Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 205
>Chapter Title: Aison Briem
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>Aison Briem.
The idol of all blacksmiths walking the path of reinforcement.
One of the empire's undisputed top reinforcement masters, who turned down the emperor's scouting offer out of conviction yet still earned the emperor's trust.
“Ho-how did Master…?”
“He made such a big fuss about it. I heard you were challenging someone who’s not even involved in this to a reinforcement duel, so I came to see for myself.”
To Le Ron, Aison was both an object of admiration and fear.
Even though he was an NPC, he was incredibly strict and cantankerous, so memories of being scolded while learning flooded back vividly.
But above all, what bothered him most was that his current position was built on being Aison’s disciple.
“I always told you to stay humble, and I wondered who you were trying to bully this time… Turns out you’re the one getting bullied. And yet you can’t even admit defeat—you’re thrashing around like this. Pathetic. Utterly pathetic.”
His master was looking down at him with a displeased expression.
Le Ron knew that look all too well.
He’d paid more attention to Aison’s moods than anyone, so he could read his emotions from the slightest change in expression.
‘…I can’t disappoint Master.’
Hero Guild member?
Berze’s overwhelming support?
None of that mattered.
But disappointing Aison did.
He might not coddle his disciples, but he gave them what they needed. Once disappointed, though, he discarded them completely.
All the support and authority gained from being his disciple would vanish.
And this wasn’t mere disappointment.
“Don’t go around calling yourself my disciple. It’s embarrassing… Tsk, tsk.”
“Ah….”
Aison was ashamed that Le Ron was his disciple.
Feeling the dire situation, Le Ron’s mind snapped awake.
It was like someone had grabbed his submerged head and yanked it to the surface.
“Master, that’s not—”
“Shut your mouth. I don’t want to hear another word from you.”
“M-Master… Please, just hear me out…”
“Master? Who said I’m your master? I’ve never taken a disciple who can’t even gauge an opponent’s skill, let alone admit defeat.”
Aison struck with a firm rebuke and glared at Le Ron with eyes he’d never seen before.
No, they weren’t entirely new.
He was a man of steel principles. Even for those he cherished, if they crossed the line, he cut them off without mercy. Le Ron had seen those eyes a few times before.
Just never directed at him.
“Le Ron.”
And whenever those eyes appeared, the outcome was always the same.
“You are excommunicated.”
“Aaah….”
Le Ron’s pupils shook at the inevitable conclusion, no different this time.
Meanwhile, the players whispered around him.
“…Excommunicated?”
“Doesn’t that mean Le Ron has to leave the Artisans’ Association now?”
“He climbed with Aison’s help, but he already has the artisan title, so maybe not?”
“Either way, his standing just took a massive hit.”
“So basically, he tried to cheat in the reinforcement duel with Kaiser because he was scared of losing, and got excommunicated. Man, he’s the king of pathetic.”
The mocking chants of “pathetic” chained together, but none of it reached Le Ron’s ears right now.
His only thought was to somehow change his master’s mind.
Thud—
Le Ron dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the ground.
“No, Master. Excommunication? Please, just reconsider once…”
“Must I say it twice?”
But even seeing his disciple’s pitiful state, Aison remained resolute.
“I told you many times, Le Ron. Even if death approaches, an artisan must uphold their pride. That’s the one condition for being my disciple. Was that really so hard to keep?”
“Master….”
“I trust you understand fully.”
With that, Aison patted Le Ron’s shoulder and walked past him on his knees.
That was it.
An end to their master-disciple bond, so shabby and hollow it barely qualified as a farewell.
Before the players could even murmur, Aison moved.
He approached Kaiser and spoke with evident interest.
“I hear this is your first time with reinforcement?”
“Hmm… Yeah, something like that.”
Kaiser—no, Do-hyun—thought for a moment before answering.
He’d done it countless times in Delmrock, but this was his first here, so it wasn’t a lie.
That only heightened Aison’s interest.
‘That hammering was a beginner’s?’
He’d only glimpsed the final reinforcement, but for an artisan of Aison’s caliber, that was plenty to judge.
More instinctive and precise than any apprentice he’d seen.
The clear ring with each strike was beyond what ordinary artisans could dream of.
‘Only regret is not seeing past +10.’
From +11, the difficulty skyrocketed.
The strike points shrank dramatically, to the size of a grain of rice.
Meanwhile, the critical failure zones ballooned in size and number.
The gap between +11 and +12 was just as vast—no, it intensified further at higher levels.
It was practically down to luck.
‘That’s why that fool Le Ron panicked and threw a tantrum.’
Yet for some reason, he felt this man could have succeeded at +12.
It was uncanny.
Even artisans struggled to nail it in one go, yet he had this unshakable certainty about him.
Aison knew this feeling well.
Over years on the blacksmith path, he’d seen countless artisans and rookies, honing an eye—nothing as grand as foresight, but close enough.
‘With proper guidance, he could become a master artisan….’
His instincts told him so.
This young man could one day be hailed as a master and make a name for himself.
