Chapter 106

Fwaaaah!

A refreshing sound of air being cleaved.

Wings of light leave shimmers in the sky.

Vertical ascent.

Immediately followed by a vertical descent!

Boom!

The floor of Experimental Ground #1 shook greatly. The Guardian that had fallen from the sky had plunged its two-meter-long sword into the ground. Despite the countless protective barriers covering the experimental ground, they couldn’t prevent the floor from trembling.

Sigh… seeing that figure brings back nightmares from the Guardian’s Forest.

Pan-Dalus stroked his beard.

“Hmm… very good. At this level, it would easily handle an ogre. The power from that massive body combined with excellent flight capabilities. This isn’t something a mage’s abilities could easily replace. An excellent combat unit indeed. It’s more valuable than I expected.”

-Unauthorized life form. Warning. Keep your distance.

“Oh? It speaks too?”

As Pan-Dalus took a step closer to the Guardian, it issued a warning with heavy telepathy. It wasn’t in the ancient divine language that humans couldn’t understand, but in the current language we were using.

Come to think of it, Lanciel’s Cube and the main ego of Arsenal #7 could both speak both divine and human languages. Has our language remained unchanged throughout those long years?

This world is truly… strange.

Curiosity flickered in Pan-Dalus’s eyes. Rather than backing away, he suddenly stepped forward.

Thud!

In front of the unyielding Pan-Dalus, the Guardian brought down its sword.

-Final warning… keeeuung…

But the once-imposing Guardian made a strange noise and sank to its knees. No, Pan-Dalus had extended one hand and forced it to kneel.

The Guardian glared at Pan-Dalus with glowing blue eyes.

-Auth… baaazi ang… keeeuung… li… feyoong… unsh…?

“Hooh? Its anti-magic properties are somewhat inferior to a calamity’s. My magic works easily on it.”

I could see it. How magical power extended from Pan-Dalus’s hand like worms, seeping into the joints of the Guardian.

Such precise magical power control… he didn’t even recite a single incantation. Truly a master mage’s skill.

When Pan-Dalus swiftly raised his left hand, the kneeling Guardian also raised its left hand. When Pan-Dalus slightly bent his knee and then straightened it with a bounce, the Guardian awkwardly stood up and jumped. It was like a puppet on strings. Throughout this, Pan-Dalus calmly continued his performance test.

“Hmm… this is how the joints move. And the output? Hmm… it’s this much. Quite impressive. Most 3rd Circle mages would be no match for it, right?”

-Unauth… aaa… li… feyoong…! Th… thaaaan…

“Hooh… it even has some emotions? Fascinating.”

-Un, unsh…!

The Guardian spat out angry telepathy.

But… honestly, it was just amusing.

Yes. That’s right, kid. You should suffer a bit.

“Good! We’ll do this.”

After thoroughly experimenting, Pan-Dalus said.

“We’ll pay 100,000 Morning immediately and purchase it.”

‘100,000?’

That’s more expensive than I thought.

But unlike before, since he was offering to buy it himself, I became suspicious.

“Hmm… you’re not lowballing me, are you? That won’t work right now. I need a lot of money.”

“What? Hahaha!”

Pan-Dalus laughed heartily.

“You’re certainly from the wilderness, being so cautious!”

“Try living in the wilderness yourself. You’d be surprised how much mages overcharge.”

“Hmm-alright. Then I’ll be honest with you. Items like beam hilts or Mobility discs are traded regularly in the market, so they have established prices. But not Guardians. This is my first time seeing such an item, so I can’t predict how much it would sell for or how long it would take to sell. That’s why I offered to buy it for 100,000 first.”

“…So you think it could sell for more than 100,000?”

“Haha, of course. You’d immediately get 100,000 Morning, and I’d take the risk in exchange for potential profit.”

Mages are all the same. They’d rather give something for free than make a transaction where they calculate gains and losses like a knife.

Right. I should learn this attitude too.

“Fine. But let’s change the terms. Buy one Guardian unit and all 680 relics immediately. The price: 300,000 Morning.”

“300,000 Morning…? Weren’t the relics valued at 130,000 Morning? Then it should be 230,000…”

“Will you do it or not?”

I cut him off and showed my nerve.

I had something to rely on.

Pan-Dalus’s expression grew enigmatic.

“You… used it, didn’t you?”

“Used what?”

“Your Gift. It’s insight, isn’t it?”

“You’re perceptive.”

I hadn’t explained my [Simulation] in detail. But Pan-Dalus seemed to have guessed from the abilities I’d shown that I had something like mind-reading or future-sight.

He grumbled.

“You hit my limit exactly… my goodness. With 300,000 Morning total, I’m not even sure if I’ll make a profit… that’s a huge amount… it might create a hole in our budget…”

I decided to help him a bit in his deliberation.

“You’re going to sell it to collectors or researchers with a premium anyway, right? With the Mage of Domestication’s information and connections, you can certainly sell it at a high price.”

“Uh, umm…”

Pan-Dalus looked between me and the relics with wavering eyes, finally focusing on the Guardian for a long time before nodding as if he had made up his mind.

“Very well. Let’s do it. Contract.”

