Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Sitting around a small fire with a warm meal, Seth explained what had just happened when he leveled up. Puffles had seen his level and deduced as much. Tatzel was not yet at that stage and was surprised to hear the things Seth talked about.

~It's a little different for us.~ Puffles explained to the surprised Taztel. The Imugi was also able to hear what they talked about just fine, despite not having the level needed to hear it.

"How so, Puff?" Seth asked him curiously.

The Ivicer had already gotten so far on this path, he had to know more about it than the two of them.

~Python explained it to me. The path differs a lot depending on one's inheritance and affiliation, especially for those who are not players. You would first need to understand what the Power of Existence is.~ the Ivicer explained.

According to the nightmare centipede, it all had to do with legends and tales. For him and Tatzel, one a being equivalent to an angel and the other a species with a good chance to become a dragon, their Power of Existence and Level of Existence naturally accumulated and grew.

~That's how Python explained it to me, but it's obviously different for players. You should ask Leana about that. Well, the point is that there is no need to keep it a secret to us since we will naturally grow to this stage, even when we are not guaranteed to reach the pinnacle.~

"And what is Power of Existence then, oh great and wise centipede? What does it do?" Seth asked what really interested him.

~Err, well, depending on your path it allows you to bend the rules of reality?~

Seth's clueless expression made the Ivicer continue.

~For example, my path is "The Light Bearer" and I simply follow the path left by Ivice, the god who created my race. The path allows me to grow stronger by absorbing the power of the sun, though the past battles helped in increasing my Level of Existence lately. When I achieve the goal I have the chance to inherit the authority of Ivice.~ the Ivicer explained as if it wasn't much.

"Doesn't that mean you will graduate to become a god or something?" Seth asked baffled, but the ivicer shook his head.

~Ivice is dead. There is no divinity to be inherited. When I become a legend, I only have a small chance to inherit power over the sun, as far as I know.~

"Okay, but you didn't really answer my question. What IS the Power of Existence?"

~...You got me. I have no idea how to explain it. Go ask your princess!" the Ivicer suddenly got into a huff.

"I-I didn't mean to tease you, Puff... I'm sorry."

~It's alright.~ "Then let's forget about the details. What about Tatzel?"

~Yeah, what did big mom about me?~ the Imugi interjected curiously.

~Pff, you haven't even stepped on your path, why are you so excited? Well, anyway. From what Python told me, Tatzel's species is one of those closest to becoming a species of true dragons or something. So you will naturally grow, like me, and have a chance to become a dragon at the end of your path.~

The blacksmith listened to the centipede rambling about paths and power, but nothing really got stuck except that he had done well, picking these two up. And that they would easily outgrow him at this rate.

Despite saying to ignore it, he couldn't help to keep thinking about the Power of Existence. It was clearly the crucial component for everything that had to do with becoming and being a legend. Seth had an inkling when he combined his suspicions with some of Puffles' statements.

Yet, like an itch he couldn't scratch, he felt like he was simply lacking information. Untypical for the system, his brain wasn't just flooded with all the needed information when he got the quest.

What he knew for certain was that he had to be ready before reaching lv.100. He had "only" five levels left. Checking his level, he also found that Puffles' rampage had already filled his experience gauge by a 1/10.

"Maybe it would be better to return home for now and have a talk with Leana and Bement."

The blacksmith had no doubt that if he had gotten this quest, most of the others in the abyss would also get them soon if they had not gotten it already. Well, maybe he had some doubts. Since the quest talked about requirements and conditions, maybe not everyone with him had what it took to choose a Path of Legends.

Ori humas were guaranteed to have no restrictions, Seth knew that. Any resident of Urth should have had the potential to reach lv.100, but this didn't mean everyone had what it took to go further. Even the three choices he unlocked had insane requirements if one thought about it.

Since the system was clear about not supporting anyone past that point, how many would be able to go further from here? Even if they did, it didn't seem like it would be easy to grow past lv.100. So far players only had to kill monsters. But past 100? Seth could only make an assumption about the Power and Level of existence past that threshold.

~If we are returning, we should look for the others first, Mom~ Tatzel brought him back into the dark tunnel and their small campfire.

"Right, let's look for them tomorrow," he said a little drowsy.

<Ding! Your creation -Golem Knight 4 lv.89- has been destroyed.>

<Ding! Your creation -Golem Knight 5 lv.90- has been destroyed.>

The blacksmith's eyes flew wide open. As their creator, Seth had a special connection with the creations he had given a soul that counted as their own units. Aside from being able to roughly feel their location, the system treated them as part of a subordinate system.

It wasn't the first time some of his golems died, but this time it was something special. These golem knights were golems with a soul and could usually recover, even if they were destroyed. It was the first time he lost golems with a soul. Usually, he felt just the loss of this vague connection.

Had the system changed after he entered the last stretch or was it the fact they were living golems? But why would a notification with the direct names of the golem be part of the no-spoiler rule? There were a few questions but he quickly forgot them when he remembered with whom the numbers 4 and 5 were.

"Shit, guys, we have to move quickly," Seth got up.

Before they left Minas Palan, Seth had offered all the teams to take some of the golem knights along. There were many situations where they could come in handy, especially as additional backup during an emergency.

Only Yulecat's Fur was the only party that didn't take the offer. Lydia's Team 3 had the numbers 6-10 and Monique's Team 1 had 1-5. This meant that Monique and her team were probably in danger if they not only brought out the golems, but some of them were even destroyed, they faced something that could destroy someone's soul.

~What is wrong, Mom?~ ~Yeah, what is going on all of a sudden?~ the two asked perplexed at his sudden actions.

"Monique's team is in trouble. We should get them first. Get in the pet spaces, we have to hurry," he answered shortly, before pulling his hood over his face.

For others, it might have been a problem to find Monique's party. The communication orbs didn't work between the outside and inside of a dungeon. The <Map> skill couldn't show the interior of a dungeon from the outside, either. However, it was different for Seth. Apart from his <Compulsive Precognition> that somehow helped him have a good instinct, he was able to rely on his items.

There was the guidance of the Cloak of Hecate and its <Intuition+>. In addition to that they were the Alniyat leg guards. Most of their effect worked to guarantee a safe journey. If he, despite that, got into an annoying situation while blindly following the cloak's guidance, he had <Apollo, take the wheel!" to steer him safely back on track.

With all that in the back of his mind, Seth started sprinting. Following the stars of the Cloak of Hecate, he could only hope that he was not too slow.

…

---Theater Dimension---

"That's clear cheating!" the Dungeon God exclaimed incensed.

"What are you even babbling about? He is an aspirant of the path "Architect of Life". Of course, he would notice when some of his higher creations were harmed," the System god shrugged his shoulder innocently.

"No, you pulled something! I know it!" the other insisted.

"Whaat~? There is nothing like that. Stop it with your baseless accusations, just because you don't want to lose a bet."