Grimthar, finally emerging from his reverie, shook his head as he approached Nova. His gaze lingered on the newly crafted spear, eyes filled with emotion. "I never thought I'd live to witness such a genius craftsman," he murmured, still awestruck by the events of the past week. After a moment, he added with a touch of hope, "I wish you'd stay here and learn everything I have to teach about craftsmanship."

  "Sorry, old man..." Nova said softly, shaking his head with a conflicted expression. He wanted to stay—there was so much more to learn—but he had already spent over a week within the Blue portal, and he didn’t know how long it’s been outside.

  The giant let out a heavy sigh. "I understand," he rumbled, his voice tinged with sorrow. "My civilization has long been doomed, and you have your own to return to." He paused, as if wrestling with a thought, before continuing. "But... do me a favor."

  Nova's lips curled into a faint smile as he nodded. "You can ask—but I'll only agree after hearing it."

  Grimthar snorted, the sound echoing through the cavern. "Is that how you repay someone who has taught you so much?" His tone was gruff, but there was warmth beneath the rough exterior. "Don't make it sound like I'm trying to take advantage of a youngling."

  Sighing, he composed himself before locking eyes with Nova, his gaze heavy with seriousness. "Promise me," he said, his voice low but firm, "that you'll keep crafting. Your talent is one of the greatest I've seen in my long life—and I'd kill you myself if you let it go to waste."

  Nova met Grimthar's intense stare, the weight of the moment settling between them. After a pause, he gave a solemn nod. "I'll keep crafting—not for you, but for myself." A playful glint flickered in his eyes as he added with a smirk, "Besides, you couldn’t kill me even if you tried, old man."

  Without waiting for a response, Nova turned and strode towards Eiruk before leaving the smithy together. The heavy clang of the forge faded behind him as the door swung shut.

  Left alone, Grimthar watched Nova’s retreating figure with a rare smile tugging at his lips. "I know I can't kill you, brat," he muttered under his breath, "but did you really have to rub it in?" He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Ah, whatever. From now on, I can brag about having raised a genius."

  For a moment, he let his thoughts drift. The boy’s departure meant the forge would be quieter—no more spontaneous experiments, no more wild new techniques. "I’m going to miss all those good recipes…" he murmured wistfully.

  With a sigh, Grimthar eased back onto his worn stool. His familiar routine was about to resume, but something had changed. This time, his eyes gleamed with a renewed spark—a glint of pride, of hope, and maybe, just maybe, a sense that his legacy would endure.

  Meanwhile, Eiruk kept pestering Nova with questions about what had happened inside the forge. Nova, unwilling to elaborate, simply replied, "It was good."

  Left without a satisfying answer, Eiruk sighed and gave up. "Do you want to head to the sealed mountain now?" he asked.

  "No," Nova said, a light grin tugging at his lips. "I’m going to hunt in the forest outside Galthar." It was a plan he'd shelved since his first day in this portal, but with his business nearly finished, he wanted to clear the entire forest before meeting Ordun, the giant king.

  Eiruk considered pointing out that this detour might waste precious time—he knew how much Nova valued every moment. But when he caught the determined glint in Nova’s eyes, he decided against it and fell into step beside him.

  It didn’t take long for them to reach the edge of the forest. Without breaking stride, Nova said over his shoulder, "Wait here."

  "Again?" Eiruk groaned, exasperated by how often he’d been left behind since meeting Nova. The urge to follow and witness the hunt for himself gnawed at him.

  Nova turned his head just enough for his right eye to meet Eiruk’s. "Yeah, again. It won’t be long." With that, he vanished into the forest, leaving only a swirl of disturbed leaves in his wake.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Not long now... another week?" Eiruk murmured softly, sinking to the ground beneath the nearest tree. He closed his eyes, willing time to pass as quickly as possible, the weight of anticipation pressing on him.

  Meanwhile, Nova was already unleashing carnage across the forest, every creature he crossed paths with falling in two clean strikes. Blood soaked the earth as he continued his relentless pace, the sound of notifications echoing in his mind, each one a reminder of his killing spree.

  [Spear Sweep proficiency increased]

  [Received 345,000 Stat EXP]

  [Spear Sweep proficiency increased]

  [Received 614,000 Stat EXP]

  [Spear Sweep proficiency increased]

  [Received 539,000 Stat EXP]

  Nova pressed forward, his movements swift and lethal, each strike of his spear slicing through animals as effortlessly as a knife through butter.

