Raon followed Vulcan into the workshop. The table that used to be covered in a bunch of miscellaneous items now had three boxes on it instead.
“Are those boxes what you meant by preparations?”
“Yes.”
Vulcan smiled slightly, then opened the first box. There was the Golden Shard that came from the Golden Shard Stone.
“The second one also contains something you’ve already seen.”
The second box had the golden charcoal that he made in the North Grave Mountain’s charcoal kiln. Even though five years had passed since then, there wasn’t a single scratch on it.
“And the last one.”
Vulcan licked his lips slightly, then opened the third box. There was a Golden Shard that was a bit bigger than the one inside the first box.
“...You manage to get it.”
Raon’s jaw dropped upon seeing the second Golden Shard.
‘I didn’t think he’d be able to acquire it.’
Since the Golden Shard was the most precious metal, he’d thought that Mirtan Village wouldn’t have any of it—and even if they did, they wouldn’t hand it over.
He was worried that he would need to go somewhere else in order to find it, but Vulcan managed to acquire the Golden Shard in such a short amount of time. He wasn’t the Continent’s Blacksmith for no reason.
“Haah?”
Harren clearly tilted his head at the sight of the Golden Shard inside the third box.
“Did the village have this?”
He tapped the Golden Shard while murmuring that it was strange.
“There’s no way I wouldn’t have known if they had a Golden Shard of such a size. Old man, are you sure you got it from the village?”
“Y-Yes.”
Vulcan nodded in a slightly awkward manner.
“Hmm? It’s really strange. Why does your face look like that? Who did you get this fro…”
“Shut up!”
He frowned and hit Harren’s head.
“Kwah! Why are you hitting me again?”
Harren stepped back while grasping his head and screaming.
“I’ll become an idiot if you keep doing that!”
“It’s okay since you’ve always been an idiot!”
Vulcan kicked Harren, then shook his hand to tell him to go away.
“Where did you get the Golden Shard?”
Raon asked, looking at the Golden Shard inside the third box. Since it was his first sword, he didn’t want to cause any trouble.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t steal or take away from someone.”
“I know Sir Blacksmith isn’t the type of person to do that. I just figured I should express my gratitude to the person that gave you this…”
“I-It was an anonymous sponsor. They said they didn’t want to reveal their identity.”
“An anonymous sponsor?”
“They said they wanted to sponsor you after hearing about your identity and circumstances.”
“Maybe they will make some strange request later…”
“They would never do that. I swear on my name. There won’t be any problem whatsoever, even if you accept this Golden Shard.”
Vulcan shook his hand, telling him to stop asking questions. He was covered in cold sweat, but he looked confident. He didn’t seem to be lying at least.
“Alright, then.”
Raon nodded. There was no way an excellent blacksmith like Vulcan would do strange things. There seemed to be a secret behind it, but he decided to trust him for now.
“Hmm, and…”
Vulcan opened the big box underneath. The Cold Blood Runaan brought was divided into two pieces.
“Runaan.”
He gave the big one among them and one of the Gold Shards from the table at Runaan.
“Take this and go to the village chief’s workshop that’s right underneath us. I already told him about you, so he should be waiting for you.”
Vulcan pointed at the diamond shaped workshop right under the hill.
“Since he said it takes about two days for the geothermal heat to return, you should go ahead and decide on the size and shape of the sword that you want.”
“Yes.”
Runaan took the Cold Blood and one of the Gold Shards, then stood up. She nodded at Raon before leaving. She was probably wishing him good luck in her own way.
“See ya.”
“Mhm.”
Raon waved his hand while smiling, and Runaan pleasantly skipped down the hill.
“It’s your turn now.”
Vulcan closed the boxes and looked at Raon.
“You said before that you wanted to become a swordsman that won’t lose. Is that still valid?”
“Of course.”
Raon nodded. Not only had that objective not changed, but his resolution had also grown even more solid. In order to achieve what he wanted, it was necessary for him to remain undefeated no matter who he faced.
“I like how consistent you are.”
Vulcan smiled, placing the red steel on the table.
“This is Flaming Steel. Half the sword will consist of this steel. It’s a bit lacking compared to the Cold Steel, but it should be fine once the new material is added.”
“And what would be the new material…?”
“You know, the turtle you brought.”
He pointed at the red dragon turtle’s corpse, which could be seen from inside the workshop.
“By using that, the Flaming Steel should become a material that doesn’t lose to the Cold Blood. Cold Blood, Flaming Steel, and the Golden Shard to keep the balance. A proper sword shall be born.”
Vulcan smiled, clasping his fist.
“Tell me what shape you want, then.”
“I’d like it to be similar to this one.”
Raon took out the sword he’d brought with him, handing it over. It wasn’t thick or thin, and it was about one finger length longer than the average sword. Since he was going to learn countless swordsmanship in the future, the sword needed to have a versatile shape that could use all kinds of characteristics.
