Within the Town of Freedom, Aven Town lay a certain blacksmith workshop that had changed after many years.
The workshop was something nobody would ever visit due to how worn out and shabby it was, until a certain adventurer changed this place with his deed and fame.
The blacksmith was an old dwarf who's a drunkard but excelled in his craft. He was known to be picky towards his customers too.
For seven years he had built this workshop, forging strong weapons for the people in town to help them grown strong.
But none of them was worthy of his masterpiece.
The only people who he acknowledged was none other than that [man].
The adventurer who brought change to his workshop and his party. That man grown faster and quicker than the others, he fought against [Boss Monsters] alone with his party's support.
The armor he wore and the shield was forged together by the dwarf and a young man who worked together with him.
The dwarf's name was [Gudmund], a big yet short round body with white hair that matched his impressive beard.
Despite his business having grown in popularity, Gudmund felt as if his passion had vanished.
It was all because of the disappearance of a [friend] he once had.
That companion was none other than the adventurer he befriended, who was also a blacksmith.
When he learnt of his disappearance, he fell into depressed, he goes back to his drinking habit again.
Later on he was informed that the adventurer and the blacksmith he associated with, were the same person.
Until now...he still missed his friend and waited for him to come back.
*******
Within the workshop, Gudmund always stayed in his room, continuing to forge weapons.
He worked with several staff he hired. He needed them for his new business.
He swung his hammer towards the heated steel from the furnace.
*TING*
His eyes were lifeless
'What the hell am I doing?'
He questioned himself as he swung his hammer once more.
*TING*
'Creating this piece of junk...for those people who don't know its worth.'
*TING*
'But...someone will die if I don't forge it properly...'
*TING*
'Just like that man....'
Gudmund, who was a renowned blacksmith within the city, had come to a slump once again.
He felt less energetic than usual, when he remembered the person who gave him passion towards his work.
Then, he stopped swinging his hammer and looked at the furnace that burned brightly within this room.
"To think I cannot move on even after 7 years has passed..." He muttered to himself.
*CLING*
The door of his workshop was opened and the bell rang, someone had entered his workshop and Gudmund heard it.
"....??"
The staff that handled the customer, immediately rushed to greet him.
"Welcome to the best smithy in Aven Town! What can I get for you?" The staff greeted politely.
'A customer?' Gudmund wondered when his staff spoke towards the customer outside of his room.
He got up from his seat since he felt he couldn't continue with his work and went to open the door to get some fresh air.
When he came out of his room, "Garon, could you take over my work...I need to get some drink." He asked for his staff named Garon.
"Ohhh, boss! Are you going out again? Come on, we have a customer now!" Garon stopped him from moving and nagged him, blocking his view towards the customer.
"Tsk, this guy…it's my own choice to drink or not, are you my mom?" Gudmund was irritated by his nagging.
But, as he was going to pass Garon, he paused for a while when he noticed the customer behind him.
"It seems your habit to drink during the day hasn't changed...Gudmund." The man spoke and his voice sounded extremely familiar
"...?!"
He's wearing black full plated armor, with the helmet carved with a beast motif similar to the person who helped him get his passion.
"You are...." Gudmund felt like he saw a ghost, but instead of feeling terrified, he felt relieved after seeing this young man once again.
Yes, the first adventurer who received his acknowledgement, and the blacksmith he called as a friend.
After such a long time…
"Heh..." The stubborn dwarf snickered, then grinned widely.
"To think you had grown this big." Gudmund then stood towards him with newly kindled fire in his eyes.
"It's been a long time...you foolish lad."Gudmund smacked his armor.
"Indeed, it's been a long time...Gudmund-san." Rei replied calmly, smiling underneath that helmet.
The warm atmosphere confused the staff who stood beside them, "Huh??"
*******
Rei went inside Gudmund's room, sitting together and trying to reconnect after so many years not seeing each other.
"You were hiding in the North?! Within the Hidden Dwarf Kingdom?! Of all places?!" Gudmund was surprised to hear his story.
"Yeah, I was saved by their King and trained myself in seclusion there." Rei replied to him.
"Goodness, this is hard for me to take, to think you would be living there for 7 years straight and personally trained by their King." Gudmund spoke.
Rei was confused by his wording, "Why is it that hard? I mean, aren't you a dwarf like them?"
