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The shop got quieter the farther they went. Not peaceful quiet. The heavy kind, like the air itself was holding its breath. Levi followed Reya past the front counter and through a plain door tucked behind a pillar covered in old runes. She didn't say anything, just walked with the kind of pace that said she'd been down here before and hadn't enjoyed it.
Reya face said she hadn't expected anyone to ask about the lower levels in years.
The first checkpoint was just for show: two black statues holding war axes. Levi glanced at them as he passed. They didn't react.
Fine by him.
The second checkpoint had wards that groaned when Reya waved her hand near them, like old hinges that didn't want to move. The third one needed blood. She pressed her thumb to a stone panel without flinching. It hissed softly and let them through.
The stairwell went down in a tight spiral. Each floor felt worse than the last. Not physically. Just heavier. Like the air got thicker the deeper they went.
Old weapons lined the walls, locked behind glass and labeled in languages Levi couldn't read. Some of them hummed faintly. A few tracked his movement as he passed, which was creepy but he kept his face neutral.
He kept walking.
The System marker pulsed in his vision. A small gold dot.
Still pointing down.
Floor Three had staves wrapped in bone and thorns. One of them whispered something low and wrong, syllables that made his teeth ache.
Pulse.
Floor Four had a bow that looked like it was made from bird claws. Phoenix, maybe. It glowed faintly when he walked by, then dimmed again like it had decided he wasn't worth the effort.
Pulse. Pulse.
Floor Five.
Reya finally spoke. "Something wrong?"
Levi stopped. His face stayed calm. "Something's calling me. From down there."
She hesitated, eyes flicking to the stairs ahead. Her hand tightened slightly on the railing. "No one goes past floor six. It's sealed. Nothing's been stored down there in forever."
He gestured for her to keep going.
She did, but slower now.
Floor Six was empty. Just dusty stands and cold air that smelled faintly of rust and old magic. The temperature had dropped noticeably. Levi could see his breath.
Then they reached the vault.
Floor Seven.
No lights. No magic. Just stone and silence that felt older than the building itself. The walls here were different too. Rougher. Like they'd been carved by hand instead of shaped with spells.
Reya stopped at a heavy door. Her hand hovered over it for a second before she spoke. "This hasn't been opened in over a decade."
She pressed her palm to the stone. The door groaned, slow and reluctant, then shifted inward with a sound like grinding teeth.
Levi stepped through.
The room was bare except for one thing. In the center, the floor had caved in, forming a wide crater like something massive had been dropped from the sky and left a permanent dent. The edges were smooth, almost glassy, like the stone had melted and then cooled.
At the bottom sat a hammer.
Small. Maybe the length of his hand. Dull gray metal with runes carved into it, looping and dense like they were meant to be read by someone much larger. No glow. No hum. Just sitting there.
It didn't give off power.
It swallowed it.
Levi walked forward slowly, boots echoing in the empty space.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
This is the weapon that matches Host.
Are you serious? I look like this and my match is a hammer? What am I, bootleg Thor?
SYSTEM RESPONSE:
No. Host is not worthy of Mjolnir. No aura. No mythic resonance. Thor exists and is not amused by the comparison.
He stopped walking. "Wait. Thor's real?"
SYSTEM:
Obviously. You're in a Mythical Library run by an interdimensional book hoarder. Why is this surprising? What's next, you gonna ask if Santa's real too?
Levi sighed. "Fair point. Still rude though."
SYSTEM:
I'm not here to coddle your feelings. I'm here to make sure you don't die immediately. You're welcome, by the way.
Behind him, Reya shifted her weight. She was watching him carefully now, probably wondering why he was talking to himself.
.
.
.
He stood at the edge of the crater and reached out. Part of him expected something dramatic. Lightning, maybe. A voice. At minimum, the thing could've glowed a little.
His fingers touched the handle.
The moment his skin made contact, warmth flooded up his arm. Not burning. Just warm, like touching sun-heated stone. The runes on the hammer's surface pulsed once, so faint he almost missed it.
Then nothing.
The hammer sat there, unchanged. But Levi felt something. A weight that wasn't physical. Like the thing was aware of him now. Measuring him.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
Name: Divine Hammer of Pangu
Myth Origin: Chinese Creation God
Power: Can recreate the impact of Pangu's divine fall
Status: Sealed
Current Function: Extremely heavy hammer with catastrophic potential
Levi stared at the screen.
