Chapter 109
Chapter 109
Chapter 109: The Production Golem (3)
Translation: godtl
Clink.
A clear, crisp sound.
Baek Eun, who had been meticulously packaging the healing potions, paused.
Creak.
The Mithril Golem briefly turned its gaze toward the source of the sound.
There—
Clink.
—"Nice! Just a little more!"
Clink.
—"Oppa, this part needs a bit more refining."
Clink.
—"Hmm, the dimensions here are slightly off, aren't they?"
A floating flask containing a hovering eyeball and a strikingly handsome man with sharp features were deeply engrossed in their work.
This scene had already been going on for several days.
Creak.
The Mithril Golem naturally returned to its packaging duties.
—"Done! This is the last one!"
A voice brimming with excitement.
"Phew......."
The young man wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
Si-mun slumped into a nearby chair.
"I feel like I'm about to drop dead."
Days of relentless work.
His disheveled hair and wrinkled shirt swayed slightly with his exhausted breathing.
His appearance perfectly matched his drained voice.
Of course—
—"But you finished it all, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
Despite his fatigue, Si-mun's eyes sparkled with vitality.
And how could they not?
—"Who would've thought you could refine this much Adamantium and Orichalcum in just ten days? As expected of our Oppa!"
Adamantium and Orichalcum—enough to fill an entire sack.
Refining that much in just ten days, perfectly tailored for the Production Golem—how could he not be thrilled?
"And there's Dragonium too."
—"Oh, right! That too!"
Not only that, but he had even flawlessly incorporated Dragonium into the mix.
Now, all that remained was the final assembly of the parts.
Si-mun gazed warmly at the floating flask containing the Philosopher's Stone.
"Philosopher's Stone, I'm really glad you're here. If I'd been alone, this would've taken over a month."
—"Hehe! I'm pretty amazing, aren't I?"
The Philosopher's Stone—the pinnacle of alchemical transmutation.
True to its worth, it had caught every imperceptible flaw that human eyes would've missed.
Thanks to it, Si-mun had been able to smoothly complete the alloying and refining of Adamantium, Orichalcum, and Dragonium—even without specialized equipment.
—"Oppa."
The Philosopher's Stone, having finished its final inspection of the refined parts, floated closer.
—"Stop working and go rest for a bit. You haven't had a proper break in a while."
"It's almost done. I'll rest after finishing. Besides, my Transmutation Power's fully recovered anyway."
The last Arena match—the Platinum Promotion Match.
Even though the rewards weren't particularly grand for a Promotion Match, Si-mun had leveled up a whopping six times.
He had invested all his leftover stat points into Transmutation Power, raising it from 130 to 136.
Adding the +4 bonus from the Pick of Kings title, his total Transmutation Power now stood at 140.
On top of that, the Philosopher's Stone had also reached Level 68.
Naturally, his Transmutation Power recovery rate was now remarkably fast.
Just as Si-mun tried to stand up—
—"Eeek! You dummy Oppa!"
"Oof."
Something cold and smooth bumped against his forehead.
The Philosopher's Stone, now hovering right in front of his face.
—"Your Transmutation Power might recover quickly, but your mental stamina won't!"
Its eye narrowed in displeasure.
—"You've been doing high-difficulty work nonstop for ten days without proper rest! Even a Ranker young master would struggle with this kind of marathon!"
It wasn't wrong.
Adamantium and Orichalcum were among the highest-tier materials available.
Naturally, refining them required top-tier expertise and experience—something only elite Production Class players could handle.
And on top of that, there was Dragonium—a metal even the Philosopher's Stone wasn't fully familiar with.
Hadn't they struggled through countless refining methods, dealing with errors along the way?
No matter how exceptional a player was, mental exhaustion was inevitable.
—"Of course, I get how you feel."
The Philosopher's Stone glanced at the completed parts.
Si-mun had already far surpassed the average standards for his rank.
Despite his overwhelming specs, the reason he had devoted ten whole days to the Production Golem was simple.
—"You want to finish it quickly and get it ready for actual combat, right? You've got the Platinum Debut Match coming up soon."
The Philosopher's Stone was right.
Unlike regular players who were immediately placed into their new rank after promotion, Si-mun had a Debut Match scheduled—one reserved only for the top performers among the promoted players.
And from Platinum onward, matches weren't just domestic—they were global, weren't they?
It's a gathering of the world's most promising talents all in one place.
And on top of that...
-"We also have to go to the Black Smeltery."
"That's right."
