Homunculi Rampage at Smell's Artisan Hall

Smell had turned into utter chaos due to the monsters that suddenly burst out in the artisan competition hall.

The blacksmithing division, which dealt with equipment, drew quite a bit of interest from ordinary folk, but the alchemy and architecture divisions were little more than playgrounds for their own kind. The hall was packed with alchemists and artisans from other fields eyeing collaborations with skilled alchemists, leaving them unable to escape the sudden monster onslaught.

Dozens of artisans lost their lives right there, devoured without a single bone fragment left behind, vanishing without a trace. The guards on site put up some resistance, buying enough time for a few to flee, but the situation hadn't improved at all.

They scattered into the few artisan protection facilities in Smell, activating protective spells and devices to keep the monsters out, but they still lacked any proper means of attack.

"Ooooh!!"

A few Immortals who had slipped in during the evacuation tried resisting, even darting in and out of the protective barriers for guerrilla tactics, but the monsters regenerated to their original form even after taking damage, swelling larger or splitting apart, worsening the situation by the minute.

That's why Gremori, the manager of the Artisan Hall, had no choice but to make a decision. Some might not realize it yet, but he'd noticed the monsters outside were evolving in real time. He also knew that only magic or magic-infused gear could deal meaningful damage to them.

And right here were the strongest magic weapons available. If Smell fell to those things, the gear wouldn't be safe anyway.

"Awesome, that's mine!"

"Never thought I'd get a shot at Epic-grade gear!"

"We can't just run off with this stuff, right?"

He decided to open the display cases holding the artisans' gear. As he operated the controls, the security measures deactivated, allowing anyone to pick them up.

All they needed now was for the right people to wield them against the monsters—but another problem arose.

"What the hell? Ownership not recognized?"

"Wear restrictions are insane! What are we supposed to use?!"

Most of those present were players. There were high-level combat NPCs here, but with artisans in the majority, priority went to players. To prevent theft or logouts with the gear, Gremori issued a quest as a minimal safeguard, allowing loans only—but the real issue was the strict equip restrictions on these superior items.

The cases were open, but no one could properly use them. Whether due to stat limits, level requirements, or unmet conditions, most players couldn't handle the gear, leaving few able to fight.

"Damn..."

"This is pointless. Some can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠equip a few pieces, but they're too weak."

A few lower-tier items could be equipped, and their creators were among those present, but their combat prowess was lacking—low levels or artisan classes meant poor fighting skills. Could they really fend off the monsters with just this?

Even after his bold decision, Gremori's eyes filled with worry.

Whiiist—!

"?!"

"Kwaaaang!!!"

Boom!!

Then, a long whistle pierced the air. Something happened to the monsters outside, unfazed by sporadic attacks. Several smaller ones exploded, while the massive ones writhed in agony, letting out pained shrieks.

Everyone looked around in confusion, spotting only something zipping through the air.

"Arrows?!"

"From the artisan competition...?"

A few recognized the Arrows of Denial. At the same moment, Vulcan landed beside them, having rushed over. The barrier allowed humans free passage, even if it was a risky setup.

'A bit complacent, but unavoidable.'

Of course, it opened the door for any culprits behind the monsters to sneak in, sabotage the barrier from inside, and slaughter everyone. But it was a necessary risk. In this chaos, they couldn't limit entry to familiar faces alone, and even those might be imposters or infiltrators who'd been hiding since before.

"They're multiplying?"

"At this rate, this place is next..."

A brief spark of hope faded as pessimism lingered. The homunculi, drawn by the thick mana scent from the opened Artisan Hall gear, were gathering in greater numbers.

The Arrows of Denial pierced and erased a few, but far more were already blanketing the building exterior in black.

"Can I use these?" Vulcan asked bluntly, eyeing the open gear. With homunculi shrugging off his arrows, he needed stronger firepower.

"Can you wield them?"

"Yeah. Should manage somehow."

"Then take what you need."

Gremori gave quick approval, but he didn't expect Vulcan to solve everything alone. He'd confirmed he was an artisan-class player who could use the gear, but figured maybe one or two pieces.

"Don't mind if I do."

But then something astonishing happened. The most powerful Epic-grade items from the display—the rarest treasures—rose into the air.

'Multiple at once is tough.'

It was a telekinesis spell activation. Telekinesis wasn't limited to one target. Fine control on multiples was tricky, but this was manageable. The homunculi couldn't block or grab the arrows anyway, so he used them to draw attention and deal damage while levitating other weapons around him.

"Wait here a moment. I'll be back soon."

He'd visited the Artisan Hall before, and Dragon Eye let him see each item's options clearly. Vulcan sent them orbiting him like satellites and flew out beyond the barrier.

He first gripped a long spear—the Extermination Spear, specialized for javelins that pursued targets to the ends of the earth. Its equip requirement was a whopping level 400, untouched by anyone, but Vulcan hefted it effortlessly.

Even with Item Master active, the massive level gap restricted its power greatly, but it didn't matter. This much was plenty to erase the homunculi.

"Pierce through!"

Even with Item Master, option skills were weakened, though not as severely as stats. Inspired by the mythical Gungnir, the Extermination Spear tore through space.

The instant it left Vulcan's hand, it bridged space and plunged into a massive homunculus's torso.

Boom!!

"!!!"

No dodging it. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Blocking was impossible. As a magic weapon thrown from an inescapably close spatial link, evasion was out—they had to tank it.

"Return!"

Their only hope was preventing recovery, but the return spell foiled that. It flew back to Vulcan's hand on command, and he hurled it again, activating another skill.

"Strike down, thunder!"

Rumble—!!

Next in hand: the Hammer of Judgment. If the spear was Gungnir, this was Mjolnir. Infused with Thunder Break, inspired by the thunder god's hammer, the lightning crashed like divine punishment, incinerating and erasing the homunculus.

"One more!"

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Vulcan didn't stop, hurling the cooling Hammer of Judgment repeatedly. It lacked spatial return like the spear but boomeranged back to the user.

Juggling weapons like a circus act, he toyed with the homunculi, his dominance overwhelming.

'Mana consumption is insane.'

Reality was different. Skills had cooldowns unlike telekinesis, but one use per weapon was enough to wipe homunculi hordes. He could raze all of Smell if he wanted.

But mana drain was the issue. He could use them, but his mana pool—already low without stat investments—was depleted faster due to Item Master's forced override.

He chugged mana recovery and regen potions, but even spaced-out use outpaced recovery.

'Still, the power's undeniable.'

The output was devastating despite weakening from mismatched levels. He regretted not keeping one— it'd push him to level 300 easily—but they had to return.

No system ownership meant no stealing.

'At least I snagged the recipes.'

Not empty-handed, though. Holding them revealed materials and crafting methods. He could replicate or tweak with substitutes if needed—plenty to be thrilled about.

"In that spirit... I'll sweep 'em all! Power Throw! Telekinesis!"

Fueled by glee, Vulcan unleashed on the homunculi. He skipped skills to conserve mana, but the gear's base power overwhelmed them anyway.

No return function? Telekinesis covered it. He flung and swung with full force, smashing heads, bursting bodies, pulverizing existences, rapidly erasing them from Smell.

True Item Power in action—overwhelming strength on full display.