Chapter 28: The Flame of Hephaestus

Boom.

I stepped through the wide-open stone door.

My SSS-grade ability, Hephaestus’ Descendant.

The skill derived from it, Hephaestus’ Mine.

The hidden piece concealed within.

What could be hiding in this place?

“Phew, it’s hot.”

The moment I entered the forge, an intense heat washed over me.

Unlike the sweltering heat that suggested someone was hard at work, the forge itself looked dilapidated.

The tongs hanging on the walls were rusted with age.

The anvil was broken at one end.

The wooden base supporting the anvil was cracked and splintered, no longer functional.

The liquid in a vat, likely used for quenching, had hardened solid.

In this forge, only one thing remained pristine.

Whoosh—

The furnace.

“My furnace.”

A furnace crafted with 100 iron ores, mithril, and even adamantium.

If it had been assigned an item grade, it would surely be SSS-grade.

If there were a grade above that, it would likely surpass even that.

“Or maybe it’s the other way around.”

The trial depicted on the stone door.

It must have been a test to restore the forge.

Thanks to my restoration of the forge’s furnace, I gained entry.

“So, what am I supposed to do here?”

Am I supposed to craft items?

But the anvil and tongs look completely unusable.

No, wait—my skill doesn’t even require those things, does it?

As I approached the only pristine thing in the forge—the furnace—

Whoosh!

The flames in the furnace moved.

Not just flickering.

They moved as if alive.

Without thinking, I reached toward the flames.

Whoosh.

“Eek!”

The flames leaped onto my hand.

Startled, I pulled my hand back, but the flames remained, clinging to me.

The strange thing was—

“It’s not hot?”

The flames weren’t hot at all.

Far from burning, they felt warm and comforting, just like when I first entered the forge.

“What’s this?”

It was a curious sensation.

Flames that weren’t hot.

As I stared in wonder, the flames seemed to meet my gaze, flickering gently.

Curious, I raised my other hand to stroke them, and they swayed side to side as if enjoying it, like a puppy.

Then, a message appeared, revealing the flames’ identity.

[You have obtained ‘Hephaestus’ Flame’.]

[‘Hephaestus’ Flame’ is soulbound to ‘Jeong Seo-jun’.]

[Hephaestus’ Flame]

Type: Flame

Grade: 6✮

Restriction: Hephaestus’ Descendant

Description: The remnant of ‘Ifrit,’ the flame that once illuminated Hephaestus’ Forge. Though weakened over countless years, the flame still holds the latent power of the fire god.

Abilities:

1. God of the Forge – Increases the efficiency of all production skills.
   
2. God of Fire – Illuminates the surroundings and protects Hephaestus’ Descendant with the aura of fire.
   

Hephaestus’ Flame.

Reading the description calmly, I was stunned when I saw the grade.

“6✮ grade?”

6✮.

The abbreviation for “Beyond Specification.”

It’s generally considered equivalent to or above SSS-grade, but its performance can vary greatly depending on the situation.

To some, it might feel like an S-grade ability, while to others, it could surpass SSS-grade.

“But so many abilities are locked.”

Out of five abilities, three were locked.

Probably because, as the description said, the flame had weakened from being trapped in the forge for too long.

Feeling a bit sorry for the flame, I gently stroked it.

[Time limit has been reached.]

[Hephaestus’ Mine is closing.]

My vision blurred, and my body was expelled from the Mine.

“This feeling never gets easier.”

The sensation of being kicked out of the Mine.

It was an unpleasant feeling, hard to describe.

From what I found online, some Hunters experience dizziness or nausea when entering Gates.

The Mine must be similar.

In my hand, as I exited the Mine—

Whoosh.

Thankfully, the hidden piece from Area 1’s forge remained.

Hephaestus’ Flame clung tightly to my hand, as if determined not to fall off during the expulsion.

“It’s cute, but what am I supposed to do with it?”

It’s treated as an item, so it’s not a pet.

Yet, it feels alive enough to not not be a pet.

As I pondered what to do—

Whoosh!

The flame fell from my hand.

I was startled, but it crawled across the floor, scooting toward the anvil in the center of my room and rubbing against it.

I was worried when it hit the floor, but thankfully, it didn’t burn anything.

“No furnace in my place, huh?”

