Episode 25
Upon receiving the message, Zeke dashed to Gelion’s forge without a moment’s delay.
“Gelion!”
As he entered the forge, he found Gelion looking utterly exhausted in front of the magical furnace, greeting Zeke with a weary nod.
“My lord… you’ve come.”
Seeing Gelion in such a state, Zeke was taken aback. When they had forged the Sun Sword Gram in his past life, Gelion hadn’t looked this worn out.
“Could it be… a failure?”
A wave of unease washed over him. Suppressing his anxiety, Zeke asked as calmly as he could, “Is the sword finished?”
Gelion nodded, and Zeke let out a sigh of relief. Gelion struggled to his feet and retrieved something from the back. He placed a wooden box covered with cloth in front of Zeke.
Zeke slowly removed the cloth to reveal the sword inside.
“What?”
Zeke was momentarily stunned. The sword looked nothing like the Sun Sword Gram he remembered. Gram had a coiled serpent design etched into its blade, a hallmark of its craftsmanship. But the sword before him was entirely black, with the blade and hilt fused together.
The most peculiar thing was the blade itself.
“Why isn’t the blade sharpened?”
A sword should be sharp and keen. Yet, the blade before him was blunt, as if it couldn’t even cut through air.
Gelion, sweating nervously, spoke up, “This sword… is meant to be like this.”
Zeke turned to Gelion, trying to understand his cryptic words. “Are you saying… this form is the one that suits me best?”
Gelion nodded fervently, his eyes filled with admiration. “Indeed…! You are different, my lord. Any other noble would have had me punished. But… this is the form that best suits you, as I have seen.”
A plain, blunt sword with a dull black surface. If it were displayed in a weapon shop, no one would give it a second glance.
‘Why is it so different from the Gram of my past life? Is it because we used a dragon’s tooth as material?’
Gram had been forged from a rare mix of mithril and pure iron. Zeke maintained his composure and asked Gelion, “So, what is this sword’s name?”
Gelion shook his head. “I couldn’t name it.”
The Sun Sword Gram had been named by Gelion himself, not Zeke. Zeke had to accept that this sword was entirely different from Gram.
“So, it’s up to me to name it.”
“Yes, this sword is meant for you to name.”
If Gelion, the master blacksmith, said so, it must be true. Zeke nodded and rolled up his sleeve. He focused his mana into his wrist and made a deliberate cut.
Drip!
Blood trickled from Zeke’s wrist, which he had forced to bleed by suppressing his healing factor. The droplets fell onto the blade.
Gelion was startled by Zeke’s actions. ‘He knows the ritual of naming a sword. Truly, he is no ordinary man.’
The sword-naming ritual was an ancient tradition, originating from the dwarves, known as the race of blacksmiths. It was so old that even many blacksmiths were unaware of it.
After letting his blood touch the sword, Zeke placed his hand on the blade. He closed his eyes, delving deep into his inner self to find a name for his new sword, one that was not the Sun Sword Gram.
From the depths of his mind, a name emerged.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Zeke’s heart pounded fiercely. He opened his eyes.
“Black Sword Bahamut. I bestow this name upon you.”
Vroom!
As Zeke named the sword, it vibrated intensely. Simultaneously, his blood seeped into the blade.
Vroom!
The emblem engraved on Zeke’s chest resonated with the sword. The sword lifted itself into the air. Zeke reached out and grasped Bahamut’s hilt.
[Black Sword Bahamut has been registered as equipment.]
[The abilities of Black Sword Bahamut have been unlocked.]
[The abilities of Black Sword Bahamut are sealed according to the user’s stats.]
[Black Sword Bahamut will grow alongside the user’s growth.]
Reading the messages, Zeke was astonished to learn that Bahamut could grow. He had thought growth-type weapons were mere legends. Even the Sun Sword Gram, though a masterpiece, wasn’t capable of growth.
As Zeke marveled, Bahamut’s information window appeared before him.
―Black Sword Bahamut Information―
Description: A sword forged from the hardest fang of the cursed dragon Bahamut, tempered by a master craftsman with the spiritual eye using the blue flame of magic.
Unique Abilities: Indestructible, Aura Conversion
Special Note: Sealed state (unseals in stages as the user grows)
‘Indestructible as a unique ability?’
Though made from a dragon’s tooth, he hadn’t expected an indestructible sword. In the past, Gram had sustained damage in battles, and Zeke had often brought it to Gelion for repairs. But with Bahamut’s indestructible trait, he wouldn’t have to worry about it breaking or getting damaged.
More than that, Zeke was intrigued by the aura conversion ability. He swallowed hard and focused his mana into Bahamut.
Vroom!
It felt similar to when he wielded Gram. Zeke converted his condensed mana into aura.
Whoosh!
The invisible mana transformed into a vivid aura. Gelion, witnessing this, was taken aback.
“A-An aura.”
Seeing the bright aura enveloping Zeke’s sword, Gelion was in disbelief. Creating such a clear aura meant Zeke was at least at the level of a violet knight.
Zeke turned to Gelion. “Gelion, may I test the sword?”
