Chapter 467: Ninety-Sixth Floor, Divine Armament (8)
I devoted the time solely to training. Of course, after the first few days had passed, I went to find Vironus to ask when it would be ready. However, after hearing her firmly express—even more so than before—that she couldn’t be certain, I chose not to ask again. It felt like the more considerate thing to do.
Throughout those approximately two weeks, the sound of hammering echoed endlessly across Vulcanus’s realm, day and night. I did feel a little guilty, though. While I trained and rested, Vulcanus and Vironus didn’t sleep, not even for a second.
Technically, Vironus could have rested as her duty was merely to remain on standby. Yet, perhaps because her god was directly involved in the process, she too stayed at her post the entire time.
Even so, the hammering never disturbed me, whether I was practicing or asleep.
If anything, it was rather pleasant.
The metallic rhythm carried a sacred resonance. Though it lacked a steady pattern, it cleared my mind and calmed me far more effectively than any white noise. I had no idea how it worked, but I suspected that his strikes contained some kind of extraordinary energy.
Because of that, it felt less like I was conquering a floor and more like I was attending an intensive training session.
Even if the forging takes longer than expected, it doesn’t disadvantage me in any way.
I had been longing to train even before entering this trial, so this was an excellent opportunity. Soulbound’s absence was hardly a problem. At one point, I began to wonder if the ninety-sixth floor had been deliberately designed this way. After all, from the ninety-first floor onward, the trials had progressed at a relentless pace.
Although the waiting room’s timer had lengthened, it still wasn’t sufficient considering the level of difficulty. There had been much to learn—not merely to overcome, but to absorb from the process itself.
That led me to guess that this “resting” on the ninety-sixth floor was meant to allow me to recover, obtain new equipment, and organize my insights before continuing. Of course, I felt a twinge of concern about what awaited on the next floor, but the only way to overcome that was through more training.
Coincidentally, Vironus exited the building exactly two weeks after my rest started.