Exiled Heir: God-Tier Forge System in the Eternal Night

3: The Suicide Gamble

... the very poison eating your insides. Overclock the 'Soul-Siphon' to four-hundred percent to bridge the Level 25 gap. Warning: Host's heart might literally explode. Survival rate is still dogshit.]"

 

"Great. Fantastic. Best news I've heard all day," Kael wheezed, wiping a fresh smear of black sludge from his lip. "Hey, Silas! Get as far back as you can! If this thing pops, you don't want to be nearby!"

 

"Kael, you can't be serious! Look at that thing! It's ten feet of walking lava and bad attitude!" Silas screamed, scrambling behind a fallen pillar. "That sword is just a toothpick to him!"

 

"Yeah, well, this toothpick has a nasty habit of biting back," Kael muttered. He gripped the hilt of the Night-Stalker's Fang. The serrated edge started to hum, a low-frequency vibration that made his teeth ache. "System, do it. Flip the switch. Give me everything."

 

[Ding!]

 

[Overclocking Soul-Siphon...]

 

[Warning: 400% Output engaged. Toxin levels are being redirected into the blade. Pain levels: Extreme.]

 

"AGHHH—!"

 

Kael’s knees buckled. It felt like someone had poured liquid nitrogen and boiling oil through his veins at the same time. The black veins on his arm didn't just throb—they split the skin, glowing with a violent, sickly purple light. The sword in his hand transformed, the dark metal stretching and twisting as it drank the poison straight from his blood.

 

"Holy mother of... Kael! Your arm!" Silas gasped, his eyes wide with horror.

 

"Shut up and stay down!" Kael roared, his voice distorted by the energy surging through him.

 

The Molten Warden didn't wait for a formal introduction. It let out a sound like a volcanic eruption and charged. Every footstep cracked the ancient floor, leaving glowing orange footprints in the stone. It swung a massive fist—a boulder-sized chunk of white-hot slag—straight for Kael’s chest.

 

"Too slow, big guy!" Kael hissed.

 

With the System’s boost, his movements were a blur of shadow. He didn't just dodge; he rolled under the Warden’s arm, feeling the heat singe the hair on the back of his neck. The air was so hot it felt like breathing glass shards.

 

"System! Appraisal! Where’s the damn weak point?!"

 

[Target: Molten Warden.]

[Weakness detected: Cooling Vent located in the lower lumbar. Direct hit will cause 'Thermal Shock'.]

 

"The lower back? You want me to shank a giant in the kidney? Fine!" Kael pivoted on his heel, his boots smoking against the floor.

 

"Master Kael, behind you! It’s swinging the other one!" Silas yelled, throwing a rock at the Warden to distract it. The rock disintegrated before it even touched the monster’s hide.

 

"I got it, Silas! Just keep breathing!"

 

Kael lunged. The Night-Stalker's Fang trailed a wake of black-purple mist. He drove the blade into the glowing gap between the Warden's heavy armor plates.

 

SKREEE—!

 

The sound was unbearable. It wasn't the sound of metal hitting stone; it was the sound of the blade drinking. The purple line on the sword flashed brilliantly as it began to suck the heat and essence out of the Warden.

 

"Eat it! Eat all of it, you greedy piece of junk!" Kael gritted his teeth, his muscles tearing under the strain.

 

[Ding!]

 

[Absorbing 'Molten Essence'...]

[Blade Temperature: 3000°C. Material Integrity: Critical.]

 

"Wait, what? Critical? You didn't say it would melt!" Kael shouted.

 

[Note: The Fang is Tier 1. The Warden is Level 25. You are basically trying to put a bonfire into a glass cup. Suggestion: Immediate Fusion.]

 

"Fusion with what?! I'm kind of busy not being crushed rightSekarang!"

 

"Kael, the doors! The scraps from the gate!" Silas pointed at the shattered bronze pieces lying on the floor. "That voice said they were recognized! Maybe they're special!"

 

"Good eye, pops!" Kael ducked a backhand swipe that sent a wave of fire across the room. He reached out with his free hand, his ring pulsing. "System! Grab that bronze! Fuse it into the blade! Now!"

 

[Ding!]

 

[Material Detected: Ancient Ward-Bronze (Rank E - High Durability).]

