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Chapter 71: The Forge Reignited.
🕑 Added 2025-05-08 08:19:38 +0000 UTCThe remnants of the Hephaestus Familia home stood in solemn dignity, even among the ruins. Blackened walls, scorched beams, and cracked anvils bore the marks of both battle and time. Yet, deep within its heart, the central forge, the flames had been rekindled.
Sparks flew. Heat swirled. The rhythmic clang of hammer on metal echoed through the hollowed structure like the heartbeat of a god reborn.
Hephaestus stood just at the edge of the forge's golden glow, her singular crimson eye fixed on the young man laboring in complete silence.
Lioro.
He was supposed to be a warrior. But this…
This was something entirely different.
The way he worked the scale of the One-Eyed Black Dragon, how the furnace roared not from bellows but from the raw will of magic, it was more than craftsmanship.
This was forging elevated to the divine.
And yet it bore no chains. No divine aura. No ego. It was... free.
She took an unconscious step forward, breath catching when Lioro lifted the half-finished ring from the forge with blackened tongs. The air around it shimmered faintly, as if reality itself hesitated to interfere.
Not just a ring.
A bond.
Nearby, Elsa stared in fascination. She didn't understand the intricacies of forging, but she liked watching him. The way he focused. The small furrow in his brow. The reverence with which he handled the materials. It was peaceful.
To Hephaestus, it was something else entirely.
It was… familiar.
Too familiar.
The style. The techniques. The layering of energy and intention—it was like staring into a mirror of her own divine forge. Every movement, every pulse of magic, echoed her own process.
Her hands clenched against her arms, hiding the tension in her fingers. How? How could a mortal possibly forge like this?
She didn't dare interrupt, but she leaned against a shattered pillar, eyes narrowed, trying to understand.
Then came the moment that shattered her composure entirely.
Lioro began inscribing divine encryptions.
Not arcane. Not mortal-crafted glyphs or lesser runes.
Divine encryptions.
Her eye widened. Her lips parted in silent disbelief.
'Why does a mortal know this?'
And not just know, but master.
The runes flowed in harmony, no hesitation, no trial-and-error. They shimmered with perfection, as though they'd always existed and Lioro had merely unveiled them.
Her heart beat faster than it had in centuries.
Was it jealousy?
No.
Admiration. Awe.
And something warmer, deeper, something she hadn't felt in a long, long time.
When the movement ceased, Lioro lifted the completed ring, silver laced with glowing veins of blue. It radiated layered enchantments—protective magic, message-echo resonance, and even emotional imprint. Any one of those would require a master-class enchanter. But Lioro had bound them all into a single piece, effortlessly, in perfect balance.
----
Item: Ring of the One-Eyed Black Calamity
Grade: Divine
Type: Accessory
Equip Requirement: Level 105+, Magic Defense 800+, Magic Attack 800+
Description:
Forged by the Divine Smith from the scale of the legendary One-Eyed Black Dragon that ended the Age of Heroes, this ring radiates dread and mastery. It thrums with the remnants of cataclysmic power—a silent promise of death to those who dare defy fate.
Stats:
Magic Attack +180
Magic Defense +180
HP +150
MP +150
Passive Effects:
Dragon's Dominance – Grants 50% resistance to all fear-type effects.
Mythkiller Pulse – Against deities, divine constructs, or those with [Divine Authority], increases all magic damage by 30% and penetrates 20% of their magic defense.
Mana Protection – Obscures the user's MP from all detection methods.
False Data: Health – When surveyed, displays HP as if user is level 20.
Soulbound – Mark of the Final Calamity – This ring and all Black Dragon-linked gear are bound to Lioro. Cannot be equipped, studied, or replicated by others. Any attempt results in self-destruction.
Active Effects:
Temporal Collapse – Breaks an enemy spell or skill activation, making them unable to use it for 3 minutes. (Cooldown: 1 min)
----
During his fight with the black dragon, Lioro noticed that the dragon was able to quickly locate his position even though it was extremely small compared to the monstrosity.
Which could only mean one of three things: either the dragon was tracking his mana, his health points or his soul like goddess Freya.
So he added mana protection and false data: health to prevent such things.
