Chapter 601: The Black Stone (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 601: The Black Stone (4)
Angela was an incredibly passionate and impetuous person.
She was the type who, once fixated on something, had to see it through to the very end, no matter what.
This was both a strength and a weakness.
It was a strength in that she would challenge a problem again and again until she finally broke through the wall, but it was a weakness in that she would neglect everything else until she did.
She had gained much because of it, and she had lost just as much.
But one thing was certain.
It was precisely this personality that had allowed her to reach her current position.
“Let’s see, let’s see, let’s see…”
The crude diagram Kim Do-jin had shown her.
Having seen its boundless potential, she immediately holed herself up in her forge, lost in thought.
What she had to create was a mineral that could absorb ambient mana.
To be precise, a highly durable mineral that could contain the absorbed mana without issue.
“The more mana it holds, the stronger the pressure. That means I have to make a mineral hard enough to withstand that pressure…”
In truth, such a mineral already existed in the world, no creation required.
One that could easily withstand hundreds, even thousands of tons of mana.
A mineral found in dungeons at an extremely low probability, and even then, only in minuscule amounts.
“Mithril…”
Alongside Orichalcum, which was called the Metal of the Gods for its innate divine power, Mithril was one of the two most coveted minerals by blacksmiths.
Unlike Orichalcum, Mithril contained no energy of its own.
It was simply hard and light.
That was what made it so appealing.
No matter what you crafted with it, it would possess the highest defense while being impossibly light.
On top of that, Mithril had a high affinity for any type of energy, making it a perfect match for almost anything.
Mithril would be able to withstand the absorption rate Kim Do-jin had proposed and would even demonstrate high efficiency.
But Angela ignored the obvious answer.
No, she had no choice but to ignore it.
Mithril was so rare that less than 10kg of it was sold each year.
The supply was low, and the price was astronomical.
In other words…
“It’s unsuitable for mass production.”
Her goal was nothing less than mass production.
If this item could be easily manufactured, the world would become a much safer place.
Just think about it.
A mage who allowed an enemy to get close while casting a spell was, nine times out of ten, dead.
But what if they carried a dagger that automatically generated Sword Ki?
Conversely, what if a warrior who wielded close-range weapons had an artifact with a built-in long-range attack spell?
What if those items were priced reasonably enough to be standard life-saving equipment?
“…The survival rate of Hunters would increase dramatically.”
And it would be thanks to an item she and Kim Do-jin created together.
The media’s attention would be focused on them.
She, in a beautiful dress, and he, in a handsome tuxedo, sitting side by side for an interview, blushing at a mischievous question thrown their way…!
“Ehehehe…!”
Her already soaring motivation skyrocketed even further.
But there was no easy outlet for that drive.
She had to create a mineral with her own two hands that could rival Mithril in terms of durability.
“Nngh, it’s too early to give up.”
With the feeling of banging her head against a wall, she began attempting to combine all sorts of minerals.
The result was over fifty different creations.
After lining them all up on one side of the forge, she called Kim Do-jin and asked him to run an experiment.
“I’ve made a bunch of different things for now. Think you can draw the magic circle on all of them?”
Kim Do-jin was speechless at the sight of her creations.
It had only been three days since they had spoken.
‘She made fifty in just three days…?’
He knew she was burning with passion, but he never imagined it would be to this extent.
His gaze shifted from the minerals to her.
Hollow eyes, dark circles settled deep beneath them, and sunken cheeks.
She looked like she hadn't eaten, slept, or even rested properly, pushing her body to its absolute limit.
“How about you get some rest? You look exhausted.”
“Nn, no.”
Elena shook her head, her voice weak but firm.
“Now that I’ve started, I have to see it to the end.”
Kim Do-jin smiled bitterly.
He had expected as much.
Anyone who had reached the top of their field possessed that kind of grit.
“It might take a while. This is my first time using it in a practical application, too.”
At that, she clapped him on the back enthusiastically, trying to boost his spirits.
“It’s fine, it’s fine! I wasn’t expecting it to work on the first try. We’ll just have to jam it in and see what happens.”
Her choice of words was a little suggestive.
“If this is a success, should we do some jamming of our own?” he asked, as if tossing out a joke. Her face instantly turned redder than the sunset.
“Wh-wh-what…!”
“You don’t want to?”
She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
“…No.”
In truth, she desperately wanted to.
It had already been several months since she had spent that ecstatic night with him.
It might have been different if she’d never known the taste, but having experienced that pleasure, she was constantly tormented by the memory of that day.
She was too embarrassed to say it directly.
But if a moment of embarrassment could grant her that night again, what did it matter?
“Y-y-you, I won’t forget this. I’m going to rip your dick out by the roots, so y-y-you’d better be ready…!”
Her words were aggressive, but her tone was anything but.
He just found her adorable.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
After that brief moment of fun, he looked down at the minerals again and calmly focused his mind.
She expected him to draw a mana-absorbing magic circle on the mineral, but she was wrong.
What Kim Do-jin intended to do was an implantation.
It was to implant a piece of the Gluttony coiled within him into that mineral.
