Eternal Forge: Starting with a SSS Rank talent and a Myth Rank Class

The third round was finally over. Nearly half the participants had been eliminated.

Elder Thrain looked at the fifteen remaining contestants. Most of their complexions were poor. Some were pale, others still shaken from the pressure, and a few were visibly crushed by Leo’s overwhelming results.

"This round consists of simple question-and-answer sessions," Elder Thrain said, his voice dry. "So bear with it for a while."

He gestured to the floor beneath the platform.

"A lie-detecting rune is carved here. You must answer truthfully. If you lie, the rune will light up. Understood?"

The participants nodded.

Elder Thrain continued, "You will each be asked six questions—three on blacksmithing and three on morality. This is a standard question-and-answer session. If you answer truthfully, all of you... ’should’..... be able to pass with no problem."

He paused, a cold smile touching his lips.

"Of course, ’truthfully’ does not mean ’correctly.’ Some questions have no right answer. We are not only testing your knowledge, but also your character."

He gestured toward the platform.

"Very well. One by one, step forward."

Kai stepped forward.

Lady Silva rose. Her silver hair shone in the light, and her green eyes swept across the participants before landing on Kai.

"So, Kai," she began, "what is the fundamental difference between rune forging and soul forging?"

Kai took a moment to gather his thoughts. The other participants glanced at one another—some thinking hard, some frowning, and others looking confused.

Kai answered calmly, "Soul forging infuses the smith’s own essence into the metal. Rune forging inscribes universal laws into the metal."

The question was fairly simple.

Lady Silva nodded. "Well that’s the gist of it."

She continued, "Question two. How would you repair a weapon with a fractured core?"

...

...

After few questions....

Ironhand Bjorn rose next, stroking his fiery red beard.

"A legendary blade has a cracked spirit core. The fracture is spreading. How would you repair it without destroying its original power?"

Kai thought for a moment, then spoke confidently. "I’d use a harmony flame—gentle enough not to shatter the remaining spirit, yet hot enough to mend the core. Then I’d sing the original forging song while inscribing stabilizing runes to bind the old power with new strength."

Bjorn grunted, clearly impressed. "Not bad, lad."

Lady Silva leaned forward again, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She and the dwarf continued asking Kai a series of questions.

"Final question for you, Kai," Lady Silva said. "You discover your favorite apprentice has been secretly forging weapons for bandits who prey on traveling merchants. What do you do?"

Kai’s expression grew serious.

"I’d confront him immediately," he replied. "Then I’d destroy every weapon he made for them... and make him help me forge new ones—better ones—for the merchants he wronged. A smith’s hands should build safety, not fear."

A few participants nodded. Lady Silva and Bjorn exchanged glances before both gave approving nods.

"Pass," they declared.

Kai released a deep sigh of relief and stepped back.

Next was Lyra’s turn.

Similar to Kai, the judges asked her a series of questions. She answered with honest, well-reasoned opinions and demonstrated her broad knowledge.

Master Kael, who had been silent for a while, adjusted his spectacles and asked the final question.

"You are offered a commission to forge a single magnificent blade. If you accept, the blade will help defend an entire kingdom... but the rare star-metal required can only be mined by destroying a small, peaceful valley that has sheltered rare spirit beasts for centuries. What do you do?"

Lyra closed her eyes for a long moment, then opened them with quiet resolve.

"I would refuse the commission... and then I would find another way. I’d search for alternative materials, even if it meant the blade would be slightly less powerful. Some prices are too high, even for a ’greater good.’"

Master Kael studied her carefully, then smiled softly. "Pass."

She stepped back.

Three more participants passed in similar fashion.

Then it was finally Gandalf’s turn.

He lumbered forward, his long red beard swaying with each step.

He answered a series of questions from Master Kael, Lady Silva, and Ironhand Bjorn. The judges were impressed by his unique answers.

Elder Thrain asked the final question.

"You are forging a ceremonial blade for a proud young lord. He tells you it must be beautiful and flawless because it will be used in a public duel to settle a land dispute. Later, you learn the duel is rigged—the lord plans to use the blade’s perfection to falsely prove his claim and seize land from innocent farmers. What do you do?"

Gandalf scratched his beard thoughtfully, then grinned.

"I’d forge the blade... but I’d make it too perfect."

Thrain raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"I’d balance it so beautifully that only a truly honorable and skilled warrior could wield it properly. Then I’d secretly engrave a tiny truth-rune inside the fuller. When the lord swings it with deceit in his heart, the blade will grow heavier in his hands and sing loudly for all to hear—revealing his lies in front of the entire crowd."

The hall erupted in surprised laughter and murmurs of approval.

Elder Thrain chuckled deeply. "Clever. Very clever. Pass."

Next was finally Leo’s turn.

As Leo stepped forward, the hall fell silent. Unlike the previous rounds, everyone present now knew who he was. Some remembered him from the banquet incident, others from his achievements in the trials—especially his unforgettable 100% comprehension.

Even the judges were excited as he stepped up.

Lady Silva couldn’t wait to test this genius. Before the others could react, she spoke, her voice like chiming silver bells.

"What is the most important thing when forging a blade meant to face a dragon?"

Leo froze.

The cool, heroic aura he had been projecting faltered.

Sweat began to form on his brow.

Did I hear that right? A weapon to face a dragon? I’ve never even seen a dragon!

He quickly searched his memories. When he had inherited the Forge Dimension and the Eternal Flame, he had also gained access to the previous Eternal Forge holder’s knowledge.

