Seth slowly walked towards the fireplace with measured steps, curiously watching the flickering orange tongues of the flames.

"Don't you find it strange that the flames are still on?" Seth turned to glance at Langdon. He stood by the side of the hearth, his mind racing with the impossibility of a fire burning for months without a tender.

"Maybe the blacksmith never got the chance to turn off the flames before he was killed, and the person who did it never bothered to turn it off either?" Langdon shrugged casually, leaning against a nearby pillar. "I have a feeling you're thinking about this too much... I hate to admit it honestly, but I don't think we can find any clues to who the culprit is." Langdon let out a tired, long sigh.

"For someone who always loves to solve mysteries and find solutions to problems, you seem rather disinterested in this one," Seth said, glancing at Langdon with sharp, annoyed eyes.

Langdon was always the one badgering him to do work, always playing the "smart card." And now, when the city needed his intellect the most, he was acting as though he couldn't wait to be anywhere else. Seth felt a prickle of genuine irritation.

"I'm not disinterested; I'm just not delusional," Langdon replied with a calm look. "There's truly no way to find the culprit; he covered his tracks well. I think we should just wait until Akhil is back."

Seth turned back to the furnace. "It's been a while since they killed the blacksmiths. Unless it was very recent, there's no reason the fire should still be alive. I want to check the back," Seth said firmly.

"You're really stubborn, aren't you?" Langdon let out a tired groan. "Alright then, let's check the back."

Seth didn't reply. He walked behind the heavy stone counter to a door that led to the storage room. The wood was grey with dust, but as he reached for the knob, he noticed something. His hand didn't come away covered in grime. The metallic surface of the handle was clean.

"Seems someone has been here," Seth muttered. He pulled the door open, the hinges letting out a sharp creak that echoed in the silent shop. Light seeped into the dark, cramped room.

The storage area was filled with wooden stands holding various ores, refined ingots, and strange crafting materials. Seth scanned the room, searching for anything that looked out of place.

"See? There's nothing here," Langdon said, peeking in from behind him. "And if you check the other shops, it'll be the same. The culprit wouldn't be stupid enough to leave anything behind. We should probably see if there's anything else to help with while we wait for Akhil."

Seth's brows knitted together. 'This annoying brat keeps pushing me to leave. It makes me want to check even more.'

He stepped deeper into the room, inspecting the racks of metal. 'The furnace was on. Doesn't that mean whoever was here was molding something recently?'

"You don't want to give up, do you?" Langdon yawned behind him. "You're quite energetic today."

A vein popped on the side of Seth's neck. He reached the final rack, checking the last few bars of iron. There was no half-melted slag, no radiating heat.

'Maybe he's right? Maybe I am just being paranoid.'

As he turned to leave, his coat caught on a corner. A wrapped bundle of heavy cloth fell to the ground with a loud, ringing clack of metal hitting stone. Seth's eyes lit up. He quickly knelt and pulled away the fabric.

Underneath was a thick metallic plate with a deep, jagged gash across its surface. It was partially fused, as if someone had been trying to mend the damage. 'Someone cut through this, and they were trying to hide the evidence?' Seth thought, picking it up.

But then he flipped it over. His heart skipped a beat.

'Wires?' Embedded in the back of the metal plate was a complex web of circuitry and micro-wirings. It was high-tech—something that definitely didn't belong in a traditional blacksmith's forge.

"See! I found something! This is a lead!" A smug grin cut across Seth's face as he held the piece up, turning back to face Langdon.

But the expression he met wasn't surprise or relief.

Langdon stood framed in the doorway, his usual bright, scholarly demeanor gone. His gaze was hollow, dark, and utterly cold.

Seth's smile vanished. "What is it? What's with that look?"

Langdon let out a slow, disappointed sigh. "I really tried, didn't I? I mean, I kept trying to tell you to leave this place." Langdon facepalmed, shaking his head slowly. "If only you had just listened, We could have just waited for the timer to run out."

Seth let out a mocking laugh, his eyes darting between the wired metal plate and his supposed friend.

"What makes you think I'd ever listen to you? Besides, what the fuck are you talking about, smart-ass? This is good news! With this, we'll finally be able to find out who the culprit is."

