Can Heroes Learn Divine Skills?

Early morning.

Inside the temple of the God of Fire, Thaumas carefully observed this magnificent structure built atop a volcano.

The intense heat here was becoming difficult to endure, but fortunately, Athena had provided him with some ointment in advance, enough to help him hold out for a month.

A month from now, if he still couldn't persuade this God of Fire, it seemed he would be turned into a "well-done" acquaintance by the high temperatures.

However, it must be said:

Although the God of Fire and Crafts, Hephaestus, was often ostracized by the gods and remained a controversial figure within the divine circles—with many major deities looking down upon her—and even her reputation among mortals was not particularly stellar, rumors were, after all, just rumors.

In Thaumas's inherent impression, Hephaestus was an incredibly formidable deity.

Not only had she utilized her profound divine technology and knowledge to construct numerous magnificent temples for the gods, but even the gathering place for the gods atop Mount Olympus had been designed and crafted by her own hands.

What was even more astonishing was that, according to the legends of Ancient Greece, she had forged many world-renowned artifacts.

Whether it was the Thunderbolt of the King of Gods belonging to Zeus, the Trident of the Sea God belonging to Poseidon, the Helm of Darkness belonging to Hades, the Sun Chariot of Helios, the Night Chariot of the goddess Nyx, or even the two golden and silver arrows of Cupid that could influence even the gods themselves.

Furthermore, the hardest shield in the world, the Shield of Peerless held by Athena, the Aegis, was also crafted by her.

There were simply too many artifacts that had originated from the hands of this deity.

If this weren't the Nasuverse, he would have truly believed she was a male god.

Yet, why would such a goddess agree to Hera's request to marry the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite?

In the original mythology, while forging alone, Hephaestus once happened upon Aphrodite, the beautiful goddess of love and beauty.

Aphrodite was the most beautiful among all the gods, possessing a face that intoxicated and a charm that captivated.

Hephaestus felt a sudden stirring in her heart, deeply admiring Aphrodite's beauty and kindness, while she, in turn, marveled at the God of Fire's craftsmanship and intelligence.

They began to exchange techniques and knowledge, spending many warm moments before the forging furnace where sparks flew.

However, Aphrodite's beauty also attracted the gaze of other gods.

Among them, the deity who pursued her most fervently was the handsome and dashing Ares.

Ares poured out his passion to Aphrodite, hoping for a response.

What followed was a cliché love triangle, until eventually, Hera stepped in and, using the oracle of the King of Gods, betrothed Aphrodite to Hephaestus.

And ever since then, Hephaestus had been cuckolded...

But thinking about it carefully, even though this was the Nasuverse, due to the fine traditions of Ancient Greece, promiscuity, incest, yuri, and all sorts of other things were commonplace among the gods.

After all, the Queen of Heaven, Hera, who presided over marriage, could not even keep her own marriage intact; starting with her and Zeus, this concept of "chaos" had influenced many gods and humans alike.

Therefore, marriage in Ancient Greece was, conceptually, already chaotic.

It was quite laughable that gods who presided over certain powers could not even govern their own lives.

Take Hestia, the goddess of the hearth and home, for example; her greatest wish was simply for her family to live happily together.

Yet, as the eldest sister, Hestia could not quell Zeus's suspicious heart, and the family was divided by things called "power" and "status."

So, it seemed the great gods were just like that, weren't they?

They were not much different from humans.

Thinking this, Thaumas walked out of his room.

The God of Fire's little maid had specifically instructed him yesterday to go and pay his respects to Hephaestus every morning.

As soon as he opened the Space Gate, the doll maid was already waiting outside his door.

"Why are you only just getting up? Hurry, Master Hephaestus is about to wake up," she said anxiously.

With that, the maid tugged on the chain tied to his wrist, dragging him toward Hephaestus's room.

Sigh—could you not treat him so roughly?

At least show him some respect!

Thaumas did not voice his protest; the past two days had already taught him one thing.

That is just it—the gods are simply unreasonable!

The little maid is the same, just a lackey for the God of Fire! One day, I will punish you severely!

At this moment, God of Fire was already seated in her wheelchair.

She was not wearing her usual pristine white dress today, having changed into a fiery red cloak instead.

This was a special mantle of hers, one that allowed her to wield her authority more effectively.

However, she wore nothing on her legs, leaving her feet completely exposed, which left Thaumas frozen in place.

With just a single glance, Thaumas was entranced. His pure, azure eyes gazed at the goddess.

She really does look like the goddess Hera!

The same golden hair, the same divine eyes, even her inadvertent expressions were strikingly similar.

