"I want to train too," Rianna commented. "The mission I had last time was like a walk in the park thanks to the training I got. If I can get stronger, I wouldn't mind a bit of suffering."
"I want to train as well," Shana replied. "I realized during our last mission that I have a lot to learn. Since I only trained for a month last time, there wasn't enough time for me to fully understand my new abilities. This time, I want to stabilize my foundation, so I can be of help in the Cygni Continent."
Erica, who had no intention of training at the moment, suddenly found herself at the crossroads.
She had always been a very competitive person by nature, so she didn't want Derek, Shana, and Rianna to surpass her anytime soon.
During their previous mission, she also felt like her fighting prowess had drastically increased after the one-month hellish training with Zion.
But a month of training wasn't enough to fully master the things that she needed to know. The Trial of Courage taught her many things, and although they no longer had problems in dealing with Rank 5 Sovereigns, fighting against Rank 6 Monsters was still tough for them. If not for the fact that Thirteen had given the bosses of each floor the perfect level of injuries, they might have suffered some casualties due to how strong these Bosses were.
But there was one thing bothering Erica, and that was the monsters of the 12th Floor.
According to their Guides, the Boss of the 12th Floor was a Rank 8 Sovereign who could raise its strength to that of a Rank 9.
There was also an Umbrafang, a Rank 7 Sovereign, which was also very difficult to deal with. The weakest monsters on the 12th Floor were Rank 4 Monsters. However, none of these monsters attacked them, and they even helped the Wanderers reach the portal that led to the 13th Floor.
There were no traces of the Umbrafang and the Grievefoot.
However, they noticed that a tenth of the Forest was destroyed.
They were not aware that it was due to the fact that Cranky kicked the Umbrafang because it tried to jump on Thirteen's bandwagon after refusing the alliance that the teenage boy offered.
'Should I train or not?' Erica thought.
Thirteen glanced at Erica with a smile, which gave the young lady goosebumps.
Suddenly, she felt someone hug her leg, which made Erica look down.
There, she saw Rhia, looking at her with a big smile on her face.
"Sis, train together!" Rhia said, making Erica's heart melt.
"Okay, let's train together," Erica replied before picking Rhia up and kissing her chubby cheeks.
Rhia giggled and kissed Erica back, making Rianna and Shana feel a little envious.
"Good. Since all of you wanted to train, we can start your training in two days," Thirteen
replied. "You can go back home tomorrow, Erica, and pack some clothes for the training. Since the others planned to train from the start, I'm sure that they already made their preparations."
Shana, Rianna, and Derek nodded because they had already made preparations for their training.
When Diana and Mildred found out through their group chat that Shana, Erica, Rianna, and Derek were already in the Leventis Residence to start their training, the two also started packing because they didn't want to be left behind by their comrades.
Roland and Joshua, on the other hand, were busy helping with the recruitment of the Central Government, so they couldn't join right away.
However, both of them promised that they would be there a month later so that they could also participate in Thirteen's training.
That night, Alessia, with the help of Shana, Erica, and Rianna, cooked a feast for everyone. While the Leventis Family and Zion's friends were having a good time, something incredible was happening in the secluded base of the Order of Raziel.
A heavenly phenomenon of a giant serpent emerged from the heavens, making the members of the Order of Raziel feel as if their hearts had been grasped into a firm grip.
Gerald, whose entire body was covered by sweat, raised his Adamantine Hammer and struck it heavily down the anvil.
With each strike, the Giant Serpent in the Heavens grew larger until it blocked the light of the sun, leaving behind a dark shadow on the land.
The only thing that could be seen was the Flames of Sylvanna and the sparks that were created with each hammer strike.
Gerald knew that he was in the critical juncture of his smithing, and one mistake could lead everything to ruin.
However, he didn't back down and continued to hit the armor, shaping it to his will.
The body of the Giant Black Serpent suddenly changed its color to crimson, and soon, an ear- piercing screech reverberated in the heavens.
The members of the Order of Raziel covered their ears and tried to withstand the pressure that was forcing them to kneel on the ground.
But despite their effort, they knelt one by one, facing the forge where Gerald was fighting a battle of his own.
With each hammer strike, he could feel his hammer getting heavier and heavier.
It was as if the laws of the world were trying to prevent him from swinging his hammer and completing the armor that he was making.
Gerald roared as he forcefully swung the hammer with all of his might.
He would not allow himself to be held back by anything.
The memories when he created the Adamantine-Grade Equipment that Thirteen transformed
into Mythical Gears flashed in front of him.
Back then, he was just mastering his craft and was still considered a beginner by his son.
However, after many years of hard work, swinging his hammer as if he was carrying the entire world on his shoulders, Gerald finally mastered the Hammer of All Seasons.
Anyone who prevented him from doing what he wanted to do would get smashed by his
hammer!
Suddenly, the tolling of a bell resounded across the land, drowning the screech of the Giant
Serpent.
Gerald raised his hammer and struck with great momentum.
With each strike, the bell tolled as if informing the world that something was about to be
born.
Finally, at the thirteenth toll of the bell, the Giant Serpent was pulled from the sky as if it was
being sucked by the armor that Gerald had finished crafting.
The Black Serpent tried to resist and fight, but it was of no use.
Gerald felt all the strength in his body disappear, and he collapsed helplessly on the floor.
However, a smile could be seen on his weary and exhausted face.
Lying on top of the forge was a red armor, glowing in a faint light.
This was the result of Gerald's blood, sweat, and tears.
He wanted to laugh out loud, but even laughing required too much effort on his part.
"I did it, Zion," Gerald said with a smile. "I really did it!"
The members of the Order of Raziel looked at the blacksmith that had collapsed on the ground
and the armor that was shining in the forge.
For the first time in history, a blacksmith had successfully created the first Mythical Armor that would take the world by storm.