Overgeared

『 There is still no news of the Overgeared King? 』

『 Yes. He is still missing. 』

『 Hasn’t it been three days since he went missing? What about the Overgeared Kingdom? 』

『 The Overgeared members are claiming that Grid is safe, but... people are still uneasy. This will adversely affect the domestic and foreign situation... 』

The news pieces all over the world were about Grid.  As the world focused on Grid who had gone missing during the temple’s opening ceremony, strange rumors started to circulate among the accessory maker players.  It was rumored that the Yatan Church was looking for accessory makers.  Why was the evil Yatan Church looking for accessory makers?  All sorts of rumors spread to the ears of the accessory maker players.  It was difficult to relate the Yatan Church to accessory makers, so it was judged as simply rumors.

‘Master might be in danger!’ The 7th ranked accessory maker Clover, however, was alarmed.  The Yatan Church was looking for accessory makers.  How could such a strange rumor spread?  The Yatan Church might have a reason for needing an accessory maker. Clover couldn’t rule out the possibility that the rumor was true. He thought that his master might encounter the Yatan Church and...

“Master!”

“ Keok..! ”

[The accessory maker Helen has died.]

Clover was a step too late.  By the time he arrived at his master’s studio, she had already been killed by the Yatan Church’s black knights.

“Master!”   Clover’s hair turned white.  To him, Helen was an invaluable teacher who had taken care of him ever since he chose this class many years ago.  He had vowed to someday repay her grace, and there were only a few steps left until he could.

However... However...!

“Master! Master!!”

Satisfy was sometimes crueler than reality.  In reality, it was possible to hold the body of a precious person in one’s arms, but Satisfy didn’t allow that. Clover’s face distorted like that of a demon as he saw Helen turn into ashes.

“The Yatan Church...! Why...?! Why Master?”

In fact, it didn’t make sense to ask why.  After all, the Yatan Church was evil. It would be hard to understand the reasons for their actions from a general point of view.  Still, Clover wanted to know.   Why did his master have to die? He wondered why a person who had refused the invitation of the Saharan Empire and worked in her hometown for all her life had to meet such a terrible end.

“She didn’t care about money or honor... She devoted her life for the sake of others… Her life shouldn’t have ended like this...”

Like other production classes, an accessory maker had weak combat capabilities.  Clover didn’t have the ability to fight against the black knights in front of him.  Honestly, Clover was afraid. It would be difficult to recover from the damage if he died and lost experience and items.  Yet he couldn’t back away from his master’s enemies just because he was scared. Clover was determined to hear the reason from the black knights. Then he would do whatever it took to make them pay for his master’s death.

‘I will dedicate everything...!’

This was the moment when another person with a profound hatred for the Yatan Church was born.

“It is to prevent the traitor of our church from finding an accessory maker from working on the Stone of Life,” the black knights explained the reason. It was a surprisingly friendly attitude.

“The Stone of Life?” 

It was the worst stone made by using the blood of virgins!  What monster would create such a terrible stone and then want his master to work on it? Clover’s anger and hatred aimed toward the Yatan Church split toward the traitor they spoke of.

“The name of that traitor is Agnus. Remember it. It is the name of the man who took away the life of your master.”

“...Agnus!”   Clover’s desire for revenge deepened at the unexpected name. The newly acquired quest called Master’s Enemy stated that Baal’s Contractor was a common enemy of the world.

Simultaneously, in the capital of the Murray Kingdom, Juden...

“Weak... They are all weak...”   A man burst out laughing as he visited the home of an accessory maker named Catherine in Juden.  There was only the stench of death in the messy workshop.  The guards, who arrived later, pointed the spear at the man. “We will arrest you as the suspect of Catherine’s murder!”

“ Kik? ”

Why did he hear this everywhere he went? Agnus realized that the influence of the Yatan Church was much greater than he had imagined. He felt nervous.

“...”

There was a cute girl with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. No, the woman breathed heavily as she watched Agnus from afar.  She was a powerful member of the Overgeared Guild—a member whom Grid thought was stronger than himself, Euphemina.  Euphemina used Faker’s master level Stealth skill, so Agnus couldn’t detect her presence.

*** 

[The Blue Dragon’s Breath has been strengthened!]

[Strengthened Blue Dragon’s Breath]

[It is made by the blacksmith Grid who is becoming a myth beyond a legend.

-Increases lightning resistance by 50% even when carrying it in the inventory.

It can be used to infuse items with the powerful aura of the blue dragon.

However, it can only be attached to items with a strong lightning attribute.

Weight: 2]

“Good!”   A grin of delight spread on Grid’s face as he succeeded in strengthening the Blue Dragon’s Breath.  The bead of white light radiated a constant light.

‘Excellent...’ The blacksmith god, Hexetia, admired it.  He believed that Grid’s ability to strengthen the by-products of divine creatures to be in the realm of the gods. No, Grid’s patience was even more amazing than his skills.  Hexetia had to admit it.   As Grid focused and endured the lightning that emerged every time he hit the Blue Dragon’s Breath, his patience reached a new realm of commitment.  It was an area that couldn’t be understood by a god who solved all problems with ‘technique.’

