The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 938

Heroes affiliated with the hall possessed powers granted through their connection to it, enabling them to periodically create living beings forged from memories or artifacts.

For instance, the Transcendence’s Demise Odin had given Davey, or his personal weapons, such as the divine spear Longinus and divine bow Brunaak, were such creations. Of course, unlike the Transcendence’s Demise or Brunaak, Longinus was crafted from Helixium.

“Guh... Huff... Huff...” Surtr, breathing heavily, placed a chunk of dark, pitch-black metal before Davey.

“Already done? I'm pretty sure it’s not something you can just whip up.”

“I knew you’d end up asking, so I prepared it in advance. Now take it and get lost,” Surtr said, collapsing onto the floor with an exhausted expression.

“Is this all? You don’t have any more?”

“That’s all!!”

“That’s a shame. Well, thanks for the Helixium. I’ll just borrow your forge for a bit.”

“Wait... Weren’t you supposed to be in my dungeon labyrinth?”

“I was, yeah.”

“Then go back there to do it. The forge in the dungeon is pretty good.”

“Why bother going all the way there when I can just do it here?”

Surtr shot Davey a look filled with pity and disdain.

“Were you able to pull Longinus straight out after it was made?”

Now that Davey had a part of the authority, he could periodically materialize items from the Pocket Plane. However, going out of his way to do something so tedious wasn’t particularly appealing.

After all, there was a significant difference between summoning something fully completed and something that only partially existed.

“Speaking of which...” Surtr muttered, staggering to his feet. He waved his hand, and a rift appeared behind Davey.

"Are you trying to rub salt in the wound? Hurry up and get going!"

Thud!

Surtr gritted his teeth and kicked him hard in the back, sending him into the rift.

“This is the last time! If you ask for Helixium again, it’ll be the end of both of us, you hear?!”

“Hm, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Davey smirked as he saw Surtr fuming and glaring.

* * *

Emperor Sullivan had returned to the Pallan Empire to handle the aftermath of the rebellion. Despite the chaos and the loss of lives, injuries, and a few missing subordinates, Sir Halphas and his assistants were hard at work in the workshop, hammering away as if nothing had happened.

“Hm... It feels rude to disrupt others in their workspace,” Davey muttered.

“What are you looking for?” a knight asked him.

“Nothing much. My hands are feeling a bit idle, so I thought I’d hammer something.”

“In that case, why not use the empty workshop over there?” The knight gestured to a worn out workshop partially buried underground.

“Well... even to an amateur like me, it looks like it’s in bad shape...” the knight trailed off.

“It’s perfect.”

Davey recalled how Surtr had once worked in such a place, before moving to another location.

This forgotten workshop was a blessing in disguise. It had everything he needed, and being half-buried, he knew no one would bother interrupting or interfering with his work.

“Daddy! What are you doing?” Evangeline called out.

“I’m going to make a special sword just for you, sweetheart.”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Daddy will make sure it doesn’t break.”

The greatest strength of Helixium was in its immense durability—even so, that was its only strength. One glaring drawback was that if the crafting process failed, it would essentially become slag that could never be reprocessed. But Davey had already accounted for that.

He took a deep breath as he stared at the cold forge. He tossed in enchanted firewood and ignited the flames. Unlike in the past, producing precise, intense, and pure flames didn't pose much of a challenge for him anymore. The forge instantly roared to life, emitting ultra-high temperatures.

Helixium developed absolute resistance to fire after being heated and then cooled. In other words, once it cooled, it became impossible to reforge. From shaping to refining and sharpening, everything had to be done while the metal was still at extreme temperatures.

It was a daunting process, but that special quality was precisely why Helixium was considered an indestructible metal. Conventional tempering processes—heating, shaping, and quenching—had to be entirely abandoned.

“Watch closely, sweetheart. Someday, I’ll teach you how to do this.”

“Wow... Okay!” Evangelin replied, sitting at a safe distance away and marveling at the forge as it burned brightly.

Before proceeding, Davey ensured there would be no interruptions.

[8th Circle]

“My word! I can’t believe I’m witnessing the birth of such a masterpiece with my own eyes!”

Halphas, along with the imperial blacksmiths of the Pallan Empire, all wore expressions of pure admiration as they gazed at the longsword he was holding.

It was a masterpiece of the highest degree. While it was crafted from the same material as the previously forged mithril sword, the final result far surpassed its predecessor.

It was a blade worthy of being called a national treasure.

The reason for forging such a remarkable sword was simple: Halphas had received the shocking news that the mithril sword he had previously crafted was destroyed during training. Determined to create a blade that would neither break nor falter, he had agonized over it ever since.

And finally, he had climbed over one of the highest walls in his craft.

“Alright! To the altar, quickly!”

The final step was simple; he had to place the completed sword upon the altar. Filled with confidence in their creation, the blacksmiths, led by Halphas, left the workshop and approached the altar. Behind them were countless onlookers, their faces filled with anticipation as the blacksmiths placed the mithril longsword on the altar.

Whuuum!!

A brilliant light enveloped the longsword. It was the product of the finest techniques, the utmost effort, and the full extent of their abilities. Even if it couldn’t become a divine blade, it would surely reach Surtr’s high standards.

That was what Halphas believed. And soon, the door would open.

But then—

Whuuum...

The light surrounding the sword dimmed and eventually faded away.

Nothing had changed.

“Huh? What the...?!”

“What’s going on?!”

The stunned onlookers made confused faces. At the same time, the inscription carved into the wall began to shift and form new words.

“Oh no...”

The head of the academy, Count Ainz, rushed to the altar, his expression hardening as he read the newly formed text aloud.

[An unrefined sword cannot pass the trial.]

It was like a bolt from the blue.

Halphas stared at the longsword resting on the altar with a face of disbelief. He then let out a furious roar.

“How is this an unrefined sword?! I poured all my skills, my talent, and every second of my time into crafting it!! There must be some kind of mistake!!”

“P-Please calm yourself, Sir Halphas!”

Knights and apprentices quickly moved to restrain him. But Halphas, consumed by frustration, continued to scream with anguish.

“The altar must be broken! There’s no way a better sword than this could possibly exist! Show me a single sword which could surpass it!! This blade carries the hopes and dreams of everyone here! It must reach Surtr! This is my life’s masterpi—!”

Clang... Clang!!

A clear, resounding noise interrupted his frenzy, silencing the entire chamber.

Halphas froze, clenching his trembling hands into fists. He slowly turned toward the source of the sound.

It was coming from a half-buried, worn out workshop.

“Was that... always there?” he muttered, cautiously approaching it. Once he stepped inside, he froze on the spot.

The room was illuminated with a warm, radiant light.

“Master?”

“Sir Halphas?”

The blacksmiths and mages followed him, their eyes widening as they saw the same sight.

“Oh.”

Halphas, who had been yelling in rage moments ago, now stood in stunned silence with his mouth slightly open. And then, someone else murmured from the crowd, breaking the silence.

“The flames... and the sound... they’re breathtaking...”

A blacksmith’s work was supposed to prioritize practicality over aesthetics. And yet, the sight before them defied that notion. The craftsmanship unfolding before their eyes was both supremely practical and of the highest level of difficulty.

And yet the sparks, the flames, the atmosphere—everything about it was breathtakingly beautiful.

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editorb’s Thoughts

At least Surtr already had the materials prepped. Otherwise, the other people would have been left in abject despair for quite a while about their lack of school. Halphas must have shit his pants when the weapon wasn’t accepted.