The Art of Corrupting an Angel
He had managed to make an excuse and gloss over it for now, but it still bothered him. It felt like a persistent itch at the back of his neck!
His guildmates chatted as they walked past him. Alcott thought to himself once more.
I must never, under any circumstances, reveal the treaty I made with Kim Tae-hyun...
If it were ever discovered, his head would literally roll. Despite having just defeated Sadiq's Avatar, Alcott couldn't bring himself to rejoice; instead, he was consumed by anxiety.
• Construction of the Angel's Forge has been completed!
• Your Blacksmithing Skill has increased significantly.
• Your Mechanical Engineering skill has increased significantly.
• Mora City's Reputation has increased.
• Outstanding blacksmiths will gather after hearing rumors of the forge.
• Your Advanced Mechanical Engineering skill has evolved into Highest-grade Mechanical Engineering.
• You are the first player to reach Highest-grade Mechanical Engineering. You have acquired the title: Pioneer of Mechanical Engineering.
• The destructive power of your bombs has increased further.
• The sophistication of your bombs has increased further.
• Your Advanced Gunpowder Manufacturing skill has evolved to Highest-grade...
• Your Advanced Bomb Crafting skill has evolved to Highest-grade...
• The skill has reached its maximum level.
• [...]
"Yes!" Tae-hyun pumped his fist.
There was a reason he had stubbornly ignored Yohas's complaints and pushed forward with building the Angel's Forge. Constructing such a rare facility was bound to boost his skills. Tae-hyun's primary goal had been to push his Advanced Mechanical Engineering skill, which was already on the verge of leveling up, over the threshold.
Divine Animation
Infuses a mechanical device with a massive amount of Holy Power to temporarily grant it life. The duration increases as the skill level rises.
* The level of the animated machine is influenced by the quality of the crafted device and your Mechanical Engineering skill.
* Once the skill duration ends, the Holy Power is returned. However, if the mechanical device is destroyed, the infused Holy Power is permanently consumed.
"!" Tae-hyun's eyes widened. The bonus skills awarded whenever a base skill advanced to the next tier were almost always exceptional—the kind that made you think, all that suffering was worth it! Fortunately, Divine Animation was no exception.
I'm just glad nothing bizarre popped out of a Mechanical Engineering skill. To be honest, Tae-hyun had been slightly worried.
But is the fact that it's related to Holy Power... because of me? Although the reward skills were technically random, rumors persisted that they were influenced by the player's playstyle. The system supposedly tailored the reward based on how a player developed their skills and approached the game. From that perspective, it made perfect sense for Tae-hyun to receive a skill that fused Holy Power and Mechanical Engineering.
High risk, high reward... Tae-hyun got the gist of the skill after reading the description. It was essentially a summoning skill with an incredibly long preparation phase. First, he had to build something using Mechanical Engineering, and then animate it... Furthermore, the requirement to infuse a massive amount of Holy Power made him cautious. As the current Pope of the Archisus Church, he couldn't afford to squander his hard-earned Holy stat. Some of his divine Authority skills also scaled with his Holy stat. If he poured his Holy Power into a creation only for it to get destroyed... He didn't even want to think about the consequences.
Well, no need to worry prematurely. It all depends on how I use it. Several schemes were already taking shape in Tae-hyun's mind. And one of them was a plan that Lee Se-yeon would absolutely despise.
See you at the tournament, Lee Se-yeon!
"Is this truly the will of Lord Phytos? Is it really His will?! No, why on earth would Lord Phytos... Is he truly the one chosen by Lord Phytos..."
"What are you muttering about, Yohas?"
"Ah, it's nothing. More importantly, are we finally going demon hunting now?"
"Hmm? Of course, of course. Right after I finish this."
"..."
Tae-hyun rolled up his sleeves and got to work on his next task. During his expedition quest against the Salavian Order, he had acquired an enormous amount of equipment. It wasn't just Dominic's gear; he had also looted the equipment of various nobles and knights. While these items were exceptionally high-quality, they were awkward for Tae-hyun to wear, given that he was already fully decked out in powerful artifacts. He could have sold them all at the auction house for a tidy sum, but... he decided to deconstruct them and craft new items instead. He wouldn't get any gold out of it, but it would boost his skill levels.
• Deconstructing equipment. You possess the Deconstruct skill. Thanks to your Highest-grade Mechanical Engineering skill, you suffer no penalties.
• You possess a passive crafting skill. You receive an additional bonus.
The rare fabrics, leathers, and metals salvaged from the equipment were materials that ordinary blacksmiths wouldn't even dare to handle. But backed by his array of powerful skills, Tae-hyun forged ahead without hesitation.
Divine Foresight, and Akisus's Artifact Crafting! Tae-hyun didn't stop. Since he had already ground down expensive equipment to craft something new, he intended to produce the absolute best result possible. If he followed the guidance of his skills, he would create the finest item these materials could possibly yield.
• Crafting an Akisus Artifact.
• Luck is consumed.
Sadiq's Flame Rune, and the Angel's Wing Fan!
• The forge's thermal power increases significantly!
Clang, clang, clang— Even as Yohas whined beside him about when they were leaving, and even as Cain approached to beg, "Make me a weapon too!", Tae-hyun didn't lose his focus. He silently swung his hammer, striking with absolute precision. The true power of the blacksmith class he had honed in Pandemonium Online 1 was shining through. The most crucial trait for a blacksmith was the patience to swing a hammer in the exact same motion for days on end.
