Chapter 9
While Kim Do-jin was briefly asleep…
Without even realizing it, his body was locked in a fierce battle with the Hydra’s venom that had seeped into him.
It was only a small amount—but even a trace of Hydra’s poison could kill a god.
Even though some of it had been purified, the lingering poison that survived continued to gnaw away at his body.
Perhaps the reason some of the purified venom remained was due to the lingering resentment of the Hydra that had died by his hand.
However, Kim Do-jin was able to resist the venom—poison strong enough to kill gods—for two reasons.
The first was the “Nine-Headed Viper” resistance he had gained from the Hydra.
Because it was a skill he obtained from the Hydra itself, his resistance to its poison was especially potent.
And the second reason… was none other than Kim Do-jin’s own willpower.
The unshakable determination of a man who had returned from a horrific future, swearing vengeance against all gods.
[“Chronicle of the Godslayer” Lv. 3 is activating.]
[You resist the poison of the divine being, Hydra.]
His skill, Chronicle of the Godslayer, lent its strength as well.
Ssssshh!
Unbeknownst to Kim Do-jin, his body began to heat up.
A desperate struggle for survival.
About an hour later, the heat subsided, and his body returned to normal.
The venom that had seeped into his bloodstream had been expelled through his pores. In the process, toxins and waste spread throughout his body were flushed out as well.
At the same time, subtle internal changes began within his body.
It wasn’t dramatic enough to trigger a system message.
But bit by bit, Kim Do-jin’s body was transforming.
Independent of his skill’s level, he was gradually becoming stronger.
Unfortunately, being asleep, Kim Do-jin didn’t notice the changes occurring within him.
* * *
“Gaaaahhh!”
“P-please spare me!”
“Why… why are you doing this…?”
When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by the anguished screams of people.
These were the surviving Apostles from the final expedition.
The moment the foreign god Xenon died, and the gods of humanity revealed their true greed…
‘…I’ve returned?’
At first, he thought it was a dream.
But it was far too vivid to be one.
Each scream was filled with resentment and fury.
He reached to his side to draw his sword, Nameless.
‘…It’s not there?’
The spot where Nameless should have been was empty.
No, it wasn’t just missing.
Everything was shattered.
Every weapon he had prepared in anticipation of the gods’ betrayal was now broken.
“…Did I lose all my weapons?”
Eitri, the blacksmith who had taught him in his past life, rose up from the ground.
Now hardened into stone, tears were falling from his unseeing eyes.
His old master, who turned entirely to stone after exacting revenge for his brother.
He stared at Kim Do-jin with empty eyes.
“You lost your family, your teacher… and now even my final gift. You protected nothing.”
“Master…”
“I curse myself for ever calling you my disciple.”
When Kim Do-jin reached out to him, Eitri crumbled into sand and vanished.
At that moment, Hyun appeared before his eyes.
— The defeated has returned once more.
He seemed already consumed by the Primordial God of Creation, glowing with a blinding divine light.
His voice carried no emotion, sending chills down Kim Do-jin’s spine.
“God of Creation…”
— To come back again… how bold of you.
He had to find a weapon.
To defeat that being, he needed a weapon that would never break.
But no matter where he looked, nothing could rival the being before him.
The God of Creation swiftly thrust a spear into his chest.
Thunk!
“Gah!”
A massive hole tore through his chest.
Just like before.
The same cursed memory from before his regression.
— You cannot defeat me.
“Bullshit.”
He came back to win.
To change the past where he had been so utterly defeated.
“If there’s no way, I’ll make one. If there’s no path, I’ll forge one. And if I still can’t close the gap between us…”
Kim Do-jin gripped the spear lodged in his chest.
Crunch.
One step. Two steps.
He approached the god, until they were almost breathing the same air.
With burning fury, he growled the words through gritted teeth.
“I’ll destroy myself if that’s what it takes to reach you. You bastard.”
It wasn’t out of some noble purpose to save humanity.
It was because he had learned the gods’ despicable nature.
He couldn’t let those who lied and backstabbed others live in peace.
Especially not when he was the one being betrayed.
He would never be deceived again.
He raised a fist at the god who pierced his chest.
