Continental Adventurer Alliance.
Abbreviated as CAA.
Previously known as the Continental Multinational Adventurer Alliance.
That would be abbreviated as CMAA.
Of course, not many fools call the Adventurer Alliance CAA or CMAA.
The Adventurer Alliance is a transnational organization, not limited to one country.
Naturally, adventurers themselves did not create this enormous information network and organization that spans continents.
Adventurers are even more individualistic than hunters.
Previously, adventurers only existed in scattered guilds, but now they have organized collectively.
They formed a continental-scale alliance because of the tacit approval and support of the Empire.
Various requests became known as quests, ranked and their rewards and reception strictly managed.
Accordingly, adventurers were also given ranks, and adventurer badges that serve as identification were created.
Considering that until now, an adventurer was essentially synonymous with “unemployed dreamer” or “thug seeking instant wealth,” it’s a remarkable change.
Now, being an adventurer has become a respectable profession.
The kingdom also had such an Adventurer Alliance.
The Continental Adventurer Alliance, Solion Impel Branch.
Befitting the kingdom’s prosperity, it had several S-rank adventurers and one off-the-charts adventurer.
One of the kingdom’s Eight Heroes was this off-the-charts adventurer affiliated with the Adventurer Alliance.
One of the missions posted at the Solion Impel branch was being carried out here in the “mountain range.”
Seven adventurers were walking through the mountains.
Two were A-rank adventurers, while the other five were all B-rank.
Even without an S-rank included, it was a high-level composition.
This meant that the mission entrusted to them was not of an ordinary level.
At least an A-rank quest or higher.
“Clear wind, bright sky, treacherous mountain peaks.”
One of the A-rank adventurers muttered.
“It’s funny that such a beautiful mountain range is called a magic realm. I suppose that’s how it looks from a human perspective…”
He was a young man with clear eyes.
The expressions of the other adventurers listening were peculiar, as he spoke so comfortably during an already difficult mountain trek.
“Pandan, the mountain range is a hellish place.”
“Is that so? It looks beautiful to me.”
A young man with a slightly long chin and sunken cheeks sneered.
“Pandan, you said you’re from the eastern part of the Empire? I guess you haven’t experienced the mountain range until reaching A-rank?”
As the Adventurer Alliance is spread across the entire continent, the adventurer named Pandan was from the Empire.
“I suppose so. Jerico, you’ve been to the mountain range several times?”
“It’s the closest magic realm to Solion Impel.”
“I’ve only been to plains and deserts. Both are terrible places. This looks better in comparison.”
“When you meet the wyverns and termites, that thought will quickly disappear.”
The man called Jerico was the leader of this quest.
He thought he alone would be sufficient, but the Alliance insisted on attaching another A-rank adventurer named Pandan.
Jerico was a man who had truly been through thick and thin to reach A-rank.
On the other hand, Pandan was not only still young but seemed quite naive. That didn’t sit well with him.
“Oh, smoke.”
Pandan pointed down below.
Jerico unfolded a map, nodded, and said,
“We’ve arrived at Gray Hammer Village.”
Like most magic realms, there isn’t a clear-cut point where you can say this is or isn’t part of the magic realm.
There are areas where living and residing is possible, although magical beasts frequently appear.
Gray Hammer Village was located at that borderline.
Adventurers or hunters trying to go deeper into the mountain range resupplied there.
“The dwarves of Gray Hammer are greedy. They might try to rip off visitors, so be careful, everyone.”
Jerico said heavily.
The others all nodded seriously, but not Pandan.
He just quietly muttered, “I’ll be able to drink dwarf beer…”
Jerico clicked his tongue softly and continued walking.
But as they got closer to the village, something seemed off.
“Why is there no one…”
He quickly silenced an adventurer who muttered this.
Jerico slowly placed his hand on the weapon at his waist.
There was no one in Gray Hammer Village.
It was usually a village full of lively noise, but this was an unexpected situation.
And any adventurer worth their salt would be wary of unexpected situations.
Only Pandan followed Jerico with an unimpressed expression.
Bang- Bang-
In the dead-silent village, only the sound of metal being hammered could be heard.
It wouldn’t be strange to hear the noise of a forge in a dwarf village, but it was strange that there were no other sounds at all.
“I smell fire.”
The silence was broken by Pandan’s muttering.
Jerico frowned and glared at Pandan.
Pandan exclaimed in admiration, seemingly oblivious to social cues.
“Doesn’t the air feel warm?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Look, there’s a hot wind blowing.”
A hot wind, he says.
Surprisingly, Pandan’s words were true.
The noise was coming from the forge.
As they approached, the air gradually got hotter.
It’s natural for the area around a forge to be hot.
But for that heat to spread throughout the entire village, how hot must the forge be?
“The door is open.”
At the forge, a dwarf was working with the door wide open.
They could immediately see why.
An enormous heat wave was gushing out of the open door of the forge.
It was a murderous heat wave.
So much so that if the door were closed while working, the forge itself would become a massive oven.
“Ugh!”
The B-rank adventurers covered their faces from the hot wind.
However, Pandan and Jerico stared wide-eyed at the work being done in the forge.
Clang- Clang!
The dwarf craftsman was hammering a red-hot piece of iron.
He was an extremely old dwarf.
His forearms and hair were soaked with his own sweat.
Surprisingly, the dwarf had only one arm.
Yet, the force with which he struck the iron with his hammer was extraordinary.
With each hammer blow, sparks flew wildly.
But he repeated this process rhythmically without even blinking.
“…It’s a Meister.”
Pandan whispered very softly.
“A Meister is making a sword.”
His attitude was cautious, not to avoid being caught, but as if afraid of causing any disturbance.
Jerico immediately understood this as well.
As a sword user, the opportunity to see a Meister crafting a blade was extremely rare.
Proper swordsmiths are rare even among dwarves, and there’s almost no way for humans to witness the process.
The dwarf Meister Helmut repeated the folding process, bending the heated iron and hammering it again.
When the iron cooled, he put it back into the furnace to heat it again.
“Ah.”
They discovered the source of this insane heat wave.
Purple flames were flickering inside the main furnace.
When he put the cooling piece of iron into it, the flames surged violently.
It felt as if a demon was flicking its purple tongue.
And a terribly strong heat gushed out.
“…Beautiful.”
That’s what Pandan said.
Jerico’s back was already soaked with sweat.
It wasn’t just because of the heat.
It was because he was witnessing something that had reached its pinnacle with his own eyes.
Like a grand sorcerer performing grand magic alone.
Or like the brilliant aura blade emitted by a master of swordsmanship.
The sight of this old dwarf making a sword was just as shocking.
The dwarf didn’t spare a single glance at the adventurers watching him.
