Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Irreparable (2)
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The moment he woke, Hyun-soo headed out to check on the Bell of Ramas.
“Excuse me!”
He turned his head, a quizzical look on his face at the sudden sound of a woman’s voice.
‘A user…?’
The person who had called out to him was a female user. And a very beautiful one, at that.
She looked to be about 166cm tall, with impressively long hair and deep brown eyes.
Her snow-white skin exuded an air of pure innocence.
‘What is it?’
Hyun-soo tilted his head as the woman who had spoken to him simply stared, a blank expression on her face.
Nel quickly shook her head.
‘Snap out of it. He’s just a con artist.’
Of course, jumping to conclusions was a dangerous thing to do.
But in Nel’s experience, she had never heard of a level 40 user repairing an irreparable artifact.
‘If something like that were even possible in the first place…’
Ares was home to a great many irreparable artifacts.
For instance, the bow of the legendary archer Kaya, discovered by a tomb raider, was also an irreparable artifact.
Countless people had attempted to repair that bow.
But they had all failed.
‘Because the system won't help.’
As a legendary artifact, that bow would be worth an astronomical amount if it were simply repaired.
But the fact that it was irreparable served only as an example to show that such artifacts had once existed.
‘If he could repair it, would he just go around fixing all of them?’
Nel crossed her arms.
“If you’re planning to profit off the failing Cassel territory, you’d best give up. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Hm?”
Hearing her words, Hyun-soo tilted his head again before realizing who she was.
“Kal told me about you. You're from the Golden Shield Guild, aren't you?”
“Yes, now you get it? I’m an Advanced Blacksmith. I know for a fact that the Bell of Ramas can’t be repaired.”
With her arms crossed, she even shifted her weight onto one leg.
Hyun-soo gave a bitter smile and turned to inspect the Bell of Ramas.
(Bell of Ramas)
Grade: Epic
Durability: Irreparable
Special Abilities:
·Weakens undead within a 5km radius of the territory where the Bell of Ramas is located by 20%.
·Increases the attack and defense power of those fighting undead by 6%.
·Increases the vitality of the territory's residents by 5%.
·Decreases the probability of drought in the territory by 10%.
·Increases the probability of good crop growth by 20%.
Description: The Bell of Ramas that protects the Cassel territory. It has been completely destroyed and cannot be repaired.
The Bell of Ramas had lost its form.
The once-white bell was completely shattered, its remains nothing more than a pile of debris.
He ran a hand over it.
[The Bell of Ramas is an irreparable artifact.]
Hyun-soo carefully examined the Bell of Ramas, studying what materials it was made of and how it had been crafted.
‘I was actually kind of hoping.’
Hyun-soo had even held out hope that he might be able to repair it with ease.
Just as he had acquired God’s Emergency Production, the description for the God of Blacksmiths’ effect had said that new skills could be unlocked by performing blacksmithing-related tasks.
He thought a new divine skill might unlock the moment he touched it.
‘Let’s not get ahead of myself.’
Hyun-soo shook his head. Relying on the system was not a good habit.
He picked up a shattered fragment and examined it more calmly.
The materials were surprisingly ordinary.
But there was one difference.
‘Is this imbued with divine power?’
Behind the cold touch he expected from the metal, he felt an unidentifiable warmth.
Looking closer, he could see a faint light emanating from it.
Just then, Nel realized the man had no intention of listening to her warning.
“Hey, I’d really appreciate it if you’d just stop what you’re doing.”
At that moment.
Hyun-soo dropped the fragment he was holding onto the ground.
And then.
Crunch—
He stomped on it with his foot.
Nel was bewildered.
Hyun-soo, tilting his head, pulled a hammer from his inventory. He struck the fragment with all his might.
Clang—!
The fragment shattered into dozens of pieces. Nel could only blink, her eyes wide at the absurd scene unfolding before her.
“H-Hey, wait a minute. Stop.”
Finally, Nel grabbed his arm. Though she was a blacksmith, Nel was a high-level player at level 290.
Her strength stat was far superior to his.
But she immediately felt a sense of puzzlement.
‘What…? Why is a level 40 so… strong…?’
It felt as if he were at least level 100.
Of course, even that was a trivial level to Nel.
More importantly, Hyun-soo was still smashing the pieces.
“Stop it! I know it’s an irreparable artifact, but what are you doing, breaking it even more?”
She wasn't usually this type of person, but she decided a physical confrontation was unavoidable.
Just then.
“I think I can repair it.”
“…What? What are you talking about?”
Hyun-soo gave a bitter smile as he looked down at the completely pulverized fragments.
The completely pulverized fragments.
He had clearly stomped on them and smashed them further. They had been reduced to pieces like shattered glass, but Hyun-soo saw it clearly.
‘No matter how much you break or damage it, the divine power held by the material doesn't disappear.’
The reason Hyun-soo had told Kal he couldn't make any promises was because of what he had learned while making the Tiger Blade.
Even for Hyun-soo, there were things he could and could not do.
The reason he could imbue the Tiger Blade with divine power during an Emergency Production was because the Tiger Blade was a sword designed for that purpose from the start.
If he wasn't crafting something like that, even Hyun-soo couldn't infuse an artifact with divine power.
Furthermore, the centurion named Render had said it.
Artifacts imbued with divine power could only be made by the church's blacksmiths or with the church's materials.
The reason only the church's materials worked was that those materials were already imbued with divine power.
‘These shattered materials also possess divine power. No matter what physical impact they suffer, no matter how they’re altered.’
