The next day, inside the void...

The ice in Arnold's hands started melting away. Just enough for his fingers and palm to be wet and lessen the burning pain. There was a small cut on his wrist too. It didn't look much but It was deep. The pain from such a small wound was quite unbearable. It all happened so suddenly that his hands almost got burned from the hellfire. But thanks to his [Devil's Advocate] skill, no harm was done to him by the fire. Yet the wound on his left wrist was enough to knock some sense into him.

'There's no way I can get through it that way.' Arnold thought, after sealing of the wound with ice. 

The skin around the wound, already felt as chilled as it would if you put your hands inside the freezer and leave it there for an hour. However, it didn't bother him much, he was used to the cold. The bleeding finally stopped as he open and close his hands to get rid of the cold and stick it back in his pocket to warm up. He stared at the little thing that caused such a mess, such a small piece of metal... maybe a third of a millimetre long, a metallic splinter. 

"I need to be more careful... If a splinter can cause such a mess, then God knows what'll happen if a bigger piece of it falls on my legs..." Arnold shook his head and went back to work. He simply didn't have the time to clear his mess. 

He had separated the molten metal to make three 'bullets' from it. But shaping them up was yet another herculean task. He had to put all of his strength to make a small dent on the cold metal. And during one of these hammer strikes, a small part of the metal flew up and got stuck to his wrist. The next thing he felt was pain. 

His face got twisted with agony as the small part of celestial silver burned it's way deeper into his arm. Blood came out of the wound like a fountain show. Thanks to Arnold's quick thinking not much damage was done while the burning pain was eased by the ice. 

"Damn these radiation burns-"

___

Resistance to radiation increased due to prolonged exposure to celestial radiation. 

Resistance increased by +0.5%

Current resistance: 0.5%

Warning! 

Be careful. Exposure to radiation in larger quantities might lead to health complications. It is recommended to limit contact with radioactive material to prevent unnecessary problems. 

Recommended limit: 600 grains (39gms) 

___ 

"Huh... I'm definitely exposed to way more than just 39 grams." Arnold mumbled as he looked around the forge to find himself surrounded with three bullets, each weighing around 43 grams or 660 grains.

(Author's Note: The bullet grain or "gr" is the basic weight of the bullet. One grain is equal to 0.064 gram (or 1/7,000th of a pound). The grain does not refer to the amount of gunpowder in each bullet, it is the weight of the projectile that fires from the barrel aka the bullet.) 

He quickly gathered the rest of the material and threw them back in his inventory. Radiation was not a fire that he could play with... Well, fire isn't a thing one should play with either for that matter. Anyways, it was better to be safe than sorry. 

At that moment the daily reminder of his emergency question went off. 

___

EMERGENCY QUEST: Deal with the Devil

• [ INTRODUCTION ]: The system signed a deal with the devil to keep you from dying. Although you managed to survive, there is a cost to pay. Only cosmic creatures are allowed to wield mythical affinities and even then, only a few can use them without causing self-harm. You, however, tried to learn something that was beyond your limits and hence you were on the verge of dying. The reconfigurations that were done to your body are what keeps you alive, but it's only temporary. Complete your ascension quest and live but if you're not able to do so... You'll die. 

[ TASK ]: complete the Ascension quest and evolve into a ascended being within 14 days, or else the reconfigurations applied to your body would be reversed and you will inevitably die. 

[ PROGRESS ] : 0/1 Ascension Quest completed

[ REWARDS FOR COMPLETION ] :

• Live your life. 

Days remaining: 05/14 

___

"Five days remain huh... I can do this. Thankfully, the system is counting the actual number of days not the days I've spent inside the void."

When the system informed him that he had five days to complete the ascension quest. It meant 5 days of the outside world, not of the void. It was simply because Arnold had received the emergency quest while he was bedridden in the black estate. Essentially it meant he received the quest while he was in the outside world, thus the countdown of the quest had been calibrated according to the time of the real world. Hence when the system informed him he had 5 days to complete the quest, it meant Arnold had 15 days inside the void to complete it. 

