Chapter 44
With trembling hands, Jackson carefully unwrapped the cloth bundle.
What emerged from within was a single hammer, its surface bearing the unmistakable patina of time.
The Steel & Anvil family heirloom.
“…….”
It wasn’t the first time he had seen it. It wasn’t the first time he had held it.
Yet why did his heart pound as if it would burst?
In the past, simply looking at the hammer had made his chest ache as though his own flesh was being carved away.
The family treasure that his father had repeatedly urged him to cherish had felt like nothing more than an unbearably heavy burden.
But at this moment—
Instead of unpleasant pressure or self-loathing, pure joy welled up inside Jackson’s chest.
‘I see.’
The old man gently stroked his right arm where the brand had once been.
Recalling the face of the boy who had removed the brand, he smiled quietly.
‘Because that person freed me from my shackles.’
That was why his heart felt so light.
The brand was gone. Now he no longer had to sacrifice his lifespan every time he swung the hammer.
He no longer had to force himself to wield it while tormented by the curse.
Unbound by anything, he could burn his soul purely as a craftsman.
Clang!
The hammer, swung with full force, struck the silver blade resting on the anvil.
Each collision of metal against metal filled the forge with a clear, resonant echo.
At some point, the trembling in Jackson’s hands had completely vanished.
The old man’s movements as he hammered the sword were so light they seemed ready to take flight.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A scorching heat, like a wildfire, filled the workshop.
It wasn’t from the flames in the furnace, but from the blazing passion Jackson poured into his work.
‘Everything I have… into this single blade.’
Pour everything in.
As he continued hammering without pause, Jackson truly felt that way.
This would be the masterpiece of a lifetime—one he would never be able to create again.
Because the one who would wield this sword was none other than the benefactor who had severed the family’s curse.
‘Until your life comes to an end, this sword will never break.’
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The continent’s greatest blade was not born from mindless hammering alone.
No matter how excellent the materials or how outstanding the skill, without the maker’s sincere wish and will infused into it, it could not be completed.
‘Even if a god stands in your way, as long as you hold this sword, you will never be defeated.’
Even after the forging was finished, the heated blade cooled, and he began the polishing process, Jackson continued to pour his will into the sword, his eyes never losing their fervor.
The obsession to place the strongest blade on earth into that person’s hands was what sustained the old man.
And finally—
“Whew.”
Having completed the polishing, Jackson looked down at the single sword neatly laid on the workbench.
Even just by sight, its sharpness seemed sharp enough to cut flesh.
The chilling sword light flashing from the tip illuminated the dimly lit forge in brilliant white.
Jackson wiped the sweat running down his cheek with the back of his hand and let out a wry laugh.
“I shouldn’t say this myself, but this is really…”
A masterpiece.
All the secret techniques the Steel & Anvil family had accumulated across generations were contained within this single blade.
No matter how many thousands or tens of thousands of swords he made until the day he died, he would never be able to create a more perfect work than this.
With that conviction, Jackson’s gaze turned to the groove carved into the grip.
“Now all that’s left is…”
To complete it, he simply needed to set the <Dragon Eyes> into that small groove like the final touch of a painting.
Jackson picked up the <Dragon Eyes>, which he had carefully stored in the corner of the workshop, using metal tongs, and approached the sword.
Then, handling it as carefully as if it were a bomb, he inserted it into the groove on the grip.
Ziiiing—!
The dragon’s pupil glowed with a noble emerald light as a powerful sword cry rang out.
Other swords had been destroyed in less than three seconds by the intense mana flowing from the <Dragon Eyes>, but…
This time was different. As expected of a blade made from Vulcart, it accepted the dragon’s mana without a single scratch.
‘No. It’s more than just not getting scratched—’
The more mana it absorbed, the harder and sharper it became.
The dragon’s authority flowing from the pupil was breaking through the sword’s innate limits.
‘…The sword is evolving on its own by resonating with the <Dragon Eyes>.’
An item that continued to elevate its own rank even after the blacksmith’s hands had left it.
Even Jackson, whose knowledge of metallurgy had reached its peak, had never seen such a case before.
More frightening than the effect of the <Dragon Eyes> itself was Ruth’s insight in recognizing the true value of such an absurd item first.
As Jackson watched the sword with a look of awe and fascination—
Crackle—!!
“……!”
A vivid blue spark suddenly erupted across the silver blade.
At the same time—
Shiiiing—
The sword lying on the workbench rose into the air by itself, as if it possessed a will of its own.
“……What!”
Startled, Jackson hurriedly stepped back.
Aaaaaaaa—!!
A dragon’s roar that seemed to crush the soul exploded forth.
Meanwhile.
“……Hm?”
