Chapter 142: Armament Enhancement
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 142: Armament Enhancement
That night, I lay in bed, reflecting on the day's events.
“…Yoo Se-in.”
The words she had left me with before we parted, almost like a farewell.
—May the Blessing of God be with you.
The woman's voice that echoed in my mind whenever my Blessing activated. That mysterious voice matched Yoo Se-in's perfectly.
But after saying that, Se-in had excused herself, saying she couldn't tell me any more. She repeatedly brought up the penalty of 'divine punishment.'
I had heightened my sensitivity with the [Blessing of the Sword God] to observe Se-in, but I couldn't detect even a shred of falsehood in her eyes.
‘She even added at the end that we shouldn't meet too often.’
She said what she could tell me was limited, and we had to be careful about meeting.
…Then why did Se-in transfer to the Academy? Since we had only met today, I had no way of knowing her intentions.
However, retracing the context of our conversation, Se-in was ultimately presenting herself as my ally.
‘Since she said she came to help me level up.’
Tossing and turning under the covers, I sat up and leaned against the wall. A cold sensation brushed against my back.
The full moon hung clear in the sky. The moonlight shining through the window frame slanted at an angle.
I stared blankly at the full moon, then suddenly pulled a stone fragment from my pocket. The Immortal Magic Stone. It drank in the moonlight, glowing with an alluring luster.
I toyed with the surface of the magic stone. It felt rough. How should I put it... like the scales of a fish before a knife touches them? It felt raw and untamed.
Even if it was purified, a magic stone was still a concentration of magic power. This single pebble was practically a monster that far surpassed your average magical beast.
I stared at the Immortal Magic Stone for a long time.
…But can I really succeed in enhancing Murasame with this? What if, by some absolute miracle of bad luck, old man Buralt fails?
All the hardships I went through during the break would burst like a bubble in an instant. Just imagining it made me shudder.
If that really happened, I felt like something beyond anger would surge within me. Besides, based on my experience playing Miracle Blessing M, the failure rate shouldn't be that high.
At most, around 7%? The problem was that Wieland had a history of failing his smithing.
“Ah, I'm getting anxious.”
But... even if he was untrustworthy, there was no alternative. I just had to believe that tomorrow, he would be the legendary Wieland.
“Still, the fact that there's a chance of failure makes the thrill of success twice as sweet.”
My heart beat quietly. The pulse from my fingertips traveled to the magic stone, making the cold rock squirm like a living piece of flesh.
I slipped the magic stone back into my pocket. Being Korean by nature, I couldn't help but get excited over enhancement. Gambling really is a terrifying thing.
* * *
The next day during lunchtime, I went straight to see Wieland. The moment I opened the door, a blast of hot air and the smell of sweat brushed past my cheeks.
Next to the bellows spitting out sparks of fire, I saw his back as he oiled a massive hammer.
“Old man, I'm here.”
“What... is it you?”
Wieland twisted his neck to look at me and let out a sigh. Even so, he stopped what he was doing and pulled out a chair, telling me to sit.
Whether it was the service spirit of a self-employed business owner or because of my usual intimidation, his reception was surprisingly proper despite his reluctant attitude.
“It's been a while.”
“I wish it had been longer. A month is shorter than I thought. Sit down first.”
Wieland cleared the items cluttering the table. Weapon blueprints, request forms, a set square, pencils. There was a bit of everything.
Once he had tidied up a bit, he brought over a kettle and a dented makgeolli cup from the cupboard.
Speaking nonchalantly, Wieland filled the makgeolli cup. Setting up a drinking table right in front of a customer—and an academy cadet, no less.
This old man is truly consistent.
“Just so you know, it's the start of the semester, so I have a mountain of weapon requests piled up. Even if you commission me now, it'll take at least a month, maybe longer.”
Wieland gulped down the drink to wet his throat. Wiping the makgeolli from his lips with his forearm, he asked:
“So, what did you bring this time? Knowing your fierce temper, I doubt you wasted your break doing nothing. What, did you bring another A-rank magical beast material like last time?”
