Chapter 141
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: God's Hammer
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"What the...???"
Everyone in the waiting room had their eyes wide open in shock, but I was probably the most surprised of them all.
'I just blocked the mana sensation...?'
I had no idea what the man was up to, but since I could sense mana, I blocked it to stop whatever trick he was pulling. So why on earth did the dagger suddenly start glowing and explode?
"M-My dagger! Fergus, you bastard! This isn't what you promised!"
"Th-That can't be! It should have definitely succeeded...!"
"It's shattered! How the hell is this [Enhancement]?!"
Regardless of the others' shock, Anthony and that man... Fergus? Why does the fake name fit the situation so well anyway...
In any case, the man called Fergus and Anthony started bickering heatedly, as if they knew why the dagger had exploded. I quietly distanced myself, pretending it had nothing to do with me.
"Everyone. Lord Vulcan is on his way...... What is this situation?"
Right on cue, the cleric who had returned to the waiting room frowned at Anthony and Fergus in the midst of their argument.
"I clearly said that causing another disturbance would mean disqualification. And where did you put the equipment? I told you to place it out."
"W-Well, it's..."
After entering the room, the cleric spotted the shattered remnants of the dagger and flew into a rage.
Anthony tried to make excuses, claiming that the adventurer Fergus had arbitrarily tampered with his weapon and broken it, but since Anthony was the one who had brought the adventurer along as his companion in the first place, both he and Fergus were kicked out of the temple.
".....What just happened?"
Miranda looked dumbfounded beside me, but I was recalling the word Anthony had uttered before being thrown out.
'...[Enhancement]...'
Watching his weapon shatter, Anthony had spat out the word "enhancement." And as someone from Korea who had played all sorts of online games, that word sounded all too familiar.
'No way... Does he have the ability to "enhance" weapons like in online games as a skill? And it explodes on failure?'
That would explain why the weapon suddenly blew up. He probably tried it on the spur of the moment because he thought he'd lose against the weapon Miranda made...
'Tsk tsk. Enhancement is the expressway to ruin.'
I felt pity for this otherworlder who had thrown a mithril weapon into enhancement and blown it up.
...But is it my fault? Did blocking the mana cause the enhancement to fail...? Ah, whatever.
They were the ones who tried foul play first anyway.
"Other participants, place your weapons on the platform and step back."
After ejecting Anthony, the cleric tried to proceed, and Miranda carefully wiped the dust off her sword and armor with a cloth before placing them on the platform and stepping back.
Then the prepared priests took the equipment through the door the cleric had come from.
Now Vulcan would judge the equipment inside, select the winner among them, and only the winner would pass through that door to meet Vulcan.
'Anthony and... Fergus or whatever, they're gonna be in hot water.'
"Hey, you fucking idiot!"
Returning to the guild house without any gains—in fact, having lost even the mithril dagger invested by the guild—Fergus, or rather Kim Soo-cheol, got an earful from the guild master.
"You lost that? Failing is bad enough, but you straight-up destroyed it?"
"G-Guild master... There was a reason for the failure..."
"Shut up!"
After unleashing a torrent of abuse, the guild master issued a punishment to Fergus and tore at her hair while reading the report Kim Soo-cheol had submitted.
'Another failure.'
They had blown yet another chance to make contact with a Committee member. Unlike the uncertain path through the tournament, this "Festival of Fire" guaranteed a meeting with the 8th seat as a companion if they won, making it a painful blunder.
'Failed to contact the Sword Saint and Beast King too...'
For some reason, they had tried to meet the Sword Saint and Beast King, who were supposedly staying at their guild recently, but the guild member sent to the swordsmanship guild had been turned away at the door, and the one sent to the martial arts guild had been locked inside for a week, exercising nonstop without even seeing the Beast King.
'Ha, seriously...'
They couldn't resort to forceful means either. They had to make contact through legitimate channels. No one wanted to pick a fight with those monsters.
"It's clear they know something..."
When she had rallied the Earthlings and founded the "Earth Guild," her first task was to find the other Earthlings scattered across the continent.
But perceptions of Earthlings—isekai humans—on the continent weren't favorable, and naturally, most kept their identities hidden. So her next effort was to try changing those perceptions...
'There was another reason.'
Until now, she had thought the poor reputation stemmed from crimes committed by past summoned isekai humans. But as her investigation continued, she uncovered another reason.
'......Who were the very first isekai humans summoned to this continent?'
Isekai humans summoned to this continent before them. When she investigated their past activities, there were no records of when the summoning began or who the first ones were.
The one thing she could confirm was that perceptions of isekai humans had been shattered even further back than she imagined.
The truth she learned after a long investigation was...
'...Information erased by the Committee.'
In the past, information about them had existed, but the Committee had intervened to erase it. There were several other instances of Committee involvement in deletions.
"If it's them..."
They would know why they had transferred to this world, who the first transferred being was, and the reason behind it.
"......That's why I need to meet a Committee member... Ha, I don't know. I need to devise the next plan. Target the 9th seat for now... And recruit some newbies too..."
