CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: DUNGEON BREAK, THE ASH WARDEN WAR (2)

The city didn’t sleep. It just burned quieter in the dark.

Arcadia’s skyline pulsed red through the cracked glass, and every breath still carried the taste of dusted bone. I hadn’t moved from the window since the call ended. The ash outside glowed brighter than the streetlights. It wasn’t snow; it was the city’s skin.

If guilt had a smell, it was hot metal and smoke.

I couldn’t stop replaying it—the way the dungeon broke, the shaman stepping out like a god trying on flesh, the thousands of orcs pouring through a wound that used to be reality.It wasn’t random. That thing had waited. It wanted out.

And I’d opened the door.

They went in four. Only I came back.

I tried to tell myself the dungeon would’ve collapsed anyway, that maybe the Verge was rotten from the start. The lie didn’t stick. I’d watched it die, screaming through Lucien’s light and Elise’s fire.They bought me seconds. I spent them living.

Now the break was eating the city.

My fingers dug into the windowsill until the wood groaned. Outside, the horizon flickered with artillery fire and lightning. The Hierophant was still out there somewhere—turning hunters into red ash like it was a sermon.

The city would call it a tragedy. I called it my fault.

[System Reminder: Unassigned Points: 20]

I ignored it. Stats wouldn’t fix what I broke.

Jax would’ve already been on the line, swinging that oversized blade like he was allergic to thinking.

Hana—she’d be patching half the Guild’s field teams right now, hands bleeding, still apologizing every time her threads tore under strain.

If they were still alive, they’d both need better gear.

If they weren’t—then I needed to make sure someone else didn’t die wearing trash.

My gaze slid to the [Inventory] tab.Every name in the list looked like a sin I hadn’t confessed—molten cores, bone fragments, thread resin, slag shards. Pieces of things we’d bled for. Every one of them a whisper of something we’d killed—or something that killed better hunters before us.

I hovered a finger over the Crucible Sinew entry. The description scrolled: "flexes under heat, resists fatigue, alive in a way metal shouldn’t be."Perfect base for armor conduits. The kind of material that wanted to become something cruel.

"Fine," I told the glowing list. "You want a purpose? I’ll give you one."

The band on my wrist warmed. A thin orange ring pulsed through Fangpiercer’s runes, answering the forge call like it had been waiting.

[Forgewalker Path — Dormant Protocols Active]

[Material Resonance Detected]

[Domain Access Available: Forge Dominion]

"Guess we’re clocking in."

The Dominion

Reality folded like paper.

Stone floor underfoot. Circling anvils. Watcher statues along the walls—twelve hooded judges with hammers for hands. The air hummed like a wire strung too tight. I’d been here once before; this time, it didn’t feel holy. It felt owed.

[Forge Dominion — Active (Duration: 30 s)]

[Time Ratio: 2.0 ×]

[Environmental Interference: None]

Thirty seconds outside. An hour in here. Long enough to work through grief.

Step One — The Plan

Three outlines floated above the central anvil, drawn in light like ghosts waiting to be filled:one for me, one for Jax, one for Hana.

I started sketching changes midair with Fangpiercer’s tip—mana sparks leaving lines.

"Adaptive harness for me. Core-stabilized. Heavy plates, heat sinks, reinforce the regen cooldown window."The hologram shifted—black-red frame, heart-slot at the sternum.

"For Jax—something that hits harder than his brain. Grav-Edge Core, two-handed cleaver focus, density bias forward fifteen percent."Blueprint morphed again—wide blade, energy veins along its ribs.

"And Hana..."This one hurt. I drew slower."She deserves better defense. Lotus Thread V2—reactive filament armor. Hardens when it feels pain. Like her."

The Watchers tilted their hoods, as if taking attendance.

"Don’t stare," I muttered. "I’m doing penance."

Step Two — The Harness

[Blueprint Registered: Darkharness — Ash-Linked Prototype (S-Rank)]

[Smelt Sight: Online]

The world peeled into heat maps. Every impurity in the metal shone like a confession.

I melted the Slag-Plate Shard first, folding in the Crucible Sinew strand by strand. The molten stream hissed and fought me, mana pressure rising until my eyes watered.

[Temperature: 1,890 °C]

[Resonance Sync: 52 % → 68 % → 94 %]

The room thumped with the rhythm of distant artillery. Every impact outside came back through my hammer. The world was forging itself, and I was keeping time.

The Ember Core went in next—its light crawling through the metal like veins finding blood.

Pain caught up to me when my fingers blistered.[Absolute Regeneration (45 %) — Delayed Healing Active]I let it burn. Pain’s a better teacher than comfort.

When the final plate fused to the spine lattice, the armor flexed—alive, breathing in sync with me. The veins of molten light dimmed to a steady pulse, black metal turning almost liquid where it touched my skin.

[Item Forged: Darkharness — Ash-Linked Prototype (S-Rank)]

+60 HP +20 % Agility Conversion Efficiency Passive: Morphic Frame — Reconfigures in real time to the wearer’s intent (defensive shell, gauntlet, cape, or strike-extension). Passive 2: Neural Link — Responds to thought input; reaction speed limited only by user cognition. Note: "Bound to will, not to flesh. Be decisive, or be devoured."

The thing shimmered once, then flowed up over my back like oil learning purpose. Straps folded themselves into a high-collar vest; a second later they loosened and spilled behind me as a half-cloak edged in faint ember-light.

