**Chapter 429. How to Create My Own Primordial**
—
The place where Pangaenia’s greatest master craftsmen gathered.
From early morning, the blacksmiths’ village of **Mirage** was filled with the heavy clangor of hammers.
Clang!
Claaang!
“Faster! We won’t make the deadline!”
“What about the Aslan Trading Company order—done yet?”
“Not yet!”
“And the sword commissioned by the Kingdom of Cernil for the coronation ceremony?”
“That one… the Master said he’d handle it personally…”
“Damn it! Do you know how important that is?!”
The blacksmiths’ gazes all turned toward the center of the forge.
Though the world’s finest smiths were gathered here, the most outstanding among them was without question the man called the **Master**, the owner of Mirage village.
The creator of countless famed blades, a man hailed as a living legend among blacksmiths.
But for the past several weeks, the Master had been completely absorbed in something else.
“……”
The Master’s eyes, framed by a thick white beard, were fixed on a single man.
As though nothing else could be seen or heard, he was utterly focused.
*Demonic talent. Such a clear, pure hammer sound…*
Smithing is loud.
Beating metal until your eardrums ache is the very trade of a blacksmith.
But this man’s hammering was different.
*In just thirty days…*
Clang—
Clang—
A rhythm without the slightest deviation.
The smooth hammer strikes, as if steel, fire, and the man himself had become one, sounded like a heavenly melody.
Perhaps because he had worked metal his entire life—
When he closed his eyes, it felt as though angels were tickling his ears.
*In just thirty days, he surpassed every master. The god of blacksmiths must be watching over him.*
Could one even believe it?
This man had earned the Master’s recognition in only thirty days.
*When he first came, I thought he was just some rich young noble…*
The Master recalled the day the man had arrived.
—Teach me how to work metal.
Thirty-odd days ago, the man had suddenly appeared and asked to be taught smithing.
The Master had expected nothing.
People seeking instruction from the greatest blacksmiths were a dime a dozen.
Even nobles would sometimes come begging the Master to teach them a single trick.
The man’s appearance fit the mold perfectly.
—A fallen noble, perhaps?
He looked exactly like one—someone from a collapsed noble house.
It happened occasionally.
Nobles who had fallen from succession or lost everything would come seeking him out.
—I’m simply someone who wishes to learn. I heard this was the best place to study smithing, so I came to ask for instruction.
Even his speech fit.
Most people like that lacked perseverance.
Even those who truly aspired to be blacksmiths usually dropped out within three days.
This man looked like he wouldn’t last even a single day.
—I have no work for you.
The Master had tried to drive him off without even turning around.
—Would this be sufficient?
……But the sum of money was too large to refuse.
Paying to learn wasn’t unheard of, but there were limits.
The amount the man offered was **five million gold**.
Five million gold was half a year’s budget for this village.
It was comparable to hiring hundreds of elite mercenaries for an entire year.
No matter how prosperous the blacksmithing industry had become, it was not a sum one could ignore.
And then the man added something even more absurd.
—If it’s not enough, say so.
……If it’s not enough?
An amount that even a major city magnate would hesitate to hand over.
Who could spend such money so casually?
Perhaps an imperial lord, or the son of one of the continent’s three great trading companies?
—If you give up halfway, it’s over. Don’t ask for your money back.
—I understand. Work me hard.
—You’ll regret those words. Fine—let’s begin at once.
The Master had snorted.
No matter how prestigious his family, smithing was never easy.
Countless people had broken their noses by underestimating it.
The Master trained the man himself—and treated him even more ruthlessly.
He planned to end it in a single day.
But the man did not give up.
He did not even seem to tire.
On the contrary, even while doing menial tasks, he still had the presence of mind to study the Master’s hammering.
*At first I wondered what kind of lunatic he was…*
At the very least, his hunger to learn was genuine.
After three days, then seven, the Master finally chuckled and placed a hammer in the man’s hand.
……And then he saw it.
*Just by watching me swing for seven days, he outclassed most blacksmiths.*
Demonic talent.
No—talent that would make even the gods weep.
“—M-Master!”
“……I’m not deaf.”
The Master frowned and turned his head.
A blacksmith, his expression just as grim, spoke up.
