Breath of Fire
Ailene Calendar, November 1st.
It had been a week since the Balchi Troupe disbanded and left the Frederik Dungeon Zone.
"Haa..."
"What's wrong, Director? Still hung up on that proof flower? The guy's a con artist who died getting a secret belly button piercing behind his wife's back. Why the long face?"
Stella approached as he sighed in the director's office.
"Nah, it's not that. We're running low on consumables, from needles on down. Stocks are dwindling, and I'm stressing over how to restock."
One week earlier.
As Stella had said, the proof flower was incredible. Balchi's leader, Clementine—who'd indulged in secret flings behind his wife's back—had every drop of blood in his body sucked into the flower's stem, mummifying him into eternal sleep.
The proof flower, which had absorbed Clementine's blood, turned a vivid crimson from its opaque exterior, blooming with pure white chrysanthemum-like petals at the top. Thinking back still sent chills down his spine.
"Hmm... What's there to worry about? Just ask the dwarves, right?"
"Dwarves?"
"Yeah, dwarves usually live scattered in villages, but no one beats them at craftwork. Especially around dungeon zones like this—human blacksmiths are basically extinct. No matter how good humans get, they can't match dwarven skill on weapons or architecture."
Come to think of it, dwarves in countless fantasy stories were always master smiths.
'Even dwarves might struggle with something as precise as syringe needles. But it won't hurt to check. No better options right now anyway.'
With that in mind, the next day he toured the Frederik Dungeon Zone's forges and nearby dwarf village smithies with Walter.
"Hmmm... Something this thin? Impossible in our forge."
"What's this? A syringe? This thin, with a hole bored through? Bah, lad! Even for a fortune, we couldn't make it."
"Never seen a shape like this. Sorry, but our forge can't handle it."
The encounters with the dwarf race offered no surprises—just nonstop rejections.
"Director, this is the last forge near the Frederik Dungeon Zone. They say it has the best dwarf smith."
"...Let's check it out."
Walter's words about it being the final stop filled him with dread. If this failed, his isekai doctor life was over. He'd have to scrape by as Barber Miner.
"Our forge can't do it."
"Ah..."
Even at the last moment, no light appeared—just darkness, like his heavy heart trapped in the abyss.
"For tools this precise, head to the Breath of Fire."
"Breath of Fire?"
The dwarf smith looked at his puzzled expression with mild surprise.
"Heavens, never thought I'd meet someone crossing a forge threshold who doesn't know of the Breath of Fire. It's the smiths' village between the West and North Continents."
"Bigger than this village, I take it? The way you say it."
"What? Kahahaha!"
The dwarf smith threw back his head in roaring laughter.
"You really are new to this. We call the Breath of Fire a smiths' village, but it's no mere village."
"A village that's not a village? What do you mean?"
"It started as a small settlement. Then, centuries ago, the legendary smith called the Lonely Hammer set up shop there."
The dwarf smith smiled warmly, lost in fond memories, and continued.
"The spot Lonely Hammer chose was a horseshoe crater, high up in remote mountains. But one young smith changed everything..."
People get chatty about their passions, and dwarves were no exception. The explanation dragged on for over twenty minutes, nearly bursting his eardrums.
In short: smiths trickled into Lonely Hammer's crater home, turning it into a village, now a city of elite blacksmiths.
"...And that's how it became the Breath of Fire. Haha, there's another fun tale about Lonely Hammer—"
"We've taken enough of your time, smith. Thanks for the info."
With the intel secured, he bolted back to the Beauty Tower.
"Director, what's the plan? Even on a sky turtle, it's two full days to the Breath of Fire."
"Two days flying... Huh? You've been there, Walter? You know it well."
"Yes, I commissioned a sword there about ten years ago."
"Did Lonely Hammer make your sword?"
"No, his forge has a massive backlog. But with top smiths from across the continent gathered there, finding skilled ones isn't hard—even without him."
The backlog worried him, but Walter's desire to go there confirmed Lonely Hammer's reputation.
"Then let's go. Worrying won't solve it."