Clang—
• The Five Gods' Noble Slayer set item has been completed.
• It is a masterpiece worthy of leaving its name in the history of the continent!
• Your Blacksmithing Skill has increased significantly.
• Your Mechanical Engineering skill...
• [...]
• If word spreads that you crafted this masterpiece, countless factions will seek you out.
That's a rather ominous name. But why "Five Gods"? Even if I made it, there's no way that many gods got involved... Wait a minute... Tae-hyun began counting on his fingers. First, Akisus, then Sadiq...
• Carbanog points out that Phytos is also involved. This is, after all, a forge built by an angel of Phytos.
"Ah. That makes sense." Akisus, Sadiq, Phytos... and Salabian. I suppose Salabian was included because I possess Salabian's Authority? But even so, that's only four gods. Ah, is the last one Demer? I do have Demer's Authority as well...
• Carbanog proudly claims that the final god is itself.
...Right. Now that I think about it, there was also that guy. It seemed the final "deity" was Carbanog, not Demer. No, the specific gods involved don't matter. What matters is the performance...
• Durability: ∞/∞
• Defense: ?
• Effect: Transforms the user into a Battle Angel upon equipping. Once unequipped, the gear cannot be re-equipped until it is fully recharged.
A terrifying set of equipment crafted by dismantling gear stained with the blood of high nobles and borrowing the power of multiple deities. It is unknown what kind of wicked, mad blacksmith forged this set, but their intentions were certainly far from pure. Continued use may draw the wrath of nobles and religious orders.
• [Additional Option] Recharges faster when killing nobles and demons.
"...!!" A transformation equipment set! It was the type of item where you couldn't equip the pieces individually; the moment you put on the entire set, you transformed.
...This actually seems like an amazing set of gear! Tae-hyun had been momentarily confused, but as he read the description again carefully, he became certain. This was undoubtedly an incredible set of equipment. From the flavor text to the various penalties, there was no way an item like this could be bad. Besides, a Battle Angel? In combat, wouldn't that make him a straight upgrade to Yohas?
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Since I won't be able to use it again until the cooldown finishes after unequipping, I should save it for fighting demons or other critical moments... Alternatively, it seemed like a great target to animate using Divine Animation. It would break his heart if it got destroyed, but... shouldn't he be willing to take that level of risk?
"More importantly, Yohas. Let's lay our cards on the table. I already knew you were an angel who serves Phytos."
"H-H-How?!"
• Yohas is utterly shocked!
Are angels really... this gullible? How could he think he hadn't been found out when he was the one handing over hammer-related skills?
"I told you. I have been chosen by Lord Phytos. Why did you come here?"
"...Because Lord Phytos handed down a divine oracle commanding me to assist Your Majesty..."
"Y-Yes, of course. I already knew that." In truth, he had absolutely no idea. Tae-hyun was inwardly stunned. Phytos had issued a divine oracle to help him? Is this god Phytos a total pushover?
• Carbanog guesses that it was probably to keep you in check.
• Carbanog believes that if the Avatar of Archisus joins hands with demons, he will become far too powerful. And it believes you are an Avatar fully capable of doing so.
Well, that's true. Come to think of it, if Yohas hadn't arrived, Tae-hyun would have readily joined hands with the demons. Since they were offering him such great items, his philosophy was to take them first and think later!
But even with Yohas here, aren't I still making contracts with demons?
• Carbanog shrugs. It thinks Phytos is foolish to believe he could keep you in check, especially after how much he has already suffered at the hands of Archisus.
... Ignoring the petty gossip of the gods, Tae-hyun focused on the situation at hand.
"Why do you think he commanded you to help me?"
"That's... That's because..."
"Say it, Yohas! Say it! You already know the answer! Hehehe." Under the current circumstances, there was only one undeniable conclusion! Yohas agonized over it before finally opening his mouth.
"Ugh... I believe... it is because Your Majesty... has been chosen by Lord Phytos..."
• Using your Supreme Eloquence skill...
• You have deceived an angel, leading them toward corruption.
• Your Infamy has increased significantly.
?! An unexpected side effect! Come on, how does a little conversation like this lead to corruption?
• The angel Yohas has been deceived by your lies and has begun to defy the will of Phytos.
• If he continues to defy it, he may transform into a Fallen Angel.
• Deceiving and corrupting another god's angel is an extremely hostile act, and that order's...
The only good thing about already having terrible relationships with other religious orders was that he didn't have to worry about them getting any worse. He was free to cause whatever trouble he wanted now!
Carbanog. By the way, if he falls from grace and gets kicked out, is it possible to recruit a fallen angel? Yohas, who possessed various skills at Advanced-grade or higher and enjoyed the racial bonuses of an angel, was an incredibly rare, versatile talent. For the Archisus Church, which suffered from a severely limited talent pool, he was an asset they absolutely could not afford to lose!
• Carbanog thinks you are a truly reckless, unhinged madman.
Tae-hyun currently had two pressing quests before him. The first was the subjugation quest to clear out the demon hiding spot revealed by the demon Dervene. The second was the new Authority skill quest that had unlocked after he defeated the Great Chieftain and reached 15,000 Holy stat. Which of the two should he tackle? Or, to be more precise, which one should he do first to corrupt Yohas and successfully drag him into the Archisus Church?
"That's a tough one. Members join the Power Warrior Guild if you just hand out basic longswords, but..."
Hearing Tae-hyun's dilemma, Lee Da-bi nodded in deep sympathy. The two of them were now seriously contemplating how to corrupt an angel!