Chapter 23: Chapter 23- End of Trial.
Leo closed his eyes and let everything else fall away — the cold, the tremor in the barrier behind him, the raider’s presence pressing against the air like a held breath.
He replayed the previous forge holder’s words in his mind, piece by piece, until one line rose above the rest.
"The fire remained burning eternally, and I waited along with the fire."
That’s what the previous holder said. So, the eternal fire in the hearth should belong to the previous holder, and once it was a part of the eternal flame.
Then he looked at the forge hearth beside the anvil; the fire was burning stronger and resisting the pull of the raider.
The sword should recognize it as its own.
Leo decided to absorb the fire in the hearth. He reached for the hearth and let his own eternal fire surge out of him, spilling the fire into the hearth. The two flames didn’t clash. They folded into each other, merging without any resistance, as if they had been waiting for this.
[Ding!]
[ETERNAL FLAME — EVOLUTION TRIGGERED]
[Flame Remnant absorbed. The First Fire has accepted its successor.]
[Passive Skill: [Forge-Born Body] has been consumed and upgraded.]
[NEW TRAIT ACQUIRED: IRON-FORGED BODY (D-Tier)]
Heat rolled up his arms and settled into his chest. His whole body felt like it was tearing apart and burning, becoming more sturdier and stronger.
A notification panel lit up, but Leo was in no situation to check it.
The raider saw Leo taking away the eternal fire, and something in it snapped. Its attack became even more aggressive. Its target now shifted to Leo instead of the hearth.
But Shen’s shield still managed to catch the change in direction of force, barely holding up.
Leo picked the hammer back up. This time, when the flame poured down from the hammer into the seam, the sword didn’t push it away.
"Leo—" Shen’s voice cracked under the strain of the barrier.
"Just a little longer," Leo replied.
The eternal fire seeped into the fracture along the seam, repairing it, mending the lattice within the seam, and the mechanism behind the sword was starting to show.
After all the fractured lattices were repaired, the veins of the inscription finally connected to each other and became whole again. The inscription was carved for sealing, or rather isolating, this place from normal space.
The sword rang like a note. The lattice went from a thousand separate threads to one unbroken line from tip to hilt.
The moment it marked the completion of the sword, the whole chamber vibrated. Not just the chamber, but the entirety of the forge vibrated. The sword radiated intense light, as if signifying that this place had been cut off from the world into a separate, independent space.
[Ding!]
[CRAFTING COMPLETE — FORGE-BORN SEAL BLADE]
Item: [Sealing Sword]
Grade: Rare (Growth)
Attributes: +6 STR, +4 VIT, +3 DEX
Fire Damage: +12
Effect — Seal-Borne: This blade anchors territory wards. Allies within 20m gain +10% Fire Resistance.
Effect — Inverse Ward: Deals +25% damage to Inverse-aligned entities.
Effect — Forge-Touched: While in the Forge Chamber, stats double and durability is infinite.
Growth: Evolves when used to seal a significant Inverse breach.
The raider felt it, the instant the sword was completed. It attacked even more ferociously. It surged forward, all at once, like something that had spent centuries being patient and had just run out of patience. Whatever will or instinct had driven it in life had followed it into this spectral version. Its eyes flashed with greed.
Shen’s shield was breaking apart. "Leo..."
Leo charged over with the completed sword he had just repaired.
Raid leader’s great sword came down in an arc slamming past Shen’s barrier. Leo caught it at an angle instead of head on collision. The raid leader’s great sword collided with Leo’s sword.
Within the forge, the sword provided double the stats and more damage. The raid leader staggered back.
The glowing fire emitted from the sword grazed the raider’s translucent physical body, peeling away the cold layers of its shadow armor and revealing the pale, translucent shell of what had once been a body.
My attacks are working.
The raider was still off balance. Taking the opportunity, Leo pressed forward.
