Hearing his question, the middle-aged woman stopped moving completely. She stared at him with her mouth hanging open, eyes wide with shock.
"You know me?" She pointed at herself in disbelief. Her voice cracked slightly. She had only recently started her blacksmithing career, barely putting her signature on a handful of swords. Yet this random kid knew her professional name.
Ryker wanted to smack himself for being so stupid. In the novel, Greed only became famous after the fifth arc when the main character discovered her weapons in some abandoned store. Looking around at this plain, forgotten shop, he realized this was probably that exact place.
But something was wrong. Greed was supposed to be a young girl, just a year younger than the main character. The woman in front of him looked tired, older, worn down by life. Her hands showed calluses from years of work.
'Is she using some kind of disguise artifact?' he wondered, studying her face more carefully. Throughout the entire Hero's Ascent novel, Greed's true identity and bloodline abilities remained hidden. Even when she joined the hero's party, nobody knew who she really was. This gave him no advantage in figuring out her secret.
"Who are you?" The woman's voice had changed completely. Gone was the bored shopkeeper tone. Now she sounded alert, wary, like a cornered animal. She kept glancing toward the door as if someone dangerous might walk through it at any moment.
Ryker stared at her for several long seconds, watching the fear creep into her eyes. Then he smiled slightly. "For such a small child, you sure do have expensive artifacts."
The effect was immediate. Her carefully maintained composure cracked like glass. Panic flooded her face as she stretched her arms forward. From her palm, a silver sword shot out, gleaming with deadly sharpness.
"Forgeheart!" Ryker said in genuine shock. He recognized the technique from the novel - the ability to create weapons directly from one's body using blood and mana.
The woman's teeth ground together in anger. "I'll repeat this one last time... Who the hell are you!"
Her voice had completely changed now. Instead of the older, tired tone, it was lighter, younger, filled with a mix of anger and fear that made her sound like the teenager she really was.
Ryker knew he was trapped. She wouldn't let him leave without answers, and that sword could cut through steel like paper. He sighed, running a hand through his white hair.
"I'm Ryker Validos," he said simply.
The disguised woman's brows furrowed as she processed the name. He could practically see the thoughts racing through her mind.
'Validos? What could they want from me?' But she was well-informed about noble families. She knew Ryker was the abandoned son, the one his family had thrown away like trash.
"What's an abandoned piece of garbage doing in my shop?" She tried to sound mocking, probably hoping to make him angry enough to storm out. Most noble children, even disowned ones, had massive egos.
But Ryker just stared at her calmly. His gray eyes showed no emotion at all. "If you think taunting me with useless small talk will make me attack you or leave, you're wrong."
His voice was steady, almost bored. He acted like her insults meant nothing to him. The woman's face turned red with embarrassment. She'd expected him to explode like other nobles, but instead he seemed completely unbothered.
"What do you want..." she asked through clenched teeth.
Ryker's lips curved into a devilish grin. He moved closer to the counter, leaning forward slightly. "What I want? Let's just say I want us to have a little cooperation."
The smile stayed plastered on his face, and she could feel her anger building. Nobody had ever treated her like this before. She was used to being ignored, dismissed, or feared - not toyed with.
"I mean, since you're planning to attend Veil Academy, it shouldn't be much of a problem, would it?"
Her fist clenched so tightly that her nails cut into her palm. Blood dripped between her fingers as she stared at him in horror.
'How does he know so much about me?' The question screamed in her mind. Even her own family didn't know about her disguise or her plans to attend the academy. She'd kept everything secret, lived two completely different lives. Yet here was this stranger, casually mentioning details that should have been impossible to know.
"What do I gain from this?" she forced out through gritted teeth.
Ryker chuckled - a sound that was both charming and completely irritating. It sent uncomfortable shivers down her spine. "Well, I'd give you the necessary assistance and protection you need. Plus, you'll officially be part of my little cult— I mean, group."
His gray eyes seemed to look straight through her, like he could see every secret she'd ever kept. He'd been planning to gather useful people, stealing them away from the useless protagonist before the story even began. Luckily for him, most of them happened to be girls.
The disguised woman wanted to laugh at his offer. She wanted to scoff and ask if he really believed an outcast like him could provide anything useful. But there was something in his tone, a seriousness that made her hesitate. He wasn't playing games, and the fact that he knew her most personal secrets proved he was far more capable than he appeared.
"I can even guide you in blacksmithing," Ryker continued casually. "And I'd advise you to stop creating weapons directly from your body. It reduces your lifespan considerably."
She froze completely. Her carefully maintained composure shattered like brittle glass.
Nobody should know about the Forgeblood technique. It was an ancient, forbidden method that even most nobles had never heard of. The fact that he knew it was slowly killing her meant he understood her bloodline better than she did.
"How..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"I know many things," Ryker said, his smile growing wider. "Things that could help you survive what's coming. Things that could make you stronger than you ever imagined."
She stared at him like he was a demon wearing human skin. Every instinct told her to run, to get as far away from this boy as possible. But every logical thought told her he was her best chance at survival.
"Alright," she said through clenched teeth, each word feeling like swallowing broken glass. "I'll join you."
The words came out like a curse, and she glared at him with pure hatred. But underneath the anger, there was something else - a tiny spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, she'd finally found someone who could help her achieve her goals.
Ryker's grin turned triumphant. "Excellent. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership, Greed."
The way he said her name sent another shiver down her spine. She had the distinct feeling that her life had just changed forever, and she wasn't sure if it was for better or worse.