The notification pulsed in Myles’s vision the instant his fingers brushed the altar’s surface.
He blinked in confusion, the glow lingering across his sight, then exhaled slowly to steady his thoughts.
Turning toward the group, he spoke evenly. "This altar... it’s called the Soul Forge Altar."
"...Soul Forge Altar," George echoed under his breath.
His voice carried a faint tremor, and when Myles looked at him it made sense.
George possessed the Forgemind skill. No wonder he said that he had felt a strange resonance earlier.
Myles narrowed his eyes slightly. "George. Do you know anything about it? Or does it remind you of something? It could be another vision from somewhere else."
George shook his head at once. "Not yet. Nothing clear."
"Then try it," Myles instructed. "Step forward and touch it. Let’s see what happens."
George didn’t hesitate. He strode toward the altar, lifted his hand, and pressed his palm against the cold surface.
A second later, a flicker of light surged in his eyes. This was the System notifications only he could see.
He widened his eyes as the words unfolded before him.
[Forgemind skill detected!]
[You may channel the Soul Forge Altar power to craft weapons, armor, or accessories with greatly increased success rates. Additional effects and unique skills can also be imbued into the creations.]
George’s eyes went wide. He turned toward Myles, stunned.
"Myles... this thing lets me forge equipment. Not just normally. The altar would enhance its success rate and give them higher success, and even the chance to add skills to the things I forged."
A ripple of silence followed his words. The gravity and realization of what he said pressed on every mind.
Myles’s lips curled into a small smile, eyes gleaming faintly as he studied the altar once more.
Inwardly, his thoughts churned. "So it was worth it. Bringing George and the others into the group and nurturing them is a good decision. This is the payoff. Maybe he will not be the only one."
The others exchanged glances, their expressions lightened with a spark of happiness.
For the first time since stepping into this warped and fleshy dimension, they felt as though fortune had chosen to smile upon them.
Myles and everyone thought the journey had been worth it. If they could forge their own equipment from now on it would change everything.
"How do we do that?" Ethan finally asked, frowning. "We need some kind of material for that, right?"
"He’s right," Daniel murmured, rubbing his chin. He hesitated for a moment, then added, "Maybe... we can use the iron we scrapped on the street. But I’m not sure."
"Yes," George said firmly, his tone carrying newfound confidence as if he knew it for certain. "We can use metals or other materials, but the core ingredient is Ether Shards. They’re what makes forging possible here."
The words made everyone still.
Ether Shards—the crystal-like fragments they had been collecting from the corpses of mutated monsters and carving from the fleshy walls.
Finally, their purpose had been revealed.
None of them had been certain before, but if George, the one with Forgemind skill said it, then it had to be true. Even Myles believed him without question.
"Take them out," Myles said to them, his voice steady but he was also feeling expectant.
One by one, the group reached into their battered backpacks and took the faintly glowing shards. They gleamed with a ghostly light and looked brighter now, refracting the green veins running along the chamber walls.
The moment a shard touched their palms, the System appeared again in their vision.
[Ether Shard detected!]
[Use the Ether Shard in the Soul Forge Altar to gain stats.]
Myles looked around at once. Each of them wore the same expression—astonishment, mixed with dawning realization.
He didn’t even need to ask, he knew they were seeing the same message as he did.
The silence broke and soft chuckles spilling between them. Then smiles bloomed small at first, before growing into something brighter.
"This altar..." Kade shook his head, almost laughing. "This is a miracle. A damn miracle in this cursed world."
"And it’s all because Myles didn’t back down," Nadine added, her voice warm while looking at Myles. "If he hadn’t pushed us to keep going through that black-aura door, we would’ve missed this completely."
Victor grinned wide, nodding. "That’s right. You carried us here, Myles. This whole thing was thanks to you."
George’s grip tightened on his shard, and he met Myles’s gaze. "If we grow stronger from this and survive long enough it’ll be because you chose to fight for it."
The others followed, their voices overlapping.
Myles can only laugh nervously. He had never received praise by this many people. While seeing their faces Myles himself also felt happy.
For a moment, the oppressive chamber felt lighter.
The altar that had once seemed sinister now glowed with promise.
Myles then drew a steady breath, forcing down the excitement that threatened to rise too high.
"Alright. First we need to decide. Do we use the shards to add to our stats, or forge equipment?" His voice cut through the lingering smiles, calm and deliberate.
The question pulled the air into silence. Each of them lowered their gazes in thought.
Ethan broke it first. "Stats. We need to use them for stats. Getting stronger physically needs to come first. I think this Rift must still have other rooms to explore. We can find more shards later."
Ryan gave a firm nod. "I agree. Physical strength first. If we push our bodies higher it’ll make searching through the Ether Rift easier. Then we can look for more shards and think about forging later."
Their reasoning echoed in the chamber, and one by one, the others murmured agreement. The excitement remained but it was tempered and shaped into resolve for now.
Together, they clutched the faintly glowing shards in their hands and stepped closer to the altar, the green veins along the walls pulsing as if urging them forward.