"Huh?" Amelia blinked. "What do mean by tha-?"
Before she could say another word, her voice disappeared for a moment. The other's eyes widened in shock while Arthur's expression remained unchanged. Amelia tried to talk again but failed. After a few moments, her voice returned.
"…AHHHHHHHHH- oh, my voice's back."
Arthur lowered his umbrella, causing his skin to burn. Maple put her umbrella over him with a shy face.
"…That's just chaos – nothing special." Arthur said.
"Yeah…I wish I could've visited this place during the final exam." Kay tilted his head.
"Well, you only made it S-class." Amelia scoffed. "You need to be at least a master to get here."
"Means I was too weak…" Kay sighed.
"Not really." Arthur interrupted. "Being an adventurer is like being a survivor. Adaptability is the main criteria they base you on. It's not like those fantasy shows where being a higher rank means being more powerful. It just means you have a higher chance of survival in dangerous situations…I learnt that the hard way."
"Hard way?" Kay blurted. "Didn't any of the veterans teach you?"
"I was only here for a short time. The exam was rounding up by the time I made it."
Then, they sat in silence for a few moments, not knowing what to say next.
"So…Is there anything else about this place we should know?" Maple asked in a shy tone.
"Y'know…why don't we see the forge?" Arthur leaned back. "You can get used to the heat while you're at it."
"Sounds like a good plan." Harvey stated. "Let's take a look at the forge."
The team nodded and went to check the forge. Arthur grunted and stood up. Maple did the same as she held the umbrella over his head. Arthur froze, looked up and then, locked eyes with Maple and asked.
"Why are you holding an umbrella over me?"
Maple flinched. "Well, um…you're going to burn in the sun."
"I have my own umbrella and besides, I need to adapt quicker."
Maple looked at him with a blank expression. She hurriedly pulled her umbrella and followed the others. Arthur didn't have a moment to process this as sunlight attacked, making him burn and itch.
'Just a few more hours of this and I'll…I'll be good…'
He thought while gritting his teeth as his body twitched and twisted from the sun. He trailed his group with rapid steps.
***
They made their way over to the forge. It was a massive black building with vents covering it. Smoke continuously seeped out of the vents as they tried to find an entrance. They found the huge metal door, leading inside. Arthur rummaged inside his pocket and pulled out his adventurer card. He put it against the scanner. It beeped and unlocked.
"Woah…" Harvey gazed upon the forge.
They stepped inside, seeing many individuals working hard on weapons. Sweat and ash covered their floors.
"Good…god…" Maple coughed profusely.
Right then, a bulky man who wore all-black clothes, an apron and a durag walked up to them.
"So…who might you people be?"
Arthur shrugged. "We're a part of the expedition team. Lieutenant general – Arthur von Ashking. Nice to meet you."
The man was flustered. "L-Lieutenant general? Oh, why are you here? Do you want to forge a new weapon?"
"No…I just wanted to show my friends around this place. They haven't been here before."
"…Would you like to have a tour?"
"Sure. Guys follow him."
"Alright, captain. Where will you be heading?" Amelia questioned.
"Somewhere, I need to find something." Arthur replied as he walked off.
"Be back quickly." Maple shouted.
Kay was silently screaming and moving like an excited child. He carefully observed every piece of metal that was being forged into a sharp weapon. As they were guided through the massive forge by the man, they gazed in awe at the forging process.
"We make many kinds of things here. Blades, guns, swords, bullets, shields, and much more. Whatever an adventurer needs, he just has to come here."
He stopped at a wall of weaponry and picked up a rapier.
"We also make special kinds of weapons designed for adventurers attributes."
He swung it, slicing through the air. He put it back and picked up a katana that was oddly similar to the team's katanas.
"Is that?" Amelia pointed.
"Yes, A standard issue of the EOC katana made by our blacksmiths and transported to the mainland."
"Woah…Can I hold one?" Kay inched closer.
"Sure." The man handed it.
Kay smiled wicked, seeing every inch of the katana like it was a prized possession. Then, Amelia snorted and asked in a mocking tone.
"What are you looking at? We've got one here."
She said pointing at Maple's katana. Kay sneered and rubbed the katana carefully.
"Everything is cooler here…even this…"
After a few seconds, Kay handed it back to the man. The man then, lead them to another place. He took them to blacksmiths. Hammers struck against the heated surface of metals. They sharpened and forged the metal into a blade, making it unrecognizable from its previous shape. Harvey was quietly watching with his arms behind his back, in awe of the amazing craftsmanship. Right then, Arthur came around the corner.
He rotated his head a few times before walking up to their guide.
"So…do you have any extremely heat-resistant katanas?"
The man straightened. "How resistant?"
"Strong enough to survive in the sun."
The man frowned and looked at him for a few moments. Then, his lips parted.
"Are you serious…?"
Arthur laughed awkwardly and touched the back of this neck.
"Yeah…that's probably impossible…"
"We can maybe make it out of tungsten but even then, it would only be able to withstand 3422 degrees Celsius – not the fucking sun, sir lieutenant general."
"Stupid of me to ask. I apologize."
The man heaved a sigh of relief.
"…Okay."
He pulled his sleeve and looked at the time. Right then, a room combusted behind him. Blacksmiths ran out, screaming and panting. His eyes widened and he ran away.
"I'm sorry but I have to go."
The group watched him as he entered the burning room. Then, they looked at each other.
"That was…weird." Kay commented.