Hephaestus

In a narrow and dark alley, a boy could be seen walking casually, unbeknownst to the dangers that lurked around him.

Every step he took, the danger increased.

Several men scrutinized the boy as they licked their dry lips.

They noticed the C Rank artifact that could clearly be seen inside an old scabbard near the boy's waist.

Suddenly, the boy halted his footsteps.

"You guys can come out now."

The boy said, a devilish smiling emerging on his previously indifferent expression.

More than twenty figures soon appeared out of nowhere, possibly staring into the boy's soul with their greedy eyes.

The boy, whose name was Ace Ambrosia, unsheathed his breathtakingly majestic artifact, which illuminated the nearby area.

The blade and Ace's expression directly contrasted each.

The blade looked like the personification of good, and holy.

Ace's expression, however, was akin to a demon excited to catch its new prey.

"NeoHelm Bandit Group. 34 robberies and 89 murders. That's a pretty messed up ratio, isn't it?"

He chuckled, sizing up his prey, and calculating when to strike.

"Shut up!"

"Yeah!"

"Give us your artifact, and we'll let you go unscathed!"

"Damned kid!"

Hearing the response he clearly expected, Ace tapped his foot on the ground while clicking his tongue.

"You'll let me go unscathed? Your record doesn't say so, does it? You specialize in murder, not theft."

Some of the 'bandits' licked their lips once again while closing in on their supposed prey.

However, before they could touch Ace's body, a single high-pitched sound resounded throughout the arena.

An eeriness and unpleasant noise ringed inside the bandits' ears as they suddenly lost track of time.

Once they regained their senses, however, they witnessed the horrifying scene of one of their own kin lying on the ground.

Only, the bandit was cut in half from head to crotch.

Some of them were filled with sorrow, while the others were filled with hatred.

Having lived together for practically all their lives, the loss of even one person was heartbreaking for them.

"You!"

One of the bandits screamed, lunging towards Ace, who was indifferent throughout the entire process.

The bandit swung his fist horizontally, prompting Ace to catch the former's fist and crush it, spewing blood everywhere.

Having seen enough, the others rushed at Ace, thinking he couldn't handle all of them simultaneously.

However, they were quickly proved wrong as Ace defeated all of them in a record breaking time.

Several groans could be heard as the bandits were sprawled on their backs.

"Why is it so hard to get to his place?"

He questioned internally, accidentally voicing it out.

Ace had been trying to find the blacksmith's shop for the past three hours.

Having encountered several bandit groups, he had refined his skills fighting them.

With the C Rank artifact, he had finally attempted the first move of [Sword Saint], Vertical Tear, and had successfully performed it.

Simply put, Vertical Tear was a move that specialized in the speed of your attacks vertically, cutting down enemies almost instantly.

Due to it being a one strike move, one had to reinforce it by using the Beginner Level Mastery of the same skill.

"Ah, there it is! Finally!"

He unconsciously pointed to a shabby old hut while a smile emerged on his face.

The hut was… old, to say the least. The glass had turned black and the wood had become infested with termites.

The signboard on top of the hut was barely hanging using a nail that was half broken.

The signboard said, [Hephaestus' Abode].

The blacksmith who was later renowned as the best blacksmith after someone passes his trial.

His real name was John Fritz, but his alias or title was Hephaestus.

It was a self-proclaimed name that later became well-respected throughout the community, but for now…

He was just some beggar living in the slums.

Only, he had a small shop.

Ace quickly walked up to the shop and slowly opened the door which had several cracks on it.

The door made a creaking noise as it didn't even fully open.

Immediately, Ace was bombarded by the hot air that had been trapped inside the shop for several months… maybe even years.

Since Hephaestus never came out of the workshop, the hot air produced when working with steel and fire had never been released into the air.

"Hello?"

Ace called out, expecting an immediate answer, since he was Hephaestus' first customer in years.

However, to his surprise, none came.

He heard faint noises of a hammer and steel, but couldn't identify the location.

As he looked around, he saw shabby desks, cobwebs, and old papers that had turned so brown that they looked like treasure maps.

Despite the gloomy atmosphere, the workshop didn't seem too bad.

'I mean, at least the chair is working.'

Suddenly, the chair Ace had mentioned melted.

Yes, it literally melted.

Whether it was a product of the hot air that had just been released, or the Celestial of Chairs playing tricks on Ace, he would never know.