"So it's a fancy paperweight."
SYSTEM:
It's a divine artifact forged from a god's fingernail, but sure, reduce it to office supplies. That won't hurt its feelings or anything.
He let out a long breath through his nose. "Does it have feelings?"
SYSTEM:
Wouldn't you like to know.
SYSTEM:
This hammer was forged from a fragment of Pangu's fingernail.
Pangu is a giant from Chinese mythology who created the universe. He emerged from a cosmic egg and spent 18,000 years pushing the sky and earth apart. When he died, his body became the world: his breath became wind, his eyes became the sun and moon, his limbs became mountains. His sacrifice established existence as we know it.
"So I'm holding a god's nail clipping."
SYSTEM:
Fingernail. Stop calling it a toenail. Have some respect.
Levi looked at the hammer.
Then at his hand still resting on it.
Then back at the hammer.
"This is the weirdest power-up I've ever heard of. I got rejected by every cool weapon upstairs and now my prize is divine keratin."
SYSTEM:
Would you prefer I gave you a stick? I can arrange that. There's a nice one upstairs. Very pointy. Great for poking things.
"No."
SYSTEM:
Then stop complaining and appreciate your god nail in peace.
He kept his hand on the handle, feeling the warmth spread through his palm. The metal was smooth in places, rough in others. The runes felt deeper than they looked, like they went all the way through.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
The item has recognized you as its owner.
Current compatibility: 0.01%
Note: This percentage will increase as Host grows stronger. Or stays the same if Host continues being a disappointment.
Oh good. It likes me, but barely.
"So what am I supposed to do with this?"
SYSTEM:
Bond with it. Train with it. Stop asking me to hold your hand through basic RPG mechanics.
"You're the worst tutorial guide in history."
SYSTEM:
And yet here you are, still alive. Checkmate.
Behind him, Reya cleared her throat softly. "You're interested in that?"
Levi didn't turn around. Just nodded once, still studying the hammer.
Reya's eyebrows lifted slightly. She tilted her head, watching him.
Polite guy. Well-dressed. Calm. Standing there touching a hammer that's killed people. Either he's very confident or very stupid. Maybe both.
Levi's brain ran the same track.
She probably thinks I'm insane. Honestly? Fair.
For the first time since getting here, someone's judgment of him actually lined up with his own thoughts. No misunderstandings. No weird reverence. Just two people silently agreeing that his decision-making was questionable.
Reya spoke again, hands folded behind her back. "That thing's never been catalogued. It's not in our inventory system. Most people don't even know this floor exists."
Levi turned to face her, pulling his hand back from the hammer. "So why's it here?"
She glanced at the crater, then back at him. "The first Guildmaster found it buried deep in the Frostiron Mountains. In a vault that predated the Third Age. He tried to claim it. Brought in other smiths. None of them could move it. But he was convinced it had a purpose."
"What kind of purpose?"
"That it was waiting for the right person."
Levi raised an eyebrow. "So he just built a shop over it?"
"The whole building was constructed around this crater. That was five thousand years ago. Every Guildmaster since has maintained the vault, kept it sealed. Waiting."
He looked back at the hammer. Still sitting there. Still doing absolutely nothing except existing.
"Has anyone ever moved it?"
"No." Her voice dropped slightly. "Not Grandmaster smiths. Not the Flame Monks during the Smelting Crusade. Not even the Archbishops when they tried to bless it. We had a team of twenty mages try to levitate it once. Three of them passed out from mana exhaustion. The hammer didn't shift an inch."
Levi crouched at the crater's edge, getting a closer look. "How heavy is it?"
"We don't know exactly. Our best estimate is somewhere over three thousand pounds. But that doesn't account for the magical weight."
"Magical weight?"
"Some objects carry conceptual mass. They're not just physically heavy. They're metaphysically heavy. Like they're anchored to something deeper than gravity."
Levi stared at the hammer. "So it's not just heavy. It's philosophically heavy."
"More or less."
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard and also completely tracks for this place."
Reya smiled faintly. "You get used to it."
