Chapter 118: Legends Reappear

"Thunder God's Hammer?"

At first glance at the war hammer, Lei En recalled the Legend Grade weapon Zuo Ertan had mentioned earlier, and even his breathing slowed a half beat as he stared intently at the hammer, lost in thought.

He stood there motionless, blocking the gap in the treasure vault's door.

"Lei En, what's the situation? Is there treasure inside?" Zuo Ertan shouted from outside the door, impatient to enter, but his broad body couldn't squeeze through.

Lei En calmed himself and replied, "You go in and take a look yourselves."

He opened the gap, and Zuo Ertan and Luo Jie slipped into the vault one after another; when they saw the war hammer within the rune array, they were instantly stunned.

Zuo Ertan could hardly believe his eyes, his mouth gaping open for a long time; even the usually cold Luo Jie wore a shocked expression, his gaze vacant.

Half a minute later, Zuo Ertan finally exclaimed, "Thunder God's Hammer?"

"Seems like it," Lei En said, unable to be certain.

That day, after hearing Zuo Ertan mention the Thunder God's Hammer, he found in his phone library a book introducing Epic‑grade Legend‑grade weapons, along with many biographies of Emperor Ai Erfa; several volumes included detailed illustrations of the Thunder God's Hammer.

Just by its appearance, this war hammer matched the rumored Thunder God's Hammer perfectly.

However, because no one had entered the vault for many years, the hammer was covered in dust, obscuring many details, so certainty was impossible.

Impatient, Zuo Ertan shouted, "Just go in and take a look, then you'll know."

"Wait."

Lei En stopped the impulsive dwarf, scanning the surroundings again with the gaze of Truth Will; finding no magical traps or protections, he released his hand, nodded, and said, "We'll go in together."

The three sprinted through the wide passage and entered the vault.

The vault was enormous, overall resembling the cavern outside, its space circular with a diameter over a hundred meters, yet empty of any treasure, only a massive rune array covering the floor.

The circular array almost filled the entire floor, seemingly etched onto a single massive rock; each rune was fist‑sized, with deeply cut lines filled with a hard alchemical material, forming this large array.

It was still Lei En's first time seeing such a huge rune array.

Under the effect of Truth Will, he could discern that the array was still active and in good condition. Having endured thousands of years without damage, its value was incalculable; the Tie Su Clan must have poured countless effort and wealth into it.

At the center of the rune array stood a forging platform, resembling an iron anvil magnified a hundredfold, nearly a meter tall, also altar‑like, and covered with countless dwarf runes.

The iron anvil platform had a groove, which was the very center of the entire array.

The war hammer lay diagonally within the groove.

Its hammerhead fit the groove perfectly, angling the handle upward at forty‑five degrees, as if a simple reach could grasp and lift it.

Lei En and the two others stepped into the rune array, standing before the iron anvil platform to observe the hammer.

Zuo Ertan wanted to reach out to wipe the dust, but hesitated, then turned and said, "Luo Jie, you do it."

Luo Jie raised his hand and unleashed an "Ice Roar".

Boom—, blue‑white energy flashed and vanished, and a cold invisible force instantly cleared the dust from the iron‑drill platform, the roar echoing through the vault.

The hammer remained motionless, finally revealing its true form.

"Thunder God's Hammer!"

Zuo Ertan screamed, his face flushed with excitement, leaping three feet into the air like a child, shouting incoherently, "Ha Ma Er is above! Mola Ding is above! It's really the Thunder God's Hammer!"

Lei En's heart pounded wildly.

In fact, even without clearing the dust, he was over 99% certain this was the Thunder God's Hammer, yet seeing the hammer's shape still left him unable to suppress his shock.

Luo Jie was also speechless for a while, merely shaking his head repeatedly.

The three's gazes fixed on the hammer as if glued, unable to look away for a long time.

The hammer was of standard dwarf size, about a meter in total length, its head and handle cast as one, shimmering with an uncanny metallic luster, primarily black with golden accents.

The hammerhead was a rectangular prism with sharp edges, symmetrical at both ends, its striking face a square engraved with various golden runes; if it struck an enemy's head, it would be like stamping them. At the junction of head and handle, both sides bore a golden dwarf portrait wearing a war helm, bearing a stern demeanor and fierce gaze.

