Morass Workshop, Just as Desired
Morass Workshop. A world-renowned high-end hunter weapons specialist that also offers comprehensive hunter analysis services. And right now, I was at their Seoul branch to get some custom gear fitted.
Though I hadn't expected an uninvited guest in the form of Kim Do-jun.
"But why are you here?"
"I'm about to hit the 3rd division league soon, so I gotta get a custom weapon, right?"
"Good thinking, junior."
It wasn't just Kim Do-jun, either. As the winner's weapon crafting escort, Lee Min-seok was there too.
"But Judge, is there a big difference between using a custom personal weapon and the standard issued one?"
"Judge? The competition's over—call me Min-seok hyung from now on. Anyway, yeah... there's a huge difference."
"Min-seok hyung's Seven Branches Sword is custom too, right? How is it?"
"It's not just the Seven Branches Sword... Custom weapons overall give off this sense of 'personality'. They represent your fighting style... Yeah. How about we head inside the Morass Workshop first and continue there?"
As we exited the station, a massive futuristic cubic building loomed before Lee Chang-hyun and the group.
It's been a while...
For Lee Chang-hyun, this was a place where he'd commissioned quite a bit of auxiliary gear in his pre-regression life, stirring up fresh memories from the past.
"Hello. You're Hunter Lee Min-seok with the reservation, right?"
An attendant greeted us at the entrance, clearly recognizing us. Well, Lee Min-seok was famous enough in Korea for that to be expected.
"Yes. Can we head in right away?"
"Please proceed to the B-3 zone workshop."
The Morass Workshop branches were divided into zones A through D, based on rank.
And the weapon quality followed the alphabetical order too...
In the past, he'd ignored all that and gotten top-tier custom weapons personally tailored. B-rank wasn't bad, though.
Entering the B-3 zone workshop, the scene wasn't some medieval forge but more like a lab. People in white coats, others tapping away busily at computers. Beyond the glass, machines whirred, sparks flying as they welded and detached components.
"Whoa..."
"First time in a workshop for you two, Do-jun and Chang-hyun?"
"Yeah... Seeing it up close like this has my heart racing. How much do weapons here cost? More for customs?"
"Haha, we'll get to that. Let me explain the important stuff first."
Lee Min-seok said that and smoothly escorted them like a gentleman, explaining the weapon crafting process and how to find the right fit.
"Weapon creation starts with a prototype—something close to the base form before adding personality. Take my Seven Branches Sword as an example. It's based on a plain old sword, right?"
He pulled a basic sword from a wall lined with all sorts of weapons.
"For customs, you add options based on your abilities and style. In my case, I add six extra blades to the existing one like this. It's a rough sketch to start."
Lee Min-seok sketched his Seven Branches Sword crudely, like a kid's drawing, and jotted notes beside it.
Seven blades total. Curve the tips so wounds tear open when you pull out after thrusting. And so on...
He handed the paper to a workshop staffer, and minutes later...
"Whoa... It turns a sketch like that into this."
"Of course. My drawing's just a rough vibe—they interpret and deliver. But the real key is knowing what you want, or what suits you. How you want to wield it. Ever thought about it?"
Kim Do-jun pondered, then said yes. Well, for me, I could just recreate what I'd used pre-regression. Curious what this guy would draw, though.
Kim Do-jun picked a thrusting weapon from the wall—a long, pointed thing like something from fencing—and added notes.
I read them: Enchant with [Mana – Acceleration] for instant bursts. And...?
Glow effect on acceleration?
What the hell. My brain froze. Was this the glow I was thinking of? I glanced at Kim Do-jun, but he just smirked back.
...
The guy might care more about flashiness and stealing the spotlight than if the weapon actually fit him.
As I stared at him blankly, Lee Min-seok chimed in.
"Haha, flashy performance matters too. Plenty of top-league players do that. What about you, Chang-hyun? Got something in mind?"
"Hmm... Me."
There were no gun prototypes here since no Korean players used them, not even at Morass Workshop.
I make them with Magic Engineering Weapon Conversion anyway, so the base form doesn't matter...
What mattered was volume and quality—the raw material mass. Since the transformed weapon's size was limited to the base's.
So I went for raw ore, not a weapon base. A long, rectangular mana stone ingot.
