Chapter 133- The undead Sigil.

When the undead mana reached the hand holding the newly grafted wyvern bones, something strange happened. The freshly connected bones shifted on their own, and every wound left over from the surgery sealed itself shut in an instant. Death mana pressed into the bone, beginning its usual refinement — but then, without warning, fire erupted outward from the bones, engulfing the entire hand. That red flame quickly shifted into an eerie green as it merged with the undead mana surrounding it.

Fire-runes began carving themselves directly into the bones of the hand.

Similar changes were unfolding across the rest of the body at the same time. The only real difference was in the marking itself — the hands were etched with fire runes specifically, while the rest of the skeleton carried standard undead runes, interwoven here and there with faint traces of poison-related markings.

The poison still lingering in Sigil's body, along with the remnants of the curse laid on him, were absorbed in the same process, leaving behind a handful of runes tied specifically to curse and poison, carved permanently into his bones.

Every remaining impurity in the body was being thoroughly purged.

Only the final binding step remained now.

Leo summoned the refined soul back into his palm.

He wrapped both soul and body in a combined shroud of undead mana and soul fire.

[Ding~]

[Soul Binding Initiated.]

The soul pattern hovered above the body, and Leo guided it downward. Threads of soul extended out and slowly sank into the waiting vessel. The pathways carved by death mana and soul fire welcomed the soul in, having already shaped the body into a proper container capable of holding it. The soul threads gradually assimilated under the steady refinement of undead mana and soul fire, weaving themselves seamlessly into the body's very structure.

Body and soul finally became one and the same.

[Ding~]

[Soul-Forged Undead — Created.]

[Method B — Original Soul + Original Body.]

[Reconstruction Potential — 160%.]

Sigil's body twitched, and his eyes snapped open wide — glowing the same eerie green Leo had seen in Blacky. I guess all undead end up with green eyes, Leo thought idly.

Sigil's wide eyes stared up at the chamber ceiling for a long moment before slowly turning toward Leo.

He flexed his fingers experimentally, rolled both hands, and sat up.

[Ding~]

[Hall of the Undead has detected an undead.]

[Ding~]

[Set Hall Designation: ...]

Leo set the hall designation for him as 'Sigil — the First Undead Smith.'

[Ding~]

[Classification: Humanoid Undead — Soul-Forged.]

[Undead Path: Forge-Smith.]

[Bond: Mark of Loyalty — Registered to Leo .]

[Ding~

[Detected an S-rank talent: Dwarven Forgeheart (Unique) — present before death.]

[Dwarven Forgeheart]

An innate dwarven talent inherited by dwarves blessed by the forge. Grants exceptional natural sensitivity to smithing — perception of a material's properties, heat, pressure, timing, and structural response — allowing recognition of optimal forging conditions far faster than any ordinary craftsman could manage.

[Perks]

[Material Sensitivity]

[Forge Rhythm]

[Hammer Precision]

...

[Ding~]

[Undead Integration Detected.]

[The talent is undergoing evolution due to undead mana and race conversion.]

[Talent Evolution Conditions — Satisfied.]

[Beginning Talent Evolution...]

[Ding~]

[Talent Evolution — Complete.]

[Name — Undying Forgeheart.]

[Rank — Unique.]

An evolved form of the Dwarven Forgeheart, shaped by race conversion into undead. Retains every perk of the original Dwarven Forgeheart while unlocking additional perks tied to soul work and undead mana. The bearer has now gained the capacity to forge other undead beings, the talent itself having expanded fully into the domain of soul and death.

[Ding~]

[Additional Perks Unlocked]

[Soul-Material Resonance — Unlocked]

The bearer can now perceive compatibility between a soul and any material suitable for forging a vessel, allowing them to identify the stability of a given soul-vessel connection before committing to it.

[Undead Forging — Unlocked]

The bearer is now capable of working directly with souls and the undead, including forging new undead beings — though only souls of a lower level than the bearer's own can currently be handled, given limited soul control.

[Talent Development Potential — Extremely High.]

[Talent Evolution Path — Unlocked.]

[Further Evolution Conditions — Hidden.]

Leo stared at the results in shock. This dwarf was turning out to be even more talented than Hugh — and now, on top of everything else, he was capable of forging undead beings himself.

His talent lets him forge undead. Ha — this is it. The first real step toward my own undead army. Leo let out a loud laugh at the thought.

But his laughter cracked mid-breath as another notification appeared.

[Ding~]

[Detected Physique — B rank]

[Undead Body Reforging — Complete.]

[Undead Mana Integration — Successful.]

[Fire Affinity — Detected.]

[Long-Term Poisonous Influence — Detected.]

