[LSB] Chapter 102: The Impossible

“Here. This is where you will be creating something for us.”

Julian and Juliet followed Frederick and his companions across the Tower of Forge… and if they weren’t in the current circumstance they were, Juliet was sure that Julian would be stopping each time they passed by something even remotely interesting. Which, in the case of the Tower of Forge, it was almost everything—especially for someone like Julian who was obsessed with forging.

The Tower of Forge contained all sorts of things that Julian hadn’t encountered before and even tools that were completely foreign to him, and he wanted to try them all. Of course, he had to stop himself and follow along with the vice guild master.

And after several grueling minutes, they finally arrived at their destination. But unlike everything else Julian had seen so far, the forge they stopped at was far less impressive—it felt abandoned, as if it hadn’t been used in years.

Julian stepped into the forge, his senses immediately drowning in the scent of aged iron, soot, and damp stone. The air was thick, heavier than even the dilapidated smithy he had revived back in Calydion. Dust clung to every surface, cobwebs hung in the corners, and the tools resting on the workbenches had long been abandoned to rust.

And from the way Frederick and his companions were staring at him, it was obvious they were testing him and seeing how he would react.

The materials they had given him were aged and weathered, the tools old and worn from years of neglect. The Blacksmith Guild was testing him, watching closely. They wanted to see if the so-called “rising blacksmith” would falter in the face of such… unworthy conditions.

But Julian didn’t care at all about any of that.

He took in a deep breath, letting the forge’s history seep into his lungs.

It was not abandonment. It was not neglect. The forge was just waiting for someone to light up its fires again.

Without waiting for the vice guild master to say anything, Julian stepped forward. The others watched in silence as he moved past them without hesitation. Juliet wanted to help, but she was not allowed to do so as this was still technically Julian’s test. And so, she did the only thing she could do—trust him with all of her heart.

“Boss…” She whispered, “Show these old fools what you’re capable of.”

One of the people behind Frederick heard her, but he didn’t allow himself to react and focus on Julian.

Julian wasn’t really doing anything yet and was just standing in front of the forge. But then, with a flick of his wrist, he snapped his fingers.

A whistle whispered throughout the entire smithy, and everyone felt their pulse reacting to it.

And soon, a burst of brilliant orange-white flames erupted into existence, roaring to life inside the forge. The sheer intensity of the heat caused the stagnant air to shift, sending a wave of heat rolling through the workshop.

And it was bright, extremely so. Perhaps the brightest fire they have ever seen.

Gasps filled the room as they felt how violent the fire was. They could feel the heat piercing through their bones, but instead of feeling suffocating, it was almost as if there was a hot blanket wrapped around them. And it didn’t scald their skin at all—in fact, it felt… comfortable.

It was violent, yes. But there was also a sense of familiar warmth to it.

“What—what flame is that?” one of the blacksmiths whispered, shielding his eyes.

“It’s not the same one he used in the tournament…” another murmured.

Even Frederick, who had been silently observing with crossed arms, finally reacted—his fingers twitching slightly as he felt the immense pressure from the fire.

The Avatar of Searadyn was correct when she said that there were three flame spirits inside the Tower of Forge. But not one of those flame spirits acted this way, violent and completely unrestrained—yet there was a certain gentleness in it.

Everyone was in disbelief at what they were witnessing. Even Juliet was holding her breath.

Julian, on the other hand, wasn’t paying them any attention.

His eyes—those clear, eerie blue eyes—reflected the firelight as he turned toward the metal they had provided for him. He dragged his fingers across the surface, feeling the layers of age and corrosion beneath his touch.

This wouldn’t do.

He needed to purify it.

Without a word, he grabbed the piece of metal with his bare hands and held it over the fire, slowly turning it to let the heat gradually strip away the mud, and the moisture trapped within. The metal darkened, beads of water sizzling and evaporating into nothing.

Once the moisture was completely drawn out, Julian reached for an old brush, scraping away the loose rust. The bristles rasped against the corroded surface, clearing out the weak, flaky outer layers. Then, using a smaller hammer, he lightly tapped the metal, listening—feeling—for imperfections beneath the surface.

