Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Unquenchable Flames and Deceptive Will
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“Hum~ hum-hum! Hum-hum!”
A dwarf was humming cheerfully as he strolled through the smithy ahead.
He had introduced himself as Igheim, the owner of this place, the Forge of Fire...
‘Why is he so excited?’
She had simply come here on Barundel’s advice and said she wanted to handle fire.
Yet seeing him this thrilled, Kayla couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
‘Well, it’s good for me, anyway.’
As she thought that, Igheim came to an abrupt stop.
Before him stood a massive furnace.
“This is our smithy’s smelting furnace. We mainly use it to melt metals.”
“...It’s incredible.”
Kayla marveled at the furnace as she listened to Igheim’s explanation.
And rightly so, for an immense blaze of scorching heat roared within it.
Even after becoming a flame mage and seeing countless fires, she had never encountered one this hot.
Catching Kayla’s admiration, Igheim nodded with a satisfied smile.
“You’ve got a good eye. This is the pride of our smithy. Oh, the defining feature of the Furnace of Fire is that it never goes out.”
“...Never goes out?”
“If you don’t believe me, give it a try.”
Give it a try.
That meant attempting to extinguish the furnace’s flame.
Her interest in the Furnace of Fire fully piqued, Kayla didn’t hesitate and got right to it.
First, she tried using mana.
Srrrr!
Kayla’s mana poured unhindered into the furnace.
Flame mages were skilled not only at igniting fires but also at snuffing them out.
By injecting mana infused with her will like this, that flame should die out in no time.
But.
Roooar!
“...It’s totally fine?”
The flames inside the furnace remained utterly unscathed by her mana.
No, they seemed to burn even more fiercely.
Feeding on her own mana as fuel, no less.
‘Maybe my power’s just too weak compared to that fire.’
Still harboring some doubt, Kayla immediately tried the next method.
This time, water.
Splash!
Kayla scooped water from a nearby bucket and doused the furnace.
‘How about now?’
Kayla watched with bated breath.
But the result was the same.
Roooar!
“...”
Staring at the still-raging flames, Kayla had to admit it.
That fire truly never went out.
And that was something she should welcome.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Her heart pounding with excitement, Kayla bowed her head.
“Please take good care of me.”
At the same time, she reflected on how she had inwardly looked down on the smithy.
A place with flames like these surely had something to teach her.
***
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Slash—boom!
Two streaks of sky-blue energy shot forward.
Watching them, Barundel let out a sigh of dissatisfaction.
“Still not enough...”
He had clearly swung his axe three times.
Yet only two bursts of energy had launched.
It fell short of his expectation—one burst per swing.
Grip!
Clutching the Ashu Pendant, he muttered to himself.
“...It’s all because my skill is lacking.”
He couldn’t even pretend the Ashu Pendant’s performance was the issue.
The pendant’s energy launched based on how well the user imbued it with their will.
This mishap was entirely his fault.
And Barundel knew the exact reason.
‘My artifact handling can’t keep up with my physical movement.’
Barundel was a dwarf who had devoted his life to physical training and demon hunting.
As such, he excelled at moving his body and wielding weapons.
His artifact skills, however, were a complete disaster.
He had never actively used artifacts like this before, so it was only natural.
‘...This time, no matter what!’
Of course, Barundel wasn’t the type to give up just because it was natural.
Once he decided to learn something, he saw it through to the end.
Besides, the situation was pushing him even harder.
‘My comrades are getting stronger every day!’
Yoo Han, Thompson, Kayla.
The three mages excluding himself.
They were advancing at a visibly rapid pace, day by day.
Now, even Barundel couldn’t predict the outcome if he fought them.
In contrast, he hadn’t changed much since they first met.
It wasn’t due to slacking on training; it was a matter of specialty.
‘The limits of the body are clear, but magic’s limits are endless...!’
Physical training hit the body’s ceiling eventually, but magic had no defined end.
That was the difference.
Their growth was overwhelmingly faster than others’, too.
Anyway.
“Hah!”
Whoosh! Slash—boom!
Whoosh! Slash—boom!
Barundel swung his axe again, spamming the artifact.
This was the path Barundel had chosen.
A way to surpass his physical limits.
He planned to break through his bottlenecks by combining his superior physical prowess with artifact mastery.
‘Dwarves excel at tool usage more than other races.’
That was how to best leverage his strengths.
But.
Slash—boom!
“...Again!”
On the eleventh swing, the artifact failed to activate once more.
It was already the third day of this training.
Yet little had changed from the first day.
“...Damn it, what the hell is the problem?!”
