The city's outer market was buzzing with noise, but Renji barely noticed it. His body still ached from the battle with the Mantis King, and the faint sting in his knuckles reminded him of how close those weapons had been to shattering completely.
He followed the smell of smoke and molten metal until he reached a squat stone building at the edge of the street. Heat radiated from within like a living thing, and every strike of hammer against steel rang out like thunder.
When Renji stepped inside, he froze.
The one at the forge wasn't just any smith. She was a giant of a woman—tall, broad-shouldered, her brown skin gleaming with sweat under the firelight. Thick cords of muscle flexed across her arms with each swing of the hammer. Her black hair was tied back messily, strands sticking to her face, and sparks danced across her salamander-like tail as she worked.
Her eyes, golden and reptilian, shifted toward him.
"You're blocking the air, kid." Her voice was deep, smoky, commanding.
Renji swallowed and stepped aside quickly. "Uh… I need a weapon."
She set her hammer down, finally giving him a full look. A smirk tugged at her lips. "Weapon, huh? Let's see what you've been using."
Renji handed over his shattered bronze knuckles. The salamander woman held them up to the firelight, examining the cracks. With a snort, she tossed them onto a pile of scrap.
"Bronze. Cheap junk. No wonder they broke—you've been punching things way above your pay grade."
Renji felt his ears burn. "They… worked fine until now."
"'Until now,' he says." She leaned over her forge, pulling out a fresh rack of weapons. "You've got money or not?"
Renji nodded, pulling out his balance. B+14,000.
Her eyes glinted. "Silver rank starts at ten thousand. Anything less and you're wasting my time."
Renji's chest tightened, but he forced himself to nod. "Silver it is."
The smith pulled out several weapons—a gleaming sword, a heavy axe, a pair of spearheads—but when her hands settled on a set of knuckle gauntlets, Renji's breath caught.
The knuckles weren't plain steel. They shimmered faintly, silver worked with flowing lines that almost looked alive. When he brushed his fingers against them, a faint vibration ran up his arm—like the weapon itself resonated with him.
The Salamander woman caught the look in his eyes and smirked again. "Hah. Figures. These were designed with resonance channels carved into the metal. Most folks can't even use them right. But you…" She leaned forward, her voice lowering. "…you'll make them sing."
Renji stared at the weapon, then handed over his balance transfer.
B+10,000—gone in an instant.
Only B+4,000 remained.
When he slipped the new silver-rank knuckles onto his hands, they felt heavy, alive. Not just weapons, but partners. He flexed, and for the first time, he could feel his beast resonance humming in sync with the metal.
The Salamander woman folded her arms. "Try not to die with those. Weapons hate being wasted."
Renji gave a small nod, stepping out into the cooling night air.
His fists tightened around the silver knuckles.
The next gate… he was ready.