Entering Apocalypse in Easy-Mode

Clyde had not expected his work to begin this quickly. He had thought he would need several more days to recover before he could start moving again, but the opportunity had presented itself sooner than expected.

He had already met Maethion, revealed his identity, and explained what he intended to do. Clyde had little doubt that Maethion would help him after seeing his strength before and hearing his determination.

However, the elf would have to do it quietly. If the Council discovered Clyde’s return too soon, they would undoubtedly interfere with Maethion, and eventually bother him.

That was something Clyde did not need right now.

With that in mind, his next destination was Hammer’s forge.

The familiar sound of hammering reached him before he even entered the building. The constant clanging of metal against metal mixed with the heat and smoke drifting through the entrance.

Clyde slowed slightly as another wave of familiarity washed over him. He smiled. Nothing had changed.

An apprentice was sitting near the entrance, apparently taking a short break after finishing some heavy work.

Clyde approached him with a polite smile.

"Excuse me. Is this Master Hammer’s forge?"

The young man looked Clyde up and down.

"Are you new here?"

"Yes, sir. I heard this is where the famous blacksmith works."

The apprentice nodded and stood up.

"I’ll call him. I can’t promise he’ll want to see you, though."

Clyde nodded. That sounded exactly like the Hammer he remembered.

"That won’t be a problem. If he doesn’t want to see me, I’ll come back tomorrow."

The apprentice gave him a strange look before walking deeper into the forge.

Clyde remained near the entrance, quietly looking around. Maethion had recognized him almost immediately. But would Hammer recognize him?

The dwarf had known Clyde well in his previous life, but Hammer’s personality had always been difficult to read. Perhaps he would recognize him from his presence or maybe he would need more convincing.

If Hammer did not believe him, things could become troublesome. Hopefully, it would not come to that.

Thirty minutes passed.

Clyde eventually heard footsteps approaching. The apprentice appeared again and scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry for making you wait. Master Hammer was busy and couldn’t come out earlier."

Clyde smiled. "And?"

The apprentice stepped aside. "He wants to see you. You can go in now."

Clyde let out a quiet sigh. "Thank you."

He entered the forge without another word.

The interior was much larger than he remembered. Weapons covered almost every wall, but they were unlike ordinary weapons.

Many of them had been forged from strange transparent materials filled with different colors. They looked almost like crystal weapons, each one carrying faint traces of magical energy.

Clyde stopped for a moment. One particular sight caught his attention. For a moment he almost imagined his old Elderglass sword hanging among them.

His expression softened.

That sword had accompanied him through countless battles. It had been with him from the beginning of his previous life in the Selection Stage until the final battle where he died.

He had used it to cut down countless enemies from Higher Beings, and monsters. It had been there through all of it.

But now it was gone.

Clyde lowered his gaze. He doubted he would ever see that sword again. He shook his head and continued walking.

Eventually, he reached Hammer’s workshop. The moment Clyde stepped inside, a smile appeared on his face without him realizing it.

The familiar smell of metal. The familiar tools. The familiar dwarf sitting behind his workbench. It felt as though he had returned to the past.

Hammer immediately noticed the smile. His expression darkened.

"What are you smiling about, kid?" The dwarf’s voice was as rough as Clyde remembered. "What do you want?"

Clyde sighed and walked closer.

Hammer frowned and stared at him suspiciously. "What do you think you’re doing?"

Clyde stopped in front of him. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Clyde asked quietly. "Do you remember me?"

Hammer’s scowl deepened. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Clyde stared at him. "I’m Clyde."

Hammer froze. His eyes widened. The dwarf looked as though he had forgotten how to breathe.

Clyde. That name had not been spoken in a few months.

Hammer knew what had happened to him. He knew about the battle after what that young man did to the several gods, he killed them. He knew that Clyde had died fighting the Higher Beings.

And now, this young stranger was standing in front of him and claiming to be the man he had mourned.

It was ridiculous!

Hammer’s expression quickly twisted with anger.

"Are you making fun of—"

Clyde raised both hands. "Wait."

Hammer stopped.

Clyde looked directly into his eyes.

"The Elderglass sword."

Hammer blinked.

Clyde continued. "You remember it, don’t you?"

The dwarf’s expression changed. It turned from fury into confusion.

"Can you make it again?" Clyde added.

The workshop suddenly became eerily silent for Hammer. Even the sounds of clanging outside were gone.

Hammer stared at him with unblinking eyes. Only two people besides Hammer himself knew the true name of that sword.

Maethion, and Clyde, the owner of the Elderglass sword himself.

There was no reason for some random young survivor to know that name.

Hammer slowly narrowed his eyes.

"Where did you hear that name?"

Clyde simply looked at him. The faint smile disappeared from his face. Hammer’s grip slowly tightened around the hammer in his hand. The dwarf’s suspicion had completely changed into something else.

He was no longer looking at Clyde as an annoying young stranger but as a mystery that should not have been possible.

"It was my sword. The one I got when the Selection Stage first began in my world," Clyde said.

Hammer stared at Clyde with trembling eyes. Questions began flooding his mind, and he could no longer completely dismiss the boy’s claim.

"You once made me an artifact that could open gates to any place I wanted. Do you remember that?" Clyde continued.

Hammer’s eyes widened.

That was a secret no one else could have known. Only Hammer and Clyde had ever known about it.

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