-St… anding by.

Somehow, the Guardian’s telepathy felt powerless.

* * *

Tap-!

Swish!

Tap-!

Swish!

Each time I struck with the hammer, the cube floated up 20 Morning at a time and poured them onto the anvil. At least within the workshop, the cube could perform various tricks.

Beside me, mana coins and mana bills from Pan-Dalus were piled up like mountains.

Tap-!

Swish!

Tap!

Swish!

‘It’s like pounding rice cakes.’

The mana coins, transformed into particles of light, increasingly stuck to the hammer. The impurities solidified and accumulated at the bottom of the anvil.

“How much have we done?”

-About 40,000 Morning so far.

Haah… with each hammer strike using 20 Morning, by calculation, I needed to strike 6,000 more times. That’s only because I’m now processing 20 Morning at a time. Initially, I could only process about 3 Morning per strike… I thought I was going to die then. With practice, I’ve come this far.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, I collapsed with a sharp pain.

Spasms in my arm prevented me from wielding the hammer. Blood trickled from my nose. Due to the prolonged forced march, my Ki-blood was already in tatters.

I threw the hammer aside and lay flat on my back. The light particles on the anvil clumped together, forming a jewel about half the size of a fist.

“Haaah… all that hammering and it’s still only that size…”

At first, there was at least the joy of seeing the Philosopher’s Stone visibly grow… but now I can’t even tell if it’s growing or not. I can only sigh in frustration.

It’s been three weeks since I started this. How much longer do I need to stay here? After hammering so diligently, I’ve only completed a quarter of the work?

I don’t know. Let’s clear my mind.

“I need to rest…”

-I’ll inject the necessary nutrients while you sleep.

Along with the cube’s voice, cool medicine surged through my veins. It made me feel a bit better.

[B:@?!!?!]

Iron Blood, which had been circulating through my blood vessels and repairing my body, expressed displeasure. From its perspective, its food – my blood – was being contaminated.

But just bear with it a little, it all becomes blood and flesh.

Ten more days passed.

Tik-!

Tap-!

I don’t know if I’m striking the hammer or if the hammer is striking me. I have no thoughts left.

Swish!

The cube poured 50 Morning onto the anvil with each hammer strike. It was more than double the previous amount, but even that brought no excitement. I just mechanically brought the hammer down.

Somehow, I seemed able to wield the hammer longer and stronger than before.

Five more days passed.

Tap-! Tik!

I feel like I’m dying. I thought I had transcended at some point, but that was an illusion.

Swish!

The sound of the cube pouring coins now filled me with dread.

Though I once struck with 50 Morning per hammer blow, now I can only manage 30 Morning. Sometimes, I can barely process 10 Morning in one strike. If I push too hard, the hammer bounces back. How many times has my shoulder been shattered… without Iron Blood, I would have been finished long ago. I can’t even tell if this is my shoulder anymore; it feels numb, like paper taped together.

Maybe…

Should I rest for a few days and try again?

-Momentum is critical. I don’t recommend resting.

At the cube’s firm words, I gritted my teeth. My jaw trembled.

Ten more days passed.

Somehow, my arms seemed stronger. Even in the simple action of lifting and bringing down the hammer, my Ki-blood writhed. It’s the same 3-star Ki-blood… how can it feel so different?

It’s as if my arm is alive and moving on its own.

Was it my arms being tempered by the hammer, not the Philosopher’s Stone?

Now I strike with 100 Morning at once.

There aren’t many mana coins left. We’re almost done.

Around that time, I forgot about rest. Caught up in the enjoyment of the endless strength that emerged with each strike, I was happily hammering away when the cube said,

-Now we’ll add the spirit. Keep hammering while mixing the Philosopher’s Stone well.

“Finally…!”

-This is just the beginning. It took too long to get here because you’re much weaker than expected, Administrator… but you’ve become somewhat useful now, so it should be fine.

With these merciless words, the cube threw the Stone of Wind onto the anvil.

Bong!

The hammer flew backward. My entire body tingled, not just my arm. My head rang like a bronze bell.

It wasn’t that I had struck incorrectly. The power of ‘The Anvil Itself,’ which breaks down and reconstructs all materials, didn’t work on the Stone of Wind. The tremendous counter-elasticity made my whole body ache.

‘Ugh… indeed… even if it’s turned to fossil, is it still the body of a demigod?’

-Don’t slacken your pace. You must keep hammering until it’s completely mixed with the Philosopher’s Stone!

The cube urged me on. Yes… this is just the beginning, right? Let’s try again!

I swung the hammer.

Bong-!

Booong-!

My wrist felt like it would break. My eyes turned bloodshot. The Ki-blood I thought had become solid… now felt like paper again.

How many days passed like this? I can’t remember if I last rested days or weeks ago.

Clink!

Ring!

The Philosopher’s Stone, which had been sticking to the hammer like sticky rice cake, was now almost completely absorbed into the Stone of Wind. The Stone of Wind had grown three times larger and turned sky blue. When I struck it with the hammer, it made a clear musical sound. The white and blue magical power that had been hiding deep within the Stone of Wind now surfaced and rippled.

