Chapter 95: Unlocking Hephaestus’s Third Flame

Soul of the Blacksmith.  

With this skill, the ‘Assistants’ who rise up can maximize the characteristics of the equipment that forms their bodies.  

If they hold a Pickaxe, they become experts in pickaxes.  

If they hold a sword, they become sword experts.  

If they hold a Bow, they become archery experts.  

Then, what about a Staff?  

If it’s just an ordinary staff with no special abilities, they would only become experts in staff combat or blunt weapons.

But if the staff holds magical power?  

Naturally, they become magic experts.  

“Zzjeojeojeok-!!”

The moment Combat 4 picked up the staff, the vines on the ground around No. 4 began to freeze.

Translucent black ice started spreading everywhere.

Even the vines that were writhing and flying toward me froze in place.  

“Jeojuk!”  

They froze exactly as they had bent and twisted dynamically.  

Startled by the cold, a flower raised the vines like a wall to hold them back, barely stopping their advance.

Then, when the Mining Team struck the frozen vine wall with their weapons, the vine wall shattered like glass.

“Jjaeng!”

“Wow……”  

It’s not fire magic but ice magic, so I didn’t have high expectations.  

I never thought it would be this powerful.  

Thanks to the ice magic calming the vines at once, the Production Team and Mining Team sped up their charge toward the flower.  

“Shall we continue?”  

“Of course! Freeze them all!”  

“Understood.”  

Combat 4’s contribution continued relentlessly.  

Black ice Arrows flew in all directions.  

Normally, arrows are weapons meant to pierce the enemy, but Combat 4’s arrows were not like that.  

They were arrows meant to make contact with the enemy.  

Arrows meant to freeze the enemy.  

“Kwaadudeudeuk!”  

The vines struck by the arrows froze rapidly.  

Once frozen, the vines could no longer move, turning the places Combat 4 attacked into uncontrollable zones for the combat flower.  

“Kkadeuk, kwaadudeudeuk!”  

“Kkiyeeeee!”  

Every time the vines froze, the flower’s shriek echoed.  

Still, it raised vines to block the approaching Production and Mining Teams.  

“Gwadeudeuk!”  

But the ice arrows that flew swiftly froze those vines as well.  

Thanks to that, the assistants quickly reached the flower’s front.  

“Attack.”    

They began their full assault on the flower.  

Mining 1 and 2 swung their pickaxes, piercing through petals.  

Spinning 1 and 2 cut sharp leaves with scissors.  

Logging 1 and 2 chopped the stem with axes.  

Skinning 1 and 2 stabbed knives into the flower’s center.  

Though it was difficult to approach, once close, the flower wasn’t such a formidable opponent.  

“Kkiyeeeeee~!”  

The flower screamed continuously and started moving its body.  

Towards me.  

No, towards Combat 4.  

It seemed to have realized that Combat 4 was the reason the battle was difficult.  

The Mining Team attacked regardless, but the roots writhed threateningly, crawling toward us.  

“Number 4!”  

“Ready, done.”  

No. 4 lifted the staff.  

From the frozen vines around, a chilling aura rose like heat haze.  

Because I was the one who made that staff, I immediately recognized it.  

This was one of the staff’s abilities called Wicked Cold.  

And its inherent technique, “Enmity of the Yuki-onna,” which uses the stacking of Wicked Cold.  

“Winter Night.”  

A cold winter night descended.  

“Shaaaa-”  

As night falls and the sun sets, darkness covers the earth.  

The black chill emitted from No. 4 began to engulf the world.  

Since a tremendous amount of Wicked Cold was stacked on the vines, the scale of the magic was huge.  

The black frost didn’t stop at the ground—it froze the ceiling as well.  

Soon after-

“Kkadeudeudeuk-”  

Petals were cut, leaves fell, and the stem twisted and cracked more than halfway, but the boss monster kept crawling forward, only to be completely frozen solid.  

Immediately after, Logging 1, who arrived first, swung an axe.  

“Kwaaang-!!”  

[Hidden boss monster of Zone 3 ‘Vine Rafflesia’ defeated.]  

[Level increased.]  

[Level increased.]  

We were able to defeat the boss monster guarding the forge’s door.  

If I had just ordered Combat 4 to attack from the beginning, this could have ended faster and more easily.  

Since I didn’t know how strong Combat 4’s magic was, I couldn’t give proper instructions, so the fight dragged out longer and was tougher than expected.  

Well, as long as it ended well, that’s what matters, right?  

[Vine Rafflesia’s Pollen]  

[Vine Rafflesia’s Vine]  

We acquired plenty of materials.  

They were S-Grade Monster Materials.  

They seemed low-grade among the S-Grade, but still, S-Grade materials are rare.  

After gathering ample materials and asking the assistants to clean up, I headed straight for the forge entrance.  

[Hephaestus’s Forge]  

“Oh ho…”  

Under the forge’s name were listed the required items.  

[Hephaestus’s Anvil Base]  

[100 Sturdy Wood]  

[20 Black Ironwood]  

[5 Lightning-Struck Trees]  

Anvil base.  

I knew what that was.  