As he spoke, a figure emerged from the shadows behind Langdon. The figure wore the familiar, taunting mask of the Titan of Discord. Seth's gaze instantly sharpened, his posture shifting from curious investigator to battle-ready.

"Langdon, behind you," Seth said, his breath hitching slightly.

"You're really an annoying idiot, aren't you? You talk too much and shit-talk everyone... I could've sworn I've gotten tired of you a long time ago," Langdon said, his voice devoid of its usual warmth.

Seth's brows knitted in confusion, but the fog cleared as the masked figure reached up and slowly peeled the mask away.

Seth's eyes widened, shock paralyzing him for a heartbeat. He looked at the face behind the mask, then back to Langdon.

The figure looked human at a glance, but the sharp metallic patches around the eyes and the slight mechanical whir coming from its throat made it clear: it was a Cyborg—a high-tech puppet.

The realization hit Seth like a physical blow. He stared, bewildered, before suddenly facepalming. Then, a cold, mocking laughter erupted from his throat.

Langdon's forehead creased into a frown. "What's so funny?"

"I always knew the smart ones were crazy," Seth said, a dangerous grin spreading across his face as he locked eyes with Langdon. "No wonder I was always on edge around you. Nerd."

Langdon gave a calm, chilling smile. "It's been a while since I heard that word, hasn't it?" He chuckled, his voice dropping into a dark register. "It's a good thing I finally have the opportunity to deal with you once and for all."

"Oh, you can try," Seth laughed mockingly. "It's not like I'm a weakling like you who has to rely on bots to do the heavy lifting."

Langdon's face flushed a deep, indignant red. Seth had finally struck a nerve.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Langdon barked.

The bot blurred, its mechanical joints hissing as it dived straight at Seth. "You really are an idiot," the machine mimicked in a synthesized version of Langdon's voice, launching a fierce, piston-driven punch.

The air twisted and shrieked as the metallic fist tore through the space between them.

BOOM!

The force was cataclysmic. Seth was blasted backward, his body shattering through the reinforced walls of the blacksmith shop like a cannonball. A massive cloud of pulverized stone and soot rose into the air, obscuring the street outside.

Langdon walked calmly through the jagged hole in the wall, standing beside his mechanical twin. A confident, arrogant smile pulled at his lips.

"For someone who talks a lot, I hope you can back up your words now."

"Oh, trust me," a voice drifted through the settling dust, resonant and steady. "I'm confident in my strength. Perhaps too overconfident. But I don't have to rely on toys to fight my battles."

"Tch." Langdon's teeth ground together at the sound of the voice.

As the dust settled, Seth was revealed standing amidst the debris. He looked entirely unbothered. With a slow, deliberate motion, he reached up and gathered his loose hair, tying it back into a neat ponytail. His eyes, usually clouded with boredom, were now narrow and piercing.

A sharp, oppressive aura suddenly burst from his frame, the sheer pressure causing the earth beneath his feet to spider-web and crack.

{Skill—Guild Master: Activated}

{Skill—Fore-perception: Activated}

The air around Seth began to vibrate.

"Come at me, bot boy. I've been really bored lately...." Seth said, his mocking grin widening as he felt the surge of power through his limbs.

Langdon stared back at him, his face contorted with rage, but the anger slowly eased, melting into a dark, sickening smile.

"You know what? I like your confidence. It's almost a shame I have to break it," Langdon said, his tone dripping with condescension. "Unfortunately for you, I've done my homework. I already know exactly how to deal with you."

Langdon began to pace slowly, "Your abilities... Fore-perception allows you to read the micro-movements of your opponent, predicting the future by a fraction of a second. And Guild Master... it's a fascinating cheat, isn't it? It allows you to copy the martial arts techniques of every single person who has ever joined your guild. It makes you a true master of every style simultaneously."

Seth's brow furrowed, his confident stance faltering for a split second. A cold chill ran down his spine. "How do you know the specifics of my skills?"

"I've been watching, Seth... ," Langdon laughed, his eyes glinting with a manic light. "And guess what? I have a special present just for you"

Seth faltered, confusion creasing his brows as he waited. However, he didn't wait too long.

Seth's eyes widened in sheer shock as he saw what came next, "How is this possible?" Seth gasped.

{A/N: Aura was close to guessing.... Hehehe}

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