The Forging Island's platform sat crowded for once. Frame-grade stone from the Abyss haul stacked beside crates of Calamity-grade ore pulled from the Hollow Cloister's vaults, and beside all of it sat the small, quiet weight of ten fragments pulled from a dead pantheon weeks earlier.
"We're not using monster cores this time," John said, turning one of the fragments over in his hand. "Hunting a Calamity-9 every time we want a gear isn't sustainable. It's dangerous and slow, and honestly, we've got better options sitting in storage."
Chuthulos floated closer, clearly intrigued. "Exotic ignition. Riskier than a proven monster core, but potentially far more interesting. What did you have in mind?"
"These two." John set down the Fragment of the Unwritten Verdict and the Fragment of the Final Kindness, both SSS-rank. Both hummed with a weight that felt almost patient, like they'd been waiting specifically for this.
