After understanding how his powers worked, Aderon pondered.
Even with the knowledge and abilities the gods had bestowed upon him, his small body still couldn't keep up with their power.
But once he mastered them, it would be a major change in his life.
By reading various books on forging given to him by his grandfather, Aderon accumulated all the necessary knowledge. He also continued to practice manifesting his powers little by little so that they would last.
Time passed, and now Aderon was eight years old.
Although chosen as a hero, the powers couldn't be immediately controlled at will.
Everything was a process.
The gods wouldn't choose someone who gave up easily.
That day, Aderon used his manifestation power to create perfect arms and legs for his body.
Although they appeared slightly transparent, they functioned perfectly like real limbs.
Then he focused his concentration on his left eye.
The eye that had been obscured by darkness could now see light. Both eyes were functioning normally.
Feeling this, tears began to flow from Aderon's eyes.
But, wasn't that power draining? Yes, it was.
Therefore, with the forging knowledge he had received and learned from the gods, and with perfectly functioning limbs, creating artificial limbs was not impossible.
Miracles can happen anywhere, anytime, and in any way.
With his grandfather's help, Aderon obtained the necessary materials, including wood, iron, and other materials, as well as the tools for forging.
Once everything was ready, Aderon closed his eyes for a moment.
Strength slowly flowed from his entire body.
Everything became so clear that he began.
The heat of the fire melting the iron. The vibrations of the hammer striking. The fine, neat grain of the wood.
Aderon began to create his first forge.
With all his heart, with all his body and soul.
And after a few days had passed, he had successfully created his own artificial limbs.
He immediately approached his grandfather and hugged him.
"Grandpa... I did it..." Tears of joy flowed from both of their eyes.
"My grandson is truly amazing." His grandfather hugged him tightly.
The news spread quickly throughout the Elderforge kingdom.
The prosthetic limbs created by the hero were unprecedented.
The prosthetic limbs were meticulously detailed, meticulously crafted, and incredibly sturdy.
Although they were made of metal, they functioned as realistically as real hands.
Unlike mere supports, the fingers could move flexibly. Even the knees could bend perfectly, not stiffly like crutches.
Everyone was amazed and applauded. The world's view of Aderon had changed.
Not only the prosthetic limbs, but the various tools and weapons Aderon had created were truly amazing.
Everyone praised him.
But did they truly acknowledge Aderon's abilities?
To fulfill his duty as a hero, Aderon had joined the war.
The smell of blood from the battlefield made Aderon nauseous.
He absolutely hated fighting. But he couldn't simply refuse.
This was also his duty.
But his heart kept telling him, can't this stop?
Then, the day came when he met heroes from other races.
It wasn't what he had expected.
Everyone there was quite friendly. Aderon had expected at least a brief fight.
After that brief discussion, he realized one thing.
Everyone wanted peace, just like him.
But, the disappearance of the hero... how should he tell his grandfather about this.
Perhaps he would never even be able to speak to his grandfather again.
Aderon's greatness didn't necessarily make people genuinely kind to him.
Quite the opposite.
Limitless talent, even with a physical disability, just because he was chosen by the gods, he truly transformed into something extraordinary.
Some people felt resentful.
Some people became envious.
If only Aderon hadn't been chosen to be a hero. But then what? Would it have been different?
No.
Even if someone else had become a hero, envy would still be present in everyone.
When he opened the door, he didn't receive a warm welcome from his grandfather.
Inside the quiet room, he saw a body lying helplessly on the floor.
"Grandpa..."
Aderon immediately ran to his grandfather.
With slightly trembling hands, he touched his grandfather's body.
The body lying there felt stiff and cold.
How long had he been gone?
Even though his duties as a hero meant Aderon sometimes didn't come home for weeks, or even months, he always made time to write to his grandfather, and if he had time, he would always return home.
His grandfather always replied to his letters and let him know how he was doing. And when he returned home, he always looked forward to his grandfather's warm welcome.
