Interlude (2) - Artifact Creation

Magic enchantment is a specialized craft that permanently imbues objects with magic. It demands extensive background knowledge and varied experience, making it a professional field that ordinary mages rarely master.

‘There are even mages who dedicate their entire lives to researching nothing but enchantment. At the highest levels, they earn the title of [Arcane Artisan] and enjoy both wealth and fame.’

But the most important quality for an enchanter isn’t knowledge or experience. It’s abundant financial resources and sheer luck.

‘Because when you reinforce magic items, there’s always a random chance the item will shatter. In fact, the leading cause of death among enchanters is being killed by furious nobles whose family heirlooms were destroyed.’

However.

With the right new traits, even that could be manageable.

After all, six trait points still remained for him!

Hmm.

To unlock a Legendary trait…

Three trait points were required.

But only two points remained.

Then.

Let’s claim the first Legendary trait.

“...Brother-in-law. Are you truly certain this is safe?”

“It’s fine. Just trust me.”

“Still… this is our ancestor’s heirloom…”

What Good Luck was one of the most powerful traits in Sinear RPG. Just as its description stated, it exponentially increased the probability of encountering fortuitous opportunities. However, for Tellorian, preventing misfortune was far more important than gaining lucky encounters.

‘No matter how thorough a plan is, it falls apart without luck. But by acquiring the What Good Luck trait, I can minimize those variables.’

That said, it only made him lucky. It wasn’t a trait that inflicted misfortune on others. Therefore, it wouldn’t activate in direct [confrontations] against clear ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠competitors.

‘Which means it doesn’t trigger in combat or negotiations. In those kinds of judgments, my good fortune would be equivalent to someone else’s misfortune.’

On the other hand, it was incredibly useful for fields like magical research or enchantment. All those probability-based judgments that normally required countless repeated attempts could now be resolved through luck.

“Do you really need to reinforce our ancestor’s armor?”

“Brother.”

“It’s armor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crafted by dwarves, you know.”

“Do you not trust me?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but…”

He understood the hesitation.

An heirloom wasn’t just another magic item.

It was living proof of a family’s achievements.

“If you’re uncomfortable with it, I’ll simply enchant a regular suit of armor instead.”

“...”

“Though the performance will be rather lukewarm.”

They had only one set of materials.

The choice was entirely up to his brother-in-arms.

“Ugh…”

Iron Duke Rodrick stared at the [Black Armor of the Iron Lord (Rare)] resting on the archmage’s workbench and agonized over the decision. Honestly, the current black armor was already impressively powerful. Ordinary humans wielding ordinary weapons could never hope to penetrate it.

‘…But the enemies we’ll face on the battlefield are fellow nobles. They too possess magical weapons passed down as family heirlooms.’

In other words.

They needed even better armor.

If he wanted to overwhelm the enemy alone.

“What are the odds of success?”

“Ninety-nine percent.”

“...”

Good enough.

Go ahead and try.

‘Normally I’d make them sign a waiver saying they won’t hold me responsible if the item breaks during enchantment. But the Iron Duke is a man who takes promises seriously, so it should be fine.’

A twenty-five percent success rate.

Normally, this would be reckless.

‘But!’

I am!

Lore Master Tellorian!

“What good luck!”

Chanting the invincible incantation, he released mana from his right hand. The various runes drawn on the armor began to glow, and the catalysts arranged within the magic circle rose into the air one by one.

“O wind!”

The catalyst was the wing of a harpy queen.

It possessed the property of permanently lightening air.

Whoosh!

Mana seeped into the masterpiece armor forged from black iron by dwarven craftsmen. Black iron’s strengths were its hardness and flame resistance. Its only flaw was that it weighed twice as much as ordinary armor.

“O earth!”

Next.

The catalyst was the tendon of a cloud giant.

It possessed the property of permanently strengthening earth.

Thud!

The cloud giant’s tendon disintegrated piece by piece and soaked into the black armor. However, it clashed violently with the previous enchantment, causing mana to spark wildly!

Creak!

Creeeeak!

Yet the fiercely colliding spells eventually reached harmony and settled successfully. Black iron possessed enough durability to withstand multiple enchantments.

“O Arcane!”

Next.

The catalyst was a magitech core.

It permanently imbued the arcane.

Boom!