"Indeed, my ancestors came from that place but I was born and raised in this Kingdom." Gudmund replied.
"My pops spoke about it. I thought it was just a legend, but to think that they really exist…" Gudmund explained his origin.
"Then...what kind of place is it? Did you meet some renowned blacksmith? I am quite curious about how they live!" Gudmund spoke like a child who was excited over a toy.
Rei backed away when he leaned so close,"Calm down, can tell you everything after I finished my business here."
Gudmund laughed and backed away, "Hahaha! Sorry lad, I guess I was too excited. To think you of all people would meet them first."
"But then again, it's really surprising that you manage to survive against [The King of Destruction]." Gudmund spoke.
Rei looked at him, "Is he that strong for you to say that?"
"Of course, even though I never met him, his strength is well known to others, basically he is the strongest human alive and probably exceeds those living legends." Gudmund explained.
"Really?" Rei was somewhat uninterested by this conversation but remained calm.
Gudmund could tell by expression despite him still hiding his face with his helmet.
"Yeah...?"
"Then what about me?" Rei spoke to him.
"What about...you?" Gudmund was confused by his question until.
A sinister red aura surrounded his body, causing the whole room to be shaken by his presence.
"...?!" Gudmund was shocked by the sudden change of atmosphere around him, although his body wasn't affected by it but his surroundings were enough to shake without him moving.
'Was he this strong before?...his aura and the atmosphere around him changed!!' Gudmund held his breath instinctively and stayed still.
'Instead of being calm...it's gotten more sinister and powerful than before!!'
'What happened to him to emit such a strong aura!! To think that in just 7 years, he had changed this much…!!'
'I had seen the Guild Master strength before and he indeed was powerful...but seeing him here...now I am certain.'
'This young man...had surpassed those so called Legends!!' Gudmund gulped.
Rei knew what he's thinking, so he retracted his aura back as if nothing happened.
Gudmund finally remembered to breathe again, "I admit it...the you right now, is someone capable of challenging that person—No! You might even overwhelm him!!"
"Of all my experiences, you are the first person capable of controlling your aura and bloodlust with precise control!" Gudmund was somewhat excited by the fact Rei was getting stronger.
"Then I don't have to worry." Rei smiled.
"But..." Gudmund's expression turned serious, "How long are you going to hide your face?"
"...?!" Rei glanced at him.
"Should I call you, [Ray Houston] or [Crimson]?" Gudmund guessed.
Rei sat up straight in surprise, "How did you..."
"I'm not so stupid and senile that I don't recognize you." Gudmund spoke.
"In fact, I already know from the start." Gudmund answered him.
Rei looked at him, and he admitted defeat by taking off his helmet to reveal his face.
Gudmund grinned, "Heh, would you look at that...to think that tiny blacksmith from long ago was the warrior who had slayed two dragons." He spoke as he tapped his shoulder.
"You've done your best." Gudmund smiled proudly.
Rei smiled as well, "Yeah...yeah I did."
As the two continued their conversation.
******
The other party, his sister Emily and the others had already gathered at the [Hatchler Inn] along with Ignia.
They booked the whole place for their reunion.
Their curiosity, however, was not directed towards Crimson (Rei), who had returned, but rather towards those who followed him, which was currently encircled by veteran adventurers who were formerly Crimson's (Rei) colleagues.
The girls were currently gathered around Emily, "Ohhh, to think the leader has such a cute little sister like you!" Ruru complimented.
"Yeah, I can't believe it myself." Dahlia spoke while she observing her.
"Mhm mhm!" Erika and Ruru nodded their heads in agreement.
Emily felt cornered and looked down shyly, "U-ummmm...."
'Did Onii-chan form a party with these people?' Emily thought as she decided to look up and gulped, 'They're amazing.' Though her sense of amazing, is quite off mark which focusing on their bodies and looks.
Then Lena approached them with a glass of juice, "Here you go~" She offered it to her with a gentle smile.
"T-thank you!" Emily accepted it, 'Woah...she is so beautiful!' She looked up at her and admired her looks.
"Is there something wrong?" Lena asked while tucking strands of hair behind her ear.
"N-no! I just…never thought I'd see such a beautiful girl like you..." Emily held the cup tightly.
