Chapter 99: A New Mantle
The pounding in his ears felt like war drums, deep and unrelenting. He gripped the pouch tight, thumb tracing its seam but unable to open it. He just needed a moment to steady himself.
Across from where he stood, the Forgemaster was grinning. One pair of arms hung at his waist while the other stroked through his coarse gray beard as he laughed.
"I managed five beats! Left the discovery to you, of course. Go on, lad—put it on. You'll like what you find."
Seo-jin blinked, trying to follow. The words made sense but not the meaning.
"We talked about this. Beats? Discovery? I'm not a dwarf, old man. Speak plain."
Brundar's laugh slipped from the side like a hammer blow against his patience. Seo-jin's hand twitched, every instinct begging to trigger Bone Oath, but he swallowed it down.
Thragdur thumped a hand against his chest, eyes flicking between Seo-jin and the bag.
"Stop draggin' your feet and open it. The heart of a forged piece beats during refinement. The more beats, the stronger it is. Think of it like your rank system. Discovery's the moment you learn what the piece truly does."
Seo-jin stared at him, part of him wanting to shove the bag into his inventory just to watch the dwarf fume. But impatience won out.
"Fine. So five beats should make it B-rank, huh?"
He reached inside. The pouch seemed too small for his arm, swallowing it up to the elbow. His fingertips brushed cold metal—and then a sting.
He hissed, pulling back a hand dotted with blood. Frowning, he felt again, slower this time, and drew the piece free.
His breath caught in his throat.
"Damn…"
He turned it in his hands, light catching every sculpted ridge and curve.
"It's… beautiful."
"Of course! Forged from my own stock of Cerabum, it was. You won't find another like it."
Thragdur's laughter rumbled through the chamber, but Seo-jin barely heard him. His attention was locked on the armor in his hands.
The chestpiece drank in the surrounding light, black at first glance, but with a deep blue sheen that surfaced when turned, like oil catching a flame. The plating was sleek, segmented into overlapping strips that shifted with a faint rasp when tilted. A single pauldron crowned the left side—jagged, angular, shaped like five blades fused at the base. Brutal, but clean.
He turned it over to look at the back, and the Forgemaster's tone deepened, the pride in his voice obvious.
"Designed the mechanism myself. Won't stop a direct strike to the wrong spot, but that's your problem, not mine."
The backplate drew his eye. Two faint seams cut across where his Twinback Growths would rest under.
"How's it work?"
"There's a release, just under the pauldron."
Flipping the armor, Seo-jin found it, a small blue gem set beneath the edge of the plate. He pressed it, and the stone flashed. A sharp shink-shink echoed from within as internal mechanism shifted. The seams split open, smooth and precise.
"This is—"
He started to pull it on, but Thragdur's throat-clearing stopped him cold.
"There's still more."
Thragdur nodded toward the bag.
Seo-jin frowned, picking the pouch back up and reaching inside. His hand brushed against fabric. Pulling it free, he found clothes, folded neatly, finer than anything he'd seen before.
"Few of the lads know their way around a needle. We like our allies looking less like savages. Wove it from that spider demon's silk. Some of the boys are itching to catch her spawn, start up a silk line. Washed right, the thread's damn near indestructible."
Seo-jin pinched the shirt between his fingers, testing the weave. He gave it a sharp tug, quarter strength, and the fabric didn't even stretch.
"The style choice is… surprising."
Brundar snorted, spitting into the dirt before speaking.
"Not really. Only thing we dwarves ever agreed on about humans is they know how to dress. Most of our designs changed after the Joining."
The word caught his ear. Joining—the dwarven name for the Convergence. Something he planned to dig into later, when the old forge-master let his guard down.
"We didn't discuss this."
Seo-jin held up the clothes, voice flat.
"Name your price."
Thragdur waved him off with a scoff.
"No price. Consider it a gift. They're just clothes."
[Nothing's free. He's buttering you up.]
'Obvious enough. Doesn't mean I'll refuse.'
He hesitated before setting the pouch down, eyes still on it.
"Anything else?"
"Nothing more. Now let's see it on you."
Seo-jin lifted the pouch.
"Can I keep this?"
The dwarf's smile twitched for half a breath, but Seo-jin caught it.
"No problem. Now stop jawing and put the damn thing on."
System light rippled as Seo-jin's old clothes vanished, the pouch and pants blinking out in a brief flare. He finally figured out he didn't need to physically take off his clothes before putting them in his inventory.
The air turned sour a second later. Both dwarves wrinkled their noses in unison. Brundar turned a shade of red, eyes wide.
"You didn't…"
The tone in his voice made Seo-jin's spine tighten.
"What?"
Even Thragdur looked at him like a man mourning something sacred.
"I know you're both demons, but by the forge, I've seen her. I'd rather pound a golem fresh from the mold."
"Now, Brundar..."
Thragdur face was obviously fighting a grin.
"We all have our preferences."
Shame crawled up Seo-jin's neck, cold and fast. Heat followed it, burning through his face.
"Don't judge me—! She didn't even look—her body—it got sucked in—no, that's not what I—"
Laughter threatened around him. Bloodlight rippled off his skin as he turned away, jaw tight.
"Where can I bathe?"
That killed the humor for the forgemaster, Thragdur's face sobered instantly.
