Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

“So you managed to wrestle control of the Hydra from Natina?” Seth summarized the necromancer's explanation of what happened. The blacksmith looked up at the giant undead hydra, that was now silently waiting at the side..

The situation had been a little awkward when Eve appeared and the twelve-headed beast appeared over the mountain ridge. surprising Seth, who heard about this for the first time. On the other hand, Evee felt a little awkward, having rushed here to help, only to arrive right after the battle ended.

As Evee explained everything his thoughts wandered. To think he was not the only one in Minas Mar with a legendary creature under his belt anymore, he was kind of glad. Technically, Evee even passed him. Although the golems were technically his creations, as their Ego grew there was no direct bond of obedience between him and them. Not something comparable to a necromancer and their summon at least.

“You know what that means? You will probably have to leave the cozy tower,” Seth started to tease her. With this much power, Evee would probably have to take up a seat as a guardian at one of the Tree Stations. her silent days, where she hid in the laboratory in Minas Mar or Minas Palan were over.

“You would better start thinking at which Tree Station you want to stay~” he chortled. Unlike the golems who were mostly independent, Evee's undead would not move without her orders. This meant she had to go, wherever her power was needed.

“Fuuu-! I didn't think of that...” Evee exclaimed, only realizing the consequences of fulfilling her quest after the fact. On the thought of Evee's new power, Seth glanced at Diromold.

“Since we are on the topic, can't you take that guy, too?” he asked her, pointing at the koor worm, that was silently lying at the edge of the valley. Its summoner had died, while its mana and life force were depleted to the point that it could not even move. If there was a time to tame another legend, it was now.

There were many sea monsters that fell at the hands of heroes, just like the Hydra, in Olympian Mythology. The Koor Worm definitely met the criteria to have the cost of taming reduced, according to the skills Evee had gained from her quest.

“Erm... Even if it is highly damaged it's still a legend. Even if I manage to add it to my Underworld, is it worth it?” Evee looked at the koor worm hesitating. After its fight with Strix and Tatzel, the sea serpent didn't look too good. Especially the augmentations installed by Spatia were destroyed, meaning that it was unable to fly anymore.

“Even with my new perk, it would take a lot of effort and ages for it to recover and be usable...” Evee added, looking at the undead's state. After she managed to steal the hydra, she had fallen unconscious for hours from exhaustion. Her hesitation was understandable, however-

“I'm sure the guys from Epsilon will be able to repair and improve on the flying aspect. I think if you see a chance without risking your life, you try to do it. It would be a waste to kill it now for materials if it could be another legend on our side in the future, “ the blacksmith argued.

Just because a creature was legendary, didn't necessarily mean they had legendary materials. Seth had given the Koor Worm a once over, but the best it had to offer was probably its corrupted core. if they could have the intact undead serve them, it was a much better deal.

“Alright, I will give it a shot, once I recover some more,” Evee agreed after musing over it for a while. Diromold wasn't going anywhere for the moment, so she had more time to prepare than in the case of the Hydra.

“Take your time, I will check the dragon for now,” Seth said and turned to the heap of bones, he had been looking forward to the most. However, as soon as he stood at the edge of the crater where the dragon fell and fought the horsemen and Hellion he fell silent.

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“...” the blacksmith was speechless upon seeing what was left of the skeleton dragon. He had expected some problems judging by the state of the dragon scales he got during the evaluation. He even expected some damage from the battle with Hellion and the others, but...

“This is too much!” Seth exclaimed accusatory, shouting at Wolfram, Bazalith, and Hellion, standing silently to the side.

The skeleton of Kalzemir, the mountain-sized ancient dragon lay before him. Of the once impressive and proud figure more than half had been turned into brittle gray metal and smashed to pieces by these brutes!

But Seth's exclamation was ambiguous and not just a comment on the work of the three stooges, but also because of the state of the remaining bones. The blacksmith was only able to touch the bones saturated in the ancient dragon curse because of the “Purity of the While Bull”, an effect of Pipirima. They were even worse than the few scales he had collected back then.

