Chapter 98: The Divine Forge!

Damian stared at the new Special Power description for several seconds.

Equipment personally conceived, crafted and perfected by him could transcend the ordinary limitations of its materials and crafting disciplines?

That sounded incredibly impressive, and also incredibly vague.

"So... what do you actually do?"

The System apparently considered that a valid question.

The blue screen vanished, then something entirely different appeared.

Damian blinked.

"...Oh?"

A three-dimensional image of himself appeared before him!

It was a perfectly accurate miniature representation of Damian standing upright in his newly completed Supreme Adept equipment, slowly rotating in the air.

Around the model were equipment slots for headwear, top, bottom, footwear, weapon(s) and accessories.

Each slot was connected to the actual equipment currently worn by the model, and the moment Damian focused upon any individual piece, an entirely new information screen appeared.

Damian leaned closer.

Valoria’s Overworld System had never possessed anything like this!

A Character Sheet showed the person his Attributes, Class, Skills, Feats, Specializations, and Titles.

But their equipment?

Equipment was equipment!

Even <Appraise I> normally evaluated tradeable objects independently. There had never been some videogame-style equipment menu showing exactly what every item he wore contributed to his build.

Well, until now.

Damian selected the upper robe.

[Name: Supreme Adept Upper Battle Robe

Equipment Grade: Rare (Valoria), Low Grade Three (Shengyuan)

Effect 1: Aether Conduction — Allows Mana and Refined Qi to circulate freely through the garment without obstructing Mage spellcasting, cultivation techniques or compatible external energy effects.

Effect 2: Prismatic Guard — Disperses and resists multiple forms of elemental energy through the Prismatic Elemental Thread woven throughout the garment.

Effect 3: Feyheart Mending — Gradually restores minor cuts, tears, burns and ordinary structural damage sustained by the garment.

Effect 4: Aetherbound Frame — Stabilizes the wearer’s upper body against spatial distortion and improves resistance against forced displacement.

Description: The upper half of Damian Baines’s first personally designed battle set. Created after its maker concluded that being an elite Mage was considerably less useful if an enemy could simply cut his robe open during a sword fight.]

Damian’s lips twitched.

"Accurate I guess.."

The lower half came next.

[Name: Supreme Adept Lower Battle Robe

Equipment Grade: Rare (Valoria), Low Grade Three (Shengyuan)

Effect 1: Aether Conduction — Allows Mana and Refined Qi to circulate freely through the garment without interfering with movement or cultivation circulation.

Effect 2: Flexible Guard — Possesses extreme resistance against tearing, slashing and piercing while retaining the flexibility of ordinary high-quality cloth.

Effect 3: Prismatic Guard — Disperses and resists multiple forms of elemental energy through the Prismatic Elemental Thread woven throughout the garment.

Effect 4: Supreme Adept Link — When equipped alongside the Supreme Adept Upper Battle Robe, both garments synchronize their internal energy pathways and function as a single continuous battle garment.

Description: The lower half of the Supreme Adept Battle Armor. Designed specifically to prevent Damian Baines from discovering the humiliating consequences of loose robes, sword combat and high-speed movement occurring simultaneously.]

Damian nodded solemnly.

"Can’t have myself pantsed in the magic world, now can I?"

Next.

[Name: Supreme Adept Combat Boots

Equipment Grade: Rare (Valoria), Low Grade Three (Shengyuan)

Effect 1: Anchored Step — Greatly improves balance following abrupt acceleration, directional changes, aerial movement or spatial relocation.

Effect 2: Spatial Recovery — Assists the wearer in immediately reestablishing bodily orientation after teleportation.

Effect 3: Impact Distribution — Disperses force entering through the feet, ankles and lower legs, reducing instability caused by hard landings and violent impacts.

Effect 4: Adaptive Traction — Automatically improves footing across ordinary unstable terrain without significantly restricting movement.

Description: Battle footwear created after Damian Baines discovered that instant teleportation did not include an automatic exemption from momentum, awkward landings or gravity.]

"Heh." Damian sneered at the description while inwardly nodding in agreement.

He selected the hood.

[Name: Veil of the Hidden Path

Equipment Grade: Rare (Valoria), Low Grade Three (Shengyuan)

Effect 1: Umbral Concealment — Suppresses visual presence, sound leakage and ambient magical signatures while the hood is raised.

