Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Forging the True Holy Sword
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Chwannnng!
"Here, I've brought every single Unique-grade and Legendary-grade material we have in the forge."
"Wait, if you take all this, what are we supposed to run the forge with?"
"It's fine, it's fine. I've already set aside everything needed for production orders."
The moment work began, Se-jin immediately raided the forge's warehouse.
He'd hauled in every material except those reserved for production, then turned his attention first to Shin-hyeok's armor.
"There's nothing much for me to tweak here. You said it grows on its own if you just feed it materials, right?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, then let's start stuffing it with Unique-grade stuff, then work our way up to Legendary-grade materials."
"Got it."
Armor of Absorption.
It had started as Common-grade but had now grown all the way to Unique+.
It was already a perfectly fine piece of armor, but that wasn't enough for Se-jin—he started pouring Unique-grade materials into it anyway.
Krunch, krunch, krunch!
The mouths on the Armor of Absorption mercilessly chewed and swallowed the materials for a good ten minutes or so.
In that short time, dozens of Unique-grade materials vanished.
"It's not eating any more now."
"No growth either, so it looks like we'll need to feed it Legendary-grade materials from here on out."
"Yeah, doesn't make sense for it to grow into Legendary gear without eating Legendary materials. Let's start with the Myriad Refined Steel."
But the Armor of Absorption showed no signs of growth.
It clamped its mouths shut as if declaring it was done with Unique-grade materials, so they began feeding it Legendary-grade ones.
They started with Myriad Refined Steel.
Among Legendary materials, these were on the easier-to-obtain side—most of them had come from the Chinese side.
'Gonna have to raid them later.'
As was typical with steel series materials, all it took was a skilled craftsman and time to mass-produce them.
China especially overflowed with artisans and materials, operating entire cities like factories, so they'd stamped out Myriad Refined Steel en masse.
Thanks to that, a huge chunk of the Myth Forge's Legendary materials were Myriad Refined Steel, so there was no worry about running out while feeding the armor.
Krunch, krunch, krunch!
The Armor of Absorption started devouring again.
But after three pieces of Myriad Refined Steel, it refused to touch any more.
"It's awfully picky."
"Well, Myriad Refined Steel is the lowest tier among Legendary materials."
"No problem—we've still got good stuff left."
In the end, they had to switch to other Legendary materials.
Se-jin grumbled about how picky the armor was being for a piece of gear, but that didn't last long.
Once they fed it lightning-struck peach wood—a Legendary material just like the Legendary Fire Essence—changes finally began in the Armor of Absorption.
Chwannnng!
"Whoa, now it actually looks like proper plate armor."
"The completion level's gone way up. It was already impressive before, but this is on another level. And it stays in armor form normally, but infuses with energy to become plate mail—that makes it even better."
Having reached Unique+ grade, the Armor of Absorption had taken on a full-body plate form.
Now it looked even more refined, with a superior sheen.
Of course, performance was what mattered most, so Shin-hyeok and Se-jin immediately checked its status window.
"...This is insane."
"...I'm jealous. Honestly, I have no confidence I could make something this good."
"You'll do it someday. If anyone can, it's you, hyung. Besides, this was tied to a constellation, so it's not a fair comparison."
"Tch, still, glad it turned out great."
The Armor of Absorption had evolved into the Absorption Plate Armor.
In the process, its Defense shot up by 1,000, All Stats gained an extra +41, and it even picked up a new Unique Skill.
'Shock Predation. It devours shocks and converts them into Defense and stats. It already had high Defense and stats, but with this, it's mid-to-upper tier among Legendary gear. Can't wait to see what happens when it hits Legendary+.'
He was pleased with the new Unique Skill's effects too.
It supplemented its already high Defense and stats.
Sure, it required taking hits to activate, but that was a worthwhile trade-off.
Its auto-defense would block criticals anyway.
Shin-hyeok nodded in satisfaction and moved on.
"Next up, the bow and holy sword?"
"Yeah, have you thought about how to upgrade them?"
"Yep, I've got a plan."
"What's the idea?"
"I've got that Holy Will from last time. Planning to add other holy-affinity materials to it."
"Sticking to the basics, huh. Smart for a holy sword."
"Exactly."
"Alright, let's pick out the materials then."
They started with the holy sword over Admiral Yi's bow.
It was the only weapon in Shin-hyeok's arsenal still stuck at Unique+, so it needed priority.
Not that the order mattered much—they planned to upgrade everything from sword to bow this time anyway.
Once the gear to upgrade was decided, Se-jin closely examined the Holy Will Shin-hyeok handed over, then selected the materials.
"Myriad Refined Steel, high-concentration holy water, and even more Blessed Steel. These three will go in as the main materials alongside the Holy Will."
"Isn't that a lot?"
"We're aiming straight for Legendary+ , so it's fine."
"Mm, can't be helped. It's my weapon anyway..."
"Great, let's get started."
Including the Holy Will, this was a massive undertaking with four Legendary materials.
One slip-up could waste them all, but a smile played on Se-jin's lips anyway.
Once all materials were prepped...
Se-jin tossed "Bang Se-jin's Well-Crafted Holy Sword"—the Unique+ holy sword Shin-hyeok had been wielding—straight into the roaring furnace.
Fwoooosh!
Even Unique+ gear couldn't withstand the furnace's heat and melted back to its base form. Confirming that, Se-jin began methodically adding materials.
"Let's start with the Myriad Refined Steel for the frame."
"Got it. Transcendent - Metallurgy."