Leo’s attacks connected — A cut to the flank, then a reverse slash into the raider’s exposed side before it could reset its guard, then a third strike that landed high across what should have been a collarbone. Each hit came a fraction faster than the last, the eternal fire dragging at the raider’s edges like a weight it couldn’t shake.
The eternal fire had a suppressive effect on the spectral raider, while the sword had massively boosted Leo’s stats.
[-100 Damage]
[-84 Damage]
[-124 Damage]
...
..
Shen dragged himself up and had barely managed to stand. He flung a talisman past Leo’s shoulder — a warding sigil that burst against the raider’s flank and threw it off balance for the second Leo needed to catch his breath.
The giant raider could only watch as its health was chipped away by Leo and Shen.
Another talisman flew. This one wrapped around Leo’s blade arm, and his next swing came down faster, harder, heavier, edged with golden light.
The raider’s step started to drag, its health plummeted, its form thinning down.
Its armor cracked and fell. Underneath it — no flesh, no bone, just centuries of hatred that had led to its birth.
It raised its blade one last time to strike, but Leo cut through the motion before it could finish swinging. The sealing sword passed cleanly through its chest, and its health plummeted to zero, finally dissolving into particles that vanished into the forge.
Shen couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
"Fuck," he managed to get the words out between breaths. "Fuck. We did it."
Then he lay flat on the ground, his back against the cold floor, staring at the endless ceiling too high to see the top.
[Ding!]
[CHAMBER 5: THE HEART OF THE FORGE — CLEARED]
Hidden Quest Update: [Memory of the First Fire] — Stage 1 Complete.
The forge has been relit. The seal blade has been reforged. The Inverse breach has been sealed for another cycle. You have been awarded.
Then a cascade of notifications flashed, making Leo dizzy. He slowly read through the rewards.
[Rewards:]
[1st Reward]
At Level 10, you may choose your class advancement path:
1. [Ember Forge] — Specialize in mass production. Crafting speed +50%. Resource cost -20%.
2. [Soulforge] — Specialize in legendary items. Higher base quality. Unique effect chance +15%.
3. Defer — Continue gathering information before choosing.
I don’t know what path to take right now, so let’s defer it for now and choose when the time comes.
Leo deferred the option for the next advancement path.
Now let’s see what else I got.
[2nd Reward]
Level +2
[Level Up!]
Level 7 → 8
[Level Up!]
Level 8 → 9
> STR +20 | VIT +16 | DEX +12 | INT +6 | WIS +6
> CHA +10 | MFT +10 | STM +10
> Free Stat Points: 24
Nice, I’m not far from level 10.
[3rd Reward]
Skill Unlocked: [Forge Ward (Passive)]
> Your forge becomes a sanctuary. Inverse entities cannot enter any space you designate as a forge.
> +50% forging speed, -20% stamina consumption reduction.
> Maximum: 1 Forge Designation (expandable at higher class tiers).
That’s a good one, boost provided by the designation is quite good. Let’s save it until I leave this beginners’ town.
[4th Reward]
[Spiritual Integrity: +60%]
[Total Spiritual Integrity: 160%]
This attribute showed up from the 2nd chamber? Or was it the 3rd chamber? There’s not a single line of explanation. What’s it for...?
Let’s think about this later.
[5th Reward]
[Title Unlocked: Forge-Wielder’s Crown]
All five trials complete. The forge recognizes its rightful holder.
Retainer Slots: 3
- You may bind Knights of the Forge — companions sworn to your banner.
Bond Benefits:
> - Full Panel Sight: See all stats, skills, talents of bound retainers
> - Sovereign’s Copy: Copy 1 talent, 1 skill, 1 attribute from each retainer
> - Sovereign’s Gift: Share 1 talent, 1 skill, 1 attribute with each retainer
> - Forge-Bound Gear: Items you forge for retainers cannot be lost or stolen
Swaps allowed freely.
Cooldown between swaps: 1 in-game day per retainer.
Slot expansion at major story milestones.
Leo read it twice.
