Chapter 168: The Master Craftsman
I looked at the old man standing before me.
The Sword Emperor, dressed in a black martial robe with a kind and gentle appearance.
He had come to the Academy once again.
The Sword Emperor looked at me.
"I saw what happened with the Association. You turned it upside down quite thoroughly."
"You flatter me."
"Thanks to that, this old man has had quite a difficult time."
"...My apologies."
As expected, you had to listen to the entire sentence before reacting.
As he stroked his short beard, his voice became more serious.
"The government is paying close attention to the movements of Heroes."
"At the moment, external affairs aren't particularly important."
"It's not entirely unrelated. I heard you requested the cooperation of not only me but also Lord Oliver."
"Pandemonium could invade at any moment. We desperately need everyone's help."
"The government is concerned about an excessive concentration of military strength at the Academy."
The existence of the 'Gate' was, naturally, classified information.
However, the leaders of every major faction, along with those who had survived the Great War, all knew Pandemonium's objective.
After all, it had been the incident where Demons scattered across the entire world simultaneously marched toward a single location.
Which also meant the government wasn't ignorant of that fact either.
"Surely they don't think the Heroes are planning to stage a coup? Besides, it's not like the Association doesn't know about the Gate."
"Indeed. However... humans are weak creatures."
Hearing those words, I fell silent for a moment.
Was this old man testing me?
No matter how much the prestige of Heroes had declined, they had still built up decades of trust.
Modern society functioned upon the sacrifices of Heroes, and the Sword Emperor stood at the very pinnacle of them.
The authority he wielded was immense.
"The government's interference certainly isn't something we can ignore. However, if Elder were to step in, you'd be able to resolve it without much difficulty. Of course, I don't say that because I take your goodwill for granted."
What I had just said could easily offend the Sword Emperor.
It could sound as though I was saying that because he possessed enough influence to suppress the government's interference, he naturally ought to do so.
However, from the moment he declared that he would protect the Academy, his support had practically become a certainty.
The Sword Emperor had already accepted my proposal.
Besides, if someone of his stature moved, there was no way the other major factions would simply sit back and watch.
A faint smile spread across the Sword Emperor's face.
"I really do like you. You certainly know how to choose your words."
"So you were testing me."
"I wouldn't call it a test. I simply wanted to understand what kind of person you are. Besides, the one you're about to meet is far more troublesome than I am."
At those words, I focused my attention.
The Sword Emperor hadn't come to the Academy to criticize what I had done.
"Has the Master Craftsman accepted the proposal?"
"Nothing has been decided yet. He's an awfully eccentric fellow."
"The opportunity alone is more than enough. So where is the Master Craftsman...?"
The Sword Emperor quietly pointed somewhere.
I looked in the direction he indicated.
There wasn't anyone there.
"Gu Ryun, enough fooling around. Come out already."
At that moment, a playful voice echoed from somewhere.
"Kehehe! He's certainly an interesting brat."
"Where are you?"
I could clearly hear the voice, yet I couldn't tell where its owner was.
I wasn't even wearing the Mana Suppressor anymore, so my Aura Sense was functioning perfectly.
What was this?
It felt as though I were being haunted by a ghost.
Just then, Helena screamed.
"Kyaa!"
When I turned around, Helena had fallen onto the ground, and standing before her was a grizzled old man with an eccentric appearance.
The old man sniffed loudly before leaning his face close to Helena's.
"Interesting... very interesting... To think so many extraordinary youngsters have gathered in one place."
His gaze swept over Park Siwoo...
Then Dan Cheon-woo...
Then Eunha.
Finally, his eyes settled on me.
"But the most interesting one among them is you."
He strode straight toward me.
"You carry the same scent as Gu Ryun."
"...Excuse me?"
A scent?
The same scent as the Sword Emperor?
I quietly lifted my arm and sniffed it.
I didn't smell anything.
Seeing that, the Sword Emperor chuckled.
"What Gu Ryun is referring to isn't a person's scent."
"Then?"
"He means the scent of those shameless fools who possess incredible weapons yet refuse to use them."
At those words, I instinctively flinched.
I possessed several pieces of endgame equipment.
Yet unless absolutely necessary, I rarely used them.
It was all because of the Martial King build I was pursuing to increase the proficiency of the True Asura Descent.
Thanks to that, the True Asura Descent had reached a level where it no longer lagged far behind the Demonic Authority.
Still...
I couldn't help feeling it was a waste.
Those endgame items all possessed extraordinary value.
"Take them out."
"I want to see everything you're carrying."
"I'm curious myself."
Even the Sword Emperor's eyes lit up at Gu Ryun's words.
Come to think of it...
He was a complete weapon fanatic too.
Dan Cheon-woo's obsession with collecting weapons had come directly from the Sword Emperor.
Before I knew it, everyone's attention was focused on me.
The others were curious about the equipment I possessed as well.
If I refused now, they'd probably curse me for it.
I pulled my equipment out from my shadow.
Dokbon.
Solis.
The Cloak of Darkness.
Amrita.
These were the endgame pieces of equipment I possessed.
Seeing them, Gu Ryun burst into another round of strange laughter.
I'd thought it the first time I heard it too...
His laugh was truly unique.
