It wasn’t that it was benefitting Vulcan, either. There was no way he would agree to a plan that was dangerous and ruthless as this.
‘I’ve got to foil her plans somehow.’
Vulcan thought hard, wondering if there could be a way for him to change Powell’s plans.
A way that would allow him to travel from one demon world to another the way he always had. He thought hard, creasing his forehead. Then, it hit him. He pulled something out of the inventory, looking as if he just realized something.
It was an object that seemed to have all the desires of the world, compact and stored in its form. It was the shape of Rock Cigar’s hand, an object that caused fear.
Powell’s expression slowly changed the second he lay eyes on the thing, sensing a magical vibe that was completely different from a body of a demon.
Psssshhhh.
At that moment, Powell transformed into the form she had used most often during her days as a dragon.
She looked at the hand of Rock Cigar like a lady looking at a beautifully carved jewel. Then, she whipped around to face Vulcan.
“Where on earth did you get this thing?” she demanded.
“I got in in the demon world, of course.” Vulcan answered, “but this isn’t something you can find easily even there. This is really precious.”
‘I’m not actually sure whether that thing has worth since objects like this isn’t common…’ Vulcan thought to himself and started negotiating for the hand of Rock Cigar. In return for the hand which had no value to himself but provided an informational resource, he requested that Powell give up on her current plans.
Of course, Powell had no intention of agreeing to Vulcan’s request.
It seemed she had played out how she would take over the demon world with the other gods multiple times in her head as she was forging the magical devices.
Eventually, Powell had no choice but to accept the terms. Seeing the hand brewing with strange magic, she could feel her instincts as a mage scholar squirming with curiosity.
Powell couldn’t help grinning once the hand was in her possession and immediately settled for a kiss on Vulcan’s cheek.
“What in the world are you doing?” Vulcan hissed.
“Just a way of appreciation to my student.” Powell answered with a giggle. His cheeks slightly red, Vulcan stared at Powell, whose stature was quite bigger than the average female but still beautiful in figure.
‘Oh right. There’s another reason why I came here.’ Vulcan realized, snapping back to reality.
He pulled out another object from the inventory. It was a black helmet with seven horns that looked like it was capable of absorbing light.
It was the Devil King’s Helmet which he had been given as an award.
“I was wondering if you could ask Pucus to make this stronger as an expression of your gratitude.”
“Very well. Since I’m in a good mood, I’ll make sure it’s done quickly.”
And that night, Pucus, who had been taking a nap in the Foundries of Act 2 had no choice but to upgrade a helmet simmering with devil magic thanks to Powell’s threats.
* * *
Vulcan ended up getting the helmet, a magic item twice as strong as the Demon Lord Set and he couldn’t help feeling smug. His only dissatisfaction was on the new skills he received.
‘I was expecting to be able to disguise myself like a devil… but as for the Black Sword of Darkness… it seems like a powerful weapon but it gets in the way of using my powers as a god.’ Vulcan thought.
It was useful only when Vulcan had enough magic in his body, and it wasn’t as great as the Thunderbolt Sword, so it was a skill that was useless for Vulcan.
Despite its shortcomings, it was a fascinating item and Vulcan looked satisfied as he strapped on the weapon.
For the following days, it was a series of constant quests to the demon world and Vulcan continued to improve in his level making his powers more efficient.
Vulcan was able to choose which demon worlds to visit, thanks to the upgraded demonic tool. On top of that, he was capable of getting a sense of what was going on in the demon world thanks to his powers applied to the magical object he was using.
No. 33819 – Garion Dimension (Level A+) No. 33820 – Dimension Horung (Level C) …
The demonic object changed from No. 91175 – Karakuma Dimension (Level B+) in response to Vulcan’s will, like the settings of a video game, allowing him to choose which world to visit.
For Vulcan, this was good news.
And he continued with his training.
Because he was still afraid of Rock Cigar, he knew he wouldn’t be able to go all out. Therefore, he wasn’t able to realize that deeping his insight, rather than simply increasing his level would help him to improve.
‘I’ll focus on what I can do until I overcome my fear. That is all I will focus on as I raise my levels.’ Vulcan thought.
He had been pushing himself like a madman.
After returning from the demon world, he continued to train and meditate in order to overcome the fear within, even as he was taking a week-long break. He continued to train himself, and even as he was making slow process, he defeated all the monsters of Act 2, dominating the entire battlefield.
He thought taking in the experience of the monsters would help in some way, even if it wasn’t much.
At the end of his hardcore training, Vulcan was able to regain his confidence.
He was finally able to acknowledge his strength, which had been overshadowed by Powell and Rock Cigar.
Compared to his old skills when he first entered Act 3, his powers were now close to that of a god.
‘It’s much easier controlling my powers. On top of that, I’m finally able to use the Fire Thundering Sword, a technique that controls thunder and flames together. I really am stronger!’ Vulcan thought.
All of his meditation wasn’t enough to completely get rid of the fear within him, but things had definitely improved.
However, there was one person who disagreed with his training.
“What are you thinking, messing up Act 2? Are you out of your mind?” Hoculus, the god of Water and Master of Act 2 asked. He was wearing a long cloak.
Despite his threatening voice, his expression was calm.
* But please don’t call me Shirley. 😀
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