Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

Rothwind let the weight of his past achievements linger for a little longer, savouring the shocked looks on Alex's and Mira's faces.

His grin broadened, clearly enjoying the mystique he had built up around himself.

But just as quickly as it appeared, the serious, almost ancient aura around him dissipated, replaced with his familiar, jovial demeanour.

"Ah, but enough of that."

Rothwind spoke, waving his hand dismissively. "No need to go paintin' me as some sort of mysterious figure. I'm just a humble smith who's been around for a few centuries longer than everyone else, that's all."

He chuckled heartily, shaking his head as if brushing off the gravity of his earlier statements.

"However…"

But his voice lowered just slightly, and his eyes gleamed with interred.

"I have to admit, I've never quite achieved a feat as death defyin' as killin' a King class beast like you young'uns have."

The shift in tone caught both Alex and Mira off guard, snapping them out of their awkward silence.

"What?"

Alex blinked, still processing Rothwind's earlier display of power.

"You're an A rank, right? Can't you have just killed a King class beast at like C or D rank or something like that?"

Rothwind gave a snort and folded his arms over his chest.

"It's not that simple, lad. Sure, I could easily kill a D or C rank King class beast, but get what benefit from it? The beast core would literally be useless to someone as strong as me, providing percentages so far in the decimals of progress that I don't even wanna think about it."

"Plus, do ya realise how rare beasts of such calibre are? D'ya think I could just find one on a casual stroll like you lucky brats do?"

"The only reason I'd ever seek out a King class beast would be for its materials, but that's what I have people like you for to do that job for me!"

Mira gave him an odd look for a second, before asking a question.

"But wouldn't it be easier and quicker for you to do it yourself considering your strength?"

However this just caused Rothwing to snort even louder this time.

"I'm a smith, not a bloody monster hunter. And even though I've been on the battlefield more times than I'd like to remember, I ain't the type to go lookin' for trouble with beasts of that calibre. Craftin' the armour to kill 'em? Sure. Swaggerin' around in 'em like I've got a death wish? Not my style."

At this point, Mira had pulled the King of Evermoor out of her storage so that they could finally move on from this topic.

Rothwind's eyes grew wide with curiosity as she did so, and her plan to shift the topic seemed to have worked wonders, as Rothwind seemed to have forgotten all they had just spoken about the moment he laid eyes upon the beast.

His mouth hung slightly open, practically frothing like he was looking at the most delicious meal he had ever seen, and his hands twitched as if he were already crafting something in his mind.

"By the bloody forge…"

He whispered, seemingly to himself.

"This… this ain't just any King class beast, no sir!"

He crouched down, examining the fine, nearly impenetrable scales of the beast with an almost reverent touch.

"This right here is of the Dragon lineage."

Mira and Alex blinked in unison, both surprised by this sudden revelation.

But they had no idea what that meant.

Was it good?

Was it bad?

They had no clue.

"Dragon… lineage?" Alex repeated, eyes widening as he took those words with a grain of salt.

Sure, the thing looked like a big lizard, maybe even resembling the forms of dragons he had read about and seen in those western fantasy stories.

But Dragon? Really?

Surely he had to be joking.

Rothwind looked up from his crouch, his face stretched into a grin so wide it looked like it might split his cheeks.

"Aye, lad. Dragons are one of the strongest, most ancient bloodlines in the entire Primordial Expanse. Beasts with draconic lineage are damn near untouchable, but here you are, standin' before a corpse of one!"

His voice shook with uncontained enthusiasm.

"The scales… the bones… even the blood. All of it's infused with the power of ancient dragons. This thing's got material that could create items even royal families would fight to keep as their family heirloom!"

Mira's stoic composure completely melted after she heard that, her eyes narrowing as she processed Rothwind's excitement.

"So you're saying Alex killed a dragon related King class beast?"

Rothwind let out a barking laugh, standing up and wiping his hands on his apron as if preparing for some grand work of art.

"Aye! And ya don't even know the half of it. This kind of material… it's beyond rare. You could search the Expanse for centuries and never come across a beast like it again."

Alex scratched his head, still trying to wrap his mind around everything Rothwind was saying.

"So… what does that mean for us?"

Rothwind's grin returned with full force.

"It means, lad, that you and the lass here are gonna be walkin' around in armour fit for Kings! This beast has more than enough materials for me to craft the finest armour you'll, heck, even I'd have laid eyes upon!"

After explaining such an exciting prospect to Alex, Rothwind turned to the side and muttered to himself.

"This might just be my most crowning achievement. This is just the thing I need to craft the best piece I have ever worked on…"

However on the side, both Mira's and Alex's eyes lit up like sparks of excitement, a face of unmistakable joy gracing her usually calm face.

This meant they wouldn't have to wait weeks upon weeks for their armour to be crafted, and could instead be done within a few days…

The only problem they would have to worry about now was completing their requirements to leave.

But they might be in for a little shock soon enough…