Effect 2: Spiritual Veil — Interferes with ordinary Spirit Sense and comparable spiritual detection.

Effect 3: Divination Ward — Resists magical scanning, divination, scrying and hostile attempts to establish remote observation upon the wearer.

Effect 4: Spatial Obscurity — Distorts precise spatial identification and targeting directed toward the wearer’s head and immediate upper-body position.

Effect 5: Hardened Aetherweave — Provides substantial physical protection to the skull without becoming conventional rigid armor.

Description: A hood created because its maker rejected crowns, circlets, masks and most headbands before deciding that becoming suspiciously difficult to perceive was considerably more useful than looking regal.]

Damian grinned. "Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted!"

Then came the accessories.

[Name: Ring of Folded Horizons

Equipment Grade: Rare (Valoria), Low Grade Three (Shengyuan)

Effect 1: Spatial Harmonization — Improves stability when initiating, receiving or completing compatible teleportation effects.

Effect 2: Horizon Sense — Assists the wearer in identifying viable nearby destinations when using spatial movement abilities.

Effect 3: Dimensional Anchor — Increases resistance against hostile teleportation, forced displacement and spatial interference.

Description: A spatial ring created from Phase Spider materials, Blink Dog essence and Shengyuan spatial resources. Despite being a ring, it contains absolutely no storage space because its maker already possessed enough places to hide things.]

"Pfft, not bad kid!" Damian nodded with satisfaction.

Next.

[Name: Titan Foundation Belt

Equipment Grade: Rare (Valoria), Low Grade Three (Shengyuan)

Effect 1: Titan Frame — Reinforces the waist, spine and core, allowing the wearer’s physical Strength to be expressed more efficiently.

Effect 2: Enduring Foundation — Supports the body when enduring heavy physical strain and improves the efficient expression of Constitution.

Effect 3: Force Distribution — Redirects excessive localized strain across the wearer’s wider physical frame, reducing the likelihood that the body injures itself while exerting extreme force.

Description: A broad combat belt designed for a Mage who somehow developed the physical Attributes of people whose usual solution to problems involves hitting them.]

Damian stared at that one.

"...Fair."

The next two screens appeared separately.

[Name: Flowing Hand Band (Left)

Equipment Grade: Uncommon (Valoria), High Grade Two (Shengyuan)

Effect 1: Flowing Dexterity — Improves precision and stability within the fingers, wrist and forearm.

Effect 2: Arcane Gesture — Assists fine hand movements used in spellcasting, inscription, Artifact Refining and other precision work.

Effect 3: Twin Flow — Functions in greater harmony while its paired band is simultaneously equipped.

Description: The left half of a matched pair created for a man who possesses enough crafting professions to make steady hands an economic necessity.]

[Name: Flowing Hand Band (Right)

Equipment Grade: Uncommon (Valoria), High Grade Two (Shengyuan)

Effect 1: Flowing Dexterity — Improves precision and stability within the fingers, wrist and forearm.

Effect 2: Martial Hand — Assists controlled grip transitions, sword handling, throwing and other weapon actions dependent upon fine Dexterity.

Effect 3: Twin Flow — Functions in greater harmony while its paired band is simultaneously equipped.

Description: The right half of a matched pair created to ensure that the same hands capable of delicate magical craftsmanship remain equally comfortable holding a sword.]

Damian flexed both hands, feeling the difference was subtle but definitely present.

Then came his amulet.

[Name: Amulet of the Living Word

Equipment Grade: Rare (Valoria), Low Grade Three (Shengyuan)

Effect 1: Divine Conduit — Improves the stability with which Divine authority passes through the wearer during Divine Spellcasting.

Effect 2: Unbroken Prayer — Increases resistance against hostile effects attempting to interrupt or destabilize a Divine invocation.

Effect 3: Sacred Isolation — Reduces interference between Divine Spellcasting and conflicting magical or spiritual energies surrounding the wearer.

Description: A sanctified amulet deliberately created without attempting to alter, strengthen or counterfeit Divine authority. Damian Baines considered stealing power from gods through amateur jewelry design to be slightly above his current risk tolerance.]

Damian nodded approvingly. "Responsibly cheat the system! Never become too greedy!"

