Leveling with the Gods

C464

YuWon, who received the flying hammer, rubbed the hit spot with his hand.

There were no fractures on his head or bleeding. Not even a small bump appeared.

Even if he used his abilities to wield the hammer, it was obvious that Hephaestus's hammer wouldn't break YuWon's head.

Of course...

That didn't mean there was no pain.

"Are you ignorant or stupid?"

Hephaestus looked at YuWon, who was rubbing his forehead with his hand, with disdain.

"You're just letting yourself get hit."

"Haven't you done this before?"

"You got away with it once, why can't you get away with it twice?"

A similar situation had already occurred before.

At that time, YuWon didn't seek him out even when Hephaestus contacted him, and the moment they met, he was hit by the thrown hammer.

Initially, Hephaestus knew that YuWon wouldn't get hurt, but from YuWon's perspective, it wasn't a pleasant situation.

"The way you release your resentment is unique."

Calming an angry person by letting yourself be hit. It was truly an ignorant and stupid method.

"Bring it."

Clapping his hands, Hephaestus pointed to the sword.

Finally, the moment arrived. YuWon thought to himself as he drew the sword he carried at his waist.

Swoosh~

When he drew the Edge of Nightfall...

"Well, it's fine."

In Hephaestus's eyes, which seemed to have softened for a moment, the flame reignited.

That was why Hephaestus was so angry.

The Edge of Nightfall was the sword YuWon obtained when he reached the first floor. Made by mixing Dark Divine Crystal powder and various valuable materials, it was an item that Hephaestus valued highly.

Certainly, it was an almost unparalleled treasure for a First Floor Player.

However...

"Have you been fighting so much and never thought to repair it?"

YuWon really mistreated that Edge of Nightfall.

It was strange that a First-Level Player, who fought against beings from other worlds and higher-ranked Players every day, continued to use a sword that was no longer sharp.

"I'm not asking you to take care of it too much. But if the weapon reaches this point, at least contact me and..."

Hephaestus continued scolding for a while.

Apparently, Hephaestus was upset with YuWon, who treated his own creation like that. In that regard, YuWon also felt quite guilty.

However, he couldn't help it.

"You live too far away... and I don't know how long the repair will take."

Time was pressing for YuWon.

He couldn't afford to waste time unnecessarily, so he couldn't afford to meet Hephaestus, who was on the tenth floor, to repair the sword.

By not properly repairing it and wielding it carelessly, Edge of Nightfall lost its edge without YuWon realizing.

He had definitely used it to the limit.

It was strange that Hephaestus, who cared so much about his creations, didn't get angry with YuWon for that.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. Next time, take care of it a bit more."

After a sermon that lasted more than ten minutes, Hephaestus seemed a bit more relaxed than at the beginning. He sheathed and unsheathed the Edge of Nightfall several times and then opened his mouth.

"It'll be repaired in ten days."

Ten days.

It wasn't a short period, as expected.

"It's fine to keep it to a minimum. Restoring such a damaged sword to its original state is harder than making a new sword."

"Really?"

"Until then, take anything from there and use it. Anyway, you won't be in danger without a sword..."

As he spoke, Hephaestus frowned and looked at YuWon.

Whether he was listening or not, YuWon was already opening the box that Hephaestus had brought with him.

"Have you been fixing broken things?"

Among the items inside the box, YuWon picked up the first sword that caught his eye.

The sword was not in proper condition, with the blade wobbling and the center of gravity off.

Hephaestus had a single reason for buying something like that.

"Breathing new life into dead iron... Like you said, wouldn't it be easier to just create something new?"

"Why are you so intrigued?"

"It seems like you were very bored."

Hephaestus, who was caught, turned his head to avoid YuWon's eyes.

The reason he settled here and picked up defective scraps was because his body truly loved the Blacksmith's work.

There's a saying that if Hephaestus wished it, Olympus's wealth would double, because the items he created were worth that price.

Even if he lowered his points a bit, picking up some unnecessary things and selling them could easily get him tens of thousands of points.

"In reality, I didn't come to find you to repair the Edge of Nightfall."

"What are you saying?"

"Fuse that and use it as material."

Skak-.

Another sword was drawn from YuWon's belt. Hephaestus, as expected, showed more interest in the new item YuWon pulled out than in any words.

The sword's blade was broken and shattered, emitting screams of agony. Although others didn't know it, Hephaestus's ears heard those screams clearly.

"What is this...?"

Hephaestus's voice trembled as he looked at the Otherworld Sword.

The shape of the Otherworld Sword was clearly similar to Hephaestus's works. However, as expected, his eyes saw something that YuWon's eyes couldn't.

Indeed, as he looked at the Otherworld Sword, Hephaestus seemed to be thinking about many things.

And suddenly...

"Who made it? Huh?"

Without knowing if his future self did it, Hephaestus hurriedly asked.

If there was a Blacksmith who made this sword, he definitely wanted to meet him.