— You’re the same as ever.
And with that, the Creator vanished.
In his place…
“Do-jin!”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come inside!”
“…Mom? Dad?”
“Oppa! Come on! The food’s getting cold!”
“…Hee-jin?”
He saw the inside of their family home, where all his loved ones were gathered.
Another dream.
It had to be—because they were all dead.
His entire family had perished in a fire.
Their deaths were the reason he abandoned faith in the gods and chose revenge.
“Get out! Hurry! Hee-jin, get out!”
He knew it was a dream.
But he wanted to save them.
Even if only in a dream.
But his body wouldn’t move as he willed.
And in that moment, flames burst out around his waving family, engulfing the house and everyone in it.
Aaaaaaaaah!!
He heard blood-curdling screams from within the fire.
Their dying images remained burned into his mind.
“Gasp!”
He bolted upright.
“Haa… haa…”
A horrifying nightmare.
The dream showed him everything he failed to protect—
His family, his teacher, his beliefs, and his goals.
It branded into him the truth that he had lost everything.
“…Is this a sign to take revenge?”
He clenched his fists tightly.
So tight that blood dripped from his pale knuckles.
“I don’t need a sign—I already know.”
The memories were still fresh, as if they had just happened.
So, there was no room for hesitation.
“I’ll survive this. No matter what.”
Even if untold hardships awaited him.
As he gathered his senses, a foul stench filled the room and assaulted his nose.
“…What is that smell?”
It wasn’t the room.
Sniff sniff.
It was coming from him.
“…Ah.”
Only then did he realize he had recovered from the poisoning.
The toxins and waste in his body had likely been expelled during the purification process.
He recalled the skill he registered after defeating the Hydra—Nine-Headed Viper.
[Nine-Headed Viper – Grade A]
Effect: Greatly increases resistance to poison. Significantly lowers chance of being poisoned.
[Skill registered. 2/2]
So it was thanks to that.
He was lucky to have registered it just in case.
That skill had been incredibly useful since the moment he forged his first sword.
Even if diluted, the fact that he survived the Hydra’s poison showed just how powerful his resistance was.
By the time he had adjusted to the smell…
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He heard hammering in the distance.
From the forge.
It was the sound of life returning to Eitri’s once-dead blacksmith shop.
“…He’s working.”
“All thanks to whoever created that blue flame—I feel fired up for the first time in ages.”
Eitri was hammering away, drenched in sweat.
Each motion of his muscular frame sent sparks flying with every strike.
Clang! Clang!
Kim Do-jin silently waited for Eitri to finish his work.
Ssssht!
After some time, Eitri wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at him.
“…It’s done.”
On the workbench was a perfectly completed sword—Dokmu, the Poison Fog, just as he ordered.
A one-of-a-kind longsword crafted exactly to his specs.
The handle, crafted by the dwarven master Eitri, fit perfectly in his hand.
He couldn’t ask for more.
The blade shimmered with a chilling blue hue, its hilt a light brown.
He slid the completed Dokmu into its sheath.
“I noticed while sharpening it—this blade is more unstable than it looks. So I prepared a spare, just in case.”
Eitri handed him another sword.
[Sword of the Loner – Grade A]
Description: The final sword crafted by a dwarf before losing his will after his brother’s death. Solid and unwavering.
A completely different type from Dokmu.
A plain longsword with no embellishments or gimmicks.
But the strength imbued in the blade was anything but ordinary.
He could be sure it would never break in battle.
“…You’re giving this to me?”
“Yeah. Use it when fighting small fry. No special powers, but sturdy enough to be reliable.”
“…Thank you.”
Just like that, he’d obtained both an S-rank and an A-rank weapon.
One of them being exactly the type of weapon he’d wanted.
Coming to Eitri had paid off.
Do-jin looked at him and spoke.
“I’m leaving now.”
“Yeah, you finished what you came for.”
“You’re not surprised?”
“I already knew. That you came here for a sword.”
“You’re not going to stop me?”
“Why would I stop a disciple who promised to avenge my brother?”
Eitri sat down, wiping his beard.
“…Are you planning to go after Hephaestus right away?”
“Not yet.”
“Building up strength, huh?”
