Chapter 467: Ninety-Sixth Floor, Divine Armament (8)

Chapter 467: Ninety-Sixth Floor, Divine Armament (8)

I devoted the time solely to training. Of course, after the first few days had passed, I went to find Vironus to ask when it would be ready. However, after hearing her firmly express—even more so than before—that she couldn’t be certain, I chose not to ask again. It felt like the more considerate thing to do.

Throughout those approximately two weeks, the sound of hammering echoed endlessly across Vulcanus’s realm, day and night. I did feel a little guilty, though. While I trained and rested, Vulcanus and Vironus didn’t sleep, not even for a second.

Technically, Vironus could have rested as her duty was merely to remain on standby. Yet, perhaps because her god was directly involved in the process, she too stayed at her post the entire time.

Even so, the hammering never disturbed me, whether I was practicing or asleep.

If anything, it was rather pleasant.

The metallic rhythm carried a sacred resonance. Though it lacked a steady pattern, it cleared my mind and calmed me far more effectively than any white noise. I had no idea how it worked, but I suspected that his strikes contained some kind of extraordinary energy.

Because of that, it felt less like I was conquering a floor and more like I was attending an intensive training session.

Even if the forging takes longer than expected, it doesn’t disadvantage me in any way.

I had been longing to train even before entering this trial, so this was an excellent opportunity. Soulbound’s absence was hardly a problem. At one point, I began to wonder if the ninety-sixth floor had been deliberately designed this way. After all, from the ninety-first floor onward, the trials had progressed at a relentless pace.

Although the waiting room’s timer had lengthened, it still wasn’t sufficient considering the level of difficulty. There had been much to learn—not merely to overcome, but to absorb from the process itself.

That led me to guess that this “resting” on the ninety-sixth floor was meant to allow me to recover, obtain new equipment, and organize my insights before continuing. Of course, I felt a twinge of concern about what awaited on the next floor, but the only way to overcome that was through more training.

Coincidentally, Vironus exited the building exactly two weeks after my rest started.

“Su-Hyeok.”

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

There was no need to compose myself. I had already anticipated this moment and prepared for it in advance. The endless clanging of metal had disappeared thirty-five minutes ago. It was the first time in two weeks that the noise had ceased, which made me curious.

She said I will participate in the forging process. If the hammering stopped, doesn’t that mean everything is finished?

Then again, since I wasn’t familiar with Vulcanus’s style of forging, perhaps there was an intermission between phases.

Actually, that may even be preferable.

If there was more to forge, that meant I could continue training in the meantime. Yet contrary to my expectations, my equipment was already complete.

“You’re here?”

When Vulcanus turned to face me, he looked far more exhausted than he had two weeks ago. Even for a first-class god, it was understandable, as he had utilized his divine energy for two weeks straight—without a single moment of rest. Moreover, every material I had brought with me carried peculiar, potent energy within it.

He inclined his head toward the finished equipment as if telling me to take a look, so I followed his gaze. Among all the items, Soulbound—my ever-faithful weapon—drew my attention first.

He clearly made more than a few adjustments.

From what he had said, it shouldn’t have changed drastically. On the other hand, that had been before I collected the materials, so his plan could have shifted afterward. Either way, Soulbound was a completely different color. Its dark hue had transformed into a deep silver, the same shade I had seen inside the cauldron before.

The overall design remained almost identical, though, since Vulcanus had tailored it specifically to me. Only the section including the horn from the fallen god had been adjusted.

It looks much better.

When I had commissioned the master craftsman to attach the horn, they had simply grafted it onto the axe without matching Soulbound’s color, causing it to be somewhat jarring to look at.

However, the horn looked to have completely fused into the weapon, now sharing the same silver hue. Vulcanus had slightly shortened the spike as well, and it felt like its power had been condensed.

What about the handle?

Originally, even the handle had been made from soulsteel, but he had replaced it with a wooden grip, unmistakably crafted from the Primordial World Tree.

Did he extract its essence from its roots, then fashion the handle from them?

What I found most exciting, though, was that Soulbound’s entire blade contained the Star Devourer’s power. Its edge radiated a chilling, ominous aura.

This is insane. Is this really Soulbound?

I had already been perfectly content with the weapon before, but looking at it now, the old one no longer came to mind. A thought fleetingly crossed my mind that the former Soulbound would have felt sad about this transformation. Well, in the end, it was still the same weapon, so perhaps it didn’t matter.

Perhaps because I had just finished training, a surge of desire to fight welled up within me. I wanted to swing it right away. Of course, that wasn’t possible just yet.

I quietly cleared my throat and turned to examine the rest of the equipment. There wasn’t that much else.

Gauntlets, armor, boots, and an earring.

Each shared the same deep silvery gleam as Soulbound. They somehow looked rare and exquisite while still not appearing out of the norm. That suited me well—I wasn’t fond of overly flashy accessories.

Only the single earring drew my curiosity.

Is that made from leftover materials?

It gleamed a little brighter than the others. As I continued to observe it, a notification window appeared, but I deliberately ignored it and turned back to Vulcanus instead.

Noticing the satisfaction on my face, he smiled in quiet pride. Despite that, the forging wasn’t yet complete. Everything looked finished, so I wondered what was left for me to do.

“So, what should I do now?”

“Not much. Just take the axe, follow me, and strike it once with the hammer. That’ll complete it.”

Strike it once with a hammer? I have no experience forging, though!

“Hammer it? Me?” I blurted out before I could control myself.

Vulcanus nodded casually as he declared, “Take your axe and follow me.”

Without another word or even the slightest bit of hesitation, he turned away. I picked up Soulbound and followed him. Fortunately, the souls within the weapon were still present, and I could feel them the instant I gripped the handle.

