Chapter 68: Runes of the Forge

Hephaestus’ Forge.

The stone door opened.

– Ugh, hot.

A sweltering heat hit me upon entering.

Stronger than Zone 1’s Forge.

The interior was largely unchanged.

Rusty, ancient gear hung on walls.

A shattered anvil and cracked wooden stump.

My crafted furnace.

One difference—

– Feels like a decorating game.

Gauntlets hung beside the furnace.

Shiny, new, out of place in the ancient forge.

Of course—they were Hephaestus’ Gauntlets, freshly crafted.

Then—

– Spark, you came from here, so why’s the furnace lit?

The furnace blazed.

In Zone 1, its flame became Spark, leaving it extinguished.

Was this a second Spark?

Whoosh!

Spark reacted to the furnace.

It flickered.

Rustle—

The furnace’s flame was absorbed into Spark.

Not just the flame.

A blue glow from Hephaestus’ Gauntlets flowed into Spark.

– Runes?

The blue glow resembled runes.

I didn’t know runes exactly—just mysterious symbols from games.

Spark, absorbing the glow, blazed hotter.

[Obtained Hephaestus’ Flame (2).]

[Unlocked Hephaestus’ Flame ability.]

A new message appeared.

– Ability unlocked?

Spark, an SSS-grade item, had only two abilities:

Smith’s God—boosts production skill efficiency.

Fire God—lights surroundings and shields Hephaestus’ heir with fire.

The lighting was weak due to Spark’s low firepower.

A new ability for Spark?

Excited, I patted Spark and checked.

[Hephaestus’ Flame]

Type: Flame

Grade: SSS

Restriction: Hephaestus’ Heir

Description: Remnant of Ifrit, illuminating Hephaestus’ Forge. Weakened over time, but retains divine fire potential.

Abilities:

1. Smith’s God – Boosts all production skill efficiency.
   
2. Fire God – Lights surroundings and shields Hephaestus’ heir with fire.
   
3. Rune Engraving – Engraves desired runes on crafted items.
   
4. [Locked]
   
5. [Locked]
   

– Whoa, really?

A new ability: Rune Engraving.

My hunch about runes was spot-on.

But the description was vague.

– So, what happens with runes?

It said I could engrave runes, but no details on effects.

I’d have to test it.

Rumble—

An unsettling sound behind me.

The stone door was closing.

I pushed, but it wouldn’t budge.

It pressed against me, sealing shut.

– A time limit?

I wanted to explore more, but no choice.

I slipped out, ending the exploration.

– Ugh, starving.

Leaving the mine, I ordered food.

Not mealtime, but after fighting a boss and hammering for hours, I was famished.

My stomach was screaming.

Today’s menu—

– Budae jjigae!

A massive pork belly budae jjigae with extra ham, potato dumplings, udon, instant noodles, rice cakes, handmade noodles, cheese slices, and more.

Plus side dishes: katsu and assorted dumplings.

Too much for one?

– After that ordeal, I deserve this.

As a blacksmith, this filled me up.

My metabolism burned energy fast.

Self-comfort, sure, but how my stomach handled this, I didn’t know.

– Here, have a bite.

I tossed a dumpling to Spark.

It didn’t need food, but why not?

Like raising affinity in a game.

Not a pet, but an item—still, Spark reacted.

Whoosh!

It loved snacks, burning them like digestion.

More rewarding than raising a rock.

Then—

– Thanks!

A voice.

From Spark.

Thinking I misheard—

– Dumpling! Yummy!

It was Spark.

Savoring the dumpling, its flames danced happily.

– You’re talking?

– Yup!

– You never spoke before.

– Power restored! A bit!

Its cheery reply.

It must’ve gained power from the forge’s flame.

– From absorbing the forge’s flame?

– Yup!

– More flames, better speech?

– Yup! Maybe!

I asked about Zone 3’s forge and its origins, but no clear answers.

Spark could only manage short responses, like a newborn with few memories.

Then—

– What’s the new ability? Rune Engraving.

The item description lacked details.

Now that Spark could talk, I asked directly.

– Can engrave runes!

– How?

– Tell me!

No detailed info—Spark’s speech was limited.

But communication meant I could request rune engraving.

Nodding, I cleared the food and tested Spark’s ability.

[Using Production Skill.]

– What to test?

I decided quickly.

Runes screamed sword.

Like in movies, with runes etched on blades.

No need for a sword now, but for testing runes, a sword was safe.

[Select the shape of the item to craft.]

– Sword.

[Specify the details of the sword’s shape.]

I searched online, finding the Traitor’s Blade—or Broken Blade.

Perfect for testing, but I crafted it unbroken.

[Choose the material for the sword.]

For rune testing, I used common ores.

[Crafting begins.]

Whoosh!

Spark heated the materials.

To Spark—

– Can you engrave a wind rune?

– Wind? Again?

Rustle.

– Blade’s wide. Can engrave more.

– Oh? How about Blade of Wind?

– Perfect!

As we spoke, Spark’s flames glowed blue.

Runes etched onto the blade.

I didn’t know what they said.

Trusting Spark, I hammered.

The runes deepened, wind stirring on the blade.

The sword’s difficulty was low, so it finished quickly.

[Crafting complete.]

[Obtained Wind Blade.]

Simple name for a test item.

But performance mattered.

I lifted the sword, its runes glowing green with swirling wind, and checked its stats.

[Wind Blade]

Type: Sword

Grade: SS

Restriction: Level 100+

Description: A well-crafted Vulcanus sword engraved with wind runes.

Attack: 700

Abilities:

1. Sharp Wind – Blade imbued with sharp wind, boosting cutting power and adding wind damage.
   
2. Whirling Wind – Repeated attacks create a vortex, increasing wind damage.
   
3. Piercing Wind – Consumes mana to use Wind Cutter, dealing damage proportional to weapon attack.
   

Wind Cutter: Fires sharp wind blades, dealing damage based on weapon attack.

Wind-related abilities emerged.

Made with plain iron ore, yet runes added wind attributes.

– This is huge.

Attribute items always needed attribute materials.

But with this?

Common materials could yield attribute items or desired abilities.

Even without attributes, runes could boost durability or attack.

And—

– What if I use attribute materials?

This was plain iron ore.

With wind-related materials, it might not be just a Wind Blade—but a true SSS-grade wind sword.

– Jackpot!

Rune Engraving.

Zone 2’s forge ability was beyond satisfying.