“Of course, my lord.”
Zeke picked up a failed sword from a pile in the corner of the forge and tossed it into the air. His aura-infused sword moved swiftly.
Slice!
In an instant, the sword was cut into ten pieces, falling to the ground. Though it was a failed sword, it was made of solid pure iron. Gelion’s jaw dropped at the sight of Zeke slicing through it with a blunt blade.
Zeke continued to toss and slice through other broken swords with Bahamut. He could feel the sword becoming more familiar in his hands.
After cutting through ten swords, Zeke finally sheathed his weapon. He looked at Gelion with newfound respect.
‘You’ve truly crafted an extraordinary sword.’
Every swing felt as if the sword was an extension of his arm. The Sun Sword Gram was excellent, but it couldn’t compare to Bahamut. Though its appearance was unassuming, it was a masterpiece among masterpieces.
“You’ve done an incredible job, Gelion.”
Zeke took out a few items he had brought for Gelion. They were precious gemstones from the Dragon Slayer’s Tomb.
“My lord, the magical furnace you provided is more than enough.”
“Take them. I have more requests for you in the future, so consider it a token of appreciation.”
Compared to the effort Gelion put into crafting such a legendary sword, this was nothing.
Gelion’s eyes welled up with tears at Zeke’s generosity. Then, as if remembering something, he hurried inside and returned with an item.
It was a scabbard.
“What is this, Gelion?”
“It was made by my master. I wish to give it to you, my lord.”
“Your master?”
In his past life, Zeke had never heard Gelion mention a master. Curious, he examined the scabbard Gelion handed him. It had a name inscribed in Dwarvish.
“Golin Yober? Could it be that Golin?”
Zeke was surprised to learn that Gelion’s master was the renowned dwarf blacksmith Golin, while Gelion was amazed that Zeke could read Dwarvish.
Zeke looked at Gelion, who nodded in confirmation. “Are you sure you want to give me something so valuable?”
“Of course, my lord. It’s nothing compared to the kindness you’ve shown me…”
Golin was famous for creating intricate mechanical devices. Collectors were willing to pay thousands of gold for anything made by him.
“I’ve received a truly precious gift.”
“I’m glad you like it, my lord. Let me show you how to use the scabbard.”
“Does it have a special function? Ah, if Golin made it, it must.”
Gelion held the scabbard and turned a dial on its side. Suddenly, the scabbard unfolded into a shield large enough to cover half a body.
“My goodness.”
Zeke was astonished by the transformation. Unlike typical shields, it wasn’t heavy.
“It’s made from mithril, wyvern bones, and basilisk leather, so it’s light but more durable than an iron shield.”
Gelion turned the dial again, and the shield reverted to its original scabbard form. Though he didn’t understand the mechanism, it was sure to be useful in battle.
“Thank you, Gelion.”
Zeke sheathed Bahamut in the scabbard he received from Gelion. The claymore-sized Bahamut fit perfectly.
Gellion watched Zeke with a satisfied expression as he admired the Bahamut-imbued sword.
After leaving Gellion’s forge, Zeke returned to his personal training ground to finish tallying up the points he hadn’t completed earlier.
First, he decided to open the random boxes he had received.
He took out two random boxes from his inventory and placed them on the floor of the training ground.
The random boxes resembled the sealed boxes found in dungeons.
“Let’s see what we’ve got here.”
He murmured to himself with excitement as he opened the box on the left.
“What’s this?”
Inside the box was a gauntlet.
Zeke used his dragon sight to examine the gauntlet’s details.
― Gauntlet Information ―
Description: A gauntlet made from sturdy yet lightweight meteoric iron.
Unique Ability: None
Special Note: Activates a unique ability when the full meteoric iron set is equipped.
Zeke slipped the gauntlet onto his hand.
It felt light yet solid, promising to be quite useful.
“Not a bad start.”
He then opened the random box next to it.
To his surprise, the second box contained a single sheet of paper.
“What could this be?”
Zeke picked up the paper from the box.
Immediately, the system activated.
[You have discovered a map containing traces of Grandmaster Kaishir.]
[The system will interpret and automatically correct the damaged parts of the map.]
[The location of the ancient ruins has been confirmed.]
Reading the automatically generated text, Zeke muttered in disbelief.
“Grandmaster Kaishir? Could it be the legendary hero king Kaishir?”
At the same time, a map appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[Location confirmation complete.]
The map highlighted a spot near the Giant Mountain Range.
Zeke frowned as he recognized the location.
‘That’s in the territory of the Barbarians.’
Before his regression, Zeke had practically lived in the Giant Mountain Range for a time.
The Barbarian tribes, isolated from other nations and maintaining their own unique culture, were notoriously difficult to deal with.
Just then, another message window popped up in front of Zeke.
[Ending the tutorial based on the user’s level.]
[Starting the achievement quest.]
― Achievement Quest Mission ―
[Acquire the vision left by Grandmaster Kaishir at the ruins containing his traces. (No time limit)]
[Quest Mission Reward: System Administrator Privilege Upgrade]
Zeke’s jaw dropped as he read the message.