Orm stiffened for a moment, his expression darkening, but he quickly calmed himself. His eyes flicked from me to the man, and I could tell the tension in the room was palpable. Orm grunted, a slight growl in his voice.

  "Sui you little shit-face, don't just barge in when I've got a customer. Haven't you learned any manners over these years, you turd?"

  The man—Sui, from what Orm called him—just grinned, unfazed by the scolding.

  "Yeah, yeah," Sui replied, ughing. "I'm out, don't worry, gramps."

  But before he turned to leave, he shot me a quick gnce.

  "Hey, kid, you shouldn't always rely on potions. Build up your own stamina. If you're just gulping down potions every time, what happens when you can't get one down in the middle of a fight? It'll be the end of you, boy."

  I blinked, surprised at his bluntness. Before I could respond, he turned to Elise, adding, "Same goes to you, miss. Get yourself tougher. That's all."

  Without waiting for a response, the man named Sui vanished into the back, headed toward the forge.

  Elise and I exchanged a look, both of us caught off guard by his sudden intrusion and harsh words.

  Orm shook his head, muttering, "Hmm… Listen kids, what he said is true. He's a rude bastard, but he knows how to gauge people's inner strengths and weaknesses. So don't ignore what he told you."

  I nodded, still processing the exchange. It was weird to get advice like that from someone who seemed so blunt and abrasive, but there was some truth to it.

  "We will," I said, gncing at Elise. "Thanks for the advice, Orm."

  Elise added, "Yeah, we'll keep it in mind."

  With that, we turned to leave the shop, the strange encounter with Sui hanging in the air. As we stepped out into the street, I couldn't help but wonder what exactly he saw in us to give such advice. Was he talking from experience? Or was it just his way of trying to shake us up?

  Either way, it was a reminder that we couldn't depend on potions forever. We needed to build our strength in ways that went beyond just carrying healing vials and stamina boosts.

  The forge burned hot, filling the air with the acrid scent of molten metal and burning coal. The rhythmic cng of hammer on steel reverberated through the stone-walled workshop, accompanied by the occasional hiss of water as red-hot metal was plunged into a trough to cool.

  Thick, bck smoke curled toward the ceiling, escaping through narrow vents carved into the walls. The dim lighting, provided only by the flickering forge fmes and a few oil nterns, cast long shadows, making the space feel both alive and suffocating.

  Orm stood near a massive wooden workbench, arms crossed over his broad chest. His weathered face, etched with deep lines from years of bor, was illuminated by the orange glow of the forge.

  He wore a leather apron stained with soot and oil, his burly frame barely contained by the thick material. His iron-gray beard twitched as he exhaled heavily, watching Sui, who was hunched over a newly forged bde.

  Sui was a man in his mid-thirties or looked liked in his thirties, with unkempt bck hair that curled messily over his forehead. His sharp brown eyes, filled with quiet intensity, flickered as they examined the sword in his hands. Unlike Orm, whose strength was obvious in his rge frame, Sui had a lean, wiry build—his body shaped by years of battle rather than smithing.

  Scars ced his forearms, some old and faded, others fresh, a testament to a lifetime of fights both in and out of the dungeon. His dark tunic, loose and worn, bore patches of dried blood and burn marks from careless sparks flying from the forge.

  Orm finally broke the silence. "You'll train that boy from earlier." His voice was a low rumble, firm and unwavering. "And let the little shield maiden join too."

  Sui didn't immediately respond. He ran a calloused thumb along the bde's edge, testing its sharpness, before setting it down with a ctter.

  He exhaled through his nose, his expression unreadable. "I see it," he muttered, half to himself.

  "If nurtured well… he might actually pull it off."

  Orm grunted, stepping forward, the floor creaking under his weight. "You should read the test report from the Observers. Apparently, the boy has a perfect memory, but his body can't handle it." He leaned a hand on the table, making the wood groan. "After his first dungeon dive, his body broke down completely. The Observer had to intervene and force-feed him an elixir just to stabilize him."

  Sui's smirk faded. A perfect memory huh? That was a rare gift—one that could be both a blessing and a curse. If the boy could retain every movement, every battle technique, every fw of his enemies, then his potential was limitless.

  But if his body couldn't keep up with his mind, he'd be nothing more than a cripple waiting to happen.

  Orm's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "That's why you need to train him," he continued, his tone heavy with meaning. "Do it at your own discretion… just don't overdo it."

  Sui stayed silent for a long moment, staring at the glowing embers of the forge as if searching for an answer in the fire. He had seen countless fighters in his time—some who were naturally gifted, others who cwed their way to strength through sheer willpower.

  But a boy with a perfect memory and a fragile body? That was a dangerous combination. If left unchecked, he would either become a warrior beyond comparison… or a corpse rotting in the dungeon.

  Sui let out a sharp exhale, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Fine then." His voice was softer this time, but there was a distinct edge to it. "I'll do it."

  Orm nodded, satisfied. "Good. Just make sure the boy doesn't break."

  Sui chuckled, but there was no warmth in it. He picked up the sword he had been inspecting earlier, giving it a few test swings before resting it against the workbench.

  His brown eyes gleamed with something dangerous—an idea already forming in his mind.

  "No promises Gramps."