Chapter 35
Clues about Hephaestus’s relic were left scattered in more places than expected.
The massive Lava Abyss.
Its master, the otherworldly god Igni, a giant made of molten rock.
And the weapon name: Lava Hammer, said to belong to Hephaestus.
Yet it wasn’t easy to notice.
If you didn’t already know the answer, you’d just pass those clues by.
In fact, in his past life, Hephaestus conquered the Abyss and spent a full three weeks scouring every corner of it.
He and his guild members, even porters like me, searched the Lava Abyss day after day.
But they didn’t find a single hammer-like object.
Not one.
So Hephaestus gave up on finding his weapon and sealed the Abyss.
The answer only came much later—during the Second Great Descent.
In caves where all lava had hardened, only one thing shone: Igni’s core.
That was when everyone realized the truth.
The core was the answer.
More precisely, placing that core back into searing heat was the method to gain the weapon.
That was why—
“Ughhhhhh!”
I thrust my hand into the lava.
The blazing heat surged into my skin.
Thankfully, I could still feel my hand.
If this had been the wrong answer, I wouldn’t have felt anything at all—my hand would have simply melted away without a trace.
“Gaaaaahhhh!”
“Dojin!”
“What are you doing?! Pull your hand out now!”
Lee Suyeon and Lee Hyun cried out in panic.
“Stay where you are! Don’t come closer!”
Blocking their approach, I endured the pain ripping through my right hand, watching as the lava bubbled violently.
The bubbling magma slowly began to harden into black rock.
As though the core in my grasp was absorbing all its power.
“Ngghhh!”
I gritted my teeth and held on.
There was no pulling back now.
I had witnessed Hephaestus obtain this weapon with my own eyes.
Back then, I had followed his guild as a mercenary, just to see what became of the Abyss I had once entered as a mere porter.
—To channel lava’s great heat is nothing to me, the god of fire.
Hephaestus had used the searing divine flame within himself to obtain the hammer.
But I was no god.
Not even a hero with great divine power.
Just a human, slightly more awakened than most.
There was no way I could channel lava’s force the same way.
If I can’t draw out power myself…
Then why not use the energy already here?
I plunged my hand deeper, feeling the molten heat gather in my palm.
“What… what is this?”
Lee Hyun’s voice was shaking.
“Ghhhaaaa!”
“I’ve never… never seen anything like this before…”
I endured.
I clenched my teeth and held out.
Until nearly all the heat filling the Lava Abyss had been drained away.
Finally, as the molten pool around my arm solidified into rock, I felt it—the fragment of the core had changed, sending waves of scorching heat through the handle I clutched.
A heat so fierce it seemed it could melt anything.
I pulled my hand free from the stone.
Craaaack!
The lava, robbed of all energy, crumbled away with ease.
“……”
In my grasp burned a hammer wreathed in fiery heat.
Its handle was about seventy centimeters, topped by a head the size of two human skulls.
[Lava Hammer – Rank S]
Description 1: Hephaestus’s hammer, infused with the essence of the Lava Giant Igni. Having absorbed only partial energy, it contains half its true power.
Description 2: Holds blazing heat like a living flame; molten lava churns within the hammer’s core.
Attribute: Fire
Effect: When held by anyone other than its recognized owner, inflicts powerful fire damage upon them.
An S-rank hammer, with the fire attribute.
Normally, people had to inscribe all kinds of rune letters just to add an attribute to a weapon. This hammer came with it naturally—proof of its strength.
That alone made this Abyss worth clearing.
It was on par with Dokmu, another S-rank weapon I possessed.
But in terms of destructive power, this hammer far surpassed Dokmu.
Dokmu was more like a special poison, designed to kill gods, its durability sacrificed for effectiveness.
Still, there was a way to make the Lava Hammer stand as Dokmu’s equal.
“What in the world…”
Lee Hyun’s voice trembled.
Neither he nor Lee Suyeon could take their eyes off the hammer.
“How did you even think of that? It’s insane!” Suyeon asked first.
I had no intention of answering.
“That’s a secret.”
Sometimes, keeping silent added more value than explaining.
A touch of mystery could make one seem all the more formidable.
Especially with someone like Lee Hyun standing nearby.
I don’t need to tell him too much.
Mystery can inspire fear, awe, even admiration.
“That weapon looks far stronger than my spear,” Lee Hyun muttered.
I shook my head.
“Not at all.”
Because I knew what his spear was.
The Spear of Longinus.
And I knew exactly how frightening its power could be.
“How could you compare that hammer to a spear that can pierce lava without the aid of ice?”
“Ah… ha, I suppose you’re right.”
Fastening the hammer to my waist, I felt its raging heat calm instantly, as if disguised as an ordinary weapon.
I opened a portal leading out of the Abyss, and together we stepped through.
We emerged in a completely different place than where we had first entered.
“Hmmm, so the exit point really is random. Still, lucky for us—there’s a city right there.”