The magitech core shattered, releasing a vast surge of arcane energy. The intense mana collided with the existing spells, generating a violent shock. The previous enchantments were shattered, and permanent damage was inflicted upon the iron armor…

That was what should have happened, but Tellorian possessed truly exceptional luck. Therefore, although the arcane torrent collided with the existing spells, by some miracle it safely settled inside the armor.

The armor remained intact.

The spell had taken hold.

“Brother-in-law! Isn’t this enough?”

“The final enchantment is the most important one!”

Fated Guardian.

An option that prevented critical hit judgments.

It would drastically reduce the chance of dying from bad luck.

“The battlefield is a domain ruled by fortune!”

“That’s something I know far better than you do!”

“Even the continent’s strongest master knight will die instantly if a bolt slips through the visor of his helmet. The magic I’m about to bestow will prevent exactly that kind of accident!”

Hmm!

A truly excellent enchantment!

But wasn’t he being too greedy?

“It’s fine.”

I’m quite lucky, after all.

And I also know how to stabilize mana flow.

In short, it was a dice reroll.

At the cost of two Legacy Points.

“O rune of protection!”

The [Rune of Protection] placed at the center of the catalyst floated into the air. It was a [Hero]-grade rune exclusively produced by the [Rune Dwarves].

‘Purchasing a Rune of Protection costs enough gold to maintain ten thousand verified mercenaries for an entire year. But it is more than worth that price.’

No matter how powerful a mortal might be, they could never guarantee victory on the battlefield. Sometimes the goddess of fortune decided every factor in combat.

‘The battlefield is a place where an arrow carelessly loosed by a nameless serf can fell a sword master or archmage. There is no such thing as absolute safety on the battlefield.’

Right when mana ran out and defensive spells were dispelled.

Right when tension loosened and a parry failed.

If an arrow struck a vital point at such a moment, even the highest-level human would die.

‘No one can fight while maintaining perfect tension every single second. Whether archmage or sword master, they are still only human.’

He was no exception.

That was the limit of mortals.

‘That is why the battlefield is not ruled by individuals, but by the many. Even a level 50 sword master will inevitably suffer a lucky shot and sustain serious injury or death if a thousand level 5 archers fire a coordinated volley.’

This concept had been implemented in the game as [Critical Hits].

It had also been realized through the rules of [Targeted Attacks].

‘A critical hit to the heart or brain?’

Death.

Without exception.

‘However, the [Rune of Protection] forged by dwarven runemasters in their rune forges possesses the power to twist fate itself.’

That was precisely—

Fated Guardian.

The moment the Lore Master uttered the incantation in the dwarven tongue, thunder crashed and the earth shook with a tremendous roar. The mana generated by that roar surged toward the black armor, but the three previously applied enchantments refused to yield their places!

Ziiiing!

Kwaaaaang!

The Black Armor of the Iron Lord could not withstand the excessive mana and exploded. An arcane torrent created by four clashing spells erupted. Lore Master Tellorian would be blasted to pieces, and Iron Duke Rodrick would suffer critical injuries…

“Hup!”

But as he closed his eyes and projected his will, the flow of mana stabilized. He transcended the limits of modern magic and manipulated the flow of power according to ancient legacy. Lore Master Tellorian was one who remembered the names of the forgotten fairy kings and inherited the spells of the mage-kings who had opposed the gods.

“O mana!”

Thud!

He struck his staff against the ground.

Stabilizing the flow.

“Obey my will!”

Rumble…!

He completely seized control of the mana that had been flowing backward within the iron armor. He wove the torn-apart spells back together according to his intention and arranged them in sequence.

“...”

Iron Duke Rodrick watched the Lore Master with bated breath. Tellorian, completely absorbed in the enchantment process, looked like a master tailor. He was stitching and combining lines made of pure mana to create a new garment.

Thud.

Finally.

The armor stopped trembling.

“It’s done.”

“...Is it over?”

“Yes.”

He nodded.

“The armor that Iron Lord Harrington passed down to his descendants has now become a magical artifact that can rival even the imperial family’s treasures. Please try it on.”

At first glance.

There seemed to be no difference.

“...”

However.

Rodrick Harrington.

Felt it immediately.

“Ooooh…”

The moment he put on the armor.

The power flowing through his entire body!

“Father. Urgent news.”

“What is it, Belladia?”

“It seems the rebels are marching on the royal capital.”

Rodrick let out a small chuckle.

“Let them come.”

The siege mace was starving.

Uahahahahahahahaha!