A System That Beats Death

Normally, the dwarf would have gotten the process over with and the volunteer eliminated as soon as possible. However, the person in front of him seemed unfathomable even to him who had once crafted for the Gods. The person could have passed for an above average human and even other Gods would not be able to detect his true nature which convinced him that this person was the one that the Founder had been searching for. As this ordeal was one that not even gods were able to successfully undertake, he had always wondered what the Founder had been thinking when requiring that the successor be both of non-dwarven descent and must have been roaming in the mortal realm.

He could tell that the Founder had been affected when one of the best dwarves defected and after stealing from them, rose to become the so-called great Forge Deity. In fact, at that time, he was only the fifth best smith and had been incredibly indignant that the second best dared to both steal and even kill the best smith before defecting.Their best forging technique was stolen but luckily the true secret of the Empyrean Smiths remained hidden. Even he didn't know what it was as the Founder only entrusted it to the one that inherited the Legacy. Everyone had supported hunting that dwarf down but the Founder rejected and seemed to change profoundly. With the suppression initiated by the newly established Forge Deity, the Empyrean Smiths began to encounter many difficulties and in the end, could only seek refuge with their old acquaintance the Sword God and even that ended unfavorably. The Founder then disappeared after relinquishing the duty to him.

"Before I accept", Atlas then continued. "After inheriting the Legacy, am I required to fulfill certain obligations due to being affiliated?"

The dwarf revealed a melancholic smile and shook his head.

"Previously, it was established that it was required for the Inheritor to spread the name of the Empyrean Smiths but our glory has long since perished and the mindset changed accordingly. Personally, I would request for the annihilation of the Forge Deity but the Inheritor is free to use the Legacy as he pleases as long as he is worthy and able to use it to the fullest capacity"

The dwarf then clapped once and a portion of the wall disappeared. Hidden behind the wall had been a long set of archaic stairs riddled with runic inscriptions that emanated an oppressive aura. Atlas stepped forth but before entering, turned towards Nanling and Wuyue.

Abruptly throwing a sizable sack towards them, he then entered while waving goodbye.

Opening it, Nanling found a month's supply of rations and daily necessities along with a note which indicated that they were free to leave.

"I can't leave him alone with Master's body", Wuyue said before turning to Nanling to inquire about her decision.

Nanling then gritted her teeth and reluctantly said, "I will also wait. I have yet to hear his explanation"

With the very first step onto the staircase, he could tell that space itself distorted. He could no longer feel the wind originating from the outside, the sound of slight rumbling from the sand dunes disappeared, and the string connected to the outside world had severed by itself.

Turning around was an option but he believed that it was connected to the decision to forfeit. There were plenty of myths regarding people ascending stairs from the true underworld having lost what they had sought upon looking back but did it also apply to those descending the staircase to an unknown but likely just as daunting realm? Atlas did not know but he instinctively understood that looking back was not an option for him and continued forward, slowly descending the staircase one step at a time in a serene and unperturbed manner. With each step, the light used to see the next step dimmed more and more until at last, it disappeared altogether. After 10000 steps, the light vanished entirely and to his surprise, even Soul Perception could not see through the darkness. With no way to perceive the world, he decided to continue what he had been doing this entire time.

A thousand steps turned into five thousand and five thousand turned into twenty thousand. Even after a hundred thousand, the stairs did not seem to end and foreign sensations started to attempt to invade his mind. At one point, he even felt a hand upon his shoulder that subtly tried to pull him back but he ignored it. A light suddenly appeared as if it was the end of the staircase but Atlas ignored it as he discovered that the stairs had not ended yet. An hour of walking down a flight of stairs started to feel like days and days started to feel like weeks and one would even start to wonder if they were born in this darkness.

With every few hours, a different illusion would tempt one to go towards it. At some point, a person would start to believe that they could no longer be fazed by them but the depictions shown by the illusions were always incredibly vivid and varied to the point where it seemed as if it was actually windows into other realities. The illusion of a forge was placed at the start for the impatient, the illusion of snow happened after, the illusion of bustling village with even people calling for them, the illusion of a dragon roaring dauntingly, the illusion of glistening gold stockpiles interspersed with jewels, the illusion of a cornucopia with mouth-watering dishes, the illusion of beautiful women with lush bodies and fair skin bathing, the illusion of commoners being tortured to incite the righteous, the illusion of a horrid monstrosity with eighteen mouths that attempted to terrorize the person, and at the end, an illusion of an endless abyss at the last step.

Ignoring the frightening chasm, he continued stepping down and the darkness which he seemingly spent years in had disappeared and gave way to an intense inferno. In a chamber filled to the brim with lava, he stood outside on a rocky ledge. The ledge then crumbled and he was sent straight into the gigantic crucible of molten rock. Feeling the intense burn, Atlas gritted his teeth. Even the experiments administered to him upon birth could not compare with this immense and searing torture upon his very being. With clenched fists, he then swam downwards towards the source of the magma. As the immolation intensified, he involuntarily released a terrifying presence that began to affect the lava. The heat then began to falter and unwillingly submitted to his resolve. Assimilating with the fire so thoroughly, he felt one with the pain and didn't even realize that the magma disappeared. All that remained of it had been concentrated into the metal within his palm which was tempered by his resolve and fueled by his resilience.

The chamber then dissolved to reveal a vault filled to the brim with weapons, scrolls, and artifacts. Engraved within the wall was the message, "For the one that will reform the Legacy of old, to continue the creation worthy of deities".