Ch.151Starlight Scales

Seo-rin headed toward Sephiroth’s location with her companions after defeating the giant monster. When they arrived just in front of Star Forge, the blue sea that should have stretched before them was in complete disarray.

The stone mountains jutting up everywhere must have been Elder’s doing. And the sharp cross-sections left on them would be traces of Sephiroth. Dark red blood was spreading like ink across what should have been blue seawater. Following these traces with her eyes, Seo-rin could spot Sephiroth.

He was standing on the blood-stained sea. The golden ripples spreading beneath his feet seemed to continuously prevent him from sinking underwater.

“Vice Commander Sephiroth!”

“Vice Commander! What happened to that creature?!”

Only then did Sephiroth turn around. The wound on his chest, left by sharp claws, belatedly opened, and dark red blood gushed out. Despite this, Sephiroth’s expression remained unchanged.

“I lost it.”

***

The situation was quickly resolved. Collapsed buildings were restored, and walls were repaired. A thorough investigation began since the black smoke that appeared without any trace of intruders could have been the work of an insider.

During this process, Star Forge expressed gratitude to Cheong-ik. Thanks to their timely intervention, the damage to the city wasn’t severe. This was partly true and partly false.

If Cheong-ik hadn’t confronted Elder, she wouldn’t have released the giant creature. However, in that case, the Star Dragon’s scales would have fallen into the hands of the reincarnators.

Was it the right choice?

Seo-rin pressed her lips tightly as she looked at the devastated city.

“Everyone’s working hard.”

“The work is progressing very quickly.”

Her two friends standing beside her murmured lightly. The two had climbed a tall building to watch the city being rebuilt. Skilled dwarf workers were repairing the city at an incredible pace.

They straightened collapsed pillars, climbed on top of them, hammered away, and soon large roofs began to take shape. More than ten buildings had already been constructed this way.

“Still, it’s a shame. I was curious about what the dwarf craftsmen would create.”

“The craftsman competition? Was that canceled?”

“Wasn’t it?”

At Theo’s question, Seo-rin and Flora turned to look at him. Receiving the gaze of both women, Theo scratched the back of his head and tilted it in confusion.

“No, construction is in full swing, but the craftsmen were still managing their materials. So I thought the competition wasn’t canceled.”

“There was a problem with the competition prize. Isn’t it natural for it to be canceled?”

***

As Theo said, the competition wasn’t canceled. There was an issue with the prize, but the dwarves didn’t care much. Originally, the starlight contained in the scales was a power that would dissipate during the equipment refinement process anyway.

The competition was held while the city was being restored. Among the participants was Talisman, who had received help from Seo-rin. He submitted a sword without any special decorations.

The preliminary round of the craftsman competition was held in front of everyone. To allow many people to watch, the judges walked around examining the items displayed on exhibition stands.

Cheong-ik was specially allowed to join the judges’ procession. Of course, Cheong-ik’s impressions weren’t applied to the judging criteria.

“Then let’s begin the preliminary judging.”

The one who spoke was a dwarf with a deep voice. Though most dwarves looked similar with their long beards, he seemed quite old even among dwarves, as he walked with a cane.

There were numerous works displayed on the exhibition stands. As the judges approached the end, everyone fell silent. Even the workers who had been constructing buildings stopped what they were doing and focused all their attention here.

The first item examined was a beautiful pearl-crafted necklace. Due to the craftsman’s exceptional skill, the pearls were shaped like scales. These scales were woven together to naturally form a necklace.

The judges nodded as they looked at it and began recording something.

Seo-rin followed behind the judges, examining the preliminary entries, and noticed one characteristic: most submissions were related to dragons.

The statues were, needless to say, dragons. The swords were the same. Even the cross guards that separated the handle from the blade were carved to depict dragon heads or claws.

“Do they like dragons?”

“Even the names of their alcohol were like that. Dragon’s Breath, Tears, and so on…”

The process of selecting finalists proceeded very quickly. Some craftsmen even destroyed their own submissions. They had made items within the deadline, but the quality wasn’t as good as they had hoped.

