One good thing about my situation was the food, the red berries I had on my wolf quest seem to be common as I found them again when I woke up.

I checked on the kids in the tent, Ember was still sleeping and Aspen was in his semi-coma. I decided to just let Ember sleep, she'll get plenty of practice later and I had some plans that required for me to be in town.

As I made my way into town I went over what I wanted to do, who I wanted to see. Even if the stores weren't open I could still talk to the people, the blacksmith to be exact. The estimation that Ethan seemed to be pretty accurate, starting from the central plaza the town was about 1/3 complete already. The fire mages were even up and defrosting, I suppose they'll be treated pretty nicely after they complete the task.

The town seemed to have food storage because soup and bread were being handed out for breakfast, I declined to the offer. I don't like handouts, makes me feel guilty. I'll have to get Ember over here for some, having some food after training is vital. At least, that'll help out her physical muscles. I don't have a remedy for mental stress.

Thankfully the Guild was defrosted by now, it being on the edge of the plaza. I enter it and find out where everyone was sleeping, cots sprawled all across the floor with even some children running around. This prevented the scuffles from my last visit, this time they were using their powers to entertain the children. I carefully step over the cots and make my way over to Ethans station, this time he had a hunched back and he was writing down on a piece of paper.

A looming stack was also nearby, making it obvious why he wasn't out defrosting. I walked up and gave a knock on the wooden desk, grabbing his attention away from the paperwork. He turned up with hollow eyes, his soul now empty due to his nearby future being filled with writing. He did revert to normal when he saw me though, he stops the writing.

"Hey Victor, are you here for the reward? We got to open up the Guild and Bank much earlier than expected so we should be able to give it to you sometime today."

"Not exactly but that would be nice yes, I'm actually here to ask about if you guys have a blacksmith in town."

I get a snort from Ethan at the question, he quickly explains why he did so after he realized what he did.

"Yes we do have a town blacksmith but I have to discourage you from talking to him, he has a rather nasty attitude to adventurers. But if you really wish to speak to him he can usually be found in the back half of the nearby shop, he practically lives there."

"Thank you, I will come later today for the reward."

"Got it, good luck with whatever your doing."

I leave Ethan to his paperwork, ignoring the clear pain he was in. He probably has a guess on what I'm gonna do, he does know about my power after all. I get out of the Guild with no trouble and make my way over to the store, Ethan was correct that it was defrosted.

Even the windows were sparkly clean, showing off the shiny merchandise inside. I quickly avert my eyes, window shopping as a poor man would do me no good. A bell at the door signified my arrival, alerting the clerk of the shop.

It was a thin man in a black suit, a pair of green eyes and black hair making him quite presentable. He waved his hand at me, I take the signal and walk over to him. I was already planning on going straight to an employee so this is just on track.

He greets me.

"It's nice to see such a well dressed man visiting my store, do you have anything in mind you wish to buy?"

The hospitality this man was giving me was a bit surprising, this level of friendliness from a store employee almost never heard of back on earth. Well, I suppose that rich people would receive this treatment but I was far from one in that life and this one.

For now at least.

"I'm afraid not, I'm actually here to talk to your resident blacksmith."

The man raises an eyebrow at my request. His features becoming sharper, his aura of friendliness becoming a bit more professional.

"Please elaborate."

Oh?

It seems I've come across the guard of the blacksmith, I would usually be unworried but with powers it complicates things. I had a decent build and could probably take the stick thin man down but if he had something like laser vision then I was done for, ferrokinesis or not. He might even be skinny due to his powerful ability, never needing to excerisce thanks to it.

Best to take a respectful approach and put all my cards on the table then.

"I'm here to possibly make a deal with the blacksmith, I have a ability that makes it easy to find ores of any kind, all I need is a small sample of it."

I decide not to showcase my power without permission, he might get even more on edge.

He was giving me a piercing stare, reminding me how Ethan was when I first met him. Hopefully this guy would open up as well.

He speaks again.

"I take it you have some kind of metal manipulation then?"

"Yes."

He then gets from out behind his counter and gives me a look, scanning me from head to toe. After a half minute of me just standing awkwardly he finishes the scanning and then motions for me to follow him, leading me towards a door in the back.

The door was made of iron and was rather thick, it was a bit surprising that the man could actually move it. The place it lead to inside was rather small, having minimal moving room.

