Chapter 293
Chapter 293
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Devil's Tear
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Those arrogant bastards finally got served lmao
What the hell is [Demonic Sword: Sheath] doing on the restoration list lololol
Don't tell me if we restore the sheath...
I can actually equip it IRL?
What kinda bullshit is that?
Dwarves gonna 3D print it or some shit?
How the hell you gonna wear that for real? Talking nonsense.
No shithead, not THAT real lol
I'm imagining equipping [Demonic Sword: Sheath], becoming a demon swordsman, and bullying Kim Yuyeong right now lolololol
If becoming a demon swordsman just means whining about side dishes...
That's top 1% personality for a demon swordsman no cap?
Black bean rice is legit a reason to go dark side tho
Even the hero would yeet the holy sword at that
I didn't misunderstand ffs
But fr if that sheath is actually equippable it'd be god tier
Those no-lifers calling dwarf craft swords look slave bait or whatever
But ain't this the ultimate fashion item?
Plus the options are insanely busted
lolololololololololololololololololololol
lolololololololololololololololololololol
Wtf the restoration materials are straight clownery lolololol
Devil's Tear
Dragon Scale
World Tree Leaf ffs lololol
Dwarves just being lazy and throwing out bullshit right?
Like they asked AI "gimme stuff this guy's never getting" and it spat that out
Kim Yuyeong Jr.
Looks like you gotta keep eating that black bean rice
Devil's Tear from beating bean rice knight ok
But Dragon Scale and World Tree Leaf??
Dragons all perma'd cuz of Nadrag
World Tree ded cuz of scam
How tf
Nah
They won't make it
But they'll keep trying forever
Watching them grind for mats is peak comedy
They thought they got all mats once got hyped af inviting us
Then realized scammed and dwarves foaming at mouth
Continent top craftsmen my ass
How do master smiths get scammed on mats?
It started as a festival.
The guild had mobilized all its resources and uncovered the restoration method for the sheath in just half a day—a monumental achievement!
At first, the Granite Steel Guild was patting themselves on the back, boasting about being the continent's top blacksmith guild.
But that festival quickly turned into a funeral.
"Huh? Hey, Murin! Is this translation system really accurate?"
"What's wrong with you all of a sudden? We've been translating ancient texts with it just fine until now, haven't we?"
"No, something's off with the translation. It has to be."
"Did you drink too much? What's the matter? Give it here!"
"Master Dogan! What's going on!?"
"...I think the translation system's wrong."
"What? Suddenly wha—..."
"Then tell me. Devil's Tear, World Tree Leaf, Dragon Scale—..."
"What is that? Some kind of code or secret spell?"
"No, those are the materials needed for restoration. Where the hell are we supposed to get those?"
"Ah ha! The translation must be wrong!!!"
What good was figuring out the restoration method if the materials required were absurd?
"...For now, should we at least ask 'him' if he happens to have any...?"
As befitting the continent's premier blacksmith guild, Granite Steel had connections for sourcing all sorts of materials.
From everyday stuff to rare, secretive, even illegal ones—
If it was needed for crafting, they could somehow procure it. That was Granite Steel Guild.
However.
Was even their famed reputation at its limit here?
They had practically given up halfway.
All that was left was to deliver disappointment to the hero—
"Master Murin!! A reply came!"
"Yeah. Probably told us not to talk nonsense, right?"
"He says he has one!?"
"What!?"
However.
An unexpected turn occurred.
"With this, we can really surprise the hero!!!"
Regaining their spirits, the hyped-up Granite Steel Guild dove into a plan to shock the hero.
The cute little plan went like this.
"First! We tell the hero the truth! How realistically difficult this restoration is!"
"Imagine his reaction when we say it'll take at least decades!"
"Then boom! That's when we say it! That Granite Steel Guild thinks we've found a way to get the materials!"
"If we pull this off, he'll accept our swords, right!?"
