Chapter 221
Chapter 221: Maintenance
Months have passed since the terror caused by the IUPC and the People from Another World in Korea was put to rest.
The pleasantly cool weather suitable for activities had gradually turned into the chilly winter.
While people’s clothing transformed into thick coats, Yoo Ji-han’s party minimized outdoor activities and focused on strengthening their inner capabilities.
It was a constant cycle of training and real combat.
“Done.”
—Finally!
Kuaaak!
Yoo Ji-han clenched his fist, curling his five fingers.
His fist was as solid as a hammer or a blunt weapon.
A significant power emanated from his body, swathed in a faint aura of magic.
It was his primary buff magic, [Blessing of the World Tree].
‘Now it can be maintained continuously.’
Buff magic that Kim Si-hu had casually developed and refined through repeated usage.
Yoo Ji-han had employed that buff in most of his battles.
And today, [Blessing of the World Tree] evolved into magic that could be maintained continuously.
Not only in combat but even in daily life, and even while sleeping.
—You better be grateful to me!
“Yeah, yeah.”
The magic crystals provided as a reward for their expedition from the Dice Guild.
And the mysterious magic contained within the dream metal Drimium.
As the Sylph steadily consumed them, a gradual transformation progressed within her.
The most significant change was the increase in magical recovery speed.
As the amount of magic recovered surpassed the magic consumption rate due to the buff, things like this became possible.
“You’ve worked hard too.”
“It’s all thanks to you, brother.”
Kim Si-hu, who had gradually refined the magic at Yoo Ji-han’s request, smiled.
At this point, while [Blessing of the World Tree] hadn’t reached the explosive power it had when defeating the Barbarian.
It had evolved into a buff more fitting for Yoo Ji-han than any other buff currently known.
It had become a unique magic crafted to fit the detailed magical pattern of his physical structure, meaning it catered to only one person in this world.
“Lee Mi-a!”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s have a round.”
“Bring it on.”
Click, click.
With an expressionless face, Lee Mi-a made a gesture inviting Yoo Ji-han to come at her first.
As a single-member guild and party focused on leveling up, she was also often seen hanging out with Sweet Fun as allies.
Bang!
As Yoo Ji-han thrust his fist forward, Lee Mi-a raised her arm to block the attack.
The pure sound of their bodies colliding without the aid of equipment was.
So loud that an ordinary person might mistake it for gunpowder exploding.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Lee Mi-a’s fists sliced through the air, aiming at Yoo Ji-han’s head.
The wind rushing with her fists was as deadly as a sharpened blade.
She didn’t treat even a moment’s practice lightly.
However, Yoo Ji-han dodged her punches, twisting his head this way and that.
‘Right. Next is left. Then….’
Even with the buff surrounding his body, Lee Mi-a’s punches were strong enough not to be dismissed.
But if he could read the trajectory of her attacks in advance, dodging them was not difficult.
Though, when facing a high-level hero, sometimes an unpredictable attack would come.
In such cases, a different approach was necessary.
‘Aiming for the chin, huh?’
Ziiing!
Faint afterimages appeared before Yoo Ji-han’s eyes.
Those were his two options for avoiding the opponent’s attacks.
No matter what he chose, the options were 99% close to achieving the ‘desired result’.
——Even if you doubt yourself, never doubt your unique skill.
——Because it’s a result calculated based on the truth of the world.
The product of months spent interacting with Nirochi and developing his previously frequently used sampling method.
His goal was to reduce the afterimages to just one, but unfortunately, it was too much to ask.
Pah!
Yoo Ji-han moved as if sliding along with his afterimage.
Seeing it with his eyes and executing it with his body were entirely different, but.
His developed movements allowed him to catch up effortlessly with the afterimage.
Pababababak!
The two engaged in combat at a speed where hands and feet were hardly visible.
Just then, glancing at the wall clock, Yoo Ji-han raised one hand and said.
“Okay! That’s enough.”
“……I didn’t get to hit once.”
Lee Mi-a, who had been focused solely on defense and hadn’t attempted a proper attack, wore a pouty expression.
Seeing her swing her arms in frustration, Yoo Ji-han felt a bit startled.
“It was just a light spar.”
“How unfair.”
Pouting as she complained, Lee Mi-a ultimately exited the Personal Training Room alongside Yoo Ji-han.
In the Hero Academy training center at 11 AM.
Despite the outside being winter, many people were seen wearing short sleeves due to the optimized internal temperature.
