Episode 101 Roots
Ruby Matapju has sharp eyes and mostly keeps her face expressionless or slightly frowning, so she always looks like she’s angry about something.
And the more I look at Hong Yeon-hwa, the more she resembles the ruby top.
For this reason, when Hong Yeon-hwa stands in front of the classroom with a combative aura, those watching can’t help but guess that she’s there to pick a fight with someone.
– Hey, didn’t he come here to challenge you to a duel?
– Really? To whom?
– Of course it would be Song Cheon-hye.
– Wow, it’s finally sticking?
– Did you get a big match?
And that opponent is most likely Song Cheon-hye, who is considered Hong Yeon-hwa’s rival.
As if answering their guess, Song Cheon-hye silently got up from her seat and slowly began to walk out of the classroom.
As the distance between the two grew closer, the tension in the room reached its peak.
– A duel… … ?
– Should I apply…?
But contrary to expectations, the two only exchanged a quick glance at each other and passed by.
Then who on earth do you have business with?
The gazes were focused on him with questions in mind.
Then, perhaps feeling that the pouring attention was starting to bother her, Hong Yeon-hwa glared fiercely and blurted out a word.
“Did you see it?”
– … … .
– … … .
A murderous aura that makes it seem like your eyeballs will burn out if you look at it any further.
The students’ gazes quickly dispersed and each quickened their pace.
Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes flashed around her until the attention focused on her began to wane, then she quietly folded her arms and leaned her back against the wall.
This appearance is exactly like the Ruby Tower.
“They really look alike.”
“… … ?”
As if he heard me mumbling to myself, Seo Ye-in, who had been in a deep sleep until then, lifted her head.
He tilts his head at me, follows my gaze and slowly looks out of the classroom to find Hong Yeon-hwa, then tilts his head at me again.
– Crunch,
And then he tried to take out a magic gun from his inventory, so I quickly stopped him.
“No. He didn’t come here to fight. Let’s put the gun away.”
“Then a duel?”
“It’s not even a duel.”
Most of the guests who have come to me so far have had impure intentions.
Kwak Ji-cheol and Jeong Ji-su had intended to drag me to the Emerald vault semi-forcibly, while Emerald and Daejayeon’s purpose was to negotiate and challenge me to a duel.
On the other hand, I guess Hong Yeon-hwa came to me with good intentions.
I don’t think you have any intention of fighting.
So, I put the magic gun back in and sent the calligrapher out first.
And as I approached Hong Yeon-hwa, I asked,
“Uh, why.”
“Oh, hello.”
The fiery momentum suddenly subsides and turns gentle.
The voice was also reduced by half compared to when he said, “Have you seen it?” just a moment ago.
“Well, I came because I had something to give you… … .”
I glanced around.
I have a rough idea why you came, but the front of the classroom isn’t a very good place to talk.
Even though Hong Yeon-hwa glared at him once and chased him away, there are still many eyes that secretly peek at him.
“Let’s talk on the way.”
“huh.”
Since we were going to listen to the mentoring together anyway, I walked towards Dungeon-dong with Hong Yeon-hwa.
“… … .”
All along the walk, Hong Yeon-hwa kept glancing at me from the corner of her eyes.
Although he was just looking around, he did tend to glance at people a lot.
I thought he was trying to find the right time to bring it up, so I pretended not to know for a moment.
Then, finally, as if she was mentally prepared, Hong Yeon-hwa took a deep breath and opened her mouth.
“There… … . is there.”
“Oh. You said you had something to give me.”
“Yeah, the manager asked me to give you this… … .”
Here, the ‘chief’ does not refer to the older sister, Hong Ye-hwa, but to the blacksmith club president.
And this is what the Chief Blacksmith asked me to give him.
There was one long box and one small box.
‘It’s finished.’
The long box is an equipment item requested by presenting a [Production VIP Ticket].
And the small box was made separately by the blacksmith chief when he failed to melt the alloy of Eternal Iron and Black Mithril, and he asked me to make it separately with the leftover materials while solving the problem.