The reason because of that was the numerous tools and equipment lining the walls and on the floor, a anvil and furnace being the main attractions. There was also one of those cooling pots where they would stick hot metal into, it was the size of a bathtub.

There was a man as well, and a man would be the only word needed to describe him. He was short, coming up to my chest, but he more than made up for it in muscle mass. There was no part of his body that was lacking, not even his calves which I assumed he didn't use too often in his line of work. All of it was on display as he wore a simple white tank top and black shorts, also a belt that held multiple tools for quick access. He also had a necklace, it had a small ruby like gem on it tied with a black string.

The sparks coming off his hammering of metal showing the force he put behind his swings, he had short black hair like a buzzcut. Unfortunately he didn't have a typical dwarf beard, having a shaven face like the clerk.

"Hey Soma, we have a visitor."

"What did I say about interrupting me with trivial matters Myalo."

"This guy says he can find Mithril."

That stops the man, Soma I guess. He turns his face to me, giving the same stare that the clerk did. He also had green colored eyes, this gives me the idea that these guys are brothers. If it wasn't for the fact that they had similar eyes and face then I would've never guessed that, their body types being on the different ends of the spectrum.

I suppose it works well though, being brothers mean they would never betray each other and makes it easy to make decisions.

Soma stares at me before putting down his hammer, the large foot long object now resting on the anvil. Soma then states his thoughts.

"What in the hell makes you think that?"

Straight down to business I suppose. I clear my throat and being the speech I cooked up last night.

"After a single interaction with a small sample of metal I can recognize it anywhere within a large radius, I can even bring the vein to the surface for easier collection."

A short speech but effective, basically I was the all in one metal finder.

Soma eyes narrowed at the proclamation, obviously skeptical at this. He taps his fingers on the anvil a couple times before saying something else.

"Then I suppose you would have no problem locating Mithril then."

Oh, Mithril was an actual thing here? I suppose it fits with the medieval magic world but to think that cliché is a thing here, if the shoe fits I guess.

"I would need a small sample, any size would do."

"Of course, my hammer should do nicely."

Oh? Now that I take a look at the head of it I see it has a silvery blue color, I give the hammer a mental squeeze to assess its "flavor".

Oh?

It was definitely sweet no doubt about that, the shocking part was the flavor. The sour taste I got from copper was toned down, only a glimpse of flavor was there. This hammer had a very flavorful and sharp taste, like I just had a sugar rush from just feeling it. I quickly detach from the hammer, the potential headache of such a high amount of sugar discouraging me from holding onto it for long.

Stolen story; please report.

Luckily once I started scanning the ground for more of it I had no problem, the raw ore being much more workable. This confirms my theory that the impurities in the ore cause the dullness, a blacksmith would only work with the highest quality of hammer after all.

It took a while 5 minutes but I did find a vein, it was only the size of a large bed though. Maybe a queen? I keep a good grasp on it while I speak to Soma, it would suck if I lost it.

"I found a vein, I suspect that you wouldn't want me to bring it up right here though."

Soma raised an eyebrow at me, probably surprised that I said anything.

"You did? Feel free to bring it up, there should be enough room for it after all."

He said this and smirked, one that said that he doubted my skills. I shrug and do as he says, it takes another 5 minutes to bring it to the surface though. It was buried pretty deep, rare ores are rare after all.

The tools on the walls started shaking as I brought the ore up, surprising the brothers with the rumbling. Myalo behind me grabbed my shoulder with one hand, having a surprisingly strong grip. Super strength?

"Hey hey hey, what do you think your doing?"

Myalo started questioning me, I was about to respond but Soma interjected with a raised hand and his palm facing towards his brother.

"Let the boy do what he's doing, I'd to see how far this boy is willing to take this."

Myalo's grip faltered a bit before eventually letting go altogether. I roll my shoulder after he let go, I refused to admit that it hurt.

The queen sized bed of Mithril broke through the floor of the room and became a pointed stalagmite, I think it was stalagmites that we're pointing up. Besides that, some of the lighter tools fell from their racks due to the Mithril bursting from the foundation.

Luckily it was only 3 of them so I caught them all, the beating stick I was using yesterday was about the same size so it was easier to put them back on the rack thanks to yesterday's training session. I suppose it was training for me as well, unfortunately It took a second as I put them back one by one. They were still pretty precious so I wanted to be careful with them, Soma would most likely be angry if I broke anything else.