[Commencing Mid-Combat Fusion...]

[Success Rate: 22% (Warning: High chance of explosion).]

 

"I don't care about the percentage! Just do it before this thing turns me into a charcoal briquette!"

 

The violet light from Kael’s ring lashed out like a whip, snagging the heavy bronze fragments. They didn't just fly toward him; they dissolved into liquid light mid-air, spiraling around the Night-Stalker's Fang.

 

The Molten Warden roared in confusion, sensing its own power being stolen and reshaped. It raised both fists, bringing them down in a dual-hammer strike meant to flatten Kael into a pancake.

 

"Kael! Jump!" Silas’s voice was a frantic shriek.

 

"I'm not jumping," Kael said, his eyes glowing like twin purple suns. "I'm forging!"

 

He thrust the sword upward, meeting the Warden’s massive fists head-on.

 

BOOM!

 

The shockwave blew Silas backward, sending him tumbling into a pile of coal. The entire hallway shook, and for a second, the only sound was the crackling of flames and the heavy, rhythmic thud of Kael’s failing heart.

 

"Kael? Kael! Answer me, damn it!" Silas crawled forward, coughing through the thick, black smoke.

 

As the dust settled, a figure emerged. Kael was still standing, his shirt burned away, his torso covered in intricate black veins that looked like a map of the abyss. But his sword... the sword was different.

 

The Night-Stalker's Fang was now longer, the edge reinforced with glowing bronze runes that hissed whenever they touched the air. It wasn't just a blade anymore; it looked like a piece of the world's foundation.

 

[Ding!]

 

[Fusion Successful!]

[New Item Created: 'Bronze-Shadow Greatsword' (Tier 1 - Peak).]

[Special Ability Unlocked: 'Molten Burst' - Release stored heat in a 5-meter radius.]

 

"My turn," Kael whispered.

 

He didn't wait for the Warden to recover. He swung the massive blade in a wide arc. A wave of purple and orange fire erupted from the edge, slamming into the Warden’s chest. The monster, which had seemed invincible moments ago, stumbled back, its stone body cracking.

 

"Silas, see that?! It’s working!"

 

"It’s working, but you look like you're about to fall over!" Silas warned, pointing at Kael's trembling legs.

 

"I'm fine... just... a little light-headed," Kael lied. In reality, the System was screaming warnings about his internal organs failing. "One more hit. That's all I need."

 

The Warden, sensing its end, began to glow white-hot. It was going to self-destruct. The air began to vibrate with an intense, high-pitched whine.

 

"It’s gonna blow! Kael, get out of there!"

 

"I can't let it blow! If it detonates, this whole sector collapses!" Kael lunged forward, not away. He ignored the warnings, ignored the smell of his own skin scorching. He drove the Greatsword straight into the Warden's central core—the very heart of the magma.

 

"System! Siphon! Take it all! Every last drop of energy!"

 

[Ding!]

 

[Absorbing Core Energy...]

[Warning: Energy levels exceeding Host capacity.]

[Dumping excess energy into: 'Abyssal Heart Furnace' (Remote Link).]

 

Back down the tunnel, the furnace Kael had built suddenly roared to life, shooting a pillar of purple flame three stories high.

 

The Warden began to shrink. The white-hot glow faded to a dull red, then a cold grey. The massive stone limbs crumbled, falling to the floor as harmless pebbles. Within seconds, the Level 25 monster was nothing but a memory and a pile of ash.

 

Kael stood there, leaning on his sword, his chest heaving. The purple glow in his eyes flickered and died.

 

"We... we did it?" Silas whispered, stepping out from his hiding spot. He looked at the pile of ash, then at Kael. "You actually killed a Warden. With a sword you made out of trash and your own blood."

 

"Told you... I was a natural," Kael croaked. He tried to take a step, but his legs finally gave out. He hit the floor hard, the greatsword clattering beside him.

 

"Master Kael!" Silas rushed over, propping Kael’s head up. "Stay with me! Don't you dare die after winning that fight!"

 

"I'm not dying, Silas. I'm just... taking a nap," Kael muttered, his vision fading to black.

 

[Ding!]

 

[Combat Rewards Granted:]

[100 Forge Points.]

[1x 'Warden’s Molten Heart' (Rare Material).]