Lee Hyun grinned, pointing down the road.
“I’ll head that way. What about you two?”
“I’ll check the map. Likely the opposite direction.”
I didn’t want to stay with him any longer.
It was already straining enough to smile and talk with the man who had once skewered me with his spear.
“Is that so? Shame. I was hoping to speak with you longer, Dojin.”
After a brief pause, Lee Hyun asked:
“You said you don’t belong to a guild, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then, if I create one, would you consider joining mine?”
I shot him a sharp look.
My heart sank.
A human couldn’t create a guild.
Guilds could only be formed by gods who bestowed authority.
For him to say he could form one meant—
So he really is connected to the Creator God.
Keeping a straight face, I shook my head.
“I prefer being on my own for now.”
It might have been a wild guess.
But because it was Lee Hyun saying it, I couldn’t dismiss it.
He was unpredictable.
“Pity. Of all people, you’re the one I wouldn’t mind staying with.”
He smiled warmly.
That was the last of it.
“If you ever change your mind, let me know. Here’s my contact.”
I accepted his card but didn’t offer mine in return.
“If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
He didn’t insist.
He knew I wouldn’t give it.
And with that, we parted ways.
“Whew…”
My heart was still pounding.
Over the past two days, I had debated countless times whether to kill him.
It’s better I didn’t.
If he really was tied to the Creator God, best not to provoke him yet.
“That was… really incredible,” Suyeon whispered in awe beside me.
“You think you can write it all down?”
“Of course. I’ve already outlined it.”
“Good.”
“But… why? What do you plan to do with such a story? You’re not a hero, or a god.”
“Someday, it’ll be needed.”
I smiled, gripping the handle of the Lava Hammer at my side.
And then, a new message appeared.
[You have defeated the otherworldly god Igni, the Boiling Lava.]
[Reward: Skill ‘Boiling Lava’ has been inscribed into the Chronicle.]
[Boiling Lava – Rank S]
Skill: Summon Lava Golem
Description: Harnessing Igni’s very essence, you can command his molten avatar.
The Lava Golem’s level matches that of the Chronicle.
Chronicle Lv. 11
For now, I couldn’t use it.
Hrunting’s berserk debuff hadn’t yet peaked.
Discarding Hrunting would be a waste, especially since I still had a vial of Hydra poison that worked in tandem with its resistance skill.
The only skill I could part with was Dragon Grab, gained from defeating Siegfried.
I’ll find a use for it someday.
[Status Effect: Berserk]
In battle, aggression greatly increases.
If combat continues for more than 45 minutes, allies and enemies become indistinguishable.
The curse bound to Hrunting had deepened after Igni’s death.
But that only meant its attack boost had grown as well.
Even if I had used Earth Explosion, I couldn’t have slain Igni without that extra edge.
No set bonus, huh.
I had half-expected some synergy between Hephaestus’s weapon and this otherworldly god.
But no such luck.
Shame… but fine.
I had gained more than enough already.
“Let’s go back. There’s much to be done.”
“Yes! Right.”
I needed Eitri’s help.
Eitri, once his brother Brokkr’s apprentice and now Dojin’s master, was forging weapons from Hephaestus’s draconic corpse.
Dragon scales and bones alone were precious beyond measure.
“Can’t remember the last time I touched materials this rare…”
Even during Brokkr’s life, weapons made from dragon remains could be counted on one hand.
And this one had been a god turned dragon.
“All thanks to my troublesome disciple…”
Sweat dripping before the furnace, Eitri reflected on what Dojin had done.
Killing a god.
An impossible feat.
Who could have even imagined it?
No one could.
For gods stood on an absolute plane.
Their very existence placed them beyond men, beyond even dwarves.
No matter how tirelessly a dwarf hammered away, they could never craft a weapon surpassing that of a god.
That was what gods meant in this world.
His eyes strayed to Hephaestus’s dragon head.
Death had robbed it of any divine dignity.
In the end, even gods were like any other mortal—corpses once slain.
It was only their immense power that had hidden this truth.
So even gods can die.
And at the hands of a mere human, not even a hero.
But one question lingered.
Why such deep hatred?
Yes, Hephaestus had been involved in Brokkr’s death.
But Dojin’s rage seemed far too intense for that alone.
Brokkr had died four years after Nidavellir was connected to this world.
By human standards, four years wasn’t so long.
He must have his reasons.
Clang! Clang!
But why dwell on it?
The past was gone.
His brother was gone.
The god who killed him was also gone—slain by Dojin.
Hadn’t he vowed to live in the present, not chained to the past?
What matters is that Dojin avenged Brokkr.
For that alone, Eitri owed him a debt for life.
So he would simply work, for his disciple’s sake.
“Master!”
Dojin returned from the Abyss.
“Back already? How long did you… eh?”
Looking toward the forge entrance, Eitri’s eyes widened.
“Th-that… what is that?”
He was staring at the hammer in Dojin’s hand.
It radiated heat greater than his entire forge.
