“Can this twink even lift this?”

Anger. Anger enough to burn a thousand worlds. Anger enough to extinguish every life in the multiverse. Anger so hot that it wouldn’t cool down if every cell on my body were to be eradicated to their very atoms.

“He can, Eluton. He is the one who killed the wurm.”

With Morrigan’s words, the goat beastkin scanned me from head to toe. I answered by doing the same. His hair was brown with some white mixed into it, showing his age. His hair was curly. His arms and forearms were incredibly muscular with veins bulging. His face was covered with wrinkles caused by frowning all the time. His skin was darker than most of the beastkin I encountered. Two goat horns rose from his forehead while his goat ears were riddled with piercings. He wore an apron made from solid material, gloves, and stained trousers. His arms were bare and I saw several burn scars. His facial hair was groomed to form a goatee which I found funny.

He had a weird style and for some reason, I concluded that he and Lily would get along. He crossed his arms and turned away from me.

“No. I am not giving her to him.”

I raised an eyebrow. Her? He really liked his creation, didn’t he?

“Eluton. The core and scales belonged to him. You have already been paid. It belongs to him.”

“She.”

Eluton corrected Morrigan.

“She belongs to someone who can wield her with masterful skill. Not to some snobby, weak human!”

I sighed and looked around. This place was hot even with my Fire Resistance because of the several furnaces burning at full power. I wondered how the blacksmiths who worked here endured this heat while working. Various weapons were hung on the walls while some were stacked on the corners. Raising Aliera’s divine power inside me I could tell how powerful and well-crafted every weapon was, albeit roughly.

“How do you know that I don’t have the skill required?”

“Bwhaahahah!”

He howled a mocking laughter.

“Your legs are sticks! Your arms are just one wind away from blowing off your body!”

I smiled. I looked at Morrigan and she nodded.

“Oh, you think so? Very well then.”

I grabbed his arm before he could react and threw him into the air with one hand. I caught him by his ankle before he could hit the ground again with one hand.

“You lunatic! What are you doing- Stop!”

I threw him into the air once again. He nearly hit the ceiling. Other blacksmiths stopped what they were doing and were watching the show. This time I let him on his feet.

“I guess she doesn’t weigh more than you do?”

He breathed heavily before pointing his finger at me.

“You can’t use a weapon with pure strength! You need balance and techni-What are you doing?”

I grabbed him.

“I am about to show you my balance and technique.”

“Stopppppp!”

After several minutes of nonstop screaming, I let him go.

“You shitty apprentices! Not even one of you tried to help me! And you Morrigan! Why didn’t you stop him?”

He panted heavily. I was the one who used him like a weapon, why is he the one out of breath? Eluton, still panting and with a disheveled appearance, scowled at me. He grumbled something under his breath before addressing Morrigan.

"Morrigan, you bring this madness to my forge, and then you do nothing to stop it! What kind of friend are you?"

Morrigan just shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the situation. "I told you he was strong," she said, her tone casual. "You didn't believe me."

The other blacksmiths began to return to their workstations, shaking their heads or sharing bemused glances. Eluton gritted his teeth and grabbed the hammer.

“Don’t mistake it. I am not giving this to you because you intimated me or anything. If I see you swinging it randomly I’ll beat you and take it back.”

“Fair enough.”

I grabbed it. It was heavier than I initially thought and I thought it was heavy already. The handle was made out of Ivorysteel, a somewhat rare metal dropped in the dungeons of Whifur. It was around 1 meter or so long. The tip of the handle was sharpened though I doubted I would use it. The real gem, both figuratively and literally was the head. The core of the wurm was in the middle of it though now it was smaller, slightly bigger than my fist. Eluton must used some of it to give options to the hammer. The scales of the wurm, both sleek and impenetrable, covered the exterior of the hammerhead. The hammerhead's shape was blunt, perfect for smashing.

(Wurm-Scale Earthshaker)

(Power:22)

(Durability:625)

(An excellent item forged from the essence of a subterranean wurm by a master craftsman. The stubbornness of the craftsman allowed the weapon to retain the power of the wurm while having outstanding balance and power.)

(Gaia Burst: By channeling your mana and striking the earth with the Wurm-Scaled Hammer, you can invoke a powerful earth-shaking ability. This causes a surge of rocks to propel themselves forcefully in a designated direction. The number of rocks and their velocity is directly influenced by the amount of mana you infuse.)

(Wurmblood Resonance: Once a day, you can tap into the latent vitality of the wurm contained within the hammer. For a duration of 5 minutes, your defenses become bolstered, with your Defense stat increasing by 10. Additionally, you gain a formidable 10% resistance against all poisons and toxins.)

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Wow. The second option was just a straight-up better version of my shield. Of course, it had a shorter duration but not having a penalty and bonus poison resistance was huge.

Seeing me gazing at the hammer like a kid seeing a magic trick for the first time Eluton smugly leaned on the wall.

“Looks like you have an appraisal skill. Good. At least now you know that this is the best weapon you will ever see!”

He smugly declared.

“It is the second-best weapon I ever wielded.”