“Versatile sword. I suppose that would be suitable for you.”
Vulcan narrowed his eyes and nodded.
“I see. Come back at daybreak in two days. I’ll start working on it at that time, since that’s when the heat will return.”
“I’ll be back in two days, then.”
Raon said goodbye to Vulcan and went outside. He went to the village chief’s workshop right away, as he was worried about Runaan.
“Father.”
Harren returned to the workshop after watching Raon’s back for a while.
“What’s up? Why are you calling me that in that disgusting way?”
Vulcan shook his hand, as if he was dealing with something dirty. He hadn’t called him Father in a long time.
“I have a request.”
Harren knelt.
“Request?”
“Please allow me to help you make that sword.”
“Did you go crazy?”
“I also think I’m crazy. However, it’s really going to be over if I miss this opportunity!”
“How would you even help with the work when all you’ve been doing is drinking and gambling?”
“Please! It’s okay if you leave the menial labor to me. It’s okay if I can’t touch the sword! Just let me stay inside the workshop, at least!”
He slammed his head on the ground so hard that it bled.
“You… What did you even see from Raon?”
“Potential.”
The obscurity started to disappear from Harren’s eyes as he raised his head.
“I’ve witnessed an unprecedentedly huge potential.”
“Hmm…”
“I want to help make that potential even thicker and stronger! Please, help me!”
“Haa.”
Vulcan exhaled a little, meeting Harren’s serious eyes.
“I will start at daybreak in two days. Fix your mind and remove the smell of liquor by then. I’ll kick you out immediately if Raon refuses.”
“Alright! Thank you!”
Harren bowed right away, then ran outside.
“Oh my.”
Vulcan snickered, watching Harren run after two years.
“I’ve wanted him to get his mind straight, but I didn’t know this would happen.”
He licked his lips, looking at the village chief’s workshop, which was brilliantly lit up.
“I guess I’m indebted to Raon…”
* * *
Southern Zieghart
Casino Entrance
“Hmhmm.”
Rimmer was walking out, humming. The pathetic appearance that was weighing on his shoulders that morning had disappeared, and he looked as confident as a triumphant general.
“Hmm.”
Rimmer grinned, looking at the gold pouch in his hand.
“I’m not sure if this is a good thing.”
Since the old man that’d been always winning against him wasn’t there anymore, he won lots of money for once from the others. He should’ve been able to live comfortably for a while with all that money.
“I’ll repay the debts first… No! I can just win even more tomorrow and return once I have even more money.”
He clenched his fist, murmuring the crazy lines that every gambling addict usually spoke.
“I hope I’m as lucky as today, tomorrow…”
“Hey, gambling addict.”
As Rimmer was about to enter the pub, a sharp voice could be heard from behind him.
“This voice with one ladle’s worth of bluntness and one spoonful of kindness must be…”
When he looked around, the Heavenly Blade division leader was standing there with her arms crossed.
“…our Heavenly Blade division leader!”
“I don’t even have a speck of kindness for you, so stop speaking nonsense.”
The Heavenly Blade division leader shook her head with a frown.
“Wow! It’s been a long time!”
“Hmph.”
Rimmer gladly waved his hand, and the Heavenly Blade division leader snorted.
“I won quite a lot today. Do you want some drinks? I’ll buy.”
He asked her to the pub, his finger to his lips.
“Let’s have a conversation before that.”
“Conversation sounds great. Tell me about your mission.”
“Follow me.”
The Heavenly Blade division leader bobbed her finger, then went to the outer part of the main street.
“There’s nothing special around here. We could’ve spoken in the pub.”
“Shut up and follow me.”
“Why is our cute Heavenly Blade division leader so hysterical today?”
“Do you need to get your head cut off by said cutie before you shut that mouth up?”
“Ugh.”
Rimmer swallowed, rubbing his neck.
“Where are we going? I need to sleep early today so that I can win a lot tomorrow!”
“We’ve arrived at our destination.”
The Heavenly Blade division leader stopped at an open area behind the main street, where no one would come.
“What kind of conversation… Argh!”
Rimmer’s lips trembled. He could feel the presence of his natural enemy. His whole body was warning him to run away immediately.
“N-No way…”
He turned his head to the side. The person that shouldn’t have been there, the most out-of-place man with the place, was leaning his against the wall.
“M-My lord!”
Glenn Zieghart was looking down at him with a cold gaze.
“You ignored my warning.”
“No, that’s…”
“That’s why I came for a ‘conversation’.”
“Those aren't the eyes of someone that wants a conversation, though…”
Glenn's cold gaze crushed his entire body, as if it would immediately start devouring his flesh.
“Speaking isn’t the only way of conversing. The conversation can also be done with bodies.”
