175 – Sacrificial Ritual – 8

The one with the longest beard among the dwarves stepped forward and presided over the ritual.

While all the dwarves watched the scene solemnly, Glittertoss carefully stepped forward and placed the orichalcum sword on the altar.

Gi-jun watched the ceremony, which was being conducted in such an endlessly serious atmosphere, and thought about their faith.

‘I was told those dwarves also came from different civilizations. Still, what on earth is the power of faith that binds them as one… Of course, it might also be because they gave up on the Civilization War early on and remained in Leta.’

And those thoughts soon drifted to the Civilization War they were currently waging.

A war that was raging fiercely not only between light and darkness, but also among the individual civilizations that made up those factions.

There was no intention of producing a winner.

The war itself, which was difficult for any specific individual to gain an advantage in and thus bound to continue inevitably, was the purpose of the gods who governed Leta.

Just as war had always developed weapons in human history, the continuous war was an environment suitable for birthing a small number of powerful beings.

Then, what was their purpose for birthing such powerhouses?

The true enemy on the outside…

What was that danger that Biche might be facing right now?

‘…Ha, am I thinking useless thoughts just because I have a bit of breathing room?’

Gi-jun soon self-deprecatingly shook off those thoughts.

While it was true that he had resolved several major quests and even hunted a deity, that was merely the result of countless strokes of luck overlapping, and it had not been accomplished solely through Gi-jun’s own abilities.

The continent was still overflowing with strong beings, and since he could not even dream of setting foot on the front lines, let alone Frontier, the kingdom of the Summoned, it meant he was in no position to be worrying about what lay beyond yet.

“O Ptah, please accept the offering presented by this humble dwarf!”

While he was clearing his thoughts, the ritual had reached its climax before he knew it.

Glittertoss, who took the sword back from the altar, stood in front of the crater and threw it in resolutely.

The moment the greatsword—which he had not even checked the information of because he did not want to overthink things, but would have easily achieved Legendary grade—fell helplessly into the crater.

A stream of red lava surged out from inside the crater, which had shown no signs of erupting.

“Ah…?!”

Everyone widened their eyes in astonishment.

Even in the midst of that, stream after stream of lava erupted from inside the crater.

They all shot up infinitely high, as if reaching for the edge of the sky.

“Lord Ptah…!”

“He is responding to us!”

Deeply moved by the sight, the dwarves prostrated themselves on the spot.

However, Gi-jun watched the scene with a cold expression.

Frankly speaking, they had already been fooled by a fake once, so there was no law saying another fake could not appear.

“It’s incredible heat… At least, compared to that half-baked divinity Jun defeated, the level is definitely higher.”

Tilla, who had been muttering that while looking at the lava stream that was clearing away all the clouds and dyeing the sky endlessly red, suddenly became conscious of Gi-jun’s gaze and spoke in a flustered, apologetic tone.

“N-No! I didn’t mean to devalue the achievement Jun made! I just meant it really looks like the main god they worship has descended…!”

A rueful smile played on Gi-jun’s lips.

“It’s fine, Tilla. In the first place, if the opponent had been a complete god, how could I have won? I also know very well that the feat I achieved is only half-baked.”

“Jun?! No, the one that was half-baked was only that Pupil…!”

“It’s a joke.”

Even while he enjoyed her reaction by teasing Tilla, who was flustered in fear of having hurt Gi-jun’s feelings, more and more streams of lava shot up.

The thrown orichalcum sword did not fall into the crater, but drifted upward, balancing and floating among the streams of lava.

The very moment everyone’s eyes focused on the sword, it emitted a dazzling light and slowly vanished.

No—it must have been offered to the god.

—The sword, born from the harmony of the three elements—the material containing divinity, the sacred relic of the blacksmith god, and the status of the hero who retrieved it—satisfies the conditions as an offering to the god. The blacksmith god is now able to interfere with the volcano in a limited and indirect manner.

—The blacksmith god is highly satisfied with the offering and bestows a blessing upon Uralta. A new divinity dwells in the volcano from which divinity was drained, increasing the intensity of the flames sparked in the area and adding a positive modifier to all results created using the flames. Higher-quality minerals will be produced in the area.

—The sword, born from the harmony of the three elements—the material containing divinity, the sacred relic of the blacksmith god, and the status of the hero who retrieved it—satisfies the conditions as an offering to the god. The blacksmith god is now able to interfere with the volcano in a limited and indirect manner.

