Arwin studied his new skill options for several minutes, re-reading them to make sure he perfectly understood every single one. All the achievements had definitely been worth the effort – the results he’d received were incredible. [Firewrought Blow] was a good combat skill on its own – but there was more to it than just a mere attack. Sure, releasing a blast of fire when hitting something was useful, but it wasn’t just any fire. It was [Soul Flame] – which meant any upgrades he got to his [Soul Flame] would affect it as well. On top of that, he could use the ability whilst forging. That would probably go a long way in improving his abilities and letting him forge new weapons. It was an incredible ability – but the others were just as interesting. [Bleeding Heart] caught Arwin’s attention even though it hadn’t been upgraded by the Achievements. It wasn’t immediately useful, but the better equipment he got, the more powerful it would become. If the other two abilities had been just about anything else, Arwin would have chosen it on the spot. It would make training Reya so much easier, and if I want to start a guild, then abilities would be invaluable. But [Arsenal]… At first glance, [Arsenal] didn’t appear incredibly strong. It was basically a glorified storage method, but it only took a little thought for Arwin to realize just how dangerous the ability was. It let him summon and dismiss equipment at will. There was no delay. He could carry a set of the heaviest plate armor in the world around with him, swapping into it the moment he needed to fight. And, beyond that, he could swap weapons mid-fight as well. A sword swing could turn into a hammer blow, and that effect would be compounded even farther the more equipment he got. The potential for the ability was basically limitless so long as he had the right gear on hand. Every single one of the abilities was tempting, but it didn’t take Arwin much longer to come to his final decision. He selected [Arsenal] without an ounce of regret and the glowing words of the Mesh shimmered and faded away, his choice complete. That didn’t stop a small voice in his head from pointing out that, if he pulled it off, his power would eclipse what he’d wielded as the Hero by an enormous margin. The Mesh was nothing if not fair. If he was walking around eating powerful Unique and Legendary weapons just to survive, the Mesh would have to be giving him equivalent benefits. He couldn’t imagine how big the boons would be to someone who was forced to consume a Legendary weapon every week, but he knew they’d be immense. “All I have to do is survive,” Arwin muttered to himself. “In the end, this doesn’t change my plans in the slightest. I knew I had to get stronger. This is just a bit of encouragement.” Very strong encouragement. Nothing more motivating than not spontaneously combusting – or whatever it is that would happen to me if I don’t feed the Hungering Maw. Stone shifted near the door. Arwin glanced over as Reya walked inside, stepping over the wolf pelt at the door and raising a hand in greeting when she realized that he wasn’t working the forge. “Arwin! I was wondering if you were ever going to stop. It’s been like four days,” Reya said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you okay? I’m starting to think there might be something seriously wrong with you. Did you even stop to eat?” “Yes. It was just a very brief stop.” That is technically not a lie. “Right,” Reya said, not looking like she believed him in the slightest. “Where’d your armor go? The last time I was in here, it looked like you’d nearly finished it. What happened?” Arwin’s response was to summon the greaves using [Arsenal]. Reya’s eyes widened as the scale plate armor materialized around his legs. “I can’t see any information on it, but they just appeared out of thin air. Does that mean–” “They’re magical,” Arwin confirmed with a slightly smug nod. “I did it.” “Another Unique item. You’re ridiculous. How is it that you can keep making these? Do you have some magic dust somewhere that you’re just sprinkling on everything you make?” “I’m just incredibly talented,” Arwin said, keeping his face completely straight. Reya squinted at him. “Was that a joke? Did you just make a joke?” “No. I would never do something like that.” “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking as well,” Reya grumbled. Her frown fell away. “Thanks for getting the beds, though. They’re amazing. I honestly can’t remember the last time I slept on something soft.” “Beds?” Arwin blinked. He vaguely remembered ordering them at a sketchy store, but he didn’t recall anything ever actually showing up. He’d been so caught up in his smithing that he’d entirely forgot about the purchase. “Yeah. Right there.” Reya pointed to the corner of the smithy and Arwin turned to follow her gesture. Sitting at the side of the smithy, nestled into a corner that was a little less cracked and broken up than the rest of the building, were two beds. What the hell? When did those show up? I didn’t notice anybody. “I – uh, yeah. I did buy those,” Arwin said. “Why does it sound like you’re trying to convince yourself? Did you not buy them?” “No, I did. I just didn’t notice that they’d shown up,” Arwin said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a frown. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’ve been caught up working. Has anything important happened?” “Nothing vital.” Reya shook her head. “I’ve mostly been hanging around Lillia’s tavern and trying to help her out with a few things whist keeping an eye out and making sure nobody too weird shows up at our door.” “Too weird? We’re the only ones on the damn street aside from Lillia and the one drunkard that passed through.” Reya glanced at Arwin out of the corners of her eyes. “That’s not entirely true anymore. Someone else was here! Someone new!” She cleared her throat. “No. He showed up yesterday and ate at Lillia’s tavern while I was there, then left pretty soon afterward. But still, a new customer! She was really excited.”