"Dogan!!! Think about it!!! The Holy Sword's master, the great swordsman who subjugates all demon swords, wielding OUR blades!!! Our masterpieces etched into history alongside him!!!"
The two dwarves' faces were flushed with eager excitement.
The hero's shocked face at hearing those unrealistic materials was already vivid in their minds!
"Hero, what did you just say...?"
"They're pretty familiar to me, so I might be able to get them if needed—"
"Why?"
"Pardon?"
Of course you guys are the best I want your swords so bad my body's itching—
The two dwarves who expected that kind of reaction watched their pupils shake mercilessly.
"...Ah! Su, surely you're joking, right!? Uh-hahaha!!! As expected of a great hero like you, your sense of humor is unparalleled!!!"
Rishir was inwardly flustered by the dwarves acting like they'd short-circuited.
But only for a moment.
'Ah.'
He belatedly understood their reaction.
Rishir had taken the materials the dwarves mentioned as "stuff in my kids' pockets."
They were close existences to him, after all.
But stepping back and listing them out— he could see why the dwarves reacted that way.
'World Tree Leaf, Dragon Scale, Devil's Tear— looking at it like this, it's like trials a mythic hero has to gather.'
He took another moment to realize how warped his senses had become.
"Joking... right?"
At that moment.
The dwarves cautiously checked Rishir's expression.
In response, he called out to a spirit(?).
A spirit's voice echoed from his inner world.
'Moved swiftly? How?'
To check the situation, Rishir closed his eyes and sank into his inner world.
A grayish-white fireball immediately entered his view.
"Cry!!! Prove your loyalty with tears, you ugly thing!!!"
It was yelling at a spirit named KulKul, trying to wring out tears.
But no sign of tears emerging.
"Useless trash!!!"
Finally, the grayish-white fireball clicked its tongue and switched targets.
"Hey, worm!!!"
A coiled shadow—
No, a coiled baby snake.
It coiled toward the fireball's face.
"Cry!!!"
"Pyaat?"
The situation was too complex for the baby snake to grasp.
It tilted its head repeatedly, flicking its tongue.
"Hwarak!!!"
Then.
A spirited voice thundered like lightning.
"!!!"
Those stout, fiercely angled eyebrows turned toward the grayish-white fireball.
"Why are you being mean to SilSil!?"
"Ah!!! Lady Berl, it's not like that...!!!"
"You know what happens if you bully your friends, right!?!?"
The baby spirit placed both hands on its hips.
"...!!!"
Faced with that stern posture, the grayish-white fireball could only tremble in fear.
Soon.
The baby spirit furrowed its brows even sharper and said.
"If you keep it up, Hwarak might not be useful anymore!?"
"Heok...!!!"
The grayish-white fireball expanded once, then contracted sharply.
It was a look of extreme mental shock.
"Lady Berl!!! Pl, please retract...!!! If Dangaleon can't be useful, there's no reason for me to live...!!!"
"No!!! Hwarak needs more reflection!!! I won't let you be useful until then!!!"
The baby spirit scolded strictly.
"Kaaaaah!!! What utter despair!!!"
Was it his imagination?
Rishir saw the image of a dark knight spreading its arms in agony overlapping with the grayish-white fireball.
"Hm?"
In that instant.
Rishir's eyes gleamed.
They captured the change happening to the grayish-white fireball.
Rishir quickly approached Dangaleon and cupped his hands beneath the floating figure.
Plop.
A translucent grayish-white crystal dropped into his palm.
'No way, is this—'
Rishir instinctively knew.
"My lord!!!"
"Hm?"
Now that spirited voice was directed at the human.
The baby spirit thrust out its adorable little fists toward Rishir.
A thumb peeked out between them.
The gesture called a thumbs-up.
One the baby spirit had learned from its master.
"Ah...!"
Rishir realized.
The baby spirit had stepped up personally to help him.
Shivering.
Trembling.
Looking around, similar crystals had fallen around the face blob and baby snake too.
They had been swept up in the immense fear emanated by the baby spirit.
