Ch.62Vulcan’s Forge (1)

Should I consider this fortunate?

I regained consciousness not long after fainting. Time-wise, it was about 5 minutes later.

I had fainted simply from using True Words beyond my limit, but thankfully my body itself wasn’t badly injured.

Of course, even though I had regained consciousness, my body wasn’t in great shape. It would be more accurate to say I was in poor condition.

“Phew… my head still feels fuzzy.”

“If you’re struggling, why not rest more instead of moving around?”

“There are too many things to take care of here. I’ll rest afterward.”

I responded to Lilly’s concern about my condition by insisting I was fine.

But Lilly’s expression wasn’t pleased after hearing my words. My voice was cracking as I spoke.

The price of the grueling battle and excessive use of True Words clearly remained in my body.

‘My voice isn’t coming out properly… I must have used up a lot of mental energy too, since this headache is terrible…’

Above all, I didn’t have a single bit of aura left. Because of that, taking even one step in this high-gravity place was torturous.

Objectively speaking, my body needed rest right now.

But as a gamer, it was hard to resist when the reward room was waiting right in front of me.

“Are you really going to be this stubborn?”

“Indeed… you should rest.”

If there was one problem worth mentioning, it was the unsettling way Lilly and Kitsune were looking at me.

They had the look of hunters ready to pounce at the slightest opening.

I could feel their gazes suggesting they would knock me unconscious and force me to rest if I so much as stumbled.

‘I definitely pushed my body too hard…’

With both of them staring at me so intensely, I was starting to think it might be better to rest voluntarily.

And then someone reached out to help me. It was Vulcan’s Titan that we had just been fighting.

[You seem to have difficulty moving.]

[After pushing beyond your limits, that’s to be expected.]

[As an apology for underestimating your limits, I’ll help you move.]

With those words, the Titan picked me up and began moving.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Being carried certainly made things easier on my body. While being held, I could focus on recovering my depleted aura.

However, being cradled like a baby in a parent’s arms made me feel a bit awkward.

As we moved, the Titan seemed to be thinking about something and spoke with difficulty.

[…Congratulations on passing the weapon trial.]

[But since the god is currently absent, there is no way to create a weapon for you.]

I wondered what he was suddenly talking about, but it was related to the reward for the weapon trial.

Originally, the weapon trial was a test to receive a weapon made by Vulcan.

The problem was that Vulcan had now fallen to become a dwarf named Arges, so there was no one to give the reward for the trial.

“I already knew that when I came, so don’t worry. I came to receive something else, not a weapon.”

[Something else, you say…]

[I’ll give you whatever I can.]

“Then let’s head to the storage room. Everything I need is there.”

The Titan seemed to be thinking of taking me to the resting area, but I requested that we move to Vulcan’s forge instead.

The Titan looked concerned at my words, but I didn’t change my destination.

Eventually, the Titan admonished me for my behavior.

[You push your body too hard.]

“Right, right. She doesn’t think about taking care of himself.”

“Though we haven’t known each other long… I clearly feel the same way.”

As a bonus, Lilly and Kitsune responded in agreement with the Titan’s words.

Regardless, I looked ahead, wanting to go to the storage room at the forge, but the Titan was walking in a different direction than I expected.

“Wait, isn’t the forge in a different location…?”

[This unit has determined that what you need now is rest.]

[I have no intention of withdrawing the reward, so rest assured and take it easy.]

“Couldn’t you at least let me check the items…? The reward room is right there… mmph!”

“Rest when you’re told to rest!”

If I was going to do anything with the rewards, rest was essential.

I just wanted to check the items, but Lilly’s hands suddenly covered my mouth, stopping me.

“Well done, Lady Lilly.”

“Kitsune, from now on, if Frey tries to do something foolish, just cover her mouth and subdue her.

By that point, she’ll probably have pushed her body so hard she can barely move. Then it’ll be easy to subdue her.”

“Where’s my say in this decision…? I have my own reasons for doing things…”

Seeing Lilly’s attitude, I was starting to worry I might end up imprisoned somewhere.