There.

He caught a faint irregularity in the resonance.

He flipped the metal over and grabbed a chisel, striking it right where he should against the impure parts. A small chunk of contaminated iron broke away, leaving behind a cleaner, sturdier surface.

Now, it was ready.

Julian gently placed the useless scrap aside and brought the purified metal back into the flames, waiting until it reached the perfect glowing temperature. But with Silvie’s fire, it took no less than a second. And then—

He reached for the old hammer.

It was heavy, worn, and slightly off-balance. A lesser smith would have struggled with it.

Julian, however, wielded it as if it were an extension of his own hand even though he had only met it moments ago.

CLANG!

The first strike echoed through the forge, sending vibrations rippling through the floor.

The blacksmiths watching took a collective breath.

CLANG!

Each strike was deliberate. Precise. Perfect. No wasted motion, no hesitation. It was as if Julian wasn’t hammering metal but sculpting clay, his every movement seamlessly shaping the glowing mass into something new.

But it wasn’t a weapon.

And it wasn’t armor.

The shape forming beneath his hammer was… circular.

Confusion flickered across the faces of the onlookers, but they didn’t dare interrupt.

Because even if they couldn’t yet see what Julian was creating, they could feel it.

The power behind each strike. The undeniable presence in every motion.

It was as if the forge itself had awakened to answer his call, and perhaps it truly had. He was only supposed to be here as a visitor to be tested.

But right now, it felt as if they were the visitors… and Julian owned everything that the light touches.

And as the embers danced wildly around him, Julian’s lips curled into the smallest hint of a smile.

And then, the clang of the hammer softened into a clink, softer and softer until a hiss escaped Julian’s lips. Everyone could hear the clink vibrating in the air in almost a song—the rhythm causing them to close their eyes.

They couldn’t quite see what Julian was making due to how small it was and the violent brightness surrounding the smithy, but for some odd reason, now that they had their eyes closed, they could see it.

It wasn’t a weapon, nor an armor. It was a bracelet.

A few more clinks whispered in the air, but soon, that song faded and Julian snapped his fingers again. The walls that had finally tasted light and fire, slowly turned gray again as the flames were extinguished.

Everyone opened their eyes at the same time as they felt the heat disappear. They all took in deed and extremely heavy breaths, as if they weren’t allowed to by Julian. They all looked at each other first, confused with what they just felt and experienced.

They then turned to look at Frederick, who slowly turned his focus back to Julian. Everyone followed suit, their eyes moving toward him… only for them to slightly close their eyes again as they looked at what he was holding.

It was the bracelet, but it held a faint glow that was as violent as the fire before.

“That’s…” Frederick gasped as he rushed toward Julian and grabbed the bracelet from his hand before whispering, “...Guidance.”

***

[Item: Eternalheart Band]

Type: Bracelet

Grade: Legendary

Durability: ∞ 

Weight: 0.4

Special Effects:

Living Flame – The bracelet pulses with the warmth of an unknown flame spirit, subtly enhancing the wearer’s Vitality by 10 and increasing natural recovery rate.

Skills:

Undying Ember – When the wearer’s HP drops below 15%, a soft warmth spreads through their body, accelerating minor wound regeneration and reducing fatigue for 30 seconds. (Cooldown: 12 hours)

Description:

A bracelet forged by Julian using the flames of a mysterious fire spirit, Silvie. Despite being crafted from aged and subpar materials, it radiates an undeniable presence—as if alive. The metal, though old, refuses to tarnish, and the ember at its core flickers faintly, never fading. Unlike traditional enchanted accessories, the Eternalheart Band does not boast grand magical abilities, yet its resilience is absolute. It is unbreakable, eternal, and ever-burning—a symbol of the flames that refuse to be extinguished.

[End of Description]

***

Frederick’s eyes widened to the point that his eyes looked like they were about to burst from their sockets. He wanted to say something, but only a gasp escaped his lips. The other blacksmiths also joined in and started placing their hands on the bracelet.

