The cksmith 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." Sk nodded as she put her cigarette aside, "As I said earlier, I have two options for you."


    Sk continued, "The first, is a cksmith 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 cksmith 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 cksmith I know personally, this one owes me, so there won''t be any problem with forging gear, but it''s an unusual person." Sk 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." Sk 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." Sk said in a serious manner.


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


    "No. There''s a special zone there... it''s a very dangerous ce, I almost died there, but I got lucky." Sk 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." Sk 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?"


    Sk looked at him and said, "That ce 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." Sk shook her head, "The ce 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 cksmith?"


    "Good question." Sk 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." Sk said as her ring glowed.


    A small red seed in a ss sphere and arge 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." Sk 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 be your enemy." Sk said while holding her head with her hand.


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


    ...


    An hourter, 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 ced 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 airne!" Wain eximed 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 eximed while pointing to the sky.


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


    A red sh 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 darknd covered in dense gray fog. Dragon Ridge was muchrger than Dermin or any ce 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 eximed 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.'' dius said, ''It''s the effects of the Dragon''s aura.


    "What?! Wain inwardly eximed, ''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.'' dius uttered in a serious voice.


    Wain nodded before stepping forward.