Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Seven
With the awkward tension between Liana and Valeria still simmering, Crow turned his attention back to what truly mattered—power.
He stood on the jagged cliffside of the Forgotten Forge, a lost ruin buried beneath volcanic rock and stormy clouds, hidden away in the infernal region of Molgrath's Spine. Few players ever made it this far. Fewer still knew what lay beneath the magma-sealed gates.
Crow did.
He activated one of his hidden teleportation sigils, carved into the cliff a week before during his early preparations. With a flash of pale light, the seal released, and the entire cliffside shifted. A massive blackstone door groaned open, revealing stairs bathed in emberlight.
Descending alone, he entered the heart of the forge.
Molten rivers streamed along channels in the stone. Ancient anvil constructs glowed with divine heat. At the center, on a floating obsidian pedestal, hovered a shimmering black-and-gold tome.
[Hero Book: SSSSS-Rank – Ardyn, The Eternal Blacksmith]
This was no ordinary hero. Ardyn had forged weapons for the gods. His hammer could imbue items with true authority, turning even common weapons into relic-tier artifacts.
Crow approached, and the system chimed:
"You have discovered the Lost Hero Book of Ardyn. Claim Hero?"
Without hesitation, Crow selected [Yes].
The moment his hand touched the book, the forge roared to life. Molten metal surged. The temperature spiked. A projection of Ardyn, a towering bearded warrior in divine-forged armor, appeared before him.
"Wielder of fate… I serve only the worthy. You've drawn the ire of time and torn fate from its path. I accept."
The projection vanished. The book turned into motes of golden flame and vanished into Crow's inventory.
Now armed with one of the greatest blacksmiths in existence, Crow smirked to himself.
With Ardyn, he could equip his divine and Primordial units with gear the world had never seen.
Back on the surface, storm clouds parted as if sensing the balance of power had shifted once again.
And far above, in the heavens, a sleeping god stirred.