"Can you fix it for me?"

"I can fix it, but..."

"Then, can you make it again?"

"Again?"

Hephaestus's eyes gleamed.

Only then did he look at the Edge of Nightfall that YuWon handed over to him.

They told him to use it as material, and these were his words.

"...I'm not sure. To be honest, this sword was made with a skill better than mine."

"Why are you suddenly so uncertain?"

"I say this because this weapon is real. There are times when one must also be humble."

This was the first time Hephaestus was like this.

He always boasted of being the best at making something if it came to creating something. But now, in front of him, there was an even greater wall.

A weapon made by his future self. Hephaestus's eyes looking at that weapon shone brighter than at any other moment.

"Anyway, there's no reason to get angrier about this, right?"

"You always bring something fun every time you come."

"So next time, instead of throwing a hammer when I come, why not give me a warm welcome? What surprise will you bring next time?"

"It's a matter of helping each other."

"Does that mean you can actually do it?"

The Otherworld Sword and the Edge of Nightfall. Two swords created by future Hephaestus and the present one.

It was a challenging task to combine two swords broken by long battles into one. Probably, this would be Hephaestus's most difficult task in life.

But...

"I can't refuse something like this."

Faced with this challenging task, Hephaestus smiled even more.

The defective equipment he had bought with difficulty was no longer in his consideration.

"I need fire."

The frame of the Otherworld Sword was made of adamantium.

It wasn't a material Hephaestus could handle easily, and it would take quite some time to ignite a fire that could melt adamantium.

And now, in front of Hephaestus's eyes...

"Will you help me?"

Probably, among the current Rankers, the person who could use the most intense fire was right in front of him.

And YuWon's response to that was natural.

"Gladly."

YuWon and Hephaestus went up another floor and arrived on the 11th floor.

Although he wondered why he would leave a perfectly good forge, Hephaestus led YuWon to a huge forge the size of a small castle.

"Why did we come here in the first place?" YuWon asked, surprised.

"It's where I used to work," Hephaestus replied, throwing the answer.

"Do you mean it belongs to you, Ahjussi?" YuWon asked, incredulous.

"Why? Do you think I couldn't have something like this?"

If they were on the 11th floor, they would definitely be under the influence of Olympus. Moreover, even though they had now cut almost all ties, Hephaestus used to be a proud Ranker of Olympus.

Of course, it wouldn't make sense for the best Blacksmith of Olympus, Hephaestus, not to have a forge in Olympus.

Finally, Hephaestus returned to the house he had abandoned himself.

"This used to be the place where I made items used in the ancient Gigantomachy. I don't have pleasant memories, but at least the facilities are the best here."

He was a skilled craftsman who didn't rely on equipment or facilities.

However, even for someone like him, the current work turned out to be a challenge.

Naturally, he found the forge he had long abandoned.

"Why hesitate? Come in already."

Hephaestus led the way, and YuWon followed, entering the forge. The inside was spacious, warm, and dry.

"It seems to have been empty for quite some time."

A forge without a trace of people.

"The flame hasn't even gone out."

Fwoosh, fwooosh-. The bellows activated automatically. The flames in the furnace threw heat with each activation of the bellows, supplying fire to the workshop.

While YuWon explored the forge, Hephaestus took out a hammer and said, "What's the point of using a forge that's cold? It was a gift from Apollo, an ever-burning fire."

Now, as if it was no longer needed, Hephaestus stomped on the bellows. Then, surprisingly, the bellows that activated on its own stopped.

Now, all that was left was the yellow flame burning in the furnace.

"Although the heat isn't that great, it won't go out for a thousand or ten thousand years. But I don't need it anymore."

Fwoosh-. Hephaestus ripped his clothes with his hands. Among the torn clothes, burned scars on his chest and abdomen were revealed.

"Let's start right away."

The bellows were not needed.

Since there was no need to initially light a fire, it was natural.

However, YuWon was worried.

"Is it really okay?"

Normally, using the bellows to light the fire in the forge and heat the metal was the standard practice for Blacksmiths.

But Hephaestus was inside the huge furnace he had built himself.

"No need to worry so much. I have confidence in my fire resistance. No one in this Tower has higher fire resistance than me."

His gaze burned.

Hephaestus was not a fool. Surely, he would know YuWon's ranking.

And if he knew the imposing mountain named Zeus, he certainly wouldn't be unfamiliar with the skills of a Ranker of that level.

'For now, I can only trust him.'

If what was needed in this tower was the hottest fire...

['Heart of Fire' responds to 'Holy Fire']

['Holy Fire' supplies fire to 'Hephaestus's Forge']

Fhoosh~.

YuWon lit the flames.

The enormous fire, formed by gathering the flames of Muspelheim, was supplied to Hephaestus's forge.

An intense heat rose.

"If you can't stand it, let me know."

"No problem."

Hephaestus raised his hammer. He was more serious and happier than ever.

Thus, he entered the flaming furnace.