—The blacksmith god is highly satisfied with the offering and bestows a blessing upon Uralta. A new divinity dwells in the volcano from which divinity was drained, increasing the intensity of the flames sparked in the area and adding a positive modifier to all results created using the flames. Higher-quality minerals will be produced in the area.

The system messages appeared as if they had been waiting.

While he was surprised that the ritual was truly successful, it also made natural sense to him somehow.

If their faith was an ancient one, they must have performed the ritual and received the god’s blessing even before coming to Uralta.

However, in the past, they had failed to do so in Uralta.

The answer, as the system message that just appeared informed him, was because ‘a deity was already residing in the volcano.’

‘And now, it has finally found its rightful place.’

Reading the will of Ptah, who did not show himself directly but only conveyed his intentions indirectly through a flashy ritual and system messages, Gi-jun narrowed his eyes and fell into thought for a moment.

Because of that, he was a fraction of a second late in noticing the stream of lava that was approaching right before his eyes.

—Contractor?!

—Kee, keet.

Lucy, responding in Gi-jun’s stead, tried to block it, but Ur hurriedly intervened and stopped her.

He had felt that there was no malice toward Gi-jun.

Immediately after Ur stopped Lucy, the stream of lava poured over Gi-jun and seeped into his entire body.

With all kinds of resistance skills in addition to his contract with Ur, the current Gi-jun naturally would not suffer burns from just touching lava—but this was not at that level.

The lava, which was not even a sports drink, was being absorbed into his entire body faster than water.

—The blacksmith god bestows a blessing upon you, who helped the wandering believers realize the truth, defeated the half-baked deity that impersonated him, and further made a significant contribution to crafting the offering to be dedicated to him. All stats increase by 1.

—The effect of Vulcan’s Hammer is enhanced.

—The blacksmith god bestows a blessing upon you, who helped the wandering believers realize the truth, defeated the half-baked deity that impersonated him, and further made a significant contribution to crafting the offering to be dedicated to him. All stats increase by 1.

—The effect of Vulcan’s Hammer is enhanced.

At that moment, the hammer that had been resting in his inventory popped out on its own, circling around Gi-jun while emitting a dazzling light.

[Vulcan’s Hammer (Epic Secret)]

[Durability — Indestructible]

[Attack Power (E) — 20]

[Option 1 — If possessing a Blacksmithing skill of Epic grade or higher, the Hammer of God (God) skill can be cast.]

[Option 2 — When the Divine Workshop is established, it reveals its true appearance and makes the results of the work optimal.]

[Option 3 — Mythic Flame (Epic) is activated as a passive effect. It adds divinity to the flames handled by the holder and amplifies their power by 40%.]

[Equip Restriction — Blacksmithing Skill Legendary grade or higher, or one who has received the god’s blessing]

[A divine relic allowed to be wielded only by a blacksmith blessed by the blacksmith god. The intense divine flame overflowing from the relic will protect the target from darkness just by holding it.]

[Vulcan’s Hammer (Epic Secret)]

[Durability — Indestructible]

[Attack Power (E) — 20]

[Option 1 — If possessing a Blacksmithing skill of Epic grade or higher, the Hammer of God (God) skill can be cast.]

[Option 2 — When the Divine Workshop is established, it reveals its true appearance and makes the results of the work optimal.]

[Option 3 — Mythic Flame (Epic) is activated as a passive effect. It adds divinity to the flames handled by the holder and amplifies their power by 40%.]

[Equip Restriction — Blacksmithing Skill Legendary grade or higher, or one who has received the god’s blessing]

[A divine relic allowed to be wielded only by a blacksmith blessed by the blacksmith god. The intense divine flame overflowing from the relic will protect the target from darkness just by holding it.]

Although various options including the attack power had changed, the most noticeable thing was that the most annoying option attached to Vulcan’s Hammer, ‘restriction on combat abilities,’ had disappeared.

Since the combat restriction option had disappeared and he could now exert Epic-grade attack power, there was no problem even if Gi-jun fought with this in an emergency.

Not only that, but the power that amplified the flame’s output had also risen by a whopping 10%, from 30% to 40%.

Thinking that Ptah might indeed be in a different position from the gods who wished to restrict him, Gi-jun turned his gaze, only to see Glittertoss absorbing the lava just like he was.