Glenn slowly raised his hand.
Rumble!
Black clouds appeared in the clear night sky—a mysterious scene to behold.
“Haa, please wait a moment.”
Rimmer didn’t panic, calmly raising his hand.
‘I knew this would happen.’
He already expected the situation would occur the moment he borrowed money from Roenn. Since he expected it, he was prepared for it as well.
‘Because I’m not an idiot.’
He had no intention of letting that lightning strike him like an idiot. He could safely get out of that situation if he used the method he had prepared.
“Please listen to me.”
Rimmer slowly lowered his hand, telling him to calm down.
“I’m sure you are curious what Raon is doing right now.”
Glenn was a grandson’s grandpa to the core. He was definitely going to stop if he talked about Raon. It was the only way to stop the Destructive King of the North.
“If you are curious about what he is doing right now, please get rid of that cloud first… Huh?”
Rimmer’s jaw dropped. Instead of disappearing or getting thinner, the dark clouds in the sky became even thicker and started radiating crimson lightning.
‘Th-This shouldn’t be happening, though?’
It couldn’t be!
“M-My lord! I’m talking about Raon! I’ll tell you everything about where he went, and what he is about to do! Because you like Raon!”
He hurriedly started shouting, but Glenn’s eyes became even colder and more serious, and the thunderous cloud created terrible lightning instead of disappearing.
‘H-How is this happening?!”
He never imagined that grandson’s grandpa could react that way. The only way left for him was to run away.
“Hey! I really am going to die if I get hit by that!”
“Farewell, gambling addict.”
The moment the Heavenly Blade division leader smiled softly, the sky was dyed red.
Rumble!
Rimmer dropped the gold pouch from his hand, while looking at the lightning falling down on him.
“Was this why I was strangely lucky today…?”
* * *
* * *
Two Days Later
Daybreak
Raon confirmed that the geothermal heat had returned to the village, then went to Vulcan’s workshop.
Even though he expected Vulcan to be alone in the workshop, Harren was with him. His hair, which used to flutter like seaweed in the water, was shaved. Strength could be seen inside his eyes. It was an extreme change, considering it had happened in only two days.
“Why are you here?”
“You can ask me to do menial labor or pretend I’m not here. Please allow me to stay in this place.”
He bowed deeply. His trembling throat showed that he was serious about it.
“Why?”
“Because I have a feeling I’ll be able to understand something.”
Raon turned his head towards Vulcan.
“Do as you wish. I don’t care whether he’s here or not.”
“Hmm, then let’s ask him to do some menial labor.”
He was planning to use Harren as the Light Wind’s exclusive blacksmith anyway once he had his head on straight. It would be beneficial to him if Harren could understand something from that place.
“Thank you. That’s really nice of you.”
Vulcan smiled slightly while patting Raon’s shoulder. It looked like even the Continent’s Blacksmith was attached to his family, since he was sincerely expressing his thanks.
“Let’s get started, since I don’t even know how long it’s going to take. Harren!”
“Yes!”
Harren ran inside the workshop, igniting the furnace. The temperature soared in an instant. The workshop’s heat was incomparable to before, thanks to the geothermal heat returning to normal.
“Insert the auras that you use in those two metals.”
Vulcan pointed at the Cold Blood and the Flaming Steel, which was enhanced by the red dragon turtle’s shell on the table.
“Yes.”
Raon went to the table, grabbing the Flaming Steel and Cold Blood. He inserted Glacier into the Cold Blood and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation inside the Flaming Steel at the same time.
Fizzle!
The Flaming Steel turned a burning red, and the Cold Blood started shining in pure white—like the snow field of daybreak before anyone stepped inside.
Zzzt!
As he was trying to increase the intensity of light and heat by inserting auras of higher purity and density, an ominous energy started to creep up. It was obvious who the perpetrator was.
‘Wrath.’
What’s up? The King of Essence is helping you.
Probably because of Wrath’s coldness, the Cold Blood that used to radiate a pure silvery light had started to be polluted.
You are getting stronger too quickly. The King of Essence will help you regain your balance.
As if he was trying to vent his anger at Raon getting too many rewards after slaying the red dragon turtle two days ago, he kept spreading murky energy.
‘Haa…’
Raon sighed on the inside. He thought Wrath might try that, but he actually did it. It was a good thing that he took measures against that sloppy demon king.
‘There’s a pub named Dwarven Hammer at the outskirts of Mirtan Village.’
What hammer? What kind of bullshit are you…
‘That pub has a menu item called the Utan roasted pig, and I heard the skin is as crisp as cookies, the meat is extremely soft, and the sauce has a deep taste because it’s made from fifty different ingredients.
Woah…
As soon as Wrath heard that, he stopped shoving coldness into the metal and started to drool coldness from his mouth.
