1000 Lord Coins
Lord Coins: 1229
___________________________
Arin sighed lightly. "Same as Raul. Next stage is locked behind Commander."
Victor waved it off. "That's fine. Honestly, even if this were the final form, I'd be satisfied. With Deep Forge Control alone, I can push our equipment way beyond what it is now."
Raul stretched his arms over his head. "Can't wait to see what my daggers feel like after that."
Mina looked from one of them to the other, calm as ever, but there was a spark in her eyes. "We're getting stronger. Fast."
Raul grinned. "You saying that like it's a bad thing?"
She shook her head. "No. Just saying it's never enough."
Arin let that sit for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. This isn't a finish line. It's just where things start to matter."