<Wait, could this be…?>
Ruth and Entur, who had been quietly waiting outside the forge for the sword to be completed, flinched in surprise.
The dragon’s roar that suddenly erupted from inside the forge had reached their ears as well.
<This sound is definitely from this body’s—>
“Grandfather!”
Nora, who had been chatting with Ruth, jumped up in shock and rushed into the forge.
Ruth quickly followed behind her, only to find—
Rumble—!!
A completely different world had unfolded inside the forge.
A straight sword fixed in the air like a cross. And the vivid blue waves radiating from it.
The <Dragon Eyes> embedded in the grip were emitting a fierce glare, dominating the entire workshop.
It was the authority that only dragonkin of the highest rank could wield.
Dragon Fear.
“Ugh… Cough…!”
“G-Grand… father…!”
Exposed to the Fear, Jackson and Nora clutched their chests and collapsed.
In the face of a terror that shook the depths of the soul, even breathing no longer obeyed their will.
It was a moment when any ordinary human would naturally be unable to stand properly on two feet.
Step—
But Ruth was different.
He possessed the ultimate mental barrier known as <Iron-Blood Heart>.
Facing the storm of sparks created by the Dragon Fear, Ruth asked Entur.
‘Why did Fear activate from your pupil?’
<The eyes are the body part closest to the soul. It seems a fragment of this body’s lingering thoughts remained in the Dragon Eyes.>
‘So that lingering thought gained its own ego and activated the Fear on its own?’
<Indeed. It appears the fellow is currently issuing a warning. Not to carelessly touch the nest it has claimed.>
‘Nest? Ah, you mean that sword.’
It was absurd—a mere eyeball, not even a complete living being, possessing ego and throwing a tantrum.
On the other hand, Entur bared his fangs in a wide grin, as if finding the situation quite entertaining.
<In other words, it means that is the greatest masterpiece even this body’s residual consciousness has acknowledged. You must obtain it without fail.>
‘…No, it’s originally my item anyway. Why does this feel like I’m forcibly taking it…’
Ruth let out a deep sigh and stepped forward without hesitation.
As he rapidly closed the distance, the <Dragon Eyes> intensified the Fear as if in a frenzy.
Step. Step. Step.
Even in the face of the overwhelming pressure emitted by the dragon’s lingering will, Ruth’s expression remained utterly indifferent.
“How can he…?”
“We’re not the weird ones, right, Grandfather…?”
Jackson and Nora could not hide their astonishment at the sight of Ruth walking through the Fear as peacefully as if he were taking a stroll.
It was a stark contrast to themselves, who could barely remain standing and had collapsed.
‘I knew that person was extraordinary from the first time we met, but…’
Even so, showing not the slightest sign of strain in front of such overwhelming pressure—wasn’t that beyond common sense?
Just as Nora began to inwardly question whether that person was truly human,
Grab—!
Ruth, having pushed through the Fear completely and stopped before the sword, reached out and roughly seized the grip.
The <Dragon Eyes>, which had been glowing and radiating killing intent, flinched.
Like prey facing a predator.
“Stay still.”
Since lingering thoughts remained, communication should be possible. After issuing the warning in a voice as cold as the northern sea,
Ooooo—
Ruth activated his ‘Authority of Blood.’ His red hair surged like blazing flames.
He raised his blood energy and mercilessly crushed the Dragon Fear with the pressure he emitted.
“Ugh…”
“Haah!”
As the dragon’s killing intent quickly receded, color gradually returned to the pale faces of Jackson and Nora.
In contrast, the <Dragon Eyes> had lost all its previous majesty and extinguished the Fear.
It had been completely overwhelmed by the presence of the human standing before it.
“I am the one who will wield you from now on. Don’t get your position wrong.”
The moment Ruth declared this while staring directly at the intimidated <Dragon Eyes>,
Fwoooosh—!!
Thick blood energy flowed from his hand and enveloped the blade.
The silver blade was dyed a deep red, as if it had been dipped in a pool of blood.
But the change did not end there.
Crack!!
Along both edges of the blade, additional small, sharp blades sprouted like dragon fangs.
A unprecedented phenomenon where the weapon was altering its own shape.
Nora, seeing such a sight for the first time in her life, broke out in cold sweat and turned to Jackson.
“Grandfather, what is that…?”
“…It has submitted.”
“Huh?”
“The lingering will within the sword has acknowledged that person’s caliber and submitted. It means it will serve him as its master. It’s changing itself to optimize for the power Ruth possesses.”
“My god…”
Nora unconsciously covered her gaping mouth with her hand.
Normally, it was standard for people to struggle desperately to increase their proficiency with a weapon.
But hearing that the weapon itself was changing its performance and appearance to suit the person—this was something she had never heard of or seen before.
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