Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Afterword (2)
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[Title: Broke Through New Floor with Shield from Newbie.]
[Author: Magic is Firepower]
[Everyone knows I don't use those gay-ass defensive spells.]
[But I tried this shield anyway. It came from our premium stock newbie, after all.]
[This thing defies explanation.]
[I straight-up can't believe it's a crafted item.]
[I'll upload photos and video, so check it out.]
[I guarantee you, the moment this goes public, hunters worldwide will lose their minds.]
[What am I gonna do about our newbie? They're just too damn lovable.]
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(555.555): Whoa, that's overwhelming.
ㄴ pkkotchu: (♿️♿️♿️Kon)
The post kicked off with Magic is Firepower's hype.
I chuckled and scrolled down.
Below the main text were attached photos and a video that looked like they'd been taken on the spot.
The shield in the photo was caked in monster blood, but not a single scratch on it.
I went ahead and played the video next.
"Hmm, so the 40s floors look like this?"
The video captured Jeong Tae-yeon climbing somewhere in the 40s floors.
The background was a massive ship floating on an endless ocean.
Nothing but the horizon stretching out in every direction.
Jeong Tae-yeon was wearing a skin-tight tactical suit instead of her robe.
Her chest stood out even more thanks to the form-fitting suit.
It was hard to tell she was a mage at a glance.
The two staves gripped one in each hand were the only thing saving face for her mage credentials.
"She really fights holding two staves..."
Maybe someday that'd become the industry standard.
The thought made that future feel a bit scary.
[Get your heads in the game! Incoming!]
In the video, Jeong Tae-yeon was in the middle of a fight with her team.
The enemies were half-human, half-fish monsters.
Purruk.
You could see the grotesque gills on their heads twitching.
[Damn fish bastards, they just won't die...!]
Jeong Tae-yeon spat curses in the video as she hurled a massive fireball into the air.
She was an A-rank fire mage.
The worst possible matchup against water-attribute monsters.
Sure enough, the fireball didn't take out the fish monsters in one go.
As the flames cleared, the monsters charged with spears raised.
At the same time, massive octopus-like tentacles erupted around the ship.
The ship started getting grabbed and shaken wildly by the tentacles.
[Cut the tentacles first!]
At Jeong Tae-yeon's command, the warriors dashed out and swung their swords.
The situation looked hopeless to anyone watching.
A fire mage didn't have many options against these enemies.
[Guildmaster! This is dangerous as is!]
One guild member screamed it out.
Right then, Jeong Tae-yeon in the video shouted like she'd made up her mind.
[Hold on just a bit longer, everyone!]
Jeong Tae-yeon set down her staves and pulled the shield from her back.
She cast a spell at the same time.
Fierce flames began enveloping her body.
[I'm going in!]
She charged forward without hesitation.
I couldn't close my mouth at the bizarre sight of a mage rushing the front lines.
[Kerruk!]
One half-fish monster thrust its trident at her.
Klang!
The trident shattered with a metallic clang the moment it hit the shield.
[Die!]
Jeong Tae-yeon immediately smashed the merfolk's head with the shield's edge.
Thwack!
The merfolk's head exploded like a watermelon.
Jeong Tae-yeon didn't stop there.
[Vice Guildmaster! Behind you!]
A shout came from one side.
A massive octopus tentacle bore down on a burly-looking warrior.
The tentacle was bigger than a person's body.
An unavoidable attack.
In that instant, Jeong Tae-yeon slipped in like a burst of flame.
Kaang!
Jeong Tae-yeon blocked the tentacle with her shield.
Normally, no matter how sturdy the shield, this would've been impossible.
Against that overwhelming mass and force, you'd expect to get blasted back.
But the shield didn't budge, absorbing all the impact.
Jeong Tae-yeon didn't get pushed back a single step.
[What are you waiting for! Slice those tentacles!]
She'd saved the guild member, and now she swung the shield in reverse to start severing the tentacles herself.
Tentacle strands sliced clean by the shield's sharp edge.
The ship quickly regained its freedom.
"This is... a mage?"
There wasn't a trace of a mage anywhere in that display.
It was like watching a berserker smash everything with just a shield.
The video ended with her shield-crushing the last tentacle attacking the ship.
I stared blankly at the black screen for a moment.
"...Pretty badass, though."
Suddenly, a thought from before I first trained the super engine resurfaced.
Maybe I should learn some close-quarters combat myself.
The comments echoed similar sentiments.
ㄴ Beetle: As expected, swords suit you better than staves.
