As the final goblin collapsed beneath Captain Iron’s sword, a familiar notification echoed throughout the bastion.
[Wave #4 Cleared.]
[Reward: 13,000 Gold / 10 Gems]
Cheers erupted across the walls.
"WOAAA!!!!"
"We did it!"
"Hah! At this rate we’ll clear the next one just as easily!"
The soldiers laughed as they leaned against the battlements, wiping goblin blood from their newly fashioned weapons.
Captain Iron rested his large shield on the ground with a satisfied grin.
"Much cleaner than the previous waves."
Giles, drenched in sweat, simply sat down where he stood, wiping his brow.
"...I’m beat."
Kiran wandered over and chuckled, offering Giles a hand.
"How do you always end up on the floor after a fight?"
Captain Iron let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha!"
"I swear, if the battle lasts another five minutes, we’d have to carry Giles back ourselves."
The nearby soldiers laughed.
Giles scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed grin.
"...I’ll take the ride if you’re offering, Captain."
Iron’s eyes lit up.
"You heard the man!"
Before Giles could react, Iron bent down, grabbed him by the ankle, and started dragging him across the stone wall.
"W-Wait! Captain!"
Giles flailed helplessly, his metal armor scraping loudly against the stone. The surrounding soldiers and civilians couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of a grown man getting dragged across the fortress.
Across the wall, Maeve marched toward Robin with a disgruntled pout.
"I demand a recount!"
Robin calmly slung her bow over her shoulder.
"Thirty-nine."
Maeve stomped; she pointed towards the arrow bins.
"How did I get thirty-six and you got thirty-nine? We both used up the same amount of arrows!"
"Because... sometimes I get lucky," Robin said with a shrug, the corners of her lips lifting ever so slightly.
Maeve pointed accusingly at Robin.
"Next wave!"
"You’re going to buy the drinks next wave!"
Robin just gave a small nod and walked away; before she left the battlements, her eye drifted towards the command tower.
Logan stood alone atop the command center, watching the celebration unfold below.
It was hard to believe this was the same bastion he had arrived at only a few weeks ago. The improvements from the 6★ Training Grounds were becoming more obvious with every battle.
Robin’s biggest weakness, her accuracy, had improved even faster than he expected. Her shots were steadier, her target selection was cleaner, and the hesitation that occasionally lingered during the earlier waves had almost disappeared.
Logan let out a quiet breath.
"Good."
Everything was progressing according to plan.
Almost instinctively, his hand drifted toward the transparent interface. His fingers paused for a brief moment before withdrawing.
"Thankfully... I didn’t have to use that."
Relief washed over him, but it didn’t last. His gaze slowly shifted beyond the fortress walls.
[Time Until Next Wave: 20 days]
That was all the time he had before the first major wave.
Based on his experience, Wave 5 should only be one, maybe two steps above the previous waves in terms of difficulty. A noticeable increase in difficulty, certainly, but not something an adequately prepared bastion couldn’t overcome.
Evergarden’s defenses had improved, the heroes had grown stronger, and the soldiers were far better equipped than they had been at the start.
Logan closed the interface and stepped back onto the busy street of Evergarden.
Workers were already busy hauling away the goblin remains off the battlefield, while a few soldiers lingered near the newly constructed forge.
The rhythmic sound of metal striking metal echoed across the bastion.
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
The Blacksmith.
Compared to the towering walls or the futuristic training grounds, the workshop was modest in size. Thick stone walls surrounded a blazing forge, its chimney constantly releasing plumes of black smoke into the sky.
Yet Logan couldn’t help but smile.
"Three stars..."
It wasn’t a miraculous structure capable of forging legendary weapons overnight. Nor could it turn an average blacksmith into a master craftsman.
But compared to the borderline trash equipment that the heroes were using, anything that came out of this place could be considered a treasure.
An older man with graying hair emerged from the workshop, wiping soot from his hands with a worn leather cloth.
"Oi!"
"What are you lot standing around for?"
The soldiers exchanged glances.
"Well... we just wanted a look."
The old man spat and waved them away impatiently.
"If you’ve got time to gawk, you’ve got time to train. Off with you."
The soldiers grumbled as they scattered, one even kicking the stone on the way out.
Only after the entrance had cleared did the old blacksmith notice Logan standing nearby.
His stern expression immediately softened.
"Commander!"
He gave a respectful nod before glancing back at the forge behind him.
"I’ve spent thirty years swinging a hammer..."
A faint smile crept onto his weathered face.
"Never in a million years could I even dream of having a smithy of this caliber for myself!"
Logan looked past him into the workshop.
The forge burned hotter than any ordinary furnace. Brand-new anvils lined the room, each tool neatly arranged as though waiting for its craftsman.
"Beautiful, isn’t it?" Logan remarked.
The old blacksmith chuckled.
"Beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe it."
He shook his head.
"I’ve spent thirty years working with cracked anvils and furnaces that barely stayed hot enough to soften iron."
"With a forge like this..."
He hesitated before letting out a self-deprecating sigh.
"Shame... it’s wasted on an old blacksmith like me."
Logan’s gaze instinctively swept across the old man’s status.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[HERO PROFILE ]
Name:Elias
Rarity: 1★
Class: Blacksmith
Title: None
Passive Skill: [Late Bloomer]
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Logan’s eyes lingered on the final line. A faint smile appeared on Logan’s face.
"I don’t think so."
Elias looked up.
"Hm?"
Logan rested a hand against the stone doorframe.
"I’ve seen plenty of talented people waste their gifts."
"But I’ve also seen ordinary people surprise everyone once they’ve finally been given the opportunity."
Logan placed his hand firmly on Elias’s shoulder; he could feel the sweat and exhaustion that had built up over days of nonstop smithing.
"Don’t overwork yourself, Elias; we’ll be in your care from now on."
"I’ll do my best, Commander."
Logan nodded.
"I know you will."
Without another word, he turned and left the forge.
Behind him, the rhythmic sound of a hammer striking steel echoed once more.
Clang.
This time... It sounded just a little more confident.
As the sun dipped below Evergarden’s walls, most of the heroes had already called it a day. While the fortress slept, Giles continued swinging his sword wildly...
His wooden sword collided against the training dummy’s sword before the construct immediately retaliated with a swift horizontal slash.
Giles ducked beneath it and countered with a thrust toward its chest.
The dummy twisted aside before striking the side of his blade, throwing him off balance and sending him tumbling.
"Damn it."
For the past hour, Giles had been throwing himself at the dummy again and again.
But no matter how many times he challenged it, the dummy always seemed one step ahead.
"Why does it feel like everyone else is improving faster than me?"
Maeve’s arrows became deadlier with each passing day.
Kiran’s technique looked sharper every time they sparred.
Even the ordinary soldiers seemed to adapt more quickly during battle.
Giles lay on the floor, his back drenched in sweat and bruises from the training. This time he struggled to find the motivation to get back up.
"You must love the floor, huh?"
Giles turned at the familiar voice.
Captain Iron approached with a relaxed smile, a wooden practice sword resting on his shoulder.
Without another word, he stepped between Giles and the construct.
"I’ll take over from here."
With a casual wave of his hand, the training dummy powered down and returned to its idle stance.
Iron picked up another wooden sword and tossed it toward Giles.
"C’mon, let’s see how much you’ve really learned."
Giles stood back up before letting out a determined breath.
"Yes, Captain!"
As night gradually settled over Evergarden, the clashing sound of weapons echoed beneath the stars. Two stubborn souls remained beneath the stars: an old veteran who refused to stop and a young lad who refused to quit.