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132
“Hello everyone. Starting today’s stream.”
Having returned home, Hanbit immediately turned on the stream.
Simultaneously, chat began flooding out.
-Dragon hi.
-Hey hey.
-Did you see the restricted area clear that came out?
-Now that the guide’s out, they show up like ghosts. Lol.
-The freaking guide doesn’t even help;
-That’s because you’re not a vanguard……
-Does Odin look like nothing to you?
-But he was the right pick. Lol.
-Odin should be doing the second clear there, obviously.
‘A clear came out, as expected.’
Scanning through the content, Hanbit gave a nod at the anticipated news.
Vanguard Odin — mid-tier.
A name he had grown familiar with hearing, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.
But then.
-Did you see Odin mention you?
An unexpected chat message caught his eye.
‘Mention?’
Suddenly curious, Hanbit pulled up the community window beside the screen.
From the first page, the latest news about the restricted area was being actively shared.
Checking the list, he clicked on a post in the trending rankings.
⟨Breaking) Odin succeeds at second clear of restricted area⟩
6:33 AM. Vanguard Odin’s raid party successfully cleared the restricted area.
The second to clear it after Black Dragon. Guild Galaxy’s 21 participating members have all earned restricted area access.
Below is the full text of the interview with Odin.
Reporter: Congratulations, Odin. You’ve finally succeeded in clearing the restricted area — can you share your thoughts on being the second to clear it?
Odin: Thank you. We all gave our best, but ultimately clearing it through our own strength alone proved difficult. Had it not been for Black Dragon-nim’s guide, I have no way of knowing how long it would have taken. I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude.
Reporter: You mentioned expressing gratitude — the hottest player right now is again Black Dragon-nim. What are your thoughts on that? It could be argued that you’d feel your position as a vanguard is being threatened.
Odin: ‘Threatened’ is a strange word. I’m always happy when a skilled player appears. You can learn from what you’re lacking, and there are opportunities to play together. In that sense, I think Black Dragon-nim is a person of rare worth who has rung a bell of warning in a stagnant RP world.
……
What could be felt from the interview content was humility.
Having heard he was a vanguard overflowing with talent, the arrogance and hubris one might typically expect were absent — he seemed like a straightforward person.
And even expressing gratitude toward himself — there was no reason to dislike him.
“If someone’s managed to clear it, that’s a relief. I hope others are also doing their best.”
As anticipated, the second clear had come quickly, so the credibility of Hanbit’s guide had risen.
Even with Odin himself having mentioned it — who would pick a fight at this point.
Shhk—
Hanbit, who had ended the session in the shack underground, looked around.
The dwarves, in the final stretch of preparations, were busily hauling work items around.
“There you are!”
Just then, a voice suddenly came from the stairs behind him.
And from below, the figure of a dwarf coming up came into view.
“Ah.”
Gorik appearing from the shack’s underground rather than his own workshop.
A thing that was inconceivable thinking of how he normally was — but two changes had set him in motion.
‘He seems to have loosened up a little.’
Several weapons for dealing with the monster wave.
Their detailed design had been planned through heated discussions between Gorik and the dwarves.
Because through that process he had naturally aimed for the restoration of the relationship between the prince and his people.
And the other change was in Gorik’s hand.
“The sword is complete.”
Coming close, he held out the pale blue-white sword and said.
The sword entrusted to him alongside the Snow Drake’s reverse scale.
It had been completed.
“Already finished?”
“For this level, it’s taken far too long. I’m quite rusty myself.”
The period when the heirloom had been lost — Gorik too had not been able to continue forging.
He had spent the whole time scouring the snowy mountains, so it was only natural.
“Either way, take it. This is my current best.”
[Masterwork Sword — Pflüger’s Soul, Touched by Cold]
Rank: 5
Grade: Epic
Equip Restriction: Bound to Owner
Options
— Durability 90
— Skill Efficiency 82
— Mana Conductivity 85
— Spirit Resonance 57
— Cold Attribute Enhancement 100
— Cold Attribute Resistance 100
— All Stats +10%
— Can grow through reforging
— Rank and grade evolution possible
Description: An unfinished sword into which the blacksmith Pflüger poured everything. It made use not only of a spirit stone containing the power of wind and magic-steel, but also a small amount of the mithril he treasured. Use of a special skill to develop it will draw out its intrinsic ability.
The Snow Drake’s reverse scale fragment has been melted in, sharpening it further. Receiving that power, it strengthens the cold attribute and grants cold resistance to its owner. For the reverse scale’s power to be fully drawn out, one further stage of growth is required.
-??
-Why are the options like this?
-A reverse scale fragment’s ripple effect;
-And this isn’t even the full use?
-Info) The reverse scale fragment was rank 6 epic class.
-But how do you make it grow?
-Didn’t dwarven metallurgy cover that?
-Probably needs materials.
‘Wow, it’s improved this much.’
Options grown by more than double, and a long extended description.
The reverse scale fragment’s effect being reduced was only natural.
Even with the Ever-Flowing Spring Water, it had been an attempt to use a material beyond the current level.
And yet to think it had produced such an unexpected result.
Seeing the numbers confirmed it was all the more astonishing.
“Thank you. It’s come out much better.”
