Chapter 4: The Kenja of The Forge

As Jinsoku entered Ryu's room in the dead of night to fulfill his urge to torture his student every morning before practice, a pillow suddenly flew through the darkness toward the door. Jinsoku swiftly ducked under it as Ryu quickly retrieved the lamp next to his bed while saying, "Gotcha Master! I did not tell you yesterday, but I reached level thirty for my Detect spell. I unlocked a passive skill that allows me to always have it active in a ten-foot circle." Ryu was beaming with pride from being able to catch his teacher off guard for once. As Jinsoku stood back up straight, he had a cold detached expression on his face. He had a devilish smile as he said, "It appears my pupil has finally graduated to the next level of his training. I guess it is time I start taking your training serious." A shiver ran down Ryu's spine as goosebumps appeared on his skin. His teachers words caused his entire demeanor to do a one eighty as fear filled him and his sense of victory was dashed away.

Jinsoku let out a sinister laugh at the sight of his student as he turned away back toward the hallway, "Come on kid. Today you are to run ten laps around the city walls before the sun comes up." Ryu sat momentarily shocked at the idea of running ten laps since he had just started to be able to complete five laps with time to spare. As he snapped out of his disbelief, he hurriedly got dressed and chased after Jinsoku. Ryu knew he needed to hustle because he would need every second if he was going to beat the sunrise. As they approached the gate, Ryu could not help but feel this time Jinsoku was going to kill him. As he started to run, he became lost in thought as he started to think about how today marked the end of his first week in the Empire. He had somehow survived his teachers training course of death and reaped the award for it. He had a decent number of skills above level thirty, and he was beginning to collect a couple of passive skills to. Ryu had also noticed he had unlocked a couple of new skills that only appeared once he had gotten his other ones to a certain level. Similar to a tree, he was slowly developing an arsenal of talents as his branches continued to blossom from the rigorous training.

As Ryu finished his fifth lap around the city, he realized he was making record time and that ten laps were completely doable. He was much quicker today thanks to his new skill, Dash, that he had obtained when his Speed ability had reached level thirty-five. It allowed him to cover short distances quickly at the expense of some of his MP. Ryu found himself frequently utilizing magic which had made it incredibly easier to cast. It also helped that his MP Regeneration skill had reached level forty. Ryu had not told Jinsoku yesterday about a new ability he had obtained to hopefully give himself an advantage during their twelve hours of weapon training today. It was a passive skill that allowed him to keep his magic activated without having to concentrate on it. His magic was essentially equivalent to a light switch that he could turn on and off whenever he wanted to now. As Ryu continued to run around the city walls in the early morning, he subconsciously continued to cast his spells while his mind lingered elsewhere.

He started to recall something Jinsoku had said yesterday while they had been waiting for their dinner last night, "Tomorrow, I think it is a good idea to get you registered with the guild because I have an idea on how you will go about getting your gear." Ryu began to smile unbeknownst to himself as he thought about how cool he was going to appear once he had his own equipment. Jinsoku had not given him any time outside of training to buy new clothes, so he was still wearing the same outfit he had on since he had come to the Empire. Ryu started to think about how he was going to make himself resemble a badass fighter similar to those street fighting anime characters from his previous world. His mind started to drift as he began to contemplate on the practicality of his gear. He definitely wanted to remain light and agile, so anything bulky or heavy was a no go. While it would cost him some of his protection, he definitely wanted his armor to be sleeveless, so he could show off his tattoo. Ryu started to think about when Jinsoku suddenly appeared on that brute's sword a week ago. He looked like a certified badass with his face obscured by his cloak. If he incorporated a hood, it would give him that mysterious vibe just like his teacher.

As Ryu rounded the final corner on his last lap heading back toward Jinsoku, he thought of the perfect thing to add to his armor that would make it unique. As the two of them made their way back to the inn in the early morning light, Jinsoku decided to break the silence as he said, "After breakfast, we are heading to get you registered at the guild. The blacksmith at the Weapons and Armor Essentials is affiliated with them, so they should allow you to start working with him." Ryu stared at Jinsoku in confusion as he asked, "Work with him?" As they neared the inn, Jinsoku started to clarify, "It is essential you develop all your skills because you never know which abilities may provide you with a winning strategy. Starting next week, you will no longer have a second round of weapons training. Instead, you will be spending that time working with that dwarf that runs the forge." Ryu was shocked by the sudden news that he was going to have a part time job working at the blacksmith shop now.