Lei En recognized it as the image of Mola Ding, the dwarf forging god.

According to legend, when the Tie Su Clan forged the Thunder God's Hammer, they received aid from Mola Ding, who once held the divine office of "Lightning," which is one source of the hammer's name.

From the eyes of the Mola Ding portrait on the hammer, golden lightning bolts were emitted.

These lightning bolts spread outward like opened wings, gradually expanding until they finally wrapped around the hammerhead's surface, creating a striking artistic effect.

Upon close inspection, one would find that these golden lightning bolts are actually composed of hundreds of tiny runes that penetrate deep into the hammer, forming an enchantment.

The hammer's handle extended from beneath the Mola Ding portrait.

The dark‑golden handle was octagonal, etched with delicate anti‑slip diamond patterns; between the patterns ran lines of rune lightning, and the enlarged thickened end resembled a circular base engraved with a ring of exquisite runes.

At first glance, the hammer's appearance was unremarkable.

Countless dwarf war hammers share this basic look, differing only in minor details.

Yet close inspection reveals its distinctiveness; both its texture and forging craftsmanship are near‑perfect, delivering an indescribable awe that ordinary war hammers cannot match.

It is exactly like the legendary Thunder God's Hammer.

After watching for a few minutes, Zuo Ertan couldn't help but turn to his two companions, especially Lei En, and saw a eager, ready‑to‑try expression in his eyes.

"Want to give it a try?" the dwarf asked eagerly.

"Of course," Lei En laughed, but didn't rush to try, modestly saying, "You're a dwarf; you go first."

"Alright!"

Eagerly, Zuo Ertan leapt onto the platform, grasped the Thunder God's Hammer's handle, and pulled upward with force.

The hammer did not move.

Zuo Ertan's complexion changed instantly.

His strength was equivalent to a High‑rank Iron Guard, far surpassing that of a High‑rank Transcendent, nearly a third‑tier "Strength," capable of lifting over two thousand pounds; just now he had exerted almost all his power, yet there was no effect at all.

"Again."

"Lei En, apply the Dragon Power Technique," Zuo Ertan shouted, dissatisfied.

Lei En complied and released a Dragon Power Technique.

Zuo Ertan felt his whole body filled with power; he assumed a stance, both hands gripping the handle, inhaled deeply, then strained upward, attempting to pry the hammer from the groove.

"Mmm mmm hmm…" Zuo Ertan's complexion flushed, shifting from red to white to purple, a constipated expression on his face, but it had no effect.

Until he could no longer hold his breath and released it, the Thunder God's Hammer remained completely still.

Zuo Ertan, unwilling, tried several times; the hammer seemed welded to the iron anvil platform, as if one with it—no matter how he applied force, what stance, or method, the hammer never moved even a millimeter.

"I can't, I can't lift it; you try," Zuo Ertan plopped down, his head hung low.

Lei En glanced at the Demonkin hunter and asked, "Master Luo Jue?"

"Since you're so polite, I'll go first," Luo Jue said with a nonchalant smile, stepped onto the platform, and after Lei En infused him with the Dragon Power Technique, began his attempt.

Demonkin hunters possess mediocre strength, even the legendary ones are the same.

Luo Jue tried twice and quickly gave up.

Finally it was Lei En's turn; Zuo Ertan and Luo Jue were both full of anticipation, knowing clearly that among the three, Lei En's strength was the greatest and most hopeful.

After applying the Dragon Power Technique to himself, Lei En grasped the hammer's handle with both hands and began to exert force.

His "strength" reached level four, just shy of upgrading to level five; his own power already exceeded ten thousand pounds, at least twelve thousand pounds.

With the Dragon Power Technique's boost, the total amounted to roughly fifteen thousand pounds of massive force!

He spread his feet, lowered his body, his steel frame pushed to the limit, muscles tensing, a surge of power coursed within; under the phone gyroscope and the dual control of Truth Willpower, all the force concentrated in his hands, perfectly transmitting to the Thunder God's Hammer.

Under Luo Jue's and Zuo Ertan's gaze, the hammer seemed to tremble ever so slightly.

The tremor was extremely subtle, its amplitude so tiny that without their eyes fixed on the hammer, one would think it was a personal illusion.

But that was all.

"Mmm—..."

