Vulcan’s breathing became rough as he felt the enormous sense of straightening up in his fingers that he couldn’t even bend one of them.
However, he couldn’t feel any pain, perhaps, due to the satisfaction that he felt from having successfully executed the depth thunder sword, in the end.
In fact, Vulcan let out laughter as he felt a little bit of pleasure from it
He suppressed his desire to lie down and observed the marvelous scene which he has just created, for a while.
‘I thought, could it, but one half of the mountain in Act 3 is blown away….’
The Act 3 of Asgard was the land of gods that controlled each dimension.
As a result, the land was very strong as it had to withstand the powers of the gods, and even if there were damages, they would recover quite quickly.
However, perhaps, this level of wide damage must take some time to recover as the mountain summit which Vulcan has blown away showed no sign of recovering, yet.
Vulcan was proudly looking at it.
However, he, soon, hardened his expression.
On the surface, the skill was powerful enough to bypass even other senior gods, but there were so many hurdles in using this skill in real battle.
‘The energy needed to properly execute all the skills was huge…. And it requires too much magic power to invoke the house of demon god spell. On top of that, catching the right timing for the volcano explosion, itself, is too difficult, such that failure is the obvious outcome in 100 times out of 100 tries. Phew…. Will there ever be a day that this skill would be used in a real battle?’
Of course, it would be possible some day.
The condition of nearly depleted magic power would improve by ascertaining additional stats in the process of leveling up, and would also get used to the linking technique of the skills through continued training.
On top of that, the skills which he has learned this time were all in the magic category.
And they all belonged to the flame types.
They were all the skills that he was confident in, rather than the ones like the ‘blue dragon vision space contraction’ type of skills which he believed he had no talent in, so he thought he could certainly get better should he invest his time.
‘In fact, I’ve improved a lot in the past 1 year, too.’
“Ah, this is tough.”
Plopping down flat on his back as he moaned, Vulcan rested right there.
Should he use the potion given by Powell, he could recover much more quickly and get back to the training, but he didn’t want to do that, right now.
He was going to go to Naraka and pursue a quest and get into harsh training again tomorrow, anyway.
Vulcan thought that it wouldn’t be too bad to spend the remaining time by simply resting and leisurely like this.
That was how Vulcan was spending his time while having this and that thoughts.
However, his peaceful siesta did not rest long.
Honus has come close to him already and was making an unpleasant face.
He was looking at Vulcan with hawkish eyes.
“Uh…. Hi?”
“…..”
Vulcan uncomfortably said hello.
However, without responding to him, Honus kept staring at him with the uncomfortable expression on his face.
It was as if he had something to say, but he was suppressing himself from saying it.
Surveying his face, Vulcan felt sweat coming down on his forehead.
He might have felt better if Honus was to admonish and nag him as usual as soon as they met like before, but since he wasn’t saying anything, Vulcan felt more eerie.
In an attempt to change Honus’ focus from the incident he created which appeared to have upset him, Vulcan subtly rose up from the spot.
And he invoked the ‘summoning of the hell dog’ skill which was the final remaining skill which he learned in Naraka.
Whirrrrl.
Krrrrrrung!
It was the hell’s hunting dog with three heads, boasting a body that was as big as a large mountain.
Unlike ordinary dogs, it had high temperature flares, rather than fur, which made it appear braver as they swayed in the wind
However, the task of the animal wasn’t tearing up the enemy’s flash, but attracting Honus’ interest.
As a result, Vulcan directed the hell’s hunting dog to act cute like a dog which was about to perform a trick.
“Doori! Act cute!”
Krrreung.
As soon as Vulcan ordered, the scary looking hell hunting dog contracted down to about 1 meter in size.
And it attempted to go up on the sphere ball of fire, which Vulcan has summoned, and tried to balance itself as it danced.
Bark-bark-bark-bark.
