Chapter 1307

Chapter 1307

In the dark and never-ending hollow pits of Hell’s Abyss, a handsome, raven-haired man sat on a mountain of dead bodies in exhaustion. He was Obren, and he did not know where he was.

He had warped here with Minhyuk. After dealing with the matter, he wanted to test his strength, so he stayed for a few days.

[If it were me from the past, these guys wouldn’t even enter my eyes...]

Obren’s prowess and strength during his prime were beyond anyone’s imagination. He could even fight against the entire Land of the Gods alone. Now? He could only smile wryly.

[Even so, I have no regrets...]

Obren’s weakening started when he got sealed and forced to sleep. He had spent too long as the Grumpy

Gochujang

that Does What it Pleases and thus, grown weak.

After he awakened, he was met with another weakening when he chose to become the Guardian God. Of course, as an absolute god, the Guardian God did not fall behind the other absolute gods. Nevertheless, being a Guardian God had put limitations on him. As the Guardian God of the Beyond the Heavens Empire, the power that he could possess was also limited.

His Evil God’s Book had transformed into the Guardian God’s Book and was now meant to protect others. The transformation had left him unable to return to the peak of his strength in the past, when he was still Evil God Obren.

The current Obren was lacking. He was like a 100-mL bottle filled with only 60 mL of water.

[It will be eliminated...]

Obren stared at his clenched fists. Of course, no one in the Beyond the Heavens Empire would ignore Obren and treat him recklessly. Even if he was weakened, none of them could beat him now. When he said ‘eliminated’, he referred to the gap between him and them. That gap was slowly being narrowed down.

[At the rate things are going, that guy will probably be stronger and better than me in a few years.]

Obren stood up, the wry smile still hanging on his face.

Hell’s Abyss was an unknown and unexplored world. Even Master of Life and Death Louis and Athenae did not know precisely what was in this place. And at that moment, Obren saw what seemed to be a cave. It was a space dug in the never-ending wall before him.

He took one step after another and entered the cave. At that moment, a series of notifications rang in his ears.

[The Abyss has become a prison for those who have committed unforgivable crimes.]

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

[Someone has overcome the sins and crimes that they have committed and has become a new person.]

[However, that does not mean that their sins will disappear.]

Turning over a new leaf meant they had already turned away from sin and repented to become a new and good person. Nonetheless, even if they were determined to become a good person, there was something that they had to keep in mind. Would the sins they committed before turning over a new leaf disappear? Of course not. The sins that they have committed would forever remain a stain on their lives. It would become a shackle that would tie their ankles down and weigh them down.

[You have entered the Grave of Crimes.]

The moment Obren stepped out of the other end of the cave, he was greeted by a vast stretch of land. The land was covered in darkness, so dark that he could not see where it ended. What lay inside this dark and dreary land were countless graves.

The overgrown grass climbing over the graves and the disgusting and suffocating air lingered, making even Obren slow down in his tracks. Nevertheless, he continued to move forward. Obren felt an unknown yet strong pull toward one grave in particular.

Obren approached the grave and read the words written on the gravestone.

[Evil God Obren’s Crimes.]

Obren has killed more than ten million people. It was a crime, a sin, that could never be erased. It was preposterous to believe that a crime of this caliber would disappear. Then, at that moment...

Fwoosh!

A figure emerged from under the grave. It was none other than

him,

the version of him when he was still the Evil God. Evil God Obren, with his eyes filled with murderous intent, glared sharply at Guardian God Obren and spoke.

[Don’t you want to regain your strength?]

“...?!” Obren looked at his past self in shock.

With a gaze that was sharp and terrifying, his past self continued.

[If you erase your sins, then you will be able to regain some of your strength.]

Obren understood the underlying meaning of his past self’s words.

[Are you saying that I will be able to regain some of my strength if I kill you?]

[That’s right. Doing so will erase some of the Guardian God’s penalties suppressing you.]

But Obren was no fool.

[I see. There’s a price that I have to pay for that.]

[Kill me. If you win, then you will be able to take some of my power away. If you lose, you will fall into eternal slumber in this place.]

Obren desperately longed for more strength. Why? Because there were just too many mountains that the Beyond the Heavens Empire had to face and overcome from here on out. If he possessed an even greater power, navigating those obstacles might be easier. Even so, Obren decisively turned back.

Seeing the Guardian God turn away from him, the Evil God said...

[If you don’t kill me, then you will suffer for all eternity and be trapped in this place in eternal slumber once you die. However, if you kill me, then your crime and sins will disappear. You will be granted rest and comfort.]

Obren chuckled as he continued to walk back out.

[Indeed. That’s a possibility. But if I take a wrong step here, I know someone will be sad.]

Obren did not want to gamble his life here. Because he knew that someone would mourn if something went wrong for him in this place. As Obren left the cave, he knew he would revisit this place someday.

***

Branch managers worldwide had not yet returned to their respective countries and were still gathered in the meeting room within Joy Co. Ltd’s main branch.

The impending outbreak of war between the Gaia Continent and the Western Continents proved more serious than they had initially expected. They hurriedly called for a meeting to prepare for the outbreak of war. Alas, they were met with a shocking situation by a single blacksmith, the character named Hephaestus.

The branch managers from all over the world had memorized information about key NPCs in Athenae so they could respond to changes at any given moment. The information that they were initially provided for Hephaestus was as follows.

[A blacksmith with a limp and a hideous face. He is suffering from a lot of mental illnesses, including social phobia and panic disorder. Because of severe trauma, his legs will shake just by looking at the faces of the gods of the Gaia Continent.]

[He is a coward and has been living like that from the moment he was born. So, it might be impossible to change his personality and attitude.]