A massive reactive force surged from the hammer, causing Lei En to emit a muffled hum, and his power instantly dissipated.

He released his grip, with no intention to try again.

"Why did you stop? Keep going!" Zuo Ertan called anxiously.

"No need, I still can't lift it," Lei En shook his head lightly; he had already realized that the Thunder God's Hammer could not be raised by sheer strength alone.

Under the sensing of Truth Willpower, the earlier reactive force gave him a crystal‑clear feedback, its magnitude nearly identical to his own power, as if materializing from nothing within his space, perfectly canceling the force needed to lift the hammer—truly marvelous.

Such an effect can only be achieved by magic.

If this magical reactive force is not dispelled, no matter how strong the power—even if the strength Element is amplified to level ten—the hammer cannot be lifted.

No matter how many times they try, it remains futile.

Yet Zuo Ertan, unwilling, kept trying for a long while, still unable to move the hammer a hair's breadth.

At his request, Lei En and Luo Jue cooperated, the three attempting together, but due to differing force directions, the result was worse than Lei En's solo attempt.

The hammer remained completely motionless.

With no other choice, Zuo Ertan gave up and began studying the hammer's runes.

Lei En had long activated the camera, photographing all the runes from every angle in high definition, storing them on his phone.

Zuo Ertan stared for a long time, murmuring, "These runes are ancient and extremely complex, involving knowledge I don't understand; perhaps only a few dwarves today could fully recognize them."

"Half of these runes control lightning power; the other half seem related to the void, but I'm not certain."

"The primary material for forging the Thunder God's Hammer is Void Meteoric Steel; that shouldn't be wrong."

Lei En nodded.

He stepped down from the iron anvil platform, walked across the entire rune array, recording the massive formation.

After circling once, Lei En's gaze swept every corner of the empty vault; its simple structure was surrounded by rock walls etched with numerous murals, many obscured by dust.

The stone murals depict the glorious history of the Iron Whisker Clan and celebrate the achievements of Morradin, the god of forging and craftsmanship.

Lei En sighed inwardly; in that era, who could have imagined Morradin would fall?

"What is this?"

He suddenly noticed that beneath a mural were lines of dwarf script, like inscriptions set into the stone wall; thick dust had concealed them, making them easy to miss, so he hadn't seen them earlier.

Lei En has recently been studying dwarf script, memorizing many characters.

The inscription on this stone slab was extremely ancient; most of it he couldn't recognize, only managing to decipher a few words, including "hammer."

"Zuo Ertan, come see what's written here!" Lei En shouted loudly.

Both were drawn over.

Luo Jue used an ice roar to clear the dust from the stone slab, and Zuo Ertan immediately began deciphering.

He glanced twice, then furrowed his brow, his gaze a bit dazed as he pondered, but soon deciphered it, finishing the inscription in just a few minutes.

"Ha ha, so that's it."

Zuo Ertan shouted joyfully, explaining, "The stone slab describes the method to raise the Thunder God's Hammer; three conditions must be met to claim this hammer."

Lei En's eyes lit up, asking, "What are the three conditions?"

"First, you must have enough strength to lift the hammer's own weight." Zuo Ertan exclaimed, "The Thunder God's Hammer itself weighs ten thousand eight hundred pounds, perhaps the heaviest weapon in the world; just that alone few can achieve."

The dwarves were very discouraged, as this clause alone eliminated them.

Luo Jue also shook his head helplessly; such a heavy weapon was simply unusable for him.

Only Lei En was pleased; his strength already exceeded ten thousand eight hundred pounds, with ample room to grow, so even a bit heavier would be fine.

"Second condition: when the hammer's rune array is inactive, it locks with a hundred‑meter radius space; any force applied to the hammer is nullified by the space, so one must know the hammer's rune incantation to release the lock," Zuo Ertan continued.

"The final requirement: one must possess advanced or higher Lightning affinity, combine it with the rune incantation, use lightning power to activate the hammer's rune array, imprint one's soul, thereby becoming the master of the Thunder God's Hammer."

Lei En's complexion subtly shifted upon hearing this.

The Thunder God's Hammer was forged in the previous era, when humans had no transcendants and no concept of a soul Element.

Advanced or higher Lightning affinity corresponds to today's Supreme Element!

(End of chapter)