“Whew.”
How much time had passed?
I didn’t know for sure.
Ever since I realized that time flowed differently inside Hephaestus’s Forge compared to the outside world, I hadn’t bothered to count.
I simply focused on swinging my hammer.
I worked until the materials in the warehouse were completely exhausted.
I worked until I had forged every item I could remember.
I worked until I created items stronger than the last, and stronger than the ones after that.
I simply continued to swing my hammer.
Fortunately, the clock of the forge seemed tailored perfectly to my needs.
The moment I used up the last of the materials in the warehouse…
-Whoosh.
The power of the forge subsided, and I was finally able to step outside.
Once I was out, anxiety washed over me.
Even if time flowed differently, what if everything was already over?
What if the outside world had already been completely destroyed?
Worried, I contacted Nam Bora.
— “Master Vulcanus!”
Fortunately, her voice came through immediately.
It seemed the world hadn’t ended just yet.
However…
— “Given the current situation, the Fifth Wave is just about to begin.”
“The fifth wave, not the fourth?”
— “Yes. Everyone is preparing their defense, but honestly, the Rankers seem to have lost most of their hope.”
It sounded like the world was right on the brink of destruction.
To think the Fourth Wave had ended and the Fifth Wave was starting while I was swinging my hammer.
I had spent more time than I thought.
‘No, compared to how long it felt to me, maybe it wasn’t that bad.’
The time I perceived inside the forge was at least several months — no, at least half a year.
Perhaps even a year or more.
Yet, only a little over a week had passed in reality.
By that standard, it couldn’t really be said that much time had gone by.
“I’ll send item support immediately. Please ask every Hunter to hold out no matter what.”
— “Do you… have a plan?”
“Yes. I’ll contact the Sword Saint separately, so please focus on distributing the items.”
— “Understood!”
After saying that, I began transferring the items.
I sent almost everything except for the items I might need for the Tower climb.
I left the distribution to Nam Bora and, after making a separate request to the Sword Saint, took a deep breath.
Then, I activated my skill.
“Soul of the Blacksmith.”
An SSS-class ability, the unique skill of Hephaestus’s Descendant.
As I used the skill, the equipment I had crafted until now began to piece itself together and stand upright.
[The Soul of the Blacksmith dwells within Manannán mac Lir’s Golden Chain Mail.]
[The Soul of the Blacksmith dwells within Eris’s Horned Armor.]
[The Soul of the Blacksmith dwells within Prydwen.]
[The Soul of the Blacksmith dwells within Hildegrim.]
[The Soul of the Blacksmith dwells within Hercules’s Greaves.]
EX-grade items created through Myth Creation began to rise.
It wasn’t just the new soldiers.
The Production Team, the Mining Team, and even the Combat Team — all of my existing soldiers were now composed of significantly reinforced items.
Furthermore…
[You have crafted numerous Mythic-grade armaments in the True Hephaestus’s Forge.]
[The number of soldiers you can summon with the Soul of the Blacksmith increases.]
[You have crafted numerous Legendary-grade armaments in the True Hephaestus’s Forge.]
[The number of soldiers you can summon with the Soul of the Blacksmith increases.]
While I had been crafting items in Hephaestus’s Forge, numerous messages had popped up.
There were various types, but the ones that stuck in my memory were those regarding the increase in the number of summonable soldiers.
Originally, at my current level, I shouldn’t have been able to summon more than 100 soldiers.
However, the number of soldiers summoned before me now was…
“Clack.”
“We are ready, Master.”
A total of 500.
Beyond a squad, beyond a company — a full battalion of soldiers knelt before me.
And since I was the one who had crafted them and brought them to life, I knew.
I knew these soldiers would be able to conquer the Tower.
The moment that conviction took hold…
[The Trial of the 95th Floor begins.]
[95th Floor: Ragnarok]
I started the trial on the 95th floor.
These were monsters that would have been difficult to face even with my reliable party members.
Along with the army intended to end the world, the three architects of destruction revealed themselves.
Jörmungandr, Fenrir, and Surtr.
These were the monsters that had brutally struck down my party members during the previous attempt at the 95th floor.
Against such monsters…
“Thud.”
My soldiers made their appearance.
First, the new soldiers stepped forward to face Surtr.
The equipment making up the first soldier’s body consisted of…
[Mjöllnir]
[Járngreipr]
[Megingjord]
These were all items known to have been used by the Norse god of thunder, Thor.
The hammer of lightning, Mjöllnir; the belt of strength, Megingjord; and the iron gloves of thunder, Járngreipr.
My soldier, forged from the very equipment Thor was said to use, was capable of manifesting the power of the Thunder God himself.
“K-boom!!”
“How dare you… try to defy the end!”
Calling forth thunder, lightning, and bolts of electricity, the soldier began to engage Surtr.
Following that, the soldier who strode toward the massive serpent Jörmungandr in the distance was equipped with…
[Marmiadouaz]
[Nemean Lion Skin Armor]
[Hercules’s Greaves]
These were all items attributed to the greatest hero of Greece, Hercules.
The sword of immense strength, Marmiadouaz; the armor made from the hide of the Nemean Lion, which no spear or blade could damage; the greaves crafted by the God of Blacksmiths himself; and the brass club that was the very symbol of Hercules.
Armed with all this equipment, the soldier manifested the glory of Hercules as it faced off against Jörmungandr.
Next, the soldier who swung his sword to meet the rapidly approaching Fenrir was composed of…
[Balmung]
[Tarnkappe]
[Ring of the Nibelung]
This was a soldier created from the equipment of the Great Hero of Germanic mythology, Siegfried.