[He is an outstanding blacksmith with a weak personality and cannot even think of setting a goal for himself.]

[He will not be able to surpass Leo, the creator of the Greatest Weapons.]

This was Hephaestus’ description before he met Minhyuk. This description had wholly changed since then.

[A blacksmith with a limp and a hideous face. He is suffering from a lot of mental illnesses, including social phobia and panic disorder. But he was able to overcome most of them.]

[He is a coward. However, when protecting those he holds dear, he is more courageous than anybody else.]

[He is an outstanding blacksmith who has discovered his true worth and finally set a new goal for himself.]

[He might be able to surpass Leo, the creator of the Greatest Weapons.]

Old habits die hard.

Many people would declare that they would change, but at the end of the day, they never did. Most of the branch managers here had years of experience, and they knew that humans would not change in such a short amount of time.

As for Hephaestus, his life was completely turned upside down because of a single man. Even Branch Manager Ito, a staunch hater of Minhyuk and someone who always frantically undermined and belittled the young man, could hardly criticize him. At the same time...

‘I want him. I wish that he were born in our great Japan...’

The American Branch’s manager muttered, “The Master of Life and Death... The Maker... All of them support Minhyuk.”

A player should not become a Pillar. Even if Minhyuk was the Supreme, they did not approve of him. The branch managers who had the same thought could not help but feel bitter. Everything had a reason. And all of these were possible because of Minhyuk’s hard work and abilities.

President Kang Taehoon’s heart thumped wildly. He realized that a new era had already begun. And Minhyuk was standing at the center of this new era.

“Aren’t you all curious?”

They all turned to look at Hephaestus, who was reflected on their monitor.

“What kind of era would they create?”

***

Hephaestus’s heart was warm and full.

He could have climbed the position of a Pillar earlier, but he decided to delay it for Minhyuk’s sake. This time, he came to new realizations. He set a new goal for himself and finally climbed the position of a Pillar.

And just as he expected, he could obtain a Pillar Disaster related to artifact production the moment he became a Pillar.

(

Custom Production

)

Rank

: Pillar Disaster

Active Skill

Level

: 1

Mana Required

: 30,000

Penalty for Use

: All stats -10.

Cooldown

: 1 year.

Effects

:

•You can make and produce a custom artifact for a target of your choice.

•Upon activation of Custom Production, the chances of creating higher-ranking artifacts will increase by 200%.

•Artifacts higher than God-rank artifacts will be created without fail.

•Custom Production gives you a special privilege. Once you complete the production process, your artifact will have 10% better effects.

•Custom Production gives you a special privilege. When creating artifacts, all of the skills of the artifact that you made will be 20% better than the skills of the most outstanding artifact in your target’s possession.

•There is a chance of breaking down your limits and allowing you to create higher-ranking artifacts upon triggering Custom Production.

•When Custom Production has been triggered for the first time, all of the effects of the skill will be 1.5x better than normal.

•When Custom Production has been triggered for the first time, your chances of obtaining higher-ranking artifacts will increase by 400%.

•Artifacts born from your hands will at least be at the Absolute God-rank level.

•Custom Production will guide you on how to create the most suitable artifact for your chosen target.

Description

: With Custom Production, you can create custom artifacts for a single person. When used for the first time, the skill will be countless times better than before. No other blacksmithing skill is better and more outstanding than this.

Hephaestus was delighted. He vowed to use this skill to create the best and greatest artifact in the world.

‘I will make sure to get all the materials needed to make that artifact by any means necessary.’

He would willingly stay inside his smithy for several years just to produce this artifact.

‘I will do it.’

Hephaestus felt happy just by thinking about how Minhyuk would react after hearing about this. He was sure that the man would be pleased for him, too.

Hephaestus almost lost his balance as he walked out of the Gaia Continent. Why? Because he was finally relieved. And because he felt relieved, his legs, which had been in a constant state of nervousness and tension during his meeting with the gods of the Gaia Continent, were shaking. Nevertheless, he powered through and continued to walk forward.

He returned to the Beyond the Heavens Empire and searched for Minhyuk. When he found him, he saw that the young man was preparing to leave for the Gaia Continent tomorrow.

‘I wonder how happy he would be?’

As the thought flashed in his head, Hephaestus approached Minhyuk.

“Minhyuk!”

Surprised, Minhyuk greeted him. Of course, he had also heard the World Message. Minhyuk wanted to meet with Hephaestus and congratulate him on finally welcoming new change.

“I became The Maker. I also got the Custom Production as my Pillar Disaster. With this power, I will create an artifact for you that will surpass the Greatest Weapons. If the material is lava, I will jump in and get it. I will not give up. I will make sure to make it even if it takes years!”

Minhyuk’s expression turned stiff. Hephaestus could not understand the sudden change. He thought that the young man would be overjoyed.

‘Did I make a mistake?’

Then, Minhyuk said, “Thank you, Hephaestus. And congratulations, too. But Hephaestus...” He smiled softly. “You look exhausted.”

“...?”

Hephaestus had just returned after he had confronted all of the gods of the Gaia Continent by himself. Of course, he was exhausted. Now that he was in a familiar and safe space, his tense muscles finally relaxed.

“I’m glad you want to use your powers for me. To be honest, I don’t want you to. I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself just because of me. Just be happy. That’s all I want for you. Live your life happily.”

“...”

Hephaestus smiled wryly as he thought,

‘That’s right. This is the reason why I like this punk.’

Minhyuk was the only one who thought of him first before thinking about gains and profits.

“By the way, where have you been?”

Hephaestus just smiled in answer. He decided right then to keep quiet about the fact that he confronted thousands of gods for his sake.

Just like that, the friendship between the two Pillars grew stronger and better.