First, put the small box in your inventory.
Let’s open the long box which is the main dish,
A very short pole, just over 30 cm long, was placed on a soft cushion.
It has an overall black color and a subtle, not-too-excessive sheen.
At first glance, it looks like a simple metal bar, but
If you look closely, you will see that there are very precisely implemented joints for connecting to other equipment or mounting parts.
[Root (A)]
▷Very high mana conductivity
▷Apply damage prevention (A)
▷Automatic durability recovery
▷Upgradeable
▷Upgradeable
▷Upgradeable
▷Upgradeable
‘After all, half of equipment making is materials.’
As soon as I put in the eternal iron as the main ingredient, an A grade came out.
A high grade that is valid even after graduation, beyond the third year.
It is nearly impossible to destroy, and thanks to its high conductivity, no mana is wasted when casting magic.
However, for now, there are no special abilities other than these options.
[Root] is one of the parts of the EX-grade weapon that I am ultimately aiming for.
If we compare it to a painting, it’s like only drawing one corner.
Of course, from another perspective, it can also be said that there is limitless potential for future development.
Because there are a whopping 4 upgrade slots.
If you attach a jewel, it will become a wand, and if you attach a blade, it will become a weapon.
Since I was thinking about it, I decided to fill in one spot.
Let’s equip the parts that the Magic Engineering Club had made in advance.
[Root (A)]
▷Automatic durability recovery
▷Levitate Zone (C) always activated
▷Upgradeable
▷Upgradeable
One more option has been added.
Levitate John.
A wind magic that causes an upward current of air, causing everything within range to float.
When it was based on a cheap horizontal bar, it was an F-grade, but when it was equipped on a root with a much higher mana conductivity, it jumped to a C-grade.
It is at a level where it can be used in actual combat without any problems.
While I was examining the roots here and there with satisfaction, Hong Yeon-hwa asked cautiously.
“… … Do you like it?”
“It came out well. Better than expected.”
Hong Yeon-hwa nodded in response, and a rare smile appeared on her lips.
I guess he must be proud that I like it, since he played a crucial role in melting the ingot and put a lot of time and effort into it.
Thanks to this, the atmosphere became much less stiff and softer after that.
This time, I asked the question.
“What is Aqua Flame’s rank?”
“I uploaded it. It’s now a C rank.”
As expected, once I reached Rank C, the Eternal Iron Alloy started to melt rapidly.
“You can keep doing similar rankings in the future.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. The response from the rooftop is also positive.”
As Aqua Flame is a fairly rare trait, the method for increasing its rank was not known in detail.
So, Ruby Tower may have hesitated to pour in resources without thinking, but now that Hong Yeon-hwa has achieved clear results, they will try to provide more comprehensive support in the future.
However, Hong Yeon-hwa did not look very hopeful.
Even if it is a Ruby Tower, it is not easy to obtain high-grade materials like Mannyeonhancheol.
In addition, Hong Yeon-hwa’s Aqua Flame becomes more powerful as its rank increases.
Materials of the level of Eternal Iron will melt in an instant, so you need to use something that is even better to make a proper ranked work.
For this reason, I don’t think the opportunity will come very often.
“There’s no rule that says you have to use materials to make a ranked piece.”
“……then?”
Instead of answering, I nodded forward.
Our destination, Dungeon-dong, was there.
“There are many dungeons and many monsters.”
“ah……!”
Hong Yeon-hwa let out a small exclamation.
Because I had benefited so much from the recent Mannyeonhancheol, I had been focusing only on the materials.
The key to Aqua Flame growth is to consistently burn something that contains strong cold air.
It doesn’t matter what the object is as long as it meets those conditions.
For example, in a dungeon set in a snowy area, ice-attribute monsters will swarm in droves.
You can enter the dungeon and just keep beating up monsters, or you can aim for a powerful boss.
“There are many methods other than materials and dungeons. There’s no rush, so let’s discuss them one by one.”
“… … ! I’ll talk to my sister too.”