Lena giggled, "Hehe~ don't be nervous~ I am just a Healer of this party. I haven't introduced myself have I? My name is Lena. Nice to meet you, Emily~" Then she gracefully introduced herself, as if she was meeting a respectful person.
The girls around her knew what she was trying to do.
'Uwaaahhh....Lena...you are getting bold!~' Erika thought.
But then Kagura sat beside Emily with her usual emotionless expression and broke the atmosphere.
"My name is Kagura...the Scout and Assassin within the party, nice to meet you." She introduced herself with a proud look, showing her as the senior of this group.
Emily blinked for a moment when she noticed that these two started to feel oddly competitive.
"N-nice to meet you too, Kagura-san, Lena-san~ to think Onii-chan having wonderful party members like you two…he must have felt safe to have you all supporting him."
"That's why~ Thank you for taking care of Onii-chan~" But Emily didn't back out and gave them her most sincere thank you towards them, along with her cute smile.
Kagura and Lena were surprised by the sudden warmth coming from her smile, they immediately looked at each other and stopped their odd behavior then began to smile towards the younger girl.
"No, we are the ones who are grateful, because without his help and sacrifice, we wouldn't be here today after that incident." Lena spoke gently.
"Yes, your brother is really amazing! He stood up for us and let us escape!" Kagura spoke with excitement.
Emily smiled brightly, "Really? Onii-chan is amazing!"
'But, we shouldn't speak about how leader had been the one who fought the bosses alone while we're dealing with small mobs….' they both shared the same thought.
Meanwhile, James and the others were surrounded by Wise, Fang and Andrew.
"So Aniki was the one who trained you S-class adventurers!" James looked excitedly towards Fang and Andrew.
"Yeah he did!" Fang proudly answered him while showing his smug face.
"Amazing!" James praised him again
Fang felt embarrassed for being admired by a junior who's quite younger than him, "Well if not for him, I might be stuck at B-class for so long."
Andrew joined as well, "The same as me, if not for Crimson-san, I probably wouldn't discover what kind of element aura that is best for me." He smiled.
"As expected, Aniki is amazing…" James praised him with a wide smile, along with Hans and Bob who nodded behind him.
"But by the way, how old are you three? It seems you have known him for so long." Andrew asked him.
"Ohh! We came from the same village as Aniki, and we are all 15 years old now! We can still register ourselves as Adventurers!" James explained.
"Wait…15? Then how old is our leader right now?" Fang asked.
"Of course, he's the same age as us." James nonchalantly revealed his true age.
"Huh?" Fang and Andrew froze on the spot.
'Wait—does that mean we got lectured...' Fang thought.
'By an 8 years old?' Andrew thought the same.
They were reminded of how brutal and savage their team leader was, and he's just barely ten at the time. They never thought such a monster could exist.
"Let's not mention his age..." Fang muttered.
"Agreed." Andrew replied.
"Hmm??" While James and the others looked at them in confusion.
Fang immediately changed the topic, "Ahh by the way...I've been curious..." He then leaned closely towards James and whispered.
"Who the hell is that lady over there?" Fang asked him while pointing at the red haired lady sitting at the bar seat while talking with the owner of the [Hatchler Inn].
"Indeed...I've been curious, no matter how many times you look at her...she seems suspicious." Andrew whispered.
"Ahhh...she is...ummm, how should I say this..." James reluctantly answered their question.
Until suddenly...
"What are you boys whispering about~" Then the red haired lady appeared and stood right beside them.
Fang and Andrew immediately jumped backwards.
'What the hell is happening today?! I couldn't sense her with my sixth sense!' Fang thought.
Andrew broke a cold sweat, 'I couldn't even see her moving.'
"So you two are the ones my disciple trained before? How interesting~ a man that exudes the scent of a beast~ while the other one has a pure blue lightning aura~" Ignia spoke.
"Disciple...?" Fang repeated.
"Yes, let me introduce myself. I am the teacher of your party leader, the name is Ignia. Nice to meet you~" Ignia introduced herself with a fierce and yet alluring look at the same time.
Fang and Andrew couldn't help but gulp when they looked at such a beautiful woman in front of them.
"Teacher...? I never knew Crimson-san had a teacher." Andrew spoke.
"Of course, I just met him 7 years ago. I was the one who saved him from that [incident]~" When Ignia spoke those words, their attention was fixed towards her.