It's just that Hera was very gentle toward him, while God of Fire was fierce...

Noticing Thaumas's gaze, God of Fire glared back sharply. She then spoke:

"Do not compare me to her! This is the last time. Furthermore, you are coming to the forge with me today!"

Hiss~ This is bad!

Having lost the golden bracelet gifted by Hera, it was truly difficult for someone like him, who loved to let his mind wander, to manage!

"Don't just stand there like a fool, follow me! Otherwise, I fear you will be burned to death by the volcanic core fire!" The maid, pushing God of Fire's wheelchair, had already headed toward the forge, but she did not forget to remind Thaumas.

Thaumas hurried to keep up, not daring to slack off. In this massive temple, one could easily get lost if they weren't careful.

He was not yet familiar with the layout of this place; if he took a wrong turn, getting a scolding would be considered a reward.

Passing through a long bronze corridor, Along the way, Thaumas saw many novel objects, such as vases that could "take care" of themselves?

They must also be the work of the goddess God of Fire. After all, it was hard to imagine a vase that could water itself, fertilize itself, and even know how to prune—a fully automated, integrated system.

According to the little maid, these were decorations made on a whim back when she was crafting the temple for the goddess Demeter.

It was just that Demeter didn't like them; the goddess of agriculture preferred to do things herself, so this batch of vases was left here.

After walking for a long time, Thaumas finally saw a massive bronze door, engraved with countless flame patterns, appearing grand and imposing.

God of Fire raised her hand and gave a light wave, and the great bronze door opened immediately.

As the door opened, a wave of scorching heat rushed toward him, the searing air making Thaumas feel miserable.

He hurriedly took out the ointment he carried with him and applied some to his body, barely managing to endure the violent heatwave.

This place was the forge of the God of Fire, connected to the interior of this volcano of unknown age.

"Eat this, otherwise the ointment alone won't be enough to block the pure Earth Vein Fire. This is fire fused with magic and divine power; mortals cannot withstand it."

God of Fire suddenly said to him, gesturing for the little maid to deliver the pill in her hand to Thaumas.

After receiving it, Thaumas swallowed it without the slightest hesitation.

Ah—it's so bitter! Is the medicine of the gods this bitter too?

"Thank you, Lady Goddess."

After swallowing it, a sense of coolness rose from his stomach and spread throughout his body. Suddenly, he felt the heatwave subside.

No, it should be said that to him, the heatwave had become "warm."

It worked so quickly; as expected of the medicine of the gods.

Come to think of it, God of Fire is actually quite gentle! Being two-faced, the tsundere act is already out of style!

"Hey, hey—ah!"

Before he could think of anything more disrespectful, God of Fire had already reached out to summon the chain on his hand and yanked him over.

Because it happened so suddenly, Thaumas fell heavily to the ground.

"First, you must call me Master God of Fire.

Second, even in your heart, speaking ill of your master is an act of disrespect," God of Fire said calmly.

"Ri-right! Lady Goddess!"

Looking at the stubborn Thaumas, God of Fire was not angry; after all, taming a wild horse was far more fulfilling.

"Since Athena asked me to help you craft that divine artifact, you should understand your position."

As she spoke, she pulled the bellows, and the molten lava roared in the furnace as unimaginable magic power gathered toward this spot.

"I will not give you what you want right now. Athena wants you to obtain the power of the gods, but that was a joke from the very beginning."

The patterns on her face were glowing; she was currently utilizing her authority.

"That group of gods all have their own agendas. If we had been united, we wouldn't have lost our true forms during the Second Divine War."

"Therefore, you must prove it to me, prove it to the God of Fire, whether you have the ability to make all the gods favor you! This is the face I am giving Athena; otherwise, your faith in Hera alone would be enough to get you killed."

This was the first time the cold God of Fire had spoken so many words to Thaumas.

After speaking, she picked up her forging hammer, which was imbued with her divine power and authority.

Just like that, right in front of Thaumas, she placed a piece of bronze that had been tempered for a long time into the furnace, then, ignoring the scorching magma, she hammered it blow by blow.

"Watch every one of my steps closely; I will teach you how to craft an object that can truly be called a 'weapon'."

"These tools of mine can help you forge divine artifacts. Even if you are a mortal, if you cannot produce a decent item within this month, you won't need to leave."

To make a human individual known as a hero learn the forging techniques of the gods.

This was the trial of the God of Fire!

The test to earn her favor!

If he could not even accomplish this step, then Athena's attempt to have him gather the favor and authority of the gods to confront the enemy was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

Just as she had said, he had to prove it to her in the way the gods loved most!