He didn't hide his HP directly as it would appear even more suspicious.
Unfortunately, he couldn't give soul protection as he didn't have the required materials, meaning he would have to give the ring an added effect of soul protection.
He will add the protections after he has determined the ones he needs.
He also learned from his previous mistake and didn't force the material from the black dragon to exceed its level and end up breaking in an important moment.
Lioro gently set the ring onto a velvet-lined stand, letting it cool in natural air.
Elsa broke the silence with a soft whisper. "Is it done?"
He nodded. "Yes."
He still needed to consider the final touch, some additional effects. Something personal. Something protective. Especially to guard the soul, a vulnerability the dragon had almost exploited.
Next time, he wouldn't allow such a gap.
Hephaestus finally stepped forward, drawn not by curiosity but something deeper—compulsion. Reverence.
Her gaze locked onto the ring. Her hand reached out instinctively, fingers hovering just above its surface. "May I?" she asked, her voice unusually soft.
He nodded once.
The moment her skin made contact, her breath hitched.
Perfection.
Every divine line hummed under her touch. No brute force. No chaos. No ego.
Only harmony. Only will.
She ran her thumb lightly along the band, sensing the layers beneath. "Three systems," she whispered. "Divine, arcane, conceptual. Woven together like silk—no runic buffers, no enchanted lattice. Just... raw unity."
'Well it's your own style....', Lioro remained silent.
Hephaestus slowly turned to him, crimson eye piercing. "Where did you learn this…?"
"I'm self-taught," Lioro said calmly, lying with a straight face.
She froze.
Because… it was true.
That meant—he truly was a genius. No… a monster.
Her heart began to pound. A strange, obsessive fascination welled up inside her.
This man... was beyond mortal.
Hephaestus looked at him as if seeing the blueprint of a divine relic made flesh.
A work of art.
She understood now. Why Hestia refused to let go. Why other goddesses were becoming dangerously attached.
"You… frighten me a little, Hero Lioro Bloodfallen," she whispered.
Lioro gave no reply.
The silence was answer enough.
So the gods truly couldn't detect his lies.
Elsa, quiet until now, looked between them. She could feel the shift in the air. Hephaestus's look… wasn't just admiration. It was yearning.
The goddess turned back to the ring… then sighed. "A shame you already belong to Hestia…"
She trailed off mid-thought.
Then realization struck.
Hestia was leaving. Returning to Heaven.
Her heart skipped.
That meant—
He'd be free.
Her breath quickened.
She didn't want to take advantage of her friend's leave but.......
She just couldn't help herself!
"…perhaps…"
She stepped closer to him, her gaze now intent, serious, unguarded.
"Lioro," she said slowly, deliberately. "When the time comes… would you consider joining my familia?"
Elsa looked up, surprised.
Lioro's blinked.
Hephaestus held her breath.
And then—
"Nope."
Hephaestus froze in place.
----
Looking at the sad, retreating figure of Goddess Hephaestus, Elsa turned to Lioro and asked gently,
“Is she okay?”
Lioro glanced at Hephaestus just in time to see her stumble on a small rock and fall face-first onto the ground.
Instead of getting up, she simply remained there, motionless, defeated.
“Seems okay to me,” Lioro replied dryly, silently closing the door.
“You're so insensitive sometimes,” Elsa sighed, shaking her head.
‘I'm just avoiding unnecessary trouble, okay?’ Lioro thought to himself.
Join Hephaestus Familia in Danmachi 2.0?
Why the hell would he do that?
Setting aside all the complications, there was one dealbreaker: Hephaestus would see his memories while granting Falna. That alone made it unacceptable.
He could never trust Hephaestus the way he trusted Hestia.
Among all the gods in the Dungeon City, Hestia was the most trustworthy. The others? Swayed too easily by emotions—prone to impulsive choices. But Hestia wouldn’t.
And right now, Lioro had more pressing matters to handle.
Some time passed as Lioro and Elsa waited quietly.
Finally, after about an hour, his undead arrived, each carrying large bags over their backs.
“My Lord...” Night Lich said with reverence, controlling the Death Knights behind him as they dropped several heavy stacks filled with magic crystals before Lioro.