Without his void, he'd have been screwed monumentally and would most probably be six feet under the ground by now. But it was an essential lesson for him to learn: when you receive a quest, drop everything and complete it first. Especially the ones who had a penalty like death! 

Luck wouldn't always be by his to help him out. If he kept screwing up, he would go down the drain in no time.

'Enough thinking. Time to work!' He lightly slapped himself to retain his focus and once again started hammering the metal with all his might. 

***

12 (void) days later... 

Arnold's unkempt, overgrown beard was drenched in sweat, just like the rest of his body. The nerves in his hands were popping out. His biceps had increased significantly as if he was running on drugs. His sleepless, bloodshot eyes were tearless. He hadn't slept in God knows how long yet he didn't felt tired. Instead, he was elated! Adrenaline was rushing through his body like never before.

Working on the bullets proved to be worse than anything. But now it was done... He had created a relic. He had finished the ascension quest! 

But before he could use the probe skill to look at his latest creation. His interface was lit up with multiple messages. He could barely keep up with them as they kept popping up before he could even close them. 

___

You've created a Relic.

EXP: +50,000

First cosmic ranked Relic created:

EXP: +100,000

The first Relic created:

EXP: +50,000

The first human to create a relic:

EXP: +70000

[You can not level up.]

[Excess EXP will be stored for future use.]

[Current EXP: 1,184,596]

You've achieved a new title! 

Name: [Forgemaster]

[This is a title exclusive to the human known as ×Arnold Ling×, which he achieved after successfully creating the first cosmic relic in modern human history.]

Effect(s):

• When working with new material for the first time, a special knowledge related to the material is unlocked in the shop which can be obtained for free. 

• Gain 10% more EXP from forging. 

___

"Free knowledge? I'll take it! But I haven't-" He was cut off with the appearance of yet another message. 

___

Congratulations! You've successfully completed the ascension quest.

It might be painful but everything comes at a price. Please remain calm during the process. It is recommended you go in your domain to prevent unnecessary complications. You'll be notified once the process is complete. Do not panic till the notification appears on your interface. 

The ascension will now begin. 

___

"I'm having second thoughts about- AAAARRGGGHHHH!"

The void resounded with bloodcurdling screams. His mouth, lungs, heart and soul were all being crushed simultaneously. He thought it was painful when the system intervened and saved his life after he forcefully learned the mythical [Nature] affinity, now he stood corrected. This was hell. 

The insides of his body were continuously being ripped apart and then sewn back together. Whenever he opened his mouth, a stream of blood and guts rushed out. His eyes, nose, ears were all bleeding profusely. The pain only grew more and more unbearable. He gritted his teeth together to muffle the screams but couldn't. The pain was too much. 

He fell on his knees, begging for the pain to stop. But there was no one to help him out. Alice, Bad-breath and a few others rushed into the forge after hearing his screams but there was some kind of a forcefield around Arnold that separated him from the rest of them. Bad-breath tried to break through the forcefield, but couldn't. They could only stand there was watch Arnold puke his guts out and bleed in misery. 

Alice kept banging her hands on the forcefield to break it, but what could a mere healer do to against a forcefield that not even Bad-Breath could put a dent on. Arnold kept screaming in agony. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the pain gradually reduced and the forcefield dissipated. 

___

Ascension complete! 

Checking vital signs... Complete. 

Checking for abnormalities... Complete. 

User's health is in perfect condition. 

You're the third human to ascend to a cosmic being. 

Please wait while the system converts gained EXP into levels... 

• You've gained 100 levels. 

• 400 attribute points have been added. 

• 200 potential points have been added. 

• Rank boosted to Cosmic B.

• The shop is now open with new items.

• The system is back online.

Once again, congratulations. The road will only get worse from here on out. Be prepared. 

___

Arnold spat out a mouthful of blood and looked at the interface with anger and disgust. 

"Fck... You..." He weakly mumbled before once again collapsing on the ground.