Thud.
Barundel slumped to the ground in frustration.
That was when a familiar voice called out.
“Nephew.”
“...Uncle?”
It was none other than Barundel’s uncle, Bagran.
“...I’ve already apologized plenty. Why bring it up again?”
The reason for his visit was obvious.
He must have come to scold him for running off again.
But this time, Barundel’s assumption was wrong.
Smack!
“You little punk! I came to help, and this is how you act?!”
“...Ugh. Help?”
“Yeah! Your fumbling around is so pathetic I can’t stand it!”
Bagran had come to help Barundel out of the goodness of his heart.
The kid still grated on him, but he was family, after all.
“What could you possibly help with, Uncle...”
“Shut it! Hand those over!”
Swish!
As Barundel offered the [Anatak’s Large Axe] and Ashu Pendant, Bagran snatched them swiftly.
“Hmm...”
Barundel didn’t trust Bagran.
Understandably so—Bagran was his uncle and the dwarf leader, but Barundel far outstripped him in combat ability.
He had poured every moment into battle, after all.
But that thought didn’t last.
Whoosh!
Slash! Boom! Boom!
Barundel’s jaw dropped in disbelief as he watched Bagran.
“H-How...?”
Bagran had swung the axe once, and two sky-blue energies burst forth.
The Ashu Pendant had activated twice on a single swing.
“Heh, look at that face. Think just anyone can be chieftain?”
“...”
“Still, I like that fire in your eyes.”
A dumbstruck expression paired with passionate eyes.
Amused by Barundel’s look, Bagran chuckled and began explaining.
“You’re too straightforward.”
“Straightforward? What do you mean, Uncle?”
“You’re thinking, ‘One swing, one burst,’ something simplistic like that, right?”
“...Yeah.”
“That’s what makes it straightforward. Your movements, your thinking—it’s all too predictable. You can’t freely wield an artifact like that.”
“Then what should I do...?”
“You can’t tell from watching?”
As Barundel nodded blankly, Bagran grabbed the axe again with a displeased look.
“Watch closely. Don’t get trapped in your thoughts.”
Step, step...
Bagran stood firm, gripping the axe.
And in that instant.
Slash! Boom!
A sky-blue energy shot out of nowhere, slamming into the target.
He hadn’t even swung the axe yet.
“...What?!”
Barundel couldn’t comprehend it.
The Ashu Pendant activated on each weapon swing, didn’t it?
He had never seen it trigger while ignoring the condition like this.
Bagran looked at him pitifully.
‘You’ve been away from Kazandur too long...’
This wasn’t particularly surprising for Kazandur dwarves.
Most of them could do it.
Fooling the artifact.
The principle was simple.
“I believe I swung the axe. Even though I didn’t, in reality.”
“Believe? What does that mean, Uncle?!”
“Exactly what I said. My body may have stayed still, but my mind fulfilled the artifact’s activation condition.”
“So, in other words...”
“Fool yourself, nephew.”
With that, Bagran turned and walked away.
He had no intention of explaining further.
No matter how long he’d been away from home, a Kazandur dwarf would figure it out.
“...Grr. Just like that?”
Left alone again, Barundel had to puzzle it out himself.
How had Bagran activated the artifact, and what did his words mean?
Thankfully, the pondering didn’t last long.
-Watch closely. Don’t get trapped in your thoughts.
-My body may have stayed still, but my mind fulfilled the artifact’s activation condition.
-Fool yourself, nephew.
Bagran had already dropped plenty of hints with his words.
‘...Maybe the activation condition isn’t absolute!’
Reaching his own conclusion, Barundel jumped to his feet.
The only way to verify was to try it himself.
Step.
Gripping the axe tightly, he closed his eyes.
Then, he imagined himself swinging it in his mind.
Whoosh!
“...”
Of course, it didn’t work on the first try.
But how many attempts later?
Slaaash—boom!
The Ashu Pendant activated.
Just by standing still and moving his imagined self, the artifact had triggered.
“...I did it!”
Barundel felt immense exhilaration and a fresh shock.
Artifacts could be activated with mere thoughts in the mind.
This was a first in his life.
‘Can others do it too...?’
Curiosity suddenly struck.
Could everyone use this method?
If so, artifacts’ utility would skyrocket.
Of course, that wasn’t important right now.
‘First, I need to master it perfectly.’
He had succeeded only once after dozens of tries.
For practical use in real combat, he needed far more practice.
Swipe.
Barundel closed his eyes completely, focusing on training.
His body remained still, but the version of himself in his mind moved without rest.