C761
"What is that?"
Raon leaned forward and examined the red and blue metal beads.
"It's not Golden Resonance, is it?"
It felt similar to Gold Resonance, the metal that supposedly amplifies all auras, but the color was different.
"Then you don't know after all?"
Vulcano chuckled as if he had expected this.
"This red is Red Enhancing Gold, which amplifies heat, and this blue is Ice Crystal, which extracts cold energy."
He lifted the metal beads as he named them.
"They can't amplify all auras like Golden Resonance, but they are special metals that enhance flames and cold energy even more powerfully."
Vulcano nodded, suggesting they would be useful for Raon.
"Of course, I also have Golden Resonance."
He shrugged as he pulled a piece of Golden Resonance from an old box, similar to the one Raon had seen before.
"...How did you get all this?"
Raon let out a humorless laugh as he looked at the metals in Vulcano's hands.
'Did he conquer a dungeon or something?'
He couldn't imagine where Vulcano had gotten these treasures that were hard to acquire even with money. The Red Enhancing Gold and the Ice Crystal were especially intriguing since Raon himself knew nothing about them.
"I received them."
Vulcano shook his head as if it were no big deal.
"You received them? Those?"
"Yes. From time to time, some anonymous benefactor brings them."
He looked up at the sky outside the workshop with a smile.
"An anonymous benefactor..."
It wasn't like they were asking for a sword to be made; donating metals and then leaving... Raon wanted to meet that person and see what they were about.
"Strangely enough, they always come just before or after your arrival."
Vulcano twisted his lips as he waved his finger.
"Before I arrive..."
Raon licked his lips. Hearing Vulcano's words, one person came to mind.
"Well, enough of that."
Vulcano set down the Heavenly Drive and pointed his chin at Raon.
"It seems you have something on your mind."
"How did you know?"
Raon's eyes widened in surprise.
"Your sword is telling me."
Vulcano furrowed his brow and said that a swordsman's uncertainty is also reflected in their sword.
"Even if you don't tell me, try to get your mind in order to some extent."
He clicked his tongue as he stoked the fire in the forge.
"If you hesitate, your sword will break as well."
Vulcano stared at Raon, telling him to get his act together.
"Ugh..."
Raon let out a brief sigh and sat down in the worn chair in front of the table.
"This might take a while, so please take a seat."
"Mmm."
Vulcano nodded briefly and sat down across from Raon.
"Actually..."
Raon told him about the recent events and his struggles to find a clue to achieve transcendence.
"A trivial concern."
Vulcano snorted in disbelief.
"Pardon?"
Raon's eyes widened in surprise. He was puzzled because Vulcano wasn't the type to say such things.
"Do you remember what type of swordsman you said you wanted to become?"
He nodded as if he wanted to hear what Raon had said in the charcoal forge.
"I..."
"You said, 'I want to become a swordsman who will not yield to anyone, in any situation.'"
Vulcano spoke before Raon could recall it. He remembered exactly what Raon had said in the charcoal forge, not missing a single word.
"It was the first time I heard a young person make such a promise, so I remembered it word for word."
Vulcano smiled slightly as he caressed the blade of the Heavenly Drive.
"I thought your goal was harder than becoming the best martial artist. Even those with extraordinary talent and will can suddenly die in this field. But..."
He nodded emphatically and increased the heat of the forge.
"You are achieving that goal. You defeated the Axe King and earned the title of King Slayer, saved Glenn Zieghart, the Destructive King of the North, and even revealed Derus Robert's true identity."
Vulcano clapped his hands as if he were genuinely impressed.
"You are becoming the unbreakable swordsman you set out to be. Who else could have shattered the mighty Derus Robert that way?"
"That's..."
When Raon was about to say it was just luck, Vulcano continued.
"Should Raon Zieghart, who has amazed the continent, achieve transcendence in an ordinary way like others? To remain unyielding to anyone, perhaps it is acceptable to carry everything one has with them."
Vulcano smiled as he repeated Glenn's words. It seemed that those who reached the top saw similar things, even if they took different paths.
"...You are right."
Raon nodded heavily.
"I had promised from the beginning that I wouldn't be broken."