That divine power does not change.
“How on earth do you plan to repair this?”
But Hyun-soo understood her.
He also recognized that she was a good person.
‘She cares a great deal for the Cassel territory.’
And when Kal had spoken of her, he had worn an incredibly apologetic expression.
He was the Knight Commander, no less.
Why? Because she was doing her best for them. Besides, he couldn't just say that what was possible was impossible.
“I have to repair it.”
“I know, but how are you going to repair something that’s irreparable? It’s an irreparable artifact. You can’t get any help from the system, and the auto-repair button doesn’t even show up.”
“…You don’t necessarily need those things to perform a repair.”
“…What?”
Nel’s pupils trembled. The man’s expression was sincere.
‘What does he mean…? You don’t necessarily need those things to perform a repair…?’
Then how was he going to fix it…?
Nel’s mind grew complicated.
Looking at the man’s face, he was being genuine, but in her experience, it was impossible.
Incomprehensible thoughts clashed endlessly, and Nel, at a loss for words, simply stared at him.
Boom, boom, boom—!
Her complex thoughts were shattered by the loud, reverberating sound of a drum.
“The undead are gathering!”
“They’re breaking through!”
And from atop the castle walls, Commander Kal shouted.
“I declare a state of emergency for the territory! All residents, excluding women, children, and the elderly, are to gather with anything that can be used as a weapon!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Furthermore, those who cannot fight are to begin preparing for evacuation immediately!”
Nel’s face hardened.
The conversation she had just had with the man was instantly forgotten.
She dashed towards the castle wall.
And there she saw a massive number of undead beginning to assemble.
The land of the undead, located nearby.
Those creatures had finally decided to claim this place as their new home.
An alert immediately sounded.
[The Cassel Territory update will begin shortly.]
[The Cassel Territory update is scheduled to last for one week.]
[After the Cassel Territory update, an undead territory will be established.]
Updates in Ares happened in various ways.
Story-based updates were one of the most common formats.
Moreover, CEO Lee Se-jin had once said:
‘Unwanted updates? In Ares, even those can be changed if the users work together. That’s because Ares strives for a high degree of freedom.’
The users had been delighted by that. An update was, literally, Pureum Inc. presenting a new story.
In cases like this, users were free to participate.
But Nel knew the reality.
‘Less than 10% of updates ever get overturned…’
She ran towards Knight Commander Kal.
“Commander…!”
“…You haven’t left yet? You must evacuate at once.”
Commander Kal looked at Nel with a bitter expression.
“I will help, too.”
“Thank you. I will make sure you are handsomely rewarded for your efforts.”
Commander Kal’s eyes were filled with sorrow.
His gaze seemed to say:
‘If we survive, that is.’
***
After finishing his conversation with Nel, Commander Kal hurriedly entered the lord’s castle.
Quickly dropping to one knee before the lord, Kal reported to Lord Kerun.
“The battle will begin soon. You must evacuate. And there is still hope. A blacksmith by the name of Hyun-soo…”
Unfortunately, Lord Kerun was sitting in his chair, drinking.
Listening to the report with a mournful expression, he shook his head.
“I will not flee.”
Lord Kerun took a swig of his drink and let out a hollow laugh.
“How could I abandon the territory I built with my own hands and run away, leaving my soldiers behind!”
Kal wore a bitter expression.
He was a good man.
He shouted such things while being consumed by fear, downing his drink. He was a man who normally never touched alcohol.
And now, Lord Kerun would remain here, if only by the courage lent by his drink.
Furthermore, if his soldiers were annihilated, he would die with them. And under the influence, Lord Kerun became more honest.
“Commander Kal.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“…Cast aside such false hope. It is an impossible task. This blacksmith you reported on, Hyun-soo. Do you truly believe it’s possible?”
Kal could not answer. In truth, he had held a sliver of hope.
But Lord Kerun’s words shook him.
“You saw it yourself. The Bell of Ramas isn’t just broken or cracked. It’s shattered. Shattered into dozens of pieces. To repair that? Even if it weren’t irreparable, it would be an incredibly difficult item to fix in the first place.”
It was true.
It wasn't something that could be repaired in the conventional sense. Even after saying so, Lord Kerun took another drink and laughed in anguish.
“And yet, if he succeeds…”
He, too, was only human and held onto a sliver of hope.
“What would I not give him? He who saved my territory and my soldiers…!”
“…You are right.”
Commander Kal nodded his head.
Soon, Kerun gestured for him to leave. As Kal departed, Kerun shook his head again.
“It’s impossible, impossible… It can never be repaired…”
He took another drink, his expression mournful.
***
‘It can’t be repaired.’
Hyun-soo came to a conclusion as he entered the smithy and swept the remains of the Bell of Ramas onto the floor.
But Hyun-soo had told Nel he could do it.
Boom-boom-boom—
Hearing the drums echoing from outside, Hyun-soo let out a small smile.
He quickly began to sketch something on a piece of parchment with a pencil.
‘There’s no help from the system, but it can be physically affected.’
When he stomped on it and struck it with a hammer, the bell had clearly taken damage.
The fact that it took damage meant that the system's restriction was that ‘auto-repair’ was impossible, not that manual work was.
Furthermore, no matter what impact the materials sustained, they did not lose their divine power.
Having finished sketching the blueprint for the bell, Hyun-soo pinned it to a wall.
Yes, the Bell of Ramas could not be repaired.
“In that case, I just have to melt down the materials and make it again.”
That was the conclusion Hyun-soo had reached.
