Absolute Craft-Chapter 48: Reflections (1)

Chapter 48: Reflections (1)

It was the end of what felt like Blake’s most difficult struggle since Ashen World Online’s Official Release. He had single-handedly defeated a smaller guild and taken part in thrilling battles that helped him grow both as a player and as a person. It was exhilarating—almost liberating.

Only five players remained at the scene, each now certain of Blake’s true abilities. The legendary power he wielded could indeed reach its full potential in his hands.

He turned and walked past them as though they weren’t there, wounding their self-esteem. The mage and Silver Dash closed their eyes in shame.

The most vocal among them raised his voice. "I apologize for everything!"

Silver Dash stood up, quickly bowed to Blake, and hoped to catch his attention. As he lifted his gaze, Blake did pause to look at him, but he seemed distant—like a vast canyon stretched between them. The man in black armor stood at the opposite edge, and the icy chasm in between appeared impossible to cross.

"I didn’t mean to lie or steal everything... I just wanted to be like the beta testers. I wanted to make this game life my career! I’ll repay you tenfold for your help in the future, I swear!"

<Superbia has left the party>

"Huh?" Silver Dash’s lips parted in surprise. He tried to speak, but no words came out, leaving him standing there like a fool. Deep down, he still wanted to continue the expedition and enter the Winter General’s Tomb.

Blake cut him off before he could say anything more.

"I’m terrible at relationships," Blake began. "But I know who’s worth my attention based on their strength and play style. You’ve been trash this whole time. Yes, three of you did help me become a slightly better person, but that doesn’t erase the fact that all five of you were accomplices in lying to me."

He had no intention of being a guild leader again—especially not one who led solely through raw power. Though the Cerberus Guild had plenty of people with poor attitudes, no one there dared to question or oppose Blake, thanks to his overwhelming strength.

These five weren’t rough diamonds he could polish. He felt no desire to grow alongside them.

In fact, Blake thought back on their dungeon run and his fight with Anonymous House and its guild leader. He wasn’t interested in sticking with weak players—especially not for demanding events or dungeons.

Still, he acknowledged that meeting new people was the best way to improve. It was a challenge he needed to face if he truly wanted to become a better person. Opening up to others and being honest with them was the first step on that journey.

"You’re not worth my time," Blake said, turning away.

Snapping out of his daze, the mage clutched Silver Dash’s shoulder and shouted at Blake, hoping his words would reach both his friend and the man he had once looked down on.

"You’re going to keep all the items for yourself?! After everything we’ve been through?! We spent hours here and fought alongside you! You wouldn’t even be here without us! We deserve at least that mantle or the sword!" the mage spat.

Blake smirked. "Defeat me and take them all."

He kept walking toward the wall that was about to open for him. Anyone there was free to attack him—and if they dared, he’d fight them all.

Yet the mage and his friends lacked the will to challenge him. Some even quietly wished they could just let Blake beat them, rather than watch him vanish behind the tomb’s entrance.

When the wall began to rumble and part, the five could only watch Blake step up to its ornate doorway, where cold air and fog swirled outward. His back seemed impossibly broad—like the entire tomb already belonged to him.

He went in, and moments later, the doors closed behind him. Debris from above fell, burying the entrance and blending with the graveyard’s crumbling scenery. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Meanwhile, Silver Dash and his companions stood frozen, regret and shame gripping their hearts. Only then did they realize how much they had truly lost.

-

Walking through the ornate corridor of glimmering ice, with frosty clouds swirling around his feet, Blake’s armor began to shed, each piece sliding into his shadow. The inferno roaring in his mouth vanished, and his eyes returned from brilliant gold to pitch-black.

Soon after, Sol appeared on top of Blake’s head. Now unarmored, Beatrix bashfully sank back into Blake’s shadow, hurriedly getting dressed again in a strangely human yet endearing display.

Since Blake had also removed his gear, Sol nestled into his hair—his coziest spot, even though it lacked any sparks. He let out a small whimper, closed his golden eyes, and dozed off.

"Tired? Just as I thought," Blake remarked with a faint smile. He intended to reward his little apple with three sets of gatekeepers’ armor for enduring so much of Superbia’s mythical skill. "Beatrix... I’ll fix your equipment too, but that alone isn’t much of a reward. I’ll figure it out later."

Only a pair of emerald eyes peeked up at him from within his shadow before slipping away as if embarrassed.

He smiled. "Thanks for everything... I really enjoy having you two with me. I loved our battle and felt so many sparks of inspiration that I can’t wait to see what we’ll achieve at higher levels. It’ll be even more fun, even if it’s just the three of us."

He didn’t know how the future would unfold, but he felt confident as long as Sol and Beatrix were by his side. He saw a glimpse of a new path that excited him, so he believed things would turn out fine.

He also had a sense of what to do next in real life.

But although it was nighttime in the real world, Blake still had some business to finish in the game before logging out. Not only had he reached the Winter General’s chamber, but he had also acquired a new item for defeating Kyria:

<Black Stormweaver Spirit Inspiration Fragment (Epic)>

Blake’s plans didn’t really include befriending a guild leader, yet he felt oddly closer to Kyria than to any other player he’d encountered so far. He hadn’t met many, of course, but it still meant something.

For now, he needed to handle everything in the right order.