"This okay to use freely?"
"Winner's perk. Of course."
Lee Min-seok smiled softly, clearly intrigued by my choice.
I lifted the long ingot and infused mana.
Magic Engineering Weapon Conversion (A)
The weapon morphed like a transformer, shaving down bit by bit. The result: a sleek black gun, perfectly carved.
Just like the one from before regression.
It didn't take long for me to craft it, or for word to spread.
A raw ingot turning straight into a finished weapon was a spectacle no workshop staffer could ignore—they were all awestruck.
"Making weapons that easily... It's deflating."
"Whoa..."
"No way."
Various reactions. I'd seen them before regression, but having others envy my ability felt oddly ticklish.
But this time, it didn't end there. A door linking to the A-zone lab burst open, and a swarm of researchers rushed in, led by their head researcher.
***
Around the world, wherever there was a Hunters League, there was a Morass Workshop branch.
Competition was inevitable there, boiling down to two things: who made better weapons, and who wielded them.
For the main branch, it was natural rivalry. For sub-branches, it determined hierarchy—and resources from HQ. No wonder it was cutthroat.
The Korean branch's performance has been lackluster, that's a fact.
It had thrived in the 1st-gen hunter era, but after so many died tackling the Tower, Korea became a backwater league.
The workshop followed suit, lagging behind as hunter levels dropped.
The Seoul branch was in crisis.
No star players lately, and they've bombed in international leagues. Can't even promote weapons...
Hell, players ragged that the weapons barely matched their level.
Then Lee Chang-hyun showed up.
A hunter with a freak skill to freely morph raw materials into weapons. She'd seen it on broadcast and knew.
If we snag him... something big could happen.
That's why Morass Workshop Seoul branch head Park Hyun-ah was heading from A-zone to B-zone.
And right then, Lee Chang-hyun was turning a pure mana ingot into his gun. She was drooling.
He embodied "new weapon possibilities" she lacked.
Plus, winning that program showed promise. If he flaunted their weapons in league play?
Perfect.
She had to recruit him.
"Player Lee Chang-hyun... right?"
"Yes. Something you need?"
"Satisfied with this B-zone weapon...?"
"I heard the organizers provide this grade... Is there another option?"
Lee Chang-hyun's side sensed an angle, so they kept talking.
Sponsorship? Something like that?
Park Hyun-ah was thinking along the same lines.
"Not a weapon, but if it's just mana ingots, our Seoul branch has something special."
"Oh? But aren't those pricey? I can't exactly pay now..."
"Want to see?"
Lee Chang-hyun glanced at Lee Min-seok and Kim Do-jun; they nodded.
"Sure."
Where Park Hyun-ah led was surprising. Past B-zone, into A-zone... no, a high-security vault suggesting something elite was stored.
"You know Morass gives top-grade mana ingots as prizes to high-performing branches?"
She boasted, approaching the central hall. The premium ingot glowed softly blue.
Oh...
Even for Lee Chang-hyun, its purity rivaled his pre-regression weapon material.
"I'm offering this ingot to you with a proposal."
"...What kind?"
"Think sponsorship or symbiosis. We'll 'lease' this ingot as your weapon base. In return."
"In return?"
"Use it to make and wield your weapon. Get famous with it, even better. And occasionally collaborate by demoing weapons from it. Simple, no big deal?"
Park Hyun-ah laid out her best offer upfront.
Though it benefited her more, really.
This kid won't realize...
It'd prove Korean branch could reforge premium ingots freely—tech upgrade cred.
And reclaiming it? Easy. Have him make more weapons from it—A+ series from "reforging-proof" material.
Seoul branch dominating the world? Very possible.
But shockingly, Lee Chang-hyun saw he held the cards... and struck the plan's heart.
"Sounds good. But... you okay if word spreads that I made the weapon?"
Absurd. For her, secrecy was key—for Morass cred.
"Ah... Forgot to mention. It includes an NDA."
But once clued in, Lee Chang-hyun pressed.
"NDA makes the reward feel stingy. Maybe pitch my skills to HQ instead..."
Park Hyun-ah bit her lip. HQ would outbid to snag him—her plan dead.
...Thought it was generous.
She conceded total defeat.
"What are your terms?"