Inside the Melting Room, the air shimmered with unbearable heat. Massive furnaces roared as Sun Purple Flames devoured chunks of ore, turning them molten. Workers, drenched in sweat, hauled heavy metal ingots using long tongs, pouring them into glowing crucibles. The sound of bubbling metal, hissing steam, and clanging tools filled the chamber like an industrial symphony.

Smoke curled toward the ceiling, where dozens of ventilation arrays glowed faintly, channeling fumes away.

Below, expert metallurgists monitored the process, using rune-carved instruments to control the flow of energy. A series of formation arrays on the floor purified the molten metal, each line of runes pulsing as it drew out impurities like magic threads weaving perfection.

After smelting, the refined metals were loaded into rune-powered carts and wheeled away for shaping and enchanting in other sections of the factory.

"Wow..." Yumina whispered, wiping her forehead as the heat hit her mask. "Do they make weapons here every single day?"

"Hmm... not the full weapons," Marco replied, hefting a crate of glowing ore onto his shoulder with practiced ease. "They mostly make parts — blades, barrels, cores. The assembly, runes, and enchantments happen in separate facilities. Orders come from everywhere — Ixalaria Continent, the Northern Isles, even from the Cloud Realms. In this chaotic world, weapons are more profitable."

Yumina let out a low whistle. "Hmmm... But still those Merchant companies are the one who is making more money."

Now disguised as workers, Tyla, Yumina, Marco, and Kurt blended into the factory’s endless crowd. The rhythmic pounding of machinery echoed as they marched down the iron walkway, each carrying a crate of refined metal. Their uniforms were smudged with soot — perfect camouflage among the laborers.

"When do we move?" Tyla asked, adjusting her hat to keep it from sliding off her head.

Marco lowered his voice. "There’s a passage that leads underground — it’s beneath one of the molding areas. We just have to drop these crates there and slip in unnoticed."

"That’s easy," Kurt said, scanning the area. "As long as we don’t attract attention."

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.

"Hey, did you hear? That guy Marco’s geh! He’s got a Dragonion boyfriend!" one worker whispered over the hammering noise.

"Ehh, really? No way! No wonder he never dated any girls!" another replied.

Marco froze mid-step. "What the hell—?! I just got here!"

Yumina turned toward him, her eyes gleaming mischievously behind her mask. "Ahh... that was fast. You just left the pipe room, and now you’re already famous. Rumors really do spread faster than fire."

Kurt snorted, trying not to laugh as Marco’s eyes watered. "Cheer up, lover boy." He gave Marco a pat on the shoulder.

A group of passing workers spotted them. "Hey, isn’t that Marco?" one shouted.

"Then that guy beside him must be his boyfriend! Kyaaa~!" squealed a female worker.

Half the smelting hall turned their heads. Marco’s face turned red as a furnace.

Kurt froze and walked faster, muttering, "I am not gay. I was forced."

Marco groaned. "Looks like we are attracting unnecessary attention."

"Not ’We’ — just you," Yumina added, poking his side.

Tyla tilted her head. "Why does everyone here know you, anyway?"

Marco hesitated, glancing nervously at Kurt. "Uh... that’s because—"

Kurt cut in, smirking. "Because our dear Marco once fell into one of those giant cauldrons."

"What?" Yumina almost shouted loudly, "He what?"

"Yup," Kurt continued, enjoying the story far too much. "He fell straight into a smelting cauldron — the production halted for half a day. The manager got word that the shipment had been canceled due to some ’accident,’ Because of that no one got salary that day."

Yumina blinked. "You mean he stopped the whole factory?"

Marco’s shoulders slumped. "I... might have."

Tyla chuckled softly. "So, you’re a walking disaster."

"Hey!" Marco protested, waving his hands. "But the workers thanked me."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Well, that’s true. Imagine working half a day and not getting paid even a single coin for it. Because of Marco, the entire shift came to a standstill—no work. So in a strange way, everyone ended up grateful to him for that unexpected break."

"Yeah, yeah," Marco muttered, scratching his head. "Anyway, because of that little... incident, everyone here remembers my face. Hard to blend in after that."

"But that’s how I found the secret passage," he added quickly, trying to change the subject. "When I fell into the cauldron, it tipped over and created a small pit beneath the smelting floor. Later I secretly snuck in. I followed the passage down and saw something incredible from very far..."