Before he could get lost in thought pondering over his first step into adulthood, he suddenly remembered he needed to pay the inn keeper today if he wanted to continue to have a place to stay. Luckily, he still had the majority of his gold since Jinsoku never gave him time to participate in anything outside of training every day. As he motioned to his teacher that he was going to the front desk, he said, "Please go ahead and order for me Jinsoku. I have to pay Miss Rina for this week." As Ryu approached the counter, he pulled out his pouch of gold coins. As he removed one, he was hopeful that he could start making some money with the guild soon. He was slightly worried that he would run out after he was done buying his gear. Miss Rina smiled at Ryu before saying, "Good morning dear, I overheard you when you came in. You are wanting to renew your stay here for another week?" Ryu nodded as he handed her the gold coin. He bowed as he thanked her for allowing him to continue to stay at the inn before he turned around to go sit with Jinsoku. Kasai arrived at the table with the food just as Ryu sat down. Their plates had two fluffy pancakes on them with a few strips of bacon on the side in addition to some chopped, baked potato wedges. As she set them down, she said, "You two wait a second before digging in." She ran back to the kitchen before emerging shortly after with some syrup for them as well as two glasses of orange juice.

As soon as she placed the syrup on the table, the two of them quickly poured it all over their pancakes. They swiftly tore into their meals devouring their breakfast leaving nothing behind on their plates. As Kasai started to clean up, she decided to ask them what they had planned for today. Jinsoku quickly answered, "I am taking the kid to get registered with the guild. I am going to get the paperwork completed for him to work with the dwarf at his shop near the entrance of the city. Afterwards, we should be able to get in a weapons training session." Kasai appeared slightly concerned after hearing that Ryu was going to be working at the weapon shop. She let out a nervous laugh as she said, "Well Ryu, it should be a great opportunity for you. Please try your best to not get discouraged while working with the owner. I have heard he has the title 'Sage of The Forge' due to his incredible prowess in weapon and armor creation. Rumor has it that his items are the best on the market, but he can be a bit difficult sometimes." Ryu nodded in appreciation for the advice as him and Jinsoku stood up from the table. He smiled as he said, "Thanks for the heads-up Kasai. I cannot imagine he will be more difficult than master." She giggled as she watched them leave.

As they passed the fountain in the center of the plaza, Ryu realized they were heading to the western part of the city. This was his first time seeing the stores on this side of the town. It appeared that most of the buildings on the street sold common retail items such as clothing, furniture, jewelry, and various personal hygiene products. As they neared the end of the road, Ryu noticed to his left a lumber yard next to a training arena and the adventure guild. Across the street was a pub that appeared to be for adventurers because the sign said Adventurers Reprise. As they made their way into the guild hall, Ryu was slightly surprised by how empty it was inside. Their was a couple of tables spaced out across the room. To his right on the wall hung five bulletin boards with varying amounts of paper clipped on them. The letters A, B, C, D, and E were hanging above each one of the boards with A starting on the left and E ending on the right. On his left was a double door that appeared to lead out to the attached training arena. There were roughly twenty adventurers in the hall, and they all varied in race. Ryu and Jinsoku were walking up to a long desk with two women in light green berets with white button up shirts and light green skirts behind it.

As they approached, the girl on the right smiled at them. She had light brown hair with light blue eyes. Ryu was certain she was not following the dress code protocol because her shirt was not buttoned all the way up. He blushed slightly as he quickly glanced away because he had noticed her cleavage was the reason it was not fully clasped. The girl on the left was shorter, and she had long black hair. She also had black cat ears and a tail to match. It appeared she was timid in nature while her co-worker seemed to be a bit rambunctious. As they came to a stop in front of them, the girl on the right started to greet them, "Welcome travelers. My name is Yasei and next to me is our cute receptionist Chisai. How can we help you today?" They both bowed as his teacher replied, "My name is Jinsoku, and this is Ryu. I am here to get him registered and fill out the request for him to start an apprenticeship at the weapons shop near the entrance of the city." Yasei nodded as she started to shuffle around some paperwork on the desk as she said, "We can definitely get both of those requests started for you. If you could please step to the left, you can start filling out the application for the apprenticeship with my partner while I get him registered for his guild card." As Jinsoku moved over, Chisai handed him the paperwork and a pen.