"You mean...you were there?" Fang asked.
Andrew widened his eyes in shock, "You saved Crimson-san? From [King of Destruction]?!"
But Ignia suddenly laughed, "Hahaha!~ Seriously, what's with the arrogant titles?~ You humans really love to give exaggerated names!"
"....."
They went silent, seeing her laughing at the name of someone they fear the most. But the scariest part wasn't the name...
They were more terrified of finding out who this lady was, especially to be able to laugh at that name so freely.
Until...
"What's wrong?" Someone appeared behind Fang and Andrew.
"Wha—?!" Fang and Andrew immediately back out again, surprised by the sudden presence of Rei who entered the Inn undetected.
Rei broke the atmosphere with his presence, "Hm? Is there something wrong?"
Fang and Andrew broke out cold sweats, after getting sneaked out from behind, not twice but three times.
"Leader! Don't sneak up on us like that! My Sixth Sense has been getting restless!" Fang shouted in irritation.
Andrew sighed, "Yeah, it surprised us many times, how can you hide that much presence while wearing full plate armor."
Rei chuckled, "Heh, what kind of S-class Adventurers you two if you cannot sense me at all."
Fang and Andrew made a face at him, 'Don't compare us with you monster.'
Gudmund walked in as well, "Hmm? Did you guys already start the party?" He asked, while peeking out from behind him.
Then finally, the owner of the [Hatchler Inn], a giant lady with a big grin holding up a tray filled with food that was three times bigger than herself.
"Welcome to [Hatchler Inn] where you can eat or drink or stay!!! Hahaha!!" The lady's name is Hilda.
"Ohhhh! I see a lot of newcomers today! But since the S-classes party [The Wild Fang] and [The Innocence Flash] had reserved this whole place, then I shall be the host!" She spoke as she served the food along with the cat girl waitress.
"Ohhhhh!!" James and the others were fascinated by how loud and cheerful the owner was.
Bob had been drooling at the food.
Hans just fixed his glasses, thinking if this is real.
While Emily gulped down, feeling hungry at the amount of feast before her eyes.
"C-can we eat this?" Emily asked.
"Of course! And you must be the rumored Crimson's little sister I heard so much about? To think such a strict man has such a cute little sister like you! Hahaha!" Hilda gave a big laugh which almost shook the entire building.
Emily blinked for a moment, "Y-yes, everyone did say that..." She muttered, then her gaze shifted towards Rei who stood there surrounded by his former comrades.
'I wonder...what kind of person Onii-chan has become to be respected by these people?' Emily wondered, but when she saw the tense atmosphere around Rei from a moment ago had disappeared…
Emily could only smile, "Yes, I am his proudest little sister~" She said after gathering the courage to say it towards Hilda.
Then Fang stood on top of the chair while lifting the glass.
"Everyone! It's time to cheer for our leader who came back alive! Without his sacrifice in the past, we wouldn't be alive and standing here in this place!" Fang spoke towards the crowd.
"I was just a B-class Warrior, who had been stuck in that rank for many years, ever since I met Crimson, he gave me the courage and reason to become strong, to protect people I love." Fang gave his speech, then Andrew stood beside him while lifting his glass.
"And I was just a naive low class adventurer who just started that day with him, but after meeting him, he gave me advice, to not hesitate on what's in front of me, to strive to become strong so no one will get hurt!" Andrew gave his speech.
"And now we are standing here as S-class adventurers who waited patiently for our leader to come back alive and we're all here witnessing his grand return!" Fang lifted his glass as the others followed him.
"For Crimson!!" Fang cheered.
Followed by the others who cheered joyously, "For Crimson!!!"
They began to celebrate their long reunion.
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After the celebration…
Rei came back to the [Mind Realm] to meet Fafnir in his sleep.
Fafnir was waiting for him along with Ray who was kneeling on the ground, covered in injuries.
"So you have come." Fafnir spoke towards Rei.
"Yeah, it's time for the new lesson." Rei spoke while igniting himself with his black flame.
So he can finally....
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Learn [Martial Arts].
******
On the next day.
It was the promised day where Rei began his promotion class and renewed his adventurer's license.
By facing one of the legends.
[The Fortress, Hughes Farhill].
To be continued…