‘I was planning to eat that before leaving because you’ve been nice recently, but I guess I shouldn’t.’
Th-The King of Essence is generous. There’s no way you can become a threat to the King of Essence just because you obtain a good sword.
He put his hands on his waist. He started to pull out the murky energy, with a refreshing smile.
B-But when are you planning to go to that pub?
‘When I finish making the sword.’
Ahem. The King of Essence will be waiting mercifully.
Wrath returned to the bracelet as soon as he heard the answer. His drooling sound could be heard from outside of it.
‘He’s so easy.’
Raon snickered and erased Wrath’s energy. He put his aura inside the two metals until he was told to stop.
“That’s enough.”
While he was shoving aura into the metal as if he were pouring water into a pot with a hole, Vulcan raised his hand.
“Judging from the energy imbued in the metal, I can see how much you’ve grown.”
Vulcan exclaimed intensely upon feeling the energy ingrained in the two metals.
“That’s enough. You can stay back now.”
“Yes.”
Raon nodded and stepped back. Vulcan threw the first Golden Charcoal into the furnace, where a thick haze was shimmering from.
Whaaaaam!
The heat haze that had a thickness of a finger puffed up at the size of the forearm, and the furnace’s heat became so intense that it was difficult to breathe.
“Huff!”
“Keuh!”
Even Vulcan and Harren groaned, despite having spent their entire lives in front of a furnace.
It was even affecting Raon, who was staying back, so those two must’ve been feeling the pain of getting scalded.
Vulcan threw the two lumps of Golden Shard inside the furnace, extending his hand behind him.
“Collect your mind. Bring the Flaming Steel here first!”
“Yes!”
Vulcan accepted the Flaming Steel from Harren, then placed it in the middle of the furnace.
Rumble!
The tremendous heat raged and started to melt the crimson lump of metal.
“Next!”
“Yes!”
Vulcan took out the half-melted Flaming Steel from the furnace, then inserted the Cold Blood. One stream of pure coldness rose from the powerful heat.
“Put them at the same time this time!”
“Yes!”
Vulcan and Harren inserted the half-melted Flaming Steel and Cold Blood into the furnace at the same time.
Although the powerful heat looked like it could even melt the furnace itself, the Flaming Steel and the Cold Blood didn’t melt so easily.
Whir!
Once the lumps of metals lost their original form from getting burned for a long time, Vulcan took out the two metals and picked up the hammer.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Vulcan’s hammering had begun.
The precise hammering wasn’t strong, weak, nor slow. Just like people’s natural breathing from the moment they are born, the sound and flow remained constant. The hammering of a blacksmith that had been walking a single path for dozens of years reverberated throughout the heat-filled workshop.
Gulp.
Raon swallowed, watching him hammer with his soul.
Just like an absolute swordsman swinging his sword, every single instance of the hammering sound made his hair stand on end. He couldn’t breathe, nor could he take his eyes off of the man as he kept starting at Vulcan’s hammering.
Rumble!
When the hammering started to ride the flow, the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation rose by itself and started dancing magnificently, while the Glacier stood up straight and started singing elegantly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two energies dashed through the mana circuits in his whole body, as if they were harmonizing with Vulcan’s hammering, to endlessly amplify their energies. It was an explosive dash that was difficult to control.
“Huff.”
Raon couldn’t endure it anymore, sinking to the ground.
‘What I need to do right now…’
Even if he tried, he wouldn’t be able to stop them from going out of control. What he needed to do was to harden the foundations.
Cling!
He released both the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier, then started using the Ring of Fire.
The six rings of fire vibrated to gently calm the energies that were going out of control, and he regained some leeway.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
According to Vulcan’s hammering sound, which felt like it was directly striking their soul instead of a metal, the Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, and Glacier moved together like a single body.
Claang! Claang!
The hammering sound became even stronger than before. It was the sound of Vulcan striking the third metal, the Golden Shard.
Ring of Fire was the part that harmonized with the Golden Shard. The six rings resonated, as if they were responding to the resonance of the king of metals, and created a flow as prevalent as the river.
The endless flow of energies of the Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, and Glacier made the red dragon turtle’s heat that he hadn’t managed to absorb entirely melt into his whole body like butter.
Raon’s muscles and bones matured to become even sturdier, and his mana circuit and energy center throbbed and inflated with life.
Rumble.
Feeling the exhilaration of his inner energy and outer energy resonating with each other as if they had been connected by an invisible thread, Raon focused deeply on his cultivation.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Vulcan was in the same state as Raon. With a focus that should have been called immersion instead, he struck the metal endlessly with spiritual fire blazing from his blue eyes.
As he kept hammering the metals with his soul, the Flaming Steel, Cold Blood, and the Golden Shard mingled with each other as if they were originally a single metal together, the blade radiating with a frightening black light that had started to make its appearance.
