Chapter 59: Taking a short break (4)

Chapter 59: Taking a short
break (4)

I
have a favorite movie.

It’s
called Avengers Infinity War, and it’s about saving the Earth from a
crazy purple monster.

I
love the scene in that movie where the blond space asshole builds a
cosmic weapon for revenge.

The
blast of energy, the blonde space asshole holding it back, and then
the finished axe.

‘That’s
kind of like that.’

-Wooooooo

The
massive furnace roared to life with a tremendous amount of noise and
heat.

I
wonder if this is what it would be like to see a nuclear reactor core
in person.

Even
from a distance, I could feel the enormous energy directly.

“Today
is an exciting axe-making day!”

Zirnier
endured the immense heat and energy with a straight face.

Making
an axe could be so exciting.

Humming
a tune, Zirnier stood at the anvil with a drunken stumble.

-Clang,
clang, clang.

No.
1 raised the hammer in his hand and offered it to Zirnier and Zernier
naturally took the hammer.

“Whoa.”

She
let out a faint breath, and her body, which had been swaying in a
drunken stupor, gradually began to straighten up.

There
was no longer a drunken woman in this workshop who refused to make
spears, just the continent’s only artifact-level blacksmith, the one
that all smiths looked up to with envy.

“Well,
then. Let us begin.”

There
was only Zirnier Besil.

***

The
steel glowed brilliantly as it came out of the furnace.

Number
One grabbed it and carried it away, not even batting an eye.

I
marveled at the steel, which didn’t melt under the immense energy,
and at No. 1, who held the hot object with such ease.

He
placed the scarlet-colored steel on the anvil and secured it.

-Ka-ang!

Zernier
swung her hammer.

Sparks
flew as the hammer struck the steel.

A
brilliant shower of sparks, glowing with a five-color light, rained
down in a shower of sparks into the air.

The
sparks that lit up the dark underground workshop were like a meteor
shower lighting up the night sky.

-Ka-ang!

I
stared at Zirnier swinging her hammer with a smile on her face
against the backdrop of the meteor shower.

Obviously,
I couldn’t see her expression through the mask, but I could tell she
was smiling genuinely at this moment.

With
each hammer blow that echoed through the underground workshop, a
blinding light burst from the steel.

Although
it seems to be a casual swing, a single hammer blow conveys countless
thoughts, hesitations, and a self-assurance.

-Ka-ang!

With
each swing of the hammer, the shape of the steel changed and it
gradually took the shape of an axe blade.

The
dazzling light that had been emanating from it gradually condensed
and began to embed itself in the blade.

A
slight curiosity arose.

“What
is that light?”

I
asked the other mechanical arms, Arms 2 and 3, who were watching me
from the side.

Arm
2 answered my question immediately.

It
was writing on the floor with its body, as if it were playing with
its fingers in a sandbox.

I
read the words naturally.

“Me,
do, mo, rm, pu, ⋯”

I
don’t know, phew.

What
the fuck?

No.
3 slapped No. 2’s body and scribbled on the floor.

“Relic,
alloy⋯”

Relic
alloy, its special steel made by melting relics.

Since
it was made by melting down a rare artifact, the price was naturally
exorbitant.

‘I’ve
heard it’s something that only the highest ranked mid-level explorers
can afford.’

Furthermore,
the difficulty of smelting it is so high that few blacksmiths can
handle it, and even using relic alloys doesn’t necessarily produce
relic-grade items.

It’s
a tricky substance whose results depend on the skill of the smith.

She
forged the Great Helm I’m using now and it too emits a glow similar
to that relic alloy.

‘Zirnier’s
first work⋯’

It’s
no wonder she’s called a relic-grade artifact maker.

The
artifacts she creates, even though they are made by human hands, seem
to be as close as possible to the artifacts of the Labyrinth.

Considering
the Great Helm she made, the relic leather armor and relic alloys
that Diana gave me, etc.

I’ve
never seen a real artifact before, so I can’t say for sure.

‘Maybe
my eyes are able to detect artifacts?’

Items
that are relics or mixed with relics glow and I can see them, and
items that aren’t relics just look normal.

Hmm.
That’s a plausible theory.

-Ka-ang!

“Whoa.”

I
listened to the sound of breathing in the distance. A sweaty Zirnier
was hammering away at the axe blade with a satisfied grin on her
face.

“Yeah,
that’s what I fucking wanted to make!”

It
was quite crude, but Zernier seemed to prefer it that way.

As
I’d guessed from the double-edged axe my height was on display in the
window of the weapon shop, where most people would see it, she had
good taste.

When
I thought she was done, I walked over to Zernier.

“Is
it finished?”

“No.
I’ve barely gotten the framework in place. I need to smelt it and do
a few other things⋯
There aren’t many soul stones for sale these days, so it might take a
while longer to
make it.”

Soul
stones? Aren’t soul stones needed to make artifacts?

“⋯I
thought you were just making weapons?”

I
asked in confusion, and Zernier retorted with a look of disbelief on
her face.

“What
do you mean? Do you think I’m going to make a bunch of mundane stuff?
My pride won’t allow it.”

Oh
my. The pride of a master craftsman.

This
was too good for me. An artifact, what a great weapon to make.

My
mouth watered. I’m looking forward to it.