Furthermore, the three heads all appeared to be singing in three different tones, imitating a precious act that was even tough to see even at a circus.
“This is the magic I had made during a closed training session. Isn’t it cute?”
“……”
However, Honus was still silent.
Only then Vulcan realized the seriousness and withdrew the magic by counter-summoning the hell hunting dog, and there remained only a sense of desolation in between them, causing an uncomfortable ambience to persist.
1 minute, and 5 minutes have passed like that.
Finally, it was when unable to withstand it much longer, Vulcan decided to just say something, there came a heavy voice from Honus.
“You, you’ve become stronger.”
“Sorry… Thank you.”
Vulcan thought he would be admonished for making a big mess out of Asgard.
However, he was surprised when he heard the unexpected kudos from Honus.
Furthermore, the more amazing thing happened next.
“Since you come out with great results every time you enter a closed training session, it’s hard to even tell you to slow down. However, I’d like to see you spend at least a half, even one tenth of the time you spend in training, on the lower world. I’ll be on my way then.”
It was an advice which only lasted for about 10 seconds.
Looking at Honus, leaving the area after a short speech, Vulcan was so surprised that he just stood there dumbfounded, and even unable to give him a deserving goodbye.
‘What, Honus, who is famous for being talkative, only said that and left….’
It just couldn’t be understood.
As a result, it was like he wasn’t punished at all, so feeling even more anxious Vulcan, he took the time to visit the lower world in order to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling.
However, Honus did not save words because he had other intentions.
He didn’t go see Vulcan to punish him to begin with.
‘Just like Powell, that bastard would not listen to me anyway….Saying it will just hurt my mouth.’
Power was the unique being which made Honus to give up on him.
However, as Vulcan’s name has been added to that list since about several tens of years ago, it has been a long time since Honus stopped expecting that Vulcan would rule the lower world with diligence.
The reason behind for Honus to go see Vulcan was because he has heard the words of the ultimate god through his elder brother Hoculus.
‘Sometime in the future, when the time came to threaten Asgard, Vulcan will play a big role in saving it….’
When Honus heard this from his brother, he argued with him since he could not agree with it, at all.
He could not understand that a danger will come to Asgard, a world ruled by gods, in the first place, and that he couldn’t understand that Vulcan, who was an infant and has been a god for only less than one thousand years, was the subject of the ultimate god’s interest, either.
‘Powell, maybe…I thought.’
However…..
He could see it now.
Right at the time when he went to verify Vulcan’s progression, he saw the incredible power in that single blow.
It was the moment that he has witnessed the hair raising power of the sword swing which he, who has lived over twenty thousand years, himself, wasn’t sure that whether even he could have managed such power.
Honus had no choice, but to accept it.
That was, after one hundred, two hundred, and one thousand years were to pass…. The fact that Vulcan would overtake his own achievements, and would even set his sights on Hoculus’ level.
‘Meeting Vulcan face to face… It was more certain. Phew, what is his training method that he got so strong in the absence of the support of a god. Did he get the attention of the ultimate god because he had that potential. And….what is the danger which will threaten Asgard in the future….’
Honus had many complicating thoughts in his head.
However, tossing those worries to the side, he went to Act 2 in order to stay the course with his duty.
As long as there was going to be the ultimate god, he didn’t think there would be a great threat.
That was how the incident of Vulcan had passed without much consequence.
*******
[You have chosen god mode.]
[Quest created!]
[Ordinary quest – Hunt 100 true demons]
[Difficulty – A level (demon world standard)]
[Reward – Large quantity of experience, Extension of effective activity area]
*Act as the boss monster of the fire and lightning temple, which is the hidden quest location, and hunt 100 true demons which wander around the temple and in the vicinity. You can earn large quantity of experience with each hunt, and earn even more experience when quest is completed.
“Hm, this is how it goes.”
Nodding his head as if to say that he understood Vulcan closed the quest window.
