Legend tells of a legendary bodybuilder whose dedication to bodybuilding was the stuff of legend. He traveled the lands in search of volcanos to temper himself, training in the midst of ongoing calamities.

Over time, experiencing volcanic eruptions of all kinds, he had become so strong, in fact, that even dormant volcanoes would erupt when he came nearby from overexposure to his pure dedication to experiencing volcanoes!

When others saw him, especially angels, they could not help but exclaim due to his sheer awesomeness, and attractiveness. Bringing such happiness to others was a service Lex was more than happy to do. After all, there was no charge for-

BANG!

Orin’s hammer smashed Lex’s face once more, waking him up from his disoriented, hallucinating state.

It has been nine hundred and ninety nine hours since the forging started, and the process had really, genuinely tested Lex on a fundamental level. Orin himself was not strong enough to harm Lex, nor was the weight of the lava atop him. But the pressure exerted from all the ingredients fused into the Karmic Bead could negate Lex’s defenses, affecting him in ways he had never experienced before.

Since the bead was supposed to be a conduit for Karma, more and more the pressure it exerted affected Lex’s and Orion’s Karma directly. His body was strong enough to withstand any strike from Orin, Deity or not, but if the attack came via his Karma, bypassing all his physical, spiritual and soul defenses, then what Lex suffered was pure damage.

If this were a video game, then what Lex would be suffering could be classified as True damage - damage that would be inflicted regardless of the target’s armor and defenses. In such a situation, Lex could do naught but tough it out. Fortunately, while his defenses were being negated, his healing factor was still in play.

Since Lex’s own blood was an ultimate panacea, it sped up his recovery.

But not all was a loss. This damage that Lex was suffering actually made it so that the effects of his body tempering were more effective than he could have anticipated. The lava was no longer just ordinary lava - it was now a mixture of tens of thousands of immortal level ingredients and resources which had been melted and would be absorbed by the Karmic bead. As it so happened, Lex too absorbed some of them from time to time as his body recovered, strengthening him immensely.

If previously Lex had begun to lament that he had fallen back in terms of defense, then after this experience that would no longer be true. Via the fundamental nature of his unusual existence, once this was done, Lex’s body, spirit and soul would be as close to indestructible as an Earth Immortal could possibly ever be.

"Hang in there," Orin spoke, not with his spirit sense but with his words, as he used both hands to swing his mighty hammer, putting his utmost strength into each swing now. Above the volcano, black clouds had accumulated, and each time he swung, a bolt of lightning would flash from the sky and would strike the back of his hammer, making each strike all the more devastating.

Divine energy mixed in with sheer force, affecting both the bead and Lex in miraculous ways that only divine energy could.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine," said Lex, as if he hadn’t just been hallucinating a recreation of one of the most incredible movies ever made with himself as the protagonist instead.

"I’m talking to myself, kid," Orin exclaimed, right before another mighty swing. "I’m running out of divine energy a lot quicker than I imagined. I miscalculated how much divine energy would be used up in tempering your body. At this rate, I’m going to have to begin the Divine Hammer ritual ahead of schedule."

Lex groaned as he struggled to think clearly under the powerful impact of each swing.

"If you run critically low, let me know. I have a store of divine energy too - I can transfer it to you."

Orin didn’t respond, instead focusing all his strength into his next swing.

Outside the volcano, thousands of dwarves had gathered, encircling the wondrous structure in a perfect circle. As if they had received some kind of signal, all of them simultaneously pulled out hammers, and as one, began to bang the empty anvils in front of them. With each slam, they concluded a round of veneration towards Orin, creating divine energy in the process - divine energy which naturally flowed towards Orin and refilled his reserves.

For a time, a delicate balance was reached. Thousands of dwarves together created enough divine energy to support Orin, but his reserves never increased. He used up just as much as he got - meaning that if they stopped, he would end up back exactly where he was. They would just have to hope that the dwarves could last long enough.

As the thousandth hour approached, Luthor appeared on the tip of the volcano, wielding his most potent Hellfire.

The myths and legends of hell punishing evil doers and sinners did not originate from nothing. One of the most potent types of Hellfires was one that directly attacked karma, and it was one of the most lethal fires in existence.

While Luthor himself had not yet reached the level where he gained such a fire, his own Hellfire was already on the path towards it, so...

Luthor dropped a crystal ball containing a green, malevolent fire into the volcano. Contained within that small crystal ball was the result of months of accumulation, and the moment it touched the lava, the crystal ball broke, letting the fire loose.

The green flames spread quickly, converting the lava into something much more dastardly, and yet, Luthor’s fire was merely one more ingredient that would be used - not even the final one.

Once he completed his task, Luthor was technically done, but he did not leave. Instead, he stayed back and watched. In fact, he wasn’t even the only one watching.

Z liked to believe that Lex himself was a secret powerhouse pretending to be weak. While that may or may not be true, what no one could deny was the absolute work and dedication Lex put into the Inn.

So while there was nothing they could do in the situation, many of the Inn workers who were free silently gathered and watched. If witnessing his efforts was all the support they could provide Lex - if their presence added even the slightest hint of moral support for him and made his job easier - then they would stand there and watch.

It wasn’t as if they didn’t want to do more. It was just that sometimes, being there for one another was all they could really do. So that’s what they did. After all, what else was family for?

Z, who was lying back on a beach chair, sipped on magical coconut water. Being there didn’t mean he had to stand. Behind the lens of his sunglasses, an anime was playing with no volume. It was fine - he was reading subs anyway.