Finally...

His eyes moved toward the weapon slot and the interface changed.

[Name: Longtian Sword

Equipment Grade: Epic (Valoria), Low Grade Four (Shengyuan)

Effect 1: Dragon Pearl Conduit — The Dragon Pearl embedded within the guard functions as a magical and spiritual focus capable of conducting Mana, Refined Qi, elemental power and compatible spell structures.

Effect 2: Flying Sword — Possesses exceptional compatibility with <Object Control>, greatly improving responsiveness during remote movement, flight, recall and directional control.

Effect 3: Dragon Scale Edge — The scale-forged blade possesses extraordinary durability and cutting effectiveness against both physical protection and energy-based defenses.

Effect 4: River Dragon Bloodline — Carries powerful affinity toward Water and compatible draconic energies inherited through Ao Longtian’s bloodline.

Effect 5: Beast King’s Presence — Releases natural bloodline suppression toward significantly weaker Beasts and Beast-derived creatures.

Effect 6: Twin Dragon Tempering — Quenching through the blood of Ao Longtian and a Juvenile Dragon Heart grants the weapon exceptional tolerance toward high-density magical and spiritual energy.

Description: The first Flying Sword forged by Damian Baines. Created primarily from the remains of Ao Longtian, a five-thousand-year-old Jiao who rose from a common snake and died protecting his family. The weapon occasionally answers its master’s will with a low draconic rumble, suggesting that some materials apparently possess opinions.]

Damian became quiet, his gaze lingering upon the final description.

Then the Longtian Sword vibrated gently beside his waist.

Grrrrrr...

Damian smiled. "Yeah, yeah."

Then his attention shifted back toward <The Divine Forge> itself.

Because while all of this was extremely cool... it wasn’t actually about forging anything.

Damian frowned. "So where’s the forge?"

Nothing happened.

He waited.

"...Can you craft equipment?"

No.

"Can you synthesize materials?"

No.

"Deconstruct things?"

Nothing.

"Combine ten identical swords into a bigger sword?"

Still nothing.

Damian’s excitement visibly deflated.

"Are you seriously called <The Divine Forge> when you don’t fucking forge?"

The name was fraudulent!

This thing had absolutely no overlap with <Supreme Synthesis>!

It couldn’t create items automatically, deconstruct them, combine materials, upgrade raw resources or perform free synthesis.

Apparently, <Supreme Synthesis> remained his manufacturing cheat while <The Divine Forge> was something else entirely!

Then Damian noticed several thin bars beneath the equipment slots and his expression changed greatly.

"Hm?"

He focused.

[Divine Forge Equipment Progress:

Supreme Adept Upper Battle Robe: 0/10000

Supreme Adept Lower Battle Robe: 0/10000

Supreme Adept Combat Boots: 0/7500

Veil of the Hidden Path: 0/9000

Ring of Folded Horizons: 0/5000

Titan Foundation Belt: 0/3500

Flowing Hand Band — Left: 0/1500

Flowing Hand Band — Right: 0/1500

Amulet of the Living Word: 0/4500

Longtian Sword: 0/100000.]

Damian stared. "...What the hell is that?"

The Dual Realm Exchange System answered.

[Divine Forge Progress represents the accumulated successful usage of an equipped item’s recognized functions and effects.]

[Progress is gained whenever an eligible item successfully fulfills its intended purpose or one of its recognized effects contributes meaningfully to an action.]

[Upon fulfilling the required Divine Forge Progress, the equipment becomes eligible for Divine Forge Advancement.]

Damian froze, then his eyes widened.

"Wait...!"

Upgrade? He could actually upgrade them?!

And without having to combine ten identical versions through <Item Upgrade> nor dismantle them and replacing their materials?!

Holy shit!!

This was equipment he had personally created!

Damian looked at the Upper Battle Robe’s 0/10000 bar and immediately imagined the worst possible interpretation.

"...Do I have to get stabbed ten thousand times?"

Another clarification appeared almost immediately.

[Clarification: Divine Forge Progress is effect-based, not damage-based.]

[Example: Equipment possessing defensive, energy-conduction, concealment, mobility, restorative or other recognized functions may gain progress through successful activation or meaningful utilization of those functions.]

Damian relaxed instantly. "Oh thank God!"

