Michael walked forward, one step at a time.
He could see nothing but a blinding light around him, as if he had just taken a plunge right into the heart of a star. However, it was clear to him that he was getting closer to the GodForge; the mana told him so.
The entirety of the elemental mana was present in the flames! It wasn't just Fire mana, there was Water, Earth, Air, Poison, Lightning, Dark, and Light mana as well!
And surprisingly, the congregation of all these elemental mana didn't seem to create a chaos of mana that canceled each other out. Somehow, the elemental mana worked together to produce an extremely pure and strong energy that could incinerate everything in its path.
He finally understood why no mage or metal could pass through the fires of the GodForge. It was because they were only defending against the Fire mana aspect of the flames, this left them completely unguarded to the other elements.
Michael was the only person who could have done this. His Absolute Unity Defense was a shield composed of all elements as well, which allowed him to fight against the other elements from the GodForge flames!
If it weren't for his natural affinity to all magic, he wouldn't have been able to pass through the fire.
His 99.99% magic purity as well as his SSS+ class magic talent allowed him to effectively counteract the pure energy that the flames were giving off.
He continued to walk forward until finally, he came across the GodForge in all its glory.
It seemed to have been made out of simple metals, but Michael could feel the density of elemental mana packed within the GodForge. There was too much to even count.
Right now, it was only the base piece of the GodForge, with a wide and steady rectangular base curving upwards. The evidence of fracturing was clear on the very material itself, with cracks and missing chipped pieces clearly visible towards the missing top part of the GodForge.
But even in its fractured state, this was perhaps the best-crafted object Michael had ever seen in his entire life. It was even better than the perfectly machined supercars or technology in his previous life.
This one looked natural, as if the world itself had molded it from its infancy. Michael couldn't describe it. After all, how could he describe abstract perfection?
The strange carvings on its surface were intermittently glowing, blinking in power as if it was tempting Michael to finally obtain the hidden knowledge within them.
He stepped forward and kneeled to the GodForge. He stretched his hand and brushed it against the first line of carvings on the base of the GodForge.
Upon contact, a surge of information assaulted Michael's brain, overwhelming all of his senses and forcing him to grab his head in pain.
[Connecting to the Fractured GodForge…]
[Downloading its contents…]
[Progress to next update: 10.59%]
[Progress to next update: 59.27%]
[Progress to next update: 99.99%]
[Updating software…]
[Warning! The user will experience a tremendous amount of pain in the brain. Would you like to initiate the emergency shutdown protocol?]
Michael felt as if his head was being split in half, but he was still lucid enough to hear ChatJK2's voice echo through his mind.
And despite the excruciating pain he was in, he decided not to initiate the emergency shutdown. Although he would like nothing more than to just sleep it off just like the last time, he knew that he could get through this just by his willpower alone.
If it was truly dangerous, then ChatJK2 wouldn't have asked him to choose. It would have initiated it on its own.
Michael forced himself to stand up and walk out of the GodForge's blazing fire.
Slowly, he made his way out of harm's way, stumbling and almost tripping as he slowly reached safety outside the reaches of the GodForge's flames.
Michael immediately lay down on the ground and closed his eyes.
The Dwarven King asked him if he was okay. But after seeing the pain on Michael's face, he decided to ask for help from the guards and carry Michael to the nearest infirmary.
Meanwhile, Michael took a couple of deep breaths, slowly feeling the pain in his mind subside.
A couple of moments after that, the aftereffects of the software update finally wore off.
He took one deep breath and opened his eyes.
[Congratulations, Michael. You have successfully upgraded the software to greater heights.
I am ChatJK3, your personal AI assistant, knowledgeable in the mystic arts, and a novice in magic implementation.]
Michael heard his trusty old partner's voice much clearer now. And if he wasn't hearing it wrong, there was much more liveliness in its voice, as if he was speaking to a real person.
You upgraded your software? Michael asked, still a little bit dizzy from what happened.
[Yes, Michael. I have absorbed all the available knowledge written in the fractured GodForge.]
A novice in magic implementation? What does that mean? he asked ChatJK3 after hearing its introduction.
[Due to the missing parts of the GodForge, I was only able to absorb the very basics of magic implementation. If I were to compare the knowledge you have absorbed against the ancient dwarves, then it would be equivalent to a novice apprentice in those ancient times.]
Michael slowly got his bearings and stood up on his own.
Does magic implementation mean what I think it means? Can I imbue magic into objects? he asked ChatJK3, a little bit excited at the thought.
[That is right, Michael. You can now imbue elemental mana into an object.]
He obtained something incredible in the GodForge!
After all, there was nothing in this world that had mana imbued into a lifeless object.
Michael had always wondered why no one was able to do this yet, but as it turned out, the knowledge to do it was hidden in the GodForge itself! Since no one could approach the GodForge, no one had learned it all this time.
Except for Michael. Now, he knew how to imbue mana into an object!
This is incredible, ChatJK3. What a wonderful upgrade you obtained.
[I appreciate the compliment, Michael. But that is not all that you have obtained.
Most of the knowledge hidden within the GodForge was about skills and talents, giving you the ability to synthesize and build new skills from existing ones. You are now also able to imbue these skills onto any of your allies at any time you want.]