Their unease during my absence resonated faintly through that connection. Now that I wielded Soulbound, they quieted, and I felt our emotions flow between us.

Vulcanus led me toward the most intense flames, paused for a second—likely trying to simplify his instructions for me—before explaining, “Now, submerge the axe into the hottest fire. Once it turns red, strike it once with the hammer.”

Unfortunately, that didn’t help me understand the situation any better, though.

“

Huh?

Won’t it melt if I put it in there?”

He seemed slightly displeased by my question. “The hottest flame isn’t that simple.”

For someone as unfamiliar with the situation as I was, however, it was a reasonable concern. Anyway, from what I gathered, the flame’s effects seemed to change according to the wielder’s intent.

Vulcanus raised his hand without warning. A wave of divinity rippled through the air, and from the empty space before him, a black hammer that shone with a deep crimson glow appeared.

A divine artifact.

The moment I saw it, I knew it was Vulcanus’s divine artifact and was most likely tied to his title “Hammer of Vulcanalia.” This was no ordinary item, yet he handed the hammer to me. Since he was offering, of course, I accepted it, but the gesture caught me off guard. As soon as it slid into my right palm, it automatically adjusted, fitting neatly into my hand and feeling like the perfect fit.

A strange and powerful energy began to surge at my fingertips.

Aren’t weapons like this rarely entrusted to others?

Moreover, it wasn’t merely a weapon, but potentially the emblem of his divinity.

“Thank you.”

“No need for that. This is a necessary part of the forging process.” Vulcanus turned as if to leave.

I quickly reached out to stop him. “I am doing this alone?”

He nodded, his expression making it clear that the question hardly needed to be asked. I had never done anything like this before, though. I wasn’t a blacksmith, and the way he so casually turned away left me uncertain.

Perhaps reading the hesitation on my face, he added, “Through this process, you will commune with your weapon and bond. Of course, you will do it alone.”

I nodded slowly.

Both Vulcanus and Vironus had remarked about the aloneness of forging, and I trusted their expertise. Perhaps that was why I was only bonding with Soulbound, and not the other pieces of equipment.

Even so, I still had a lingering question. Anyone could place a weapon into the fire and strike it with a hammer, but the timing, now that took skill.

“So, how will I know when to hit it?”

“You’ll know.”

That was all Vulcanus said before leaving the room.

Hmm, I am not sure what that means.

Still, I decided to give it a try. If he said I would feel it, then I would. My instincts rarely let me down, after all. Since I could already communicate with the souls within Soulbound, they would likely give me a sign when the moment arrived.

I placed Soulbound into the hottest part of the flames.

Fwoosh!

With a burst of fire, the flames enveloped the weapon completely. Just like Vulcanus had said it would, it didn’t melt the axe this time. Instead, the metal began to gradually heat.

The deep silver hue of the blade slowly shifted to red, glowing brighter until it turned a vivid scarlet. The handle, crafted from the World Tree, didn’t redden as much, but I could feel the heat radiating through it.

It was no longer merely warm, but was searing hot.

It has been a while since I have felt heat like this.

My palms burned, almost to the point where I wondered if my skin was blistering.

At my current level, feeling such heat should have been impossible, but before the hottest flame, all limits were meaningless.

The temperature continued to rise. Even with Pain Resistance, an agonizing feeling pierced through it, sharp enough to send chills down my spine. My palms felt as if they were fused to the handle, the skin sticking to the wood, but I couldn’t let go.

I have to finish the forging.

After enduring the pain for some time, a familiar sensation began to form. It felt like my hands and the weapon were merging into one. It was the same feeling I had experienced when bonding with Soulbound and attaining the state of sword and man as one. It was as if I were restoring the connection that had weakened after the reforging.

If I hadn’t already attained that state, I probably would have had to reach that realm here.

That wasn’t the only momentous occurrence, however. Even though I had already infused my strength into the silvery liquid, Soulbound was now absorbing even more of my energies.

The hottest flames surged fiercely, their light blazing as they were drawn into the weapon. It felt like I was being forcibly linked to those divine fires, with Soulbound as the medium.

Amid the searing pain and union with the flames, my thoughts began to fade into a daze. I had no idea how much time passed. With pain consuming my mind, the passage of time seemed to vanish altogether. The agony stretched into eternity, as if I were trapped in an endless moment.

It was as if Soulbound had become the hottest flame itself, burning endlessly and consuming everything. All I could see was fire—flames without end. Eventually, a flicker of blue-gold light flashed within the blaze. At that moment, I realized that this was the instant Vulcanus had spoken of.

I raised the hammer in my right hand and brought it down upon Soulbound.

Clang!

A sharp, resonant noise burst forth, shaking the ground beneath me. The tremendous sound was followed by a violent surge of energy that erupted from the weapon and rippled outward.

Before my eyes, the hottest flames scattered like falling petals. Within them, streaks of blue lightning sparked wildly, a storm roared, and the gentle warmth of the World Tree pulsed calmly.

After a brief but overwhelming turbulence, the chaos subsided.

When the flames cleared, Soulbound reappeared in my grasp. Despite appearing the same as before, its essence had wholly changed. The vivid crimson glow had vanished, replaced by a deep silver sheen suffused with a faint red light. Beneath it, the hottest flame still burned. It had diminished and condensed to the size of a clenched fist.

The pain that had consumed my left hand faded entirely, and the hammer I had held in my right had vanished without a trace.

I clasped Soulbound with both hands. A tranquil, comforting warmth spread through me, steady and serene. The energy of the storm emanating from the weapon brushed softly through my hair.

Just as I thought of testing its weight with a swing, Soulbound’s notification window appeared before my eyes.