Because deliberately running into swords so his shirt could grind EXP sounded like the kind of behavior that would make even a cultivation protagonist ask whether he was mentally sound.

This was obviously much better.

If the upper robe conducted Mana properly during spellcasting, that was progress.

If its elemental resistance protected him, that was also progress.

If Feyheart Mending repaired damage, that too counted as progress.

If the lower robe survived stress during battle, circulated Refined Qi or successfully resisted tearing, thankfully, that was also progress.

The boots didn’t require someone to break his ankles, as simply teleporting and having Spatial Recovery stabilize him counted!

The hood gained progress by actually hiding him.

The Ring of Folded Horizons progressed through spatial magic.

The wristbands improved whenever their precision effects genuinely assisted him.

The amulet advanced through successful Divine Spellcasting where its functions mattered.

And the Longtian Sword...

Damian looked at 0/100000.

"...You expensive bastard."

Grrrrrr...

"Don’t growl at me. That’s one hundred thousand!"

Still, Damian’s earlier disappointment had completely disappeared.

<The Divine Forge> did not replace crafting, but rather rewarded it!

<Supreme Synthesis> helped him acquire, process, combine and improve materials.

His Hundred Arts and Valorian Arcane Knowledge allowed him to actually create equipment.

Then <The Divine Forge> took equipment he personally made and gave it a growth path simply by letting those items do what they had been designed to do.

That meant his equipment was no longer disposable!

A sword did not necessarily become obsolete because Damian outgrew its original Grade and armor did not automatically need replacing every few realms.

If he made something genuinely good...

He could raise it alongside himself!

Damian slowly smiled. "Oh yeah, it’s definitely time to lock in."

......

By the time Damian finally left the crafting room, nearly six hours had passed.

Ronan and Stella were still outside.

Ronan looked like he had aged several years through financial anxiety alone while Stella’s attention immediately went toward Damian’s new appearance.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"...My Lord?"

Damian smiled. "Looks good, doesn’t it?"

Stella opened her mouth to agree, but Ronan interrupted.

"Sixty Gold Coins."

Damian blinked. "What?"

"Sixty. Gold. Coins." Ronan repeated darkly.

Ah right, the 10 Gold per hour thing.

Damian glanced toward the Association clerk waiting politely nearby.

"Bill it to my estate."

"Certainly, Lord Viscount."

Ronan physically recoiled while Stella closed her eyes.

Damian walked past both of them.

"It’s merely 60 Gold, guys. Let it go."

Ronan clutched his chest. "THAT IS WHY WE ARE UPSET!"

Damian laughed.

Poor fellow, he would adapt eventually.

Probably.

As they made their way toward the Association entrance, Damian briefly considered his next destination.

The Four Valkyries!

He hadn’t seen Eunice, Paulina, Julia and Janet properly in a while, and they were still staying at that busy inn near the center of Rosewood Town.

More importantly...

Damian glanced down at himself.

He needed to flex!

What was the point of making an outfit this hard if nobody familiar saw it?

He could already imagine Janet’s nonsense, Julia pretending not to be impressed, Paulina probably inspecting the combat practicality, and Eunice would likely...

BZZZT!

Damian’s Guild Card vibrated violently, and his smile vanished as he pulled it out.

A bright red notification covered the surface.

[Emergency Adventurer Mobilization Notice.]

[All active Adventurers currently within Rosewood Town are ordered to report to the Rosewood Adventurer’s Guild immediately.]

[Priority: Emergency.]

[Reason: Moonveil Forest Threat.]

Damian became still.

Behind him, Stella’s expression changed while Ronan immediately stopped complaining about money.

Around the Mages Association, several other Adventurers carrying Guild Cards were already reacting to identical alerts.

Damian looked toward the western side of Rosewood Town.

Moonveil Forest, huh?

That operation that had been delayed for various reasons, but Damian remembered it.

Varkas Blackroot, Ravelhorn The Reveler, and whatever the hell had been building inside that forest while Damian spent his time bouncing between two worlds.

He slowly smiled, and it was not the playful smile from earlier, but something considerably sharper and colder.

"Well then..."

The Longtian Sword shifted subtly against his belt.

Grrrrrrrr...

Damian started walking.

"Looks like the fit check is happening in the field."