Nameless King

The blacksmith was critical to Wain, his equipment for too long now resembling tattered rags that are unusable for anything.

"Of course, though you have used the crystal for your own purposes, in fact, you have fulfilled your part of the bargain." Skyla nodded as she put her cigarette aside, "As I said earlier, I have two options for you."

Skyla continued, "The first, is a blacksmith in the northern area, this one is considered the best in Dermin. Don't worry, there won't be a problem, the heads of the northern district don't hold a grudge against you, especially since hardly anyone wants to fight you now."

"The best blacksmith in such a big city? That sounds good, but what about the second option?" Wain asked in a curious manner.

"Huh, knew you'd ask. The second blacksmith I know personally, this one owes me, so there won't be any problem with forging gear, but it's an unusual person." Skyla spoke in a serious voice.

"What about skills? Which one is better?" Wain asked as he shook his hand.

"Definitely the second one. If you need unique gear, that's the best option." Skyla nodded.

"Good. I assume the second smith is out of town, right?" Wain muttered as he looked out the window.

"Yeah. You'd have to go pretty far, very far."

"How far?" Wain raised an eyebrow.

"Even given your speed, it'll take you a week." Skyla said in a serious manner.

"What...? Are you suggesting I run in one direction for a whole week? Where does this blacksmith live? On a magical island?" Wain frowned, "Don't you have portals there?"

"No. There's a special zone there... it's a very dangerous place, I almost died there, but I got lucky." Skyla muttered with fear.

"How dangerous?" Wain asked with a curious look.

"The strongest monsters in that area are in the Fifth Chronicle, so if you piss them off somehow, you're dead."

"Well, I hope that doesn't happen." Wain shrugged in a careless manner.

"You're as cocky as ever." Skyla shook her head, "It'll get you in a lot of trouble someday."

"I'll worry about that when it happens." Wain waved his hand, "So... Where exactly am I supposed to go?"

Skyla looked at him and said, "That place is in the northwest, hundreds of miles from Dermin, it's Dragon Ridge."

"Dragon Ridge? Is that really where the Dragons live...?" Wain asked with a worried look.

"No. Of course not." Skyla shook her head, "The place is called that because it's based on the part of the skeleton of a long-dead Dragon, you'll see that soon enough."

"Okay, how do I find your blacksmith?"

"Good question." Skyla smiled as an amulet appeared in her hand that she tossed to Wain.

Wain caught it and asked, "How will it help me?"

"You'll figure it out when you get to Dragon Ridge. By the way, I have a little present for you." Skyla said as her ring glowed.

A small red seed in a glass sphere and a large scroll appeared in front of her.

"When you're outside the city, destroy the orb and fill the seed with water, in a minute, you'll see something amazing. Also, the scroll is a map that will show you the way." Skyla spoke with a slight smile on her face.

"All right, then, I'm leaving right now. Good luck." Wain said, taking the seed with the scroll and heading for the exit.

"Goodbye Wain, I hope I never become your enemy." Skyla said while holding her head with her hand.

"Well, if the Green Cats become allies of Last Light, it's unlikely ever to happen." Wain muttered before disappearing.

...

An hour later, Wain was outside Dermin amidst a dense but tranquil forest. A week's journey was a lot, but Wain was willing to do it for better equipment.

"I hope this helps me... Since I have a hell of a long way to go..." Wain muttered while looking at the map as he placed the seed on the ground and poured water from the bottle over it.

It took less than a minute for the seed to glow brightly and turn into a huge red maple leaf that was several times bigger than Wain.

"Hmm...? Why do I need a big leaf?" Wain muttered with a confused look.

Whoooooooosh.

The leaf suddenly hovered above the ground and arched slightly as though inviting Wain to approach.

"Damn... This might be one of the best gifts that I've ever received. It's practically like a carpet airplane!" Wain exclaimed with a happy look as he hopped on the leaf.

As soon as Wain thought of the direction, the leaf immediately flew forward at breakneck speed.

"Hey! Look!" The boy exclaimed while pointing to the sky.

"Wow... It's so beautiful..." The girl muttered with a dazed look.

A red flash was flying in the sky as though a shooting star was heading northwest.

...

"Looks like I'm in position..." Wain muttered while looking at the map, "I don't even know what I'd do without this leaf, it only took me two days instead of a week, it's incredible."

In the distance was a dark land covered in dense gray fog. Dragon Ridge was much larger than Dermin or any place Wain had been before.

"Fuck... That actually looks scary..." Wain muttered as his eyes widened.

He stared at the massive mountain range with the long spine of some huge creature. From it emanated a powerful aura that was vividly felt even from a distance of several kilometers.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Suddenly Wain felt a strong pressure as the maple leaf began to tremble violently.

"Shit!" Wain exclaimed as he immediately lowered the leaf to the ground, right in front of the fog, near the border.

"What was that...?" Wain muttered with a confused look while looking around.

'Don't worry. There are no enemies here.' Gladius said, 'It's the effects of the Dragon's aura.

"What?! Wain inwardly exclaimed, 'That Dragon definitely died decades ago!'

'Well, you know better than anyone how terrifying Dragons can be. Even though it's just an aura, anyone below Second Chronicle would immediately have their heart explode. That's their power.' Gladius uttered in a serious voice.

Wain nodded before stepping forward.