  ‘This spear is perfect’ he thought as he kept going.

  Everywhere Nova passed, blood stained the earth—tree bark, leaves, and the ground itself were drenched, as though the sky had opened and rained death upon the forest. What had once been a tranquil wilderness was now a caged hell, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood.

  This sent most of the beasts into a frenzied bloodlust, while the more cunning creatures sensed something was terribly wrong. They had never witnessed such a scene before. It was unnatural, and danger hung in the air like a storm. Realizing this, they began to flee the forest.

  But escaping was no simple feat. The forest sprawled vast and endless, and Nova’s speed was such that he could traverse it in mere minutes. By the time the smarter ones made their escape, Nova had already anticipated their movements.

  He smirked inwardly, thinking, ‘So they can think after all? If you survive this, consider yourself lucky.’

  With that, he didn’t hesitate, his spear cleaving through the beasts with brutal efficiency.

  For every animal fleeing the forest, at least two more sped toward the source of the chaos—Nova. This worked to his advantage, saving him time. Without the current frenzy, it would have taken him hours to slay as many beasts as he was now cutting down in mere minutes.

  Eiruk, who had just closed his eyes a few moments earlier, now opened them as roars and howls echoed through the forest.

  “How is the forest already in so much chaos?” he muttered, his voice barely audible over the cacophony. But before he could ponder further, he felt the ground tremble beneath him.

  Looking up, he saw a horde of animals rushing toward him in a frantic charge. His survival instincts flared, and he immediately turned to run, but the tremors of the approaching stampede grew louder and more pronounced.

  Why are they chasing me? Am I going to die?

  The thoughts raced through his mind as he sprinted faster. But as the animals drew nearer, a surge of defiance overtook him.

  “I’ll fight. Me, Eiruk, son of Zamokk, am not a coward!”

  With a fierce resolve, he stopped in his tracks and turned to face the oncoming horde. He took a deep breath, stabilized himself, and assumed a fighting stance. The beasts charged toward him, and though the odds were overwhelming, Eiruk steeled himself for the clash. But then, something happened that he didn’t expect.

  The animals charged past him, completely indifferent to the prime dinner Eiruk presented himself as. On any other day, they would have fought each other for the chance to devour him, but today… they fought to clear his path, desperate to avoid wasting a single moment.

  Soon, Eiruk was swallowed by the thick cloud of dust kicked up by the retreating horde. It wasn’t until minutes later that the dust began to settle, revealing the shape of a massive shadow.

  Eiruk stood there, dazed, still staring in the direction from which the animals had come, his body coated in dust from head to toe. He looked down at his clenched fists and muttered, “Did they not dare mess with me?”

  For a moment, he stood there, a foolish grin spreading across his face. Then, it turned into a chuckle that quickly escalated into a loud, uncontrollable laugh.

  Had he been more rested or clear-headed, he might have realized that he had narrowly avoided death by pure chance. He would have likely been terrified, possibly even wetting his pants in fear. But in that moment, all he could do was laugh.

  While Eiruk was lost in his own delusions, Nova continued his relentless hunt. The horde that had just fled from Eiruk's position was only the closest to the forest’s perimeter; many others were still on their way.

  ‘I may have underestimated what I set out to do... it feels like they’re endless,’ Nova thought to himself. ‘I don’t think I’ll be able to hunt them all’. He shrugged, muttering, “I tried,” before resuming the slaughter.

  It wasn’t until nearly two hours later that Nova returned to the spot where he had left Eiruk, only to find the same devastation that now consumed the forest.

  “Where did that idiot go?” Nova muttered, scanning the area. Not finding him, he decided to broaden his search outside the immediate area. It wasn’t long before he spotted a giant figure, standing with its head tilted toward the sky, as though lost in thought.

  Nova studied the dust-covered figure but couldn’t immediately recognize who it was. He checked the Status, and upon confirming it was Eiruk, he approached and called out, “Finally found you. Did you hurt your head?”

  He received no response.

  Raising an eyebrow, Nova repeated, “Are you okay?”

  Still, no reply.

  With a smirk, Nova leaned forward and used the butt of his spear to nudge Eiruk’s calf. The impact snapped the giant out of his daze. Eiruk looked down at Nova, his face breaking into a wide grin.

  “I think I’m invincible.”

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