The blue light of the Summoning Chamber pulsed once—twice—then exploded outward in a shockwave of energy and heat.
A tall, striking woman stepped forward from the dissipating glow. Her short, tousled red hair shimmered like smoldering embers, and her eyes glowed with a fierce, molten red hue. Her skin was bronzed from fire and forge, and her blacksmithing outfit—tight, sleeveless, with soot smudged across her chest and cheeks—clung to a figure so voluptuous that every girl in the room felt an instinctive surge of jealousy.
She held a jet-black forging hammer in one hand, resting it casually against her shoulder. Her outfit was functional but tight enough to accentuate her toned thighs, broad hips, and bust that defied gravity under the strain of a leather corset.
[Image Here]
A system prompt flickered in the air:
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero: Saena Emberflare (☆☆☆)!]
Han's jaw slackened. 'She's so hot…'
Even Dolf, still cowering in wet pants, seemed to find some shred of courage—or stupidity.
"A-Angel…" he drooled. "Finally someone who's not a monster! And look at those big knock—"
Wham!
A black hammer flew like a cannonball and slammed directly into his face. Dolf's head snapped back with a sickening thud, and he collapsed backward into a heap.
"Perverted shit," the red-haired beauty muttered with a scowl, casually striding over and retrieving her weapon from the twitching lump that was Dolf. "Try talking like that again, and I'll forge your teeth into nails."
Everyone went silent.
Then Shay clapped. "I like her already."
"Yep, she seems funny," Jenna said with a giggle, hugging Han's arm without hesitation.
But before he could enjoy the attention, someone else latched onto his other arm—Raphtalia. Her expression was pouty, her cheeks puffed slightly, and her chest pressed firmly against him.
"Sir!" she huffed. "You were staring too much…"
"Ah—!" Han blinked, caught red-handed, then quickly looked away. "It's not like that…"
To distract himself, he opened the new hero's status window.
[Saena Emberflare (☆☆☆)]
[Lv. 1 (Exp 0/10)]
[Class: Magical Blacksmith]
[Strength: 12/12, Intelligence: 15/15, Stamina: 12/12, Dexterity: 11/11]
[Skills: Magic Forging (Lv.1), Basic Blacksmithing (Lv.7)]
'She's... a Magical Blacksmith?' Han's eyes widened. That's a super rare class! Just how much luck does Anytng have to summon someone like this?!
Before he could say anything, the Summoning Chamber pulsed again.
[Synthesis has been started!]
Iselle instantly flew up in front of Saena. "Please return to the Summoning Chamber."
Saena raised an eyebrow, but simply nodded. Somehow, she felt like she couldn't disobey this fairy's words.
As she walked toward the chamber… she paused.
Then she turned, grabbed Dolf by the shirt collar, and hurled him into the chamber like a sack of garbage.
The doors slammed shut.
A flash of blinding light followed.
[Saena Emberflare (☆☆☆) level up!]
[Basic Blacksmithing has risen to Lv.8!]
The chamber opened once more—revealing only Saena, standing tall and unbothered. Dolf was gone.
"Ehm… Sir…" Raphtalia clutched his arm tighter, voice trembling. "Where did that man go?"
"Yeah, Han?" Jenna leaned closer, expression tense. "What happened to him?"
Even Tess and Shay focused in, their teasing attitudes momentarily replaced by curiosity—and in Shay's case, suspicion. She remembered what almost happened to Han that first day. Back when the system tried to fuse him with another hero.
Han simply shrugged. "He's dead."
The words hung in the air like a guillotine.
Jenna, Chloe, and Raphtalia all stiffened, eyes wide.
Han continued with eerie calm. "If you don't contribute anything, Master just sacrifices you to strengthen the useful ones."
Silence.
Then Tess let out a low whistle.
And Shay?
She smirked. So that's why he panicked back then.
Saena stepped forward, resting her hammer on her shoulder. Despite the intensity she'd shown earlier, her voice was calm and composed.
"I am Saena Emberflare," she said, her gaze sweeping across the gathered heroes. "I come from a small village tucked in the mountains. My father was a blacksmith… and I've been forging weapons since I could walk. I hope I can be of use to you—and to the Master."
"It's our pleasure to have you here, Saena," Han replied, offering a nod of respect—even as Jenna and Raphtalia continued to cling possessively to each of his arms.
"Come here, carpenter," Han called out.
Gilly approached quietly, wiping her hands on her apron. Even in the short time she'd observed the others, she'd already understood something crucial: Han didn't seem just like another summoned hero—he seemed like the leader.
"Yes, sir," she said, imitating Raphtalia's tone with a hint of curiosity.
Han smirked faintly at her mimicry. "Gilly, take Saena to the Equipment Workshop. Raphtalia, go with them. Saena's going to make a custom weapon for you."
"A custom weapon?" Jenna, Shay, and Tess all blurted out at once.
The tone in their voices wasn't just surprise—it was jealousy. Why her? their eyes seemed to say.
"She needs it," Han said plainly, brushing them off as if the answer should've been obvious.
Then he turned back to Saena. "In the storage section of the Equipment Workshop, you'll find the canine fang of a white giant wolf. Use that as the core material for her blade."
Saena raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the rare material—but before she could ask, Han leaned in slightly, whispering something into her ear.
She blinked… then smiled slowly, understanding his intent.
Han stepped back, but Saena didn't take her eyes off him. A real gentleman, she thought. Strong, commanding… tall, and that subtle smirk—no wonder every girl here looks ready to pounce on him.
She winked playfully. "Got it."
Then she turned to Raphtalia and took her arm gently. "Let's go, little raccoon girl," she said, her voice warm but teasing.
Raphtalia blushed and nodded, still clinging to Han a moment longer before letting go and following Saena and Gilly.
As the others walked off, Han glanced down at Jenna still clinging tightly to his arm, her body pressed against him like she was trying to fuse with his side. She was pouting slightly—clearly jealous that Raphtalia had been chosen for a special weapon.
Han lowered his hand and gently cupped her cheek. Jenna blinked up at him, startled, just as he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
Her pout melted instantly into a glowing smile, her cheeks turning bright red.
Then Han straightened and looked at the remaining girls—Jenna, Shay, and Tess.
"Girls…" he asked with a casual grin. "Does any of you know how to cook?"
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Also, I'll be straying a bit from the original storyline a bit. If anyone is wondering where that 3-Star Guaranteed Summon Ticket came from, Phoenix, the Moebius' developer that appeared on Asuna's chat, promised her a 3-Star Hero if she sent all of her new heroes straight on the second floor.