Chapter 1735: Nine Underworld Flame Blacksmith
Chapter 1735: Nine Underworld Flame Blacksmith
CLANG
The first thing Kent heard when he woke up was the sound produced by metal striking metal.
He turned around and saw that he was in a place he couldn’t quite bring himself to describe.
The mountains around him were made of minerals many blacksmiths would kill to have even a chunk of. There were bones from legendary beasts, some of which had even gone extinct.
The rivers there were made of either water, ice, or flames. Yes, there was an ice river there. In the air, thousands—tens of thousands—of treasures hovered around.
More shocking still, this world felt like home, almost as if appearing there was the most important decision he had ever made.
Kent knew he had arrived in a world where one of his incarnations was waiting for him.
He had already met Chaos, Faceless, Jest, Ruthless Bandit, and Sanders. He had yet to meet Kevin Sage and the Divine Beast Tamer, but he knew he was about to meet yet another incarnation of himself.
CLANG
The sound of metal striking metal once again resounded across the space, drawing his attention toward the east. Without any hesitation, he took off, and in no time, he arrived at a valley where a large red building sat in the middle of a pool of lava.
Kent immediately sensed that getting close to the lava would mean his end. The pressure coming off it and the sheer amount of flame essence he felt were far beyond anything he had ever experienced.
It was as if his Nirvana Flames and Chaos Flame were children before it.
CLANG
Another metallic ring came from the building, followed by a booming voice.
"Are you just going to stand there or come meet me?"
Kent didn’t know where the courage came from, but the next second, he moved, and before he could stop himself, he was already standing in front of the building.
The door swung open, and he entered, ready to die the moment he stepped inside. However, what greeted him was the sight of a bare-chested man holding a large hammer with a red handle and a black head.
He was muscular, but not overly so. He stood a staggering 7’2" tall, with a wave of green hair cascading down his back. Because he was drenched in sweat and completely engrossed in his work, his hair clung to his skin, almost as if water had been poured over him.
Turning slightly, his green eyes met Kent’s, and for a moment, Kent felt like a lump of ore about to be thrown into a fire and shaped into a treasure.
The man smiled and set the hammer down, turning fully to face Kent. That was when Kent saw an X-shaped scar on his chest.
’A barbarian, huh?’ Kent said inwardly, a smile forming on his face. He was many beings in the past, after all.
He was a dragon, then a human (Jest and Ruthless Bandit), and then an Umbra-human (Darkborne, mostly called Shadow Demons). He went on to become an Elf (Divine Beast Tamer) and a half-elf in two lives (Kevin Sage and Sanders).
Now, it appeared he had once lived as a barbarian.
"Gosh, I hate tiny people," the man said, his voice booming across the room.
Kent smirked and replied, "You are just seven inches taller than me."
"That still makes you tiny," the man laughed and walked toward Kent with heavy steps. When he stood before him, he placed a hand on Kent’s shoulder and smiled.
"So, you are who we turned out to become, huh?"
Perhaps seeing the way the man was looking down at him, Kent’s ego couldn’t handle it, so he assumed his demi-dragon form, rising to 7’1". Still, he was an inch shorter, but that was better than seven inches.
The man laughed and tapped Kent on the shoulder more forcefully this time.
"Haha, I guess we haven’t lost our sense of humor." He let go and extended his hand, causing a wine bottle to fly toward him.
When he caught it, he took three gulps before handing it over to Kent, who also took three gulps, clearly in competition with himself.
"Better. I am now convinced we didn’t turn out to be losers after all," he laughed again and waved his hand, causing them to appear atop a mountain. Below them stretched a sea of lava.
"I was called many names and given many titles during my day. However, you can call me Kaelgorin Fjorge, the Nine Underworld Flame Blacksmith."
Kent turned, looked at his past incarnation, and nodded.
"Good name and title. We were once known as the Primordial Chaos Dragon, Lord Genesis, Ruthless Bandit, Bone Lich Undead Emperor, Divine Beast Tamer, Grand Pill Celestial Kevin Sage, and many more."
Kaelgorin Fjorge laughed and tapped Kent on the shoulder again.
"Good titles. I guess we were badass, huh?"
Kent nodded and replied, "That we were, so don’t lower the bar, buddy."
"Rest assured, I had the most badass life among all of us. After all, have you ever met a barbarian who was kidnapped a few days after he was born, sent down to Hell to fight in the Damnation Arena, won his way to the top, killed the Hell Emperor, and ruled Hell for 10,000 years before taking an interest in forging?"
Kent looked at Kaelgorin Fjorge for a few seconds before he exploded into resounding laughter.
"That sounds like a dark and twisted fairy tale, but I am going to enjoy it."
"You will." Kaelgorin Fjorge laughed and added, "While that was merely 10% of our life, I am sure the trip down memory lane, starting with a devastating hellride, will make this visit worthwhile. And rest assured, not even a minute will pass on the outside by the time you leave."
"That is reassuring. I wouldn’t want to miss out on the dragon whip."
Kaelgorin Fjorge laughed again, making Kent wonder if he would also become this lively after absorbing his memories.
"The Nine Dragon Whip," Kaelgorin Fjorge muttered, smiling as he recalled one of his famous creations. "It was one of my masterpieces when I was a Blacksmith God. It is actually funny how that whip came about. Do you want to hear?"
"No, I would probably see it in the memories," Kent rejected the offer, but it didn’t go anywhere.
"I will tell you."
Kaelgorin Fjorge laughed and began, "One time, I was bored, so I decided to pop down to Hell and see how my pals were doing. One thing led to another, and we found ourselves in one of the Hell Calamity Caves, attacked by a horde of dragons.
The battle was so intense that when we managed to escape, some of my pals developed trauma toward that place. However, I reaped some benefits in the form of nine dragon souls.
When I returned to the land of the living, a very annoying, pesky blacksmith challenged me to a duel where we each had to create a God-grade living weapon, and the winner would strike the loser with their weapon.
I crafted the Nine Dragon Whip, obliterated that sucker’s soul, and later gifted it to an old flame of mine. She was one hot-headed vixen. I loved her so much." Kaelgorin Fjorge laughed out loud, clearly happy as he recalled such memories.
Kent stared at this brute for a few moments before smiling and shaking his head.
’Maybe Ruthless and Sanders aren’t the worst versions of me.’