Chapter 278
Episode 88: The Unwelcome Celebration Party, An Unexpected Encounter (4)

“Eh…?!”

Bin jumped in surprise, glancing around nervously.

But no matter how much he looked, the source of the strange, resonant voice was inside his own head.

[What are you doing, Bin Blanche? Why haven’t you taken it yet?]

The voice pressed again—it was the voice of the God of the Forge.

In Jin’s past life, Bin had first communicated with the God of the Forge five years from now.

But because Jin had found him, history was shifting.

And that voice wasn’t only audible to Bin Blanche.

“Take Bradamante? No way. Why can I hear the God of the Forge’s voice too?”

Normally, unless you were a contractor, hearing a god’s voice was nearly impossible.

It required either a powerful prayer that attracted the god’s attention or the god descending through an avatar.

But Jin had experienced something similar on Island 32 of the Bluebird Archipelago.

“Like Sigmund and Gram, maybe Bradamante also has a close connection to the God of the Forge?”

While Jin pondered this, Bin looked utterly lost in the sudden situation.

He glanced around a few times, tried to locate the voice’s source, then concluded it was just a hallucination and bowed deeply to Jin.

“Th-thank you! My lord, you saved my life. It seems you came to rescue me, but if you could tell me your name… ugh!”

As Bin bowed, he suddenly made a strange noise and stumbled backward.

“W-what is this?!”

[Strike him! Bin Blanche, with this sword! That one gives off a very unpleasant aura.]

Creak, creak…!

Bin’s panic grew as a sword suddenly materialized in his hand.

Dark, jagged pieces of metal swirled around him, forming the blade.

At the same time, Jin’s eyes flickered with interest.

‘The metal is shaping itself into a sword…!?’

This was something Jin had seen before.

The Captain Kinzel.

In the old Oterium, he had also manipulated metal to create swords and gates, just like Bin was now.

[I’ll lend you my power. Subdue that guy and take Bradamante. Bin Blanche, this must be confusing, but you are actually my contractor. You were born that way. I am the God of the Forge and your ancestor. If you listen to me now, I will properly train you.]

The God of the Forge had no idea that Jin could hear his voice.

Meanwhile, Bin was going crazy worrying that Jin might be hearing it too—since Jin showed no outward reaction, Bin couldn’t tell.

“My lord! Just to avoid any misunderstanding, I don’t even know who this voice belongs to. I’m just grateful you saved me, but why is there suddenly a sword in my hand? Aaaah!”

Shaaak!

Bin swung the sword down.

Not as a threat, but with clear intent to split himself in half from the crown of his head down.

The blade was even surrounded by an aura.

Jin lightly stepped aside, dodging the strike with a smooth footwork.

[Bin, what are you doing? I’m giving you power, and I even showed you how. Attack him now—I’ll keep helping. Judging by his movements, he’s quite skilled with a blade.]

Of course, that strike wasn’t Bin’s will.

It was the God of the Forge forcing his hand.

“My lord! Can you hear this voice? I’m not doing this! Something is controlling my body against my will!”

Bin shouted, his face pale as death.

[He can’t hear me. Listen to me! Bin, you have to take my creation.]

“Get out of my body, you evil spirit!”

Jin felt like he was watching a ridiculous farce unfold.

But despite the absurdity, the God of the Forge’s words contained intriguing information.

‘He said Bradamante is his creation and that he’s Bin’s ancestor. As if he were the real Picon Mince himself.’

Plus, the ability to manipulate iron, just like Captain Kinzel.

Jin decided he needed to talk to the God of the Forge.

“Bin Blanche.”

“My lord! Sorry, of all times, this crazy spirit shows up now.”

“I understand you weren’t the one attacking me. It must be the will of the spirit claiming to be the God of the Forge. He’s making a fuss about taking Bradamante.”

Bin nodded vigorously, tears welling up.

“That’s right!”

Meanwhile, the God of the Forge was startled.

[W-what? You can hear my voice?]

He kept calling Jin “that guy” and “this one,” randomly insulting his savior and contractor.

At this point, even if he was a god, there was no need to show respect.

“I hear you loud and clear, spirit.”

[Hah, fascinating. You say you can hear me… But you insignificant human, how dare you call me a spirit? I am the great God of the Forge, Picon Mince!]

The God of the Forge known to the world wasn’t Picon Mince—it was Groller.

“The God of the Forge isn’t Picon Mince, it’s Groller.”

[Ha! Groller, huh. He was the God of the Forge once. But Picon Mince’s forging skills were superior. Groller is dead. You wouldn’t know such an incredible story, though.]