“Master! The sword for the Cernil Kingdom’s coronation ceremony!”
“……Ah. That.”
“*That*? The deadline is less than a week away!”
“Hm.”
The Master shrugged.
The new king of Cernil had commissioned him to forge the sword to be used at the coronation.
Cernil was a kingdom steeped in sword tradition. Only when the kingdom’s **Guardian Holy Sword** granted its approval could a ruler truly ascend the throne.
Depending on the quality of the coronation sword, the Guardian Holy Sword would either grant or deny that approval.
Old famous swords were unacceptable.
A new king required a truly new blade.
That was why, whenever a coronation was held, Cernil would commission Mirage village.
And for three hundred years, the sword had always been forged personally by the village’s Master.
“Hyun. Would you like to try?”
“W-What nonsense are you saying, Master?!”
“Your skill is already sufficient.”
“T-That’s not the point! For three hundred years, the sword of Cernil has always been forged by the Master himself! A tradition passed down for generations! And now you’d entrust it to someone who’s only been learning for a month?!”
He wasn’t wrong.
But the Master’s resolve did not waver.
“I’m very curious how the Guardian Holy Sword will judge *his* blade.”
“And what if Cernil lodges a formal protest?!”
“Then we simply won’t tell them. Is there anyone here who’d secretly report it?”
“Master…!”
“Heh. Fine, fine. Then we’ll send two swords to Cernil—mine, and his. That should suffice.”
“……You’re saying he’s *that* good?”
The blacksmith’s heated expression cooled instantly.
What the Master had just said was taboo even among blacksmiths.
It meant staking the pride of a blacksmith in a contest—between the Master and a man who had learned for only a month.
Something utterly absurd was happening.
Smithing was something many couldn’t master even after ten years.
To even work in this forge, one needed over a decade of training.
“Master, isn’t this blatant favoritism? The other blacksmiths won’t accept it.”
And yet he was entrusting such a task—staking his pride—to someone who had trained for only a month?
The outcome was obvious.
The Master couldn’t possibly lose.
In other words, this was favoritism.
The Master was laying his cards on the table to elevate this one-month apprentice.
“Are you thinking of him as the next Master…?”
He held back his words, but no other explanation fit.
There were plenty of blacksmiths here who had worked over thirty years.
They would never accept this.
“We’ll see. The one with ability should become the Master.”
The Master left room for interpretation.
Training time didn’t matter.
Only skill would determine the next Master.
“Hyun, will you take it on?”
The Master asked again.
But the man did not answer.
Clang—
Claaang!
*Such astonishing concentration.*
……It was overwhelming focus.
As though he had severed himself completely from the outside world.
Even many masters here could not reach such a state of isolation.
The Master smiled.
*A treasure rolled right into my lap.*
*
*
The moment I gripped the hammer, my mind settled.
Stray thoughts vanished, and it felt as though only the anvil, the hammer, and I existed in this world.
*All the avatars’ talents—I’ve placed them into the Asura Realm.*
A thousand avatars.
All of them followed me with something close to worship.
Thanks to that, a thousand talents were registered in the **Asura Realm**.
Among them were three SSS-grade talents:
Assassination, blacksmithing, and farming.
But no matter how abundant the talent, without my will behind it, it was all meaningless.
*All Absolutes possessed a Primordial.*
What I sought was to create **my own Primordial**.
I had seen with my own eyes how Primordial-grade equipment affected Destruction.
If the First Fire and the Primordial armor were that powerful, then a Primordial that *expressed me* could surely reach even the Heavens.
More than that, every Absolute in the Dragon God Council possessed a piece of Primordial equipment.
Perhaps the recommendation of a Primordial Dragon God referred to Primordial-grade equipment itself.
*Something that exists nowhere else—something only I can create.*
That was all I wanted.
It was why I had come to Mirage village, where the greatest masters gathered.
Even with talent, who teaches you makes all the difference.
After a month under the greatest master, I had gained a semblance of form, but…
*It’s not enough.*
I couldn’t reach the Primordial.
I quietly stared at the anvil.
No matter how I thought about it, skill alone had its limits.
Masters may not choose their tools, but in blacksmithing, the quality of materials and tools inevitably shaped the result.
