Atlas Territory (7)
Staring at the Saint's Sword, Hyun-soo felt a single certainty settle in.
The Saint's Sword isn't some inherently exceptional blade. Someone poured tremendous power into an otherwise mediocre sword.
Every metric proved the Saint's Sword was nothing special.
Even a quick glance at its artifact details showed it barely scraped rare grade, let alone legendary.
But that inexplicable power infused by some unknown figure.
That's probably what makes it the 'saint's' sword.
And as he gazed at it, another thought struck him.
In the real world, master craftsmen don't restore the swords of ordinary soldiers.
It was simple logic.
If a restoration happened, the sword's original owner wouldn't be some foot soldier—he'd be a hero whose legend endured.
Real-world smiths focused their restorations on famed blades.
And restoring those legendary swords was no easy task.
They had to recreate that razor edge, the flawless balance, the inherent beauty—every perfect detail.
Which made restoring some run-of-the-mill sword child's play for Hyun-soo.
And then there's this.
Asnium.
Amusingly, even the original materials in this Saint's Sword weren't anything remarkable.
Now add legendary Asnium to the mix.
Even a fool could see it.
A superior craftsman.
Superior materials.
An easy restoration job to boot.
This restoration vastly surpasses the original creator.
The sword becomes sharper and superior.
Its special functions improve dramatically, with physical attack power and durability seeing massive increases.
The holy power within the ore manifests.
Hyun-soo didn't actually have a restoration skill, truth be told.
But there was a restore button.
Pressing it did nothing to the sword for him.
It only showed the restoration process.
For other smiths, it would activate the skill itself.
And Hyun-soo had already entered a state of extreme focus.
Restoration work was pure joy, even just imagining it.
A sword planted in the earth by a saint eight centuries ago.
Rusted by time, brittle enough to snap at a touch—but its nobility endured.
And proof of that nobility lived right here: the territory's residents.
His people now.
Hyun-soo, who could barely swim and would just bob his mouth above water if he fell in, meant it sincerely.
Why else would they stay in this rundown territory for eight hundred years?
It was that nobility.
Hyun-soo wanted to protect their noble spirit.
And at the restoration's end, the messages chimed.
This is the most perfect restoration method.
No one else could restore the Saint's Sword so superbly.
Restoration complete.
The experience and knowledge of a master craftsman infuse it, making it superior to the original Saint's Sword.
Legendary grade.
Disappointingly, the grade itself hadn't risen.
No, it'd be weirder if it had.
The original Saint's Sword was a mess when broken down to its components.
The silver lining? Hyun-soo's handiwork might have elevated it to true legendary power.
Then, spotting an unexpected alert, Hyun-soo's eyes went wide.
What... what did it say...?
He let out a scream.
"Nooo! No, no, noooo! It's ruined...!"
Ruined. Hyun-soo could only wail in despair.
His hands clenched, tearing at his hair without thinking.
Blacksmith's Soul activates.
You immersed yourself more deeply than anyone in crafting this sword.
Your obsession to create a superior Saint's Sword resonated deeply with those who guarded this place for eight centuries across generations.
The Saint's Sword advances one step further.
Legend Above Legend grade.
The alert clearly said he'd gained something superior.
This Saint's Sword was now masterpiece tier.
That was why he wailed.
This thing's a bugged item...!
Bugged items always got recalled in the end.
Even if he'd crafted something phenomenal, Hyun-soo couldn't keep it.
But he steadied his breathing.
I just got overexcited because it turned out so well.
Confirming it again made his vision swim.
Can you blame me...?
This third masterpiece artifact was a sword he desperately wanted to own.
And what shocked Hyun-soo most was this.
Holy crap... does this even make sense?
The original Saint's Sword was deemed buggy because of its absurd Saint's Blessing skill.
Consumable, sure—but with a whopping 200 uses.
No cooldown either, so unless someone one-shot its HP to zero, the owner was immortal.
Until those 200 uses ran out!
That was straight-up broken. Like:
With this, I could solo Demon Grout by myself.
Yeah, as long as levels weren't 250 apart, it was huntable.
Infinite regen? This blew it away.
And now, the already demon-slaying Saint's Blessing had gotten even better.
This is insanely broken.
Hyun-soo gave a wry smile.
That's when Karn and the residents approached.
***
Karn and the residents watched Hyun-soo in hushed awe, strange emotions stirring within them.
Four whole days.
They'd slept, eaten.
The new lord? Not a wink, not a bite.
And Karn was the most moved.
He knew the territory's history better than most.
Watching Hyun-soo, he wondered:
Did our ancestors feel this way gazing at the saint?
No. He was certain.
They'd respect this lord even more.
We'd prayed for eight centuries that the Saint's Sword wouldn't shatter.
Yet we'd slept and ate through four days.
But the new lord poured every one of those four days into restoring it.
