The Immortal Heir; The Absolute Cheat

Chapter 12

The space around Kai and Meiling violently expanded, throwing them onto a hard, volcanic stone floor. The freezing, crisp air of the Whispering Wilds was instantly replaced by a thick, heavy atmosphere that smelled of sulfur, molten iron, and ancient soot.

Kai immediately dropped into a low combat stance, his hand gripping the hilt of his steel saber, his icy-blue vertical slits scanning the perimeter.

They stood on a massive stone obsidian balcony overlooking a colossal subterranean canyon. Deep below, rivers of glowing orange magma snaked through the dark, illuminating thousands of massive, black-iron anvils and towering mechanical furnaces that looked like sleeping metal giants. Massive chains, each link the size of a carriage, stretched across the cavern ceilings, holding up swinging platforms.

[Ding! New Region Discovered: The Forbidden Valley of the Smiths (Danger Level: Extreme).]

[System Notice: The ambient geothermal energy increases Fire and Earth attribute combat efficiency by 35%.]

"Where are we?" Meiling asked, coughing slightly as the hot, dry air hit her lungs. She looked around at the towering, dark architecture in awe.

"The forge of the forgotten," High Priestess Ilya said, stepping past them fluidly, her silver hair unbothered by the rising heat. "Ten centuries ago, the Dwarven Legions crafted the weapons that held back the abyssal demons. When the upper realm capped the world's potential, the dwarves refused to submit. They hid their grandest forge beneath this volcano, waiting for someone strong enough to wield what they left behind."

"And you think that's me," Kai said, straightening his back, though his Draconic Sight never stopped tracking the ambient energy flows. He could see massive nodes of concentrated earth and fire mana vibrating within the volcanic walls.

"The system of this world—the Heavenly Dao—recognizes physical density and spiritual roots," Ilya turned to face him, her starlight eyes gleaming. "But you... your core devours those very concepts. You don't play by their rules. To open the Vault of the First Smith, one must possess a core that can withstand the pure, raw weight of the earth itself."

Before Kai could respond, the obsidian balcony violently shuddered.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Heavy, metallic footsteps echoed from the dark tunnel ahead. Out from the shadows stepped a towering, eight-foot-tall automation constructed entirely of rusted iron and glowing magma veins. It carried a massive, two-handed forging hammer that dragged against the stone, leaving a trail of sparks. Its face was a featureless iron plate with a single, burning red slit for an eye.

[Ding! Enemy Alert: Guard-Golem of the First Forge (Tier 6 - Elite).]

[Analyzing armor composition: Ancient Runic Iron. Physical attacks below Tier 7 are completely ineffective.]

[Vulnerability: The core mechanism is located within the right shoulder joint. Striking it requires bypassing its heavy magma output.]

"A test," Kai muttered, a feral, cold smile cutting through his features.

"Kai, wait! Its energy feels completely different from the beasts!" Meiling warned, taking a step back as the intense heat radiating from the golem caused the air to warp.

"Stay back, Meiling," Kai commanded, his boots crackling with a deadly, localized mixture of blue lightning and red fire static. "I've been needing a proper anvil to test my new strength."

ROOAAAR!

The iron golem didn't speak, but a deafening blast of compressed steam erupted from its back vents as it lunged forward with impossible speed for its size. It brought the massive forging hammer down in a vertical arc meant to pancake Kai into the obsidian floor.

Kai didn't dodge backward. He activated Earthen Aegis combined with his Sovereign Dragon Hide.

Shimmering golden scales erupted over his arms, immediately covered by a thick, dense layer of crystalline black rock. He thrust his left arm upward, meeting the descending, multi-ton iron hammer head-on with his bare forearm.

BOOM!

The shockwave blasted the dust off the balcony, cracking the obsidian tiles beneath Kai's boots. The pure physical weight of the strike forced Kai's knees to bend slightly, but his bones—now reinforced by the 10% Evolved Dragon God Bloodline—didn't snap. He held the massive hammer completely still in mid-air with his left hand.

The golem's single red eye flickered rapidly, its ancient programming unable to process a Tier 5 mortal stopping its strike with raw physical force.

"My turn," Kai whispered, his icy-blue slit pupils locking onto the golem's right shoulder joint through his Draconic Sight.

With a burst of speed fueled by his Blood-Frenzy adrenaline, Kai drove his right fist forward. He didn't just use strength; he channeled his Lightning Root Aptitude, condensing a hyper-focused, purple-blue plasma drill around his knuckles. The lightning hissed violently, cutting through the golem's outer magma shield like a hot knife.

Kai’s fist punched straight through the runic iron plating of the right shoulder, burying itself into the internal gears. With a brutal twist, he ripped his hand backward, dragging out a glowing, fist-sized red runic core.

The golem froze mid-motion. The glowing magma veins across its body instantly faded into dull, cold gray stone. With a heavy, metallic crash, the eight-foot titan collapsed into a pile of junk at Kai's feet.

[Ding! Elite Enemy defeated. Overclocking extraction parameters...]

[Extraction successful! You have permanently gained: +80 Strength, +100 Defense, +40 Forging Affinity.]

[Acquired Passive Trait: Runic Iron Body (Tier 1 - Permanently reduces all incoming physical damage by 15%).]

Kai tossed the ruined runic core over the edge into the magma river below, exhaling a plume of golden smoke as the system's power settled into his muscles, hardening his skin even further.

He turned to Ilya, his saber resting loosely on his shoulder. "The guard is dead. Let's see what's in the vault."