The moment forging began, Shin-hyeok activated his Transcendent skill on Metallurgy to assist Se-jin.
S-grade Metallurgy.
A level unmatched anywhere in the world.
One that only Se-jin had reached.
Thanks to that, Shin-hyeok synced perfectly with Se-jin, watching the rapidly melting Myriad Refined Steel and adding other materials at just the right moments.
Even more Blessed Steel and high-concentration holy water mixed into the molten Myriad Refined Steel.
And that wasn't the end.
Various Unique-grade materials were added as needed, shaping a perfect creation.
When it reached its peak...
"Mold."
"Ready."
Se-jin and Shin-hyeok began forming the mold for the molten metal.
"Noes. If you would."
-Leave it to me.
They used the upper earth spirit Noes to shape the mold's clay.
"Got enough holy water?"
"Of course. Pour it all in."
They lavishly used Unique-grade holy water to make the mud, then swiftly molded the base for the holy sword.
"Flame."
-I'll bake it nice~
Finally, the upper fire spirit Flame's flames hardened the mold to completion.
"Pour?"
"Yeah."
They poured the molten mix—including the holy sword, Myriad Refined Steel, high-concentration holy water, and various other materials—into the finished mold.
The whole process happened in a flash.
With all the molten metal settled and the lid sealed...
"Undiana. If you would."
-May the blessing of water grace your armament.
The upper water spirit Undiana's water stream cooled the scorching mold.
It stole away the heat in the blink of an eye while preventing any cracks from sudden temperature shifts.
After peeling off the lid, the two beheld it.
"...Beautiful."
"Whew, let's start the refining right away."
"Yeah. Can't wait to see the finished product—my hands are itching."
A weapon most fitting the name "holy sword" slumbered within the mold.
Of course, it wasn't done yet.
Refining remained, so the two simultaneously grabbed hammers without a word.
Clang! Clank! Clang! Clank! Clang! Clank!
Fast, precise, uniform hammer strikes filled the forge.
Even working together, their blows never overlapped—their rhythm was flawless.
They finished refining in the blink of an eye and gazed upon the perfectly reborn holy sword.
"Now for the finishing touch. Infuse it with the Holy Will. You're the owner, so you do it."
"Whew, my hands are shaking."
The final step was infusing the Holy Will into the holy sword.
Tempting as it was for a craftsman, Se-jin handed it over without hesitation.
Shin-hyeok took a deep breath, steadied himself, and placed the glowing Holy Will atop the completed sword.
Fwaaaaah!
At that instant, holy light flooded the forge.
Not blinding, but a warm, comforting glow.
When the light faded...
"...It's perfect."
"...I can tell without even checking the status. This goes beyond masterpiece. It's my greatest work ever."
Shin-hyeok and Se-jin nodded in unison at the sword, which naturally emanated milky holy power.
A flawless creation.
A masterwork beyond reproach.
They knew it without the status window.
Of course—
"So you're not gonna check it?"
"Are you kidding? Of course I am."
Se-jin got serious at Shin-hyeok's joke.
Shin-hyeok burst out laughing, clutching his stomach, but only briefly.
"Let's check together. On three."
"Good. One, two, three!"
They pulled up the holy sword's status window simultaneously.
And were stunned.
"It turned out perfectly."
"Agreed. It's flawless. Exactly what you wanted—true to the basics."
"The Unique Skills are great too. Holy Aura blocks evil, boosts basic recovery, and auto-heals wounds. Divine Bless is a raw stat buff."
"Ha, yes! This is it. This is why I can't put down the hammer."
Losing All Stats was a shame, but the other stats had risen solidly in compensation.
The massive Attack Power boost was a given, and the two new Unique Skills were right up Shin-hyeok's alley.
Holy Aura for utility, Divine Bless for buffs.
Perfect for Shin-hyeok, who couldn't yet use holy magic.
'With skills like these, it'll still be plenty useful even after I learn holy magic at the Pantheon later.'
And the efficiency wouldn't drop even after he picked up holy magic, amplifying his joy.
Of course, the joy was short-lived.
Pop!
"Drink up, Health Scream... I mean, Shin-hyeok. Time to make my second masterpiece together."
"Hyung, that's still a prototype—why do you have it?"
"Asked Hye-rin for it. Tastes like crap, but the effect's solid for all-nighters."
"...Sigh."
It was all because Se-jin, looking like some dark wizard, handed over a potion bottle filled with green liquid (fatigue recovery potion).
The color was weird, the smell was off, and the skull-shaped vapor rising from the open bottle screamed "don't drink me"—but Shin-hyeok knew it was Hye-rin's special fatigue recovery brew.
A prototype only she'd been testing, somehow smuggled by Se-jin.
He'd tried it once before and knew the awful taste, so his hand wouldn't move toward it—
"If you don't wanna drink it, fine... Sigh, I just wanted to make proper gear for my little bro as a big bro... I'm really okay with it, Shin-hyeok."
"...I'll drink it. Happy now?"
Shin-hyeok stifled his rising nausea at Se-jin's fake pitiful act and took the bottle.
Gulp!
"...Keuh! Let's hurry up and make the next one."
"You got it!"
Shin-hyeok downed the tasteless fatigue potion in one go and tilted his head at the beaming Se-jin.
"Why aren't you drinking yours, hyung?"
"...Good stuff goes to little bro—"
"Get over here."
"Gahhhh!"
Only after grabbing the fleeing Se-jin and force-feeding him Hye-rin's special did they resume work.