He leaned closer, studying the runes carved into the metal. The symbols were massive, way too big for something this size. Like someone had carved a message meant for giants onto a toy.
"Any theories on what it's supposed to do?"
"Theories?" Reya shrugged. "Dozens. Some say it's a test. Others say it's cursed. A few think it's a keystone for something bigger. One scholar claimed it was a weapon that could crack continents. But no one knows for sure."
"And the runes?"
"Ancient Titan script. We've had linguists study it for centuries. They translated maybe a third of it. Something about 'the weight of creation' and 'impact that separates heaven and earth.' Very poetic. Very vague."
Levi traced a finger through the air above one of the larger runes, careful not to touch the hammer again. "You sure it's safe to be near this thing?"
Reya tilted her head. "You're still alive. That's more than some people managed."
"Wait, what?"
"Three people have died trying to claim it. Two heart attacks. One spontaneous combustion. And one guy just... vanished. We found his shoes. Nothing else."
Levi straightened up slowly. "And you didn't mention this earlier because...?"
"You didn't ask." She smiled. "Also, you already touched it. If it was going to kill you, it would've happened by now."
"That's not as reassuring as you think it is."
"I thought it was pretty reassuring."
He walked around the crater slowly, examining it from different angles. The stone really had melted. Whatever made this impact had hit with enough force to liquify rock.
Levi stopped and looked back at Reya. "I need to speak with whoever runs this place."
She blinked once, then gave a small bow. "Of course. I'll summon the Guildmaster."
"Appreciate it."
Her footsteps echoed as she climbed back up the stairs. The vault door sealed behind her with a heavy thud.
Levi was alone.
He paced the edge of the crater, hands in his coat pockets. The air didn't move. Even the dust seemed frozen.
This thing chose me. According to the System, it recognized me. But what does that actually mean?
He stopped walking and stared at the hammer.
SYSTEM:
It means you're compatible. Eventually. Think of it like a really judgy pet that needs time to warm up to you.
"A judgy pet that weighs three thousand pounds."
SYSTEM:
Exactly. Glad you're keeping up.
Levi rubbed his face. "I hate you."
SYSTEM:
Noted. Filed under 'Daily Complaints Volume 47.' Should I start a highlight reel?
"Please don't."
He walked back to the crater's edge. Looked at the hammer one more time.
If this thing is mine, I should at least try to understand it.
He reached out again, fingers hovering just above the handle.
The building rumbled.
Faint at first. Then louder. A low vibration that came from somewhere deep below.
Levi pulled his hand back.
The rumbling stopped.
He tried again. Fingers moved closer.
The building shook harder. Dust rained from the ceiling. The crater's edges cracked slightly.
Levi stepped back completely.
Everything went still.
"Okay," he muttered. "So it doesn't like being touched too much. Noted."
SYSTEM:
The hammer is waking up. Your presence is basically hitting snooze repeatedly. Except the snooze button is a divine artifact and the alarm is an earthquake.
"Is that bad?"
SYSTEM:
Depends. Do you enjoy structural damage? Because if you keep poking it, this building's gonna collapse. Which would be hilarious, but also counterproductive.
"Not helpful."
SYSTEM:
I'm never helpful. I'm entertaining. Know the difference.
Levi nodded slowly and backed away from the crater, hands in his pockets.
The hammer sat there, silent and still, but somehow feeling more awake.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Then the vault door slammed open hard enough to rattle the walls.
Heavy footsteps. Fast. Urgent.
Levi turned as someone stormed in. A dwarf. Short, wide, built like he'd been carved from stone and set on fire. His skin was black with soot. His beard hung in thick braids crusted with ash. Sparks clung to his leather apron.
His eyes were sharp though. Clear. And terrified.
The dwarf skidded to a stop when he saw Levi.
His gaze dropped to the crater.
To the hammer.
Then back to Levi.
His face went pale under all that soot.
"You," he breathed. "You touched it."
Levi nodded slowly. "Yeah."
The dwarf stepped forward, hands trembling. "Did it accept you?"
"According to the System, yeah."
The dwarf's expression crumpled. Relief and desperation mixed together.
"Please," he said, voice rough and breaking. "Whatever it takes. However long it takes."
He looked up at Levi, eyes wet.
"Just save us."
Levi blinked.
"Uh. What?"