“Yes. I need to get my body in shape first.”
Eitri looked him over.
“Yeah. In that condition, you’d die before you even reached a god.”
Kim Do-jin laughed at the grumbling remark.
It reminded him of their first conversation in his past life.
His master—and one of the few allies he had.
“You planning to hunt monsters?”
“Yes. And a few other things as well.”
“…That’s a big decision.”
“Yes, Master.”
“I guess I’ll be running the forge on my own now.”
Eitri sighed, trimming his beard.
“Will you be okay?”
“Yeah. With the blue flame burning and the forge stable, I can still make weapons close to the old days.”
“I’m sorry I can’t help more.”
“It’s fine. We all have our own paths. Besides, it’s not a good look for a human to live in a dwarven realm. If I make a good blade, I’ll send it your way. Drop by occasionally.”
He looked at the flickering blue flame.
If not tended, the flame would die within a month after Kim Do-jin left.
Still, Eitri was letting him go.
“If the flame goes out, so be it. I’ll just light it again.”
Noticing Kim Do-jin’s hesitation, Eitri spoke gruffly.
Do-jin knew.
That Eitri hadn’t fully recovered from his brother’s death.
He wielded his hammer to forget—his anger, his vengeance.
All Do-jin could do now was carry out that revenge on his behalf.
“I’ll return when it’s done.”
As he bowed, Eitri frowned.
“…What’s that smell?”
“Excuse me?”
“You stink. Did you even wash properly?”
“…It must be the leftover Hydra venom being expelled.”
“Tch. If you go around saying you’re my disciple smelling like that, I’ll be too ashamed to show my face. Go wash up before you leave. The bath’s over there.”
Was it really that bad?
Sniff sniff.
He didn’t smell anything now.
“I don’t smell anything.”
“Go wash up, you brat. You drank Hydra poison yesterday, your nose’s probably still messed up.”
Thanks to Eitri’s nagging, he scrubbed himself clean before leaving.
“I’ll be back soon—with Hephaestus’s head.”
“…Alright.”
That expression…
He had seen it once before.
A face trying to swallow sorrow.
In this short time, Eitri had grown attached.
Thinking Do-jin was his brother Brokkr’s disciple, he didn’t want to see another of his kin die at the hands of a god.
Maybe that’s why he’d insisted he wash up before leaving.
But Do-jin couldn’t hesitate.
He had to keep moving forward.
Because this was his trial.
“I’m off now.”
With that, Kim Do-jin opened a new gate and left Nidavellir.
* * *
“…Here it is.”
As soon as Hephaestus saw the place where Periphetes’ corpse lay, he grit his teeth.
“That bastard.”
But his rage was not directed at his dead son.
Hephaestus’ eyes locked onto a single sword lying next to the body.
The Blacksmith’s Wrath.
The weapon he forged in a blind fury after discovering his wife Aphrodite’s affair with Ares—his greatest failure.
“…Why is this here?”
“W-we don’t know either…”
His guild members stammered, overwhelmed by the god’s fury.
Ashamed of the weapon as his worst disgrace, Hephaestus had hidden it deep in the Abyss where none could find it.
There was only one person in the world capable of retrieving and daring to use it.
“Ares… that bastard…”
It had to be him—that arrogant fool who paraded his affair with Aphrodite like a badge of honor.
The moment Hephaestus saw the sword, all rational thought fled. Rage consumed him.
Even if his logic was flawed and the conclusion extreme, he had already confirmed the culprit in his mind.
Periphetes’ death—his own discarded son—didn’t matter to him.
He’d long forgotten about the child he cast aside.
But if Ares used that failed creation to kill the son he abandoned…
That was a different story.
It was mockery.
A personal insult.
“That scum! I let it go when you stole my wife, but this?!”
Even Zeus won’t be able to mediate now.
“I’ll kill you.”
The mountains trembled. The earth roared.
“Guh!”
“L-Lord… Ghhh!”
Several of his guild members collapsed, vomiting blood under the weight of his fury.
But Hephaestus paid them no mind. He turned to his Apostle.
“Go to Ares’s Pantheon. Bring the tools.”
Limping, he began preparing his weapons.
