"As expected."
Though both Minara and Neure looked at the man in shock after the latter said those words, Valyr was more than expecting something like this to happen, especially now that he had obtained a better understanding of which update they were on.
Then again, something like that was already more than obvious, considering how he was viewing the memory of the one called the First Forger.
Nevertheless, the same could not be said for the two, who tried to dissuade the man from making such an erratic decision.
Yet, even if the two told the man multiple times that his body and strength was more than suited for the battlefield, the First Forger remained steadfast and adamant in his decisions.
With that, the two were left with no choice but to let the First Forger be, reminding themselves that humanity was able to go this far thanks to the man's thoughts and decisions.
Of course, knowing that he was making a somewhat stupid decision from another perspective, the man reassured the two over and over again, asking the two of them to take his place while he was in the middle of obtaining his class.
After making a few promises and plans here and there on their way back to the city, it was only by the time they arrived at the gate did Minara and Neure finally relent, letting the First Forger head back to the hall on his own.
Seeing the bloody mess that was left after the brutal fight between him and those that abused their powers in the hall, a faint bitter smile appeared on the man's face as he slowly shook his head with a sigh.
Then, after sparing yet another glance at those he showed no mercy to, he headed towards another part of the hall.
Staring at the lackluster room he was currently in, the First Forger then proceeded to move a couple of things here and there, prompting a secret passage to appear that closed in on itself after he had entered.
While the man's footsteps continued to echo throughout the dimly lit corridor, Valyr watched all of this unfold with surprise written on his face, not expecting the man to find the time to create a secret passage considering his position.
Fortunately, by the time the First Forger had reached the end of the passage to enter a secluded room, everything finally clicked in the young man's mind as a well-furnished forge greeted both him and the man below.
"If only they knew," muttered the man to himself, letting out a long sigh as he sat on a nearby chair to calm his mind.
At the same time, the memory had given Valyr a deluge of information once more.
However, unlike the two previous times the memory did this, the information given to him this time around were the things the First Forger did during the past decade or so.
Though he had spent a great portion of the time helping humanity expand its territory, freeing those that were still under their past fates, the man had found some time here and there to continue polishing his skills in a hobby that he had come across through sheer luck.
Blacksmithing.
After he had forged the first human-made weapon back when the city he controlled was still a town, the First Forger felt an intangible connection between him and the craft all of a sudden.
To him, it was as if he was destined to pick up the craft in the first place.
With that, he proceeded to make a few more items in that forge, only to be stopped after Minara and Neure told him that he had to keep up his image as the leader of the town.
Understanding that their suggestions came from the goodness of their hearts, the First Forger relented, teaching a few humans on the side the art of blacksmithing to keep up with the demand for stronger and sturdier weapons.
As for him, he decided to keep his foray into blacksmithing under wraps, telling many of the people he came across that the reason why he wasn't often seen was due to him working on some personal matters.
When in reality, he was just honing his skills on the forge even further.
"Alright." Feeling like he had finally attuned his mind to the situation at hand, the First Forger stood up and began to forge some items, grabbing a few materials here and there as he began the forging process.
In the meantime, Valyr continued to organize the information he had received from the memory while the man was hard at work.
"I think I still have enough to push for the class after this." Waiting for the materials he chucked into the furnace to reach their optimal temperature, the First Forger went ahead and allocated most of the XP he had earned towards upgrading his forging skills.
Scratching the back of his head for a bit, he eventually stopped upgrading all of his forging skills once they had all reached Level 6, feeling like it was a sweet spot for what he was about to do.
Picking up the forging hammer that had accompanied him throughout the past decade, the man then proceeded to wield it as if it were a natural extension of his own arm, going through the forging process as if it were an orchestrated symphony.
Watching the man in his element, Valyr began to notice how the First Forger's movements were simple yet effective.
With that, he began to ponder over how he forged his items so far, wondering if he was focusing too much on the small details rather than on the greater picture.
Nevertheless, those thoughts did not last for long, with him instead becoming more and more enamored with the way the man forged items.
Within the span of a couple days, the man had surprisingly crafted a small pile of miscellaneous items, ranging from simple weapons to armor pieces.
Then again, even though they looked simple, there was more to the items if one were looked closely.
Starting from the first item to the most recent item the man had crafted, it seemed as if the aura being radiated by the item had turned more ancient, more primeval in terms of nature.
In a way, the aura reminded Valyr of an item he had in his possession that gave off the same feeling.
"I think that's more than enough practice." Wiping off the sweat from his forehead, the man took a short break as he looked at the items he had forged with pride in his eyes.
Then, by the time he felt like he had returned to his peak condition, the First Forger returned to the forge, uttering out a statement that left Valyr at a complete loss for words.
"Now then."
"I think it's time to forge an artifact."