The goals of revealing Derus Robert's identity and elevating Sylvia to the direct lineage would sound ridiculous even now. However, he had achieved all those goals and reached the highest level of Grand Master. Having accomplished goals that were nearly impossible, he felt there was nothing he couldn't do when it came to achieving transcendence.
"To remain intact, I can't be ordinary, right?"
"That is the look I want to see."
Vulcano clapped loudly, murmuring his approval.
"You remind me of that boy who believed in himself even when he couldn't create aura for months."
He smiled gently, seemingly recalling the days in the charcoal forge.
"I won't forget it from now on."
Raon bowed his head to Vulcano, expressing his gratitude.
"Enough of that. Now, let's get to work..."
Just as Vulcano was about to suggest they start working, the workshop door opened, and a middle-aged man with a pipe walked in. It was Harlan, Vulcano's son.
"Raon? What brings you here?"
Harlan approached and abruptly pulled out his pipe.
"I came to entrust the Heavenly Path to Vulcano since I heard he had returned."
Raon greeted Harlan, saying it had been a while and bowed his head.
"Is that so? Then I will help too!"
Harlan said it was a perfect moment and moved toward Vulcano.
"Father! I will help you too."
"That's not necessary."
Vulcano shook his head firmly, indicating it wasn't needed.
"What? But I've been training all this time! You even recognized that my swords were good enough to sell..."
Harlan's eyes widened in surprise, as if he hadn't expected Vulcano to refuse.
"That's exactly why it's not necessary. Pay attention. What should you be doing?"
Vulcano's voice sounded calm. He wasn't angry; it seemed he had something else in mind.
"Ah...!"
Harlan looked around at Vulcano, Raon, and the workshop before letting out a low groan.
"I understand."
He put down the pipe and nodded with a serious look in his eyes.
"I won't disappoint you."
"Mr. Harlan?"
"Raon, wait."
Harlan winked at Raon and left the workshop. His back had become even broader than Vulcano's, indicating how much he had been wielding the hammer.
"What just happened..."
"Don't worry about him. Try to infuse your aura into this metal."
Vulcano pointed to the Red Enhancing Gold, Ice Crystal, and Golden Resonance placed on the table.
"Understood."
Raon nodded and grabbed all three metals at once. With a surge of energy, he poured all the auras he possessed, starting with the Ring of Fire, then the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, the Glacier, the Gale Style, and even the aura he had obtained from the Heavenly Sword Saint.
"Let's take it a step further."
Having learned from Karoon how to extract emotions and willpower, he infused the accumulated emotions and willpower into the metals as well.
"That's perfect."
Vulcano let out an exclamation as he watched the Red Enhancing Gold, Ice Crystal, and Golden Resonance tremble and move.
"We can start right away."
He threw the golden coal into the roaring forge and stepped on the bellows. With a roar, the fierce wind combined with the stronger heat of the coal, producing an immense inferno. It felt like stepping into a volcano full of lava.
"Breathe like you did that day. That's enough."
"Understood."
Raon stood in front of the forge, lightly biting his lip. He used the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation while enduring the scorching heat that made his skin tingle.
"Martial skill is not what matters."
At this moment, establishing a direction was more important than becoming stronger. The aura of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation resonated with Vulcano's hammering. Raon closed his eyes and focused on the blows of the master's hammer that had surpassed transcendence.
'Let's take a look at my foundation.'
Despite mastering numerous auras and swords, his base remained the cultivation of the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames. These two auras had formed the foundation that allowed him to create a vessel that even impressed Glenn. To ascend to transcendence with more than anyone else, he needed to nurture that foundation. He exhaled deeply.
As Raon and Vulcano fell into a state of enlightenment before the same fire, only the resonant sounds of the master hammering iron and the swordsman's breathing could be heard in the circular workshop.
***
"No way..."
Rimmer turned his back after looking at Vulcano's workshop, which was emitting thick smoke.
"If you're going to do this, do it openly!"
He stared at Glenn, who was behind him, frowning.
"Why did you keep it a secret that you gave him Golden Resonance after telling him to go to Mirtan?"
Glenn, realizing Raon was contemplating transcendence, had arrived first in Mirtan and thrown the three metals to Vulcano. What was even more ridiculous was that he didn't give them to him but claimed he had picked them up along the way. Rimmer couldn't understand why Glenn kept it a secret after doing something for Raon's benefit.