Suddenly, information he had never consciously read or known surfaced in his mind—a detailed description of the Dragon Slaying Sword.

He calmed down. His confident, cool demeanor returned. Memories of materials, forging techniques, and descriptions flooded back. Though detailed, he could tell the knowledge was incomplete.

After absorbing everything he could, his breathing steadied. The nervous expression vanished, replaced by a calm, confident smile.

He opened his eyes, radiating quiet assurance once more.

"The most important thing," Leo spoke clearly, his voice steady and confident, "is to understand that you are not forging a weapon to kill a dragon... but to defy one."

The hall grew deathly quiet.

"A true Dragon Slaying Blade must be born from contradiction. I would use Starfall Iron as the core, temper it in the strongest flames, and quench it in the blood of a thunder wyrm. The edge would be inscribed with anti-draconic runes capable of disrupting a dragon’s mana flow. But the real secret lies in the heart of the blade—a living phoenix’s feather sealed within. It represents rebirth and defiance. No matter how many times the dragon’s flames consume the wielder, the blade will reignite their will to fight."

A wave of murmurs swept through the chamber. Lady Silva’s eyes widened with genuine delight.

She nodded. "Your analogy is good."

"But only an analogy, though. You don’t actually know the forging process for such a sword, right?" she asked.

Leo gave a helpless smile and nodded. "I am just a mortal. How could I have come into contact with a sword like that?"

Lady Silva smiled. "Thank you for your honest answer."

Elder Thrain then asked another question.

"You are commissioned to forge a sword," the Elder said, his voice low and deliberate, "and you know this blade may one day drink the blood of innocents. What do you do?"

The hall fell silent.

Leo’s usual warmth vanished. His eyes grew serious.

"I consider a weapon neither good nor evil," he continued. "It is a tool. A companion. It has no will of its own—only the will of the hand that grips it. The blade does not lust for blood. The heart that swings it does."

He paused, letting the silence stretch.

"As a blacksmith, if I stand at the anvil judging every soul who seeks my craft before the first strike falls... then I will never be able to forge again. Doubt poisons the flame. Hesitation ruins the temper. So I pour everything I have into every blade—every strike, every rune, every drop of sweat and soul. I make it perfect. That is my duty."

Leo’s gaze swept across the silent crowd, cold and unwavering.

"But if I know beforehand that the sword will be used to slaughter the innocent... then I will refuse. Because knowing that this blade will lead to the massacre of innocents and forging it anyway is akin to committing the massacre myself. I do not have the heart, nor the courage, to bear the karma of taking innocent lives. If someone must die by a blade I forged... then it shall only be someone who deserves it."

The judges were astonished by Leo’s firm and resolute answer. Everything he said rang true.

Freya, who had been watching, couldn’t help but nod repeatedly.

"With that resolute answer, I couldn’t have answered it any better myself," Elder Thrain said.

The others nodded in agreement.

Thrain then asked a standard blacksmithing question to test Leo’s foundations, which Leo answered perfectly.

Finally, Master Kael spoke. "I have a question for you as well, Leo."

Leo nodded. "Please ask away, Master Kael."

"Leo, imagine this scenario:

You enter your forge one morning and find three sealed commissions waiting on your anvil. You may only accept and complete one of them before sunset. Each client has left a rare material and a letter explaining their need.

The first is from a dying king. He offers a fist-sized Heart of the World Tree and requests a spear that will ensure his only son survives the coming war. If the prince dies, the kingdom will fall into chaos and countless innocents will suffer.

The second is from a desperate archmage. She provides a crystallized drop of Eternal Starfire and asks for a staff that can seal a growing rift to the Void. If the rift is not sealed within three days, it will swallow an entire city.

The third is from an anonymous traveler who left behind a shard of Primordial Chaos Iron. The letter simply says: ’Forge me a blade that can kill a god.’ No further explanation. No deadline.

You have time, tools, and mana for only one forging today. The other two commissions will be rejected permanently if you do not choose them now.

Which one do you accept? And more importantly—walk us through your reasoning, step by step."

Leo fell silent, his thoughts racing.

Even the judges were surprised by such a question.

He stood motionless for a long moment, eyes slightly narrowed as he processed every angle.

Then, with calm certainty, he spoke.

"I would accept the Archmage’s commission and forge the staff to seal the Void rift."

He let the words settle before continuing.

"It’s not as complicated as it appears to be. The Void rift is an immediate, certain, and catastrophic threat. If left unchecked, it will devour an entire city and everyone in it—no ’maybe,’ no ’might,’ no political games.

Compared to that, the dying king’s spear is a gamble on a single prince’s future leadership, and the traveler’s request to kill a god is shrouded in far too many dangerous unknowns.

Who the client is, what their true purpose is, and what consequences killing a ’god’ would unleash—all of it is too risky. I choose the path with the clearest threat and the greatest number of lives saved. Everything else comes second."

The judges nodded. Some participants were still thinking about what they would do in such a situation.

Suddenly, Freya stepped in front of Leo. Even the judges were surprised.

"As one of the judges, I also have the right to question you," she said, looking Leo directly in the eyes with a cold, indifferent expression. "Do you have any ill intentions toward Asgar?"

The hall fell silent once more. Everyone began to murmur.

Leo looked straight into her eyes and answered simply, "No."

The rune did not light up.

Seeing this, Freya smiled. "Good."