Reforming Fate

Within Hephaestus Terran's personal dimension, a lifeless looking Adam was sitting with eyes up high.

As if he was looking for cobwebs in the place where the God of Fire consistently made respond.

The great blacksmith didn't know why he was here.

'Pandemos… I was sure you would keep him all to yourself. You are the one who gives and receives love, so what is this?' The God hammering away in front his forge couldn't understand her thoughts.

It was even stranger to that such an ordinary person had become the disciple of 'that individual'.

Nostalgic memories of the past arose in his mind.

In the myriad realms, there was once a man who had done his all for his family. He was their leader.

In this particular realm, werewolves and vampires were uncommon… but they still existed in real life.

And he was part of a pack of werewolves at the time. One knows for strength even among wolves.

Which was how they became known as 'Bloodlust'.

Maybe the name wasn't peaceful, but it fit their overall aesthetic and the specialty of theirs.

Which was their weapons.

After hunters of their kind discovered 'Silver Bullets', the Bloodlust Pack needed a response.

And so, Terran created weapons for his fellow pack members. Bolstering the might of their wolf forms.

Back then, he was specifically a crafter for wolves.

Creating metallic claws and the like to fit each and every member of his family. He took pride in this.

'Terran Black' had a responsibility towards his pack members, and did everything he could for them.

It was hard at times, but filled him with meaning.

Since they weren't barbarians who lived in the woods, it was possible for life without conflict.

Staying away from human eyes, yet still having the fangs and regenerative capabilities of a werewolf.

Blending in, but not becoming too relaxed.

Terran was a bit displeased when he felt his limits in the art of smithing. The greatest love of his life.

A hobby that has extended into his daily life.

Not only did he have a passion to learn different types of smithing, but also engineering on top of it.

A thirst for knowledge that couldn't be hidden…

His clan grew larger with time, and things became easier for him when he had a goal to work towards.

It made all efforts have some sort of meaning.

He thought he'd live his entire life being someone who'd care for his family, but things then changed.

One day, he was captured by a particular group of hunters and taken away from his pack members.

They had called themselves the 'Dragon Cult'.

A group of inter-dimensional travellers that killed his 'Companion Wolf', the source of a werewolves power and spiritual friend, then continued to force him into smithing weapons for them constantly.

He didn't know how they came to learn of his existence, but he had no choice. If he didn't comply, then they would kill his family. His pack would've been wiped off the face of the Earth.

They tasked him to make different, yet dangerous weapons over the years… mostly 'Cursed Blades'.

Weapons that increased strength, but also offset the mental stability of those who wielded them.

It was an incredibly 'dirty' to the werewolf.

Not only did these weapons lack artistry, they were vile enough to attack their users mental framework.

This made his years under the cult's commands a living nightmare, despite doing what he loved.

Until 'that man' saved him…

"My name is Simon Rainglow, and yours?" A calm and composed youth reached out to him after taking out the base of cultists. It was an incident that planted deep respect towards the heroic man.

Also known as the 'Calamity Crusher' at the time…

It was only later that he had fused with the Imaginary Spirit of THE 'God of the Forge' and transcended into godhood. He even changed his name from Terran Black to 'Hephaestus Terran'.

For someone who had known much about Simon like the little sister of the man, Red Rabbit, he found it strange that someone like Adam was even considered. What was special about him?

Underneath all the pretences and the powers granted to him, he was just a regular salaryman.

A person whose goals only aligned with pleasure.

To earn money and spend that same income.

"…Why am I here?" The landowner finally recollected himself enough to ask this question.

Terran didn't know what to say in response.

"That should be my question." He shrugged. The sound of a hammer clanging on and on resounded.

That ear piercing noise didn't stop for a moment.

"What are you doing?" Adam still looked like a tired ghost, but he at least attempted to make small talk.

Trying his very best to form a connection…

Hephaestus Terran turned his head to look at those emotionless eyes, but decided to humour him:

"Spirit Essences are needed everyday. I have to fine-tune what they get, as well as the 'Class' that would be gifted to them. Their fate…" The dwarf-like blacksmith lifted a yellow shining weapon.