‘Although he wouldn’t have succeeded in the strengthening without my blessing... He has the patience to overcome the limitations of relying on technique.’

Bultar, Pagma, and Grid—they were the only humans who managed to reach the stage of seeing the gods’ techniques.

‘...I’m not qualified to be jealous.’

The jealousy that remained deep inside Hexetia’s heart was gradually diluted.  He felt ashamed. Without thinking about the great effort that the humans who threatened him put into their work, Hexetia had treated their growing abilities as a mistake by the heavens. He was worse than a child.

‘Yes, I should respect them rather than feel jealous.’

It was a late enlightenment.  Bultar and Pagma didn’t exist in this world anymore, but Grid was still here.

‘You will receive their share...’ Hexetia stared at Grid with meaningful eyes.  The Sword of Light, which had been constantly hitting the mithril for two days, stopped after dealing the last blow. The mithril magic training was complete.

[White Light Mithril]

[Mithril that combines the strength of the blacksmith Grid, who is becoming a myth beyond a legend, and the power of an advanced light elemental using the Magic Battle Gear Production Method.

It is three times harder than normal mithril, and the compatibility with magic is ten times better.

Additionally, it contains the power of light.

Conditions of Use: Grid.]

“In fact, I had a chance to hold the First Holy Sword recently. It is your work.” Grid grabbed the mithril and threw it into the furnace. “The surface of the blade is made of divine stone while the frame is made of adamantium.”

At first, Grid couldn’t understand why it was made like that. Then after the repeated cycle of disassembly, reassembly, and making a duplicate, he realized the reason why.

“The divine stone is a better mineral than adamantium, but it reflects your will. Iron is strong, but it isn’t enough to hold a god’s divine power. That’s why you used the adamantium to concentrate the divine power, right?”

“You saw it clearly. Both the divine stone and adamantium are so strong that they are difficult to join into one. They are sublimated into one through a separate smelting process.”

In the end, the First Holy Sword had been completed while combining strong physical force and divine power.  The divine stone, which made up the surface of the blade, could easily slice through a great demon’s skin and bones. Meanwhile, the adamantium that formed the frame of the blade responded to the user’s divine power to destroy the great demons’ soul.

However, it was difficult to see it as perfect.  The divine stone and adamantium were in forms that maximized the attributes of both metals, but no new attributes were formed when they were combined.  At least, this was what Grid saw. It was why he had trained the mithril.

“I judged that it was difficult to fuse the pavranium and Blue Dragon’s Breath into one because of their individuality. Then I remembered mithril. Mithril has the attribute to absorb all types of magic, which means it has good compatibility with all attributes...”

Grid placed the Strengthened Blue Dragon’s Breath and the pavranium in the blast furnace which contained the White Light Mithril.  Then the Blue Dragon’s Breath that was originally difficult to mix became influenced by the mithril and started to fuse into one with the pavranium.

“Hexetia, please feel proud. I was able to reach this conclusion from the First Holy Sword that you made.”

Ttaang!   Ttang!   Ttang!

The molten mineral from the furnace was cooled, hardened, and then quenched.  Once the red metal was completely placed on the anvil, it took the form of a translucent platinum which reflected a blue light.  The pavranium, Strengthened Blue Dragon’s Breath, and White Light Mithril were reborn as a perfect mineral.  It was the birth of the hardest mineral in the world, which maintained the ego while simultaneously having the attributes of lightning and light.

Ttang!  Ttang!

The metal became a blade.  It was a blade that could be easily attached or detached using the Pulling Device, but he didn’t attach the silver thread to it. Grid didn’t need the silver thread for a blade which could move on its own to carry out its master’s orders.

“To think mere mithril can play such a key role...”

The goddess didn’t create anything in vain. Everything had its own role. Hexetia had become arrogant because he was a god, and he ended up forgetting the basics.

‘I lost.’

As he checked out Grid’s sword, Hexetia hid his own completed sword behind him.  His sword was much stronger than Grid’s sword, but Hexetia was ashamed that his work was really lacking.  It was a failure. He couldn’t raise his head.

“Why are you ashamed? Are you focused on your pride? I was able to make this work because I learned so much from you.”

“...Why am I always pleased when I’m with you?”

[The quest has been completed!]

[You have won the blacksmithing competition against a god!]

[Hexetia acknowledges you. He has thrown away his jealousy and gained enlightenment from you. He no longer doubts your intentions in setting up a temple.]

[The Stone of Original Sin encroaching on the Vatican’s First Holy Sword is losing its influence and disappearing. Once you visit the Vatican, you can complete the Cleanse the First Holy Sword quest.]

[Affinity with Hexetia, who has been reborn as a true god, has reached 70 points!]

[The divine voice of Hexetia resonates throughout the world.]

“The blacksmith Grid has given me new enlightenment. He is my benefactor, and I will bless humanity.”

[The blacksmith god has blessed all blacksmiths on the ground.]

[For the next 10 days, the growth rate of all blacksmith related skills will increase by 20%.]

[There is no one in the world who will not know you.]

[The great demons in hell will remember your name.] 

[The dwarves want to meet you and compete against you.]

[Someone in hell knows where you are.]

[1st Great Demon Baal is delighted...]