At least in this world. I definitely preferred my high-frequency blades and railguns maybe because of my attachment to them.

“What!”

Eluton jumped into the air.

“What do you mean second best? What is the best? Tell me!”

He grabbed my collar. Upps, I shouldn’t have said that out loud. I was so mesmerized by the hammer that it escaped my lips.

“It is not something I could call upon freely.”

I lied.

“What’s its name? Who made it? What materials were used? Come on, tell me!”

Eluton's enthusiasm was evident as he bombarded me with questions. The blacksmith's curiosity seemed boundless, and I kind of got scared by his reaction. Of course, I could just summon Requiem for Unfinished Dreams as I wanted but summoning it was declaring that I was Aliera’s Champion. Even though beastkin didn’t worship her, the divine power on it could be recognized by the blacksmiths here. I still wanted to hide that I was Aliera’s Champion. I looked at Morrigan for help.

“Eluton, let Poyraz go. He should be on his way to the dungeon.”

He turned to Morrigan for a second.

“How can you use a weapon better than the one made with materials from a dragonic subspecies? Oi, answer me!”

He shook me. I grabbed his hand.

“I’ll answer one day. I promise.”

He let me go while grumbling.

“A man’s word is worth a thousand gold, remember that.”

We existed out of the smithy. I followed Morrigan.

“Chimera Garden. Interesting name for a dungeon.”

I put the hammer behind my neck and looked at the papers Morrigan gave to me.

“It is a difficult dungeon filled with monsters that use status effects. Most people don’t have the resistances required so it is not visited, unlike others. That’s why we were able to “reserve” it for you.”

Morrigan explained as we passed through the streets of Whifur. Most dungeons had a “cooldown” after they were cleared. The monsters, the bosses, and the rewards had to be “formed” by the large amounts of mana inside the dungeon. That’s why people had to reserve it before if they wanted to conquer it usually with money. Thankfully, I had a connection to Börü, and Morrigan, and had a little bit of luck.

“Do you need anything? It is slightly further from Whifur so you should buy the things you need before leaving.”

I lifted my bad of holding.

“Everything is here.”

“What about Gökbörü? I haven’t seen him anywhere.”

“Sleeping inside my shadow. He came before the dawn.”

Morrigan looked hesitant for a second.

“Any news or information?”

“Not really. Except one. Regal.”

I whispered. Morrigan turned to me sharply, her eyes asking for more. I handed her a map.

“This is as far as they went. Our connection got weakened too much after that so he had to return. Do you want me to do anything?”

While I didn’t know the Regal myself, I knew that he was a beastkin slaver and on a target list.

“If you want I can skip the dungeon. I would want to tell you before that but it wasn’t easy to understand Gökbörü while he was tired. Drawing the map took a lot of time.”

Morrigan shook her head.

“I should have guessed it. It is okay, this is our problem. You already did so much for us. This is our trash to take care of.”

Morrigan looked distant for a second.

“This is what friends are for. You can ask and I will be there.”

She sighed and showed a small smile.

“It is okay. I am sure that bastard is far away from where the map leads. He doesn’t stay in a single place for more than a day.”

We walked in silence for some time. I could see the gears at Morrigan’s head turning. She looked deep in thought. Her shoulders looked like they were being pressed down by an unseen force.

Damn.

Why does she remind me so much of myself?

I put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey.”

She turned around, surprised.

“You are doing okay, Morrigan. Don’t think too much. We know that Grizzon is connected to Regal now. We could reach him more easily with that information. One day you will get his ass and make him pay for his crimes.”

Morrigan nodded and for a second I saw her eyes lit up. I wondered if I had someone tell me what I said to Morrigan when I was her age would I still become what I am now? Or would I end up being a better person?

The anger. The responsibility. The overthinking. Feelings of not being enough. I couldn’t help to see myself in Morrigan. And I was sure of one thing: I didn’t want her to end up like me.

We exited out of Whifur. The guards at the gate saluted Morrigan she stopped to give them some orders.

“Did you tell them to be careful?”

I asked.

“Yes. Just in case.”

We walked in the forest for several minutes without talking. Guess that’s what happens when you put two introverts together. After a while, we stopped in front of the dungeon entrance.

“That’s some impressive mana.”

While it couldn’t be compared to Wolf King’s Tomb, the mana coming from the dungeon was enough to make me feel excited.

“This is what happens when a dungeon is not cleared frequently enough. Mana pools inside it more and more.”

I cracked my knuckles as my armor formed around me.

“Well, time to lessen it then.”

Morrigan handed me a bracelet. I could feel small amounts of mana from it.

“If you feel danger, imbue your mana into it. When that happens we will send out a squad to help you. I don’t think you will need it but better to be safe.”

“Thanks.”

I put it on as Morrigan waved her hand.

“Good luck.”

“I don’t need it.”

She smiled.

“It would be funny if you need help after all this so don’t get cocky.”

She seemed playful. Being in Whifur surrounded by friends and family had a positive effect on her.

“It is only cockiness if I can’t back it off.”

She blinked into shadows and disappeared. I turned to the dungeon.