It wasn't the same as his 'Black Wand'.

This wasn't meant for someone in the nation of Pandorica, but belonged to those of that 'Utopia'.

A white sword that gave a different class…

For some odd reason, greed manifested in Adam's heart after seeing it. An emotion that wasn't hid.

"Can I have that?"

"Since I see you have two Gift Slots, it should be fine." Hephaestus found this greed to be unsightly.

The sword was swung onto the ground behind him.

It stuck out of the ground like a sword in the stone at that moment. Awaiting Adam to grasp it.

But before the landowner greedily took it, Terran spoke. His words seemed curious about that face:

"Why do you want strength?"

The landlord stopped midway after recovering from the fatigue from earlier. His face had colour now.

But that didn't mean he understood the question.

"Why should I want it? The more, the better… Or am I wrong?" The immortal's head awkwardly tilted.

His fingers an inch away from grabbing the blade…

"Do you need this power?" At this sharp inquiry, he hesitated from actually grabbing the sword handle.

Adam didn't honestly know if he 'needed' it...

Wasn't Gaia on his side? It wasn't like he'd get in any dangers with the many Skills she'd given him.

"…What's wrong with wanting more?"

"Nothing. It's just… does a 'Landlord' really need a sword like this? Are you planning to kill someone?"

"No, but I can use it like a tool."

"You mean like how you used the Spirit Essence I worked hard on?" Terran chuckled at this answer.

Did he really think he was fooling anyone?

"…I'm sorry." Adam realised that he had been given something great, but had discarded it too freely.

The blacksmith showed no signs of pettiness:

"I wasn't trying to get an apology out of you. Let's be real, you're just stumbling around in life."

"…I have a stable job." If he compared himself to others, you could say he wasn't really 'stumbling'.

Everything had been deliberate….

"Did you dream of being a 'Office Administrator'?"

"No, but it was useful."

"To earn some money." The blacksmith made sure.

"Yeah."

"Then you're stumbling in life." Terran asserted this the moment he heard such a careless response.

Adam didn't know why the dwarf-like celestial being couldn't accept that he had things set.

Almost like it was fate…

"Stop saying it like that… You say it like I needed a childhood dream to be a mature adult." In fact, he found those 'dreamers' detestable. People only lived fuller lives because they were talented. Yes…

There couldn't possibly be any other answer.

"I've seen the name of your Innate Semblance. I don't know how you can call yourself 'mature'."

"Are you persuading me not to grab it?" All it'd take was a touch before the sword became part of him.

If there was one thing he was good at, it was collecting many powers and weapons this way.

Moreover, the sword seemed different from anything he had ever seen. It was giving off the radiance of Light Mana, the antithesis of the Dark Mana within his Dawn Sapient Divine Physique.

So long as he grabbed the handle and made it a part of him, couldn't he get two different Classes?

If he did that, then he'd surely win against Red Rabbit. This was the easiest way to get stronger.

So why hesitate any longer?

"I'm just trying to give you some perspective. You have a lot of unused Skills you rack your brains to try practicing. If you think you can beat 'her' with this method. Suit yourself." When Hephaestus Terran looked like he was giving up, Adam stopped.

He decided it would be better to listen some more.

"Then how would you-"

"Don't ask me that. The trial is for you." There was no way the blacksmith could interfere in this.

The expression made by the dwarf-like man made the landowner realise that he couldn't ask for help.

He needed to figure out a strategy by himself.

It looked like members of the pantheon couldn't strongly interfere with each other as they pleased.

"Then… what am I supposed to do now?" If he couldn't get a good plan, he'd like some guidance.

"…You can always go home." That option was always on the table. Terran reminded him of this.

Even if that reality was practically a virtual record.

"Wouldn't that be a waste?" He'd come all this way and fought her, so how could he give up so easily?

That would hurt his pride…

"There's nothing tying you to this world. Didn't you say it yourself? You have a job to do back home."

"I don't want to go back yet."

"You can't earn much money here or get that many luxuries. Isn't that against what you're searching for?" The way the blacksmith stopped hammering and talked about this realistically had affected him.

A seemingly unfinished Spirit Essence of the Light Attribute in the dwarf-like man's rough hand.