Speaking of Soma, he seemed to be in a trance right now. Myalo had his mouth wide open, like he couldn't believe what happened. Eventually they meet eyes, then they have a secret sibling conversation as they nodded their heads at the same time. Soma then suddenly vaulted the anvil, landing on the other side and walking towards me. He stops once he reaches me, Myalo actually joins him and gets sine by side with Soma. They have serious faces now, their emerald eyes glinting with a secret plan.

Then, they both attacked at once.

"We accept your business offer!"

Like, they synchronised that. Like horror movie siamesse twin speaking at the same time synchronised. They then both turned very friendly, big grins spread across both their faces.

They then separate, Soma rushing towards the Mithil with the giddiness of a schoolgirl. Myalo starts walking towards the exit with me in tow, this time he has a arm across my shoulders like we've been buddies since pre-school.

"We'll have to iron out the details of the deal but there is no doubt in my mind that both parties will benefit greatly from this relationship."

Oh, is he buttering me up?

It'll take more than whispering sweet nothings in my ear, but he should continue doing so in case it does work.

What? I have a ego too.

-Timeskip-

Thankfully Myalo cut me a break, he didn't get too into business jargon and instead just asked questions on what I wanted. I didn't want their money, for now. They would need to pay for repairs in the smithery anyway, instead I went for barter trading style.

Basically I would supply them with large amounts of ores for their shop and in return I would be able to have any item made free for me, as long as I brought the correct materials. I did sign a contract that prevented me from reselling the items, they were pretty thorough about this.

Not that I was planning to, I basically just wanted free stuff. It was a little lopsided since I doubt making equipment for just one person equates to what I'm gonna supply them with but I won't be here forever so it'll just be just a deal for now.

Accomplishment detected Reward:E-Rank Coupon

Heheh, this may be a little lopsided for me.

Anyways, I signed the contract and shook Myalos hand to seal the deal. Oh, I also learned his last name. Ischyros, Soma and Myalo Ischyros. A pretty bizzare naming style than Ethans, his was pretty earthlike though so I'm probably biased. This place is most likely full of people from all over the place, this was the boonies so it would make sense if immigrants were present here.

Anyways, I scheduled the ore supply for later. It was probably around time that Ember is gonna wake up so I should get back, I stop by the breakfast place and grabbed some soup and bread for Ember. I balanced the wood bowl and bread on the metal tray and levitated it above me, it was pretty crowded so this way nothing would happen.

If I was gonna go through the trouble I was definitely not spilling it, no problems were met on my way back to the pseudo camp.

Ember was actually up, her eyes closed and yawning but that would soon be rectified. She was standing in the middle of the rocky outcrop, her fire tail was also out and it had the same lethargy Ember had. It moved around pretty slowly and layed low to the ground, almost searing the ground as it moved right to left.

I cleared my throat to announce my arrival, Embers eyes slowing opening when she heard it. I moved the tray to in front of her, the smell awakening her fully. She reached for the food suddenly, I moved it just out of her reach above her.

"No thanks?"

Embers stomach grumbled, eliminating any chance of defiance.

"Thank you..."

"No problem, I appreciate that you said that."

I lowered the food into a practical shark it, the soup and bread quickly being devoured by the teen. I layed the tray against the metal post, I'll have to bring it back next time.

Wait, legs were dangling off the top of the post. My eyes continued up and soon located the top part of the legs, Aspen was awake.

He had his arms crossed, a sharp pair of crystal blue eyes staring at me.

"So, your the one who helped us out?"

"Yes, you were passed out and seemed to be in need of help."

Aspen grunts and jumps off the post, landing on the ground and walks towards me. He then bows to me, speaking as he does so.

"Thank you for taking care of me and Ember, I'm in your debt."

Hoh, finally some respect around here. Almost makes me feel a little hesitant to put him through protagonist training, almost.

I simply nod in response to him, after he raises his head I announce my plan.

"Now that your both here I'll announce what I plan to do, I would rather not repeat myself so I wanted to wait until you woke up. I do not plan to stay here long, maybe a week or two at the most. This means that Embers training will be mostly the basics so that she can practice after I'm gone, until then she will learn everyday here."

I get a nod from Ember and a confused look from Aspen, Ember explains the situation to him.

His eyes widened after seeing Ember do some movements to move the tail, rushing forward to give her a hug. I feel a little awkward watching this so I decide to break it up.