Hong Yeon-hwa’s face lit up with excitement.
They said they would talk about it, but it was almost like a done deal.
‘There’s no way I could refuse.’
Whatever you give me in exchange for helping Aquaflame grow, it’ll be cheaper than buying materials that will last for more than a thousand years.
We will continue to trade with Ruby Tower in the future and maintain a friendly relationship.
* * *
“Kerruk?”
The goblin flailed his limbs.
The bastard’s body was floating about an inch off the ground.
The situation was similar for other goblins around them.
Levitate zone effect.
Creates an updraft within range, lifting everything up.
It is important to note that although the wind is not very strong, it is constant.
I pushed the ones that had risen up with Windforce and they flew away quite easily.
“Grrrr… … .”
The decapitator goblin held out a little longer, but the result was similar.
He had been swinging his knife wildly at me for quite some time, but I was hit by the wind and could only stand still.
Let’s put the roots there and stir them gently,
-Whew—
The wind blew from all sides, rendering the guy unable to move.
The posture gradually shifts to the side as the wind swirls.
While repeatedly casting wind magic in a similar manner, a notification message appears in the corner of the field of vision.
[Acquire ‘Twister (F)’.]
‘You’re done.’
After creating countless tornadoes and sending goblins flying over the past few days, I finally acquired a new skill.
Dang Gyu-yeong was sitting near the statue of the goddess, lost in thought, when he suddenly felt the wind blowing stronger and turned his head towards me.
“What, you’re already done?”
“yes.”
“No, you can do that in three days? It doesn’t seem like an easy skill.”
“You can do it if you focus and work hard.”
“… … Sometimes when I see you, I feel unlucky.”
It was a wind magic that required constant control of the flow, and because of the complexity of the structure that created the whirlwind, it was quite difficult to learn.
However, my control is beyond the level of an old person, it is at a fossil level, and Twister is a path that I have walked many times.
There was even a generous mentoring bonus, so there was no way I couldn’t learn it in three days.
“But what exactly is this skill?”
“Come and see for yourself.”
“No, don’t use it on me—”
-Whew!
I cast Twister most likely on purpose.
The whirlwind surrounds Dang Gyu-yeong, trying to limit his movements.
“Ouch!! You really!”
Dang Gyu-yeong was startled as if bad memories from the sticker battle came to mind, then he became one with the shadow beneath his feet and disappeared, then suddenly appeared behind him.
Then he stretched out both his hands, grabbed my cheeks, and pulled them together.
“I told you not to do that, wind magic.”
“Muenheupneud—”
When I apologized with a smile on my face, Dang Gyu-yeong looked at me with a pout.
The expression on his face gradually relaxed as if he was about to lose, and he pulled the ball up and down a few times before letting it go.
“Now, whenever you get a chance, come crawling up. You just have to grab all the balls and tear them apart.”
“But why do you keep pulling at my balls?”
“I like it because it’s soft and chewy, why?”
When you reveal it so confidently, I’m left speechless.
Dang Gyu-yeong asked as he half-opened the exit.
“Anyway, it’s over now, right? Can I go?”
“It’s not over. I need to level up.”
“Ah, that’s right. Our junior can do whatever he wants!”
Dang Gyu-yeong shook his head and sat down next to the statue of the goddess on the road.
-Whew!
I trapped the goblins by drawing them into a whirlwind I created with [Twister].
The goblins trapped inside spin violently like laundry in a washing machine.
I looked at the green laundry and thought.
I got the equipment and learned the skills.
‘I guess I’ll have to look into the characteristics again.’
▷Copy-Characteristics[2/2]
1. Elemental Resistance (S)
2. Priest (D)
The trait registered in the second slot is Priest.
Although it has helped me a lot with mana training, now that [Core] has reached C rank, it would be more efficient to use it by overlaying other characteristics.
However, it is a bit of a shame to just cover it up right away, and there is still one more place to use it.
I looked down at my feet.
‘It’s time to go down again.’
To the basement.