The hidden quest [Toward the Black Smeltery] received from the Dark Elf Dayna.
Beyond just its difficulty level...
"Honestly, I'm more concerned about the Black Smeltery than the Debut Match. There were some unsettling mentions about it in previous arenas."
-"Well, considering they've been abducting dwarves and dark elves, it's definitely not going to be normal."
Si-mun had this gut feeling that the Black Smeltery wouldn't be straightforward at all.
So much so that he wondered—
Would this be where he'd experience his first arena failure due to carelessness?
'Of course, since it's not a regular arena yet, there won't be any death penalties.'
But that didn't mean he could approach it casually.
As Si-mun, he wanted to bring out his absolute best.
And the Philosopher's Stone understood this better than anyone.
-"Oooh! Fine, I get it. But we're only finishing this today, got it? Anything more will have to wait until tomorrow."
"Got it."
-"Promise me. Really promise me."
Creak.
The Philosopher's Stone extended a conjured hand from the side table.
Seeing its tiny pinky finger sticking out so adorably, Si-mun chuckled.
"You little... Alright, I promise."
With a wry smile, he hooked his own pinky around it.
-"Hee! Then I'll set it up right away."
Perhaps because the promise had settled its mind—
The Philosopher's Stone flew excitedly toward the golem under construction.
-"Let's see... This is the arm, this is the leg..."
Clank.
Using its conjured arms, the Philosopher's Stone began assembling various parts.
By the time Si-mun stood up and approached—
The parts made of premium alloys had already been perfectly fitted onto the mithril framework.
-"Big bro, now we just need to attach the head."
"Right."
Following its words, Si-mun approached the somewhat rounded model—the head component—placed beside the framework.
Then he retrieved from his inventory a glass bottle shimmering with blue light.
[Wellspring of Mimir]
Grade: SSS
A sacred water treasured by Asgard.
Depending on usage, it can grant thought and intelligence even to inanimate objects.
The Wellspring of Mimir.
An SSS-rank material item obtained after clearing the Special Arena [Fall of Nature].
Just as the Philosopher's Stone had said—the Wellspring could bestow sentience upon the golem.
The description explicitly mentioned granting thought and intelligence.
'Once I pour this in, the head will be complete.'
Even without it, crafting golems were already more intellectually capable than standard ones.
The materials used were already extraordinary by any measure.
Just how exceptional would this golem become with the Wellspring added?
"I'm looking forward to this."
Glug.
Si-mun poured the entire Wellspring into the round head component.
Contrary to the expectation that it would spill over—
Sluurp.
As if evaporating on contact—
Not a single drop remained, all absorbed completely.
Holding it, Si-mun approached the completed body.
Click.
The head attached seamlessly, as if it had always been one.
Feeling the satisfaction of ten days' hard work paying off, Si-mun took two steps back with a pleased expression.
-"Big bro?"
"Yeah. Now all that's left is the transmutation."
Nodding, Si-mun raised his hand toward the crafting golem.
"Philosopher's Stone, remember—if needed, we can spend Achievement Points."
-"Mhm! Got it!"
Combined with points from previous arenas, his current total was 49,500.
If he earned just 10,000 more, he could obtain the Homunculus crafting method—the reward from Black Goat's quest.
Alternatively, he could use them to unlock the third star of the Heavenly Demon Art.
'But first, completing the crafting golem takes priority.'
Given the priceless materials already invested—
Si-mun resolved to spare no expense on the golem.
"Then let's begin."
Huuuum.
From the Philosopher's Stone embedded at the center of his chest—
Familiar energy, his Transmutation Power, flowed out, gathering at his fingertips.
Flick.
The moment he released it—
Crackle!
A series of sparks erupted as the crafting golem became enveloped in white light.
"Whoa..."
-"Ooooh!"
Both Si-mun and the Philosopher's Stone in the flask watched with wide eyes.
Then—
Creeeak!
With a sound like something splitting—
"Ghk!"
Si-mun staggered, clutching his chest.
Before him—
[Insufficient Dragon Power to activate Dragonium.]
An absurd message appeared.
-"Big bro! Are you okay?!"
"Yeah. Just... lost my energy for a second."
As if all his strength had been completely drained.
The sensation of his body being completely drained in an instant.
Given the previous system message, it wasn't hard for Si-mun to deduce the cause of this exhaustion.
'Lack of Dragon Power, huh...?'
Not a shortage of Transmutation Power for golem creation, but Dragon Power?
It was an absurd situation, but not entirely incomprehensible.
-Oppa, I think it's because of the Dragonium, right?