She vented her frustrations and continued guild business. Then she looked over the list of candidates suitable for new recruits.
It'd be nice if some competent ones joined this time...
"These are the Earthling candidates we investigated this time?"
The Earth Guild—unknown to the public—was composed solely of Earthlings. Naturally, they steadily collected information on other Earthlings appearing in Labyrinth City to recruit new members...
".....Intermediate Adventurer? Suspected to be an isekai human?"
She came across information on an intriguing individual.
I was calmly awaiting the judgment results, but the surrounding dwarves already wore resigned expressions. Miranda, on the other hand, still held an air of expectation.
And there were no surprises.
"Intermediate Artisan Miranda and one companion, come this way."
At the cleric's call for Miranda, the dwarves' faces fell from their faint hopes, while Miranda beamed with joy, grabbed my hand, and followed the cleric into the temple depths.
"Once inside, Lord Vulcan will be waiting. For the first meeting, bow your head and..."
I half-ignored the cleric's various warnings, and as the door opened, Miranda and I entered the audience chamber.
-Roar...
'.....!'
It's hot. It felt just like stepping onto the 21st floor of the Labyrinth. But it was different somehow. The entire room wasn't hot; the heat emanated from a single "being" inside.
-Clang! Clang!
"Ah......!"
Miranda, who had been tense, let out a gasp of awe and fell silent. She covered her mouth, holding her breath to maintain perfect quiet, desperately trying to take in the scene before her.
A back. The back of a stout figure typical of a dwarf. Holding a shabby hammer and anvil, ignoring us completely, relentlessly striking the metal on the anvil.
'...This presence...'
And I was overwhelmed by that back. Not wielding a weapon, not exuding killing intent—just the sight of swinging the hammer had me overwhelmed.
After quenching the struck metal in solution, the dwarf turned to look at us.
"Come in."
"!!!!"
A weathered but unmistakable aura like an active volcano. Calluses completely covering his hands. Muscles tempered like iron. And holy power rising like flames from his entire body.
This man is...
'Committee 8th seat, God's Hammer Vulcan.'
This was already the fifth Committee member I'd met. At this rate, I might end up meeting them all.
"Aaaaa... H-Hello. I'm Miranda..."
Miranda, who had been confident and proud of her skills just moments ago, trembled as she offered proper greetings. I didn't go that far, just lightly bowing my head.
"Raise your head. You've proven your skill."
Vulcan lifted Miranda's head, retrieved the sword and armor from the side of the room, and approached us.
"Excellent work. You've maximized the potential of materials at your handling limit, and consideration for the user shines through in the process. The overall tempering is superb, and the material harmony is outstanding."
"Ahh... Th-Thank you..."
As praise flowed from Vulcan, Miranda was beside herself with flattered embarrassment. I, on the other hand, was quite nonchalant.
'Fifth one already, so what.'
I'm not a blacksmith with immense respect for Vulcan, and yesterday I was getting love calls from the Sword Saint and Beast King, so the Committee name didn't intimidate me.
So I stood there somewhat blankly, letting Miranda and Vulcan's conversation wash over me. From what I gathered, he was giving advice for Miranda, who would earn an advanced title.
I wasn't planning to become a blacksmith, so I wasn't particularly interested. A blacksmith would kill to meet Vulcan for such advice, but me...?
Come to think of it, I took Miranda's invitation for no reason. I accepted because I had nothing to do without equipment, but I didn't really have a reason to meet Vulcan.
"And you."
"Ah, yes."
Caught spacing out as Vulcan's gaze turned to me, I hurriedly stopped yawning and stood straight.
".....A pity. You have blacksmith talent, yet you've already chosen the warrior's path. High affinity for fire, decent dexterity... What a shame."
This guy says the same thing. At least he didn't ask me to be his disciple? Not that I want to be a blacksmith.
-Roarrrrr!
"Hm?"
"Huh?"
The moment our eyes met, the flame-shaped holy power cloaking Vulcan suddenly surged.
The room's temperature spiked abruptly, making even Miranda beside me squint. Thanks to my [Attribute Resistance], it just felt a bit warmer.
"....The god reacts like this?"
For some reason, Vulcan wore a strange expression, strode toward me, and suddenly grabbed my hand.
"Wh-What is it?"
".........."
Regardless of my fluster, Vulcan closed his eyes as if confirming something, then quietly released my hand. The flames subsided too.
"....My apologies. I must have mistaken you for someone. The resemblance is uncanny."
"Mistaken...? For who? And that flame just now..."
"My apologies. Our allotted audience time is over. I must resume my work."
I tried to ask more, but Vulcan declared the meeting ended.
Feeling unresolved, I wanted to press, but Miranda grabbed my hand, warning against rudeness, and led me out of the temple.
And Vulcan, having checked Ian in response to the faint will of the god connected to him, harbored doubts.
'....Fear?'
For a fleeting moment, the emotion from the god's will linked to him was... "fear."