The Story of the Underworld - (2)
Kugugu...
I have roughly finished creating this.
The underworld, which was once empty, has twisted and expanded according to my will, making it almost unrecognizable from its previous form.
According to the hipster vibe, or rather the underworld vibe, a pitch-black castle reflected in my eyes.
A fortress made of steel, overflowing with metal from underground.
Isn’t this steel? The metal infused with my power somehow appeared pale and emitted a chilling cold.
The castle walls shimmered with an unusual luster, clearly not ordinary metal; perhaps it should be called an obsidian fortress.
Kiiiii...
With a slight gesture, the castle gate opened naturally.
In truth, it wasn’t natural.
I had just created it, so why was it so stiff?
And the sound of the door opening was eerily ghost-like.
As I entered the massive fortress, I made additional adjustments here and there based on what I saw.
The sand scattered on the floor and the twisted parts due to poor control of my strength.
While I was busy fixing things, a guest arrived in the underworld.
"Hades."
The figure walking towards me was a muscular god with a single eye, exuding a strong presence.
No, it was a Cyclops.
One of the three Cyclopes who forged weapons for me, Zeus, and Poseidon, named Argus (Lightning).
What brought him to this dark underworld to see me?
"Fortunately, you found me well. Thanks to Demeter for revealing my location..."
The Cyclopes are the children of Gaia, the goddess of the earth, and Uranus, the god of the sky.
In terms of divine lineage, they are of higher standing than us.
But didn’t those three brothers say they would live leisurely on an island from now on?
There was no need for them to come to this gloomy underground...
Could it be that he died and came to the underworld?
Strangely, the Cyclopes are powerful gods with high status, yet unlike us, they acknowledge the existence of death.
Thus, it is possible that the first resident of my underworld kingdom is a Cyclops.
"So who killed you? Was it that scoundrel Zeus?"
Just as I was about to start a brotherly war over the throne of the gods, he chuckled and replied.
"Just a joke, we are blacksmiths, but we have some knowledge in building such structures. Since Poseidon and Zeus were said to be building palaces, we brothers decided to lend a hand."
Oh...
The generous Cyclopes, who give everything they have without reservation.
I quietly worshipped him in my heart.
"But don’t expect too much. I don’t possess the divine status of a builder."
The three Cyclopes inherited some of their father’s divine status of the sky.
Thunder, lightning, and storms have nothing to do with blacksmithing, yet they somehow developed exceptional skills...
He looked around the palace he had just created, pointing out various things.
Perhaps due to the advice of an expert in creation, the palace quickly transformed.
"And while I’m glad you’re using the Quinae I made for you well, I hope you take good care of it. She likes things to be neat, you know..."
The Cyclops fiddled with my transparent helmet, Quinae, which was hung in one corner.
By the way, Argus was the one who made my helmet among the three brothers.
When I asked why he went through the trouble of making a transparent helmet, the answer was quite amusing.
He said he made it to match my personality, making it look gloomy...
"... Tsk. Are you listening to me? And I also like it when you stroke the helmet from the top to the bridge of the nose..."
That’s not an ego sword, nor an ego helmet, is it?
The one who made it should know better, so I don’t understand why he keeps saying such things.
Perhaps it’s a sentiment only a blacksmith can understand.
Now that I think about it, I always felt this way.
Why do Poseidon and Zeus have weapons while I only have armor?
I wanted to wield a cool weapon too, but all I have is a stealth helmet, which feels a bit lacking...
"Ugh! Just a helmet! What’s wrong with my masterpiece, Quinae, which allows me to hide from the whole world?"
Oh no, did I just say my thoughts out loud again?
I calmed the Cyclops, who was snorting in frustration.
Of course, I felt the power of this helmet during the war.
Even our father, Cronos, couldn’t find me.
"Who made it? Of course! I spent so much time making that..."
But still, a weapon would be nice.
"Ah! Now that you’re a divine being, don’t keep pestering me! If I make you a weapon, I’ll have to make one for Poseidon and Zeus too!"
I wanted to receive a weapon, but it couldn’t be helped.
From his perspective, if he made my weapon, he would have to make one for Poseidon or Zeus too, so it was understandable.