"Yeah. The system says the same."
Kiiing.
As the exhaustion subsided, Si-mun immediately activated Odin's Eye.
He hadn't realized it when he first made it, but now, after attempting transmutation once, he understood.
"So Dragonium is a metal that requires Dragon Power to properly activate."
Or perhaps ignite would be a better word?
It needed a certain amount of energy to function correctly.
Si-mun stared at the parts that had just devoured his Dragon Power and were still screaming for more.
-Hmph! I see... I didn't know about this kind of metal either....
"It's fine. It's natural not to know."
It wasn't like the main body had flown away.
He could always attempt transmutation again.
The problem was—
"But just looking at it, the required amount of Dragon Power is insane, isn't it?"
-Right.
To activate Dragonium, it demanded Dragon Power.
A total of 140 Transmutation Power.
But his Bound Stats only allocated him 70 Dragon Power—half of that.
'Even pouring all of it in only keeps it active for a brief moment.'
If 100% was the benchmark, he'd only filled about 20%.
And even that 20% was dissipating at a terrifying speed.
Therefore—
'I need to pour a massive amount of Dragon Power in one go...'
70 Dragon Power for 20%.
A simple calculation meant he needed 350 Dragon Power.
The Philosopher's Stone inside the flask shook its head vigorously.
-Oppa, I think we'll have to spend Achievement Points...?
"Looks like it. But for this much Dragon Power, won't it cost a ridiculous amount?"
-Yeah. Energy transmutation is inherently inefficient. The points we have now probably won't be enough.
He was ready to invest Achievement Points without hesitation, but if the efficiency was terrible, that changed things.
Then—
Knock knock.
"Si-mun-nim."
A knock came from the laboratory door.
"Come in."
With Si-mun's permission, a familiar man stepped inside.
Park Jin-uk, the Night Hunter, spoke with a grave expression.
"Si-mun-nim, someone from the Continent Guild has arrived."
A tall, handsome man with striking features.
Seo Wi-ryong tapped his fingers against a steaming teacup, his expression slightly uneasy.
Clunk.
The ornate door opened, and a strikingly handsome young man with sharp features entered.
Seo Wi-ryong immediately stood up.
"It's been a while! Si-mun-nim."
He greeted with a perfectly executed fist salute.
In response—
"Ah... Nice to see you, Seo Wi-ryong-ssi."
Si-mun returned the salute, though his form was a bit clumsy.
Seeing this, Seo Wi-ryong grinned and waved his hand dismissively.
"There's no need for the fist salute. You're not a member of the Continent Guild, after all."
"Haha, I suppose not."
Scratching his head, Si-mun took a seat.
Seo Wi-ryong's smile deepened.
'I noticed it last time too, but he's truly a man of courtesy.'
Like many major guilds, the Continent Guild had its own customs—fist salutes, hierarchies, and traditions.
But Si-mun wasn't part of the guild.
He wasn't even from their country.
Yet he still made an effort to show respect—how could that not be pleasing?
'With his level of power, he could've been arrogant... Truly befitting the Sword Saint's elder brother.'
Seo Wi-ryong's admiration grew even more.
Unaware of this, Si-mun asked calmly,
"Seeing you here, I take it things went as expected?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, the Guild Master has been able to catch his breath. We're all the same."
"That's a relief."
A smile naturally formed on Si-mun's lips.
Of course.
'This means Jong-ri Chu is going to be pissed.'
Originally, the Guild Master succession—
The transfer of power—should have gone smoothly.
The previous Guild Master's influence and factions should have been cleanly erased.
'If Seo Wi-ryong is speaking like this, the Moderate Faction must have secured their position within the Continent Guild.'
With that faction still intact, Jong-ri Chu must be seething.
Seo Wi-ryong, sitting across from him, took a sip of tea and smiled bitterly.
"How can we ever repay this kindness...? I'd love to return it tenfold, but embarrassingly, our situation isn't stable enough yet."
His shoulders slumped slightly.
Si-mun shook his head in response.
"Your gratitude is enough. If it still bothers you, you can repay me later when things settle down."
Not that I'd refuse a gift.
At his words—
"Si-mun-nim..."
Seo Wi-ryong's eyes grew moist.
Then—
"Ah, right! It's not like we have nothing to give you."
As if suddenly remembering something,
Seo Wi-ryong hastily opened his inventory and plunged his hand inside.
And from within emerged—
"A glass vial containing a deep crimson liquid."
"That's—!"
Si-mun's eyes flew wide open.