Chapter 466: Ninety-Sixth Floor, Divine Armament (7)

Vulcanus couldn’t hide the regret lingering in his expression, though I didn’t intend to return the Flame of Aspiration.

“There’s nothing I can do. It simply ended up with me.”

I had tried to keep my tone modest so as not to sound smug, but judging from his reaction, it hadn’t worked.

“

Hmph, tch.

”

His eyes remained fixed on the flame flowing around me, clicking his tongue faintly as if lamenting what he saw. It was oddly uncomfortable.

It feels like he is licking his lips while looking at me.

A hint of unease flickered in my mind, even if I knew he didn’t mean me any harm. That unease wasn’t worth paying attention to. What struck me more was that someone of his stature, a first-class god, looked so visibly regretful. Of course, the Flame of Aspiration was valuable, but his reaction felt almost excessive.

“I thought only climbers could use the Flame of Aspiration?”

He shook his head. “On rare occasions, established gods are granted access to it as well. Entering the flame each morning marks the start of my day.”

“

Ah

, I see.”

So it wasn’t exclusive to the tower after all.

He let out a hearty laugh. “Well, if it’s going to you, I suppose there’s no reason to complain!”

His expression and tone appeared cheerful, but the sorrow in his eyes betrayed him. The Flame of Aspiration shimmered in his pupils, and his longing was almost palpable. It was understandable, though. There could be nothing more precious to a blacksmithing god than a divine flame capable of sourcing incredible materials.

It was practically like I was stealing his golden goose.

Vironus, who had frozen earlier, finally seemed to regain her composure. Now she was watching Vulcanus intently, her expression almost reproachful as if silently urging him to recover his dignity.

At least his apostle has come to her senses quickly. That much is fortunate.

I decided to shift the topic. “Well, I’ve gathered all the materials now. What should I do next?”

Vulcanus exhaled softly and firmed his resolve. “Hand everything to me. Once the meteor is fully melted, the rest will have to be tempered in the flame.”

By then, about half of the halved Star Devourer had already turned to liquid. As we spoke, the rest began to dissolve as well. I reached into Mung-chi and began retrieving the other materials, starting with La-Soon’s Last Breath. Extracting the Spring of Storms was more troublesome, since I had brought the entire spring with me.

I pulled out a bucket first, then poured spring water from it. When I asked whether it was enough, Vulcanus nodded.

“This will suffice.”

As I handed the materials over, a question crossed my mind. “What will happen when the Spring of Storms comes into contact with fire?”

Usually, when water met flame, one would extinguish the other. These weren’t ordinary elements, though, and I was curious to see how they would react.

Vulcanus laughed. “

Hahaha.

Don’t worry. This isn’t a simple fire.”

His gaze turned toward the meteor. It was nearly fully melted now. Apparently, he had taken my question literally and assumed I thought the water would douse the fire. It wasn’t exactly what I meant, but I didn’t bother clarifying. At this point, understanding the details wouldn’t change anything.

After all, I wasn’t here to learn smithing.

Wait, no. Come to think of it, didn’t Vironus say I would take part in the process?

“So what exactly should I do? Vironus mentioned I’d be needed during the forging.”

“Not yet,” Vulcanus replied, still focused on the molten meteor. “You won’t be required for every step. I’ll need you twice.” He paused and met my eyes before resuming, “Once soon, and again later. For now, let’s start with the Flame of Aspiration.”

By then, the meteor had completely liquefied. A stream of silvery fluid flowed through the furnace beneath the flames. Vulcanus adjusted the molten current and cleared a path for me. He wanted me to guide the Flame of Aspiration into the hottest part of the fire. I did as he instructed.

Fwoosh—!

The two flames met, but neither consumed the other. They intertwined, distinct yet harmonious, blending together until the Flame of Aspiration seemed to merge with the greater fire.

Fwash—!

Soon, something began to drip from between the surging flames. It was a clear, radiant substance, thick and luminous like molten light.

Beside me, Vulcanus remained focused on the forge as he calmly commanded, “Lean your axe against the wall. Don’t place it into the fire.”

“Understood.”

Following his directions, I set Soulbound aside. When I turned back, Vulcanus had finished adjusting the silver stream and was now watching the lava-like liquid flow from the Flame of Aspiration.

“You’ve done well bringing all the materials. Go rest for now. I’ll call for you.”

It was an unmistakable dismissal, but I didn’t mind. The earlier trace of longing had vanished. Now, he stood composed and resolute, which was the embodiment of a true blacksmithing god. He was entering the critical stage of the forging process.

I could understand why he preferred to work alone. No one liked being watched while they worked. It had been the same for me back at the rest area when Doppy had been around, too. Even with perfect concentration, training alone was always easier. Though I had grown closer to Doppy over time, my moments of true insight had almost always come when I was by myself.

An observer, no matter the circumstance, was inevitably distracting.

Still, I kind of want to see what happens when the Spring of Storms meets the fire.

This clearly wasn’t the right time, however. Without hesitation, I turned to leave, only to notice Vironus following behind me.

As soon as we stepped out of the forge room, I asked, “Won’t you be helping?”

“It’s not a domain I’m permitted to intrude upon,” she almost whispered.

“But you were there earlier when the meteor was melting?”