Legendary

The bones of the ancient dragon Kalzemir, who was forcefully turned into a skeleton dragon long after his death by the power of Kali. Deep resentment has seeped into these bones and turned into a curse. Options: 85% Damage Negation, Complete Weapon Damage Negation, Dragon Curse>

This aura was no joke, as Seth could even see the durability of his Trignis Cloves falling point by point in the short time he touched one of the bone shards. He couldn't decide whether this was better or worse, as his appraisal at least identified as crafting material with options.

His seven dragon scales he originally looted from Kalzemir's treasury had been completely unusable because of the curse. Whether this was the difference in skill level or a difference in the material itself he didn't know, but it didn't actually matter.

It was undeniable that the curse itself had a qualitative change. The scales only oozed a corrosive smoke, but the bones emitted a destructive aura. The blacksmith had to go on an epic quest to get the help of a literal god to purify just seven scales. How the heck was he going to deal with this amount?

Even worse, if he just left these things here, they would affect the surrounding land. Seth didn't like the sound of an aura of resentment corrupting its surroundings. Especially when the material in question was a pile of bones the size of a hill.

But he also didn't dare to store them in his inventory or Legion. Maybe it was best to leave them here. It wasn't like anyone would be able to take these away. This place was quite far away from Delta, a little corruption would hurt while he was looking for a solution, right?

Except that there was this massive portal right beside it that led directly to the skies above Delta. Even if nothing got past the guardian Tree, maybe it was best to see if Idylon Mo could take control of the portal.

“Mom...” Tatzel suddenly approached the blacksmith. The imugi had shrunk back down to the size of a horse. Although it was a little harder to read the face of something that almost looked like a dragon, Seth had gotten quite good in the time he had spent with Tatzel since he was born. It seemed like there was something weighing on his mind.

“I have a request,” the pet said, glancing at the collapsed skeleton of Kalzemir. Had his request something to do with the ancient dragon's remains? Whatever it was, Tatzel had done a great job in this battle, as far as Seth heard, so it was only right to reward him.

“Sure, if it is something I can grant,” the blacksmith assured him.

“My level got stuck at lv.185 and the system said that I need to meet special requirements to go further. I can feel that there is something in that pile I need,” Tatzel described his problem vaguely. Seth didn't know what to say. Everything left of Kalzemir was affected by a heavy curse. Would the imugi be able to deal with it?

“Let's see if we can find it and decide then,” Seth said, curious what there was that the quasi-dragon needed. Seth knew that there were materials that allowed reptilian monsters and races to evolve, which usually had something to do with the power of dragons. He actually had a hunch, based on his assessment of Diromold, and navigated to the place, where the skeleton dragon's rib cage collapsed.

“Is it that?” he asked Tatzel who had followed him. Glinting from below a pile of giant vertebrae and ribs, was a massive golden crystal, the size of a boulder. The beautiful golden color had dimmed, with dark inclusions seemingly invading it from the outside. A hex-mechanical device, smashed by the debris of broken ribs was also not too far away from it.

“Yes! I think that is it. I feel weirdly drawn to it!” Tatzel confirmed as Seth appraised the boulder.

Legendary

The corpse of Kalzemir the ancient dragon. Known as the arcane heart of dragons, even more important than their actual heart, the dragon core is the seat of mana and the soul fro a dragon. After death, this core had been tainted by the dragon's curse. After being resurrected as an undead, the core experienced various modifications. After the second death of Kalzemir, it has become fully corrupted, housing a distorted remnant of the dragon's resentment.

Requirements: Unusable until cleansed. >

“Do you still want this?” Seth asked after sharing the information with Tatzel.

“Yes!” the imugi nodded rigorously in excitement. “Should I help you find a way to purify it?”

“No, I just need the core. Don't worry, I will find a way myself!” the imugi assured him of his independence. In that case... Seth had no refuse to refuse his request.

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