"Okay," I said, watching my shadow ripple. "That’s... ridiculous."

The harness curled around my wrist and flexed like it was laughing.

"Right. Great. Sentient wardrobe. Totally balanced. Not OP at all."Fangpiercer hummed agreement—traitor.

I rolled my shoulders; the material adjusted before I finished the motion. Every heartbeat sent a faint shimmer through the weave, like it was waiting for me to think of something stupid so it could make it real.

"Congratulations," I muttered. "You’re the most broken thing I’ve ever made. And I’ve met me."

Step Three — The Sword (for Jax)

The second hologram flared awake.

[Blueprint: Grav-Edge Core (A-Rank)]

[Materials Loaded] — Basalt Plate, Horn Segment, Root-Fiber Resin, Ember Ink.

"Big dumb bastard," I said softly. "Let’s make you a weapon smart enough to survive your owner."

Smelt Sight overlaid stress grids across the molten basalt. Perfect symmetry was impossible. Jax wouldn’t want it anyway—he liked things that fought back.

[Material Resonance → 72 %]

[Gravity Well Stability: Rising]

I traced anchor runes through the blade’s body with Fangpiercer. Each stroke vibrated like I was tuning a string on a god’s instrument.

"Come on," I whispered. "Hold the edge. Remember your swing."

The forge answered. The blade curved forward, mass channeling toward the tip. When I lifted it off the anvil, it nearly pulled my arm down.

[Item Forged: Grav-Edge Core (A-Rank)]

Effect: Amplifies impact through localized gravity well (×1.3 force multiplier).

Passive: Pull Radius 1.2 m on swing arc.

Note: "For owners with no impulse control."

I smiled despite myself. "You’ll like it, idiot."

Step Four — The Threads (for Hana)

The final blueprint shimmered—a weave of hexagonal filaments floating midair.

[Blueprint: Lotus Thread V2 (A-Rank Reactive Weave)]

[Materials Loaded] — Thread Resin ×4, Rib-Knot Charm, Swampglass Phial, Crystal Fog Vial.

"Alright, Hana," I said quietly. "One last miracle."

Smelt Sight bled the world into blue—mana filaments thin as hair, crossing like nerves. The Rib-Knot Charm pulsed faint pink, syncing with the beat in my wrist.

[Resonance Sync 41 % → 86 % → 99 %]

[Bond Stability: Strong]

I ran the brush dipped in Crystal Fog Vial along each line. It hissed, sealing the weave. The air grew cold enough to numb my lungs.

When I tied off the final knot, the armor shimmered into a semi-transparent shawl that stiffened whenever I moved toward it—alive, curious. Threads rippled between my fingers, reading pulse and breath like code.

[Item Forged: Lotus Thread V2 (A-Rank)]

Effect: Converts pain into defense.

— When user or nearby ally takes damage, weave hardens (+30% Damage Reduction for 5s). Passive: Heartlink

— Syncs with allied heartbeat within 10m, sharing 15% of incoming damage between connected wearers. Bonus: Calm Bloom

— When user steadies after a hit, emits a brief pulse that refreshes nearby barriers. Note: "Blooms in pain. Protects in rhythm."

The shawl folded itself into a neat coil and pulsed once, like it already knew whose heartbeat it was waiting for.

"Yeah," I said. "You’ll fit her."

Note: "Remembers warmth. Rejects despair."

Step Five — The Weight Again

The forge dimmed. The Dominion timer blinked: 00:01 outside.[Forgewalker Affinity → A-Rank]

[Passive Upgrade: Material Resonance → Harmonized Flow (+25 % efficiency)]

[Forge Dominion: Cooldown 600 s]

I stood among the three finished works—one for the dead, two for the maybe-living. My reflection in the cooling metal looked older than I remembered. Not stronger. Just... steadier.

The Watchers didn’t move, but I felt their verdict anyway. Approval tastes like exhaustion.

"Thanks for the company," I told them. "Don’t haunt anyone else tonight."

Dominion collapsed. The forge world folded in, light bleeding into black.

Back to the Apartment

The real room came back with a cough of heat. The table was half-melted. The window still bled red. Sirens wailed somewhere below.

I slumped into the chair, breathing through metal dust and smoke. Three items hovered in my inventory, still warm.

[Darkharness — Ash-Linked Prototype (S-Rank) (Equipped)]

[Grav-Edge Core — Stored]

[Lotus Thread V2 — Stored]

The System pushed one last pane into view:

[Emergency Quest Update]

[Containment Collapse: Progress 41 % → 46 %]

[Secondary Directive: Regroup Allied Hunters]

[Recommended Destination: Guild HQ — Command Row]

Exactly where Jax and Hana would run first.

Outside, a distant explosion turned one of the outer towers into a dying candle. Arc lightning traced the horizon. The city still fought, but its rhythm was uneven—like a heart skipping beats.

I pushed up from the chair. Fangpiercer hummed against my leg, eager. The harness flexed along my ribs like armor stretching awake.

Ash tapped the glass, soft as rain.

"I made this mess," I whispered. "Time to make it right."

[Quest Updated — Rejoin Surviving Allies]

[Objective: Proceed to Guild HQ]

The forge was quiet again. My pulse wasn’t.

"The forge called," I said. "I answered."