“What do you mean by that? Did you just say you want to turn a living demon into a totem?” Tubal-Cain asked in sheer disbelief. A totem was an item that could be placed on the ground to spread its designated effect throughout the battlefield. It was something like a hand carry buff item that usually came in the form of a banner or a statue. ‘I should be able to use his buffs if I turn him into a totem, right?’ Siegfried thought. He was planning to turn Chae Hyung-Seok into a living totem, which was the reason he brought him all the way to Tubal-Cain’s forge. “Yes, that is correct,” Siegfried replied with a nod. “Wow... I was initially surprised when they said that you were the first human to ever become a demon lord in the history of the Demon Realm, but it all makes perfect sense now...” Tubal-Cain muttered in wae. “Huh? What do you mean by that, Elder?” “None of the current demon lords can compare to you. In terms of sheer cruelty, you easily beat all of them. I truly believe it is that ruthlessness of yours that qualified you to be the first human to become a demon lord.” “What?! Am I that cruel?! What’s wrong with commissioning a totem?!” Siegfried exclaimed in exasperation. “Wow...” Tubal-Cain shook his head in disbelief. Then, he thought, ‘Isn’t he just a lunatic?’ Siegfried’s request was already crossing the line even from the point of view of a demon, who were creatures born evil. Thus, Tubal-Cain came to the conclusion that Siegfried was a psychopath with not an ounce of remorse in him. “Listen, can a normal demon ever think of turning a living demon into a totem? Is that something anyone would even think of?” “I can guarantee you that not a single demon lord in the entire history of the Demon Realm has ever requested such a cruel thing.” “Well, I guess they all lacked creativity?” Siegfried replied with a shrug. Then, he quickly added, “It seems very cruel, but you see... I have a long history with this guy.” “So what happened was...” Siegfried proceeded to share his bitter history with Chae Hyung-Seok. He started from the time he was still the Elemental Mage, Tae-Sung, and all the way till the recent incident where Brunhilde and Verdandi were almost killed. “Ah! So that happened?!” Tubal-Cain exclaimed, finally grasping the situation. With such deep animosity between them, Siegfried's level of ruthlessness finally made sense to Tubal-Cain. “Since you did say that his soul is basically Metatron’s possession, it won’t be a problem turning him into a totem,” Tubal-Cain said. “Oh? Really? So you can do it, Elder?” “I most certainly can. Though I’m not sure if I can do a good job, as this will be my first time doing something , but I can already tell it’s going to be quite a fascinating experience.” “Then, I will leave it in your very capable hands, Elder.” “Sure, leave it to me. But what about your relic? How do you want it to be?” Tubal-Cain asked. “My relic...” Siegfried muttered, pondering deeply for a moment. Then, he shrugged and said, “I don’t really need one to use in combat... Can you make it into an accessory or something?” “Hmm? Most demon lords chose a weapon for their relic. Is there a special reason you want it to be an accessory?” “Ah, that is...” Siegfried took out his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp. Then, he showed it and explained, “I already have the best weapon, so I do not really wish to replace it. Ah, it is not that I do not trust your skills, Elder Tubal-Cain, but it is just that I have a weapon I will be using for life so...” “T-This weapon is...!” Tubal-Cain gasped after looking at the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp. “Why? What is wrong, Elder?” Siegfried asked. “W-Which blacksmith in your realm came up with a weapon ?!” “Ha! This is truly surprising! The metallurgy, alchemy, design, functions... and the finishing that’s nothing short of an artwork... It’s not lacking anywhere at all! Not only that, the potential hidden in that weapon is...” Tubal-Cain continued muttering to himself while looking shocked. “Is it that good, Elder?” Siegfried asked. “Whoever wields that weapon could eventually dominate the universe. But I believe... It's still incomplete. Ah, I see... It can still be upgraded into a Universal-rated artifact with a Universal-rated component.” As expected of the greatest blacksmith of the Demon Realm, Tubal-Cain instantly recognized just how good the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp was. “Was there a blacksmith capable of crafting a weapon of this calibre in the human realm?” Tubal-Cain muttered in awe. “Well, there is one. His name is Quandt, and I am quite close to him,” Siegfried replied. “He’s quite the extraordinary craftsman... I can see some faults here and there, but this level of craftsmanship is more than enough to call him the best of his time. Without a doubt, he is already on track to be a legend. If he honed his skills a bit more, then he would undoubtedly make his mark on the history of the world.” “Is he really that good?” “Of course, but... This doesn’t look like the work of a single person,” Tubal-Cain narrowed his eyes and said. “There’s a slight inconsistency in how it was designed and how it was crafted. It’s as if it was designed by someone and then crafted by someone else. Their style is quite similar, so it’s hard to notice. "I can see some discrepancies in the craftsmanship, which leads me to believe that there were two individuals who worked on this. I have a feeling that... the master designed it, and the disciple crafted it.” Surprisingly, Tubal-Cain saw right through the backstory of the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp. ‘As expected, a Grandmaster Blacksmith is on a level of his own...’ Siegfried thought in awe. Indeed, the title of Grandmaster was not something you chanced upon or won from someone else over a round of cards. Siegfried proceeded to share the backstory of the +16 Vanquisher’s Gras—from how Herbert designed it and how his descendant, Quandt, crafted it. “I see... So it had such a story behind it,” Tubal-Cain muttered, sounding amused. “With such a weapon, I can now see why you wanted an accessory rather than a weapon. Okay, I will agree to your request,” Tubal-Cain said with a nod. Then, he added, “You almost hurt my pride as the greatest blacksmith of the Demon Realm, but none of that matters anymore after seeing the weapon you possess.” “Thank you for understanding, Elder,” Siegfried said with a bow. “But I have a request.” “Let me meet that blacksmith later. And when you’re going to complete that weapon, I wish to spectate and watch it be completed.” “Consider it done, Elder.” “Yes, it is not a difficult request.” “Oh! Good! Excellent! Now, I’ll craft your relic and turn that demon into a totem just as you requested! All you have to do is bring me the materials I require!” A quest notification popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes. [Alert: You have received the Quest – Path of the Demon Lord II!] The details of the quest were as follows... [Path of the Demon Lord II] [Collect the materials required by Tubal-Cain to craft your relic.] [Type: Class Change Chain Quest] [Progress: 0%] Updates are released by novel⸺fire.net - Moonphase Flower x 1 “I’ll prepare the other materials, so just bring me ten kilograms of Demonium and one Moonphase Flower. Once you bring me those, I’ll start crafting your relic. Ah, you don’t have to worry about the materials required for the totem,” Tubal-Cain said with a smile. “I will bring them at once, Elder,” Siegfried replied with a bow. [Alert: You have accepted the Quest – Path of the Demon Lord II!] “But where can I find these materials, Elder?” Siegfried asked. “You can purchase the Demonium with Soul Coins, but the Seventh Domain should have some in stock that you can use. As for the Moonphase Flower, you will only find it in the Fifth Domain. Try and ask the Demon Lord of Deception, Dantalion, for one.” “I must warn you to be very careful when dealing with Dantalion, as he is a very cunning demon.” “Hm? What’s the matter?” “I sort of know him...” Siegfried replied with a grimace. “Ah, I think I can tell what kind of relationship you have. There’s probably some animosity between you two. Well, I haven’t heard of anyone not holding a grudge against Dantalion after crossing paths with him,” Tubal-Cain said with a shrug. “Yes, exactly. Ugh... It’s going to be a pain to deal with this,” Siegfried replied with a sigh. — I believe you will have to step out for a moment, Master Tubal-Cain. A voice suddenly rang in the forge. “Hm? What is this about?” — His Majesty, the Demon King has come to visit. “What?!” Tubal-Cain gasped in shock as his face turned ghastly pale. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that the Demon King, Baal, would personally visit his forge. “I have to go out,” Tubal-Cain said. “Y-Yes, I think you should,” Siegfried stammered in response. Tubal-Cain was about to hurry out of the forge when he suddenly turned around. “You should come, too.” “Aren’t you a demon lord? It would be good for you to build relations with the lord of all demon lords, the Demon King.” “I-I guess you have a point...?” “Let’s hurry. Things won’t end well for you if you stay cooped up in here when the Demon King has personally made the trip.” “Yes, I agree,” Siegfried agreed with Tubal-Cain. Nothing good would come from getting on the Demon King’s bad side, so Siegfried decided to use this chance to curry favors with Baal. Thus, Siegfried and Tubal-Cain left the forge. Outside the forge was Baal, with his hands behind his back, leisurely waiting for Tubal-Cain and Siegfried. “I greet the great Demon King,” Tubal-Cain greeted the old demon before him. The moment Siegfried saw Baal, he wondered, ‘First it was Master, and now it’s Baal? Why do they like to dress up as old people...?’ Shaking off the thought, Siegfried made sure to greet Baal in a manner that would leave a lasting impression. “I greet the great and mighty Demon King! I am the newbie demon lord, Siegfried van Proa!” Siegfried exclaimed and offered a grand bow to Baal. The Grand Bow was a way of greeting the humans offered to the dragons in ancient times, but it was long forgotten with only a handful knowing about it. However, Siegfried considered Baal’s age and suspected that he would be aware of the Grand Bow. “Oh? Who would’ve thought that youngsters these days know how to bow so magnificently? Even the demon lords don’t know this! I can see that you’re a very polite one! Hohoho!” Baal seemed to have loved the way Siegfried greeted him. “Not at all, my lord! It is only right for a newbie like me to greet the great and mighty Demon King in this manner!” “Hoho! Your respect for your elders is truly admirable!” A familiar title flashed above Siegfried’s head. [Do you want to be secret friends with ajusshi?] [A title awarded to those loved by old men.] [Effect: +250% Affinity from old male NPCs] Siegfried possessed a strange charm that worked extremely well with old men, but judging by how the title activated while talking to Baal, it was clear that it worked even on the Demon King. As if to prove that it was working, a string of notifications popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes. [Alert: Demon King Baal’s affinity toward you has increased by 250!] [Alert: Demon King Baal’s affinity toward you has increased by 250!] [Alert: Demon King Baal’s affinity toward you has increased by 250!] [Alert: Demon King Baal’s affinity toward you has increased by 250!] [Alert: Congratulations!] [Alert: Demon King Baal’s affinity toward you has increased from Simple Curiosity to Extremely Curious!] [Alert: Demon King Baal wants to get to know you more!] [Alert: Continue talking to Demon King Baal and take your relationship to the next level!] The fact that these notifications popped up was proof that whatever Siegfried was doing to make a good impression on Baal was working. ‘Good,’ Siegfried thought after confirming that it was working. Then, he decided to go on the offensive and improve his relationship even more. Baal was the Demon King, the ruler of the Demon Realm. He could very well be considered one of the most powerful individuals in the entire world of BNW, so there were no disadvantages to establishing good relations with such an individual.