Ace, bewildered by what just happened, tried to play it off by investigating the room carefully.

The room was dim since a couple candles illuminated the entirety of it.

Walking forward, he noticed that the noise of hammer and steel got louder and louder.

Eventually, he stopped in front of an empty bookshelf.

'Bookshelves always have secret entrances.'

Thinking that, he began pushing random parts of the bookshelves, hoping it would reveal some kind of lair that an evil villain lives in.

Soon, as he pushed a certain part of the bookshelf, it loosened up.

'Seems it was a pattern, and I accidentally got it.'

Going with that conclusion, he pushed harder, causing the bookshelf to rotate, revealing a staircase that went downwards.

The staircase was anything but safe for a regular human, but using [Flurry Steps], Ace easily descended down it.

Eventually, he landed in another dim room. Only, this room was empty, and it had a door attached to it.

Opening the door, his senses were bombarded with warmth.

No, it was hot. Extremely hot.

His skin was stinging because of the hot temperature.

'It seems I need to utilize mana.'

He activated [Body Augmentation] along with [Aura Manifestation] while channeling mana to his nose, which allowed him to breath better.

As he finally looked up, he witnessed a man.

The man was really short, maybe five feet. He had a dark complexion, and snow-white hair that fell down to his shoulders.

He wore a ripped tunic and pants that had been burnt off to reveal shorts that barely covered his pelvic area.

He held a hammer which he swung down at a steel blade, taking a two second interval after each swing.

His ears were very pointy, enough for him to be mistaken as an elf if they existed on Earth.

His muscles were bloated, causing him to look like a jacked baby.

"Hello?"

Ace greeted with a question mark at the end, but his voice was buried below the noise of John swinging his hammer.

"Hello!"

He yelled. This time, it was loud enough for John to hear, causing Ace's stiffened expression to turn into a gentle smile.

He had finally found the best blacksmith on Earth.

On the news, he had heard that this blacksmith created a SS Rank artifact for Noah Williams, which he used from then on.

Noah named the sword he had gotten from John, "Moonlight" because of its color, which was black, along with the smooth texture which resembled the moon.

"How'd you get in here?"

John asked. His expression was distorted as it clearly seemed he was pissed.

"Wasn't really a challenge… if you exclude the bandits I had to face."

Not understanding Ace's words, he threatened to throw his hammer at his face if he didn't elaborate soon.

"Okay, I came here to attempt the Trial of Worthiness."

John's expression quickly turned to one of disbelief.

He had only told the authorities of the Iniquitous Faction about the trial.

Even so, they hadn't attempted it and forced him to create a weapon for the Faction.

However, this boy…

"How the hell do you know about that?"

He asked in a raspy voice.

"It doesn't matter. I want to attempt the Trial of Worthiness and commission you to create an artifact for me."

John thought about the offer for a while and decided against it.

"No, you can go to hell!"

Those were the words he uttered before resuming his hammerfest.

"John Fritz."

Those were the words needed for John to drop his hammer in a daze.

His pupils expanded as he entered a state of stupor.

Some time passed, and he finally exited his stupor.

"How… Do you know that name? Are you someone from the Iniquitous Faction?"

Suddenly, he gripped his hammer and was about to throw it when…

"I heard that you're the only one who can craft a weapon using adamantium."

Silence descended atop the room as hot winds blew Ace's hair back a considerable amount.

Despite the open hostility that John showed, Ace didn't budge.

He knew he had to convince John to allow him to attempt the Trial of Worthiness.

After that, it all depended on him.

"I was right. You are someone from the Iniquitous Faction. All right, lock me up."

John let out a sad sigh before reaching both of his hands out, as if waiting for Ace to cuff him up.

He knew that his days had come to an end. Eventually, his enemies would find him.

"I'm not from the Iniquitous Faction. As I said, all I wish for is for you to let me attempt the Trial of Worthiness. If I pass, craft a weapon for me using adamantium."

In his previous life, John had crafted a weapon using mithril for Noah Williams.

However, that was only because Noah couldn't find adamantium.

The only piece of adamantium in the entire world was owned by Genro Govel, the head of the Iniquitous Faction.

Genro had commissioned John for a weapon using the adamantium he found in a SS Rank Dungeon.

However, when Genro started becoming greedy, John was forced to leave the Faction.

Living his days in the old, shabby shop, he had nothing to do.

'This might be interesting.'