With medical supplies critical, he decided to head to the Breath of Fire.
* * *
"Whoaaa! Miner! Look down! It's just like a horseshoe!"
"Res, buckle up. We're landing soon."
"Are all those little houses forges?"
"Hey, sit down!"
Two full days after leaving the Beauty Tower to find Lonely Hammer. Traveling by sky turtle-drawn carriage, his companions were Walter and Res.
Shuuuuaaaang!
Kuwhaaaang!
The sky turtle landed with a roar in the Breath of Fire parking area.
No matter how many times, the takeoff and landing shakes never got easier.
"Ugh, that was exhausting."
After two days cooped in the carriage, he stretched instinctively upon stepping out.
But his eyes widened in shock.
'Thought it was exaggeration... This is straight-up a city.'
Beneath the towering horseshoe crater rim stretched vast rows of houses and shops.
Clang—clang! Sizzle—hiss—
But what screamed "Breath of Fire" were the hammer strikes and metal-forging sounds filling the streets.
"Whoaaa! Miner! It's huge! All those are forges?"
"Looks like it. Walter, Lonely Hammer's at the crater rim, right?"
"Yes. To the rim, it's walking or the ridge loop carriage. I'll stable the sky turtle and get loop tickets."
Everything seemed smooth then.
But after two hours on the ridge loop carriage to the crater rim, they were speechless.
"Whoa, insane! So many people!"
"...Walter, is this really all the queue? For Lonely Hammer's forge?"
"Yes. It was long ten years ago, but it's grown since."
The line stretched endlessly, dwarfing Disney ride waits. A true hot spot.
"No way... It's barely past 10 a.m. At this rate, our turn's not till dinner."
"Pfft! Fresh meat showed up."
"...?"
A bandit-looking man behind them chuckled gruffly, massive axe over one shoulder.
"Talking to me?"
"Who else? You two pretty boys. Ahem! Since you seem clueless about Lonely Hammer's forge, I'll explain. From this last spot, it takes at least a month to reach him."
"A month?"
"Kekeke, knew you'd freak."
The axe man smirked smugly at his shock.
"Hmm... Ten years ago, it was over three weeks. It's longer now."
"Walter! Why mention that now?"
"Ah? Sorry. I assumed you knew."
Today was Ailene Calendar, November 4th. Three weeks till the damn tax office deadline.
A month queuing meant who'd treat patients or pay taxes? His vitals spiked at the thought.
'Damn, what now? Can't stay that long. But leaving it all to Walter, who knows zilch about medical tools...'
Cache would've prepped for variables like this, but no solution came—until then.
"Kehhehe, pretty boys' faces are priceless. There is a way to cut wait time. Noon soon. And at noon—"
"You can duel the front number tag holder."
"Hey, sword boy's got some know-how."
Ignoring the mocking axe man, he turned to Walter.
"Number tag duel? What's that?"
"The tags we got when lining up?"
Walter held up their wooden tag: number 1,283, from Lonely Hammer's forge dwarf.
"At noon, you duel the holder ahead. Used to skip it, but for you, Director, we'll jump in at noon."
"Pwahaha! Hilarious! Think willpower gets you to Lonely Hammer?"
The axe man's sneer irked him, but he didn't know Walter's full strength. And everyone here looked tough.
"Aigoo, you backwater hicks—listen up, for your own good. Duel for a spot, end up crippled. Rush ahead, die forty years early. Heed Benjo Village's Peter and queue quietly—"
"Director, it'll take a few hours to reach the front. Grab lunch."
Walter ignored the axe man's babble, utterly unconcerned.
"Hey! Peter's explaining out of kindness, and you interrupt? Listen! I slap first, talk—"
Smack—Boom!
It happened in a flash. Walter's casual slap sent bone-cracking sounds from the axe-wielding giant's cheek as he flew back.
'What the...?'
Walter didn't glance at the distant man, speaking in his usual flat tone.
"Noon now. Go eat."
"...I'll be back. Let's go, Res."
"Uh-huh..."