Chapter 685

He was home.

How long had it been since he last returned?

But Jack seemed even happier to be home than Su-ho was.

“Oho! A whole bunch of new dramas came out while we were gone!”

Jack naturally picked up the tablet and began ordering delivery food.

It somehow felt as though their roles had been reversed, but Su-ho let him be.

Jack had suffered plenty too.

Meanwhile, Su-ho took a shower for the first time in a while and changed his clothes.

Then he took a can of soda from the refrigerator and drank it.

“Ah, this is nice.”

- Master, give me one too.

“Here.”

He tossed one over, and Jack opened his mouth wide and swallowed the entire can whole.

Seeing him like that really drove home the fact that he was a monster.

Su-ho threw himself onto the sofa and only then checked his status window and the rest.

[ An Su-ho ]

Lv : 400Class : Black PopeGrade : Guardian DeityBetting : <Umbra><Heracles><Sword Demon>Traits▲ : <New Blood★><Heracles><King of a Fallen Nation><King of the Demon Realm><Sun-Moon Body>Titan(G) : 78Dragon Demon(W) : 312Super Sense(S) : 90Command(N) : 220Bonus Stats : 100The Titan stat had reached Gold grade, while Dragon Demon was White grade.

Other than that, the only change was the 100 bonus stats.

After thinking for a moment, Su-ho invested all of them into Dragon Demon and closed the status window.

Then he checked the newly updated information for Giant Bloodline.

[ Giant Bloodline ]

Grade : SS# The pure bloodline said to have been passed down only among the First Giants.

# It is now the bloodline of the Giant King.

# Lv.1 - Power of Giants : Giant Strength(SS)

# Lv.2 - Giant Bloodline : Gigantification(SS)

# Lv.3 - Titan Body : Giant Sense(SS)

# Lv.4 - Giant King : Gestark(SS)

Every grade had become SS.

A natural change.

After that, he checked the information on Titan Legion, the only new skill he had obtained.

There was not much to its description.

It was a summoning skill that allowed Su-ho, now that he had become the Giant King, to summon and command Giants from the Giant Realm whenever and wherever he wished.

‘Then what’s left is.......’

The last of the four bloodlines under New Blood.

The Fairy Blood of the Fairy Realm.

It had been a while since he last checked its information.

[ Fairy Blood ]

Grade : S+# A bloodline said to have been passed down only through the Queen Family, who were called the first and greatest fairies.

# Lv.1 - Fairy Blood : Fairy Power(S)

# Lv.2 - Fairy Body : Fairy Sense(S)

# Lv.3 - [ ??? ] : Locked.

└ Unlock Conditions

① Reach Level 400.

② Unknown.

The final remaining third authority.

As far as this one was concerned, he had no idea what to expect.

That was because he had far too little information.

‘At most, all I’ve done is meet the Protection Fairy Clan.’

He had not forgotten the name.

Fairy Queen Marloe.

A Queen-class fairy who had learned the Seal of Protection and lived together with the attribute-less fairies beneath the pond as their leader.

‘And I brought her Fairy Dragon Gomes’s corpse.’

Would she have finished analyzing Gomes’s corpse and figured out the answer by now?

Probably not.

The fairies had not seemed capable of anything like that.

Su-ho asked Jack.

“How long are you planning to rest?”

- Who knows?

“Let’s rest a reasonable amount and go. We should get this over with quickly.”

- Aaaah.

Jack groaned.

It was understandable that he would be reluctant.

Apophis had been pretty exhausting.

Su-ho understood.

He himself had been sick of it...... no, had suffered through it.

But work and personal matters had to be kept separate.

After thinking for a moment, Jack spoke.

- Then let’s just go now.

“Why? We can rest for a bit first.”

- If I start a drama and leave halfway through, that’ll annoy me even more. Better to go and binge it all after we get back.

“Good reason. But let’s eat the food you ordered before we go.”

- Okay.

The meal arrived soon after, and they spent an enjoyable time eating.

In the middle of the meal, Su-ho spoke.

“When it comes to flavor and intensity, our country’s food is definitely better, so why did the food I ate with Mr. Hyman somehow taste better?”

- Because you ate it after suffering over there. Of course there’d be a difference.

“I see.”

- If you want, you can go suffer again before eating.

“Ugh, no thanks. I’d rather just eat slightly less delicious food.”

Remembering how much he had suffered while assimilating the Rune made him shake his head automatically.

Soon after they finished eating, Su-ho opened the quest window and was about to touch the Trait Quest.

[ ■■■■ wishes to meet you. ]

A System notification.

Su-ho froze for a moment.

■■■■?

His eyes shifted.

Come to think of it, he served four succession patrons.

Sword Demon, Spear Venerable, Shiva.

That meant there was only one left......

The successor of the Blacksmith Style.

At that moment.

[ ■■■■ asks whether you have forgotten about them. ]

“Of course not. How could I? I’ve simply been waiting for you to call me.”

[ ■■■■ narrows their eyes. ]

[ ■■■■ gives you a suspicious look. ]

[ ■■■■ nods. ]

Then a Gate opened in front of Su-ho.

Jack looked at it and asked.

- We just go in?

“No. This isn’t the door to the Fairy Realm.”