It’s the base that goes under an anvil to adjust its height.  

Usually, in a forge, people just cut a suitable wooden block to use.  

But the anvil base drawn on the forge’s door looked similar to the stump we found in Zone 3.  

I wondered if I really had to make this too.  

“Okay, bring me everything I say from now on! 100 Sturdy Wood!”  

“Yes.”  

“20 Black Ironwood!”  

“Understood.”  

“5 Lightning-Struck Trees! Do we have enough of those?”  

“Plenty. I’ll bring them right away.”  

“Good! Also……”  

I called out all the necessary materials.  

We’d logged so many trees in the mines.  

Unlike in Zone 1, there was no reason to tremble from lack of Adamantium or Mithril.  

Most of the materials listed here were carefully stored in the warehouse.  

Among those, a few were difficult to obtain:  

[2 Magic Spring Water]  

[1 Millennium Old Tree]  

These two were the rare ones.  

We had logged in the mines for a long time, yet never once found these woods.  

But a smile never left my face.  

Well, it was fate, wasn’t it?  

Before coming here, I had cut down an especially large, thick tree.  

And what I obtained from that tree was exactly these materials.  

Fortunately, some of the Millennium Old Tree remained, and the Magic Spring Water from other trees was still intact.  

Soon after, when the assistants brought all the materials I asked for I used:

[Crafting Skill.]  

“Blaze, add fire!”  

“Okay!”  

“Hwareuk!”  

Production began immediately.  

Takes a long time?  

High difficulty?  

What does that matter?  

I had already made ‘Hephaestus’s Anvil’ and ‘Hephaestus’s Gloves’, so making the anvil base was a breeze.  

Thinking that, I finished making the item in no time.  

[Production complete.]  

[‘Hephaestus’s Anvil Base’ obtained.]  

“Open sesame!”  

Hephaestus’s Forge automatically absorbs the item made and opens its door.  

So naturally, I thought it would open now as well.  

“Huh? Why isn’t it opening?”  

The door didn’t open.  

Not only that, but the anvil base wasn’t absorbed either.  

This had never happened before.  

I wondered if it was made incorrectly, but no matter how I looked over the base, it was exactly the same as the one drawn on the door.  

Everything matched.  

“No, wait.”  

Comparing the base with the picture on the door, I noticed a difference.  

There was something written on the base in the picture.  

I couldn’t read it, but that was definitely—  

“Blaze, that’s Rune Script!”  

“Yeah!”  

“What kind of Rune Script?”  

“Blessing! And Blessing!”  

“Hmm…… Is it to assist in item production? To boost the performance of the made item?”  

It was Rune Script.  

Perhaps because I learned how to use Rune Script at the second forge, it seemed this time I had to add Rune Script to complete the item fully.  

“That’s easy.”  

Have I ever engraved Rune Script just once or twice?  

This wasn’t some impossible difficulty like the ‘Rune of Time’; this was easy enough.  

[Using Improvement Skill.]  

“Kkang!”  

I immediately started item improvement.  

“Hwareuk!”  

Blaze understood his role and engraved the Rune Script.  

The difficulty was greater than expected, but this level was routine by now.  

[Improvement complete.]  

[‘Hephaestus’s Anvil Base’ obtained.]  

The moment the Rune Script was engraved, the forge door regained its dark red hue and welcomed me.

[‘Hephaestus’s Forge entry qualification fulfilled.’]  

“Oh, much better now.”  

***

The third forge I visited was in better condition than when I first saw it.  

The blaze I made in the furnace blazed brightly, lighting up the forge and radiating heat continuously.  

The gloves I made, which had been old and rusty, regained some of their original appearance.  

And the anvil base I made.  

The anvil, hammer, and various tools around the base shook off their worn looks and returned to their original state.  

“Every time I make an item, does the area around it gradually restore itself?”  

This wasn’t just decorating a house.  

I had no idea what principle was causing this.  

Looking around roughly, about three-fifths of the forge had returned to its original state.  

While exploring the remaining areas, my eyes landed on a leather apron.  

“Could the goal of Zone 4 be that?”  

Zone 4 was made of leather.  

Like the previous areas, the forge in Zone 4 would likely require an item made from the materials of that area as the key to open the door.  

So, seeing a leather apron sitting prominently in the dark area was suspicious.  

Though suspicious, there was nothing I could do for now.  

I approached the furnace with ease and held out Blaze.  

“This is it, right, Blaze?”  

I had obtained the Rune Script in the forge of Zone 2 through Blaze.  

So I thought I could draw power through Blaze this time as well, and I extended him toward the furnace.   

“Hwareuk!”  

The furnace’s flames surged toward Blaze.  

This time Blaze received the flames quite comfortably.  

And shortly after,  

[‘Hephaestus’s Flame (3)’ obtained.]  

[‘Hephaestus’s Flame’ ability unlocked.]  

The system message I had seen before popped up.  

So this was correct after all.  

“Hehe, let’s check it out.”  

In Zone 2, I gained Rune Script.  

The power of Rune Script was considered a ‘Revolution’ for blacksmiths.  

Then, what was the third ability?  

I eagerly checked Blaze’s information.