[Curse Residue — Detected.]

[Dwarven Physical Foundation — Preserved.]

[Physique Evolution Conditions — Satisfied.]

[Beginning Physique Evolution...]

[Ding~]

[Physique Evolution — Complete.]

[New Physique Acquired.]

[Name — Deathfire Physique.]

[Rank — S.]

[Type — Evolved Undead Physique.]

[A physique evolved from the original dwarven body under the combined influence of undead mana, poison, fire, and curse — while still retaining the underlying physical foundation of the original dwarven physique.]

[Traits from the Physique.]

[Dwarven Foundation]

[Undying Constitution]

[Venomous Constitution]

[Curse Resistance]

...

[Deathfire Assimilation — Unlocked.]

[The physique may gradually assimilate compatible Fire, Poison, Curse, and Undead energies that enter the body.]

Leo genuinely couldn't believe the sheer scale of what had just happened — the talents, the abilities, the almost absurdly overpowered physique now sitting inside a single undead being.

The undead dwarf pushed himself up off the table and turned to face Leo directly.

"Master?" he said.

Leo blinked, caught off guard at being addressed that way. "Wait — you can talk?"

"Yes, Master. Thank you for giving me the chance to continue walking the path of forging," the undead Sigil said, his green eyes practically burning with sincerity as he spoke.

Leo raised an eyebrow at that. "Do you remember anything from when you were alive?"

Sigil tilted his head, considering the question. "I remember being a blacksmith of dwarven lineage. I remember every item I ever forged. And I know that my master gave me a second chance to continue my journey with the forge. That's all I really carry with me."

Leo nodded slowly. "So — can you do undead forging yourself, then?"

Sigil tilted his head again. "I can technically carry out the work, but I'm not fully capable yet. I'll need to learn as I go, through practice."

The little girl and the wolf padded over toward them. The wolf sniffed at Sigil curiously before licking his face affectionately. Being a dwarf, Sigil had to crane his neck all the way back just to see the wolf's full head towering above him.

The little girl came over as well and grabbed hold of his hand.

The moment Sigil noticed her, he flinched back sharply, instinct driving him away before he could think it through. He couldn't say why exactly, only that something deep inside told him he needed to.

Leo watched this happen and couldn't help but chuckle quietly. Guess some trauma sticks around, even without the memories attached to it.

Meanwhile, Ash had already retreated to a far corner of the room, his face gone completely pale. A dead man was standing upright, talking, moving around like nothing had happened. Ash felt a fresh wave of horror wash over him for a moment — before reminding himself that this was, in the end, still just a game world. That thought helped him settle down, at least somewhat.

Leo noticed and waved him back over. "Don't worry, he's undead. You've heard of necromancers before, right? It's basically the same general idea." Leo chuckled at the sight of Ash's still-shaken expression.

Ash approached slowly and cautiously. Leo made the introductions. "Ash, this is Sigil — the first smith of the Undead Hall."

"Sigil, this is Ash — the one who helped repair your hand."

Sigil glanced down at his own hands, then back up at Ash. "Thank you," he said, though a note of confusion lingered in his voice.

Sigil tried to properly introduce himself, but the wolf kept interrupting by licking his face relentlessly.

He finally freed himself from both the wolf and the little girl and managed to get the words out. "Hello. I'm Sigil." Then he turned back to Leo. "Master — can I forge here? Or is there a separate forge somewhere else?"

Leo nodded. "Come on, follow me. I'll take you there."

With that, Leo led the small group — dwarf, doctor, little girl, and the undead wolf trailing along behind — out of the Hall of Undead. They stepped through the doorway and turned toward another door set into the same wall. Leo opened it, revealing the entrance to the Eternal Forge's dimension, and they stepped inside together. The moment they crossed the threshold, a warm gust of heated air greeted them.

The embers of the Eternal Flame still burned steadily within the forge's heart. Leo led the group deeper in, toward the main forge, where Hugh was already hard at work.

Hugh noticed them approaching and paused mid-strike. "Brat, are you slacking off and leaving me to forge everything on my own again?

"Haha, no, no, I'm here now — something just took longer than I expected, that's all."

Leo made quick introductions all around. The two cubs trotted forward eagerly to greet him, only to freeze mid-step the instant a massive wolf's head loomed into view above Leo, peering down at them from behind his shoulder.

Hugh stared, visibly startled by the sight of Sigil. His eyes moved from Sigil's glowing green gaze, to the enormous wolf looming behind Leo, and finally to the faint trace of death qi still lingering in the surrounding air.

"What in the world just happened here? What exactly did you do, brat?" Hugh asked.

....