Ryu watched as Yasei prepare the necessary items for them to begin. She pulled out a crystal ball as well as a small card that was black with white tip corners. The license had three thin gold lines on the left side with a gold box on the right side. As Yasei finished, she pulled out a quill pen while saying, "Okay, let's start with your name then your three highest skills and their levels?" Ryu quickly replied, "My name is Ryu Seki, and my three highest skills are MP Regeneration, Swordsmanship, and Speed. Their levels are forty, thirty-eight, and thirty-five." She swiftly wrote down the information while Ryu patiently waited. He noticed a peculiar sparkly glint to the white ink of the pen as he watched her. As she finished, she said, "That is an interesting set of skills you have developed to this point. You ready for the next step?"

As Ryu nodded, she wrote the letter E in the box of the card before inserting it into the base of the crystal ball. With preparations completed, she began to explain to him what he needed to do, "The item in front of you is a magical tool that is able to read your current level of skill. It also imbues some of your magic into the card, so it can update itself automatically as you continue to develop. The sphere assesses your affinities and determines your potential while gauging where you are currently to allow your rank to correspond accordingly. Any questions?" Ryu was only curious about one thing as he said, "Does the card stay infused with my magic forever?" Yasei shook her head no before answering, "It does not. The way the guild knows if an adventurer has met an unfortunate end during their journey is by their card. If it is recovered and has lost its glint, it means the owner is no longer with us in this world."

Ryu nodded as he placed his hand on the crystal ball. It started to glow a brilliant gold which had gotten everyone's attention in the guild hall. As they all stared in awe, the item started to crack. It began with one small splinter across the surface before it spread across the entire orb. It suddenly shattered apart and turned into dust to Ryu's astonishment as he stood uncertain of what to do now. As he looked to Yasei for guidance, he knew she was just as shocked. She was pale as a ghost as she stared in silence. Jinsoku had just finished filling out the paperwork for the apprenticeship, so he quickly jumped in as he said, "Can you please escort us to the guild leader Yasei?" She snapped out of her daze as she shakily responded, "Please follow me." She grabbed Ryu's guild card before proceeding up the staircase to the second floor. As they got to the top of the stairs, Ryu was surprised by how little there was on this level of the building. A short hallway was in front of them with a door on each side and a third at the end. They followed Yasei as she walked to end of the corridor. She knocked three times on the entrance before saying, "Guild Master, we have two guests here that need to meet with you regarding an incident that just occurred downstairs." Ryu heard a loud gravelly voice respond with one word, "Enter."

She held the door open for them allowing them to enter first. Once they were inside, she quickly closed the door to prevent anyone from eavesdropping down below since the accident had peeked everyone's curiosity. As Ryu looked around the room, the first thing he noticed was how big it was in size. There were two dark green couches to his left with a dark brown coffee table in between them. A black fluffy carpet filled the floor underneath the furniture. As he turned his attention to his right, he noticed the mini-style bar. There were multiple bottles on the shelves behind the counter and five barstool chairs pushed up against the island. A couple of beautiful paintings hung on the walls around the room. As Ryu turned his focus back to in front of himself, he gazed upon a gigantic light brown desk positioned between two tall paned windows. The curtains had been drawn open to let the natural light from outside illuminate the room. Ryu finally noticed the gigantic man sitting before them. He had his hands locked in front of his face as he stared intently at the two of them.

His eyes were dark green, and he had long dark brown hair. He wore it wrapped in a tight ponytail. As Ryu studied the man, he noticed some grey starting to mix in and his face had a couple of wrinkles. He appeared to be in his forties, and his stature was triple the size of Ryu. The guild leader appeared to be roughly six feet and six inches tall and around two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle. He had multiple scars on his arms which told Ryu the man had been in many battles in his past. As Ryu looked beyond him, he noticed a giant Kanabo propped on the wall behind him. He doubted he could even lift it let alone swing it. He knew if he took one hit from that thing that he would be finished. Ryu was certain the guild leader possessed incredible strength to be able to wield such a weapon.

