Clyde left the room where Hammer was. But as soon as he got outside as if remembering something, Clyde turned around and faced Samuel and his party.
"I'll go first," Clyde said. "Tomorrow, we do as usual?"
"Yeah," Samuel replied curtly.
Clyde nodded. "OK."
He this time walked away from them without saying anything else. For a few moments, Samuel was still staring at his back with an unknown look.
After a moment, Samuel shook his head. As if to expel an idea that had just crossed his head. An idea he definitely didn't like because he immediately wanted to get rid of it.
"Hey, you can actually make something out of this?" Leyan asked Hammer who was busy sorting out the shells.
"Of course," Hammer answered curtly. His attention was still focused on the shells so all that was happening around him was just a passing background.
"How strong do you think these shells are as equipment?" Kiara asked with a curious tone.
"Hmm..." Hammer mumbled. "Strong enough. Just think about me making Grade B armor like in the Selection Stage."
Hammer gave an answer that didn't sound too serious. Because he was still busy sorting out the shells in front of him. But that answer was enough to make Kiara's eyes widen.
"A Grade B armor?!" Kiara said. Then looked behind her. "That's not too bad is it?"
His gaze was particularly fixed on Samuel who clearly needed stronger armor more than her or the others. However, Kiara only saw Samuel who was lost in thought in another direction.
"Sam, you okay?" Kiara asked.
The question snapped Samuel from his reverie. "O-Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Samuel said with a smile. "We're going to need the armor. Right now, I think now we should get some rest."
After that Samuel left first from there. Leaving his friends in a state of confusion. They exchanged glances with one another.
"What's wrong with him?" Kiara asked Leyan.
"I think he's fine," said Leyan. But there was still uncertainty in his heart. He wanted to believe that Samuel was just fine but Leyan had also felt something strange about him since earlier.
Leyan saw the worried look on his friends' faces. He then took a chuckle out to lighten the mood.
"Don't worry. Maybe he's just a little tired because of today. Let's get some rest first so that tomorrow we can return to the desert with full energy," said Leyan.
They finally left the smithy, Hammer. Behind them, Hammer immediately gave his men instructions to get to work.
The sound of clashing metal sounded exciting despite the night already coming. The workers at the smithy were so excited about the good materials they got that they didn't think about fatigue and worked all night long.
~~~
As soon as tomorrow arrived, Clyde was back on a mission to prepare a welcome for the party that would be sent by Archangel Uriel.
He thought back about Maethion's invitation to talk to him. But for now, he didn't have time to do that. Clyde of course couldn't just walk away from this expedition or it would make the others suspicious.
So, Clyde decided to pass up the opportunity until the time came. After all, he wasn't so sure that Mathion would help him for free. And thinking about what he should do for him so he can get his sword back makes Clyde not too eager about meeting that Elf.
Clyde and Samuel's party entered the portal and did what they had been doing for the past two days. This time no big monsters appeared like that giant scorpion.
A few days passed just like that. They entered the Ruin in the morning, fought monsters and set traps, then returned home when it was dark.
During those few days, several large monsters appeared. They encountered the giant scorpion once again and Clyde was able to kill it alone like before.
Then they also met a giant mummy. The mummy was three meters tall and its arms were so long they reached the ground. Its body is wrapped in a white cloth dirty with dust so it turns brown.
The giant mummy is proven to provide a slightly higher challenge than the giant scorpion.
Samuel and his party had to start moving too because the giant mummy could attack them even when it was facing Clyde. So they work together to kill the giant mummy.
They continued to do the routine until finally, the one-week time was almost over. They decided to return earlier to be able to rest a bit more and prepare themselves for tomorrow.
"Let's go home and rest first. I think the armor that Hammer made is finished," Samuel said.
"Really?" Kei asked with eyes sparkling with joy. She felt she would be a little safer with the new armor.
Samuel nodded. "Yes. I met him this morning and he said excitedly that the armor he made for us is finished."
"Wow, that Dwarf is so hardworking, huh," Leyan commented.
They returned to the Fortress and then went to their respective residences. However, Samuel decided to have a little talk with Clyde.
"Hey, Clyde."
Clyde who was already walking away stopped and turned towards Samuel. "What?"
Samuel walked up to him and said. "Is there something you want to say before we fight the party that Archangel Uriel sent?"
Clyde frowned, not knowing why Samuel asked that question.
"No," Clyde said.
"I have to admit that your power is amazing." Samuel looked seriously at Clyde. "Are you really don't want to tell us how to obtain such power? We are here so desperate to get revenge on those Celestials."
Clyde was silent for a few moments. Samuel hoped in his heart that Clyde would give him the answer he wanted. Although rejection will be more likely for him to get.
"I'm sorry," Clyde said, shaking his head. "It's not that I don't want to help you. But I don't even know why I got this kind of power."
Clyde isn't completely lying, though. He was just a student who filled out a survey given by a game developer at that time.
He didn't know, that the three answers he gave at that time would determine his destiny to be like this. Clyde knew he couldn't give Samuel an answer like that so he didn't.
eaglesnovɐ1,сoМ "So you don't want to answer it, huh," said Samuel. His tone started to sound colder than usual.
That of course, did not escape Clyde's attention. He noticed the change in his voice and looked at Samuel.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you. But I really don't know," said Clyde. "So, that's my answer. Do you still not believe it?"
Samuel sighed. "It's not that I don't believe it. But as I said before, we are desperate here."
"But I can't help you."
Samuel and Clyde stared at each other for a few moments. Clyde tried to understand what was behind Samuel's gaze. And he could only realize one thing, that Samuel was starting to have a little bit of animosity towards him.
It's not something Clyde can afford right now. They must immediately go on an expedition and fight the party sent by Uriel. They have to focus first on that matter.
"You and your friends are strong enough. And we should focus on fighting Uriel's party first for now, right?" said Clyde.
Samuel looked away from Clyde, then sighed. "You are right."
The short answer came out of Samuel's mouth. Clyde didn't know the meaning behind it.
Maybe he had given up looking for answers about his power, or maybe he decided to focus first on the task at hand, which is defeating the party that Uriel sent.
"Let's talk about this later when we finish the mission to retrieve the artifact." Clyde turned and walked away from him. Clyde's steps seemed to be getting faster because he wanted to avoid any questions that might arise from Samuel.
Samuel exhaled and gritted his teeth when he saw Clyde getting further away.
"He's right. I have to focus on this task first."
And so, Samuel walked towards the hotel where he and his friends were staying. He held on to the hope that Clyde might give him something when the task was done.
~~~
Finally, the day they had been waiting for with anxiety and pounding chests came. The six people entered the portal before the sun had even begun to shine on this ruined world.
Without waiting too long, they immediately dashed toward the city as soon as they exited the portal.
No monsters greeted their arrival. Because most of the monsters had been killed.
They immediately shot towards the buildings and hid. Waiting for their target to appear.
Every second feels so long. The sun began to creep up in the eastern sky until it finally illuminated the city.
It was then that a golden-colored portal appeared. From within the portal, four people emerged fully equipped with their respective weapons.
"So the Tome is here?" Colmano asked while spreading his eyes around.
"Yes," answered Alessio. "Let's go."
~~~
