Chapter 3: Foxkin
"What is… this?"
「I told you, it's yours.」
Though it had felt like an eternity to me, his indifferent voice still carried a divine weight that sent a shiver down my spine.
With his words sinking in, I slowly reached out and took the great curved sword into my hands.
Forged in the heart of that brilliant, roaring blaze was… something that couldn't exist.
=====
[No. 1. Death Moon]
Rarity: Unique
Type: Great Curved Sword
Status: Perfect
[The first record forged by the Master of the Forge, who melted down all of his failed creations. A blood-soaked moon halo encountered at the crossroads of death.]
Attack Power: +1760
Attack Speed: +55%
[Applied Options]
Causal Unlink: Cuts through anything. Additionally, wounds inflicted by this blade cannot be regenerated.
Flames of Resentment: Flames erupt from the blade toward any target the user resents, burning their very soul to ashes.
Eons of Endurance: All of the user's actions are guided by the blade to find the optimal path.
Bound: Cannot be equipped by anyone other than the user,「Daon Lee」.
=====
The instant the great curved sword, Death Moon, rested in my hand, it flared with a crimson glow.
It felt as though the blade had become a part of my body.
Resting snugly against my palm, it was so weightless it felt almost immaterial.
"…May I give it a swing?"
Lord Lava nodded.
I matched my movement to that nod and swung Death Moon lightly from top to bottom.
Whoosh!
Fire etched itself into the air along the blade's path, washing the space in heat.
Yet it didn't feel hot at all.
It only had a gentle warmth.
Why was that?
As that warmth took hold, tears began to fall.
"Thank you…"
「There, there. Don't cry.」
Just as his bubbling voice pierced my ears, a translucent window appeared before my eyes.
=====
[System Message Update]
[Escape the Forge of the End]
〉You have survived the Forge of the End.
〉You have received the first masterpiece 「Death Moon」 from the Master of the Forge.
Remaining Time: 14,947,070 hours, 26 minutes, 32 seconds.
Elapsed Time: 875,997 hours, 33 minutes, 27 seconds.
=====
A hundred years had already passed while I swung my sword in a trance.
Even so, neither my reflection on the smooth blade nor Lord Lava's appearance had changed.
Nothing at all had changed.
I fiddled with the metallic hilt, waiting for the system's next message.
=====
[Crossroads of Choice]
〉You have acquired the Tower's unique masterpiece.
Right now, you have two choices.
1. Kill the Master of the Forge and claim Death Moon as the one and only masterpiece.
2. Escape the forge alone.
=====
The choices hovering before my eyes felt cold.
I didn't even consider the first option.
I had no desire to do so, nor did it seem remotely possible.
I snapped my head away as if dodging the choice and looked over at the Master of the Forge.
He had no face, nor any expression, yet I could read something deep within the blaze.
Understanding.
「Go on.」
"Lord Lava…"
That understanding hurt terribly.
The pain was so overwhelming I wanted to collapse on the spot and bury my face in my knees.
He had saved my life and gifted me a dagger.
On top of that, he had bestowed upon me Death Moon—a weapon of myth.
Yet there was nothing I could give in return.
A heavy weight crushed my chest as I closed my eyes and hung my head.
My vision went dark.
Only the warm hilt in my hand remained.
Death Moon.
A named weapon.
In this entire space, the only one without a name was the Master of the Forge standing over there.
That realization ached deep inside me.
"Lord Lava."
「What?」
"May I… give you a name?"
He had given me everything, yet all I could offer in return was a name I came up with on my own.
Embarrassed by the thought, I started to mumble hesitantly, when…
Lord Lava nodded.
「Suit yourself.」
I didn't hesitate for long—only one word had come to mind.
"…Dan (鍛). It means to forge and temper iron."
「I like it. Now go on, hurry up.」
Though I still couldn't see his expression, I felt like Lord Dan was smiling.
"Kgh…!"
Refusing to let me linger for even a second, the system dragged my body into the void—as if telling me to scram the moment my business was done.
Amid a dizzying sense of helplessness, my consciousness slowly began to fade.
Right as I reached out toward Lord Dan one last time—
「I think I'll be able to leave soon, too.」
A brilliant light enveloped his body, and a serene voice echoed.
* * *
Dan.
It was an ill-fitting name for my body, which constantly melted and yet strangely maintained its form, but I didn't care in the slightest.
The moment I was given a name, a window like the one Daon described appeared before my eyes.
=====
[Hidden Quest]
[Forge Your First Equipment.]
=====
The prompt clearly wasn't referring to Death Moon.
I instinctively understood what 'First Equipment' really meant.
〉Reward: ???
I reached into empty air.
There was no limit to my materials—the nameless steel here was infinite.