The guild leader let out an annoyed sigh as he dropped his hands and said, "Jinsoku. I should have known if someone was causing an issue in my guild hall that it would be you. I was for sure since I had not seen you in a week that I was finally going to have some peace and quiet around here." Jinsoku laughed as he responded by throwing Ryu under the bus, "I did not do anything this time old friend. My pupil here decided to make a scene downstairs. I thought I had beaten him senseless enough the past week during training that he would know better than to embarrass me like that." Ryu angrily turned to Jinsoku and fired back, "All I did was touch the crystal ball like I was instructed. It is not my fault the stupid thing shattered." Jinsoku waved off Ryu's comment uninterested in his students explanation. The man smacked the table slightly annoyed from the bickering as he began to introduce himself, "My name is Souatari Kojima, and I am not sure why this loose cannon has decided to mentor you kid, but it has me intrigued. What is your name and how old are you?" Ryu bowed slightly before responding, "My name is Ryu Seki, and I am sixteen years old. It is nice to meet you guild leader." Souatari turned his attention to Yasei as he asked her what had occurred downstairs, "What did these two nitwits do that caused such a commotion?" As she stepped forward, Ryu could hear the worried tone in her voice as she said, "I was measuring Ryu's current skill level and determining his potential rank when the magical item started to glow a brilliant gold color before multiple cracks appeared across its surface. It suddenly shattered and turned to dust. I am not sure what happened to it." Souatari began to lean back in his chair while crossing his arms letting out an audible "Hmm" of concern as he thought about what he had just heard.

He suddenly waved toward Yasei while saying, "You are free to go. I need to have a chat with these two." As he went back into thought, Yasei quickly placed Ryu's guild card on his desk before she bowed and left the room. With her departure, a quiet eeriness fell upon them as Ryu tried to figure out what was so serious about the stupid sphere he touched breaking. The only explanation he could think of was that it was old and finally broke when he had used it. Ryu wondered if he was going to have to pay for it. As he nervously stewed over the situation, he did not realize Jinsoku had made his way over to the couch closest to them. As he plopped down, he sighed loudly before saying, "Come on old man, just start asking the questions on your mind. I do not have all day. Plus, the more daylight we burn the less time I have to train the kid." Ryu could tell that his teachers comment irritated the guild leader. Souatari stared daggers toward Jinsoku before he said, "Make yourself at home why don't you. Would it hurt you to be more respectful or do I have to remind you how with my kanabo." Jinsoku waved unconcerned from the threat which only fueled the flames of Souatari's anger further. In an attempt to calm down, he took a deep breath before asking Ryu, "What are your natural affinities?" Ryu quickly glanced at his master to see if he should tell him the truth. To his astonishment, Jinsoku had fallen asleep on the couch. Ryu could not believe how useless his teacher was as he shook his head in disappointment.

If Jinsoku trusted this man enough to take a nap in front of him after being threatened, then Ryu thought to himself it should be fine to tell Souatari the truth. He cleared his throat as he said, "I was gifted by God with a natural affinity in all skills." The guild leader stared at Ryu as his jaw dropped to the floor from the answer. Jinsoku had set up for a second with a curious eye trained on his student from the interesting verbiage he had used, but he swiftly laid back down before his pupil could catch him. Souatari attempted to use logic to ensure Ryu's answer had merit to it as he said, "If that is true, then it would explain why the crystal ball shattered and turned into dust. It would only do that if it was unable to measure your potential, which would only be possible if your potential was uncomprehensible for it. It would also explain why you have such a loathsome person interested in training you." The guild leader turned his attention to Ryu's guild card as he picked it up off the corner of his desk. As he reviewed the information, he was astonished to see the magical item had determined that the kid was already a rank C adventurer. He could not fathom the fact that Ryu's statement of having an affinity in all skills was true, but he struggled to find another explanation to how he was surviving the vicious training of Jinsoku if he was not extremely talented.

Souatari leaned back in his chair and sighed in defeat as he decided to accept what Ryu said as fact. He handed Ryu his guild card as he told him, "You need to be more careful who you reveal this information to as you continue on your journey in life kid. This world is filled with evil, and there are plenty of influential people who would either try to use you as a weapon or silence you to keep you from upsetting the balance of power in the Empire. Do you understand?" Ryu nodded before bowing in appreciation for him being concerned about his safety. Jinsoku suddenly appeared behind Ryu somehow not making a sound from getting up from the couch. He put his arm around his pupil's shoulders as he asked Souatari, "Now that we are all on the same page, can you make sure to have that tiny pain in the ass at the forge cooperate and train Ryu starting next Monday?" The guild leader glared at him as he quipped back with an answer, "It would be easier to get the Kenja to cooperate with your request for the boy if he didn't hate your very existence Jinsoku." His teacher quickly defended himself as he said, "That little man has the audacity to charge a fortune for his wares and then get mad at me for telling him where he can shove his craftmanship." Souatari slammed his hand down on the table while standing up from his chair before reaching back and grabbing his kanabo off the wall.