The judges spent considerable time in front of several submissions. They quietly exchanged opinions among themselves, touched the works directly, and sometimes even raised their voices.

Most were works of excellent quality. Everyone could tell that items receiving so much attention would advance to the finals.

Talisman’s sword was no exception. The judges examined it carefully, drew it from its scabbard, and showed a different attitude than when dealing with ordinary swords.

“That’s his work, right? The one who examined Seo-rin’s sword.”

“Yes.”

“Looks like it’ll make it to the finals.”

The Ice Dragon Sword and Fire Dragon Sword that Seo-rin possessed were swords that received great attention, known to every dwarf in Star Forge. They were rumored to have been made by dwarves from another dimension.

It was natural for them to be interested.

“Are those swords really made by dwarves from another dimension?”

“I’m not sure.”

Seo-rin tilted her head. She had read the memories engraved in the swords, but there were no memories related to dwarves. Of course, it might be that the manufacturing process memories weren’t engraved.

The preliminary judging took place over several days. Seo-rin was able to watch everything.

According to the original plan, Cheong-ik should have already left Star Forge. However, due to the battle fought before their injuries had fully healed, their stay was extended.

Sephiroth’s condition, in particular, was serious. The doctor said they might need to stay for more than a month.

Talisman was chosen as the winner of the competition. The sword he made was very special—it would return to its original form when infused with mana. The sword that received mana had a very elaborate and splendid appearance.

A sharp blade and a handle modeled after a dragon’s form captured attention. It was a sword that forcibly converted the user’s mana attribute. The faint characters engraved on the blade made it so.

Talisman, who was chosen as the winner, donated all his prize money to the victims of this incident. As he had said, he wasn’t greedy for money.

After the competition.

Talisman, who had received the Star Dragon’s scales, frequently visited Seo-rin to request various things. He measured the length of her arms and finger joints, sketched her posture when wielding a sword, and even took some of her hair.

He confidently told Seo-rin:

“I’ll make you a wonderful sword within a week!”

However, that promise wasn’t kept. A week passed, then two weeks. Even after Sephiroth, who had been recovering from his injuries in bed, got up, Talisman still hadn’t completed the sword.

Thus, fifteen days passed.

That night, on an unusually bright evening, Talisman quietly visited Seo-rin. With a serious expression, he said to her:

“I’m sorry, Seo-rin. The materials I prepared couldn’t handle the spiritual energy contained in the Star Dragon’s scales. It’s not that I can’t make a sword, but I need more time.”

“Is there something you need?”

“A vessel. I need a vessel capable of receiving that enormous spiritual energy…”

Suddenly, Seo-rin looked at the katana placed on the table. It was a trophy obtained after dealing with her enemy. It was an excellent sword, but she hadn’t used it properly because of the unpleasant energy contained within it.

What about this sword?

As Seo-rin reached out, the floating katana quickly flew into her hand.

“How about using this?”

“This is…”

Seo-rin handed the katana, Muramasa, to the dwarf. Talisman, who received the sword, put it down with a startled expression. The moment he held it, a chilling energy seemed to flow up his arm.

It wasn’t an ordinary sword. It contained a terrible karma that led its user to ruin. How many lives had it cut down? The thick smell of blood was so intense it created visual hallucinations.

“This will work.”

With that, Talisman took Muramasa.

A week passed. Seo-rin was able to get Muramasa back.

“I melted the scales into the blade. It’s a success, but during the process, something inexplicable happened… You’ll see when you look.”

Seo-rin drew the returned Muramasa. Unlike before, a clear sound rang out as the blade was drawn from its scabbard.

Shing-

“The blade…”

There was no blade. Or more precisely, it just couldn’t be seen. The blade definitely existed in its place.

A transparent blade. Because it was invisible, opponents wouldn’t be able to gauge the distance of the blade.

Seo-rin swung Muramasa. Simultaneously, an invisible slash shot out and split the bookshelf in the corner of the room.

Crack-