After sniffing loudly, he examined each weapon one by one.
"This one carries my son's scent. Did No. 7 make it?"
The first item he picked up was Dokbon.
The very first endgame weapon I had ever obtained.
When planted into the ground, it created a battlefield perfectly suited for me.
Out of everything I owned, it was the one I had used the most.
"Hm... Looking closer, I smell that slick bastard too."
"Slick bastard?"
"I'm talking about Baek Hyun-joong. I forged his weapon as well."
"Then your judgment is correct. It's an enhanced replica of Hero Baek Hyun-joong's weapon."
Gu Ryun grinned mischievously in satisfaction.
"No. 7 made something rather impressive. Looks like the brat improved while I wasn't watching. But he still has terrible taste in people. To think he'd make a weapon for someone like you."
"It certainly hasn't been cared for properly."
The Sword Emperor added his own comment.
He also seemed highly interested in Dokbon as he carefully inspected it.
"Would you consider selling this sword to me?"
"...What?"
"I'd pay you handsomely."
Why did that sound exactly like someone else?
"What are you talking about? More importantly, what does looking at my weapons have to do with forging equipment?"
I reminded them why I had sought out the Master Craftsman in the first place.
"The reason I wanted to meet the Master Craftsman was so he could forge equipment for these guys."
"I know. I already heard about your situation. It seems you've been clearing dungeons and collecting materials."
"How did you know that?"
Park Siwoo and the others were visibly startled.
I hadn't told them that I had been collecting materials from dungeons.
"I can hear the voices of weapons and minerals."
So that was how he had realized I possessed endgame equipment.
"With the materials you've gathered, you won't be able to create anything even remotely comparable to what that ugly brat is carrying."
"What does that have to do with my equipment?"
"Kehehe. It seems you already know the answer yourself. The equipment you refuse to use makes excellent material for forging even greater weapons."
At those words, I fell silent.
The game certainly did have a system that allowed players to dismantle equipment and extract materials.
But...
"What? Are you reluctant to part with them?"
"..."
Honestly...
If I said I wasn't, I'd be lying.
Do you know how much suffering I'd gone through to obtain these?
Even so...
I couldn't afford to say that.
If the others were going to survive...
Endgame equipment was absolutely essential.
Suppressing the ache in my heart, I asked Gu Ryun,
"You'll definitely forge the weapons, right?"
"What do you take me for? Across all of history, there has never been another blacksmith like me. Give me quality materials, and I can forge absolutely anything!"
"...Sigh. Do whatever you want."
"Kehehe! That's the spirit."
Gu Ryun happily stuffed my precious endgame equipment into his robes.
"How are you planning to make the equipment?"
"I've already got a rough design in mind. With materials of this quality... I should be able to produce three pieces even better than the equipment you just handed over."
"Wait... Three?"
Gu Ryun tilted his head.
"What? Is there a problem?"
"Of course there is. Four people need equipment."
Even excluding myself...
There were Park Siwoo.
Dan Cheon-woo.
Eunha.
And Helena.
There were four main characters.
If there were only three weapons...
Didn't that mean one of them would have to go without?
Gu Ryun burst into laughter.
Then he turned toward Dan Cheon-woo.
"Brat, do you need a new weapon?"
"I'm fine. I still haven't fully mastered Mu-a."
"That insolent brat still can't be bothered to speak properly."
Hearing that, I nodded.
Right.
Dan Cheon-woo already possessed an endgame weapon.
Mu-a.
The sword bestowed upon him by the Sword Emperor.
That sword, too, was a masterpiece born from Gu Ryun's hands.
"Forging these weapons will take quite some time. I'm making three of them, not just one."
"That's fine."
In any case, after meeting Gu Ryun, I planned to immediately enter the Fragments in search of Baek Hyun-joong.
Honestly, I couldn't predict how long it would take.
In the game, it wasn't particularly long.
But this time, there were other objectives as well.
The others needed to grow strong enough to survive the coming war.
That would require tremendous effort.
Fortunately, the Fragments, where time flowed differently, were the perfect place for training.
By the time they emerged...
They would be completely different people.
And I, too, would have obtained the answers I sought.
Knowing there were reliable people protecting the Academy while I was away gave me tremendous peace of mind.
Alongside Chun Ga-eun...
There was the Sword Emperor.
And Oliver Raiders as well.
With that kind of force...
Even if all of Pandemonium's High-ranking Executives appeared together, there was nothing to fear.
Wait...
Come to think of it, wasn't I forgetting something important?
Just then, the Sword Emperor quietly spoke.
"It seems our guest has arrived."
"A guest?"
"Indeed. Though I don't believe they're here to see me. It seems they've come to see you."
KRRRRAAAAAAAAH!
At that very moment, a ferocious roar shook heaven and earth.
It felt as though an enormous apex predator stood right before me.
I knew exactly what this was.
The killing intent and oppression exerted by a superior species upon an inferior one.
Dragon Fear.
It was incomparably more terrifying than what Helena had ever displayed.
And every ounce of it was directed solely at me.
I slowly turned toward the source of that overwhelming killing intent.
There stood a half-human, half-dragon figure, covered in silver scales with gigantic wings spread wide, glaring directly at me.
The moment Helena saw him, she screamed.
"Father?!"