Praise the Orc! - Chapter 186

Chapter 186

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 .