Theseus's Ship
“This one?”
◈ Can accumulate blood of living beings
◈ Released power when accumulation reaches max
◈ Strength +1%
◈ Agility +1%
◈ Embedded skill: Bloodlust
A rare-grade ring, classified for warriors, with 50/60 durability.
It could accumulate blood from living creatures.
Once the blood reached its maximum, the power embedded in the item could be released.
Strength +1%
Agility +1%
Skill embedded: Bloodlust.
Bloodlust
B-class active skill.
It accelerates the flow of blood in the body to dramatically raise physical abilities.
While under Bloodlust, it grants immunity to paralysis and strong resistance to mental skills.
The Cross Gate staff member let out an “Oh” sound.
“This will be a useful item for warrior-class hunters.”
“It really will.”
“Bloodlust is a skill that even A+ class hunters envy because it has no aftereffects, unlike other overdrive-type abilities.”
A+ class, huh?
Thanks to Isra and Ingrid, I have plenty of S+ skills, so that makes sense.
Even just a B-class skill is something every hunter would covet.
It’s genuinely useful, but…
Would I ever have a chance to use this?
Absolute! Impossible!
“Lord, when would you ever get the chance to fight?”
Fighting will be handled by the two of us.
Look at that.
Clashing with the Chinese hunters was a special case.
Normally you don’t even swing a sword during gate raids.
Or rather, they don’t even give you the chance to dance with the blade.
Give it to me.
“No way.”
It is a item that perfectly suits Lord’s sword, I believe.
“You have no blood.”
Ah.
Watch how the skill works.
Accelerating blood flow—that’s a buff that only applies when there is blood.
If you perfect this body, it will be possible, won’t it?
“You’re a lump of iron.”
“You won’t become human.”
As Ingrid said.
Double nature of the living and the undead.
It shares the advantages of both, but…
It’s not quite complete resurrection.
When the matching rate exceeds 99% and reaches 100%, I might actually turn into a person, but…
Wait a second.
This item’s activation condition is filling the blood bar, right?
Blood is the part with the most life force.
Just in case, I placed the Life Ring against the Blood Ring.
Accumulated vitality reached 5%.
It was exactly what I had consumed in the last battle.
I hesitated to suck the troll’s body because it felt wasteful.
◈ Vitality absorption activated
◈ 5% vitality accumulated
[Vitality absorbed.]
Chuuuuaaaak.
It worked!
The blood in the Blood Ring gradually decreased.
Meanwhile, vitality on the Life Ring kept climbing.
It’s possible?!
It’s basically like the Life Ring gained extra capacity.
“Amazing.”
“Huh?”
“Ah. Just thinking to myself.”
To other hunters it was only a conditional buff skill item.
Even though the buff was powerful,
it couldn’t be used continuously and lacked other capabilities, so the pros and cons were obvious.
But to me, it was a precious item that increased the Life Ring’s capacity.
You can act more boldly.
“I’ll keep it moderate.”
Necromancer and Necrosmith.
Both classes share the common point of dealing with “corpses.”
But.
The methods differ greatly.
The Necromancer instantly revives the dead with summoning magic.
My job, on the other hand, requires careful crafting and modification of the corpse.
It takes time for results to appear,
and if it gets damaged mid-battle, immediate repair is impossible.
Instead,
the capabilities of my custom undead are far superior,
and once crafted, they require no mana to maintain.
If I had to ask who’s better,
I’ve never met a Necromancer so I don’t know.
But the conversation got a bit heated.
The Life Ring fills the penalty of “immediate recovery impossible” that is the Necrosmith’s weakness.
With the Blood Ring acting as a backup storage,
combat endurance will increase dramatically.
That’s the kind of synergy there is.
Grrooooww.
I stored the items convenient for ambushes in the spatial carrier.
The remaining items I asked the Cross Gate staff to handle.
“All fees and taxes are waived.”
“Really?”
“Thank you.”
Whether tax or fee, it’s not a huge amount for Lord, is it?
“You don’t get it.”
“Little by little piles up to a mountain.”
“Ah.”
“Even if they give more money, of course I should be grateful.”
Anyway.
I had a dream that she came from a very wealthy family.
One must know how precious even one coin is.
That’s right. How precious every coin is?
“Hmmm.”
Since the self-proclaimed archaeologist sided with her, I felt a bit guilty.
“I’ll take these three corpses.”
“Yes. Do as you like.”
“How long until the rest are delivered?”
“Just follow the procedures. It should be delivered by evening.”
The Cross Gate staff is a government agency.
Can they process things so quickly?
“The director said to prioritize handling Park Hunter’s matter.”
Crack.
The man who has the Cross Gate as his backer.
That’s me, Park Minho.
Well, then, I’ll have them escort you.
Whoa!
“As expected of Lord! A wonderful person who even checks the hearts of national institutions!”
If I am the master of Isra, I deserve this treatment, right?
Umm. My lord, please look after me too.
Sorry.
I spoke too casually.
***
The next destination is the workshop.
“We have arrived.”
With a knight here, it was comfortable.
During the ride I could have taken a nap or simulated corpse crafting in my head.
I was able to spend the time more meaningfully.
