James led him deeper into the guild branch while massive mana-powered machinery moved in synchronized motions throughout the forge halls.
Gigantic mechanical arms lifted glowing metal from blazing furnaces while conveyor platforms transported enchanted ore between workstations. Thick pipes carrying molten alloy ran along the ceilings like streams of liquid fire, illuminating the industrial chambers in deep orange light. The sound of hammering echoed endlessly.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Every strike carried enough force to shake the surrounding platforms slightly.
Daniel silently observed the surroundings as he walked beside James. Compared to the refined elegance of many high-ranking organizations he had seen in his previous life, Celestial Dwarves felt crude and rough around the edges.
Yet there was a strange honesty to the place. The guild was built entirely around one thing— the will to grow stronger whether it be in the art of forging or their strengthening their will power.
James casually waved toward the surrounding forge halls.
"Most of the outer district awakened buy equipment from us. Weapons, armor, transport-grade alloy plating, mana conductors… if it involves metal, chances are we forged it."
Daniel nodded slightly. The quality truly was not bad for a Tier 4 city with the strongest person being Lucas, the Principal, and the Head Legioneer of the Archbound Legion.
Several of the blacksmiths they passed radiated Adept Rank mana fluctuations, while a few older individuals deeper within the guild gave off pressure nearing ExpertRank. For a lower-tier branch, this level of strength was already respectable.
Eventually, James stopped near a smaller side chamber separated from the main forge floor.
Unlike the noisy halls outside, this room was much quieter. Weapon racks lined the walls while dozens of unfinished blades rested atop reinforced tables.
James casually kicked a nearby crate aside before sitting down on it, "Go on then."
Daniel glanced at him.
"Pick whatever you want from this room." James crossed his arms afterward. "Novice-grade weapons only. Don't get greedy."
Daniel silently walked toward the weapon racks. Most of the swords here were practical military-style weapons designed for mana beast combat rather than decoration.
Heavy Great Swords.
Light long Swords.
Katanas.
All with simple designs.
Then he paused, looking at the very back of the chamber, partially hidden beneath an old black cloth, rested a strange pitch-black weapon.
Unlike the others, it gave off no mana fluctuations whatsoever.
At first glance, it barely even looked like a sword. The weapon was long—roughly one hundred and twenty centimeters—but completely straight with a single-edged blade concealed within a matte black sheath. There was no guard or visible hilt at all. When fully sheathed, it resembled nothing more than a dark wooden stick resting against the wall.
Yet the moment Daniel saw it, his footsteps stopped faintly.
James noticed his gaze and scratched his beard.
"Hm? That thing?" He pointed lazily toward the black weapon, "Honestly, no idea where it came from."
Daniel walked toward it silently. The closer he got, the clearer the feeling became.
A faint soul resonance. Weak and Dormant but unmistakable.
The instant his hand touched the sheath, Daniel confirmed it immediately.
A Soul Weapon.
Not an ordinary mana-forged blade but a weapon capable of evolving alongside its wielder.
James continued talking from behind him.
"One of the old forge workers found it years ago buried inside a collapsed ruin outside the city. Couldn't melt it down, couldn't properly analyze it either."
"Worthless?" Daniel asked calmly.
"Pretty much." James snorted. "Doesn't amplify mana properly, doesn't react to enchantments, and nobody can figure out what material it's made from."
Daniel slowly unsheathed the blade slightly.
SHING.
A pitch-black single-edged blade emerged silently from the sheath without reflecting even the slightest trace of light.
The moment he saw it clearly, ancient memories surfaced quietly within his mind.
An endless battlefield beneath shattered stars. Rivers of blood flowing through broken worlds.
And beside him through countless wars— A black Soul Weapon that had accompanied him for longer than empires had existed.
His partner. His blade. The only weapon that had remained with him until the very end.
Then came the final battle. The collapse. The destruction and the moment that weapon shattered protecting him.
For the first time in countless years, a faint trace of emotion flickered across Daniel's calm eyes.
His fingers tightened slightly around the sheath.
"…Shadow."
James blinked, "Hm?"
Daniel slowly sheathed the blade once more. The moment it disappeared back into the black sheath, it once again resembled nothing more than an ordinary dark stick.
"I'll take this one."
"You sure? That thing's weird." James looked slightly confused.
"It's enough."
James stared at the black sheathed blade resting at Daniel's waist before shrugging carelessly, "Whatever. If you like weird junk that much, I'm not stopping you."
Daniel remained silent.
James took another drink from his metal flask before narrowing his eyes toward the sword again, "Still weird though…"
Before he could continue, a panicked voice suddenly echoed throughout the forge hall.
"BOSS JAMES!"
A dwarf covered in soot came sprinting around the corner at full speed. The man looked absolutely terrified.
James' expression instantly darkened, "…Why are you yelling?"
The dwarf nearly tripped over himself before pointing frantically toward the deeper forge chambers, "The third mana furnace exploded!"
Silence.
James slowly lowered his flask.
"…What?"
"And—and the cooling runes failed!"
A vein bulged across James' forehead. Seeing it the dwarf swallowed nervously before continuing.
"Also Brok accidentally activated the automatic forging hammers…"
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
A series of deafening impacts suddenly echoed from deeper inside the guild headquarters.
Then came screaming.
"STOP THE HAMMERS!"
"WHY ARE THEY STILL MOVING?!"
"GET OUT OF THE WAY—"
BOOOOOOM!!
The entire forge hall shook violently. Dust fell from the ceiling.
James stood completely motionless for several seconds. Then crimson mana slowly began leaking from his body. The surrounding temperature rose instantly.
Daniel calmly took a step backward.
James turned toward the terrified dwarf with bloodshot eyes.
"…Tell me honestly."
The dwarf looked like he was about to cry.
"How bad is it?"
"…The western forge wing is on fire."
James disappeared instantly in a streak of crimson light. A furious roar shook the entire guild headquarters a moment later.
"WHICH BRAINLESS IDIOT LET BROK TOUCH THE FURNACES AGAIN?!"
More explosions erupted shortly afterward.
Daniel silently watched the chaos unfold for several seconds. Then he calmly adjusted the black sheathed blade resting at his waist and walked toward the guild exit as black smoke slowly began rising from the deeper forge halls behind him.
Somehow, the screaming only got louder as he left.