“I brought something that makes A-rank materials look like trash.”
“…What?”
The makgeolli cup on its way to his mouth froze. I pulled out the magic stone and placed it on the table. Wieland's eyes followed the rolling stone.
“T-this... N-no way?”
Wieland's voice trembled violently. He gasped and carefully picked up the magic stone.
“Isn't this a magic stone?!”
His eyes, now twice their normal size, scanned the crimson gem from every angle. I nodded and replied:
“Yes. Its exact name is the 'Immortal Magic Stone.' What do you think? Isn't this enough to make A-rank materials look like trash?”
“…Haha, wow. No way.”
Wieland let out a dumbfounded chuckle. He couldn't take his eyes off the magic stone, looking like a child who had just received a brand-new toy.
“Can you enhance my weapon with it?”
“Uh... well.”
Wieland hesitated at my question. He scratched his eyebrow with an awkward expression.
“As a professional who's been swinging a hammer for decades, I'll be honest with you. Enhancing an armament with a magic stone? Of course it's possible. Magic stones are incredibly rare minerals, so I've never handled one myself, but there are definitely precedents.”
Wieland continued his explanation in a heavy tone.
“…But the problem lies in the processing of this magic stone. I don't know if you're aware, but if you make even a single slip-up, the latent magic power inside can go wild. Right now, it looks like a mere piece of stone, but the suppressed malice inside is no joke. It feels like it came from an A+ rank, or perhaps even higher, magical beast.”
He had grasped its true nature after just a brief touch. I silently marveled at his keen eye.
I had forgotten, but Wieland was the officially recognized top-tier blacksmith in Miracle Blessing M.
“I won't bother asking where you got it... Well, it's not like you'd tell me anyway. Kang Geomma, what can't you do? You're the great 'Sashimi Sword Saint,' after all.”
A vein throbbed on my temple. Wieland quickly backtracked.
“I-it's a compliment, a compliment! Anyway, my point is this. Enhancement? It's possible. But before that, we absolutely need a purification process to suppress this malice—the magic power contained within the stone.”
“Then we can just purify it. Or do we have to outsource it somewhere?”
“There's nowhere that would take it, and as far as I know, no one else can do it.”
Wieland shook his head.
“Even if there were, it wouldn't work. Because if it undergoes artificial refining—meaning, lapidary work—the magic power will lose its efficacy entirely. There is only one way. Suppressing the magical beast's malice with human willpower.”
“……?”
“You just have to crush and suppress this magic power with sheer human mental strength. To put it in simpler terms, it's like taming a wild beast into a pet.”
I fell into thought for a moment. I understood Wieland's explanation. Even if the evil thoughts had been cleared, a magic stone was still a magic stone. Purification before smithing was an absolute necessity.
Then what was the method? I asked immediately.
“This crushing of magic power with mental strength. How do I do it?”
“The method isn't hard. When I activate my Blessing and strike the gem with my hammer, an immense amount of magic power will leak out. At that moment, you just have to place your hand on it and suppress it. That's all.”
“…Old man, you had a Blessing?”
“Hey! You brat, do you think I set up shop at Joaquin Academy for nothing?! ...Though it's a Blessing with absolutely zero combat capability, which is why I couldn't become a hero...”
A brief shadow of gloom crossed Wieland's face. He shook off his stray thoughts and added:
“Anyway. To sum it up, the enhancement smithing is possible, but my mental strength isn't enough to suppress this malice. Especially if it's the malice of an A+ or S-rank magical beast, as I suspect. Unless you're at the level of a Seven Stars Hero, it's practically impossible for most people.”
“…….”
Wieland held the magic stone out to me. He bit his lip, looking deeply disappointed. It seemed his pride as a blacksmith had taken a blow.
‘...Hmm.’
I looked back and forth between Wieland and the magic stone, lost in thought.
Old man Wieland couldn't give up so easily. The first step had to go well for the next two times to be smooth.