"Also, I let it slide last night but you two will have to go into town for a place to sleep. My tent is mine."

I get nothing in response, the still hugging duo having no respect for me. I crack my knuckles, stretching them out.

"Ember, you have ten seconds to get ready for more training."

I got a response from that, Ember stiffened after hearing this. Then she quickly separated from Aspen and entered a battle ready stance, her tail standing up and twitching.

Aspen was a surprise as well, he joined Ember side by side after a second of realisation. I was definitely going to train both of them, I was just a little surprised he joined in this quickly. 

I raise a hand before they start attacking.

"Since Aspen seems eager in joking us I'll have to assess his powers first. Ember, you can go do some tail slashes like we tried doing before."

Ember had a mixture of relief and disappointment of her face, how I'm not sure but I ignore it for now. She goes over to the still standing metal post and actually starts hitting it with her tail, her wide and predictable movements working for now.

I turn my attention to Aspen, soon asking the big question.

"Care to elaborate on your frost powers?"

I get a nod in response. He then walks over to a nearby tree and puts his hand on it, a patch of frost appearing and expanding outwards from it.

"I can produce frost from my hands, actually from any part of my body but it originates from my skin so it would attach to my clothes instead. I can control and shape and direction of how it expands as well, although it's quicker for me to let it expand outwards in a circle. It's stronger then normal frost as well, I've yet to test the limits but it doesn't crack easily from punches."

"Have you ever had side effects of coming into contact with your frost, something like frostbite?"

"No, even with regular snow I feel rather normal."

Oh, I was expecting a frost immunity but straight up cold immunity?

I'll assume the same for Ember, these two are most likely siblings after all and probably have similar immunites relating to their powers. It would be great if Ember was immune to lava, I've always wanted to see lava surfing be a thing.

I do have some ideas now, he seems to have a lot more control then Ember. But I doubt that'll last long, she's already gotten leaps and bounds better after a afternoon of training so it won't be long before she reaches his level. His powers were definitely less volatile though, it not being alive like fire but instead more slow and calculated.

Well I suppose the best thing to work on now would be control, testing the limits of his control. I form a metal ball, it being a little imperfect but neither are humans so it's whatever. I levitate it above the ground, only a foot away from Aspen.

"Your goal is to stay right there and figure out a way to cost the ball in frost, without touching it directly. Good luck."

After giving out the lack luster teachings I walk over to Ember, giving Aspen no chance to ask about the seemingly impossible task. He should be thankful though, his future will be full of impossible tasks much harder then this so it's more like a warmup.

I turn my attention back to Ember, she was lashing the post over and over. Her tail seemed to have a more physical form then I thought as instead of dispersing against the metal it instead dragged across it, causing scorches against the ore. I decide to say nothing, for now she just needs to work on getting smoother movements so this'll do for now.

I was about to a seat before I remembered my tent, I could use that as a seat. I sense around for it, finding it and levitating it over the trees and to me. God, superpowers were cool. I decided to just fold it down with my hands, I would most likely break something trying to use my power due to me feeling no resistance from the flimsy poles. Thankfully it was as easy to break down as it was to unfold it so in no time I had a semi comfortable pillow to sit on, better then rock anyways.

Speaking of things being better, I was planning on looking through the Store a bit more. Seeing if I could discover something similar to a front page, like where their best sellers would be. Although I do wonder if they had sales on items, would they just lower the rank/price?

After getting the search bar up I noticed something different, below it was another blue box.

Coupons:

E-Rank:1

That was rather convenient, I did think that it was weird that I didn't get a physical coupon after making a deal with Myalo. This was much safer after all, having things appear out of nowhere would most likely bring up questions even here.

Anyways, I tried searching stuff like "Store front page" for a while. I recieved the same response everytime.

Error, product not found.

Pretty lackluster response, this whole System was pretty lackluster as well. Literally just gives me a search bar and thats it, it probably took like 5 minutes to do. Damn lazy System.

Well, I guess I can't complain too much. Having access to, what I assume, the multiverse at my fingertips was pretty good. They just need to work on their layout.

Well, aside from window shoping I had no other plans while the duo do their training. Aspen was crouched down with his hand on the floor, most likely thinking about how to reach the metal. I wasn't sure if it was actually possible for him, but I believed in the power of plot so I think he'll do it.

I decide to take a nap, using the tent as a pillow. The nice breeze carries me into slumber, my stomach would wake me up for dinner.