The sun slanted through the inn's window at a harsh angle, striking Nova directly in the face as he dispelled the formations around their bed. He squinted against the sudden brightness, realizing the sun was still high in the sky. Only now it was blinding them from the opposite direction. They had slept through half the day.

Warmth pressed against his side. Anny had wrapped herself around him in her sleep again, one arm draped possessively across his chest, and her face nestled against his shoulder. Her steady breathing tickled his neck. At this point, he was growing accustomed to waking up like this.

'I'm not totally convinced she's doing it in her sleep,' Nova thought, feeling the weight of her arm across his chest. 'But I have no proof to say otherwise...'

He blinked away the remnants of sleep, still feeling the heaviness of deep rest in his limbs. "Good morning," he mumbled, stretching his free arm over his head, careful not to disturb her too much.

"Morning," Anny replied, shielding her eyes from the sun. Her dark hair was tousled, sticking up in places. "Could you let my arm go?"

Nova felt her arm trapped beneath his back. She playfully slapped his side with a few free fingers sticking out of the other side of him.

"You're the one who put it there."

Instead of offering a verbal comeback, Anny simply lifted his entire body with her arm in one smooth motion, demonstrating her strength. Then she let him fall back down onto the bed with a soft thump, bouncing the mattress beneath them.

Nova landed with an undignified "oof" and shot her a look of reproach. "You're so nice in the mornings," he said, rubbing his eyes drowsily, trying to wipe away the bleariness.

Anny swung her legs over the side of the bed, siting with her back to him as she ran fingers through her tangled hair. "One of us has to be," she replied, a hint of smugness in her voice.

"Good one..." Nova started to retort, then paused, tilting his head slightly. "Ah, just in time."

"What is?" Anny turned to look at him, eyebrows raised in question.

Before Nova could respond, a polite knock sounded at their door—firm enough to be heard, but measured, as if the visitor was unsure of their welcome.

"Come in!" Nova called out, not particularly concerned about their state of undress. They were both still clothed in the simple garments they'd slept in.

The door opened with a soft creak of hinges as Guildmaster Senna entered the room. Her gaze swept over the small chamber, taking in the rumpled bedding and the scattered equipment before settling on the two of them. She looked less nervous than Nova had expected, given the chaos they had caused outside the dungeon.

"Senna, how nice of you to visit," Nova said, keeping his tone light and pleasant.

She studied the two of them with narrowed eyes. "I didn't dare not to. The city has been quite rowdy since your performance."

Nova nodded, understanding her meaning. A display of power like theirs would naturally cause ripples throughout a place like Bergrott. "I can imagine. Will the governor be a problem?"

Senna's expression hardened slightly. "What makes you think I'd tell you?"

"Just a hunch." Nova shrugged, still feeling like she would. She didn't seem fond of the governor, at least. "We're going back into the dungeon once we're ready. I'd just prefer it if we don't encounter any issues when we leave."

Senna was silent for a moment, weighing her options. The wooden floorboards creaked beneath her boots as she shifted her weight. Then she sighed, seemingly coming to a conclusion. "...Don't bring the trackers, then. And try to enter unnoticed."

"Ah, good, I had hoped that would be enough to avoid attention," Nova replied, already laying a plan. "Like I said, we're not here to cause trouble."

"You didn't seem like troublemakers—at first." Senna's voice carried a hint of dry humor beneath the warning. "What happens if the governor calls for the overseer of the city to take care of you?"

"That depends on the overseer," Nova countered smoothly. "Do you know their name?"

"It's Overseer Morten."

A small smile played at the corner of Nova's mouth. "Then it's not an issue."

Senna's eyebrows rose slightly. "...You seem so sure of yourselves. But why the hurry?"

"I'm not ready to share that just yet, sorry." He switched topics with practiced ease, not willing to let anyone know how vulnerable they were right now. "Do you have a forge or something I can use to prepare our next trip?"

Senna seemed to recognize the deflection but didn't press further. "I know a blacksmith that could be persuaded to let you borrow his forge, yes."

"You're being awfully cooperative. Despite my attitude," Nova observed, studying her with renewed interest.

Senna crossed her arms and raised her chin, making her look down at Nova at an angle. "I'm just doing what I think is best for the city. All I can ask in return is that you sell some of your material to us when you're ready."