"I don't want money." Adam made this clear.

He just wanted to fill the void in his life.

Do something interesting for once. Live a fuller life that he'd always envied others had from afar.

"Then why ascend here? The world you are going to is a place where such fights are commonplace."

"I can just adapt." He was pretty confident. Even if the world was unlike his own, how bad could it be?

"By using willpower and grit…?"

"…" The way Terran boisterously laughed had silenced the landowner. He had no good retorts.

It was a fact that he was lacking those things.

"I'm only trying to make sure you're certain. There is a different between existing as a Landlord and pursuing the path of a Mage. One drives you forward, and the other is just a position in life."

"What does that mean?" Adam raised a brow and moved closer. Getting a chair to sit in front of him.

"Your 'Job' is dependant on the situation, but having a 'Class' is a way of life. Your ambition."

"Err…" Although it was a bit hard to understand, he figured out that Terran meant that people of Gaia were motivated. Even if it seemed like they couldn't do as they pleased, they WERE their jobs 24/7.

The difference between being something and temporarily wearing the mask of a profession.

'Yeah… I… am not a professional.' He wasn't someone who cared about his job whatsoever.

Only that it earned him money and luxuries.

With this thought in mind, he finally grabbed the hilt of the sword. A new power rushed into him.

[Spirit Essence- White Sword]

[You have achieved the Class: 'Warrior'.]

Even though he was disappointed with how things turned out, Terran focused on the situation first:

"Do you really need or want to have the path of a Warrior? What would you even do with it?"

"That… I mean, I get what you're trying to say."

"Then stop being so indecisive. I don't care what 'Adam, the Landlord' wants… nor 'Adam, the Office Administrator'. Those are just labels. The only thing that can become a way of life is desires. Wants…"

"…I get what you mean." Adam repeated. It felt like Hephaestus Terran was drilling this into his brain.

"Good, then… What is strength to you?" This sudden inquiry made the landowner slump back.

"Isn't that an unexpected question…?"

"It's an important one."

"Money. Influence." There was nothing else to answer. Anyone without this had no 'control'.

Their lives dictated by the whims of others…

Why else we politics a nightmare to get into?

"Did having that make you any stronger?" Although the man seemed small, his aura was domineering.

But such pressure didn't faze him one but.

Adam felt a worse aura from the Sword Goddess.

"Doesn't it? It might be borrowed power, but I'm stronger than most. These Skills are MINE."

"You're no more stronger than an average housewife." The blacksmith looked down on him.

"Huh?!" The landowner got into the shorty's face and made a taunt. His face seemed punchable.

He seemingly had no fear…

…until Hephaestus Terran put the 'incomplete' Spirit Essence in front of his neck dangerously.

No, it wasn't merely that. The shape of the tool seemed similar to something used in the kitchen.

Was it really a spatula…?

"You see this spatula? It doesn't give anyone powers like cutting mountains or even combat capabilities, but those who get this Chef Class tend to have a strong willpower within them." The words that followed made him realise he was stop on.

"…" Adam had no words when he saw that even things like this were being made in this great forge.

Did he have no pride as a man who smithed arms?

Regardless, the words that were spoken made the landowner start to imagine what was talked about.

And suddenly felt ashamed.

This 'strength' the blacksmith talked about was definitely mentality. There was no doubt about it.

"You're body is strong, but even an old housewife has a stronger mind than you. You're weak. Admit it." Terran kept on pursuing. His words made the landowner feel like wanting to rip off his mouth.

How dare he be compared like this…?!

"Then what am I supposed to do? Even when I was a kid, I didn't know what I wanted to be in life." This was the truth. It wasn't like everyone on Earth was clear about what they'd wanted to grow into.

"Have you tried being an artist?"

"…My talent isn't enough."

"Meaning: You at least tried."

"Why doesn't that matter?l"

"You can only call yourself someone who doesn't know his path… only when you've tried different walks of life. The world is vast, and there's so many things you could experience." The dwarf-like man's expression eased while putting away the spatula.

"That sounds like something you could say when you've never known failure. What's the point in having a 'path' anyway? You can dream big things and want the world, but failure with crush you."