But now, there would be no more letters and no more warm welcome.
"What... happened?" Aderon said in a slightly trembling voice.
His iron hand supported his grandfather's stiff body.
There was no more warm embrace.
Aderon's eyes were dazed as he looked at his grandfather's face.
"Are you sick, Grandpa? But you never said it... Are you hiding it?" Tears began to flow from his right eye.
"Grandpa... please wake up..." Aderon said through sobs.
"I haven't even had a chance to show Grandpa the perfect artificial eye..."
Aderon had been using his manifestation powers on his left eye, because creating an artificial eye wasn't easy, even with god-given powers.
"Grandpa's heart isn't beating... if I can create an artificial heart, will Grandpa be able to open his eyes again?"
Aderon cried, his thoughts becoming disorganized.
"No... that's impossible."
Aderon knew.
"The soul isn't located in the heart."
Aderon hugged and cried for his grandfather.
"Grandpa... what should I do...?"
"I'm alone..."
There was nothing Aderon could do.
After a long time mourning his grandfather's passing, Aderon hugged the tombstone at his grandfather's grave.
"Grandpa... I will fight. I will become the greatest hero written in history."
"Even though my body is alone, my heart is with you."
Aderon stood up.
"Please look at me, Grandpa."
Wearing a hood that covered his face, Aderon disappeared from public view.
News of a hero spread quickly. Those who heard the news pitied him. Some even offered their condolences, including the king.
They said Aderon wasn't alone, they were here.
Aderon felt a little happy hearing that.
But was that really the truth?
Several weeks passed. Aderon, still guarding the Elderforge kingdom from the shadows, one day overheard a truth.
A truth he probably didn't want to hear.
"Hey, look at this. The sword this hero made is truly magnificent."
"Not only that, even for a hammer, he truly made it extraordinary."
"But this could only be possible because he was chosen by the gods."
"Yes, I know the story. I heard he was born deformed."
"Yes, he was just lucky."
"So, how much are you going to pay for this?"
"I'll buy it for ten thousand gold coins."
"Wow, can't it be any higher?"
"That's already too high, you bastard. Where else are you going to sell this stolen item? Even if there was, no one would pay as much as I did."
"Okay, okay."
"What..."
Due to his grief, Aderon didn't realize something was missing from his house.
"How could he have it?"
His grandfather couldn't possibly sell, let alone give away, the items he'd made.
"Wait... the buyer said it was stolen... where did that person get it?"
His grandfather's lifeless body lying on the floor suddenly flashed through his mind.
Feeling strange, Aderon followed the man.
The man entered a crowded bar and pulled out the bag of gold coins from the bar owner's table.
"Look at this, I became a millionaire overnight." The man said.
"Huh, what are you so proud of? You only got a small portion of it because you were just hiding in the background."
"Hey, that was pretty stressful, you know? Following those people makes you crazy fast."
"But you also enjoyed the rewards, right?"
"Yeah, of course. If only that old man hadn't shown up, maybe we could have gotten more."
"It's a good thing the hero's grandson wasn't around. My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I saw the chief hit him so hard on the head."
"That's why you shouldn't follow those beastmen who are staying illegally."
"Yeah, but it's a win-win situation."
"But speaking of which, did the hero really leave just because of his grandfather's death? Many say he was so sad he couldn't accept it. Did he really abandon his duties?"
"Well, I don't know. But I heard the king also has weapons he made. Was that given to him?"
"No, you don't know?"
The man leaned his mouth slightly close to the bar owner's ear. He whispered.
"Most of these stolen goods were purchased by the king."
"What? What if the heroes find out?"
"Even heroes wouldn't know if they weren't told."
Aderon was shocked to hear that.
The expression on his face seemed to say, Is this nonsense?
He did know that the objects he had made were extremely valuable. But he never imagined that his grandfather would die just because of that greed.
"They could have asked for it if they wanted it."
Aderon's fists clenched tightly.
"These people... I won't forgive them."
His face was filled with anger.