I Opened the Forge
An unknown being.
A very long time ago, the god who had lost his name fought a being that tried to corrupt the Spirit Realm with darkness.
In the aftermath, the god used all of his power and, as a side effect, lost his name.
No one in this world could remember his name.
And without a name, a god could not establish his own existence.
So it should have been normal for him to remain submerged in an eternal void, unable to open his eyes.
But recently, something had changed.
‘Little by little—just the tiniest bit—I think my power is recovering. Is it because of that?’
A single Revelator had come to the Spirit Realm.
He did not know whether it was coincidence or something else that the Revelator had found his temple, but thanks to the crops the man had given him, he had been able to recover some of his power.
‘At first, it was only a little curiosity, but…….’
Thanks to that, the god who had lost his name had gradually become able to use a tiny fraction of his power.
Because he had no name, there was not much he could do, but he could at least help the Revelator a little.
“Then…… shall I see what our Spirit Farmer is up to?”
The god who had lost his name used his power to see what Yeong-ung was doing.
He was not inside the temple.
He could see him outside.
Because the god had lost his power, he could not see anything too far from the temple, but nearby areas were still within his reach.
‘A dwarf?’
Then, he heard their conversation.
—The thing is, I need a forge if I’m going to make anything. Is there one here?
—A forge? Ah…… now that you mention it, there isn’t…….
—That is troublesome…… In that case…….
Having roughly grasped the situation, the god who had lost his name grinned.
“A forge, is it? I can help with that much…… Of course, not for free…… At the very least, I should get some dried sweet potatoes in return.”
The god who had lost his name had previously watched Yeong-ung and Pepper eating dried sweet potatoes together.
He had been unbearably jealous.
He wanted to ask for some, but he had enough shame not to bring himself to beg for it.
So he waited.
For a chance to rightfully demand dried sweet potatoes!!
“……This is absolutely not because I want to eat them…… Ahem…… It is for the sake of recovering my power. Yes, of course!”
It was unclear who he was making excuses to, but the god smiled contentedly as he imagined the dried sweet potatoes he would soon receive, all while spouting an utterly pathetic excuse.
***
DING!
[The quest, ‘Dried Sweet Potatoes for the Altar!’ has been generated.]
[Dried Sweet Potatoes for the Altar!]
Grade: E
Description: Offer dried sweet potatoes at the altar of the Temple of the Forgotten God.
If you offer dried sweet potatoes at the altar, your problem may be resolved.
Success Condition: Offer 100 dried sweet potatoes at the altar.
Success Reward: Experience, Forge Key.
Penalty for Failure: The unknown being becomes dejected.
“Hm?”
“What is it?”
“No…… A quest…….”
“A quest? Ah! You received a revelation!”
A revelation.
NPCs referred to the ‘quests’ players received as revelations sent down from the heavens.
Yeong-ung nodded.
‘But the reward…….’
His eyes went to the success reward.
Experience and a Forge Key.
‘Let’s just do it.’
He happened to have already made dried sweet potatoes, so he had more than enough.
“Let’s go inside.”
“Squee!”
“I shall come with you.”
Yeong-ung led the way, with Pepper and Hote following him into the temple.
Hote looked around the interior with fascination.
“So this is the temple that once enshrined the god who lost his name? How strange. There truly is nothing here.”
“Aren’t temples usually like this?”
“No. A temple is a place dedicated to a god, so it normally has a certain degree of formality. Even if this god was forgotten…… this place is far too empty.”
“Maybe they were a frugal god.”
“Hahaha, perhaps.”
Hote kept looking around the temple with fascination, letting out exclamations every so often.
Before long, they reached the altar room.
Yeong-ung took 100 dried sweet potatoes out of his bag and placed them on the altar.
DING!
[You have cleared the quest, ‘Dried Sweet Potatoes for the Altar!’]
[You have gained Experience.]
[You have obtained the Forge Key.]
[The unknown being’s Favorability has greatly increased.]
“Inspect!”
[Forge Key]
Grade: B
Description: A key that can open the forge inside the Temple of the Forgotten God.
Only the holder of this key is granted the authority to use the forge.
Usage Requirement: Yeong-ung.
Option: Key Retrieval.
Bound to Owner.
‘It’s similar to the Food Storage.’
“That key is…….”
“It says it’s a Forge Key.”
“Hoh…… This is my first time witnessing a Revelator’s revelation, and it truly is remarkable. To think an item would appear out of thin air like that.”
“Squee!”
“Let’s go check it out. Where was the forge again……?”
“I’ll guide you, squee!! I know where it is, squee!”
“Good. Then let’s go.”
“Squee!”
***
[Temple of the Forgotten God-related quests.]
[15 Forge Key-related quests deleted.]
[32 Forge Key-related items deleted.]
“…….”
“…….”
Black Hole’s Operations Team 1, which managed Overlord.
Team Leader Kang Min-su and team member Kim Min-cheol stared blankly at the message displayed on the monitor.
“That bastard did it again…….”
The forge inside the Temple of the Forgotten God was never supposed to be opened like that.
The Temple of the Forgotten God Forge was an extremely special place where even a ‘Sacred Sword’ could be forged.
A Sacred Sword was not the kind of blade that could be made just anywhere simply because you had the materials.
A special blacksmith.
A special place.
And the right time.
Only when all three conditions aligned could an SSS-grade item finally be forged!
The key was originally supposed to be obtainable only after a Spirit Master completed a chain of linked quests.
Yet Yeong-ung had obtained it absurdly easily.
And for nothing more than dried sweet potatoes!
“Is that god insane!?”
“No…… Is it really okay for him to get the key like that? Huh?”
“Of course it isn’t!”
“Then why…….”
“Ugh…… That god is the problem. He’s gone crazy over dried sweet potatoes!”