"Sounds like you've failed before." He hit Adam just where it hurt. This pointed out his innate paranoia.

"…I don't need to experience it myself. There are so many around me who have experienced the same."

"So you aren't talking of personal experience."

"Do I need to…?"

"Well, yeah. What makes you so confident you'll crash and fall? Is your world THAT unforgiving?"

"Even if it isn't, who knows what my family would've said? I mean, it's about a job that doesn't have stable income… unless you have results and connections. On top of that, I'm not talented for it."

There was a sense that this topic had already been completely finished before. Nothing left to uncover.

"Fair enough. I guess the only thing that matters to you is efficiency. Haha… Forget my intrusiveness on this. Please." Terran patted him on the shoulder and was polite, showing no indication of anger.

"No problem."

"It's not your fault that you're pathetic."

"…What?"

"Just saying. You're not at fault here."

"What did… d-did you call ME pathetic?" He could call him weak, but how dare he be called pathetic?!

"I mean, you crossed over to an entirely different dimension solely because you didn't value your family and felt 'empty'. No matter how I look at your face, you seem pathetic to me." Again, Terran easily cornered Gaia's avatar with harsh facts.

"…Says the guy pimping out his wife."

"Stop with the weak taunts. You can't even do THAT right anymore. Do you think I'm wrong?"

"I can change myself!"

"Then show you can." The dwarf-like blacksmith handed walked in front of him and handed 'it' over.

Adam looked at his hand.

Eyes widening when seeing the heavy hammer that had been nonchalantly placed in his palm.

"Errr… I don't know how-"

"Don't be such a wuss about it. The rules of my personal dimension are different. You can do it."

"I can't…" It just couldn't be done. Adam was too rational to step outside his comfort zone easily.

"You won't even try?"

"I don't know how to forge stuff with a hammer."

"Still… try your best anyway."

"I… can't."

"Then go back home. This is as far as you go. I've heard you say you'll change. Now put your money where your mouth is." Now wasn't the time for sophistry. A true man had to act on their beliefs.

Hephaestus Terran wanted to see what he'd do.

Adam stood in front of the furnace and recollected himself. His head having no idea what to create.

It was then he saw his status screen…

Name: Adam Graham

Job: Office Administrator

Class: Black Mage

Titles: Otherworlder, True Landlord, An Agent Of Gaia, Former Administrator

Personal Skills: Cooking (Common), Cleaning (Common), Land Management (Common), Lie Detection (Common), Social Barrier (Rare), Sinister Taunt (Rare), Mental Resistance (Rare), Mana Sense (Common), Geis Promise (Myth), Inspection (Myth), Astralisation (Legendary), World Unity (Legendary), Dark Extension (Special), Basic Cloning (Special)

Growth Characteristic: Studious Opportunist/ Antisocial Outcast/ Unsavoury Capitalist/ Game Completionist

Unique Skill: Parallel Concentration (Exclusive), Dark Aeon Shadow Physiology (Exclusive), Dawn Sapient Divine Physique (Exclusive), Father Nature (Exclusive)

Intrinsic Skill: Administrative Experience (Common), Management Experience (Common), Modern Education (Common), Potential Expansion (Special), Territory Liscense (Special), Deity Rank Bloodwood Immortality (Legendary), Holy Descendant (Gies), Pain Nullification (Special), Death Insensitivity (Special), Magic Talent (Special)

Imaginary Attribute: Gaia

Magic Affinity: Yin, Blood, Wood, Space, Holy

Innate Semblance (Yin): Empty (Dark)

Innate Semblance (Yang): House (Light)

Power Tier= A+ (Common)

Agility Tier= S (Rare)

Speed Tier= A+ (Common)

Defence Tier= B (Common)

Combat Prowess= D (Exceptional Combatant)]

The long list of abilities were one thing, but there was something else that bothered him usually.

Since the very beginning, he had acted as an administrator for Gaia. So should he start there?

Adam lifted his hammer, then…

…shattered the status window like glass!!!

The pieces started to hover around him as a myriad of techniques regarding smithing entered his head.

It was time to temper his own fate…