I Figure...

The next day, the sky gradually brightened, signaling the arrival of a new day.

Due to the torrential rain that had poured all day and night yesterday, a cool, damp scent still lingered in the air. Rising early, a beastkin named Gar took a deep breath of the crisp moisture, instantly feeling refreshed.

Truth be told, years ago, he had been captured and sold as a slave to the Human Empire, where he spent the darkest period of his life.

During that time, he was forced to fight various magical beasts in the colosseum every single day. Only one survivor could walk out of the arena alive.

And the sole purpose of this was to entertain the spectators in the stands who had paid for their tickets.

Most of his companions who had been abducted from the tribe alongside him had ended up in the bellies of those magical beasts.

Even the few lucky ones who survived chose to end their own lives, unable to bear the daily terror of facing those beasts and living in constant fear.

Within just a few years, batch after batch of the beastkin who had been captured initially were replaced.

Only Gar—perhaps protected by the Goddess of Fortune, or perhaps because he fought with every ounce of his strength in every battle, his sheer ferocity striking fear even into the magical beasts—had miraculously survived until the day he reached adulthood.

He had thought that one day, he too would die in the jaws of those beasts.

But to his surprise, the colosseum was inexplicably abandoned later on. Rumor had it that there was no supply of new slaves, so he and the remaining slaves were sold to others.

Thus, shackled with heavy lead weights and chains, Gar was traded back and forth like merchandise. Eventually, through a twist of fate, he was sold to the Dwarven Empire to work as a mining laborer.

Every day, before dawn, he and the other slaves would be driven into the pitch-black mines to dig. Only when the battered iron bucket outside the mine was struck would they be allowed to emerge and collect a piece of dark bread, nearly as hard as ore, from the dwarf distributing food. If that wasn't enough to fill their bellies, drinking plenty of underground water from the mines would keep the hunger from keeping them awake.

Though, he would still wake up in the middle of the night from the sheer, gnawing hunger.

Honestly, though life there was far from easy, it was still much better than his years in the colosseum.

At least he didn't have to worry every day about whether he would lose his life to a beast the next morning, and his sleeping quarters were much cleaner than the cages of the colosseum.

He did this... for five years...

Over those five years, through the daily grind of mining, Gar grew from a scrawny, newly adult beastkin into a short but incredibly sturdy one.

Gar had thought this would be his entire life—digging in that gloomy mine day after day until he was buried in a cave-in or worked to death.

But he never expected that things would take a turn.

That day... a day that was incredibly special to him...

On that day, a Seraph walking in the darkness descended before him, extending a warm palm and speaking the words he would remember for the rest of his life:

“Need some help, kid?”

Lost in his memories, Gar walked with a dazed expression along the slippery stone path. Losing his footing, he nearly fell flat on his face, but a pair of large hands caught him just in time, saving him from a faceplant.

When he looked up, he saw a massive figure towering a full head above him, blocking his path.

The iconic black armor made him freeze. His mind flashed back to the beginning—it was a kobold clad in that very black armor who, while trading barrel after barrel of red wine with the dwarves, had spotted them. He had then used that precious wine to ransom them.

To this day, he still remembered what that old kobold had said when bringing them back.

“Kids, there's no need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Her Great Grace. She is the one who granted you a new life.”

As Gar was lost in his dazed recollection, the Imperial Guard in front of him suddenly reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. A muffled voice echoed from behind the armored helmet.

“According to the records, you were ransomed from the Dwarven Empire.”

“Tell me, do you know how to smith?”

“W-what? I... I...”

The pressure radiating from the Imperial Guard was too overwhelming. Overwhelmed, Gar couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

“Just answer yes or no.”

The Imperial Guard's voice remained steady, showing no impatience. As elites handpicked from the Black Knights, they had learned from listening to the Revelations of the Imperial Guard that, as Her Grace's sharpest sword and sturdiest shield, their blades were meant only for their enemies, while their sturdy backs were meant to protect Her Grace and their compatriots.

Not to bully their own kind by abusing their power.

“I... know a little bit...” Gar stammered.

Hearing this, two red pinpricks of light ignited beneath the Imperial Guard's full-face helmet, causing Gar's body to shudder involuntarily.

The Imperial Guard clapped the poor beastkin heavily on the shoulder, asking with a burning gaze, “Really?”

He couldn't help but feel excited. Ever since General Fido had assigned this task, the Imperial Guard had been dispatched to various tribes overnight, all to search for talent skilled in forging.

But living in a barren wasteland like the God-Forsaken Land, where even getting enough food was a struggle, who would have the spare time to learn smithing and forging? Even if they wanted to, reality wouldn't permit it. He had asked countless people this morning, and this was the first one he had finally found.

Swallowing hard, Gar said rather hesitantly, “I... only know a little bit. Not much, just a tiny bit. Back when I was a miner, I couldn't sleep at night, so I secretly learned it. I figured... it was pretty simple...”

“Good, good, good, good, good!”

The Imperial Guard's excitement was palpable even through his helmet. He boomed, “Listen up, warrior! Her Grace needs talent like you right now. Pack your things immediately and follow me to Black City to meet Her Grace!”