“Let’s go pick up Yu-ri.”
Yoo Ji-han, now familiar with the gazes of the people around, headed towards the shooting range.
Min Yu-ri was conducting solo training there.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
One hero was constantly firing arrows at the corner of the Magic Shooting Range.
Lying flat on the ground, she focused solely on the target visible in the distance.
Snap!
The training bow provided at the shooting range could no longer withstand Min Yu-ri’s magic and broke.
Since even artifacts couldn’t endure her magic, it was somewhat expected.
Unfazed by the whispers around her, Min Yu-ri pulled out a new training bow she had set aside.
The area was already filled with fragments of broken bows.
“Yu-ri!”
“Yes!”
At that moment, Min Yu-ri heard Yoo Ji-han’s call and stood up.
Kim Si-hu watched her clearing away the broken bow and asked.
“Sister! How many bows did you break today?”
“About 8?”
“Less than last time.”
“The shooting range manager scolded me, so I’m trying to hold back.”
Due to breaking so many bows during training, the staff managing the shooting range voiced some complaints toward Min Yu-ri.
Consequently, she was doing her best to control her magic.
“How was the cake I gave you yesterday?”
“It was delicious. My parents liked it too.”
“Glad to hear that.”
Min Yu-ri and Lee Mi-a exchanged smiles and conversation.
The two had come to build familiarity through frequent encounters.
Thanks to their compatible personalities, they had recently even begun to exchange light gifts.
“Nam Ho-yeol said he’s ready.”
“Let’s head out.”
The gathered group left the training center and headed toward Sweet Fun’s workshop.
Nam Ho-yeol, wearing slippers, waited for their arrival in front of the workshop.
“Come on in!”
As they entered the workshop alongside Nam Ho-yeol, Yoo Ji-han sniffed the air.
A very refreshing fragrance of fruit wafted through.
“It smells like oranges.”
“The scent of Crazy Orange is quite strong.”
“There must be purification effects too, right?”
“Yep! There shouldn’t be any odors coming from the equipment.”
The skin of an orange that had transformed into a monster.
It was a monster with such strong survival abilities that it could retain moisture and a rich fragrance even more than a year after its death.
Since they used it as a material for equipment, the purification ability could be expected.
“Is that it?”
“Yes.”
Covered with a red cloth were the completed pieces of equipment.
As Yoo Ji-han’s group waited, Nam Ho-yeol slowly unveiled the cloth.
“Wow!”
“Ooh…!”
As the appearance of the equipment was revealed, everyone’s mouths dropped in awe.
Even to an untrained eye, the armor designs exuded beauty.
Not only were they beautiful and stylish to look at, but they were also custom-made equipment that combined artistry with practicality.
“It’s identical to the initial design you showed!”
“I worked hard on it.”
The equipment made by Nam Ho-yeol was completed in the same shape as the initial blueprint.
This meant nearly no flaws existed in the initial design.
‘Incredible.’
Knowing how difficult that was, Yoo Ji-han looked at him with astonished eyes.
Nam Ho-yeol, slightly bashful, scratched his nose.
“Chirp chirp! Is this my shield?”
Chilla held the large shield made to fit his size in his hands.
He looked very pleased with it.
“Ho-yeol, this is…”
Kim Si-hu spotted a beanie hat alongside his new robe.
It wasn’t much different in shape from the hat he usually wore.
“I made this as a bonus keeping you in mind… It has no special effects aside from durability, so feel free to overlook it.”
“No, I’ll wear it. I find it more comfortable with the hat on.”
Having practiced taking off his hat for a while,
Kim Si-hu had now gotten so used to wearing it that it felt more comfortable.
“All of these are definitely artifacts.”
“I made them with the mindset that wasting materials would be fatal!”
Each completed piece of equipment was verified to be an artifact.
There wasn’t a single ordinary piece among all of them.
Thanks to Nam Ho-yeol, who had reached the level of a master craftsman in artifact production.
“I focused on enhancing basic physical capabilities as much as possible according to the initial design for the armor.”
“Excellent.”
“I received a lot of help from Drimium.”
Pieces of Drimium, gradually shaved from a single block.
Each piece of everyone’s equipment contained under 3% of Drimium.
“The accessories with special skills are gathered over here.”
Artifacts such as bracelets and gloves.
From there, Yoo Ji-han handed Lee Mi-a a bracelet imbued with the skill [Invisibility].
