MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

"I wonder what trial the man is going to take?"

Watching everything unfold so far, Valyr felt that the ideas he had earlier regarding why he had been thrown into the current scenario was correct.

However, what he did not get was how the scenario had anything to do with the Intent Seed he had chosen to expound on.

Looking at the people that left the lit altar for a bit, Valyr swiftly returned his attention to the man and woman, noticing that the two seemed to be continuing their conversation.

"Before we begin your trial, may you introduce yourself to everyone here?"

"Are there any specific things I need to say?" Hearing the woman's question, the man looked back at her with a hint of curiosity.

"Your name and your current affiliation is enough," replied the woman. "After all, everyone here has a similar main class to you."

In response to those words, the man nodded. "Alright."

"My name is Arcaelus Sachondeis, hailing from the Sachondeis clan within the United Leventeine Nations."

"With that said, I am currently affiliated with the Forging Alliance of the United Leventeine Nations as one of their Grand Forgers," added the man.

"However, I have also affiliated myself with the newly-budding Blacksmith Guild that's said to exist in every settlement."

Hearing Arcaelus' introduction, some of the people in the place began to warmly welcome him due to his affiliation with the United Leventeine Nations.

Then, there were those who greeted him due to his second affiliation with the Blacksmith Guild, telling the man that he had made the right choice.

Of course, there were also those that remained silent all this time, listening to the multiple short conversations Arcaelus was having with the others.

It was also at this moment that Valyr finally understood why he had been shown the memory, wryly smiling at the thought that the memory had taken this long to allow him to understand why.

'So, this isn't a normal cult,' thought the young man to himself. 'Instead, it's a forging-focused cult that revolves around something called the Eternal Flame.'

'But what's so eternal about it, exactly?' Inwardly asking himself this question, Valyr stared at the red flame that took over the insides of the giant altar, wondering to himself if he would be able to find anything from it.

Though, just like many things he had tried to glean information on in the past, it did not take long for the young man to put the matter aside as Arcaelus eventually returned his attention to the woman he spoke with earlier.

"Is it possible for me to know of your name?" asked Arcaelus as he looked at the woman.

"As you have not been accepted by the Eternal Flame yet, I'll have to refrain from doing so for the meantime," replied the woman, giving Arcaelus a slightly apologetic smile.

"Then again, almost everyone in this place calls me the High Priestess of the Eternal Flame."

Arcaelus nodded in response. "The High Priestess… it is my greatest pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The High Priestess smiled back. "The feeling is mutual."

With the two continuing to banter over some topics about forging for a bit more, the people the High Priestess had ordered earlier had finally returned to the ritual place, bringing along with them a set of forging tools, as well as a small cache of common forging materials.

"The trial you have to do is quite simple, Arcaelus." Watching the others set up a temporary workshop in front of the altar for Arcaelus, the High Priestess spoke to the man once more.

"All you have to do is to win the favor of the Eternal Flame in the middle of your forging process."

"Understood…" Looking at the tools and materials he was going to work with for a bit, Arcaelus scratched the back of his head for a bit before faintly nodding.

Then, with a faint wry smile, he looked at the High Priestess. "Could you possibly give me a tip on how I could do that?"

The High Priestess slightly chuckled in response. "It's quite simple, really."

"Just be sincere in your craft."

"Just be sincere in my craft…" Repeating the High Priestess' words over and over in a murmur, Arcaelus eventually fell silent as he stood in front of the temporary workshop.

Taking in a deep breath to compose himself, he then grab a few materials for the selection he was given and threw it directly into the Eternal Flame.

Whoosh!

At the very instant Arcaelus chucked his chosen materials into the altar, the reddish flame swiftly took on an orange hue, with the center even taking on a pale white.

Yet, even though the Eternal Flame seemed to have undergone a drastic change, Arcaelus remained silent, watching the materials reach the optimal temperature with a calm expression.

With his focus evenly split between the materials and the tools he would be using, the man deftly retrieved the heated materials from the altar and placed it on the anvil he had been given, hammering it down into the rough shape of what he wanted to forge.

Then, as if he had tapped into the power of the world itself, Arcaelus began to move through the forging process in a natural manner.

From shaping to tempering, everything felt as if it had been planned beforehand, causing those watching Arcaelus work to look at him with a renewed impression.

Even Valyr, who had remained silent all this time, felt that the man had entered a state similar to what the old man in the Enlightened Forge had achieved at this moment.

In fact, he felt that he now had a faint understanding why the opportunity he had been given to expound on the Intent Seed of the Forger's Flames was this scenario before him.

Surprisingly, the understanding he had grasped so far had nothing to do with the Eternal Flame in the altar…

But instead in how Arcaelus interacted with the flame itself.

Swoosh!

At the very moment Arcaelus had swung his hammer on the item one last time, a wisp of energy was released from the Eternal Flame, swiftly heading towards the item the man had forged.

Seeing this, everyone watching Arcaelus instantly had excited expressions on their faces, with the High Priestess even looking at the man with a wide smile.

"Congratulations, Arcaelus. With this, you have become an official member of the Eternal Flame."

"I now understand what you mean," replied Arcaelus as he thanked the woman for her congratulatory words. "Only by being sincere in one's craft can the Eternal Flame show its true colors."

"I'm quite surprised you already understood that part," said the High Priestess in response, causing Arcaelus to let out a faint chuckle.

"It's only what I've grasped so far, but I feel like there's more to explore from it," said the man, only to recall something as he looked at the woman.

"Speaking of which… since I'm now officially a member of the Eternal Flame, would it be possible to know your name?"

"Only after you name the piece of equipment you've forged," replied the woman with a teasing smile.

Arcaelus let out a faint sigh. "You're really making it difficult for me, you know?"

"A name…" Scratching the back of his head for a bit, the man stared at the item he had forged, then at the flame that had aided him in completing the item in the first place.

"Since it's the first item I've forged with the Eternal Flame's aid… how about I name it…"

"Prometheus?"

"A splendid name." Widening her eyes in surprise, the High Priestess soon nodded in agreement.

"Anyways, I'm sure you're incredibly curious as to what my name at this point, so I won't dodge the question any further."

"With that, I hope you keep this secret to your grave." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝒘𝙚𝙗𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"I will." Arcaelus nodded.

The High Priestess nodded back. "Alright."

"My name is…"

"…"