Hamr could only stare at the door where Clyde had left, his brow furrowed with questions. He didn't know what Clyde was going to do, but based on what he had done before, Hamr was sure that he didn't want to know more.
The Dwarf blacksmith felt that sothing significant had happened in the past few days. He didn't exactly know what it was, but Hamr was certain that Clyde was behind it. When he saw them erge from the portal inside his workshop, he imdiately knew they had just accomplished sothing significant.
Hamr shook his head, as if trying to dispel the curiosity he always felt when dealing with Clyde and his dangerous affairs.
"I'd better follow his request and stay out of his business."
Hamr began to examine Clyde's two exceptionally beautiful swords, storing incredible power. He still couldn't fathom where he had acquired a sword with a translucent blue blade that looked like ice or glass. Although the sword appeared fragile, Hamr could tell that it held imnse, perhaps boundless, potential.
Hamr smiled. "Maybe... I'll add sothing to this sword."
And so, Hamr proceeded to do his job. There was a smile on his face because he felt excited at the thought of enhancing Clyde's sword to make it even more formidable.
~~~
After handing over his weapons to Hamr, Clyde felt that he needed to test his physical strength. He had to know how he could fight without using weapons.
Because of this, Clyde went ahead to the Ruin to carry out this testing. Through the portal in the middle of the city, he intended to enter the Ruin.
However, a familiar voice called out to him from behind, causing him to pause.
"Clyde! Where are you going?" Lola said as she ran up to him.
Clyde, who had been dealing with many problems lately, almost forgot about their existence. He rarely spoke to them, so he had almost forgotten about the people who had embarked on the Selection Stage with him, the people who had saved him.
"I'm going to the Ruin," Clyde replied matter-of-factly.
Lola stopped in front of him with a puzzled expression. "What for? Are you looking to level up again?"
"Well, yes," Clyde said. "Alone?"
"In a while, Albert, Leon, Wiley, and Rosa will be coming. We're planning to train in those vast plains."
"If you also want to train, why don't you just join ?" Clyde suggested.
"That's actually a great idea!" Lola said excitedly.
Not long after, all of her friends arrived. Clyde waited patiently. Spending ti with them again felt refreshing amidst the pressure of the Celestials who would be hunting him.
Although he couldn't truly blend in and spend ti with them like a friend, Clyde felt more at ease observing their progress. Soday, they might beco his companions who would help him fight against the Celestials.
That mont might not be far off. Yes, Clyde hadn't thought about it before, but if he could make them strong enough, then they, along with Samuel's group, could be a great help for what awaited him in the future.
***
"You look great," Leon said.
"Thanks." Clyde nodded briefly. "Are you all ready?"
They all gave nods indicating that they were prepared. And so, Clyde attached his amulet to the portal, revealing a shattered world beyond it.
Clyde stepped into the portal first, and they followed, their hearts pounding.
~~~
The Ruins looked the sa wherever they were. There was no discernible difference; they only saw ruins and death floating in the air or around them.
"Hey, Clyde. Are you sure you're not going to use any weapons?" Wiley asked.
"Yeah, don't worry about ," Clyde replied. His usual relaxed deanor put them all at ease. Even without weapons, they were confident that he could fight better than them.
"Alright." Wiley shrugged his shoulders. Like the others, he believed that Clyde was stronger than him, even without his swords. "Where are the monsters, by the way?"
"I'm sure they'll show up soon. Just prepare your blowdart and your hiding place," Albert said with a sneering tone.
Wiley could sense the sarcasm in his voice. "What is that supposed to an? Are you mocking ?" Wiley asked.
Albert shrugged. "I don't know. What I do know is that I'm not the one who likes to hide and run when a fight breaks out, then steal another person's kill."
Clyde could clearly sense that Albert was being sarcastic. It seed that sothing had happened between the two of them while exploring the Ruin not long ago.
'Odd,' Clyde thought. 'This should be past the ti when they bothered each other.'
Albert should know how Wiley fought. He wasn't a close combat fighter who would attack directly. As for him stealing kills, Clyde had anticipated that would happen when in a group with soone like Wiley.
"Stop it, guys. I don't want to hear your quarrels anymore. Let's hunt again for now. Then, you can go back to trying to kill each other once we return to the Fortress," Leon said.
Clyde smiled a little. And as usual, Leon made a good leader for them. If it were Clyde, he might simply let them kill each other.
Not long after, they felt the ground beneath them tremble. After that, a few ters in front of them, they could see a mound of earth rising, indicating sothing was about to surface from underground.
"That's your monster, Wiley!" Rosie said.
Wiley didn't respond. He imdiately prepared his blowdart and channeled Mana into his weapon.
"Clyde, are you going to let us kill it like before?" Leon asked.
Clyde just shrugged. "I don't know. This monster might be too strong for you."
Finally, the creature erged completely from the ground. It was a giant ground rat, enlarged by the influence of Mana to about three ters in size. Dozens of small crystals protruded from its body.
The giant ground rat stared at them with its dark green glowing eyes. It brandished its long claws and charged at them.
~~~
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