According to the system’s explanation, it appeared, by just hunting the true demons, that he would be endowed with experience level which was even more than he would get after conquering.
‘Surely, with that much reward, god mode seems to be more beneficial than demon mode. With the exception of the monsters, the ancient god monsters levels are low 1,300…..Certainly the pace of leveling up seemed to have decreased, anyway.’
However, he wasn’t without any worries.
Kaozinta was the only true demon god that had visited the fire and lightning temple, about 50 years ago.
Thinking about that, he was worried that he would have to spend so much time here before he would run into any true demons.
Of course, the effective activity area has been broadened, so he would be able to consider the true demons which wandered outside the temple as fair games, but…..
‘Based on the last time I went out to look for Kaozinta….This place seemed to be a way in the corner somewhere.’
Losing the bright expression which he had earlier, Vulcan became serious.
However, he stopped worrying about it.
He hasn’t even had thorough training on the legendary level skills which he had purchased, anyway.
If the true demons would not appear then just like he has done up to now, train on the hell king arrival, hell sword, house of demon god, and volcano explosion.
And lastly, train on the depth thunder sword which was the newly created skill by having linked all those skills.
‘If I am able to perfect this…. Rock Seager bastard could easily be taken care of. Well, even if I do not perfect it, after clearing this quest, I would most likely defeat him. And…the day that I would overtake Powell would come, too.’
After thinking about the two objectives, Powell and Rock Seager, Vulcan smiled and began his stretching exercises.
It was because after emptying his mind, both anxious and hurried feelings escaped him, and he wanted to immediately begin his training.
He then summoned the hell hunting dog in order to assess the magic power, before earnestly commencing his training.
Whirrrl.
Krrrreung!
Doori, the hell hunting dog was engulfed with flames as it formed a beastly shape by the magic power which has poured out of Vulcan’s left hand.
Unlike the appearance that it had shown up with in Asgard, the dog appeared in a reduced mass as was appropriate to the size of the room, and it shook its tail to display its playfulness.
Wawawawa.
“Alright, good, good. Will spend more time with you from now on”
Vulcan smiled as he saw Doori, welcoming him happily.
However, his words were lies.
Unlike the other four legendary level skills, ‘hell’s hunting dog summoning’ was bought on an impulse since there was extra money, and with the exception of the fact that it was a flame type skill, it did not go well with Vulcan’s skill set, at all.
Vulcan was not a pure sorcerer, rather he was a magic swordsman who carried a sword and liked to get close to his opponents.
As a result, distributing the hell’s hunting dog’s magic power, which was most likely be fired remotely as it was more fitting to being an escort type magic, wasn’t that effective
Still, as he wanted to force some meaning to it, he was using it for the purpose of warm up exercises in this fashion, prior to commencing his training.
So naturally, as it would be ignored when he earnestly began his training, Doori, the hell’s hunting dog, must attempt to make his existence known by being desperately playful toward Vulcan.
‘Should I have just purchased martial arts technique from there, rather than the hell’s hunting dog…..I’m not used to martial arts, but I could get some good result out of it if I would focus on studying its essence.’
Vulcan was paying a halfhearted attention to Doori, which was being playful.
Then suddenly, his expression hardened.
Koong, koong. With the sound of heavy footsteps, someone was coming closer to him.
Feeling that, both Vulcan and Doori turned their heads, and the boss room’s door suddenly opened wide.
Like a giant statute cast in bronze, it was a giant, true demon, wearing a glistening metallic armor suit.
Looking at Vulcan and Doori, interchangeably, the bastard said foolish things.
“What is this, there hasn’t been a boss monster here, so far?”
“…..”
“But then how come there are two bosses in the boss room?”
Certainly, while he was observing both, Vulcan and Doori, Vulcan, too, was observing him.
Instantly, Vulcan learned that the opponent’s level was lower than him by executing the scanning capability.
With a refreshing smile on his face, he spoke to the true demon.