For the sake of the remaining two magic stone enhancements, he needed to build up his proficiency starting now. That way, we could expect even better results in the future.
I raised my head. Wieland was tilting his makgeolli cup with a bitter expression. His pride had clearly taken a heavy scratch.
“Old man!”
I quickly grabbed his attention. If I left him like that, he looked ready to get completely wasted and pass out in no time.
“That taming of the magic power—I'll do it.”
“Cough—W-what?”
Choking on his drink, Wieland coughed. He wore a completely dazed expression before suddenly knitting his brows fiercely.
“Hey! Do you even know what you're saying? If you mess up, kid, your mind could go completely haywire at your age!”
Wieland roared in shock. Despite his incredibly harsh tone, his words were filled with worry and concern for me.
I appreciated the sentiment. However, rather than personal feelings, it was more important for Wieland to take this step forward.
‘I wasn't planning on saying this, but...’
I looked straight into Wieland's eyes. He flinched and set his cup down. A cold chill settled over the heat-filled room.
“The magical beast that dropped this magic stone—I'm the one who subjugated it.”
“…I see.”
Wieland stammered slightly, but his voice remained steady. It was as if he had expected it to some extent.
“I saw earlier that you're eager to try magic stone enhancement. Isn't it a waste for you to just give up like this?”
“…….”
“And I won't go crazy. I might not look like much, but I have absolute confidence in my mental strength.”
In my past life, I had been rolling in the dirt since I was seventeen. On top of that, I had survived three years in the military, and now I even possessed 'Mental Rank.' There was no way I would yield to some petty malice.
Wieland's expression hardened as he thought for a moment. Then, closing his eyes tight, he clamped his mouth directly onto the spout of the kettle.
“?!”
“Kwah!”
Gulping down the makgeolli, he let out a loud exclamation. His already flushed face turned beet red.
Wieland opened his eyes wide and looked at me.
“Alright, let's give it a shot. I'll use my Blessing to control the leaking magic power as much as possible.”
“Light up the forge.”
Wieland curled the corners of his mouth upward.
“First, let's pull down the shutters.”
* * *
Wieland busily finished the preparations for the enhancement. Would he ever get another opportunity like this in his lifetime? Armament enhancement using a magic stone, of all things.
The mountain of piled-up requests was pushed aside. The shutters were pulled down. Today's business was as good as gone.
Yet, Wieland's heart pounded. He took a deep breath, inhaling the warmth of the smithy. The hot air seeping into his lungs raced through his veins.
Gulp. Swallowing his dry saliva, Wieland stepped on the bellows, sending sparks flying across the smithy.
Fwooooosh.
The immense heat capable of melting iron into liquid enveloped his entire body. But Wieland paid it no mind, stoking the fire even more fiercely.
The heat is sufficient.
Wieland raised his hammer high. Before striking the magic stone, he turned his gaze toward Kang Geomma.
“I'm starting.”
Kang Geomma nodded silently. At that, Wieland activated his Blessing and struck the magic stone with all his might.
Clang!
Along with a dull thud, cracks spread across the Immortal Magic Stone. Immediately, a pitch-black mist began to pour from the fissures.
Ssssssssss—
Wieland felt a chill run down his spine.
A mist darker than night suppressed the hot air of the smithy. A bizarre energy eroded his mind, and shadows began to eat away at his vision.
“…Ugh.”
A malevolence far beyond expectations. The grip on his hammer began to slowly loosen.
Shhhring.
A smooth sound echoed from beside him.
Having unsheathed his Sashimi, Kang Geomma calmly reached out with his free hand despite the raging pressure.
Beep—
[An unauthorized external intrusion has been detected.]
[However, the opponent's rank is too low for the program to activate.]
[Using 「Mental Rank」 to suppress the 「Immortal Magic Power」.]
Finally, the moment his hand made contact with the source of the demonic energy that threatened to consume his entire body.
Kang Geomma spoke in a serene voice.
“Is this all you've got?”
……Flash!
[The Blessing of the Sword God — Annihilation is activated.]