There’s no way a one-room apartment would have a furnace.

I’m a blacksmith, but my skill doesn’t require one.

Even this anvil was just something I made for convenience, not necessity.

Still—

Hmm…

Whoosh—

Seeing the flame rubbing against the anvil made me feel a bit sorry for it.

I couldn’t just leave it there.

It’s a 6✮-grade item, exclusive to my class.

At the very least, it deserves a proper… not a storage box, but a home.

“Yeah, let’s make one!”

[Using Production Skill.]

[Please select the shape of the item to craft.]

A home for the flame.

It was clear what I needed to make.

“Furnace.”

[Please specify the details of the furnace’s shape.]

That was the issue.

At first, I considered making it like the massive furnace for Hephaestus’ Forge.

“But that’s probably too much.”

The forge’s furnace was enormous.

The sheer amount of materials it took was staggering.

Not only did I lack the materials, but if I made it, it’d take up half my apartment.

After some thought, I browsed the internet and—

“Oh, this is perfect.”

I found a small furnace.

A round one, designed for camping, it seemed.

It was sleek, appropriately sized, and perfect for the flame, so I input the image of the camping furnace.

[Please choose the material for the furnace.]

For materials, I used the leftover ore from crafting the forge’s furnace.

Thankfully, I had plenty of ore aside from what was listed on the stone door.

[Crafting begins.]

Clang!

I struck the familiar points.

The points shattered.

Though it was a small furnace, the points were thicker than usual, as expected for a furnace.

I figured I’d need to strike a few more times when—

Whoosh—

The flame, watching me curiously from beside the anvil, flared up.

Well, it doesn’t actually have eyes, and the “watching” was just my impression.

Anyway, the flame flickered and—

Swoosh—

It spread to the anvil, heating the ore I was striking.

And so—

Clang!

It became much easier to break the points.

I could feel it with each strike.

This must be the ability of the flame I brought from Hephaestus’ Forge.

[Progress: 51%…]

The furnace’s form took shape.

With the points breaking easily, my hammering felt more powerful than usual.

I got excited and hammered away, finishing the crafting in no time.

[Crafting is complete.]

[‘Little Furnace of the Companion Flame’ has been obtained.]

The moment crafting finished, I felt something odd.

Having made many items, I could roughly guess the grade of a finished item.

The dazzling effect just now was definitely similar to when I crafted SSS-grade items.

Checking the item details, I wasn’t surprised.

[Little Furnace of the Companion Flame]

Type: Furnace

Grade: SSS

Restriction: Hephaestus’ Flame

Description: A furnace crafted by Hephaestus’ Descendant for Hephaestus’ Flame.

Abilities:

1. Warmth – The warmth from the furnace restores the flame’s energy.
   
2. Heat – The heat from the furnace restores the furnace’s abilities.
   
3. Blaze – The blaze from the furnace restores the furnace’s mana.
   

“Triple?”

Triple.

An SSS-grade item, the highest grade aside from 6✮.

You might wonder why I’m so surprised, but hear me out.

So far, I’ve made two SSS-grade items.

The Blood Berserker’s Shroud and the Sharp Vengeful Quiver.

Both were soulbound, crafted using the special “Understanding” system and rare materials, tailored to two top-ranked Hunters.

But this furnace?

It was something I casually made with leftover materials to give the flame a home.

I based it loosely on a camping furnace.

And it’s SSS-grade?

Whoosh.

Whether it knew my thoughts or not, the flame showed interest in its new furnace, leaving the anvil and climbing onto it.

Thanks to the furnace’s abilities, the flame moved comfortably atop it.

The flames seemed to grow a bit larger.

“Did you do this?”

Whoosh—

No answer came.

But I was certain the flame played a big role in crafting an SSS-grade item.

After all, it’s a 6✮-grade item, exclusive to my class.

No, exclusive to my SSS-grade ability, Hephaestus’ Descendant.

Its abilities even stated it boosts the efficiency of all production skills.

“You cute little thing!”

I fondly stroked the flame atop the furnace and immediately grabbed my hammer.

Crafting SSS-grade equipment!

If that’s the flame’s ability, I need to test it now.

I used my production skill to start crafting a random item.

If the flame’s ability really helps craft SSS-grade items—

Hundreds of billions.

No, trillions of won could be within reach.