‘Come out.’
At his command, the Gluttony sleeping in his stomach began to stir.
A nauseating yawn.
At its end, a small, seed-like fragment traveled through his circuits, reaching the fingertip touching the first mineral.
Crunch!
The bumpy teeth on the black energy bit into the mineral and burrowed inside.
The moment the fragment of Gluttony, squirming as if swimming through water, finally took root in the center…
Fwoosh!
A strange wave pulsed through the surroundings, and the mineral began to suck in the ambient mana.
To be precise, it was the work of the Gluttony that had taken root inside, but anyway.
The instant it was given permission to eat its fill, Gluttony greedily devoured the mana.
It was dozens, no, hundreds of times faster than a conventional mana absorption magic circle.
Angela’s jaw dropped as she watched.
“N-no way…”
There was a world of difference between hearing about it and seeing it in person.
‘I can’t believe it absorbs mana this fast…!’
There hadn’t been a single lie in his words.
Perhaps that was why.
She felt as if she had taken one step closer to her dream.
‘Kim Do-jin’s ability has been proven. All that’s left is…’
The mineral she created just had to endure it.
But her hopeful dream was short-lived.
A change began to appear on the surface of the mineral that had been relentlessly absorbing mana.
Crack!
Craaack!
“Ah…!”
Unable to withstand the mana filling it, it had begun to crack.
If left alone, the mineral would explode.
Kim Do-jin immediately withdrew the fragment of Gluttony and forcibly dispersed the mana contained within the mineral.
“The first one’s a failure.”
“Y-yeah.”
Angela answered in a trembling voice, swallowing dryly.
“I-it’s fine. We still have 49 left.”
Right.
This was only the first one.
But why did she have this feeling that all the minerals she had poured her heart and soul into for three days would shatter just as pathetically?
Crack!
CRAAACK!
Thump!
The ominous sounds repeatedly struck her ears.
*
He repeated the process of implanting and withdrawing the fragment of Gluttony for the 49th time.
Crack!
No, the 50th time.
Every single mineral Angela had painstakingly created over three days had been destroyed.
There were slight variations, but all of them were unqualified.
To put it more bluntly…
“Haha… what is this? Not a single one could hold out properly…?”
“……”
She was right.
The only difference was a mere one to three seconds.
Every mineral failed to withstand the continuous absorption and burst from the inside out.
The amount of mana they had absorbed was only enough to cast one or two advanced-level spells.
That in itself was somewhat impressive, but it was far from enough.
Not to reach the ideal she dreamed of.
And not for the fake Black Stone I wanted.
Angela, who had been staring down at the miserably transformed minerals, clenched her fists and composed herself.
“…It’s fine. I expected this. I didn’t think it would work in just three days, yeah.”
She was trying her best to hold it together.
She forced a smile and looked up at me.
“Sorry! You’ll have to wait a little longer. We’ll do the second experiment in another three days…”
“No.”
I cut her off.
“Not three days. Make it four.”
“What…?”
“Get a full day of sleep, then start again.”
Finally understanding my words, she smiled bitterly and shook her head.
“No, it’s fine. I’m still okay. Have you forgotten? I’m an S-rank Hunter.”
Right.
She lasted this long because she was an S-rank.
If she pushed herself any further, it wouldn't matter if she was an S-rank; even an S-rank grandpa wouldn't be able to take it.
“Do you think being S-rank makes you invincible? Hurry up and go to sleep.”
“Ah, I’m really fine, I’m telling you.”
Angela stubbornly refused, insisting she was fine.
My patience was reaching its limit.
Alright, that’s it for you.
I drew up enough mana to easily fire two advanced-level spells and aimed it at her.
“Enough. Just go to sleep. See you tomorrow.”
“Hey, you…!”
Just as she sensed something was off and tried to say something…
「Sleep.」
I forcibly transported her consciousness to dreamland.
“Ah…”
With a short groan, Angela collapsed helplessly.
I caught her easily and lifted her onto my back.
“Putting on a brave face when you’re so tired you can’t even resist a Sleep spell.”
The Sleep spell was the ultimate status-effect magic if it landed, but its weakness was that it was difficult to land.
Even considering how much mana I poured into it, the fact that it worked so easily on an S-rank like her meant her mind had been pushed to its absolute limit.
“Anyway… there’s not a single normal person among the S-ranks.”
Except for me, of course.
After laying the forcibly sedated Angela on the bed in her room, I carefully closed the door and left.
“Guess I should get some rest, too.”
The nights in Vatican City were quiet and boring.
Deciding it was better to sleep early than to stay up through the tedious night, I reached my room, only to find a familiar face standing in front of the door.
One of the Saintess’s exclusive ladies-in-waiting.
She spotted me, approached, and asked.
“Hunter Kim Do-jin. Do you have a moment?”
A moment?
It obviously wasn’t an invitation to have some fun.
As I stared at her, her lips parted once more.
“His Holiness the Pope has requested an audience with you.”
“Oh.”
An invitation to a meeting I hadn’t expected at all.