And what followed next was all of them performing the same thing over and over again. They gasped, they froze, and then they slowly turned their unusually wide eyes toward Julian.

As for Julian, he only snatched the bracelet back from Frederick and placed it in his pocket, secretly storing it in his Shadow Vault.

“Wait… wait!” Frederick stretched his arms to the side, and if it wasn’t for his companions catching him, he would have already fallen backward, “That was—were my eyes deceiving me!? I thought I saw the word ‘Legendary’ on it.”

“We saw it too.”

“What!?” Frederick clasped his chest as an even stronger gasp escaped his throat, “A legendary grade bracelet, made from scraps!? How is that even possible!?”

Everyone looked at Julian, who only hummed at them before returning to Juliet’s side. Juliet had her arms crossed, and a confident smirk was plastered on her face—but in truth, she was actually quite shocked.

Of course, she knew that someone like Julian would create a Legendary-grade item soon, but she did not expect that it would be in this kind of scenario… and from scrap metal? What sort of logic was that?

“Wait…” Frederick tried to calm himself down, but all he could do was clasp his head before suddenly marching away, “...I need to consult with the guild master and the Council! Master Julian! Please, don’t go anywhere and use whatever you wish inside the guild! We’ll find you again!”

If it wasn’t for Julian’s extremely abnormal hearing, he wouldn’t have heard what Frederick was saying as he and his companions already disappeared into the hall.

As for Julian, well, he was just standing there as if he didn’t just do something that was deemed impossible. He just looked at Juliet and said,

“Where do you think Cyrus is? He said he was already in the city somewhere. Should we go and find him?”

Juliet looked at him in disbelief for a few seconds before she remembered who she was talking to and just smiled, “The vice guild master said we shouldn’t go anywhere.”

“He also said he would find us.” Julian hummed and casually walked out of the forge. Juliet looked back and forth, not knowing whether to follow and encourage him—but in the end, she didn’t really have a choice in the matter and rushed to walk beside him.

“I’m… sorry about what happened earlier, Boss.” she said with a sigh while walking with her hands behind her waist, “I… had a lot of history when I was staying here. And, not that I’m boasting, but I…I used to be a lot more beautiful before I gained some weight.”

Juliet snuck a glance at Julian to see his reaction, but his expression did not really change at all.

“A…anyway,” she continued, “The thing that Keena said, the woman from earlier, they’re not true. I didn’t fool around with the inspector, but rather he had taken a liking to me—but I didn’t pass because of that! I passed with my own skills and—”

Juliet’s words were cut off as Julian suddenly sighed and stopped walking. She was a little nervous at first with what he was going to say, but he only said,

“I know.”

“You… know?” Juliet gulped.

“I know what you’re capable of,” he turned to face her, “I know you passed with your own skills, Juliet. And I also know that you’re not boasting, you’re still very beautiful now.”

“W…” Juliet didn’t quite know how to respond to that. No—it wasn’t that she didn’t know how, but rather that she was completely frozen.

“This is for you, by the way.” Julian casually placed something around Juliet’s wrist. She was still frozen for a few more seconds before she felt the comfortable warmth in her arm. She quickly looked at it, only to see the Legendary-grade bracelet Julian created adorning her wrist.

Juliet gasped before quickly saying, “You’re… you’re giving this to me? But… wait… Boss… what did… wait…are you sure? I don’t know… I don’t know what to say. Wait…”

“You don’t need to say anything.” Julian hummed before raising another bracelet in his hand, “I made two, and I plan to give this one to Ellie.”

“O… Oh. You made… two?” Juliet’s voice became quiet as she held the bracelet in her hand and placed it close to her chest, “R… right, of course. I… I didn’t even realize that you made two. Wow. Uhm… Right. It… makes sense that you don’t know what it means.”

“Are you okay? You’re stuttering.”

“I’m… I’m fine.” Juliet vehemently shook her head before walking ahead, “Let’s just go find that Cyrus. I… think I know where he is.”

[LAST CHAPTER] <-----> [NEXT CHAPTER]

AUTHOR NOTES

Anime rules dictate for it to be only one thing. Do holler, though!