Chapter 251
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 251
Chapter Title: Part 2 Chapter 20: Blacksmith Ironrill (2)
“But how did you get your hands on something as precious as a Dragon Heart?”
Ironrill, who had been lost in admiration of the Dragon Heart for a while, finally snapped out of it and asked.
“And are you sure about this? Forging a sword from a Dragon Heart is as good as making enemies of every dragon out there. Our leader could handle even an ancient dragon showing up, since he's strong enough to protect himself, but still.”
“I can handle dragons just fine myself.”
“You took down Hawks, so you must be capable of facing a full-grown dragon... But since you might not know, let me explain: ancient dragons are generally treated as 'demigods.'”
Demigod.
Otherwise known as 'Apostles of the Gods.'
Beings created by the gods to directly convey their will upon the earth.
They are the closest to gods, serving as their proxies.
What an apostle speaks is the god's will, and what they do is what the god desires.
Being half-divine, some call them demigods.
The Dragon God Brahman does not create apostles.
To be precise, it cannot.
Instead of apostles, it poured all that power into creating the dragon race.
It granted them immense lifespans while limiting their numbers to prevent the power from dispersing.
Thus, no apostles can be born among dragons, but in exchange, their power grows steadily with each passing year.
Ancient dragons are those who have lived over five thousand years.
Though classified together as one of the three chosen races, a clear gap existed between dragons and the other two.
And the reason was the ancient dragons.
'If those things came chasing me to kill me, it'd be trouble for now...'
Jamie knew the dragons' temperament well.
As long as you didn't strike first, they wouldn't care if you made a weapon from one of their kin's hearts or whatever.
They might care if it was blood kin, but being inherently bored creatures, Jamie wasn't too worried.
Even if they did come after him, he was confident he could survive an ancient dragon right now.
'Taking one down is still impossible.'
But once he fully mastered 9th class, it wouldn't be impossible.
“It's fine.”
“Well, if I get to work with a Dragon Heart, that's all that matters to me.”
Truly a dwarf.
Only they would obsess fanatically over rare materials regardless of what happened to others.
But their skills were unmatched, so personality didn't matter.
“Alright then, let's hear your request. What kind of sword do you want? I can make just about anything, so don't hold back—tell me everything.”
What confidence.
The longsword hanging on the wall would be hailed as a masterpiece in the human world.
If he made that in his spare time, his full effort would produce something legendary.
“The sword I have in mind is...”
He had used Scud for five years.
From when he was small until now, it fit his hand perfectly.
But a sword like Scud wouldn't do.
The ultimate swordsmanship Jamie pursued couldn't be achieved with such a nimble blade.
'Grandfather's legacy.'
Extreme Swordsmanship.
Heaven-Splitting Strike.
The ultimate technique Cheville Welton had left for Jamie.
Darius had only glimpsed its essence when demonstrating, failing to fully replicate the Single Strike Sword's secrets, but now Jamie knew how extraordinary it was.
A thin blade like Scud couldn't withstand it.
It would shatter under the pressure of cleaving space.
No matter the material.
“Not quite two-handed, but a bit larger would be good. Grippable with one hand, but with a thicker blade, and the width about a finger joint wider than my middle finger. Length like that one, or a bit longer, would work.”
“You need high durability, huh?”
“Yes. I think the sword is key to the realm I'm aiming for.”
“Can't you just reinforce the hardness with magic? You're a great mage.”
As he said, a sword's hardness could be enhanced with magic.
But 'Extreme Swordsmanship: Heaven-Splitting Strike' wasn't about simply making the sword tougher.
“It'll cleave space.”
“...Cleave space.”
Ironrill finally understood and nodded.
“Yeah, to cleave space, mere toughness won't cut it. What you need is a sword that can endure being saturated with mana.”
“That's a better way to put it. A sword that holds up even when infused with mana. That way, the edge won't chip when cleaving space.”
No ordinary sword could cleave space.
Cleaving space itself was a mana-based technique.
If it were just basic space-cleaving, Scud would suffice.
With enough refinement, you could minimize mana usage.
But 'Extreme Swordsmanship: Heaven-Splitting Strike' was beyond that.
Space-cleaving was already superhuman, but this was the Single Strike Sword's ultimate secret art.
He had no idea how much mana it would require.
“Got it. But you won't even need to make it exactly like you said.”
“What do you mean?”
“You gave me prime material. A Dragon Heart has mana affinity that outclasses any substance in this world. You get it, right, at your level?”