"Ahem! The other kids might get jealous, you know?"
Glenn cleared his throat briefly and shook his head.
"Since Karoon has changed, there's no one so petty anymore!"
Rimmer shook his head firmly.
"Even so, they wouldn't dare say anything. Neither Karoon nor Balder would tolerate it!"
He stomped his foot, insisting that the current Zieghart was different from the previous one.
"Goodness! You're not the Destructive King of the North; you're the King of Excuses."
Rimmer clicked his tongue in exasperation.
"This is why you can't get Raon to call you grandfather."
"Don't you understand?"
"What is there to understand? It's obvious without needing to look. If you told him to call you grandfather from now on, everything would be resolved..."
"That's not all."
Glenn slowly turned his chin.
"That title only has meaning if Raon calls me that of his own will."
That's why he didn't ask to be called grandfather at the foot of North Grave Mountain. What he wanted wasn't to be called grandfather by force but a title that came from the heart.
"Then just tell him you gave him the metals!"
Rimmer shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Well, that's..."
"Ugh, I swear. It's so frustrating I can't stand it. Let's regain our sanity, okay?"
He tapped his temple, telling Glenn to think a little.
"This is why they call you an old fool..."
"Shut your mouth!"
"Ugh!"
As Rimmer mumbled, Sheryl sent him flying with a kick.
"This place is hell! Damn woman... Argh!"
He fell off the cliff with a scream.
"......"
Sheryl watched Rimmer disappear into the mist before returning to Glenn's side.
"I agree with the Head of House's words. A forced title has no meaning. However..."
She squinted as she looked over the edge of the cliff.
"As that fool said, it would be right to at least mention that you gave the metals."
"...Then why did you push him?"
"He was too noisy."
Sheryl brushed the dust off her hands and tilted her chin as if asking what the problem was.
"I see."
Glenn nodded calmly, seeming to agree with Sheryl's words.
"So, how is Raon?"
Sheryl let out a soft sigh as she looked at Vulcano's workshop, where the haze of heat rose.
"He won't become stronger or achieve enlightenment right away. However..."
Glenn smiled slightly as he watched Raon and Vulcano working in sync.
"It seems he is forging the vessel to receive that enlightenment."
***
Two days later, the endless heat emanating from Vulcano's workshop finally stopped. Raon slowly opened his eyes the moment the incessant hammering, which had continued like embers, ceased.
'It's empty.'
Unlike the workshop filled with smoke, dust, and intense heat, his mind was as calm and clear as a garden pond. It felt as if all the worries that had clouded his thoughts had washed away with the rain.
-Ugh, is it finally over?
Wrath stretched and let out a long sigh.
-I thought I was going to die of boredom!
He shook his head, wondering how Raon could stay still for more than two days.
"I didn't stay still..."
Raon smiled, gently touching his temple.
'I was perfecting my mind and spirit.'
-Certainly.
Wrath squinted as he looked at Raon.
-You seem a bit different.
He nodded, acknowledging that it was a change beyond mere martial skill. Receiving Wrath's recognition, Raon lowered his gaze. On the anvil that Vulcano had tirelessly hammered was a sword that shone with a silvery light. Although it was the Heavenly Drive he had wielded countless times before, there was something different about it now.
'Red and blue lines?'
The noble and elegant blade remained unchanged, but now two lines were engraved on the body of the sword. It seemed as if the enhanced Red Gold and Ice Crystal had melted along with the Golden Resonance.
"Ugh!"
Vulcano straightened his hunched back. He looked ten years older, but his eyes sparkled with a happiness that surpassed even that as he gazed at the Heavenly Drive.
"Take it."
Vulcano wiped the blade of the Heavenly Drive with a clean cloth and handed it to Raon.
"This is a new Heavenly Drive that can support you even if you falter."
He gently shook the sword, urging Raon to take it quickly.
"Ah..."
Raon carefully received the Heavenly Drive, manipulating it as if it were a child.
"I feel like my arm has grown longer."
As he grasped the hilt, it felt as if his hand was glued to it. Not only was he holding a sword; it felt as if his own body had extended. With a resonant hum, Raon held the Heavenly Drive upright and harmonized the refined Ring of Fire, recalling the sound of Vulcano's hammer. An explosion of flames erupted!