*The sword of the Cernil Kingdom…*
My first commissioned work.
A sword to present to the Guardian Holy Sword at the coronation.
At the same time, a duel with the Master.
He, too, had personally begun forging.
Out of two swords, only one would be chosen by the Guardian Holy Sword.
*……I’ll have to give it my all.*
There were no fixed rules.
I simply had to forge a sword.
In that case—
*Let’s do it properly.*
It was time to take out the secret weapon I had been hiding.
*
*
Every master in the forge held their breath as they watched the two men.
Hyun, and the Master.
“The Master’s skill is still unparalleled.”
“Hm. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him this serious.”
Watching the Master’s seasoned hands, the blacksmiths murmured in admiration.
They all knew he was forging in earnest.
“No matter how talented he is…”
“He can’t win.”
“He’s probably just being taught a lesson.”
The Master had stepped in to teach him.
The outcome was already decided.
The blacksmiths clicked their tongues and shrugged as they looked at Hyun.
In terms of skill, he could never beat the Master.
The Master was a master among masters, one of the top three in Mirage’s history.
Even godlike talent couldn’t bridge that gap in a month.
“Did he give up?”
“Well, he probably doesn’t even know what to make.”
Meanwhile, Hyun stood still.
As if deep in thought.
It couldn’t be helped.
Creating something from nothing.
He probably couldn’t even grasp a proper framework.
“Hm…?”
“What’s he taking out?”
“What is that?”
“W-Wait…!”
Then Hyun suddenly moved, pulling something from within his clothes.
Several blacksmiths’ eyes bulged.
“Ultra-metal…! Ultra-metal *Orichalcum*!!!”
“…No way. That’s Orichalcum?”
“I saw it once as a child. That unique, radiant hue—no doubt about it. It’s Orichalcum!”
Cheers erupted.
The divine metal, ultra-metal Orichalcum.
……It was a dream material that blacksmiths wished to handle even once in their lives.
It wasn’t something you could obtain just because you wanted it.
And yet—he possessed such a treasure!
Still, there were skeptical voices.
“Can’t win on skill, so he’s trying to brute-force it with materials?”
“That still won’t beat the Master.”
“Do you know how picky the Guardian Holy Sword is? Good materials alone don’t make a famous blade.”
“What a waste of ultra-metal.”
The blacksmiths sneered.
Countless smiths spent their entire lives without ever touching ultra-metal.
And someone who’d only learned for a month—how could he handle it?
*He’ll obviously fail.*
*He should’ve given it to me…*
*Such a waste of Orichalcum.*
*
*
To forge a sword is to build a house, to create a world.
Within a single blade lies a world.
To build a sturdy house, you must use good materials.
But every house has its purpose.
*Why does the Guardian Holy Sword always demand a new blade?*
Whenever a new king ascended in Cernil, the Guardian Holy Sword always demanded a new sword.
Without its approval, one could not become king.
It was an extremely demanding requirement.
I reviewed the records of swords used in past coronations.
And then I understood.
*……It needs a new companion. So it’s called a Guardian Holy Sword—turns out it’s a womanizer.*
What the Guardian Holy Sword truly desired.
Isn’t it amusing?
Just by changing perspective, you arrive at a completely different conclusion.
It didn’t need something grand or ostentatious.
It had already met countless such companions.
It had seen more flashy swords than anyone could count.
Essence was what mattered.
A companion that would always stand by its side, even if rough.
To create a sword the world had never seen—
That, surely, was the path to my own Primordial.
Claaang!
I swung the hammer.
Imagining myself in the Guardian Holy Sword’s place, picturing the form it would desire.
How much time passed like that?
Just barely within the deadline, I completed the sword.
And the moment it was finished—
《A once-in-a-lifetime monstrosity!》
《The ‘Companion Sword’ has been completed!》
《To forge a mere Companion Sword out of ultra-metal Orichalcum! If the god of blacksmiths had seen this, he would have laughed heartily and applauded.》
《This is the world of swords that ordinary blacksmiths cannot comprehend.》
《A sword with a self cannot help but respond.》
《Achievement unlocked: “What in the world is this monstrosity?”》
《The grade of the ‘Companion Sword’ is being determined.》