“P-Ptah has personally bestowed his blessing!”

“Setting the hero aside, why Glittertoss…! He merely repented for his mistakes!”

“You fool, how dare you say such nonsense to a blacksmith who received Lord Ptah’s blessing!”

“Yeah! If you’re so jealous, go make a better piece of equipment and offer it to Lord Ptah!”

“To think the god Ptah would bestow his blessing so actively… It’s fine now, we have nothing to worry about in Uralta anymore!”

While everyone whispered as they looked back and forth between Gi-jun and Glittertoss with shocked expressions, the lava slowly subsided.

The color of the sky returned to normal, the crater grew quiet, and yet, a heat that was somehow a level hotter than before hovered in the surroundings.

Finally, a small miracle occurred: the metal altar temporarily set up near the crater dyed red, and four stone pillars rose around it, surrounding the altar as if to protect it.

“It’s a temple! Lord Ptah has recognized this place as a temple!”

“Ah, Ptah…!”

The dwarves cried out, overwhelmed with emotion.

They looked like nothing less than fanatics—but who could argue when a miracle responding to their faith had actually occurred right before their eyes?

Gi-jun, along with his party members who had somewhat dazed expressions, could only slowly clap and celebrate the success of the ritual.

“Now then, it’s time to settle the bill.”

Glittertoss flinched at the words Gi-jun quietly uttered.

His benevolent smiling face felt exceptionally chilling, but the dwarf no longer had any escape route left.

“First, my full plate armor, as well as the armor of my party members. On top of that, my shield, Shin’s two daggers, Tilla’s whip…”

“I would like to make a chain, Lord Jun. It seems like it can harmonize with both holy magic and blood magic.”

“Right, and a chain for Lora as well. Did you write all that down, Glittertoss?”

Glittertoss replied, his beard trembling.

“Do you know that I stayed up for three days and nights straight working until today, VVIP…?”

“Don’t worry too much. I know very well that people need rest. Unlike a certain someone.”

“Y-Yes. I was also just about to test my newly acquired abilities, so as long as I’m given enough time, I can do as much as…”

“Glittertoss, unfortunately, time is not that plentiful. We’ve already wasted quite a bit of time waiting for the ritual, after all.”

“That is basically the same as telling me to strike the hammer without resting… No, wait!”

Glittertoss, spotting the backs of the dwarves who were already quietly beginning to descend the mountain, pointed at them and shouted.

“Couldn’t we commission the other dwarves as well! They are also heavily indebted to VVIP this time, so they will surely be happy to make equipment for you!”

“But there’s only one Vulcan’s Hammer.”

He had already confirmed that Glittertoss could handle the hammer properly.

Although he couldn’t know for sure, since the dwarf had even received Ptah’s blessing today, his skills would have improved if anything, not regressed.

He was certain that Glittertoss was the only artisan in Uralta who could process dragon materials.

“No—fine, I get it.”

Realizing there was no way left to escape, the dwarf let his head droop and asked him in a cautious voice.

“I’ll get a late-night snack, right?”

“Of course. I can even prepare three meals a day for you.”

“That sounds like you’re going to watch me every single day.”

“…”

“Why are you keeping your mouth shut, VVIP?”

With this, the dark clouds that had covered Uralta receded completely.

However, the dark clouds covering Glittertoss’s head were not expected to disappear anytime soon.

* * *

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Ptah? I’m a bit more familiar with Vulcan.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Bestowed a blessing? Oh, come on, what blessing. It’s just a reward agreed upon with the system. And if you trace it back to its root, it’s ultimately your own karma anyway.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): You did quite a few things this time too, didn’t you? Like beating up the arrogant Pupil who usurped another god’s power, hunting a divine beast, blocking the Overflow from the front lines to save many lives, or hunting a being composed entirely of orichalcum.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): It’s easiest to think of it as the system’s role to calculate achievements that originally couldn’t be quantified, the traces you’ve engraved on the world. The gods can never escape from that either.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): So, what I’m saying is, don’t go misunderstanding them as allies just because they’re treating you well right now.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): A god you can trust? What did you think I was saying?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): If you want to find a god you can at least have a conversation with rather than a transaction, you first have to find a being that has escaped the system’s influence.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): No, actually, don’t look. I know because I’ve met a few, but there isn’t a single decent one. How pathetic must they have been to get kicked out and sealed away?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): …You’re reading this message alone right now, right?]