At first I had said no, but…
I should thank the president of Baek Corporation.
“You may leave early.”
“I will wait until you check the schedule.”
“I might have to stay late tonight, right?”
When I focus while holding the hammer, time flies by in a flash.
This has been happening more intensely lately.
“Ah. Understood.”
“See you tomorrow.”
After sending the knight,
I rolled up my sleeves.
All right.
Then let’s begin.
Oh. So you finally make my body?
“First I’ll do an experiment.”
What if I make an undead from a B-class hunter’s corpse?
As I’ve said many times,
this is the first time I’m crafting an undead from a human corpse.
Whoa.
I’m shaking.
When I dissected my first monster, I don’t know how many times I vomited.
“Lord?”
“It’s all trained.”
Five years as a hunter.
I haven’t experienced air battles like in war movies,
but I’ve done everything to escape from E-class.
Whenever I had time, I practiced corpse crafting and modification.
Thanks to that, my craftsmanship reached master level.
Thanks to Lord’s relentless effort, this success was possible.
“I can’t say I’ve succeeded yet.”
The whole world is calling your name. What else is success?
Hmm.
Maybe she’s right?
“I’m not satisfied enough yet.”
I don’t want to rest after saying I’ve succeeded to this extent.
I wanted to cross the wall,
create even stronger undead,
and carve a major mark in the hunter industry.
I might not reach Isra’s world’s strongest,
but at least I can leave my mark somewhere.
That’s what I thought.
Clap! Clap!
“Enough idle talk.”
Like I was swearing to myself, I clapped.
I pulled out one corpse I had brought from the death space.
A two-meter-tall giant corpse.
Perfect build for creating an Armed Zombie Warrior.
“Let’s start with aging.”
I embedded B-class mana stones all over the body,
checked that mana was slowly draining into the corpse,
and lit the forge.
“Bone Forging Art”
I hammered the glowing hot bones into an axe and full plate armor,
then added the Golden Ratio potion mixed with ingredients Isra taught me,
and injected it into the muscles.
“Vitality Circuit Engraving”
After completing the job I had grown used to with my hands,
“Open your eyes.”
With the mana given along with the activation word,
the giant body jumped up.
Armed Zombie Strengthened Soldier.
Whoa.
It’s a bit stronger than the Armed Zombie I made to replenish consumed power.
Moreover,
when I checked the skill window,
Mana Release was added.
Some of the original abilities had been inherited.
“Now lie down.”
Finally, conviction is settled.
Isra was standing on the worktable.
Next to her was a corpse of a Chinese hunter with a similar build.
Since I brought the skeleton similar to the Isra I dreamed of,
the crafting time would be shorter too, right?
“Isra. Have you heard of the Ship of Theseus?”
First time hearing.
It’s a simple story.
The ship that departed on a voyage had some parts damaged and was repaired.
At first the bottom,
then the deck,
later the stern and deck.
A ship that sailed for so long had lost so many original parts it was no longer recognizable.
So.
Is this ship still the Ship of Theseus before the voyage?
“Very mysterious question.”
“If the person who gave it its essence or meaning is fine, is there no problem?”
“This servant knows nothing of such things.”
Well, there’s no right answer.
The reason I brought up the Ship of Theseus paradox here was different.
“You’re a resurrected.”
That is so.
“If it were an ordinary undead, upon disassembly and reassembly it would be recognized as a different individual.”
In the old days when I carried the undead parts stuffed tight in the carrier,
I once created an undead using the surplus parts I prepared as a test,
disassembled it with corpse modification, then remade it.
That way it was recognized as a different individual.
“You weren’t.”
You mean the time I put you in the narrow bag?
Well, I had to say it that way to feel lighter.
Taking an Ooze Zombie with a melting face on the bus or subway would be weird.
“Anyway, you maintained consciousness.”
That’s the key.
Undead recognized as resurrected can adapt to any body as long as the soul is moved properly.
The part with the soul is the heart.
[Corpse Modification]
I completely disassembled Isra’s body,
extracted only the heart part,
and transplanted it into the Chinese hunter’s corpse.
“Is that all?”
“Then it wouldn’t be fun.”
[Bone Forging Art]
[Vitality Circuit Engraving]
[Corpse Processing]
I strengthened all the core parts that maintain the body with Bone Forging Art,
and opened vitality circuits in various places.
Some of the parts ordered from the Hunter Market were inserted.
The swollen muscles according to the Zombie Strengthened Soldier recipe were also placed here and there.
“From now on I have to concentrate, so don’t talk.”
Although the Chinese hunter’s build and appearance are similar to Isra’s, they are not identical.
I cut some bones,
extended others,
and connected them with vitality circuits.
“Gold Lion’s Mane”
I carefully implanted the golden glowing monster’s mane hair into the head.
[Deep Slime’s Mucilage]
Like when I fed her meat with Ingrid,
I reinforced the flesh with the slime mucilage.
Since I reproduced the appearance as much as possible in memory,
it actually looked quite convincing.
Because there was no vitality, it felt more like a mannequin than a person.
Good.
This was similar enough to the appearance in the dream.
“Open your eyes.”
[Corpse Crafting]
[Resurrected – Isra]