Praise the Orc!

Chapter 186 – New Slayer (1)

A blacksmith’s blood flowed through the dwarves of the Golden Anvil Clan. Zakiro had been born as the most talented one among them. The clan’s chief craftsman, Solardo had told him,

‘If you are a true Golden Anvil craftsman, you can see the finished product before you melt it.’

Zakiro believed he had understood those words. He always had a blueprint. The moment he wanted to make something, he was clear about how it would be completed. All the masterpieces he had already created were once in his head. However, Zakiro realized that wasn’t the case. He hadn’t seen it properly. Zakiro had used his intuition to complete it, but he hadn’t really seen it.

“Now I see.”

Zakiro muttered as he saw the weapon which filled his mind. He could see what it would be like, what type of power it had, and how it could be created. Additionally, he could see what it would cost. Zakiro wanted to move his body. Right now, an unknown inspiration was filling him and moving through his entire body. He wanted to start working soon.

“You came. Zakiro.”

“Yes.”

Zakiro’s body trembled. Rastad, the blacksmith who maintained the last forge, saw Zakiro’s face, and his eyes widened. He studied Zakiro and laughed. “‘That’ has arrived.”

“What is it?”

“The thing that comes to a great blacksmith once in their lives.” Rastad looked around the last forge. There was nothing special except for the fact that it was in the temple where the last fire was kept. “Come along.”

Zakiro followed Rastad. There was a door in the forge. Rastad opened it to reveal stairs. Then they went down to another smithy. Dust had accumulated since it hadn’t been used for a long time, but the facility itself was good to use right now.

“Use this place.”

“This place…”

“It is literally the last forge. The outside area is just an assortment of things.”

Zakiro looked around the interior. It was the first time he’d seen it, but it felt familiar somehow. The inspiration in his head and the familiar feeling of this forge tangled together.

“So, what will you create? Will you use iron?”

“It will come soon.”

As Zakiro spoke, there was a small noise from above. They waited for a bit, and someone came down the stairs. It was Crockta. He greeted them with a huge sword on his shoulders.

“Zakiro. You were here. Ah, someone else? I am Crockta, a warrior.”

“I am Rastad. I am the blacksmith who maintains the last forge.”

“It is a pleasure. I am alive.”

“It has been a long time since I’ve heard an orc greeting.”

The two of them shook hands, then Crockta looked around the forge. “Will you fix my sword here?”

Zakiro smiled. “That’s right. You can be expectant.”

“Well…” Crockta looked at Zakiro and Rastad. He scratched his head and put down Ogre Slayer. “At any rate, thank you. Please take care of it.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I have to talk to the priest.” Crockta’s hands moved awkwardly without Ogre Slayer as he climbed the stairs.

Zakiro’s and Rastad’s eyes turned to Ogre Slayer. It was an excellent greatsword.

…Except for the fact that it was breaking down.

“This sword?”

“That’s right.”

“Haha… That warrior, he is Crockta. Now I understand why your eyes are like that.”

Excellent warriors always inspired blacksmiths. The Golden Anvil Clan might have a philosophy of not caring about the users of their weapons, it was exciting to make a weapon for a warrior like Crockta.

“Maybe this is the arrangement of the sun god.” Rastad muttered.

Zakiro was silently moving Ogre Slayer. He had begun working.

Rastad watched quietly. The genius of the Golden Anvil Clan, the Slayer Maker who had created many masterpieces at a young age… What would his ability be like? At that moment, the forge became hot.

“Ah…!”

Rastad could feel it clearly. The temple of the sun was welcoming Zakiro. The last fire, which hadn’t reacted to blacksmiths for a long time, started to heat up the forge.

Rastad was in awe. “Finally, a blacksmith has appeared to match the last forge!”

This was the true last fire which Rastad had experienced a few times during his youth but could no longer use. It was the last fire in the temple of the sun god. In combination with the last forge…

A greatsword was reborn again.

***

Crockta, Tiyo, and Anor went to have tea with the priest. While Ogre Slayer was being repaired, they wanted to find out as much as possible about Hedor.

“You are looking for Hedor.” The priest took out some papers from the temple’s archives. Things like the temple’s entrance register and access records remained. “He did a lot of research on the sun god in the temple. The inquisitive gnome asked me many things. Why the sun god disappeared, the circumstances of the gods…”

“Why did the sun god disappear dot?”

Tiyo asked.

The priest laughed. “Humans can’t accurately know the story of the gods. The reason he fell into a deep sleep is probably due to a problem when fighting the gods in the past.”

“The gods fought dot?”

“That’s right. The reason was never revealed, but there are records about a dispute among the gods. In the aftermath, one god died, one god fell and one god went to sleep.”

Crockta’s eyes widened. In the aftermath, one god had died, one god had fallen, and one god had gone to sleep. The gray god was the one who had fallen.

Crockta asked, “What gods are they?”

The priest laughed. “Haha. You are only asking hard questions. Please remember, this is just a story and it isn’t definite. I will warn you in advance.”

“It’s okay.”

“Of course, the sun god is the one who fell asleep. The gray god is the one who fell. No one can remember what she was the god of, or what power she had.”

“……!”