It was a gift to commemorate their alliance.
“I like it.”
Immediately donning the bracelet, Lee Mi-a used [Invisibility] to conceal herself.
It was a perfect hiding without any flaws.
She seemed very satisfied with the effectiveness of the artifact.
“Be careful as the equipment with skills can break when used continuously.”
“I’ll be cautious.”
“Here are your weapons.”
Not in a cloth, but placed in separate storage were the weapons.
Nam Ho-yeol first took out a bow and handed it to Min Yu-ri.
The primary material used for the bow was from the mutations they encountered in Yeosu.
“I only used materials that transmit magic well for you, Yu-ri.”
“Wow.”
Min Yu-ri, who hadn’t seen it until it was completed, sparkled with excitement.
And…
“I dare say this will be my masterpiece.”
Yoo Ji-han’s sword was sheathed in a custom-made scabbard.
Swish!
As he pulled the handle, the sword revealed its hidden form.
Yoo Ji-han was left speechless as he gazed at the sword gleaming under the lights.
‘This is my sword?’
A double-edged sword extending straight without even a slight irregularity.
The white dots embedded like stars on the thinly processed black metal reminded Yoo Ji-han of the night sky over a dark rural village.
While there were no flashy decorations typically associated with expensive artifacts.
The finely processed Drimium was a true work of art that couldn’t be compared to anything else.
Putting a sticker on a masterpiece would be as foolish as it gets.
‘It’s beautiful.’
It was the first time he felt the word beautiful when looking at something that was merely a weapon.
“The name is QD.”
“QD?”
“It’s an abbreviation for Quiet Dream.”
An object painstakingly crafted by melting down and merging pieces of Drimium into sword form.
The aura and atmosphere surrounding it felt extraordinary.
Considering he didn’t regularly name artifacts personally, it indicated he was quite confident in its quality.
‘Incredibly light.’
Yoo Ji-han was amazed as he held the feather-light QD.
What was even more astonishing came next.
‘The weight feels slightly lacking.’
The moment Yoo Ji-han thought that.
The weight of QD adjusted to his desired level.
“What is this…!”
“QD can change its weight according to the user’s preference.”
A capability that changes only weight without altering size or appearance.
The maximum weight measured so far was 400 kg.
Nam Ho-yeol, slightly frightened, said that he hadn’t measured any weight beyond that.
Setting the weight slightly heavier than the sword he usually used, Yoo Ji-han felt immensely satisfied.
“The durability and sharpness will not fall behind any existing sword.”
“It’s truly a masterpiece.”
Nam Ho-yeol stroked his beard as he spoke.
“Since it’s made from a metal whose information is little known… I think other information will need to be discovered by Ji-han as he uses it.”
“Leave it to me.”
Yoo Ji-han smiled like a child receiving a long-desired toy.
Then, after changing into their new equipment, Yoo Ji-han’s party stood before Nam Ho-yeol.
“It’s even cooler than I expected!”
“It’s all thanks to you, Ho-yeol.”
“……Cough!”
Having successfully crafted equipment for Yoo Ji-han’s party, Nam Ho-yeol was moved to the point of almost tearing up.
—Crying? You crybaby!
“Men shouldn’t cry for a lifetime! Snap!”
While others comforted Nam Ho-yeol,
Yoo Ji-han thoughtfully ran his fingers along the smooth blade of QD.
‘It’s still remarkable.’
A weapon that seemed very faithful to its own role of cutting something.
It was a quality far surpassing expectations.
Today, he felt as though he had met a partner he would accompany for a lifetime.
*
“Oh! Are we finally arriving!”
On a plane headed to Incheon Airport.
A man pressed against the window gazed at the buildings of Korea passing by outside.
“Is that the country of Yoo Ji-han?”
The only gateway to enter the other world until now.
The man, visiting Korea for the first time, was very excited.
The woman sitting opposite him with her legs crossed said.
“A year ago, weren’t you interested in the hero named Kim Hyun-tae?”
“That guy’s movie was so bland. I just wasted money.”
“Why do you care so much about people worse than you?”
Seeing the man, a Rank 1 Hero, who enjoyed hero movies in his spare time,
The woman shook her head as if she couldn’t understand.
“There must be strong guys in the other world too, right?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Surely, it must be. If they’re all weak…”
The man wore a cheerful smile as he said.
“I might be so disappointed that I’d kill them all.”
