William was unable to go to the Goblin Crypt for two days because his ring was currently being modified by Barbatos, the Blacksmith of Lont.

Of course, that was only one of the reasons. Even though William hated to admit it, he had somehow developed a trauma to entering the Goblin Crypt after their faceoff with the Hobgoblin Shaman.

Similar to when you experience a car accident, you will have a subconscious fear of driving again once you put yourself behind the wheel. Of course, these fears would fade in time. Some even say that the sooner you face it, the less powerful the trauma would be.

William gave himself two days to prepare his heart and mind for the inevitable confrontation that would happen in the future.

James had come to look for him a few hours ago to tell him that he would be taking some of the veterans of Lont to attack the rear of the Beast Tide.

William thought that his grandpa would bring him along on this expedition, but the old man simply said that he should stay in Lont. The reason? According to the reports, there were over twenty Millennial Beasts, and Hundreds of Centennial Beasts.

Those were the ringleaders of the Beast Tide. However, one had best not forget the sheer number of lower-tier beasts that comprised the rest of the Beast Tide. According to an estimate, the numbers had easily surpassed a million.

It was not surprising that Fort Windermere was overrun. The numbers were simply impossible to resist with half-baked forces. Only True Masters would be able to oppose such High-End Monsters and live to tell the tale of their encounter.

‘I guess I can’t be too greedy,’ William thought. ‘Getting another ‘Bonus Round’ might max my job levels, but it will also make me stand out. I guess grandpa didn’t want me to appear this early in the game.’

Although it was a bit regretful, William still thought that staying lowkey would be for the best. Since he had the Ring of Conquest, it was only a matter of time before he leveled his job classes to their max levels.

There was no need to be in the spotlight if it was possible to hide in the darkness.

Two days passed by in a blur. William and Ella went to the Blacksmith to get the ring he had commissioned.

“So? Do you like it?” Barbatos asked. “I put aside my other commissions in order to work solely on your ring. Your father saved me once on the battlefield, so this is the least I could do for his son.”

“It’s perfect,” William replied. “Thank you, Mr. Barbatos.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it. Now, go. I still have work to do.”

“Thank you!”

The ring of conquest had a complete makeover. It was now coated in gold and several rune letters were embedded in the surface of the ring. If not for the fact that William could sense the bond he shared with the ring, he would think that Barbatos had given him a different ring to scam him.

Seeing William’s happy expression, Barbatos felt that all the effort he had put in these past two days was worth it. It had not been easy to place an enchantment on the ring because it was a ring that was forged with the flames of Tyr, that could only be found within the Demon Kingdom.

Barbatos, along with his best friend, the Jeweler Seraphy, worked hand in hand to embed the runic words along the ring’s surface. It was a monumental task performed by two masters. Even if the reigning Demon King were to stare at the ring, he would definitely not be able to recognize it.

William bowed many times to express his gratitude before he left the smithy. Barbatos watched him go with a smile.

When the boy was no longer within sight, he returned to his forge to catch up on the commissioned works that he had set aside for the past two days.

—–

“William, Oi! William!” Theo called out to him when he saw William walk past his house. “Where are you going?”

“Me? I’m going back home. Why?” William asked back.

“I’m going with Chris and the others to fish in the river,” Theo replied. “Want to join us?”

“Fish? Alright! I’m in!” William nodded his head.

He had been cooped up inside the town since the Beast Tide and it was taking a toll on his mental health. Fishing in the river was a good distraction.

The river was only three-hundred meters away from the West Gate of Lont, so the adults guarding the gate decided to turn a blind eye to the kids who were looking at them with pleading eyes.

“Fine,” the watchmen said after careful consideration. “You can also swim in the river, but don’t go too far. Do I make myself clear?”

He could understand what the kids were going through, so he decided to be a bit more lenient with them today.

“”Yes!”” the children replied in unison.

Like a band of misfits, the children of Lont cheered and ran in the direction of the river. Of course, some of the adults followed secretly to guard them from the shadows.

William and Ella were the ones in the lead as the other children trailed behind him. When they reached the river, some of the older children took off their clothes and jumped in for a swim. Naturally, not everyone joined them. Others contented themselves with dipping their feet in the water in order to cool off their boredom.

What the kids didn’t realize, was that a horde of Dark-Scaled Crocodiles was currently at the bottom of the river. These crocodiles, that were over five meters long, had hidden themselves when the Beast Tide struck the Western Region of the Hellan Kingdom.

Together, they migrated towards Lont for this was a place that had survived the calamity. Originally, they planned to hibernate for a few months, but the boisterous sounds of the children swimming above them made these cold predators open their eyes one by one.

Their bestial instincts were telling them that this opportunity was something that they couldn’t miss!