As he employed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, a vivid light shone from the red line of the blade, causing the entire sword to glow with a deep crimson.
'Is this amplification?'
As Vulcano had promised, the Heavenly Drive imbued with Red Enhancing Gold generated an even more intense heat than before. The sword itself seemed full of flames.
"How is it?"
Vulcano nodded his chin, and his eyes showed that he already knew the answer.
"It's perfect."
Raon nodded as he watched the flames burning in the Heavenly Drive.
"It seems it will never falter."
Just as Vulcano had said, it seemed that even if his own will wavered, this sword would not break. Perfect. There was nothing more to say.
-Phew...
Wrath examined the Heavenly Drive from various angles and frowned.
-It's almost too good for someone like you to handle.
For him to say such a thing was like a great compliment.
"Is that so?"
Vulcano chuckled as he took a sip of his cold drink, appearing pleased.
"Thank you."
Raon lowered the Heavenly Drive and bowed to Vulcano.
"I've only received help from you since the past..."
"Enough with the melodramatic talk."
Vulcano waved his hand and frowned.
"You're not the only one who's received help."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that...?"
"Every time you win a fight, more people come to ask me to make swords for them. Not long ago, even a Grand Master came."
He clicked his tongue and said that sword-making requests increased day by day.
"So, did you make swords for them?"
"Why should I make swords for such novices?"
"You wouldn't."
"Of course not. I didn't even open the door for them."
Vulcano shook his head, dismissing the idea as nonsense.
"So then, how has it been useful?"
"This isn't a place where I live alone, you know?"
He extended his hands and pointed to the village of Mirtan, visible below the workshop.
"The young people I rejected asked other craftsmen to make swords for them. Because of that, the village has become more lively."
Vulcano smiled as he turned his wrist.
"Your achievements are leading to the prosperity of this village, so I can't help but thank you."
For that reason, he shook his head and said he wouldn't charge for repairing the sword.
"Even so..."
"I always keep my word. You know that, right?"
Vulcano took another sip from his bottle, insisting that he didn't need money.
"I understand."
Raon took a step back with a faint smile. Vulcano was a man of such integrity that he even kept the promises he had made to Raon when he was just a young apprentice. There was no way to avoid it when he was so inflexible.
"Then please don't reject my gratitude."
Just as Raon was about to perform the formal greeting with the sword and sheathe the heavenly sword, the workshop door suddenly burst open. Harlan rushed in, panting and holding a sheath.
"Oh, I'm not too late, am I?"
"Mr. Harlan?"
"It's a new sheath."
Harlan explained that he had made a sheath for the Heavenly Drive, extending a sheath adorned with a carved dragon head.
"Did you make it yourself?"
"Who else would have managed it?"
He huffed, as if it were obvious.
"Hmph. A sheath made by someone like you?"
Vulcano approached, examining the sheath first, as if doubting its quality.
"Mmm...?"
However, unlike his usual disdainful attitude, he raised an eyebrow as he looked at the sheath.
"How is it? Not bad, right?"
Harlan straightened his back with confidence, leaning back.
"Not bad at all."
Vulcano nodded, indicating that it had barely passed the test. Since he had never been lenient with his son, that meant it was actually quite well made.
"Yes!"
Harlan let out a triumphant roar and spread his arms. He seemed very happy to receive recognition from Vulcano, his father and master craftsman of the continent.
"So that's it..."
Raon let out a small sigh of understanding. It seemed that when Vulcano had told Harlan he had a separate task, it was to make this sheath.
"Try it out."
Harlan rubbed his hands together, urging Raon to sheathe the Heavenly Drive.
"Alright."
Raon nodded and slid the Heavenly Drive into the sheath. Click. The blade and the sheath fit together as if they had been one from the beginning. The level of craftsmanship made it seem like they had been made by the same person.
"It fits perfectly. The design is excellent as well."
Raon bowed his head to Harlan and expressed his gratitude. He especially liked the dragon head, which resembled Kaivar, the blue dragon.
"The true value of that sheath isn't its strength or shape."
Harlan chuckled and lifted his chin.
"Don't tell me you've done it again!"
"That sheath has..."
As Vulcano's eyes widened, Harlan raised his finger.
"A special ability!"
-
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