Episode 44 Question (1)
Joaquin Academy.
A long-standing tradition of 700 years and a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious schools.
As it was a space where children of world-class nobles gathered, all of the auxiliary facilities were also of the highest level in the industry.
The fact that the cadets, who have a keen sense of money, open their wallets lightly regardless of the price of goods was a great merit.
That’s why, from the school mart to the gym, cafe, and restaurant, etc., they had to go through strict inspections and strict screening to be able to enter. This was also the case for the Joaquin Academy blacksmith shop.
The blacksmith from Norway, Byland, has been here for 15 years.
It is said that every cadet at the Academy entrusts his weapons to Buland at least once during his time there. Countless weapons have passed through his hands.
Although he had a somewhat worldly personality, Bülant’s skills were at the top of the industry, so the weapons he handled satisfied even the most demanding customers.
However, an unpleasant moment appeared in the blacksmith’s life, which seemed to be going smoothly.
About a week ago, a boy showed up at Büland’s blacksmith shop carrying a long, single-edged sword.
A first-year cadet with uncommon black eyes and hair. For some reason, the ends of his hair were gray. Judging by the color of his black name tag, he was a special promotion student.
In fact, the origins of the cadets were not that important to Büland, who was not of heroic origin.
If it was a customer who could fatten their pockets, he would hum a tune and bang his hammer on the food trucks.
Anyway, as he was greeting Bullant with a welcoming smile on his face like any other day, a black-haired special promotion student came to him and asked him to refine and strengthen his weapons.
At first glance, he looked like he was in dire straits, and his weapon was a single-edged sword of unusual construction. If he was not careful and used the hammer incorrectly, there was a high chance that it would break. However, Bulandt accepted the order without hesitation.
The reason is, of course, maintenance. How could I refuse if they gave me the leftover scrap metal from the B-class weapons? Even if it’s just the auction price, it could probably fetch at least 30 to 40 million won.
He wiped away the drool that was rising in his mouth and smiled brightly as he lit the fire in the blacksmith’s shop. Bwullant, who was considered the top in the industry, had confidence in his own skills beyond his own. It was the pride of a blacksmith.
Although B-class weapons were clearly high-class weapons, the weapons that Bulandt usually handled ranged from A-class to S-class, which is a noble item.
It was a case of losing money and winning. Besides, Buland did not do business without losing money.
Even if I messed up, I was confident that I could still roast and boil fluffy fluffy babies. That was my confidence as a businessman.
But that confidence was gone until a week ago. The current him is… … .
“Sir, please strengthen it.”
“… … .”
A black-haired male student came with a bundle of some kind of material. Bwullant was taken aback by his impudent and brazen attitude.
He revealed that his name was Ganggeomma.
‘How can a person’s name be… … .’
Bwyllant let out a laugh and opened the bundle that Kanggeomma had brought. Buffalo horns poured out in droves. There were at least twenty of them.
“Did you subdue all of these?”
“I didn’t do it alone, I did it with my crew members.”
Among the cracks in the material, one horn shone particularly enchantingly. It was unusual for a material derived from the same C-class demon buffalo.
Judging from the blacksmith’s keen eye, it seemed like at least a B-grade, if not an A-grade demonic material. The source is unclear, but it was an unwritten rule in this world not to ask about such things.
Bulant glanced back and forth between the prominent horns and the strong sword.
The young boy’s cheeky attitude made Bwullant click his tongue inwardly.
I wanted to give him a beating and drive him out of the sacred forge, but I sighed deeply and lamented my fate.
Meanwhile, Kang Geum-ma took out the Murasame that was in his pocket and handed it over.
“And the armament, it’s like this, so while I’m strengthening it, can I also repair it?”
A flash of anger flashed through Bwullant’s eyes as he received the Murasame. The blade that had been shining with light was now covered in cracks, and the sword body made of the highest quality paulownia wood was charred black like burnt charcoal.
Buland, the sword he had worked so hard to forge had become a complete sledgehammer.
Despite Kang Geum-ma’s arrogant attitude, thick veins formed on the temples of Buland, who had been keeping his mouth shut.
“Hey! What the hell did you do to make the weapon look like this!”
Her already red face turned bright red like a bomb about to explode.
“While fighting the devil, something happened.”
Kanggeomma cuts off his mother and answers briefly as if he is annoyed.
Bwullant tried to add something, but managed to swallow it down with his spit. A lump of something stuck in his throat, like a rough fish bone.