ㄴ pkkotchu: (Not human kon)
ㄴ Fridge: No matter how many times I see her like this, I can't get used to it.
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: As I keep saying, you all should learn some melee too.
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: What if a situation hits where you suddenly can't use magic, like this time?
ㄴ Fridge: Normal people don't think, "Magic ain't working? Guess I'll punch 'em to death."
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(222.222): Question: How do you normally clear stuff? Do you always just charge in and beat 'em down like that?
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: It's not efficient, but it's not like I couldn't do it with magic.
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: Full doping with magic gets the job done, right? Plus, team support.
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: Still, I've felt bad for my guild lately. Felt like an incompetent leader. Glad I found a way to shine now.
"...Should've made her a sword instead of a shield?"
Her strength stat had to be low, for sure.
I was purely curious how she fought so well.
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: Anyway, you see the performance, right? A mage beating mobs with item power.
ㄴ Fridge: No, normal mages can't use it like that.
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: Durability's insane too. Fought like that and not a scratch.
ㄴ Fridge: Ugh, listen to me for once.
Jeong Tae-yeon was replying to her own comments, unable to hide her excitement.
I smiled watching her.
"Well, at least the performance checks out."
That was more than enough to call her competent in melee.
Maybe even better than Uncle Jeong Man-ho.
If even she was raving about it, no need to worry about quality.
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: Hey, I wanna buy one for every guild member. How many can you make? Name your price. Dead serious.
"Hmm..."
I paused at her final comment, lost in thought.
Busan's Hwaryeon Guild.
One of Korea's top-tier guilds by weight class.
Supplying shields to their entire roster?
A businessperson wouldn't turn down that massive deal.
It'd be a jackpot.
"But... impossible..."
Grateful offer, but physically unfeasible.
My limit was three or four per day at best.
Ring-based crafting drained my mana and stamina massively.
The bone dragon bone material wasn't infinite either.
"Not planning mass production anyway."
My brand couldn't become a common item anyone could have.
My goal was luxury pinnacle.
Something that swept up envy and aspiration.
Not an item buyable just because you had money.
A supreme brand that proved the owner's caliber just by owning it.
"Even Rolls-Royce doesn't sell to just anyone."
Those who got my items needed matching qualifications.
It had to be an object of envy and longing, permitted only to a strictly selected few.
Irreplaceable brand image—that was the goal.
The sole exception for those targets: my acquaintances.
That is, the magic gallery folks, neighbor Jeong Man-ho, and finally the broker uncle.
Though the broker uncle flat-out refused, saying he couldn't use stuff like this.
Planning to make him something else later.
"Showcase and launch prep going well, I hope?"
By now, the broker uncle probably fully grasped my vision and was hustling hard.
I'd trust his skills and drive.
Who else would the boss trust if not him?
Meanwhile, other mages started chiming in on the shield under Jeong Tae-yeon's post.
ㄴ Fridge: I haven't gone into the tower. Even if I did, I couldn't melee like that.
ㄴ Fridge: Plus, I'm in the States right now. Can't even enter the tower.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(999.999): America's spring right now, so warm. Opposite side of the planet.
ㄴ Fridge: ?
ㄴ Beetle: ?
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: ?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(999.999): ?
ㄴ Fridge: Anyway, can't lend this shield to someone else, right?
ㄴ Fridge: So I just did an item analysis.
ㄴ Fridge: Specs are top-tier, obviously.
ㄴ Fridge: The weird part? This shield has the exact same data waveform as a tower drop item.
ㄴ Fridge: In other words, it's as good as straight-up copying a tower item.
ㄴ Fridge: Plenty might not believe it's crafted. Can't blame 'em. Means it's that amazing. Take it as a compliment.
"Come to think of it, that Jang In-cheol guy said the same..."
Tower drop-level crafted item.
Maybe that'd become our brand's core concept.
I filed that away and read on.
ㄴ Beetle: Wanted to grab this and punch through a new floor right away, but couldn't...
ㄴ Beetle: As you know, reporting to the association and government for the next floor, getting permits—too much red tape.
ㄴ Beetle: Went back to 55th floor I already cleared instead. For training.
ㄴ Beetle: Performance is nuts. Ignored a few boss patterns and charged right through.
ㄴ Beetle: Team kept grilling me on where I got it, got chewed out.
Rave reviews from two A-rank hunters and the one S-rank mage.
I grinned at the screen.
Scrolling through, savoring each comment.
Then it hit me—one person was awfully quiet.
"Huh, pkkotchu's not saying anything?"
She definitely got a shield too, but no review.
Did she climb the tower with her party?
I pondered, then decided to ask.