After a tour around the [Force Blade] headquarters, we decide to go to their crafting facilities out of curiosity. Since they're still preparing dinner, we might as well go around and familiarize ourselves with what the [Guild] has in store for all of us. Plus, Kazu needs somewhere to repair his weapons and make more potions while I need to figure out how to start on my new [Mastery]. Even if I manage to master my other crafting [Mastery's] real-life aspect or [Experienced Crafting] as everyone calls it here, there is zero chance I can master [Blacksmithing] without help. Though I am surprised at the place’s interior.

While the headquarters’ exterior is a simple bricked two-story building, the inside has several stations focusing on each craft and a large bulletin board at the entrance similar to that of the in . The differences are that there are targets and training dummies in several rooms and the banners on the walls have the sword and orb insignia, which represents the [Guild] itself. It has been several months, but I was impressed that they had made it so far to the point of owning their own guild house.

As I look around, I notice that Kazu is looking around with his jaws drop as he says, "Man, comparing to the inn we're staying at, this place is way cooler and bigger!"

"I agree. Though it might cost a lot of [Lapi] to make a place like this” I replied. "I don't know how many products they sold or [Quests] they took to pay all of this."

"Oh, I wouldn’t say it's all that expensive."

My eyes widen upon hearing a deep baritone voice. When I turn around, I notice a man that seemed to be in his 30s, wearing a white shirt, black pants with several utility belts, and brown dirty boots. He's a bit suspicious and I don't know if he's similar to his avatar back offline, but all I can do is...

Ggghh?! My head...?!

"The basic facilities are cheap enough for 10 of us and combining with our usual budget and some income from weapons and armor we sold back in , the 150000 price is no problem for the [Force Blade]!"

Gghhh... What the hell?! Just how much strength does he have in his hand anyway?! It seems like he gently pressing on my head, but for me, it's like I've been forced down by a bunch of hardcover books above me!

"Wow, really?! Wind and I have sold food and potions before, but I never expected you had managed to earn that much [Lapi]! Are you some kind of a genius store owner?"

"Hahahaha! I wouldn't say I'm a genius. However, I am carrying my entrepreneurial experience in the game. But I have to ask, how much money did you two made from food and potions?”

"We’ve sold a lot, though I don't know the exact amount. All I know is that we earned about 2000+ [Lapi] or something. Though we also did build a vending machine to do some selling for us while we're out hunting."

Ugh... My head is starting to pound... I can't even stand up any longer!

"Hang on, a vending machine? You mean to tell me you two are responsible for bringing a modern invention into the game?"

"That's right! And it's all Wind's idea! Without him, we were able to make everyone happy without enduring another customer stampede like before!"

"Hahahahahaha! Man, I thought you two were just an odd pair that Starry befriended, but I never expect you do something so unexpected, besides your hidden [Quest] stint of course…”

"Yeah... though before anything else... can you let go of my older brother? I think you're pushing him too much."

Seriously, can he get that hint a bit too sooner?! Ugh...

"Sorry about that, young man. I didn't know I amped up my [Strength Enhancement] skill a bit too much..."

"At least you apologized," I groan as I rub my head in pain. "My [HP] hasn't gone down, but I have a feeling I can feel this outside the game later."

"Hahahaha! I'm glad it's nothing serious. Though I never imagined that just pumping my [Physical Enhancement] would do such wonders when it comes to working through the furnace! It's like when I'm working a bunch of orders in my prime."

Prime? Wait, does he mean that his real age is the same as his avatar? I want to ask him that, but it might offend him.

"Well, we might as well introduce ourselves..."

"No need. I’ve seen your names in the news lately. Besides, I hope your brother doesn’t still have some migraines from me earlier."

"D-Don't worry about it..." I said. "I just need to catch my breath."

"If you say so. The name's and I'm one of the crafters of [Force Blade] in charge of weapon and armor maintenance. It's nice to meet both of you young heroes, Wind, and little Kazu."

I witness Kazu shaking his hands with Wallaby as I manage to recover from the minor headache and approach them.

"Hear that, Wind? We're heroes!" Kazu excitedly says to me after the handshake.

"I don't know. Being called "heroes" is a bit exaggerated for me. But I'm glad that you're not like the other players who have constantly hounded us."

"I have a belief that it is rude to follow a person in an unhealthy fashion because of those "trends" as you kids call it, so you can try to relax here for a while. Rest assured that the others will ensure you're safe from them."

Huh? Guess my suspicions just turned into respect towards Wallaby.

"So, what's your interest in visiting this facility before the guild dinner?" he asks.

"We're just waiting for Star's cousin to arrive, but we were hoping to use your facilities for a while to restock our expendables until this whole mess has calmed down."

"Plus, we hadn't repaired our weapons since that hidden [Quest] because of our exams. I don't want to break my [Plasma Staff] during another battle. It did so much for both of us back in ," Kazu said as he frowned upon staring at his staff.

"I see. If this is important to you two, then you're free to use the crafting stations after dinner. I'll negotiate with the boss about it and see if I can get permission to visit there until then."

"Wait, are you sure about that?!"

"Yeah, we don't want to take advantage of your hospitality because of our unwanted attention problem," I add.

"I understand your concerns, but I don't want you, folks, to die because of lack of equipment. If it all goes well, you might consider as honorary members of the Force."

Honorary members, huh? I can see Kazu has no objections to this and with all that he’s said so far, I can say the same without any hesitation.

"Thank you again, Mr. Wallaby."