I looked to Kitsune for help, but that wasn’t a good choice.

“This is a special measure Lady Lilly and I are taking because you’re using your body too recklessly. Please accept it quietly.”

I thought Kitsune might be less strict than Lilly, but she surprised me by telling me to understand their position instead.

Finally realizing I had no allies here, I quietly closed my mouth and accepted being escorted.

“If you had resisted more, I was going to subdue you more roughly… too bad… I mean, that’s fortunate.”

Of course, my resignation had absolutely nothing to do with being afraid of Lilly muttering quietly beside me.

Absolutely nothing.

After our conversation ended, only the sound of the Titan’s footsteps echoed through the space.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

* * *

After moving to the resting area, we took a full two days of rest.

Though no one had used it for a long time, the Titan must have maintained it well because it was very clean and comfortable.

Originally, I had planned to rest for just one day before moving on, but my opinion was overruled by Lilly and Kitsune, and I ended up resting for an additional day.

After what I considered excessive rest, I got up and looked at the two of them.

“I’m fully recovered now, so can I move around?”

“Sigh, fine… let’s go.”

“I’d prefer… but since you seem to be in a hurry, alright.”

I felt like a child being granted permission to use a phone, but I was finally free, so I focused on what I needed to do now.

[Did you rest well?]

“Yes, I’m in perfect condition, thanks to you.”

[Then let’s move to the forge.]

My current task was to receive the rewards for coming all the way down to this deep layer and completing the difficult trial.

The path to the storage room where those rewards were kept was attached to the forge.

The forge and storage room being connected seemed to be Vulcan’s design for quickly supplying materials.

[We have arrived at the forge.]

While I was lost in thought, I heard the Titan announce our arrival.

Looking ahead, I saw a well-made forge waiting for me.

Various hammers and tools hung on the walls of the forge, and there was a very sturdy-looking anvil as well.

Since it hadn’t been operated recently, there were no newly made items, but an unusual furnace structure caught our attention.

It was a furnace designed to heat solely through Nectar, rather than ordinary fuel like coal.

The structure was very unique, but Lilly and I had already seen an identical structure once before.

“This structure is similar to Arges’s forge.”

“Yes, whether it’s instinct or an efficient design, the layout is almost identical.”

Not just the furnace’s appearance, but most things in Arges’s forge and Vulcan’s forge were virtually identical.

I couldn’t be certain, but I suspected some instinctive force had guided him to create the same layout.

The Titan looked puzzled as he listened to our conversation, but continued with his guidance.

[No one should know this structure.]

[Strange words you speak.]

[The storage is over there.]

[Take what you need.]

The Titan pointed to a door located at one side of the forge. Finally, the long-awaited reward time had arrived.

[By the way, the inside of the storage is hotter than the outside, so be careful.]

“I know, so don’t worry too much.”

The forge interior being cooler than the deep layer was because all the heat was being directed to one place.

The collected heat was used for making weapons too, but that was just using the leftover heat. The original purpose was to raise the temperature of the storage room.

One might wonder why a storage room needs to be hot, but it’s simply the opposite version of a refrigerator.

Just as refrigerators maintain the freshness of food, the storage room maintained high temperatures for preservation.

‘Whether it’s Nectar or the elixir I need to collect, they deteriorate in quality at low temperatures, so this is a natural measure.’

As I approached the storage door, the Titan followed and opened it for me.

Creeeeak.

As the door opened, an intense wave of heat rushed toward me, and I immediately spoke.

“Heat shall not invade me.”

As if by magic, the temperature of the heat wave hitting me became imperceptible. It felt like a cool breeze.

‘So it can be used like this too.’

Unlike cutting through the Titan’s armor, this didn’t drain much of my stamina or aura.

It seemed this was a much easier task than that.

Having confirmed everything I needed to check, I led Lilly and Kitsune inside without further delay.

“Let’s go collect our rewards. There should be plenty of things, so Lilly and Kitsune, take whatever you need too.”