Victor didn't bother knocking.
He pushed the door open with his shoulder, still smelling faintly of forge smoke and hot iron, and froze when he saw all three of them sitting there—Arin on his bed, Mina leaning against the wall with her arms folded, Raul perched near the window like he'd been waiting for a signal.
For half a second, no one spoke.
Raul broke into a grin.
"You did it, finally," he said. "Took you long enough, you bastard."
Victor blinked. "…Yeah. Sure. If you say so."
Mina smiled softly. "Congratulations, Victor. You and Arin are now Captain Rank; both of you did it."
Arin nodded, eyes bright. "Good job, man. Now we don't have to stand around like spectators when Mina and Raul keep throwing themselves at Captain Rank monsters."
Victor stared at them.
Then he laughed—loud, rough, unrestrained.
"Hell yeah!" he roared, throwing both arms up. "All four of us finally did it!"
The sound echoed through the hut, rattling the beams slightly. Raul winced and covered one ear.
"Easy there, Captain," he said. "You'll bring the roof down."
Victor paced once across the room, restless. "This calls for a party," he said. "A real one. With food, drinks, and just be loud and have fun."
"Of course," Raul said, holding up a finger. "But first, core skills. Both of you, what did you get from your rank-up? Spill it."
Victor stopped mid-step and looked at Arin. "Fair."
Arin exhaled slowly and summoned his status panel.
The familiar translucent interface bloomed into view.
___________________________
Name: Arin
Core Talent: Lord
Rank: Captain (0%)
Core Skills: Lord's Eyes, Lord's Imprint, Lord's Aura
Regular Skills: Advanced Swordsmanship, Timed Step, Anchor of Identity
----------
Subordinates (3/5):
1. Raul Slade — Captain (1%)
2. Victor — Captain (0%)
3. Mina — Captain (2%)
Lord Coins: 3224
___________________________
"Alright," he said, scanning the panel. "There… yeah, things have definitely changed."
Arin leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing as he absorbed the numbers and new options. "My Subordinate Limit… It's five now. That's better than before; we can recruit two more people in the future, although I was expecting more."
He paused, then tapped on the section that had just appeared, causing a new skill to glow faintly on the panel. "And this… this is the big one."
___________________________
Lord's Aura: Emit a terrifying aura of a true Lord. Enemies within a 50-meter radius are implanted with extreme fear, unable to move or use their abilities properly.
___________________________
Mina's eyes widened. "A mind-influencing skill… and it explicitly says enemies," Mina added. "So allies aren't affected."
"Exactly," Arin said, the weight of the skill settling on him. "It will be very useful in our future battles. With the enemies influenced by fear, we can easily kill them without much of an effort."
Raul leaned forward, arms crossed, a small smirk on his face. "Fifty meters? That's ridiculous. You're basically a walking horror show now."
Arin chuckled lightly. "Yeah… I guess I am now."
Victor whistled softly. "That's going to change how battles feel… significantly."
Victor crossed his arms. "Fifty meters is not a small distance."
Mina said gently. "Although fear-based abilities aren't something you use carelessly."
Victor clapped Arin on the shoulder. "Still, that's one hell of a Core Skill."
Arin let out a breath. "Alright. Victor's turn."
Victor straightened, pride flickering across his face as Arin pulled up his panel.
___________________________
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
-----------
Blacksmith's Oath: You can no longer create failed works. Any item you reforge cannot degrade in quality. By pouring mana into an item, its quality will always improve.
___________________________
Arin stared at the final line, then he laughed softly. "That's… absurd."
Victor grinned, clearly enjoying this.
"You mean broken," Raul said flatly.
Mina's eyes widened. "So any time you reforge something, it has to improve?"
Victor nodded. "Yes, as long as I pour mana into it."
"That means—" Mina started.
"We never outgrow our gear as long as we have better materials to reforge them," Arin finished.
Raul scratched the back of his neck. "Although that's not flashy, but… damn. Long-term, that is indeed very terrifying."
"Exactly," Victor said, crossing his arms.
Mina smiled. "Well, it looks like we have a master smith among us now."
Victor chuckled. "I like the sound of that."
Arin looked at him with playfulness and respect, settling in his gaze. "All hail the master smith."
Victor barked a laugh. "Don't start that."
Raul immediately bowed exaggeratedly. "Oh, great Forger of Dawn, bless my blades."
Mina rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."
They laughed, real laughter, the kind that came from relief more than humor. From surviving. From finally stopping long enough to look at how far they'd come.
Then for a moment, none of them spoke.
Victor exhaled and leaned against the wall. "You know," he said, quieter now, "there was a point in the mines where I thought I'd never break through. Thought maybe this was my ceiling."
Raul glanced at him. "Didn't seem like you doubted much."
"Didn't say I showed it," Victor replied. "But it was there."
Arin nodded. "We all had moments like that."
Mina folded her hands in her lap. "Captain Rank doesn't erase fear; it just changes its shape. There will always be stronger enemies ahead."
Raul smirked. "Yeah. Now, instead of worrying about dying from weaklings, we worry about dying to bigger and stronger things."
Victor snorted. "That's also a kind of progress."
They sat there for a while, quietly.
Four Captain Ranks, in a hut that had once barely held exhausted survivors.
Soon, the desert would be behind them. New roads. New enemies. But for now—
For now, they let themselves enjoy it.
"We should celebrate," Raul said eventually. "Properly."
Victor grinned. "Told you."
Arin stood, stretching. "Tomorrow."
Mina smiled. "Tomorrow."
Tonight, they rested.
Because dawn had already come, and this time, they were ready to meet it head-on.