Ryu felt he could cut the tension in the air with a knife as Souatari activated his magic. A purple aura started to emanate several inches off of his body lapping against the air around him. It appeared his physique had been enhanced as he flexed his muscles. His voice was dripping with callous as he said, "One of these days Jinsoku I am going to snap, and it'll take an act of god to stop me from beating you to death." His teacher let out a belly rolling laugh as he smacked his knee in amusement like the guild leader had just told him a joke. As he recomposed himself, he wiped away a tear as he said, "You are one funny guy gramps. We do not want you to throw your back out trying to fight me." Ryu could tell that Souatari was close to making today the day he would follow through on his words, so he quickly interjected, "Thank you guild master for assisting me with my apprenticeship. We are going to take our leave now to get my training in before it is too late." Ryu bowed before turning toward his teacher. He quickly pushed him out of the room before turning and mouthing sorry to Souatari as he closed the door.

While the two were walking back toward the entrance of the city after leaving the guild, Ryu started to scold Jinsoku for his behavior, "You could have been more respectful back there to Souatari." His teacher continued to ignore him as they exited through the gate. The two walked in silence till they had reached the clearing where they held their practice sessions. The sun was beginning to sink toward the west, so Ryu was certain they would only be able to get in one session today. As Jinsoku assumed his normal spot in the field, Ryu went to retrieve the longsword. As he got into place, he felt a menacing vibe flowing off of Jinsoku as he stared at him. His teacher was standing very stiff while staring at the ground. It felt like he was about to commit a heinous crime as he slowly looked up toward him. There was a glint of wicked excitement in his eyes as he said, "Time to have fun. Try your best to stay alive because the next level of your training begins now."

He suddenly disappeared the fastest Ryu had ever seen him do to this point. Before he could react, Jinsoku's wooden short blade was dug deep into his right side under his ribs. The impact from the hit sent him flying across the meadow into the base of a tree on the north side. He had luckily been able to hold onto his weapon, but it had fell to the ground when he had struck the oak. He quickly grabbed it as he used it to help himself back to his feet. As Ryu painfully stood back up, he activated his magic as he wheezingly casted heal on his ribs. He was certain the blow had cracked two of his ribs, and that he was going to have a nasty bruise later. By the time his detect had revealed his teacher's location to him, he felt he only had a second or two to react. Luckily for him, Jinsoku had not moved after striking him. It was clear to Ryu that he was going to be attacked with much more power now, but that he would at least be given time to heal and prepare for the next hit.

He quickly began to cast multiple spells with haste. He activated a physical enhancement buff in addition to a protection spell that surrounded his body. He was relieved that his barrier skill had reached level thirty because it had unlocked the protection ability. He was certain it was going to be pivotal to his survival now. The spell allowed him to put a magical cloak around his body. It would negate some of the damage from an attack, but it would break if a strike more powerful then it landed. Ryu had little confidence that he would be able to cast it strong enough to completely negate what his teacher was throwing at him. He was hopeful though that it would at least keep the injuries from being life threatening. He quickly activated his detect spell which he had developed to cover a twenty-foot radius now. Just as he finished preparing himself, his teacher vanished again. Ryu quickly turned to his left and started using Dash to run from Jinsoku. He was certain if he stayed still that his master would continue to land punishing shots on him. He knew he needed to use the trees around the field as natural protection to make it more difficult for his teacher to land a clean strike on him.

As Ryu rounded a tree on the west side of the clearing, he found multiple ice blades waiting for him. They flew toward him with incredibly speed, but he was able to react much faster this time thanks to all the spells he had active. He quickly blocked them with his longsword, but that is what his teacher wanted him to do. Jinsoku had planned for his student to temporarily stop moving to block, so he could launch toward him from behind. Ryu felt his masters presence just in time to throw up a barrier just as Jinsoku attacked. As his teacher planted his foot in the ground, he swung his leg toward Ryu's back while activating a fireball at the end of it. The spell shattered the barrier as the flames dissipated into the air. This allowed Jinsoku's shin to continue toward its target undeterred. As he made contact with Ryu's last line of defense, the spell broke, but it accomplished its purpose which was to slow the kick. It still landed with enough impact to knock him down to one knee and bruise his back some, but he had avoided any serious injury. He hurriedly casted heal while reactivating his protection spell before continuing to rapidly move around the clearing.