For us!
He skipped sleep for us!
A lord who cherishes his people!
Of course, they misunderstood because they didn't grasp his crafting method.
Half-true, though—his heart was in it.
So their respect for Hyun-soo grew daily.
Then his scream, clutching his head.
Restoration failed, they thought.
But Karn and the residents exchanged glances.
He's still our lord.
He gave his all for us.
I serve Hyun-soo now, not the saint.
Eyes reddening, they approached.
Hyun-soo saw the grubby residents drawing near.
Many had teary eyes.
Why the weird reactions?
Karn bowed deeply.
"My lord, even without the Saint's Sword, it's fine."
"He's right!"
"You failed to restore it, but you've become more important to us than the first lord!"
"Lord Hyun-soo, even without the Saint's Sword, we'll forge something like it together from now on!"
"We'll be your people alone!"
They pledged with fervor.
The ten thousand residents of Atlas Territory respect and cherish you.
They will never betray you and will devote themselves fully to developing the territory for you.
Acquire 10 Charisma.
Acquire 30 Fame.
But what was this?
"What are you talking about? The Saint's Sword restoration was a resounding success. Way better than before."
"Pardon...?"
They flashed back to his earlier outburst.
"Then why just now...?"
"...There's a reason."
Hyun-soo's chest tightened with emotion.
He confidently offered the Saint's Sword to Karn.
"See for yourself. What you've guarded all this time."
Karn's heart burned.
What they'd protected for eight centuries.
Confirming it, his heart nearly stopped.
Reeling, he stared at the sword in disbelief.
In that moment, a thought flashed through Karn's mind.
This man might surpass even the saint.
The sword's upgraded performance was that astonishing.
And to his incredulous expression, Hyun-soo said:
"I'm your lord now."
***
China branch chief Tao rushed to the Special User Management Team in a sprint.
Barging in, he couldn't hide his shock.
The team looked utterly drained, like they'd been stabbed.
Dark circles hollowed their eyes.
Their necks craned turtle-like, stiff from days hunched over.
Takeout cups piled dozens high before each; ashtrays bristled like porcupines with butts.
Team leader Wang was the worst.
Unwashed for days, his crisp suit rumpled.
Tao pushed it aside.
He'd heard the reports.
And Atlas incidents fell squarely under his responsibility.
Confirming the restored Saint's Sword left him speechless.
◈ Durability: Infinite
◈ Attack Power: 501
◈ Restriction: Lord of Atlas
◈ Special Abilities:
◈ Holy Power 26%
◈ Physical & Magic Attack Power +60% vs. Evil
◈ Active Skill: Eye That Sees the People
◈ Passive Skill: With the Gods
◈ Active Skill: Begone
◈ Active Skill: Holy Protection
◈ Active Skill: Saint's Blessing
◈ The sacred relic of Atlas, designated by the founding lord saint. A blade dulled by ages, vastly improved by a master craftsman's touch.
Tao's eyes shook.
What... what is this?
Team leader Wang spoke in disbelief.
"Branch chief, I've never seen anything like this in my life. Chief Jin's minor goof turned into a real bug because of that user."
Tao agreed completely.
A tiny mistake birthed a true bug.
He steadied his chest.
The crux was Saint's Blessing.
Everything hinged on its power.
Checking it, Tao lost his words.
He fully endorsed Wang's view.
A harmless error met a user and became a dangerous bug...
Saint's Blessing
Active Skill
Mana Cost: None
Cooldown: None
Uses Available: 450/450
Activates full HP & MP recovery.
Uses up from 200 to 450—an extra 250.
Now MP filled to 100% too.
Tao's vision darkened.
Hand to forehead, he staggered.
As noted, all responsibility was his.
Meaning:
"With a sword like this, what do we offer in negotiations to reclaim it?"
Tao resented user Hyun-soo.
He'd led their nation to defeat in the continental war.
But the China branch had to offer their utmost rewards to retrieve that sword.
***
To Hyun-soo, something mattered more than the Saint's Sword.
This territory holds something special.
Something that could turn his despairing Hyun's Forge into hope.
Karn, eyes brimming with respect, spoke.
"The Atlas Territory left by the saint is an ancient domain."
As expected.
"Once, it was a grand territory. You can tell from the vast lands."
Even Goyad Kingdom lacked such grandeur.
"The kingdom's mightiest grand territory, overflowing with talent, mighty soldiers, and countless residents driving its growth."
Then Karn shared the tragic tale.
"They all met death on the same day, becoming ancients. And a legend passed down."
One of Lee Se-jin's dozens of hooks.
Ares had no buy-residents-or-troops-with-gold button.
But this was the one viable path.
"Countless people who built a grand territory in ancient times. Grand territory Atlas."
Karn looked at Hyun-soo.
"When the true lord arrives, all the sleepers awaken."