'Dangaleon could yell all he wanted and they wouldn't even blink, huh?'
Rishir patted the baby spirit's head in renewed admiration.
"!!!"
The baby spirit got super excited and bobbed its head vigorously.
Almost enough to spark from friction heat.
Afterward.
Rishir soothed the frightened spirits, collected the crystals, and exited his inner world.
Devil's Tear you say?
Another fun question—
Let's think about it.
Actually, no need to overthink.
Tears come from uncontrollable strong emotions, right?
And such intense emotions usually stem from external stimuli.
Well, there's your answer.
Demons. Would those transcendent immortals ever get stimulated that much from the outside?
Beings who scoff even at death?
I'm skeptical.
Huh? Then what's circulating as Devil's Tears?
Let me flip it: why do you think they're Devil's Tears?
Did a demon guarantee they're real or what?
—Crawling Library Eloran <Dialogue Keyword: Devil's Tear>
Iphrien.
This massive city had an underground economy to match its scale.
Peddler Gallun was one of the most active figures in that shadowy flow.
"If you want it, I'll get it for you."
His catchphrase, symbolizing the man himself.
He was famous for procuring anything if you just asked.
His skills were so impressive even the lofty crimson mages of the Magic Tower relied on him regularly.
Now he muttered.
"Time to leave Iphrien soon, huh."
Gallun licked his chapped lips.
Jackpot of all jackpots.
That's what he called this job.
A commission from his regular clients, Granite Steel Guild—
And every item was insane.
"Dragon Scale... World Tree Leaf... Devil's Tear..."
Items that made even the included high-grade spirit core seem trivial.
Even continent-dominating mega-powers would need years to acquire them.
However, Peddler Gallun delivered whatever the customer wanted.
He planned to fulfill this request too.
As counterfeits, not genuine goods.
In other words, he intended to scam them.
No hesitation there.
He'd built his reputation as a peddler for these "jackpots."
"Pieces fitting perfectly like this..."
Gallun gazed at the small gem crystal in his hand.
The "Devil's Tear."
Of course.
No way a puny gem won by a gambler at a casino was real.
But. Did that matter?
What mattered was no one on the continent could authenticate a Devil's Tear— there were only a handful at best.
Gallun checked the high-grade spirit core in his other hand.
Undeniable genuine article, bait to lend credibility to the Devil's Tear.
Gallun reviewed the plan once more.
Lure trust with the spirit core and his reputation.
Then sell the Devil's Tear on that trust.
Simple but solid.
With a satisfied smile, Gallun entered the Granite Steel Guild building.
"What do you mean!? Masters Murin and Dogan, the guild masters, left the city!?"
It felt like a golden mountain vanishing into a mirage before his eyes.
Gallun had heard the dwarves who were to be his cash cows had left with some man.
He immediately chased after them out of the city.
As the guild staff said.
The dwarves' group had just departed.
Gallun spurred his horse to block their path.
And as they opened their mouths to speak, he tried to steer back to his script—
"If I may—"
Some man interjected and said to him.
"That doesn't seem like a Devil's Tear."
"What?"
Who the hell is this punk?
As Gallun stared, the dwarves beside him continued.
"I-is that so!?"
"If Rishir says so—"
In the chaotic situation, Gallun reached his own conclusion.
'This bastard!!! He got the jump on me!!!"
He judged the man had approached the dwarves first and deceived them.
Gallun sized up the man.
Gray cloak hid any useful info—
But one thing was clear.
Too young a punk to handle the money and treasures like a proper conman!
'Don't care who he is—'
This was why he prepared the high-grade spirit core.
Gallun planned to seize initiative with the treasure and regain control.
The punk's clumsy scam might fool naive dwarves—
But never him.
Gallun thought.
Expose the kid's shallow tricks and win back the dwarves!
"Excuse me, but what makes you talk so confidently about Devil's Tears like you know them?"
"Ah, it wasn't me who said that—"
The man gestured into the air.
"He said it."
"..."