- Then what is it?

“......Get some rest. I need to go somewhere for a bit.”

- Okay.

The instant the words left Su-ho’s mouth, Jack picked up the tablet and sat down in front of the television.

He grabbed the remote and immediately turned it on.

Su-ho stared at the back of Jack’s head in disbelief.

“You’re not even going to ask where I’m going or why?”

- If you say you’re going, then you’ve probably got a reason.

“That’s true, but.......”

- Judging by the situation and that look on your face, it’s pretty obvious. Isn’t it that? A succession patron?

“......Right.”

- Knew it. Go on. I’ll wait here comfortably.

“......Sigh.”

So you knew everything.

Right.

I’m the one who suffers, not you.

He was suddenly very jealous.

After grumbling for a moment, Su-ho shook his head and collected himself.

He decided to think positively.

Looking at it another way, there was only one succession patron left for him to meet.

And only one bloodline quest left to resolve.

With that thought, he stepped into the portal.

***

His vision changed.

In the pitch-black darkness, the first thing he noticed was sound.

Clang- Clang- Clang- Clang-

A steady rhythm.

The sound of something being struck was metallic.

Then came the scorching heat in the air.

His vision cleared, and what appeared before him was, just as expected, a ‘forge.’

Clang- Clang- Clang- Clang-

Blacksmiths.

No, since this was the Blacksmith Style, calling them smiths rather than ordinary blacksmiths would probably be more appropriate.

They were all dressed in white Henley shirts and aprons, each absorbed in their own work.

Then a young-looking child appeared in front of Su-ho.

Like the other smiths, the child wore a white Henley shirt and a leather apron, but also had a white cloth wrapped around his head.

“An Su-ho?”

Su-ho quickly answered the child’s question.

“Ah, yes. I’m An Su-ho.”

“Show me your hammer.”

“My hammer? Ah, one moment.”

The sudden request caught him off guard, but he quickly realized what the child meant and took out the hammer he possessed.

It was the ‘Liberated Hammer of the Great Smith,’ which he had obtained when inheriting the Blacksmith Style.

As he handed it over, he recalled its information.

[ Liberated Hammer of the Great Smith ]

Grade : S+# A brilliant legacy bestowed by the Great Smith only upon the successor they cherish most.

# One thousand strikes are required to release the hammer’s third seal.

# The first seal has been released, activating ‘Square Extraction,’ which allows a portion of a target to be harvested into a clean rectangular shape, and ‘Socket,’ which allows harvested fragments to be equipped.

# The second seal has been released, activating ‘Square Forge-Welding,’ which allows materials to be layered together during crafting.

# Socket 1 - Fragment of Obsession from the Suppressing Chain Coffin(S).

# Socket 2 - Fragment of Obsession from the Suppressing Chain Coffin(S).

The smith’s hammer had undergone two releases after countless strikes.

It had two sockets, both currently fitted with S-grade fragments he had made to deal with Cheolma.

‘Thanks to those, I managed to obtain Cheolma.’

It was something worth being proud of.

At that moment, the child examining the hammer frowned and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk.”

“Tsk?”

“I had some expectations when I heard you were the old master’s successor, but a one-handed hammer at only Stage Two is a bit much.......”

A one-handed hammer at Stage Two?

What did that mean?

Su-ho asked.

“What do you mean by that?”

“What else would I mean? I’m talking about your level. Just follow me for now. I don’t like it, but the old master told me to bring you in, so I’ll at least guide you.”

“......?”

I don’t exactly feel welcome here.

Still, since the child had said he would guide him, Su-ho quietly followed.

The child crossed the forge, and as Su-ho followed him, some of the smiths working nearby glanced at him and clicked their tongues just as the child had.

‘What’s with everyone?’

Their reactions were no friendlier than the child’s.

He had a bad feeling about this.

Still, he kept following.

Before long, the scorching heat faded as they passed beyond the forge and emerged into an open area outside.

There was a river and a waterfall, and stepping stones had been laid across the packed earth.

Soon, a pavilion came into view.

Inside sat an elderly man with sparse white hair and long eyebrows, dressed in light clothing and playing Go.

The child stopped before the old man and bowed respectfully.

“Elder, I’ve brought him.”

“Yes. Good work. You may go.”

At the dismissal, the child bowed and returned the way he had come.

The old man’s gaze remained fixed on the Go board.

His eyes were hidden beneath his long eyebrows, and his thin face was carved with deep wrinkles, making his expression difficult to read.

For a long while, the old man continued playing Go.

Was this the succession patron of the Blacksmith Style?

Su-ho did not grow impatient.

He quietly waited for the old man to speak first.

After quite some time, the old man finally opened his mouth.

“Come sit in front of me.”

“Yes.”

Su-ho sat down across from him.

The old man asked.

“Do you know how to play Go?”

“I know enough to imitate someone who does.”

“Play a game with me.”

“My skill is pretty poor. You might find it boring.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“All right.”

“You go first.”

Naturally, Su-ho took black.

And they began placing stones.

How much time had passed?

“You little......”

The old man’s brow furrowed.

At the same time, Su-ho began to feel as though he were sitting on a bed of thorns.

There was only one reason.

The old man was absolutely terrible at Go.