Last time, he had taken a liking to tomatoes, and now he had lost his mind over dried sweet potatoes and handed over the key.
At this point, they were starting to suspect that the god who had lost his name might actually be a god of gluttony.
“……Team Leader, what do we do? The quests were deleted and the items disappeared, so…… this means again…….”
“Why are you asking something so obvious?”
“Do you have a solution?”
“Of course.”
“What is it!?”
At Kim Min-cheol’s question, Kang Min-su answered as though he could not believe he had even asked.
“We work overtime.”
“…….”
“Overtime again today.”
***
[You have used the Forge Key.]
[You have become the owner of the forge.]
[You have accomplished an astonishing achievement.]
[You obtained the Temple of the Forgotten God Forge through an extremely unusual method.]
[This is a shocking achievement.]
[Hidden Piece discovered!]
[You have obtained the hidden title, ‘Hammer Bearer.’]
[Hammer Bearer]
Grade: Hidden (Unique)
Acquisition Condition: Obtain authority over the Temple of the Forgotten God Forge.
Options: All Stats + 10
Strength + 10
Spirit Power + 20
Active Skill, ‘Tool Crafting LV. 1’
You can ignore the usage requirements of tools you craft yourself.
Description: Only the virtuous are worthy of wielding the hammer.
“Wow…….”
Yeong-ung stared in surprise as the messages continued appearing.
He had discovered a Hidden Piece and even obtained a title.
And on top of that,
‘These options are insane.’
A Hidden, Unique-grade title had options far beyond those of titles from any other grade.
There was a reason people went out of their way to search for Hidden Pieces.
‘With options like these, who wouldn’t?’
Obtaining a hidden title made you that much stronger.
And unlike a ‘Multiple’ title, which anyone could obtain after discovering it, a ‘Unique’ title had even better options.
Just look at this title.
‘All Stats increase, separate stats increase too, and it even gives an active skill…….’
“These options are completely broken.”
Yeong-ung checked the skill.
[Tool Crafting LV. 1]
Grade: E
Classification: Active.
Experience: 0.00%
Description: Allows you to craft basic tools.
Spirit Power Cost: 1,000
Effects: Tool Crafting Speed + 10%
Crafted Tool Options + 10%
Crafted Tool Durability + 10%
“Nice. With this…….”
He could make as many tools as he needed.
“Hoh…… This place is truly incredible.”
While Yeong-ung was looking at the title, Hote was examining the forge.
It was a little dusty from lack of maintenance, but it had everything a forge needed.
“This…… Is this a furnace made with ancient magic? Hoh…… This forge hearth and anvil are extraordinary too.”
“They’re that good?”
“Of course! With the equipment here, there is nothing I could not make.”
Hote’s eyes sparkled like those of a child who had just found a new toy.
“Do you see this furnace? This furnace was made a thousand years ago by a mage named Repel, and only a handful still exist today. See this mark here? This is Repel’s mark, so there is no doubt this is genuine.”
“Ah! And this anvil here is Repel’s work too. If you hammer metal on this…….”
“And this forge hearth is arranged perfectly as well. Truly excellent. Do you see this? If you use it like this here…….”
“…….”
Out of nowhere, he began rattling off words so rapidly that it was almost like he had started rapping.
It was like watching an excited otaku.
Yeong-ung could feel it.
“Huff…… huff…… To think I can make equipment with a furnace like this…… I must be a blessed dwarf! Wahahaha!”
The overwhelming stench of an otaku radiating from him!!
DING!
[Hote’s Favorability has greatly increased.]
“……What the hell is that, you X-otaku?”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
“Ahem. The equipment is excellent, so I can begin right away. So! What would you like me to make?”
Hote was curious.
‘I heard Revelators are greedy, didn’t I?’
The elder had told him several times that Revelators were a greedy race.
That was why he was curious.
What would Yeong-ung ask a dwarf like him to make?
‘A sword? Armor? Or perhaps, since he handles spirits, he might want equipment related to them.’
“Ask for anything.”
But what came out of Yeong-ung’s mouth was completely different from what Hote had imagined.
“A sickle.”
“A sickle?”
“Yeah. A sickle.”
“A sickle…… Hoh…… So you intend to wield an interesting weapon? I’ve heard of one before. A sickle used by the god of death long ago…… Was it called the Death Scythe? Something like that…….”
“What are you talking about? That’s not what I mean.”
“Hm? Then what…….”
“I said a sickle.”
“So the Death Scy—”
“Not that. I want a sickle for cutting weeds and things like that.”
“…….”
Hote’s eyes widened in disbelief.
So,
“……You’re asking me to make you a farming sickle? Me?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m a dwarf.”
“I can see that.”
“I possess the craftsmanship of a god.”
“And the stomach of one too.”
“…….”
“Anyway, make me some sickles. And make plenty while you’re at it.”
“……Fine. I’ll make them. And…….”
“Axes too.”
“Axes…… Hmm, so that was what you were after? Then perhaps the Dragon Battle Axe said to have severed a dragon’s head a thousand years ago…….”
“I need to cut down trees if I’m going to expand the farm. Make me a few good logging axes.”
For a moment, the look Hote gave Yeong-ung became subtle.
Almost as though he were thinking,
‘Is this man insane?’
It was only natural.
He was a dwarf.
His race possessed craftsmanship said to rival the hands of a god, and even the haughty elves coveted equipment made by dwarves.
And now he was offering to make Yeong-ung anything he wanted.
Yet all the man asked for were farming sickles and logging axes…….
“And could you make me a hoe and a shovel too? Ah! Can you make knives and scissors as well?”
“…….”
Hote thought,
‘What a truly strange Revelator.’
He had met a very strange man indeed.