The gray god… The one who linked Elder Lord to Earth and seemed to be plotting something. When she fell, one god had died and one had gone to sleep. There was a relationship between the gray god and the sun god. The journey to find Hedor was becoming increasingly connected to the answers Crockta wanted to find.

Crockta asked again, “Then the dead god…?”

“Ahh. He was like a father and mother to the sun god. He is…” The priest paused for a moment before replying, “The ‘stars’.”

***

“There are many stars in the sky.”

Yoo Jaehan muttered. He was sitting on the beach and looking up at the sky. It was night, but young people were still gathered on the white sand. They occasionally threw stones at the surface of the sea and squashed beer cans.

“Try to imagine it.”

A voice suddenly said. Yoo Jaehan turned his head. A woman was sitting beside him. Her skin and hair were exceptionally white. It was a unique appearance, but thanks to the darkness and the hat covering her head, no one in the vicinity noticed.

She was the gray god.

“The sight of the stars disappearing from the sky.”

“Awful.”

“I always have to see it.”

“……” Yoo Jaehan smiled. “How awful.”

“After coming to this world… I don’t want to see that type of thing… Still, seeing the stars of Earth relieves some of the despair.”

“Do you want a beer or something to drink?”

“It is okay.”

“It isn’t uncommon for you to drink or eat.”

“You spoke to Jung Ian.”

“Ian asked me about you.”

She scooped up the sand with her hand. Yoo Jaehan asked, “Is the plan going well?”

“Somewhat.”

“What is your influence?”

“The achievement points keep rising. It is thanks to Crockta, Rommel, and Keynes. The rankers are much better than I thought.”

“Yes…” Yoo Jaehan smiled. “They have no idea what they are doing.”

“Yes, that is better. Do you know? When Crockta came alone, I got angry and raised his assimilation rate to the limit. At that time, I ended up giving a little bit of my power to Crockta. So, I was worried… The gods noticed I had something to do with Crockta and told people to wipe out Crockta and the orcs.”

The gray god chattered on, and Yoo Jaehan listened to her words.

“If they move in the correct manner, Crockta won’t be able to stay still… Once this is over, I can really accomplish my plan. Now is the real beginning.”

“Yes, it seems like it.”

“So…” The gray god got up. “When the time comes, please thank Jung Ian for me.”

Yoo Jaehan looked at the sea and replied, “Until then. If he is still alive, I will.”

“Yes. Well, even so. He will be alive. Otherwise, I will be sorry.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Yoo Jaehan smiled and nodded.

The gray god added, “Ah right, Gordon wanted to say hello to you.”

“Is he doing well?”

“He is.”

“Gordon is also a great person.”

Suddenly, there were fireworks on the beach. The long curves of light rose into the sky. The gray god spread open her arms and gazed at the embers in the night sky.

“Pretty.”

***

After Rastad left, Zakiro pulled something out. It was a small lump of golden metal.

When Zakiro gained the title of Slayer Maker and rose to the rank of a craftsman, Solardo of the Golden Anvil Clan had given it to him.

‘You can only use it once. Keep this in mind. If you aren’t ready, it will be used in vain. You will have consumed it uselessly. The craftsmen who used it correctly are recorded in the history of the Golden Anvil Clan.’

Most people used it in vain, but those who used it correctly made the best weapons in history. It was a piece of golden metal given to the craftsmen of the clan. This was why Zakiro’s clan was called the Golden Anvil.

That was a piece of a golden anvil. The clan split had apart the anvil, which was said to have been given to them by a god, and gave the pieces to their craftsmen. The pieces would gradually disappear over time. Fortunately, Zakiro had been able to receive a piece at a young age.

He sensed that now was the right time to use it. So, Zakiro grabbed it. It melted and disappeared into Ogre Slayer’s melted form. The color of the molten iron became even redder. However, the piece of the anvil didn’t melt completely.

Zakiro started to furiously work the bellow, and the temperature started rising gradually. Sweat flowed down Zakiro’s face, and it felt like the bones in his body were melting. His hands worked faster.

Then after a moment…

A tremendous heat hit him.

“……!”

He stepped back like he had been pushed, and he stared blankly at the sight in front of him—a fire. The furnace was literally ablaze.

Zakiro watched it. There was something shining in the furnace. It was a red crystal… And it was dazzling, like a ball of flames. Zakiro knew what it was. The last flame…

This was ‘it.’ The last fire should be at the altar above, but now it was down in the forge. The fire added to the heat which was melting Ogre Slayer. The forge—no, the entire temple started to heat up.

The temperature rose. It was unexpected. Above him, there was the sound of people urgently rushing out of the temple. Shouts could also be heard.

Zakiro gritted his teeth and withstood the heat. The last flame… This was a crystal left behind by the sun god. It melted the piece of the Golden Anvil as well as Ogre Slayer. Zakiro laughed. Despite the heat covering his entire body, he burst out laughing. His intuition, close to a prophetic ability, wasn’t wrong after all.

He had seen this scene already. He had known it would be here. The world was pushing at his back. The sun, the hottest flames which could melt anything… No one would be able to endure it.

…Not even the gods.

Zakiro made a fist as he glanced at the molten iron. This sword would be his best masterpiece, and it would be the best work in the history of the Golden Anvil Clan. The purpose of the sword was simple.

God killer…

The sword which was born with the flames of the sun…

It could even kill a god.