"Oh, that's not a problem," Nova replied with an easy confidence. "I hardly have any use for materials below tier five, and anything less than epic grade."

Senna made a light groaning sound at his casual mention of such rare materials. Her posture relaxed slightly. "Then we'll get along just fine. Do you want me to show you to the smith right away?"

Nova turned to Anny, who had been silently observing the exchange. "Will you find us some supplies for the next few levels?"

Anny nodded, glancing at the backpacks resting on the floor beside the small table. "Sure. Do you need the material I got?"

"Can't hurt to check it all," Nova replied. "We need to discuss the legendary tier six material we received, though."

Senna made a light groan at the casual mention of such rare material. Even in this city, such materials would be hard to come by.

"Oh? From the bat?" Anny asked, getting up from the bed.

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"Yeah, it's blood from some mighty-sounding creature, like the one I got from the son of the Mountain King."

That line made Senna cough in surprise. "The Mountain King?! What kind of people are you?"

"Just your average four-year-olds," Nova replied, looking at Senna with a casual smile while Anny handed over the materials from her core. The items appeared in a soft shimmer of light as they transferred between them. "Now, let's get going."

Senna found Nova a nice forge hidden in the narrow alleyways between tall buildings, where he could work in peace. The small structure was nestled between a cooper's shop and an abandoned storehouse. The location was secluded enough that few would notice the activities of the unusual smith.

Inside, the forge's heat was at full power. The familiar smell of coal, hot metal, and stone filled his nostrils, bringing with it memories of countless hours spent perfecting his craft across lifetimes.

The materials he'd received from the dungeon fortunately included several pieces of metal for him to compare and use in his forging. He arranged them carefully on a nearby workbench, examining each piece with expert eyes. Various grades of steel, some unusual alloys with faint traces of essence embedded within them, and even a couple of metals more precious than the Solium.

'Nothing will really improve our chances from the material we got so far, but I can at least make a new set of Solium Rings, as well as improved storage rings so we don't need to carry those backpacks around.'

He got to work, first setting a formation down around himself for protection and muting. The runes glowed faintly as he etched them into the stone floor with practiced movements, creating a circle that would focus his essence and enhance his abilities. The patterns flared briefly as he activated them, casting dancing shadows across the forge's interior.

[Fragment of Nova Gorton equipped.]

The familiar rush of the blacksmith's knowledge and skill flowed through him, transforming his little body into an instrument of creation. His hands moved with confidence as he stoked the forge to the perfect temperature. His senses attuned to the subtle changes in the metal as it heated.

The entire night passed in a blur of focused work. While the city slept, Nova's hammer rang against the anvil in rhythmic harmony, each strike deliberate and precise. He barely noticed the hours slipping by, entirely absorbed in the process of crafting.

By the time he completed the final ring, dawn was breaking over Bergrott. Sweat soaked his clothes and soot darkened his face, but satisfaction radiated from his exhausted frame. He placed all four rings on his fingers, feeling the enchantments respond to his essence.

'We can't underestimate the dungeon from now on.'

The thought crystallized in his mind as he cleaned the workspace and prepared to leave. There was no guarantee that the dungeon wouldn't try to separate him and Anny at some point, and if they had no way of communicating or locating each other at that time, they might be in serious trouble.

He headed back to the Silver Spear, watching the sun rise for the first time since he'd entered the forge. The city was just beginning to wake, with sleepy-eyed merchants setting up their stalls and early risers bustling about their morning routines.

As he passed through a particularly shadowy alley, a few men of the rat variety stared at him hungrily from the darkness. Their eyes gleamed with predatory calculation as they assessed the small, seemingly vulnerable child walking alone. One of them even took a step forward, hand moving toward a concealed blade.

But before they could act, one of their companions grabbed hold of them, yanking them back into the shadows with urgent whispers. Recognition had flashed across the man's face—probably someone who had been in the plaza the previous morning when Nova and Anny had made their dramatic entrance.

Nova allowed himself a small smile as he kept walking past. 'Word seems to be spreading. Suits me nicely.'

He found Anny lying in bed once he returned to their room at the Silver Spear. She had been busy during his absence; their supplies were now sorted in neat, orderly stacks around her on the bed. Various bottles, preserved food, emergency bandages, and other necessities had been organized with military precision.