“… … .”
As I looked into the eyes of the stern fellow, I remembered the sight of him holding a knife and dripping arsenic a week ago. I ran my hand down his brown forearm, goosebumps rising from the murderous intent that seemed to press on his veins.
He squeezed his facial muscles with superhuman mental strength and forced a bright, salesy smile.
“… You should have handled it more carefully. What if you got hurt?”
“It’s an E-class, so its durability is weak. Since it also has an A-class demon material, I believe you’ll be able to handle it well. Okay.”
After saying that, Kang Geum-ma turns his back and waves his hand in greeting.
‘Hey, hey, that little brat. Even Satan would give that guy a standing ovation.’
Bülant moved his lips against the back of his head, silently swearing.
Then, Kanggeomma turned his head at just the right time. His eyes met with Bulant’s.
“Oh, right. And.”
At the sudden reaction, Buland swallowed heavily. His lips were parched, perhaps due to the dry heat of the forge.
The thought of the death benefit that was being withdrawn without mercy at the end of every month flashed through Bwland’s mind. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, and Kanggeomma opened his mouth after a short grumble.
“If you strengthen it and use the remaining materials as a side dish, you can make some medicine. Then I’ll really go.”
Kanggeomma yawned so hard his mouth was about to burst, then closed the heavy blacksmith shop door and left. Bulant stared blankly at the spot where Kanggeomma had passed.
Then, Bülant shook his head and picked up the hammer.
Land! Land!
The rough sound of iron striking reverberated beyond the blacksmith’s door. It was the sound of iron mixed with joy and sorrow.
* * *
Two days after clearing the Buffalo Dungeon.
The day after I returned from Cheorwon, I gave Murasame to the blacksmith. The blacksmith frowned, as if he was not happy, but what can I do? I have to clean up my own shit.
If that old man hadn’t prepared the weapons in the first place, both me and that gentleman would have been at ease.
But I didn’t want to leave any unnecessary feelings of resentment since we’ll be seeing each other so often, so I added some Pochi.
Anyway, the remaining buffalo horns are of little use to me. They are not hunting trophies for hunters to hang on their walls.
Buffalo horn is a C-grade derivative material, and is used to upgrade from E-grade to D-grade.
There is a chance of reinforcement failure, but the cow king material will greatly reduce that chance.
Surely I could fail after passing on Grade A material? If I do, I’ll really cut off your wrist.
Before the morning assembly began, I gathered my thoughts and opened the status window with the green chalkboard as the background.
== ==
[Protection of the Sword God]
If you cut it, it will be cut.
◎ Flesh level: (8▶9) ▷ The sword standard is relaxed.
◎Spiritual level: (4▶5) ▷ There is a sense of oppression in words and actions.
◎Armour level: 3 ▷ When protection is activated, pain is reduced by (1) level.
☆Education rate: 9.3% ▶︎ 12.7% ▷ The line of 【???】 (1) is readable.
→[When the assimilation rate reaches 15%, the following unlock conditions are met.]
★【???】
[※ The protection is activated only when the sword is less than (38+1) centimeters long and less than (9+1) centimeters wide.
It’s possible.]
== ==
First of all, the most noticeable change is the rapidly increasing fairy tale rate.
Unlike the numbers that remain stagnant for a while, once an incident occurs, they jump up.
The physical and mental levels described above have also increased. The problem is that the increase is so insignificant compared to the beginning.
Still, it wasn’t a completely useless ability, as I felt that a healthy(?) mind resided in a healthy body.
And when the numbers rise a bit more, there is a possibility that unlock conditions will appear step by step.
The most urgent thing at this point is the level of armament. However, there is no need to rush.
The reason I look deeply into the protection of the sword is not simply to become stronger, but to address a more fundamental issue.
I never expected to figure it out so quickly. I shook off my distracting thoughts and lowered my head slightly.
‘When the assimilation rate reaches 15%, the following unlock conditions are met.’
On the other hand, the fairy tale rate will probably be unlocked after clearing just one more dungeon.
Not only will there be one more line, but will there be other items added as well? Then it would be a stealth ability.
No, honestly, even now, as a player of ‘Miracle Protection M’, the magic of the fairy tale rate is so amazing that I can’t even describe its performance.
Moreover, rather than slowing down, the upward trend gained momentum and hit the ceiling of the graph.
‘It’s an ability that steadily rises… … .’
The three levels listed above each have clear targets, but the assimilation rate doesn’t seem to have any special consumption value. Is that really a good thing?