“That was only for observation. A meteor that erases all it touches. Handling even its molten form is difficult. I was merely learning.”

That explained why she had so intently watched Vulcanus while he adjusted the stream of molten silver. However, her tone felt noticeably more polite now, perhaps because I had handled the Star Devourer, which even her god couldn’t.

She continued, “I may still be learning, but the art of forging is a lonely one. A truly exceptional weapon should never be touched by more than one hand.”

“Is that so?”

It did make sense. Two people holding a hammer or spear simultaneously would only impede each other. That wasn’t all that was on my mind, however. I wanted to train right now instead of resting. My only concern was when Vulcanus would summon me again.

“How long do you think it’ll be before I’m needed?”

“I can’t say for certain,” she replied, then smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. You can rest or train, as you mentioned earlier.”

“I should stay nearby, though, right?”

“Wherever you are, I’ll come find you. I’ll be stationed outside the forge, but it’s best not to go too far,” she trailed off cautiously.

I assured her not to worry—I wasn’t foolish enough to wander far.

“Then, I’ll see you later.” She walked me to the entrance before turning back inside.

This turn of events pleasantly surprised me. I had intended to train from the start, since there was no time limit on this floor. Even if I couldn’t focus deeply enough to forget my surroundings, waiting to pass the time would be wasteful.

That should do.

I walked until the building was faintly visible in the distance. If anything urgent happened, I could always use Flash Strike to return immediately. There was no reason to linger nearby and potentially cause a distraction as I trained.

Hmm.

Ideally, whatever I practiced would allow me to stop whenever I wanted, which meant I couldn’t meditate too deeply. It occurred to me that this would be the perfect time to revisit my recent battles.

Even without Soulbound, the sensation of wielding it remained vivid in my mind, to the point where I could convince myself I was holding the real thing.

***

Although Vulcanus had mentioned I would need to help him soon, quite some time had passed, and he still hadn’t called for me. The lack of a timer threw me off, so I couldn’t be certain, but it had to have been at least thirty hours.

I had spent that entire period immersed in training.

At first, I had assumed I only had a couple of hours at most, so I had adjusted my rhythm by slowing the tempo just a little. Before long, however, I found myself slipping into a deep meditative state, losing awareness of the passing hours.

Now, I had just finished a long training session, had washed up, and was resting on a lounge chair when—

“Su-Hyeok, it’s time,” Vironus called out to me.

I immediately rose to my feet. In a way, it was fortunate. If she had come even half an hour earlier, it would have been rather awkward since I had been bathing.

I followed her briskly down the corridor.

Strangely, we didn’t enter the room we had been in before, but the one just beyond it. As soon as I stepped inside, the heat surged up and seared the air around me.

“Welcome.”

Vulcanus stood waiting before a massive, solid-looking cauldron. Despite the stifling temperature, not a single bead of sweat marked his face. He remained immaculate as if untouched by the heat.

As I stepped closer, the contents of the cauldron came into view.

A faintly glowing liquid shimmered within, its light an intricate blend of black and silver. The silvery hue was stronger, which was understandable, given that the meteor had been the largest of all the materials.

The power contained within it was immense, ancient, and immeasurable even to me. I caught sight of Soulbound standing upright behind the cauldron, untouched and perfectly intact.

A small pang of betrayal stirred in my chest.

If he wasn’t going to use it, he could have at least let me keep it.

Training without Soulbound hadn’t been particularly inconvenient, but it always felt better to have it nearby. That didn’t mean I was complaining, however. Perhaps the forging process required it nearby.

Vulcanus gestured toward the cauldron. “Let your power flow into it.”

“My power?”

“Yes. Your divinity, mana, and... even causality,” he remarked uneasily.

For a task as delicate and critical as forging, every moment was precious, so without the slightest hesitation, I summoned my strength. Mana, divinity, and causality merged, their combined radiance gleaming in a brilliant blue-gold light that sank gradually into the silvery liquid.

It wasn’t a brief process.

The liquid absorbed my power endlessly, consuming it until I was nearly drained. Only when I approached the brink of mana exhaustion did it finally stop drawing from me.

“Well done. Rest for now. You may return later for the final stage,” he said with a clear note of dismissal, and I left the room almost as if I were being guided out.

Vironus followed me and remarked that Vulcanus was usually curt while working, so this level of politeness was, in fact, rare for him. Even so, I couldn’t quite shake my lingering feeling. It wasn’t unpleasant but just strange. I felt like a tool that had served its purpose, as if he had drawn out only the power he needed and cast the rest aside.

Still, if the end result proved to be excellent, who was I to complain?

Come to think of it, it looks like he has already melted and blended all the materials together.

I wondered what the completed weapon would look like. Soulbound was dark, but a deep silver finish would be fairly stylish. The black had always looked somewhat dull.

Out of habit, I started toward the exit but stopped midway.

Training again was out of the question. I had already spent countless hours honing my skills, and after pouring most of my strength into the forge, fatigue was now setting in. Sleep sounded far more appealing.

I turned to Vironus. “Is there a place where I can rest? I just need a room, nothing more. I have my own bedroll.”

“

Ah

, of course.”

Without further discourse, she led me to an empty chamber. For about another two weeks, I didn’t receive any more summons.