After Argus took a few rounds around the underworld I created, he left with a satisfied smile.
He said not to expect too much since he wasn’t a god of architecture, yet he completely transformed my palace before leaving, making me lick my lips at his departing figure.
"Hades. Are you envious of Zeus’s lightning or Poseidon’s trident?"
As I saw Argus off, Mr. Styx whispered to me.
Of course, I was envious, but there was nothing I could do.
Maybe I could secretly visit the island where the Cyclopes were said to live later, and perhaps they would make something for me.
"If you sink it to the bottom of the Styx River, the evidence of the gods' oath, and infuse it with power, a usable weapon might be born. What do you think?"
This proposal surprised me.
Would they go this far for me? Even though he wasn’t a blacksmith who felt a sense of fulfillment in making weapons, why...?
When I questioned the goddess Styx about her reason, she turned her head and shyly said.
"Then... does that mean I have no debts left?"
Now that I think about it, there was one thing she might consider a debt.
I had saved Styx when she was almost dragged away by numerous Titans during the war.
"Please infuse your power into the bronze sword made by the Cyclopes and hand it to me. Once it’s done, I’ll bring it back to you."
I rummaged through my memories and handed the bronze sword I used to the goddess Styx.
She took my beloved weapon and quickly disappeared beneath the deep river, becoming invisible.
The Cyclopes didn’t only create lightning bolts, tridents, and helmets.
They also made weapons and armor for other gods and produced numerous "failures."
None of us agreed that those were failures, but the skilled Cyclopes pointed out flaws with hawk-like eyes.
"This seems like an excellent weapon."
"What are you talking about? This weapon is too weak to contain your powers. If it clashes with Cronos’s scythe, it will break after a few days of fighting."
"Then why is this guard considered a failure?"
"Try wearing that and fall from the sky to the ground; I bet it will have a scratch!"
Our father, Cronos’s scythe, was the world’s best weapon made by grandmother Gaia from Adamant (diamond).
To say that it would break after a few days of fighting against something like that seems a bit too high of a standard, but they ultimately succeeded.
To create three weapons that were on par with or slightly inferior to Cronos’s great scythe was quite an achievement.
That day, the tide of battle turned, allowing us to achieve victory.
And one of the so-called failures they made was the bronze sword I had just handed to Styx.
When the sun god Helios’s horses pulled the sun chariot, moving from one end of the world to the other dozens of times,
Finally, Styx returned to the fortress of the underworld with my sword.
"It’s all finished; would you like to swing it once?"
A one-handed sword dyed pitch black, fitting for the god of the underworld.
The bronze sword, infused with my power and enduring at the bottom of the Styx River, seemed to have been reborn.
As I waved the blade, which had only a blade without a hilt, it trembled slightly as if recognizing its master.
"Oh? It seems to have been made even better than I expected."
The unique texture of the handle made from a special oak tree growing near the peak of Mount Olympus held onto my hand.
It wasn’t too light or too heavy, just the right weight with a snug feel.
Swish—
The blade cut through the air from left to right, and I truly liked it.
As a test, I placed my prized Quinae on the ground and struck down with the sword, causing sparks to fly from the rebound.
Kakang!
"Hades! Why are you testing the sword on that precious helmet!"
But since the sturdiest thing I had was Quinae, I had no choice but to test its performance here...
"Sigh... Indeed, the gods of Olympus all have something strange about them..."
I casually set Quinae aside and meticulously examined the blade.
No scratches or damaged areas were found.
The connection between the blade and the handle was excellent.
The divine power permeability was perfect.
How long could this blade withstand the full power of a god?
Just as I was about to concentrate my strength and strike the side of the sword, Styx stopped me.
"Ah! Please don’t! It will break my child!"
Child?
"Huh?! This... this is in the same sense that the Cyclopes refer to their masterpieces as children..."
"Child sounds nice. Then let’s name it the Styx Sword."
"Ugh... to name it after me like that..."
Leaving the goddess Styx, who covered her face with both hands and mumbled something, I strapped the sword to my waist.
Alright, your name is now the Styx Sword.
"I am Styx..."