"Oh, just call me "Ol' Wally". It works well better than my full virtual name. Just make sure you two be careful when trying to do some [Experienced Crafting] things. I heard a kid created a barrage of lightning bolts after finishing his staff. Sure, I like his style. But who in the right mind did so without any testing away from the public without knowing the risks and consequences?"

Oh, really? All I can do in response is just glare at Kazu. I didn't need to say anything else to know of his little "accident" a few weeks ago. Heck, I can see him laugh sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"Uh, about that..."

Before I know it, Wallaby's voice boomed throughout the facilities like a clap of thunder.

After our tour in their crafting facilities, we regroup in another building as we pass by a lounge and climb up the stairs with Katrine, Wallaby, Star, and Annie by our side. Once we arrive upstairs, I'm surprised to see a large table with several wooden chairs lined up in front of it and several utensils nicely placed on it. Not only that, but I also notice that four more players are having a conversation with each other. They only stop when they saw us coming towards them.

"Oh... You two must be those regular customers that Star mentioned, correct?" The woman wearing leather armor, a yellow shirt underneath it, brown shorts, and long dark brown boots approached us with a smile. "Welcome to our humble HQ. We never had any outside visitors until now."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Wind and this is my younger brother, Kazu," I introduced myself.

"We know who you two are. You're practically the talk of the whole town and forums ever since that [World Notice]."

"U-Uh... yeah... sorry if we're intruding on your conversation."

"Don't worry. The leader won't arrive for a few more minutes. So we have all the time in the world." a voice said. A man who appears to be the same age as Wallaby approached us next as he crosses his arms and smiled at us. For some reason, he is wearing a large armor and an iron helmet and is carries a large shield on his left hand. "I'm . I serve as one of the tanks of [Force Blade]. This is , our resident hunter, and the ace archer of the game."

"Well, "ace" is a bit overstatement. But he's not wrong. Who knows, I might break your record for the fastest shooting time on the field."

My shooting time? I can't say that my shooting speed is on par with Ellia, but then again, I mostly play the game just to be with Kazu.

"Hey, you never know if he tries. Right, Wind?"

"U-Uh, yeah. Right." I decided to skip that subject as I notice a young man my age wearing a white robe and hat similar to a priest, as well another man wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, blue pants, and dark blue boots along with a black mask and dark blue gloves. "And who are they?"

"Oh, the guy in a robe is our resident healer, and the guy in the mask is our stealth expert, ."

As I turn to see Lizo again, he gasps and then tries to recompose himself as he tries to bow down to us.

"I-I'm Lizo. I-It's very nice to meet you two! You two are awesome on the field and..."

Before he can continue, Yuzoku quickly pushes him aside, much to my surprise.

"She already told us our names, idiot," he says before he starts glaring at me specifically. "As for you, "heroes". Don't even think about bragging about your success on finishing that rare [Quest] in front of my guildmates, got it?"

I was a bit speechless at his sudden threat. I know he's like the loner of the guild, but it seems a bit too much.

"Like I ever do that. More importantly, aren't you being a bit rude to Lizo?"

"Rude? All he can do is to heal and buff us and if we want to survive future raids and battles, he needs to man up. So it's obvious I have to make sure he won't wimp out on us."

"Oh, I see. So what you're saying is that you're more of a slacker: you throw all the work to others, correct?"

As I smile, I can see Yuzoku became slightly offended before he grabs my collar. This just proves my point.

"If you don't want to lose your head and get a penalty, then stop talking s-"

Before he can finish, Star quickly grabs his arms and pulls him away from me as he covers his mouth in the process.

"Did I tell you time and time again that you shouldn’t say those dirty words in front of the kids?! Geez, even I have a limit when it comes to saying those stuff."

Well, that's a relief to hear that. Guess she's not all potty-mouth whenever she needs to be.

"And relax, Yuzi. I have known these two since the start of [Isekai] and I doubt they would do anything during their stay here," Mari said to her guildmate. "Just loosen up. Who knows? You two might be a good combo in the field."

"Who wants to team up with this guy?!"

To my shock, both Yuzoku and I shouted this at the same time, which we realize as we back away from each other in embarrassment.

"Ahahahaha! It looks like you two dug yourselves a bit deeper," Katrine said. "Sooner or later, you two will get along and be great friends."

Yeah, right. I pray that I don't e see that guy again.

"If I can befriend this guy. You better kick this guy out soon or else, I'll make him."

With that, he just left. Rudest. Player. Ever.

"Ummm..." Kazu spoke up. "I don't think he's a good teammate for my brother."

"Just trust me, Kazu. Opposites do attract and if they put their heads together, they could conquer every battle they face," Katrine answered.

"Uh, I don't get it."

"Well, let me put it this way. Everyone has their weakness and that goes the same with your brother and our hard-headed Yuzi. However, they have strengths that complement one another. Put those two together and you will have an unstoppable team. Sure, they do butt heads right now. But with time, they will become the best combo they will ever have!"

The best, huh? I wish. I already have Kazu as my partner and there is no way I'm making him part of our team. Though, I must admit they do have a decent team in their guild. Makes me a bit jealous since we only have Arthur and Razul on our team.

BRRRRINGGGG!!! BRRRRRIINNGG!!! BRRRRINGGG!!!

"What the hell?!" I scream as I cover my eyes from that sudden ringing echoing around the room. "What is that noise?!"

"That must be my cousin. Excuse me while I check on him."

Star then leaves the room with Annie following her as she happily laughs.

"U-Um... I'll think we should follow them."

"Yeah."

Kazu and I then left the room to check up on the girls and see the guild leader of [Force Blade] himself.