Previously, he believed that the boy was someone from the Iniquitous Faction that had been sent to capture him.

However, it seemed he only wanted an artifact.

An artifact made using adamantium, no less.

"How are you going to find adamantium? That damned Genro is the only one who possesses it. Don't tell me you're going to steal it from him…"

"Of course not. I'm only at the E Rank. However, I know how to find another piece of adamantium."

Ace believed that a weapon created using adamantium would have to be either SSS Rank, or EX Rank.

Moreover, the mana conductivity on that weapon would be sky-high.

If he could get a weapon like that of Genro Govel, he could rival individuals two major ranks above him.

Well, that was only a possibility.

"So, can I attempt the Trial?"

Letting out a sigh, John extended his hand, motioning Ace to grab it.

As soon as he did, however, the entire world changed.

Suddenly, the workshop disappeared, and all that remained was a dark void, devoid of any light.

There was no up, down, let, or right.

Inside the void, there stood two human beings.

John, and Ace.

John was covered in a tunic that differed from the one he previously wore.

Ace wore a white and blue tunic that resembled a cultivator from old Chinese Xianxia novels.

Despite there being no wind, their tunics fluttered in the wind as it made them look majestic.

"It's a bit different than I imagined."

Ace remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't seem surprised at all."

John was surprised that Ace wasn't completely stunned by the sudden change in scenery.

"No, I expected something like this from the greatest blacksmith in the world."

In his previous life, Noah had disclosed some of the information from the test because of the peer pressure and questions from the media.

Despite that, Ace couldn't help but inwardly be stunned at the change.

"It's an inherent skill, [Illusory World - SS]."

Inherent skills were skills that were passed down by inheritance.

If it were a notable skill that your ancestor possessed, it would most likely be passed down to you.

"[Illusory World]. So, we aren't actually in outer space?"

"Of course not. What do you think this is, a fantasy novel?"

"It sure seems like one."

Chuckling, John waved his hand.

Suddenly, a man appeared behind him.

The man could be considered handsome because of his perfectly trimmed beard and fluffy hair.

His hair was dark, and he wore the same tunic as Ace.

Despite the sudden appearance, it failed to surprise Ace once again.

'From what I remember, I need to…'

"Fight this guy using only your blade."

John completed his train of thoughts unknowingly.

"Only my blade?"

"Yes. You are not permitted to use anything else to engage in battle with this guy. He is at the same rank as you, so don't worry."

"I see."

Those were the final words he said before unsheathing his blade.

The blade, unlike the one he previously possessed, shone in the darkness, causing Ace to look like a transcendent being.

However, he knew it was all just an illusion.

"Begin."

John said in a gruff voice, as both the dummy and Ace disappeared from their previous spot.

The dummy, unlike Ace, was allowed to use mana, forcing the latter to utilize all his abilities from the beginning.

Ace couldn't use the Beginner Level Master of [Sword Saint], nor could he use the first move, as both of them needed mana to activate.

Thus, his only option was to fully utilize his ridiculously high dexterity stat for the first time.

As Ace was lost in his train of thoughts, the dummy appeared to his side, causing the former to take a step back.

The dummy's blade, which was crimson in color, barely missed Ace's torso as it tore a tiny piece of his clothes off.

Suddenly, Ace swung down vertically, but in less than a second, the dummy parried the attack by holding his blade horizontally.

Despite the setback, Ace tried kicking the dummy using his dominant foot, to which the latter responded by taking a step back, releasing the sword lock.

"You're better than I expected."

John remarked, munching on non-existent popcorn that he had just created using [Illusory World].

Despite not being able to taste the popcorn, he felt satisfied just looking at it.

A festish.

"Well, the guy's stronger than I expected, considering it's an illusory world."

"Indeed. I used most of my mana to use this skill on such a high scale."

Trying to steady his breathing, Ace stepped back, barely avoiding a fatal strike to his face.

"I won't really die, right?"

Even though he knew the answer, Ace couldn't help but ask for confirmation.

"No."

"Well, that's good."

Regaining confidence, he pushed himself forward using his dominant foot, causing the dummy to fumble with his moves.

Ace swung vertically once again, slicing the dummy's right arm off.

Very cleanly, no less.

Despite this, the dummy didn't flinch at all.

Grabbing his blade using his left hand this time, he kept parrying all of Ace's attacks, keeping him at bay while he prepared magic.