"Taking a short nap?" Nova asked, closing the door behind him.

"No, just thinking..." Anny replied, not bothering to sit up. Her eyes tracked his movements as he removed his soot-stained outer clothes. "What did you make?"

"A new set of rings, both of the storage kind and the communication kind." He held up his hands, showing the four identical bands gleaming on his fingers. In the morning light filtering through the window, the Solium metal had an almost liquid quality, shifting subtly with each movement.

"Nice!" Anny's eyes lit up. She sat up, examining the rings from her position on the bed. "I guess there's not much use in making weapons from this material."

"Not yet. I'm considering going for both the two next floors during our next dive. After that, we will have plenty to forge." Nova flexed his fingers, feeling the comfortable weight of his creations. Despite his exhaustion, the thought of what material they might find deeper in the dungeon sent a thrill of anticipation through him.

"We could do that. I've bought enough supplies to last us a few weeks, just in case." Anny adjusted her position on the bed, smoothing out a wrinkle in the coarse blanket beneath her.

Nova studied the four rings on his fingers thoughtfully, twisting one back and forth to catch the morning light streaming through the window. After a moment's consideration, he slipped two of them off—one storage ring and one communication ring.

"We can't waste time on these floors. Millie might still be on floor nine... Or ten." He extended his hand, offering the rings to Anny. The Solium metal caught the sunlight, seeming to glow from within with subtle blue-silver luminescence.

Anny's eyes widened slightly at the gesture. She reached out, accepting the rings with careful fingers. "Let's not worry about that before we get there. You're right about not needing that much, but it's better to be prepared, right?" She slipped the rings onto her fingers.

"Right." Nova nodded, leaning back against the wall beside the bed. "I made them bigger than last time, as you can probably tell."

(Yeah, I hoped they would be. And the communication works too… Right?)

(Perfectly clear,) Nova replied.

Anny held her hand up, examining the new additions with obvious appreciation. Then she looked back at him as an eager expression grew on her face. "What about the blood?"

"Oh, yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to absorb it like I did with the Mountain King's blood." Nova crossed his arms, silently studying the material in his core. It had an almost ruby-like color as it floated there among all the other material. "I'm not sure what effects you might get, but it might be related to drinking blood to heal yourself."

Anny's nose wrinkled in distaste. "...That sounds disgusting." She turned the rings on her fingers absently, still getting used to their presence.

"It does, doesn't it?" Nova agreed with a small smile. "You could drink mine, though. I regenerate it very quickly." He flexed his fingers demonstratively, as if showing off the vitality that allowed such rapid healing.

Anny fell silent, considering the proposition. Her eyes traced the patterns in the wooden ceiling as she weighed her options. "...Well, it would be a shame to waste it, right?"

"The other option is you using it for your beast technique. The Vampire Lord does sound pretty strong, after all." Nova watched her closely, gauging her reaction to the alternatives.

Anny straightened up, crossing her legs beneath her on the bed. "Well, I've got so many beasts already. If I could get an ability like your regeneration, I'd be a lot less worried in combat."

Nova raised an eyebrow, unable to keep a small smirk from his face. "Are you suddenly not so opposed to drinking blood?"

"Mmmh, don't make me sound weird." She glared at him, but there was no real heat in her expression.

"Not at all, it's just that you changed your mind so fast." His smirk widened as he spotted a slight coloration rising to her cheeks.

"I considered the advantages it could bring." She lifted her chin defensively, accentuating the faint flush creeping up her neck.

"Oh, you're blushing." Nova's voice carried a note of triumph at having caught her in this rare moment of discomfort.

"No I'm not! My cheeks are perfectly pale and cool." Anny's hand moved reflexively toward her face before she caught herself and lowered it, scowling at Nova's obvious amusement.

"Fine, fine. We'll use it for blood cultivation." Nova relented, suddenly turning serious. "Let me warn you, though—It's painful."

Anny's posture straightened with determination. "I don't fear pain."

"Good." Nova nodded, not doubting her for a moment.

Only those who have lived several lives know the pain of death. And he'd be surprised if the gods in her previous life didn't try their best to make her scream.

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