"You sure?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, I’m sure. If I don’t, the system may just give me another quest related to becoming your knight or something."

"And I think you have some pretty good talents and skills," Shen added.

"Okay then." Leo nodded and extended his hand. The crown pulsed and a golden chain shot out from it connecting with Shen.

[Ding!]

[RETAINER REGISTERED: SHEN (PENDING)]

[Bond dormant until Level 10 class advancement.]

...

"I felt that," Shen replied.

"I did too."

"But it’s not active yet," Leo added.

"I am at level 9, not far from level 10. If we hunt some monsters on our way back, I will reach level 10."

Shen nodded. "Then let’s get you those levels."

"Come on, let’s get out of here. The forge is alive. Let’s see if the outside has changed or not." Leo called Shen as he walked towards the exit.

Shen nodded and followed.

The glow around the chamber, which previously lit with the ominous corrupted light, had changed. It was now golden, the same as his eternal flame.

They went through the same path, spiral stairs, chambers and finally made it out of the underground tunnel.

And for the first time, Leo felt this was where he was supposed to be. This game, adventures, forgings. Its where he belonged.

After making it out of the tunnel, they rested for a while.

Suddenly, Shen’s pendant flashed.

Shen looked like he was reading notifications. Leo waited.

"I got a quest update," Shen said. He turned to Leo. "Stage two. When the Inverse stirs again, the Forge-Wielder will know. Return to the Heart when the gold fire burns white."

"That’s what it said. Any idea what it’s about?"

Leo looked at Shen, then with a face that looked like it was a serious matter, he replied, "I don’t have a single idea."

Shen was stunned, his face covered with black lines.

"Then why did you make that serious face?"

"What? It’s my natural face."

"Well, mine also updated, stating to stop the Inverse. The one we faced as the last boss was the entity from the Inverse when it was alive," Leo added.

"Well, quest chains are always vague anyway," Shen shook his head and tucked the talismans away.

"But it gives us time. The Inverse breach is sealed. The forge is alive. We don’t have to rush."

Shen looked at Leo and continued, "Let’s do some grinding,"

They walked out of the ruins. The surroundings had undergone huge changes.

The stones that were once black and vitrified had now returned to normal. The coldness had disappeared and it was warm now. The black corrupted trees were slowly regaining their life.

Changed.....

Where the vegetation had been choked with Inverse corruption on the way in... black veins in the bark, sickly yellow mist hanging between the trunks...

It was clearing now.

The air was sharp and clean. The moss on the vitrified path had already spread a hand’s width overnight, reclaiming the stone.

They walked through the forest searching for monsters.

Leo’s boots crunched on the path as they walked, his hands twitching on the hilt of the sword.

"Well, someone’s twitchy," Shen called.

"I’m not." Leo replied back.

They walked in search for another hour.

...

"Are all the monsters dead?" Leo asked in frustration.

Then suddenly—

Something lunged at him.

Boom...

Leo didn’t even see it. Before he knew it, he was already sent flying.

"Leooo," Shen shouted.

[-87 Damage.]

The impact had been hard. The boar’s full weight of muscles and bristle the size of a cart had slammed into him. He felt like he had been hit by a truck.

He was halfway through the trunk of the tree.

"Aouw," Leo rubbed his back and blinked. The damage he received was less than he expected.

He checked his health bar; it was already nearly full.

The boar’s charge had barely grazed his health.

"What...?"

[IRON-FORGED BODY (D-TIER) — TRAIT EFFECT]

Base physical damage reduction: 30%

Fire resistance: +15%

Stamina recovery: +15%

Leo didn’t have enough time to read it all, but he knew it was due to this new trait he gained.

The boar was already charging towards him again.

He quickly got back on his feet and readied his sword to meet the boar. Leo met it this time head on. He stepped forward and drove the ember-touched sword through its skull in a single clean thrust.

[+22 XP]

Leo pulled the sword out of the boar’s skull, blood sprayed over.

.....

They hunted monsters through the day.

"Hey, how long has it been since we logged out?" Leo suddenly asked.

"Oh shit, now that you say it, I nearly forgot we had to log out. This shit is addictive. It’s dangerous," Shen said, freaked out about it.

"Yeah, let’s level up and log out quickly," Leo nodded.

"Yeah, only there are no monsters in this area," Shen added.

He seemed to think of something. "Umm... there is drake territory two miles northeast. Rock-hided drakes, Level 12. If we hunt a few of the monsters, you’ll hit level 10."

"Drakes at level 12?" Leo considered it. "We can try."

"Okay, let’s get this over with," Shen said and led the way.

...

Drake territory was a rocky basin carved into the mountain, its floor littered with broken stones and bones. Rock-hided drakes basked in the sun, their grey-scale hides blending perfectly with the rubble.

The drakes were massive; each one was the size of a horse—four-limbed, wings attached in their fore limbs, with a thick tail that could shatter bones.

Leo and Shen studied them from afar. "How do you want to handle this? They can fucking fly," Leo asked Shen.

Shen uncoiled a length of chain from his belt—a new addition, something he’d picked up in the forge’s armory. "Draw one at a time. Kill it before the others notice. Fast and clean."

"Fast and clean," Leo nodded.

Leo singled out one of the drakes. He pulled the aggro. The drake chased after him.

By the time Leo lured out the drake, Shen had already drawn a huge talisman on the ground.

