Edison placed The Source into his inventory orb.
Watching as the glowing stone vanished into the purple haze.
Even in the inventory storage, he could still sense the flame.
"With enough practice," Guide mused, "you could channel those flames during smithing. Might finally craft something worthy of being called Master-grade."
Edison shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "It's not that simple."
"It's not just about slapping magic flames onto hot metal. There's something else... something I'm missing."
He got up and paced back and forth in his stone chamber, boots scuffing against the worn floor.
Five months under Fabby's tutelage had taught him the physical motions perfectly - the hammer angles, the quenching times, the fold patterns.
Yet every attempt at Master-grade crafting ended the same way: good weapons, sometimes even excellent ones, but never that quality he'd seen in Fabby's creations.
"And I can't figure out the breaking point," he admitted aloud.
The unspoken thought hung heavier in his mind: And my master communicates in grunts and hmphs.
Snubby chose that moment to butt her head against his ankle, nearly tripping him mid-stride.
Edison looked down at the poro's wide, innocent eyes and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yeah, yeah... Priorities." He fished out another Poro-Snax from his inventory.
As the little creature happily munched away, Edison exhaled slowly, letting the frustration bleed from his shoulders.
Mastery didn't come overnight.
Not for normal guys like him who got no real talent, and certainly not for someone trying to learn crafting techniques from poro of all living things.
He stretched his arms overhead, feeling joints pop.
"Enough worrying for today."
There would be time for breakthroughs in the future.
"Alright," Edison clapped his hand and suddenly said.
"Guess it's about time to leave this place."
"Oh?" Guide responded with a hint of surprise, "So you've finally decided?"
"Yeah," Edison nodded, his fingers tracing the edge of his inventory orb. "It's time to face it."
Ever since he'd first stumbled into Ornn's forge, one question had gnawed at him - what timeline had he been thrust into?
He knew he probably wasn't around 6000-8000 BN, not with the Hearthblood already wiped out.
But that still left millennia of possibilities, each more terrifying than the last.
He'd never dared to ask Guide for the exact year.
The cost was negligible, just 50 SP.
But the answer might reveal that he's in the era of Shurima's Ascended, or worse, the height of the Great Darkin War.
Maybe even the world-ending Rune Wars.
Any of those scenarios would be very bad for someone like him.
But now, with The Source pulsing safely in his inventory and five months of training, he feel like he could defend himself.
"Guide," Edison said, his voice dropping to a serious tone he rarely used. "Tell me what year it is."
A system notification chimed in his mind:
[50 SP deducted]
[Current SP: 2,660]
The pause that followed stretched like taffy. Then Guide spoke the number that would define his future:
"It's 990 AN."
"990 AN... 990 AN..." Edison muttered, pacing across the stone floor.
Then he remembered.
"That's when Swain rises to power!" A grin split his face. "I'm in modern Runeterra!"
His celebration lasted exactly three seconds before the second realization struck like a hammer blow.
He froze mid-step.
"Wait... that means..."
His eyes widened. "This is around the same timeline as Arcane!"
Edison didn't know the exact dates, but he remembered enough - it had to be sometime after Swain killed Darkwill and formed the Trifarix.
The pieces clicked together with terrifying clarity.
"Hell nah!" Edison yelled so loudly it echoed through the chamber, startling Snubby into dropping her treat.
"No way I'm missing that!"
Memories flooded back - binge-watching the first season of Arcane, the stunning animation, that heartbreaking finale.
After his parents died, he'd never gotten around to watching season two.
Now? He had a chance to witness it all firsthand.
"Now calm down," Guide chided, "Can't you see you're scaring poor Snubby?"
Edison looked down to find the little poro cautiously pawing at his boot, her ears flattened slightly from his sudden yelling.
He immediately fished out another Poro-Snax from his inventory orb and knelt down.
"Sorry for yelling, Snubby," he murmured, offering the treat in his open palm.
The poro's apprehension lasted exactly as long as it took to sniff the snack before she let out an enthusiastic "Prrt!" and devoured it in one bite.
Edison couldn't help but smile as he watched her tiny tail wag.
Poros really are too adorable, he thought, scratching behind her ears.
On impulse, he scooped her up and held her at eye level. "You wanna come with me?"
Snubby tilted her head, her dark eyes blinking slowly. Then, with an excited squeak, she launched herself at Edison's face, licking his nose repeatedly.
"Well, good for you," Guide remarked dryly. "But you'll need to prepare properly. You've still got to cross the entire continent of Valoran. Might want to plan your route before charging off into the unknown."
Edison took a deep breath, the initial burst of adrenaline fading. "Yeah... yeah, you're right. Thanks for reminding me, Guide."
"Oh, what would you do without me?" Guide teased.
"Don't push it," Edison grumbled, though there was no real heat behind it.
He set Snubby down on his pack as he began gathering his few possessions from around the chamber.
"I'm just saying—"
"I swear to whatever gods are listening—"