The sword Balmung, which slew the evil dragon Fafnir; the magical cloak Tarnkappe, which granted Siegfried invisibility; and the Ring of the Nibelung, which was said to grant the power to rule the world.
The soldier made of these items also manifested the power of the Great Hero Siegfried.
Besides them, countless other pieces of equipment based on various gods and heroes were being utilized to their full potential.
“What are these… How dare they…”
Surtr began to panic.
The Hercules-type soldier ripped out Jörmungandr’s fangs.
The Siegfried-type soldier plunged Balmung into Fenrir’s side.
A Zeus-type soldier called down thunderbolts, and a soldier based on the God of Light, Lugh, swung Fragarach — the sword that no armor could block and that never missed its mark.
-Flash!
As a soldier based on the storm god Baal swung the two clubs Yagrush and Ayamur, the army charging toward Yggdrasil was swept away by tsunamis and thunder.
Not long ago, these enemies had seemed so invincible.
Now, they were being overwhelmed, unable to withstand the might of the gods and heroes manifested through these myths and legends.
It didn’t take long after that.
[Level Up!]
[You have overcome the Trial of the 95th Floor, ‘Ragnarok.’]
[Evaluation Rank: SSS]
[You have been awarded ‘Flame of Destruction’ as a reward.]
[You have been awarded ‘Jörmungandr’s Poison Fang’ as a reward.]
[You have been awarded ‘Fenrir’s Fang’ as a reward.]
[The 95th Floor has been cleared, weakening the Tower.]
The 95th floor was conquered.
Three SSS-grade materials, including the Flame of Destruction dropped by Surtr, were in my hands.
No, upon closer inspection, while Jörmungandr’s Poison Fang and Fenrir’s Fang were SSS-grade materials, this Flame of Destruction was actually an L-grade material.
A monster that dropped an L-grade material…
Perhaps Surtr’s monster rank wasn’t Rank 10, but actually L-grade?
No wonder he felt so powerful.
Part of me wanted to take these materials and forge even more powerful items immediately, but…
‘There is no time.’
Outside, people were surely facing a life-or-death crisis trying to hold back the Fifth Wave.
Because of that, the priority right now was time, not stronger items.
I trust my equipment.
I trust my soldiers.
Thus, rather than staying to craft more items for the sake of absolute safety…
[The Trial of the 96th Floor begins.]
[96th Floor: Hell Realm]
I immediately ascended to the next floor.
The trial of the 96th floor was the Hell Realm.
It was one of the hells mentioned in Buddhism, and it was a trial where one had to face the sinners and the hell wardens who guarded the Eight Hot Hells and the Eight Cold Hells.
As it was a trial set within Hell itself, just standing there inflicted hellish agony, but…
“Crush them!”
“Yes, Master.”
My soldiers didn’t care for the pains of Hell; they faithfully began to execute my orders.
***
While Vulcanus was climbing the Tower…
“Screeeech!”
“Crash!”
“The wall has collapsed!”
“Evacuate to the adjacent wall! Take the cannons!”
“We’ll hold them off while you retreat! Protect our allies!”
“Yes, sir!”
Outside, the Hunters were engaged in a desperate battle to stop the Fifth Wave.
An endless swarm of monsters poured in.
And in the distance, Rank 10 Boss Monsters were being engaged by the Rankers.
Normally, the battlefield would have been trampled long ago, but thanks to the items Vulcanus had provided, the front lines were somehow holding.
This was because the items Vulcanus had sent weren’t just weapons and armor.
[Hera’s Patera]
[Chrysaor]
[Pandora’s Box]
Hera’s Patera, a symbol of abundance that massively boosted the stats of allies; Chrysaor, the golden lyre of Apollo, the god of music, which also provided immense buffs; and Pandora’s Box, which inflicted powerful curses on enemies within a certain range.
He had provided items that could be used in various strategic ways.
Thanks to that power, even ordinary Hunters — not just Rankers — could join forces to hold back the monsters.
However…
“This wall is collapsing too!”
“We need backup here!”
“There are no reinforcements left to send!”
“But if this place is breached… Agggh!”
“Sir!”
Even so, the situation was far from good.
Everyone was performing beyond expectations using Vulcanus’s items, but the Monster Wave was simply too powerful.
While the Rankers were fired up after receiving custom gear from Vulcanus, the ordinary Hunters were different.
Though they had received various equipment, the danger of the monsters felt vivid and overwhelming.
“This is impossible…”
The hope that had flared up among the Hunters due to Vulcanus’s support began to flicker out.
At that moment…
[Player ‘Vulcanus’ has cleared the 95th Floor of the Tower.]
[The 95th Floor trial has been cleared, weakening the Tower.]
This system message appeared before the eyes of every Hunter.
‘My god. Vulcanus was climbing the Tower!’
Moreover, he had cleared the 95th floor — a trial that even the combined strength of the Rankers couldn’t overcome — all by himself!
The surprises didn’t end there.
-Whimper…
-Hiss…
As the trial was cleared and the Tower weakened, the Monster Wave pouring out of the Tower also grew weaker.
Only one floor had been cleared, but the weakening of the monsters was visible to the naked eye.
Not long after…
[Player ‘Vulcanus’ has cleared the 96th Floor of the Tower.]
[The 96th Floor trial has been cleared, weakening the Tower.]
Another system message appeared.
“No way!”
Vulcanus had cleared the 96th floor in quick succession.
It was an unbelievable situation.
However, one thing was certain.
Every time Vulcanus climbed the Tower, the monsters grew weaker, allowing the Hunters to slowly push them back.
Consequently, hope began to ignite once more in the hearts of the Hunters.
“Push them baaaaack!!”
The Hunters began to pour every ounce of their remaining strength into attacking the monsters.
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