Ryu had started the day with such high hopes to surprise Jinsoku with his new abilities, but the next six hours of training were filled with disappointment as his teacher continued to inflict substantial amounts of pain on him. He remained nowhere remotely close to landing a strike on him with any weapon. As the moon sat high in the sky, it casted a glow on the clearing as they finally concluded their training session. Ryu had been beaten mentally and physically from the next level of his training as he flopped down on the ground. As he stared up at the moon, he was relieved to finally have the opportunity to rest for a moment. He had been forced to keep his guard up every second the past six hours because if he did not, Jinsoku would appear to land a crippling blow. As his teacher walked over to him, he extended his hand down to him offering to help him to his feet. Ryu was shocked to see him being sincerely nice. He gratefully took his hand and got back up to his feet. Jinsoku started to playfully rub his hand through Ryu's hair similar to petting a dog as he said, "Good job kid. I did not think you would survive this afternoon, but your determination is unmatched. You have a talent for strategizing and a great understanding of fighting tactics. I promise you it won't be much longer before you are able to stand next to me." He had a happy grin on his face as he praised his pupil, but it quickly vanished as he turned toward the city and started to walk away. Ryu stared at him feeling proud, confused, and elated all at the same time by the comment. After several minutes had passed, he finally clapped his face as he swiftly took off after his master who had already disappeared into the forest.

As they entered the inn, Kasai had a beautiful smile on her face. Ryu instantly ran up to her eager to tell her about the eventful day, "Kasai, I am so glad to see you. Jinsoku upped my training today, and he proceeded to mercilessly beat me. It was brutal, but it was worth it because he said he was proud of me for not giving up." Kasai had a look of astonishment on her face as she said, "Jinsoku actually had a moment of kindness. I wish I had been there to witness it." His teacher fell to the ground as if an arrow had hit him in his chest. The comment had clearly emotionally hurt him as Ryu continued, "I also got registered with the guild and met the guild leader Souatari. That guy is huge and Jinsoku was a jerk to him the whole time." Kasai angrily stared at Jinsoku while saying, "Just when I thought you might have one decent bone in your body you go and disappointment again." Those words were the metaphorical dagger that finished his master of as he fell face down into the ground. Ryu could have sworn he saw his spirit leave his body, but he decided to ignore his teacher as he told Kasai, "The guild leader also said he would make sure the Sage of the Forge would teach me starting next Monday."

She clapped her hands in excitement for him as she said, "Congratulations Ryu! Go pick Jinsoku up off of the floor and take a seat while I have the chef prepare your meals. I have an idea for a special treat for you guys to celebrate your apprenticeship." Ryu shook his head as he turned his attention to his master who was still acting like he was dead on the ground. He grabbed his arm and put it around his shoulder before lifting him up to his feet. As he carried him to the nearest table to have a seat, he let out a struggling grunt before saying, "Come on master you could at least help me a little bit. You are so heavy." Jinsoku remained motionless as Ryu dumped him into his chair before sitting down across from him just as Kasai came back with their dinner. The aroma of the delicious bowl of pork ramen snapped his teacher out of his funk. His stomach growled as he began to sit up in anticipation of the meal. As soon as Kasai set the bowls down on the table, the two of them devoured it in their usual matter emptying the bowls in a matter of minutes. They both clapped their hands together as they finished and thanked her in unison for the meal. She smiled before saying, "I believe now it is time for y'all's dessert. It should be ready by now, so you two wait here and I will be right back." She quickly grabbed the bowls before heading back to the kitchen.

When she reemerged, she had two plates in her hand. Ryu recognized the dessert immediately. It was a slice of cheesecake which was one of his favorite sweet treats from his past life. As she set the saucers down, she said, "This is a Cream Cake special from our chef who was lucky enough to have the ingredients on hand to make it. Please enjoy Ryu, we are all proud of your hard work and dedication to becoming an adventurer." She gently rubbed his head as if she was his mother before leaving the two of them to enjoy their confection. Ryu quickly picked up his fork and started to cut into the cheesecake. As he ate his first bite, he felt a wave of relief from how sweet and delicious it tasted. The dessert made him instantly forget about all of his pain and bruises from today. As they finished eating every last crumb on their plates, Ryu sat back and yawned. He briefly closed his eyes and smiled for a second as he thought about how much fun he was having in this new world before he got up from the table and headed upstairs. Ashe opened the door to his room, he turned and said goodnight to Jinsoku who grumbly said, "Night kid." As soon as he made contact with his bed, he passed out from exhaustion before he even had the opportunity to take his clothes off. As he peacefully slept, he had a smile on his face as he dreamed about creating his gear and working with the Kenja of The Forge.