In other words, forging a sword from the Dragon Heart meant it wouldn't break even if flooded with mana.
“But what about the sword's inherent durability?”
“Who do you think I am?”
“...The Frontier's blacksmith dwarf.”
“You only see the surface, huh. Hmph. This body here is 'Five Hands.'”
Jamie's eyes widened at that.
Five Hands.
A title held by only five in the dwarf world: great blacksmiths whose skill touched the heavens.
Every weapon they forged ascended to the rank of true legendary blades.
Not just good swords—real masterpieces.
“So trust me and leave it to me. I'll make you the perfect sword. As payment for letting me touch the Dragon Heart.”
Ironrill spoke with utter confidence.
Five Hands.
This was what they called luck.
“Looking forward to it.”
“I'll make you something awesome.”
“You sound reliable, Ironrill!”
“Call me Rill! Hahahahaha!”
“Hahahahaha!”
The two burst into roaring laughter, facing each other for a good while.
“Take care of it.”
“I'll put it to good use.”
Ironrill received the Dragon Heart from Jamie and caressed it as if it were the greatest treasure.
It truly was an incredible treasure.
As Jamie turned to leave the forge after entrusting the sword, something in the corner caught his eye.
“Huh?”
“What's up?”
“That.”
He pointed at it and asked Ironrill.
“What is that?”
It was a long black rod with three pairs of short protrusions on either side, seemingly the same material.
He had never seen anything like it, but he felt a familiar energy from it.
'My power...'
At that moment, Isis's words came to mind.
'I don't know exactly what it's for, but our head blacksmith is hammering away at it right now.'
Come to think of it, he'd heard one of Diablo Volpir's five relics was here.
He had completely forgotten amid conversations with the ancient god Osiris and insights from the battle with Hawks.
Ironrill said,
“Our leader gave it to me to figure out what it is. It seems like something amazing, but I have no clue. Even with my skills, it's too tough to pry apart.”
Jamie picked it up as if possessed.
Ironrill didn't stop him.
Touching it wouldn't change anything, and if it did, it couldn't be bad.
'A mystery chunk of metal. If he figures it out, I'd be grateful.'
But what happened next far exceeded Ironrill's expectations.
“Wh-what?!”
“Is this the feeling?”
Jamie gripped the unidentified rod and infused it with black mana.
The rod and its wing-like protrusions began cracking with blue fissures.
Then it clung to his hand, wrapping his entire right arm and swiftly enveloping his whole body.
It looked like black sand particles swirling around him.
It could have been dangerous, but Jamie accepted it fully without hesitation.
“Heh heh. No way this is...”
Ironrill chuckled as he watched Jamie transform.
The pitch-black covering molded sleekly to his body, adjusting to his frame.
It densified at elbows and knees, hardening around the ribcage and vital points.
Around his head, it formed to his features, creating slits connected to the outside.
The overall form was sleek—and unmistakably familiar to anyone.
“Full-body armor!”
[Hmm.]
Jamie's voice echoed through the armor, slightly distorted.
He tapped his chest.
The gloves stretched well yet were rigid below the thumb like metal guards.
His chest was the same.
The ribcage covering was designed for superior defense.
But defense wasn't the issue.
[I'll step outside for a moment.]
Jamie said that and went out.
Ironrill scurried after him on his short legs.
The forge was far from the village paths, so no one else was around.
There, Jamie jumped lightly.
Truly lightly.
By the force in his legs, maybe 50cm?
Normally, yes.
But now...
“Whoa!!”
Ironrill's astonished shout came from below.
Jamie was shocked too.
He hadn't used any mana—just pure physical ability for a light jump.
'The power of this armor?'
Jamie looked down at tiny Ironrill and the forge.
He had leaped about 10 meters.
Even a master warrior couldn't jump that high on physical strength alone.
Not even one of the three chosen races.
Just a 'light' jump reaching 10m was impossible.
What about full power?
Jamie landed and leaped with all his might.
Boom-!
A heavy thud echoed from below, the ground cracking slightly underfoot.
The scenery blurred past rapidly.
Oddly, despite full coverage, the armor let him feel the wind on his skin.
[Hahahahaha!]
Crossing 50m in an instant, Jamie laughed heartily high in the sky.
He had acquired something incredible.
'Whoever made this... deserves high praise!'
Whoever it was, they had used his black mana to create something magnificent.
Thrilled for the first time in ages, Jamie leaped skyward again and again.
“...You're gonna wreck my house, you idiot.”
Ironrill muttered with a grimace amid the booming earth tremors.