“You’re spouting nonsense.”

[Where is Bradamante? Hand it over, and I’ll overlook your rudeness and let you die painlessly.]

By then, Bin had been completely overtaken by Picon, losing all reason.

The whites of his eyes glowed faintly, and his grip on the sword was filled with murderous intent.

But like Paytel borrowing Julian’s body in the Bluebird Archipelago, this wasn’t a perfect avatar.

Picon hadn’t yet accumulated enough divinity to fully manifest, so he could only forcibly seize the contractor’s body.

Even Jin, a “novice god” like Picon, didn’t know this.

“Hey, Picon Mince. You keep threatening to kill me—are you ready to take responsibility for those words?”

[Hmph! Did you think calling me a skilled swordsman was a compliment?]

Jin chuckled.

‘Since returning to the family, I’ve already had two fights over Bradamante.’

Instead of revealing he was Runkandel, Jin stabbed Bradamante into the ground. Thud!

“Take it, if you can.”

[You brat!]

Metal gathered swiftly around Picon again.

After the sword came armor and a shield. The metal quickly formed new equipment, and Jin watched carefully.

‘I’ve never heard of the God of the Forge having this power. Still, it’s strikingly similar to Captain Kinzel’s ability.’

But now it was clear the difference from Kinzel’s power.

Kinzel’s was definitely on another level.

Picon’s iron armor was rough, while Kinzel’s sword and gate had an indescribable perfection.

‘Did Kinzel absorb Groller’s power, or was it like the Demon God Stone, where Kinzel absorbed Groller himself?’

That’s why the God of the Forge’s position became vacant, and Picon Mince took over as the new god.

The thought suddenly struck Jin.

‘Anyway, Picon Mince’s combat ability isn’t threatening.’

Jin couldn’t understand what gave Picon such confidence—his skills were mediocre at best.

Snap!

Jin dodged the sword and threw a punch.

Crack…!

The shield shattered with a single blow, and Picon—

Only then did he realize his mistake.

It wasn’t because Jin’s punch broke the shield.

Nor because Jin broke the armor and was about to strike again.

‘That aura…!?’

The sword’s aura surrounding Jin’s fist.

In Picon’s mind, possessing that aura meant having the right to own Bradamante.

[Wait! There’s been a mistake! You’re Solderet’s…!]

The moment he heard the name Solderet, Picon flinched, but Jin pretended not to notice.

He figured he had to land one more hit.

Crack!

Picon was hit squarely on the jaw and rolled backward four times.

“What did you say?”

Jin asked, and Picon jumped up, shouting.

[Damn it! Why didn’t you say from the start that you’re Solderet’s contractor?!]

“Did I even get a chance to say that? And why does it matter?”

[Even if you didn’t, you should have revealed it yourself!]

Picon yelled, but unlike before, his tone was oddly pleased.

Jin could sense that just by showing his aura, the initiative had completely shifted to him.

“Stop spouting nonsense and apologize now. I’ll overlook your earlier rudeness.”

Picon frowned but had no comeback.

[Sorry. At first, I just felt a strange aura from you, so I never thought you’d be Solderet’s contractor.]

“Oh, that’s unexpected. I thought you’d be foaming at the mouth with insults. By the way, strange aura?”

Picon pointed at Sigmund hanging from Jin’s waist.

[Now that I think about it, it must have been that strange, venomous sword that threw me off. I’m not entirely sure, but it seems to be a blade that’s slain many gods and sealed divine powers… Maybe that’s why, the moment I saw you, an overwhelming sense of disgust surged within me.]

The instant Pikon laid eyes on Jin, what he felt was a ‘godly instinct.’

Since Pikon had only recently become a god, he was unaware of the war between the Underworld clan and the gods that took place half a millennium ago.

Still, the aura of Sigmund—the god-slaying, god-sealing sword—filled him with an indescribable revulsion.

And on top of that, Jin was wielding Bradamante. Pikon’s only thought was that he had to retrieve it at all costs.

A brief silence fell.

[What is your name? I’m guessing you’re a descendant of Runcandel and Temar.]

“My name is Jin Runcandel.”

[Good. Jin Runcandel. A thousand years ago, when Solderet enshrined me as a god, he said this:]

Even if the forge god’s position had become vacant, and no matter how close Pikon Minche’s smithing skills were to divine art—

For a mere human like Pikon to simply ascend to godhood was impossible. It was Solderet who used his power and status to elevate him to godhood.

[Among those who made contracts with the shadows, those who brought back Bradamante or Barisada were instructed to be shown the land where Temar was first laid to rest. They were also told to have his sword reforged once more.]