And Death Moon, the first blade I forged from it, was undoubtedly a masterpiece.
Even so.
「That won't cut it.」
This time, I was going to forge something truly unprecedented—the absolute best.
And the material, of course, couldn't be anything ordinary.
I slowly lowered myself, lying flat against the ground.
It looked like I was embracing the forge that had been with me for an eternity.
As I wrapped around it, the entire forge began to melt down.
The furnace that burned eternity.
The indestructible anvil.
The hammer that shaped all things.
Every piece melted into a single point, embedding itself firmly near my heart.
As a blacksmith, it was embarrassing to admit, but by this point, the forging process had left my hands.
With the forge cradled in my embrace, I simply envisioned an abstract concept.
Perfection. Completion.
The very things I could never reach, no matter how much I hammered or what I melted down.
Szzzzz!
How much time had passed?
As if the entire world were bursting into flames, the forge's ceiling collapsed with a fierce roar.
The darkness that had seemed eternal finally parted.
What took its place was an endless void.
Enveloped by an unprecedented warmth, I closed my eyes and surrendered to the process.
A long time passed.
Yet to me, it felt shorter than any other moment before.
=====
Condition Met: The creator became the 'completed equipment' itself.
[!] Causality exceeds system parameters.
Calculating appropriate reward…
[!]
[!]
[!]
[Reward: Obtained 'Freedom'.]
=====
At last.
My heart was beating.
* * *
An unfamiliar sensation washed over me.
A cool breeze blew in from beyond the horizon, accompanied by warm sunlight.
Something cold landed on my nose, melting into a drop of water the moment it met my warmth.
I opened my eyes.
A world dyed in pure white came into view.
Naturally, a single question surfaced.
Where am I?
Then again, anywhere was fine as long as it wasn't that forge.
I pushed my body up and blinked.
I took in the view around me.
Trees blooming with pure white frost, and snow drifting softly from the sky.
Even the simple act of blinking felt completely surreal.
"Haa…"
White puffs of breath followed with every exhale.
They drifted skyward, and I lightly tapped one with my fingertip.
The slight breeze from my gesture scattered it in all directions.
Blink.
My gaze fell on slender fingers parting through the mist.
It wasn't skin bubbling like lava, but smooth, pale flesh like a freshly quenched blade.
"Mmm…?"
The soft hum I let out in my confusion tickled my ears.
My voice sounded delicate, carrying a soft, nasal pitch.
I lowered my head and looked down at my newly forged body.
I had light brown hair like unrefined steel ore, with a simple white cloth draped over my shoulders.
Through it, I could see a slender, delicate frame.
It… was the body of a young girl.
"Wait…"
In my hazy memories, I was definitely a man.
Even in the forge, stripped of a physical body, I had always thought of myself as male.
But as I stared down at myself, this body was nothing like my faint memories—and even further from anything I had imagined.
"Haa…"
If I knew it would come to this, I should have pictured what I wanted far more clearly.
Since Daon was the only human I'd met in eons, I suppose I unconsciously pictured a female body when forging my new form.
As I sighed, the tail behind me swished against the snowfield, scattering snowflakes.
…A tail?
I looked back.
A lush, fluffy tail was cheerfully swaying behind me of its own accord.
I could somehow accept turning into a young girl.
But… a tail?
I raised my hand and felt around the top of my head.
Unfamiliar fur brushed against my palm.
"…This is a bit unexpected."
Small, slender fingers.
Hearing keen enough to feel the vibrations of metal.
"Is this a good thing…?"
I couldn't tell.
In this confusing situation, my brain stopped working.
Yet despite my confusion, my tail swished wildly in response to my emotions.
Excitement.
And pure joy.
Grabbing the tail firmly with my hand, I patted away the snow tangled in the fur.
"Well, it can't be helped."
The body felt foreign as could be, but the sensation was unmistakably real.
A feeling that was, without a doubt, entirely my own.
I stood up and planted both feet in the snow.
With every step, the snow compacted beneath my weight with a satisfying crunch.
At that pleasant sound, the corners of my lips curled up on their own.
I looked back.
Several small footprints were stamped into the snowfield—tracks left by a body still adjusting to the unfamiliar sensations.
Wobbling footprints.
Soft, delicate prints.
Trail marks where my toes had dragged through the snow.
"Heh…"
For some reason, the sight reminded me of a field of flowers.
Scattered unevenly across the pure white field, those shallow pits looked like flowers in full bloom.
I wiggled my toes, sinking them deeper into the snow.
The crisp bite of snow pressing between my toes was a completely new feeling.
It was fun.
"Hehe."
Laughing for a while, I climbed the slope covered in snow blossoms and reached the mountain peak.
Looking down, I saw a sea of gray skyscrapers and, rising far above them, a single colossal tower.
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