There is nothing in this world that is given for free. This is an immutable law that parents instill in the minds of Koreans even before they finish grinding their teeth.
In particular, the irregularity of the numbers was significant, so even if I used a calculator and averaged the three cases, I could not reach a conclusion.
“It’s clear that there’s something.”
I stroked my chin and thought deeply about the changes that had occurred over the years.
The starting point of the increase in the fairy tale rate was the mock match with Chloe. If we take that as the turning point, the physical change is that gray hairs grow on the ends of the hair.
At first, my hair was about 2 cm long, but now it has grown to about 5 cm. I thought about dyeing it, but it didn’t bother me that much, so I left it alone.
‘Surely something like a sea bream can’t be the price for increasing the fairy tale rate.’
And the strange symptoms that came over me right after the sparring match were something I have never experienced since that day. So it is a bit of a stretch to call it the price of Dongwha Yul, who is on the rise.
‘… If that was the case, I would have put down my sword right away whenever the fairy tale rate went up.’
I looked back on everything that happened from the moment I was thrown into this world to the moment I received the funds.
Not only did I have thoughts about the protection of the swordsman, but I also had to organize the events that had happened in the meantime. It seemed that I finally had the time to reflect on the situation.
Of course, I had to think back on the ‘instructor’ that the senior members and checkpoint staff had been talking about, but that was beyond what a mere first-year student could tolerate.
Still, I must be prepared. My first teacher always told me to be prepared.
My style is to deal with the problem at hand rather than going through it one by one.
Even that gentleman, who repeatedly emphasized the power of ubiquity, could not stop the bald head… … .
I absentmindedly traced my forehead line with my fingers. The richness that could be felt in an instant.
After letting out a deep sigh of relief, I gently shook my head to clear my mind of distracting thoughts.
First of all, I was thinking about how to use the ‘Protection of Transfer’, which was an unintended result of this dungeon. After all, it was impossible to spit out the protection I had acquired.
As it is a synergy type of protection, its performance will vary greatly depending on how it is used. I feel a little sorry for Leo, but that kid will probably gain better abilities later anyway.
I stretched and leaned back against the back of my chair. As the assembly time approached, the noisy noise of students arriving at school gradually reached my ears.
I turned my head absentmindedly and looked out the window. It was a habit that had developed without me realizing it.
The weather was so nice that it made me lose my sense of reality for a moment. The sky was so clear and sunny, and the warmth of the sunlight streaming through the window announced the beginning of summer.
‘I’ll be wearing summer clothes soon.’
After dropping out here about a year and a half ago, my daily life was uneventful until I received my acceptance letter.
The life I so passionately desire now seems like a mirage that I can no longer grasp even if I extend my hand. A vague sadness weighs on my heart.
When I entered the academy, I had dreamed of a bright future, but life here was not as easy as I had expected.
Life was a constant threat, and living standards were at rock bottom due to the murderous prices.
However, life at the academy was not filled with only misfortune.
In my previous life, I had only worked since I was young, so I didn’t have any real friends, but this life was different. I now have two classmates that I can call friends. Speed Weapon and Chloe.
Chloe, I don’t know if you think of me as a friend, but… … .
Having shared two life-and-death experiences with Speed Weapon, who clearly maintained a favorable attitude toward me, our friendship grew quite deep.
He was a guy who was good at understanding situations and had a strong will.
Moreover, Chloe and Weapon were not the main characters of ‘Miracle Protection M’, so there was no reason to distance them.
By the way, Chloe called in sick today because of a sudden seasonal cold. No matter how much of an assassin she was, she was just an ordinary person in the face of illness.
‘… Being admitted to the VIP room because of a cold isn’t exactly ordinary.’
While I was gathering my thoughts and staring blankly for a while, I heard the sound of the school gate being pushed aside. Then, the class atmosphere became even more chaotic.
Perhaps today’s ordinance was also attended by Instructor Lee Won-bin. Without even turning my head, I indifferently basked in the warm sunlight.
Wheeing⎯
At that moment, the cell phone, which was always quiet, rang.
‘what?’
I turned my head slightly to check the screen of my phone.
[Hey, what are you doing?]
A text message from an unknown number. My phone vibrated again immediately, regardless of my intention.
[Look ahead.]
Then my gaze slowly turned straight ahead, and at the same time my eyes opened wide.
Saki Ryozo, holding a cell phone in one hand, smiled brightly and waved at me.