[1x 'Ancient Security Keycard'.]

 

[Host Condition: Critical. Commencing Emergency Healing using stored Forge Points.]

 

Kael felt a warm sensation wash over him, like being dipped in a bath of lukewarm honey. The sharp pain in his chest dulled to a dull ache. He forced his eyes open, squinting at the bronze doors. Now that the Warden was gone, the doors were wide open, revealing a chamber filled with rows of ancient machines and glowing blue crystals.

 

"Is that... a workshop?" Silas asked, his voice full of awe.

 

"Not just a workshop, Silas," Kael said, struggling to sit up. "That’s a production line. Look at the markings on those furnaces."

 

Silas squinted. "They look like... wings? Wait, that’s the crest of the Draven Matriarch! This was your mother’s secret lab!"

 

"She didn't just have a lab down here. She was building something," Kael said, his voice gaining strength. He looked at the 'Ancient Security Keycard' in his hand. "Something the family was terrified of."

 

He stood up, using the greatsword as a crutch. He walked into the chamber, the 'God-Tier Forge System' scanning everything in sight. Notifications were popping up like fireworks.

 

[Detected: Automated Lathe (Ancient Grade).]

[Detected: Mana-Infusion Vat (Damaged).]

[Detected: Blueprint Archive - 'Project Dawnbreaker'.]

 

"Project Dawnbreaker?" Kael whispered. "System, what is that?"

 

[Inquiry Restricted. Level 5 Forge Master clearance required.]

 

"Of course it is," Kael sighed. "Nothing is ever easy."

 

He walked toward a central pedestal where a single, dusty holographic projector sat. He swiped the keycard. The projector hummed, and a flickering blue image appeared in the air.

 

It was a woman. She had the same sharp jawline as Kael, the same intense eyes.

 

"Mother..." Kael breathed.

 

"If you are seeing this," the recording of Elara Draven said, her voice crackling with static, "then the city has already fallen to the Night, or my family has finally betrayed me. Probably both. Kael... if it’s you... I’m so sorry."

 

"Sorry for what?" Kael asked the hologram, his voice trembling.

 

"The ring I gave you... it isn't just a tool. It's a key. And a curse," Elara continued. "The Draven family thinks the Eternal Night is a natural disaster. They think we are victims. They are wrong. We started it, Kael. Our blood... our forge... we are the ones who put out the sun."

 

Silas gasped, clutching his chest. "What? That’s impossible! The stories say the Night came from the Void!"

 

"Silence, Silas! Let her speak!" Kael barked.

 

"They will come for you, Kael," the hologram warned, her image flickering violently. "They will try to use your blood to stabilize the Great Core. Do not let them. You must find the 'Everlasting Flame' in the deep sectors. You must re-forge the world before the shadows become permanent. The System I built into the ring will guide you, but it will also eat you alive if you aren't strong enough. Be better than your father, Kael. Be a Smith, not a—"

 

The hologram cut out as a red light started flashing on the walls.

 

[Warning!]

[Intruder Alert: Draven Family Extraction Team detected at the upper elevator.]

[Distance: 500 meters.]

[ETA: 4 minutes.]

 

"They're here already?" Kael’s face went cold. "Jax must have seen the energy spike from the furnace. He’s coming to finish the job."

 

"What do we do? We're trapped! There's only one way out, and they're coming down it!" Silas panicked, looking around for a weapon.

 

Kael looked at the 'Project Dawnbreaker' blueprints, then at his new greatsword. A dark, predatory smile spread across his face.

 

"They think they're coming for an exile," Kael said, the violet light returning to his eyes. "They don't realize they're walking into a slaughterhouse. Silas, get those mana-vats open. We’ve got four minutes to turn this workshop into a deathtrap."

 

"Kael, you're still hurt! You can't take on an entire team!"

 

"I'm not going to take them on, Silas," Kael said, his fingers dancing over a holographic interface as the System began to feed him thousands of trap blueprints. "I'm going to forge them into something ... "

 

Dia kemudian menoleh ke arah pintu masuk yang tertutup rapat, suaranya merendah seiring dengan langkah kaki berat yang mulai terdengar dari kejauhan ...

 

"Silas, apakah kamu pernah melihat cara kerja mesin penggiling tulang yang ..."