“Good work,” Lioro said casually, though his eyes gleamed with heat at the sight of so much raw experience.
“It is an honor,” Night Lich replied, kneeling in delight at his master’s praise.
Elsa watched curiously, still not entirely used to seeing Lioro command the undead with such ease and authority.
Without wasting time, Lioro began absorbing the experience stored within the crystals. Fortunately, the absorption rate was incredibly fast—he finished within ten minutes.
After the last crystal vanished, he checked his status.
[Experience Slot: 287,700,000 / 2,270,000]
Damn.
Beautiful. Simply beautiful.
This was power leveling.
Feeling satisfied, Lioro turned to Night Lich. “How did the experiment go?”
“As instructed, I attempted to create undead using monster corpses. The result...”
The undead flames in the Night Lich’s eye sockets flickered with excitement.
“The cap on the number of undead has been lifted.”
A glint of understanding passed through Lioro’s eyes.
Normally, summoning undead using spells came with hard limits—based on summon tier and spell level. All Yggdrasil players were bound by that balance.
But this wasn’t a game anymore.
By using actual corpses instead of mana-based summoning, the limitation vanished.
Meaning: as long as he had corpses, he could create an undead tide.
Night Lich continued, “However, while the summoning limit is gone, the strength and tier of the reanimated undead depend on the original corpse.”
“So I can’t make high-tier undead from a random goblin.”
“Correct, my Lord.”
“Hmm...”
Still, amazing.
After thinking it over, Lioro gave his orders. “You, along with the other Night Lich, will remain here. Continue slaying monsters in the Dungeon, collect their magic stones, reanimate them, and build me an undead army. Also, start renovating the city.”
Night Lich nodded in understanding.
“You’ll establish your base in the Safe Zone of the 18th Floor, Rivira.”
Lioro laid out several points, and Night Lich absorbed them silently.
“Any questions?”
The lich shook his head.
“Then go. Also, fetch me the yellow-haired god you met before.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
With that, the Night Lich vanished into the Dungeon to find Hermes.
As silence returned, Lioro turned toward Elsa.
She was quietly watching him, eyes deep in thought.
“What do you think? Scared?” Lioro asked, a mischievous grin forming on his lips. “I’m about to build an undead army.”
Elsa stood up and walked toward him, her eyes locked onto his.
Seeing her approach, Lioro’s confident grin wavered ever so slightly.
She raised her arms, wrapped them around his neck, and looked into his eyes.
“If I didn’t trust you,” she said softly, “I wouldn’t have come with you.”
Lioro inhaled deeply and turned his head away.
He was blushing.
Elsa smiled gently, pleased by his reaction, and leaned in to hug him.
She nestled her face close to his neck, breathing in his familiar scent. Her tension melted away as her body relaxed, leaning fully against him.
Lioro placed a steady hand on her waist, holding her close.
Elsa snickered lightly, his heartbeat was fast and uneven, filled with nervousness.
Though truth be told, hers was too.
Ba-dump.
Her eyelids fluttered as she exhaled slowly.
She wasn’t like Lioro, who could go without rest for a week. The intense fights, the near-death moments... it had all caught up to her.
“You tired?” Lioro asked gently, still facing away.
He could feel her soft breaths brushing against his neck—tingling and oddly calming.
“Yeah...” Elsa murmured.
“Then let’s find you a bed,” Lioro said, looking around the ruined surroundings for something usable.
But before he could move, Elsa leaned in and softly kissed his neck.
“I want to rest like this...” she whispered in a spoiled tone.
She didn’t expect him to agree.
But then—
“Well... alright.”
Her eyes widened as Lioro suddenly scooped her into his arms.
He walked over to a chair, sat down, and gently placed her on his thigh, wrapping his arm around her back for support.
“How’s this?” he asked curiously.
Elsa looked up at him, her eyes warm.
“It’s nice,” she said with a sleepy smile.
Resting her head on his neck, she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
Lioro glanced down at her.
Despite her seemingly medium-sized chest, her stats panel and his personal experience had proven otherwise.
There was something big hidden in there.
Shaking his head, he looked away, blushing.
His eyes drifted toward the sky beyond the broken walls, where light streamed in gently.
And for a moment... the world felt quiet.