“If you want to make the weapon stronger, obtain high-quality mithril and adamantium. A spirit stone also seems to have been used, so adding more of those would be good. Entrust it to that fellow and it won’t turn into complete scrap.”
Advice tossed out while examining the blade.
‘That fellow’ referred to Kim Jaeha.
It seemed the skill transfer was nearing its conclusion.
‘Spirit Resonance is still the same, though.’
All figures had grown, but Spirit Resonance hadn’t changed.
Even with good materials, influencing the power of spirits was difficult.
Raising this number would require high-quality spirit stones and the spirit power to be contained within them.
“I’ll make good use of it.”
“It isn’t free. Your shoulders carry the weight of countless lives in Ifrit.”
The range that had expanded from thinking only of the dwarf people to the lives of Ifrit.
That change had been born from the efforts of the humans working to stop the wave.
“I know that well. So — how are the preparations coming?”
“Final stage. The bomb to be used on the wall — we’ve devised something that will surprise even you. You’ll be amazed when you see it. Make sure to see it with your own two eyes.”
Whoosh—
Gorik, brimming with confidence, turned and went back down underground.
The retreating figure looked to be in quite good spirits.
‘Isis… is still there, but let’s head to that side first.’
After a brief deliberation, Hanbit went downstairs and went to find Elder Ballon.
“You mentioned there’s somewhere you’d like us to go together?”
“Yes. Traps have been set around the dwarf village and outside the wall as well, haven’t they? I’d like to check on the party and hear an explanation about those.”
“In that case…… understood.”
Ballon gave a nod and moved through the tunnel with Hanbit.
Arriving in the dwarf village, he walked toward the underground workshop.
Creak—
Pushing open the closed door, the interior space was revealed along with the sound of friction.
“Ah, you’re here?”
Kim Jaeha, who had been holding his head in both hands, looked up.
His face looked complex beyond description.
“Hyung, are you alright?”
“Ha……. I don’t know anymore.”
In front of him as he sighed again — a single iron ingot.
Beside it was the hammer Hanbit had given him.
“Something is still left, it seems?”
“This is the final stage. But…… I genuinely can’t see the answer.”
Kim Jaeha, glaring at the ingot, was deep in deliberation.
Hanbit knew well the reason for that.
“It would be the part about listening to the sound of iron, yes?”
“As expected, you know about it!”
Kim Jaeha shot up and came close.
But soon dropped his shoulders and said:
“No, no. Don’t tell me the method. This is something I need to do myself.”
He shook his head and expressed his resolve.
He had thought Hanbit would give him a hint.
But the man himself had no such intention.
“I don’t know it.”
“…What?”
-?
-That’s a twist.
-He doesn’t know this one.
-Oh right, it wasn’t in the novel. Lol.
Everyone was taken aback by the shocking admission.
“You really don’t know?”
“Yes. I don’t really understand the blacksmithing side.”
Hanbit shrugged with a calm face.
The reactions were understandable.
The Black Dragon they had been watching up until now would have tossed out the answer right away.
‘I’d like to — but.’
There were two reasons for saying he didn’t know.
One was that the method was so abstract that explanation itself was impossible.
The other was that no outside intervention could be allowed in the acquisition of dwarven metallurgy.
The latter in particular — Gorik would surely be the first to notice.
“Can’t see the answer at all?”
“Not at all. Can’t even sense it.”
“What about trade secrets or something?”
“Trade secrets?”
At that question, Kim Jaeha made a puzzled expression.
Hanbit looked around the workshop and said:
“You said your family has run a forge for generations, didn’t you? Is there no family trade secret or something?”
“What do you think this is, some prestigious artisan household? A trade secret like that…….”
Kim Jaeha’s expression, speaking in bafflement, changed.
He looked as though something had come to mind.
“Did something occur to you?”
“…Something my grandfather used to say, long ago. It was such an airy-fairy kind of talk that I just laughed it off at the time.”
His face wore happiness as he recalled the old memory.
A recollection that continued for a brief while like that.
Kim Jaeha, looking down at the ingot, reached out and gripped the hammer.
Then, pulling his concentration together in one breath, he began striking the ingot.
Clang—!
A clear, pure sound ringing through the workshop.
The worries that had been etched on Kim Jaeha’s face were no longer visible.
Shhk—
Quietly closing the door, Hanbit stepped out of the workshop.
Just as expected — he had needed no unnecessary help.
“How is it? Does the craft seem like it will be transmitted properly?”
The elder who had been waiting outside looked toward underground and asked.
That Kim Jaeha had become Gorik’s apprentice was something known to all.
There was no one who would object to that decision.
Because it was he who had helped recover the dwarves’ heirloom.
“It will go well. He comes from a line of blacksmiths three generations deep.”
-Prestigious lineage.
-Jaeha-hyung you’ve got this.
-Wasn’t he a company worker in real life?
-RP is life. Get a grip.
-RP’s first hidden blacksmith, here we go.
As the viewers’ support continued, Hanbit’s gaze moved out toward the forest beyond the village.
Somewhere in a nest deep underground, the sparks of change would be burning.
It was only natural that this would draw the largest numbers in all of history.
“Then I’ll ask for the explanation.”
“Understood. I’ll guide you through this side first.”
The elder began slowly explaining from the traps near the village.
About ten minutes had passed when a message arrived.
「Kim Jaeha」
「I learned it. Dwarven Metallurgy.」