‘A master artisan prospect who seems cursed by iron itself… First time I’ve seen one like this, but if it’s fate, then fate it is.’
The odd part was sensing a voice full of resentment toward iron, as if he’d shattered thousands of weapons.
But so what?
His hammering was genuine.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before… It’s sudden, but don’t be rattled, young man. Listen.”
“Hm?”
“You’ve got the timber to stand tall on your own, but in this field, having a master makes all the difference. Let me ask seriously.”
“No way…”
The buildup hinted at what was coming, and players already covered their mouths in anticipation.
Sure enough.
A shocking proposal flew from Aison’s lips.
“Would you become my disciple? I’ll make you a master artisan… No, at least one who surpasses me.”
Ding—
[Sub-job quest ‘Aison’s Disciple’ has occurred.]
[Reinforcement Master NPC ‘Artisan Aison’ has invited you to become his disciple.]
[If accepted, you will join Aison’s faction.]
[You will gain access to Aison’s forge, learn all his skills, and receive support from him and his associates.]
[However, your activities may face major and minor restrictions.]
[Accept?]
A sub-job quest.
A system event starting from the empire, allowing a secondary job from another category.
Combat classes took production as sub-jobs, and vice versa.
Naturally, with the main job as priority, sub-job skills were limited, but exceptions existed everywhere.
‘Entering a master artisan NPC’s discipleship yields near-main-job results.’
That was one reason to curry favor with NPCs—and why they mattered.
Aison was renowned even among reinforcement artisans, so gaining his discipleship and related skills was nothing but beneficial.
Do-hyun’s deliberation was brief. He spoke up right away.
“!”
A short reply.
Aison’s eyes widened, then he burst into amused laughter.
“…Holy shit?”
“Insane, jackpot…”
“Whoa! Did you see that? You see it?”
The players buzzed excitedly, nudging each other, unable to contain themselves.
And among them, the one with the biggest reaction was.
“…Ah, aaaah… My neck…”
“L-Le Ron! What are you doing? Help him up, everyone!”
“F-First, we should get out of here.”
Le Ron, clutching the back of his neck and collapsing in a daze.
‘That guy of all people… Aaah, it’s a d-dream… A dream….’
The artisan Le Ron, whose wings clipped mid-flight, excommunicated.
He denied reality.
* * *
[Sudden showdown: Artisan Le Ron vs. Kasin Kaiser!]
[Kaiser, talented at reinforcement too?]
[Aison acknowledges master artisan prospect]
[Aison goes as far as inviting Kaiser to be his disciple, sparking controversy…]
[Artisan Le Ron loses reinforcement duel to Kaiser, embarrasses self, excommunicated by Aison… Is Hero Guild okay with this?]
[Artisan Le Ron declares no more interviews!]
-Are you kidding me, what the hell happened lolololol
-Sudden reinforcement duel with Le Ron? Wasn’t he in Babylon?
-Forget that, how do you beat an artisan? Howwww??
-Lost to Kaiser, threw a fit, got excommunicated? And disciple invite? Invited right after excommunication? Insane lololol
-I heard rumors but thought it was bullshit cuz it sounded fake, this real?
-Diaper Throne stocked up today?
-Yup, brought 10 extras just in case.
The reinforcement duel between Le Ron and Kaiser in Reinforcement Alley.
And Artisan Aison’s intrusion, plus his disciple invitation.
The absurd news spread as articles in no time, reaching players and netizens almost instantly.
-Le Ron deserves it smh
-Disgrace to artisans. Loses to some outsider?
-And without even a sub-job lololol
-Is Kaiser that great, or was Le Ron total hype?
-Either way, saw the video? Le Ron’s meltdown… Ugh, secondhand embarrassment.
-Le Ron’s done in this field now.
Unsurprisingly, countless barbs flew at Le Ron, who already had a poor image and many enemies.
The production world was small; everyone who mattered knew.
In fact, Le Ron was rejecting interviews, holed up in his room.
How do I know?
BAM!!
“What the hell is this now?! Why’s Le Ron acting like a shut-in mumbling nonsense about hobbies and pussy-whatever, and what’s with all this goddamn news?!”
Because Berze saw it with his own eyes.
Le Ron, practically dragged in by guards, met his eyes, said nothing, and shut himself in his room.
Hours passed without a stir.
-…Master. Interview requests are flooding in.
-M-Master! Reporters demanding explanations…
-Master! It’s the vice-master. This is war! We need war! He’s a monster. Crush him before he grows…
-No, Vice-Master. Right now, we need to handle this situation first…
“Goddamn it. What more do you want from me?”
The cleanup fell entirely on Berze.
An unexpected backlash, and not just sparks—it was a fireball.
Not a sting, but burning rage heating his whole body.
The hard-won artisan got excommunicated by his master, who knows when he’ll recover.
Reporters protesting nonstop, forums mocking endlessly.
Executives and that vice-master clashing: war now or damage control first…
‘No, we have a meeting soon—what the fuck is happening?!’
He’d planned to attend a blind date on a friend’s intro to cool off from recent stress—just for a day.
What misfortune was this? Poor Berze.