I thought I was still hammering… but at some point, it felt like I was knocking on a door.

Knock knock!

Is anyone there?

Is there no one there?

That feeling of endlessly calling for someone.

And finally, an answer came.

Ring!

With each hammer strike, the Stone of Wind rang clearly, and a cool breeze blew from the stone, cooling my heated forehead.

I heard voices. Like fairies whispering in unison.

-Here, where is…? Why am I?

-Now, what time is it now?

-Everyone? Where is everyone?

-The world? What’s happened to the world?

Ring ring

Whoosh! Whiiing!

With each hammer strike, the wind grew stronger.

-The sounds? The sounds we’ve collected?

-Ah, they’re disappearing.

-The songs… the songs are disappearing.

-The cries… the sounds of crying are disappearing.

-The laughter… that laughter is disappearing.

-The sounds we’ve collected for hundreds of thousands of years… disappearing.

-We are disappearing.

‘What…? What’s disappearing…?’

Ah…

At that moment, I heard countless sounds. Not the whispers of the spirit.

Sounds of laughter and chatter, of clinking wine glasses, of bitter crying and comforting, of anger, of apology… of sobbing. Sighs, lamentations… screams… singing through tears.

Sounds that truly existed tens of thousands… perhaps millions of years ago.

They say waves never truly disappear but only converge to zero? The Earth human whose memories I inherited had such thoughts. All sounds remain in the wind. If science were advanced enough, could it restore the tiny waves left in the wind? Could we hear voices from tens of thousands of years ago again?

That’s what the wind spirit had done. It had become a fossil with all those collected sounds.

But those sounds… were beginning to disappear? …Because I awakened it?

At some point, the wind spirit pleaded with me.

-Is it you? The one who awakened us?

-Ah, why did you awaken us? The sounds… they’re scattering.

-I don’t know how long it’s been since that day.

-But the curse has grown even stronger. We can’t endure it.

-There’s no choice. We can’t stop the annihilation now. So I beg you.

-Please. Since you awakened us, perhaps you can pass on these sounds?

-Please. Pass on these voices.

-Tell them that even if all flowers have withered, somewhere another flower blooms.

-Don’t let this world… disappear.

It spoke with such desperate voice.

The white and blue magical power rippling on the surface of the Stone of Wind was scattering bit by bit.

‘Now is the time.’

I could tell even without the cube telling me.

I picked up the Stone of Wind. What was once a hard, dry, white stone was now as big as a melon, soft and sky-blue.

As the magical power scattered, the voice of the wind spirit grew fainter.

Crunch.

I tore out my magical power and fed it to the spirit.

The vast amount of mana I had gained from killing the magical beast. It was nearly half of all the magical power I possessed.

‘Now, redefine yourself with this magical power.’

‘Evolution!’

Whoooosh!

A whirlwind swept through the workshop.

For some reason…

The wind smelled like cotton candy.

* * *

I emerged from the workshop. It had been three months.

The first people I encountered after leaving were Yuria and Lytol.

“Lytol! You have that thing, right? A protection necklace, a reflection robe, and a sturdy body bracelet?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Ugh… I’m so jealous. I only have an Escape robe… How much do those cost?”

“A protection necklace would be about 100 Morning? The reflection robe would be at least 500 Morning, and the sturdy body bracelet around 300 Morning maybe?”

“Th-that expensive?”

“Think of it as an extra life; it’s not that expensive. And if you think that’s expensive, you’d faint if you heard the price of the protective talisman I use.”

“Uggh… if you have so much money, m-maybe you have some extras? I felt it last time, but I think my defense is a bit weak…”

“If I had extras, I would have sold them already.”

“R-really? I guess so…?”

“Of course! A mage’s life means endless expenses. I have a whole box of spell books and equipment I need to buy… what can I do?”

“Y-yes, I see. Still, I envy you. You have so many magical devices.”

“What do you mean ‘so many’? And if you’re envious, why not buy some yourself? You must have money.”

“Huh? Uhh. Y-yes, of course! Haha!”

Yuria laughed nervously, her face flustered.

Ah…

My heart ached painfully. I felt terrible.

She has no money.

Neither does Monggu.

Somehow all the money ended up in my subspace storage… and then I locked myself in the workshop for three months.

While Solas Magic School would have provided room and board, they’d have had no spending money at all. Just looking at their clothes, Lytol was exuding sophistication while she looked shabby wearing the same old clothes. The same was true for me, but…

Damn… I could cry.

“Yuria!”

I grabbed Yuria’s wrist.

“Huh? Jun-woo! When did you come out?!”

“The leader has emerged.”

“Yes. Yes.”

I brushed off Lytol’s greeting and pulled Yuria along.

“W-wait. Where are we going?”

I answered the confused Yuria.

“To get all dressed up. We’re going to buy everything you want, and even things you don’t want.”

“Whaat?”

For now, I had no other use for money. And since ‘evolution’ required no small amount, spending pocket change wouldn’t even make a dent. Of course, that pocket change could buy almost anything.

Swoosh-

A sudden gust of wind brushed past me. In the breeze, I heard something like the laughter of fairies.

Why are they laughing?