Suddenly, he used a form of fire magic named [Counter of Flames].

A wall of fire appeared between Ace and the dummy as it divided the two from hurting each other.

This, of course, was cast by the dummy.

Not having time to react, Ace continued the swing he was preparing, hitting the wall of flames with all his strength.

However, things didn't go as he planned.

Suddenly, an equal amount of force was reflected back at Ace, forcing him to fall on his butt.

While he tried to get on his feet, the dummy approached Ace and swung vertically.

Ace desperately rolled to the side, but unfortunately, he couldn't avoid the inevitable.

The dummy's blade struck Ace's left arm, slicing it off cleanly.

Despite this, Ace felt no pain.

'The illusory world really is something.'

He praised John's skill internally before steadying his intense breathing.

Getting back on his feet, Ace sidestepped to avoid the incoming attack before slicing off the top of the dummy's right shoulder.

Although he had already sliced off that specific arm, Ace lunged forward to pierce the dummy's torso.

Unfortunately, the dummy used the same fire spell, causing Ace to fall back once more.

Despite the setback, this time, Ace regained his balance without losing an arm in the process.

Watching this play out, John couldn't help but be impressed.

Not only was Ace learning from his mistakes, he was improving his battle scene simultaneously.

However, unbeknownst to John, something completely different was taking place in this instant.

Ace wasn't improving, but adjusting to his battle senses from his previous life.

He may have been ranked comparably low, or have neglected his other duties, but he also experienced his fair share of life-and-death situations.

Due to this, Ace knew how to handle such situations, using his brain instead of instincts.

He knew he couldn't trust his instincts at all times.

Thus, he thought logically about the ideal solution and implemented such a solution to better the situation.

Ace was vexed due to the dummy's intelligence, not knowing what to do in this situation.

It was true he could protect himself, but on the other hand, he was stumped.

Protecting himself would be ideal in other situations. However, in this situation, he had to finish the battle instead of running away.

The dummy relied on its brain, just like Ace did.

If it didn't, it would have parried Ace's strike, or moved away.

But, instead of doing so, it used a skill that provided offense as well as defense.

Ace praised John inwardly before slowly circling the dummy, trying to devise a strategy before engaging.

'It seems like he doesn't have much versatility like I first thought. Still, it doesn't mean I've seen all of its skills.'

The dummy had used its sword techniques as well as an intermediate fire spell.

Due to this, Ace wasn't sure if the dummy still had extra skills he was hiding.

Even though the dummy was supposedly E Rank, it shouldn't only have one skill based on mana, right?

The sword techniques weren't some kind of skill, but pure martial arts.

'What if I perform a flurry of strikes towards his torso while also utilizing my feet.'

Normally, this would be impossible for an E Rank individual considering the precision needed to perform the technique.

Moreover, without mana, it was practically impossible for a lower ranked being.

However, due to his dexterity that matched B+ Ranked individuals, it was certainly possible for Ace.

He could continue the current method and achieve victory, but he believed it would take too long.

Due to this, he had to finish the battle as quickly as possible.

Standing before the dummy, he locked eyes with the lifeless being.

Getting into his stance, Ace prepared for the flurry of moves he was about to unleash on his opponent.

Suddenly…

Whoosh!

He disappeared from his previous spot and landed before the dummy.

Before the dummy had a chance to react, Ace stabbed his blade towards the left side of his torso.

The dummy, however, used [Counter of Flames].

Having expected this, Ace forcefully maintained his balance and started his overwhelming flurry of stabs in different places.

While the dummy focused on blocking Ace's sword attacks, the latter quickly utilized his feet to hook the former's head.

Bringing the dummy's head down using only his right foot, Ace unconsciously fell due to the intensity of the force reflected off of [Counter of Flames].

However, at that moment, Ace switched the trajectory of his strikes towards the dummy's face, and before the latter could notice, the former had already pierced his face countless times.

At this point, the dummy's face was unrecognizable as it highlighted the craters created due to Ace's strikes.

Letting out a sigh, Ace moved away from the unmoving corpse of the dummy, wiping the non-existent dirt off of his clothes.

Even though he felt no pain, the exhaustion still existed, causing his mind to be fatigued.

John had removed the surface from the illusory world, causing Ace to levitate unconsciously.

Smiling in satisfaction, John approached Ace.

Removing the illusory world, he said…

"Be prepared for the second test of the Trial of Worthiness."