Ivana stayed close to Broken as he began his work, observing his every move.
Broken muttered softly, “It looks like smelting these Orichalcum ores will take much longer than smelting iron ore.”
Ivana chimed in, “Seems like you’ll be spending days here, huh?”
“I think so,” he replied.
Ivana nodded. “I’ll stay nearby to keep you company.”
Broken nodded slowly, appreciating her offer. “I think that would help a lot, Ivana.”
He thought about how no other blacksmith would dare disturb him with Ivana around. With her impressive armor and high level, no one would dare cause trouble. This thought brought a smile to his face.
Ivana began assisting him with small tasks, ensuring he had everything he needed. She would feed him when he was too engrossed in his work to take breaks and fetch towels to wipe away his sweat.
Some of the other blacksmiths, watching Broken and Ivana’s interactions, couldn’t hide their irritation. Their whispered comments were tinged with jealousy and disdain.
“Can’t we just chase away that rookie blacksmith?” one of them muttered in annoyance.
“You can try, but I wouldn’t bet on it,” another responded grimly. “It seems that the NPC woman won’t stay quiet if we attempt anything against him.”
“What did he do to make a Special NPC woman agree to help him like that?”
“He must have done something shady or sneaky,” someone else chimed in.
“Ch!” the first one groaned in exasperation. “His behavior is really getting on my nerves.”
“He’s probably just flaunting his skills, hoping for our admiration.”
“Yeah, and showing off how close he is to that beautiful NPC woman.”
“Isn’t there anyone brave enough to call them out on their lovey-dovey behavior?”
“Do it yourself, then.”
“Damn, the longer this goes on, the more envious I get. Not only does he have talent in blacksmithing, but he also has a stunning NPC girlfriend.”
“I wish I had a girlfriend like that too,” another whispered wistfully.
At the same time, Freya stepped inside the Blacksmith Workshop, immediately taken aback by the sight before her: Ivana was smiling warmly as she fed Broken. She had heard that Ivana had come to the city, but she hadn’t anticipated seeing them together in such an intimate setting.
“So, the Goddess Akidia’s spoiled baby is acting like a king, served by a woman as stunning as Ivana,” Freya thought.
Not wanting to disrupt their touching moment, she chose to quietly retreat from the scene.
As soon as Freya left, the other blacksmiths who had witnessed the scene began murmuring among themselves.
“I’m sure his real girlfriend is jealous seeing him cozying up with an NPC,” whispered one.
“Their relationship is bound to be ruined after this. That dumb playboy is too foolish to juggle love games.”
“After this, he’ll be abandoned by both girls and will suffer for his stupidity. Maybe he’ll even end up killing himself.”
“But still, knowing that he’s close to so many beautiful girls makes me feel sorry for myself.” “Maybe we should learn from him, not just about blacksmithing but also about womanizing skills?”
***
Goldrich started to explain. “I don’t want to brag, hehe… but I think this is the most reasonable explanation for what’s happening around him. As for the specific reasons behind my theory, I’m not ready to disclose everything to everyone just yet. You can press Maylock to share his thoughts if you like.”
Maylock responded with a thin smile. “Ck, you’re passing this responsibility onto me, huh.”
Elincia cleared her throat after hearing Goldrich’s speculation about Broken possibly being a Divine Champion.
“So,” she began, “if Broken is indeed a Divine Champion, he has the right to keep it secret. A Divine Champion might indeed have significant potential. Given what we’ve heard and observed, fostering a better relationship with him could be immensely beneficial for us.” Skywarden’s expression hardened as he responded. “Being a Divine Champion alone isn’t enough. Someone with an Epic-grade Class can still keep up with them if they do everything right. Playing this game requires dedication, strategy, and resources. We still have the chance to compete with other Divine Champions. There’s nothing inherently special about them. While none of us are Divine Champions, we are still one of the top ten guilds in Immortal Legacy.”
The harsh reality, however, was that there wasn’t a single Divine Champion in The Ass Guild, while other top guilds boasted not just one but entire groups of Sin Champions among their ranks. Yet, the fact that the Ass Guild remained a formidable force despite their smaller numbers spoke volumes about their skill and the caliber of their members. This distinguished them and earned them significant respect, particularly within the Dissidia Kingdom. Their reputation as a guild to be reckoned with was well deserved, reinforcing their status as both feared and esteemed players in the realm.
Elincia turned her gaze toward Charmelyn. “You must have experienced a lot during your time there. Do you want to tell us anything about Broken or Queen Gaia?”
Charmelyn appeared taken aback by Elincia’s abrupt intensity. For a moment, she remained silent, her gaze drifting away before she eventually gave a slight shake of her head.
“I made a promise not to reveal any details about what had happened…” she murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Skywarden clucked his tongue in frustration. “Ch! This is frustrating! If he’s deliberately concealing something, it means he’s hiding something important! It also means he has to take responsibility for the losses we’ve suffered.”
Jovina then interjected. “No, I don’t believe this is entirely Broken’s responsibility… Even if the spirit was born because of him, I’m certain he didn’t do it intentionally… It must have been beyond his control.”
Melliandra spoke up next. “I think this matter could be easily resolved if Charmelyn would just share with us what happened there.”
The alchemist Toberry also decided to voice his thoughts. “Yes, I’d like to know what happened to the mythic spirit too… I mean, it’s impossible for the spirit to have made a contract with Broken, right? He already has a spirit beast.”
“We must respect Charmelyn’s decision,” Maylock interjected, his tone calming the room. “Charmelyn is under no obligation to share what she witnessed. Besides, we need to respect Broken’s privacy; I’m sure he has his reasons for keeping things to himself.”
“Khi khi khi.” Goldrich laughed in response to Maylock’s words. “This is the first time I’ve seen you respect someone this much, Maylock.”
Maylock smiled lightly. “I can devise various strategies to compel Broken to reveal his secrets and do what we desire. However, such tactics won’t be sustainable, and we’d risk squandering the potential of genuinely working with him. I believe he has great value-potentially very
high value.”
“Enough with the endless chatter, ladies and gentlemen,” Jovina interjected, her voice
cutting through the room.
“What we are discussing ultimately boils down to one question: should we recruit Broken into
this Guild or not? Up until now, I believe he is a highly suitable candidate to join us.” She
paused, her eyes sweeping across the room to gauge reactions.
“If anyone has any objections,” she continued, “I’m ready to address them-and if necessary,
we can settle it with a one-on-one battle, hahaha. Isn’t that quicker than pointless
debating?”
The room fell into silence as everyone pondered Jovina’s words.