"Wait—try it on first! It's not that bad, really. It's just been a long time since we've smelled a woman. Don't feel embarrassed —"
"Bath. Where."
System light washed over him as his pants reappeared, sealing the conversation.
Brundar sighed and gave a short nod to the Forgemaster.
"I'll make sure he's quick. Time for mine anyway. Hold on and I'll show ya!"
He hurried after the demon, still trying not to laugh.
Watching them go, Thragdur's shoulders sagged under a rare weight of disappointment. Then, unbidden, Lilid's image surfaced in his mind...flashing curves, chitin glinting under torchlight.
He regretted it immediately.
It took him a long time to force that vision back into the dark.
----
Steam rolled off the water's surface, thick and hazy, but Seo-jin didn't feel the heat. The bath could've been ice for all he noticed. Brundar sat a few feet away, silent except for the occasional splash.
None of it reached him. His eyes were fixed on the system panel hanging in his vision.
'This is insane.'
[Seems your conversation paid off. Ranged had been your weakness for a while. Not anymore.]
He reread the text again and again, struggling to breathe at what he saw.
[Name // Forgefather's Mantle]
[Type // Artifact]
[Rank // B]
[Evolve // No]
[Sub-Category // Chestpiece]
[Description]
[Forged by a dwarven forgemaster from pure Cerabum, a rare Fae metal prized for its adaptive density and unmatched resilience.]
[Special Function]
[A hidden gem beneath the single left pauldron reacts only to a fingertip, unlocking the rear plates.]
[Passive Effect]
[+30% Defense to all physical damage types.]
[Rear Plate Weakness // -15% Defense vs. Bludgeoning & Piercing.]
[+10 Strength]
[+10 Vitality]
[Durability]
[180 / 180]
[Requirements to Use]
[None]
[Armor Skills]
[Name // Forge Strike]
[Type // Active]
[Category // Offensive Burst]
[Rank // B]
[Description]
[Channel the forgemaster's will through the mantle. After five consecutive hits, unleash a critical blow that strikes with doubled force.]
[Cost // None]
[Damage // +100% Critical Damage]
[Condition // Activates after 5 consecutive hits]
[Cooldown // 30 seconds]
[Restriction // Unusable below 25% Durability]
[Name // Severborne Array]
[Type // Active]
[Category // Summoned Weapon System]
[Rank // B]
[Description]
[Detach the left pauldron and split it into five autonomous blade-shards. Each responds to mental command, attacking, defending, or intercepting at range.]
[Cost // None]
[Damage // 50% STR per Blade Hit (Physical)]
[Range // 15 meters]
[Durability // Individual Blade Pools // 100 / 100 each]
[Restriction // Blades deactivate at 50% Durability]
[Severbone Array Sub-Ability]
[Name // Core Reforge]
[Type // Active]
[Category // Ultimate]
[Rank // B+]
[Description]
[Fuse the five blades into one colossal weapon for a single devastating strike. Consumes internal energy to amplify output.]
[Cost // Unknown (Use to Unlock)]
[Damage // 400% STR (True Damage)]
[Cooldown // 1 Hour]
["The forge remembers. Strike true, and it answers back."]
He looked down at the armor's pauldron propped beside him, fingers twitching. He could almost see the blades splitting free, darting like fangs. His pulse quickened. Every part of him wanted to test it, to get up, go topside, and carve something apart.
A splash broke his trance. Brundar poured a bucket of water over himself.
"You should be proud. The Forgemaster doesn't take commissions himself anymore. Last time he did was a century ago."
Seo-jin's eyes traced the armor again. Every inch of it felt alive. He could feel the craftsmanship humming under his skin. Min's dumb grin flashed in his mind, followed by the thought of crushing it with jealousy.
He forced the thought away and summoned system light, pulling the mantle into his inventory. The glow faded, leaving only the bath's dim torchlight. He leaned back, exhaling slow as he closed his eyes, satisfaction covering his face.
A rough scoff came from beside him.
"What?"
No answer. Just the feeling of eyes on him. He cracked one open, and Brundar was staring.
"What?! You're creeping me out."
The dwarf tilted his head.
"Been noticing some things. Forgive if this offends, but how old are you, really? Sometimes you act like a damn youth."
Seo-jin coughed, shifting in the water.
"My age isn't important—and actually, that is offensive. Why don't you worry about—"
He stopped. His body froze mid-sentence.
Brundar straightened, feeling the air shift. Killing intent flooded the room, thick and sharp enough to taste.
"What are you—?"
Butcher's Wrath tore from Seo-jin's arms, bloodlight spilling into the steam.
"Get your weapon. Now."
The dwarf sneered.
"It was just a question. But if you want a fight—"
"Shut up and move. We got company."
Brundar's smirk faltered.
"What?"
"Now!"
The dwarf hesitated, eyes darting. But Seo-jin felt it, saw it too. Above them. Dozens of yellow auras closing fast.
Seo-jin's gaze snapped toward the far end of the bath. The water there began to churn—soft at first, then violently bubbling.
"They're coming through the pipes!"
Brundar roared, snatching for his axe as his voice tore through the area.
"Sound the alarm!"
The words barely left his mouth before bloodlight flooded the room, boiling the steam into red haze.
Rising from the bubbling bath water, members of the snake tribe began pouring in.