Tyla’s expression sharpened. "Roots of the World Tree?"

Marco nodded, eyes gleaming. "Exactly. I didn’t go far though. I felt... something. Like an unseen gaze, watching from the darkness below. My instincts screamed to run, so I did. I climbed back before the supervisors noticed anything missing."

Yumina frowned. "And you never told anyone?"

"Only Kurt. And maybe a few friends when I was drunk," Marco admitted.

Kurt sighed. "You bragged so loudly about ’seeing the world’s heart’ that half the tavern heard you. Lucky no one took you seriously."

"And no one noticed the passage yet?" Tyla asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt.

"Yeah..." Marco nodded quickly. "They didn’t even remove that cauldron from the spot. It’s still sitting there like a useless decoration. And unless someone is crazy enough to jump inside, no one’s ever going to find out about the passage."

After placing their crates near the racks, the group made their way toward the molding section. The air there was thick with smoke and heat. Workers in protective gear moved in rhythm, shaping molten metal into various forms.

On one side, several men were performing blow molding, puffing bursts of air through long pipes to shape the glowing metal. On the other, molten streams were being poured into complex molds —castings for blades, armor parts, and weapon cores yet to be assembled.

The rhythmic clanging and the whoosh of furnaces created a deafening symphony of labor. Amid the noise, Marco gestured subtly for them to follow. "This way," he whispered, weaving between stacks of finished molds and half-assembled weapon frames.

They stopped before a massive bronze cauldron —half-buried in the ground and wedged against the wall as if someone had tried to hide it. The upper rim had fused with the surrounding floor from years of disuse, leaving only a narrow opening at the edge.

"How did you even get out of that thing?" Tyla asked, staring at it in disbelief.

"There’s a way," Marco said, grinning nervously. "But we’ll have to, uh... squeeze in."

Yumina crossed her arms. "You do it."

"Yeah, you’re the experienced one," Tyla added flatly.

"My body’s too big," Kurt said, shrugging innocently.

Marco groaned. "Lady Boss, our deal was that I’d only show you where the passage is. Not dive in again like some overcooked dumpling."

"Hmm," Tyla said, tapping her chin theatrically. "Mina, do you see any passage here?"

"Nope," Yumina said, pretending to scan the room. "All I see is a big, suspicious pot."

The three of them stepped aside, watching with mild amusement as Marco sighed in defeat. Muttering something about betrayal, he slipped toward the narrow gap beside the cauldron and started squeezing himself in. His body wiggled awkwardly until he vanished halfway, his legs still sticking out.

Inside, the world went dark. Marco’s hand brushed against something small and smooth—a pearl rolling near the edge. He picked it up and frowned. "Why didn’t you let me in the pocket dimension?" he muttered dramatically, a tear glistening in his eye. "I get it... I’m just the scout."

He noticed a smaller hole near the bottom —barely large enough for him to crawl through. Taking a deep breath, he slid in again and dropped down into a dimly lit tunnel below.

Moments later, Tyla, Yumina, and Kurt emerged from the pocket dimension and appeared beside him underground.

"So," Yumina said, crossing her arms, "we didn’t even need to infiltrate the factory, huh? This idiot could’ve just brought us straight here with the Pocket Dimension."

Marco looked on the verge of tears again. "I said— I was only supposed to show you the passage..."

Tyla chuckled, giving him a light pat on the back. "Alright, alright. You’ve done well, Marco. Now, since we’re already down here —" Her eyes gleamed with curiosity as she gazed into the dark corridor ahead. "—let’s go and take a look at the infamous remains of the World Tree."

The group turned their eyes forward. The air was cooler here, carrying a faint earthy scent mixed with something filthy too.

"Now, Marco—take the lead," Tyla said, her tone light but her eyes gleaming with intent.

"M–Me?" Marco stammered, pointing to himself as if hoping there might be another poor soul nearby to volunteer in his place.

Yumina smirked. "Is there another Marco here? Come on, brave scout. You found the passage, didn’t you? It’s only fair you lead the way."

"This is the restricted area!" Tyla lips curved into a mischievous grin. "We’re already partners in crime, aren’t we?"

"Marco let out a long, defeated sigh. "Fine, fine! But if something jumps out and kills us, I’m haunting all of you."

Due to the lack of light, none of them noticed that something— a faint, shifting shadow —was silently moving alongside them in the darkness.