“No
matter how skilled a craftsman is, if the materials are garbage,
garbage will come out. The better the materials, the higher the
price. I can’t make a crappy product with my name on it, so it’s
going to take some time.”

From
the sound of it, it seems that none of the recently released soul
stones are worthy.

Soul
stones weren’t something you could get just because you wanted them,
so even with all those explorers entering the Labyrinth every week,
there were only a small amount of them on the market.

Of
course, Zirnier would always be in a position to get them, but this
time, there didn’t seem to be any desirable items for sale.

‘I
could just take the goods, but if I had a good soul stone, the
quality would be higher and the time frame would be faster, right?’

I
also felt a little guilty about taking too much. It’s my weapon, I
should invest in it.

“So,
do you think this one will be useful?”

I
pulled out the item from my waistband.

The
Soul stone of the Minotaur Boss.

I
don’t know if it’s enough for Zirnier’s level, but it’s a miracle
for my level.

“What,
a minotaur soul stone? Never mind, I don’t need that.”

As
soon as Zirnier saw the soul stone I took out, she smirked and waved
her hand.

“⋯Wait.”

⋯And
just as I’m about to put it away, a hand grabs my arm.

“This
isn’t just a minotaur soul stone, is it?”

“Nope.
It’s an unusual object.”

“I
see.”

Zernier
stared at the soul stone.

She
looked serious, the exact opposite of the sneer she’d given earlier.

“The
seed of a beast born from the sperm of a 13th floor explorer. It’s
quite useful.”

“⋯You
can tell that much?”

“I
need to know this much to be considered an artisan, but can I really
use this? I feel like I’m taking something from a child.”

“Of
course you can use it. You’re making a weapon for me.”

And
since the person making it is one of the best craftsmen in the
Labyrinth City, I actually have to bow down and ask her to make it
for me.

“Kwak.
That’s right. Right.”

Zirnier
smirked at my answer and took the souls tone.

“Since
I’m supposed to make you feel good about yourself, and I’m supposed
to get the ingredients, I’d like you to give me something to work on.
If it’s broken, I’ll fix it.”

After
all, people should be good. If you give even a little bit, something
will come back to you, right?

“So,
do you think you could take a look at this helmet?”

“What?
Are you trying to tell me that the first thing I spent days and
nights making is a piece of shit, poorly designed, shoddy,
second-rate junk that even a cheap weapons shop wouldn’t use for
decades?!!”

“⋯Uh,
what kind of crazy shit are you talking about⋯”

I
was just going to ask her to cut a small groove in it to make it
easier to eat.

As
if suddenly remembering the times when she had gone to the weapon
shop swarming with dung flies for over a decade, thinking ‘I wonder
if someone has bought my helmet,’ before I chose the helmet, Zirnier
abruptly started to have a violent fit.

It
took quite a while to explain the situation to Zirnier and calm her
down.

***

“Suddenly
I have painful memories⋯”

Zirnier
scratched her forehead as if the memory of those days was quite
painful.

Well,
for a woman of her pride, it must have been quite a sting to have her
maiden work rot in that stinking armory.

“So
you want me to increase the viewing angle a bit, and drill a hole in
it so you can open and close it for eating?”

“Yes.”

The
Great Helm, with its tiny, thin eye sockets and breathing holes, was
quite cramped.

‘Awareness
is strangely taxing on the brain all day.’

It’s
much better as it is for simple defense, but it’s inconvenient for me
to have to wear the helmet and go about my daily life.

After
hearing my request, Zernier looked puzzled.

“But
why do you want to eat with your helmet on in the first place?”

“⋯⋯”

I’ve
been almost raped so many times, would you believe me if I told you?

“No,
you don’t have to tell me. I’m sure there’s a story. I’m also wearing
one, so I understand if you don’t want to show your face.”

With
that, Zirnier slapped her own mask.

I
wondered if she had a reason she couldn’t show her face, or if it was
a personal trauma like mine.

Regardless,
that mask. I honestly coveted it.

The
ability to eat freely and wipe sweat from my forehead while
completely covering my face, which probably affects my cognitive
abilities.

Life
would be so much better with that mask.

“Come
to think of it, can’t the helm have the same capabilities as your
mask, Ms. Zirnier?”

“Oh,
that’s tough. This mask doesn’t seem to do much, but it’s an artifact
from the 22nd floor.”

“Holy
shit.”

The
22nd floor?

No
way.

“Well,
I don’t know if you can get it, but if you bring me a similar
artifact someday, I might be able to add some functionality.”

“Okay.
Thank you.”

I
nodded for now.

Zernier
opened her mouth with a nonchalant expression.

“Well,
then. Turn around and take it off.”

⋯I
was stunned for a moment by the statement but it made sense.

If
I want my helmet repaired, I have to take it off.

“The
best way to check your field of vision is face-to-face, but we don’t
have that option right now, so I’ll use my hands to feel where your
eyes and mouth are.”

Following
that, a declaration of ‘I’m going to touch your face’ was heard.
Judging by her expression, it was an indifferent face showing no
interest at all.

Aside
from her love and passion for weapons, she doesn’t even have a human
heart!

“Don’t
worry too much. I won’t hurt you.”

I
was lost in thought as I listened to Zirnier’s words.

‘⋯What
should I do?’

After
some deliberation, I put my hand on my helmet.