When the drake flew over the talisman, it crashed straight down.

"What the fuck, dude? I almost got crushed by the drake," Leo cursed. "Next time tell me what the talismans do beforehand, or just tell me if something is going to fall on me."

He said this while charging at the fallen drake with his sword.

The fallen drake had not regained its bearings yet. Shen sliced upward with rising forge.

[-120 Damage]

Leo followed with Anvil Slam, slashing his sword down on the drake, finishing off the drake.

[-200 Damage]

A second drake suddenly fell on the same spot, coincidentally.

....

"Well, lucky us," Leo said, grinning.

He unleashed strike after strike. He tried brute forcing it but he couldn’t deal much damage with his normal attacks.

He started using skills. Forge Fire Strike. The blade ignited with the gold fire. He slashed the sword across the drake’s throat, carving a burning arc across the creature’s neck.

The drake hissed, recoiling. Then it released an angry roar and charged over.

Shen’s chains snapped around its hind leg, anchoring it in place.

"Shit, this guy is making too much noise. We need to finish it before other drakes show up."

Leo and Shen stopped pulling their punches and went all out. Shen threw talismans like cabbages.

"Dude, use your strongest skill. If a bunch of high-level drakes show up, we will be toast," Shen voiced anxiously.

Leo nodded and released the sword skill he had gained previously. It was a normal sword skill but in Leo’s hand it turned into a lethal attack.

[-350 Damage]

The drake was almost killed with a single strike. But it still had some health points left in it. Leo finished it with a thrust to the chest.

[+350 XP]

[Ding!]

[Level up]

[Level 10 Achieved.]

STR: 140 | VIT: 114 | DEX: 91 | INT: 41 | WIS: 40

CHA: 51 | MFT: 51 | STM: 56 | LCK: 52

HP: 2320/2320 | MP: 820/820 | STM: 560/560

Free Attribute Points: 12

[CLASS ADVANCEMENT AVAILABLE]

Choose your path:

[Ember Forge] — Mass production specialist. Crafting speed +50%. Resource cost -20%.

[Soulforge] — Legendary smith. Items forge at +1 tier floor. Unique effect chance +15%.

Defer — You may return to the Heart to decide.

Finally.

His hands were trembling. He didn’t care.

Shen walked up beside him, wiping drake blood from his sleeve. "Well?"

Leo opened his mouth to answer—

And stopped.

Something awoke.

Time seemed to stop.

Then....

The Crown unfolded.

Not a notification. Not a prompt. A physical sensation—like a key turning in a lock behind his ribs, a warmth spreading through his chest.

He gasped, one hand pressing against his sternum as the structure of it snapped into place.

Connections... Frameworks.

A map of bonds waiting to be filled.

The system caught up a moment later.

[Ding!]

[FORGE-WIELDER’S CROWN — ACTIVATED]

The Eternal Forge recognizes its wielder.

Level 10 threshold met.

Crown functions unlocked.

Retainer Slots: 3 (0 filled, 3 open)

[Pocket Realm: FORGE-HEART — Accessible]

Leo felt the pocket realm.

The sealing sword vibrated.

A space that existed adjacent to the physical world, anchored to his soul. He could feel the central hearth burning in that space, the anvil waiting, the gold fire steady and patient.

Why the fuck does it feel like the forge is inside of me?

He closed his eyes and thought about the forge.

Then he got a notification.

[Pocket Realm: FORGE-HEART]

[Status: Accessible]

[Location: Soul-bound — reachable from anywhere via mental command]

[Restrictions: Cannot be accessed during combat]

[Features: Central hearth, anvil, storage, soul-bound item rack. Expandable. Special forging assistance and boosts.]

[Ding!]

[Bound Dimensional Space ’Eternal Forge’ detected.]

[Currently can teleport to the space 4 times a day]

[Would you like to teleport to the Eternal Forge?]

"Yes."

Leo selected. Next thing he knew, he was back in the forge.

Same chamber. Same gold fire in the central hearth. The Forge-Seal Arming Sword rested on the anvil where he’d left it, its veins pulsing in rhythm with the flame. The walls breathed with warmth, the obsidian surface reflecting the light like still water.

"Wait, wait, teleport me back."

[Do you wish to teleport back to the same place or to another teleportation location?]

"Yes, same location please."

Then he was back again.

"Dude, you disappeared for a minute. I almost thought you logged out, but my chat list showed you were still logged in," Shen asked.

"Haha... hahahaha, I was back at the forge. I can teleport to the forge from any location, it seems," Leo replied.

Oh, another function was also unlocked, right?

Leo opened the Crown panel.

[FORGE-WIELDER’S CROWN — ACTIVE]

[Retainer Slots: 3 (1/3)]

[Slot 1: Shen — Seal Warden]

Rank: Knight

Status: Bonded — Active

Panel Access: Full

[Bestowal]

Slots: 1/1 — Empty

Skills/talents/traits/attributes

[Reciprocal]

Slots: 1/1 — Empty

Choose any skill/talent/trait/attribute from retainer

Next Upgrade: Baronet (forge anchor together) — the sharable limit will increase.

Bond Hierarchy:

Commoner (auto) → Knight (to be sired) → Baronet → Baron → Viscount

→ Count → Marquis → Duke → Archduke

[Each Knight rank-up requires forging an anchor together.]