Damn, that’s insane. Does it mean I can pull an extra talent? And I can share my talent? Wait, does that mean I can create an SSS-rank blacksmith army? Hehehe.
A dangerously, evil smile crept across his face.
There has to be a catch, must have limits, though.
I should ask Shen if he wants the first spot.
[5th Reward]
[Forge Dimension]
The forge dimension will be accessible to you from anywhere. You can enter the dimension to forge. The forge dimension provides a set of functions to assist you.
Woah... the rewards are all insane, one after another. They just keep coming.
[LOCKED]
All Crown functions, retainer bond benefits, and forge pocket realm access activates upon Level 10 class advancement completion.
What the...? I can’t use it??
Anyway, I am almost level 10; I can wait a while.
After going through the rewards, he turned his attention back to the forge. Now he could feel this space, anchored by the blade, was now anchored to him also, and the blade had also become soul-bound to him.
He looked at the forge hearth; it was now empty, as the eternal fire had completely assimilated the fire of the forge.
Thinking for a moment, he let the eternal fire out and willed it to leave a single spark back out, just enough to keep the hearth from going cold.
Then he suddenly remembered.
Didn’t I get something when the eternal fire evolved previously?
He scrolled to the past notifications.
[NEW TRAIT ACQUIRED: IRON-FORGED BODY (D-Tier)]
A body baptized by the First Fire. The lowest tier of the Primordial Body, but a foundation that can be forged higher.
- Base physical damage reduction: 30%
- Fire resistance: +15%
- Stamina recovery: +15%
- All future body-forging effects scale from this foundation.
[NEW ART UNLOCKED: PRIMORDIAL BODY FORGING ART]
An ancient discipline that tempers the body like raw steel.
Requirements: Expose your body to intense flame or elemental forces while channeling Eternal Flame through your core. Each successful tempering upgrades the body trait tier:
D-Tier (Iron-Forged) → C-Tier → B-Tier → A-Tier → S-Tier
Current Tier: Iron-Forged (D). Next tempering requires: Submerge in forge fire (minimum 800°C) for a period of time each cycle, while maintaining Eternal Flame circulation.
Damn, this is cool. I got a special physique now, along with a method to upgrade its rank.
Shen had also finished tallying his rewards. He walked up to Leo and looked at him. A hint of wonder flickered in his eyes. "You look different."
"Yeah...?"
Then Shen burst out laughing so hard he had to grab his own stomach.
"Pfft — hahahaha. What’s up with that ridiculous crown? Haha. Oh man, You look hilarious."
Right. Last time the crown had been invisible. It wasn’t anymore, apparently, now that the title had unlocked with it...Tsk
Leo’s face turned beet red. Embarrassed, he quickly turned invisible mode on.
"Haha... ha, ha. Aiyooo, just made my day. Seeing you like that was worth every bit of these hardships." Shen still didn’t let go.
A vein bulged on Leo’s forehead, and he gave a hard smack on Shen’s head.
"Owww. Hey, I’ve got barely any health left. Are you trying to send me to the respawn point?" Shen complained, rubbing his head.
He stopped teasing and said seriously, "But,... you do really feel different."
"I got a crown and this whole dimension as rewards," Leo replied.
"The crown does have some ridiculous functions actually. I can sire or bind three retainers, or knights whatever you call them. And once bound, I can share my talents with them, and they can share theirs with me. Do you want a spot? Since you seem to have a class related to mine, I think it’s perfect."
Shen looked surprised. "That’s a broken ability. It should honestly be illegal," Shen complained.
Then, he squinted his eyes, his face serious. He asked, "What’s the catch?"
Leo looked at Shen for a full 10 seconds. "There is one. That is, you can’t betray me. Or rather, you won’t be able to betray me."
Shen waited for Leo to continue.
Shen: "..."
Leo: "..."
Shen asked, "That’s it?"
"That’s it," Leo replied calmly.
"Okay, then give me the spot."
....
