episode_0014

‘You’ve met the wrong owner.’

The rapier contained sufficient mana even in its slender body. It was a flaw in that many functions seemed to focus on increasing attack power rather than other effects, but it was a work of art that was sufficiently worthy of being judged as a [rare grade weapon].

However, the master and the weapon met wrongly. It was not that the master of the weapon was bad. In some ways, it was the weapon that was bad.

The master’s skills were exceptionally outstanding, and his growth was rapid. That’s why, even though it was a black [rare grade weapon], its performance couldn’t keep up with its master’s.

It was like a first-class chef cooking with a carving knife. The gap in skill was already so wide that the rapier was only an obstacle to a person’s growth, and it was never a good companion to have in the future.

If it had met a master of the right level, it would have been a good sword that would have been useful and would have been a source of support for that master. Sihyuk was very sorry about this wrong encounter.

‘It would have been right to replace the weapon and let it rest, but if you drag it along by force, both the owner and the weapon will suffer.’

The weapon’s appearance was flawless, slender and beautiful. The sword’s body, meticulously trimmed, spoke of its owner’s delicate personality.

However, when Shihyuk saw it, the rapier was already no better than a rag. It had been repaired repeatedly, and different [Magic Iron]s were used on it.

The fact that even the mana carved by hammering was uneven showed that the repairs were not done by a single craftsman, but by the hands of several craftsmen.

It was already a state where different mana and different purity iron were piled up in a patchy manner. It was like a bomb that was just about to explode, although it barely managed to not break. The mana contained in the weapon was not interlocked with each other, but rather crooked, each occupying its own space.

An object that was forcibly held together like a cracked glass window. That was this rapier right now. Soon, in a critical situation, the weapon would break, and the fragments would become a dagger and stab the nape of its owner’s neck.

‘With this level of skill, you’ll definitely be able to make a lot of money, so even though it’ll cost a lot of money, you should think of it as an investment for the future and buy better weapons, but I don’t know why you didn’t.’

It was difficult to understand the owner’s circumstances, but if things continued like this, it was clear that something big would happen.

Shihyuk hesitated for a moment, but eventually opened his hand.

The raised hand was clenched tightly, and the fist became a hammer and struck the rapier with all its might.

Bang! It was hard to believe that it was a body and metal colliding, but a light and refreshing sound spread like a balloon popping.

With just one gesture, the remaining dregs that had accumulated like pus between the gaps of different manas were blown away in an instant. Shihyuk didn’t stop there, he gathered mana in his hands and started a fire.

The flames he could raise and extinguish at will were hotter and purer than any mana flame burning in any mana forge. He gently swept the body of the sword with the flames, and the mana that was scattered here and there in the weapon like useless branches gathered in one place along with its power.

The flames loosened the mana that was hardened inside the rapier with its heat. The hardened mana melted and stuck together, and the gaps filled, and the energy that had been fighting each other became one.

Shihyuk wrapped the remaining flame around his fist and struck again. The gathered mana spread out and evenly distributed throughout the rapier. In addition, he planted the remaining flame into his sword.

He swallowed the small flame greedily like wine poured into the mouth of a thirsty man, and his body trembled like a living being.

At least this would be a stopgap measure. Shihyuk sighed.

It was only a temporary reprieve from the imminent destruction, but if the same thing were to continue, the result would be the same. All he could do was repair the sword properly and boost its energy. He could not do anything about the gap in level between the sword and its master.

‘The final choice is ultimately up to the master. In any case, I have done all I could as a craftsman.’

Shihyuk turned around and headed back towards the entrance of the exhibition hall. Now he was going to take in the equipment from beginning to end.

“Excuse me, sir.”

“?”

That is, until the manager with the veins floating on his temples came along with his bodyguards.

The manager had a smile on his lips, but his eyes were not smiling at all. He politely opened his mouth to Shihyuk, emphasizing each word.

“Can you please check the documents you signed when you arrived and the sign over there?”

-Rules of Use

[…]

[No fire allowed]

[Please do not touch the items and only look at them with your eyes.]

[Absolutely no use of mana]

[If you are caught doing any of the above, you may be taken away without prior warning.]

“… .”

“Please follow me for a moment.”

“… … .”

After an hour-long hearing, Si-hyuk was allowed to return home without detention by the exhibition organizers.

In just one day, or half a day at that, the old man’s gift of an exhibition ticket became a scrap of paper.

-.-.-

The Superhuman Expo has a department called the ‘Expo Site Management Team’.

The duties given to them are, as the name of the department suggests, field management, patrolling and protection, preventing dangerous situations in advance and comprehensively handling various incidents and accidents that occur.

For example, let’s say a [villain] appears in a place where so many people are gathered. The damage will grow like a snowball.

The management team was a department created to prevent such situations, and so only the best of the best, the most powerful Awakened among the civil servants, were allowed to join this department. Each of the people in this department had a sense of mission and faithfully carried out their assigned duties.

“Oh my, all kinds of weird guys are popping up again this year.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone use [Frenzy] in a place like this.”

“By the way, this is delicious.”

“Kill me.”

… Of course, there was no way that a major incident like [the villain] appearing would happen randomly. Their regular work was mostly focused on suppressing people’s complaints or any unexpected actions by Awakened people.

The A-team sergeant and deputy sergeant of the management team were sitting on a bench with few people around, eating snacks they had bought from [Dalbodre] and muttering. They were not slacking off. They were simply making good use of the sweet break time they had after finishing their scheduled patrol work.

“Still, [Berserk] is just a small thing, what. Was it 3 years ago? When I was a deputy, some guy held a tasting event using kudzu juice that he said he had personally extracted at the gate. He said it was good for stamina or something.”

“? Could it be some unlicensed item that hasn’t been pre-tested?”

“Was it just that? Everyone who drank that was taken to the emergency room with bloody stools due to extradimensional radiation exposure. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the medical team was going crazy. At that time, it was hard to deal with the aftermath and to be called here and there to apologize.”

“… What kind of fight have you been fighting…?”

“What is that guy’s stamina, no, it’s not that I don’t understand it… .”

“Can I transfer to another department?”

The second-in-command shuddered at the thought of the experience that might become his future. The shooter, who had been staring blankly into space for a moment, soon came to his senses and asked him.

“By the way, something happened at the exhibition hall. What happened?”

“Ah. That was nothing.”

“Nothing? I heard that the manager got really angry because the visitors were lighting fires and touching the equipment.”

“That’s right, he did touch it. I checked the CCTV to cross-check with the manager’s testimony, and it caught the moment the person was about to lower the weapon, and then it stopped working for a moment. It started working again after 2 minutes and 3 seconds, but the screen had already changed. Still, since he admitted it, I think it’s certain. ”

“But honestly, I have doubts about the fire. There was no flammable material in the possession, and there was no trace of mana left at the scene, so it would be hard to say that he used an attribute ability like [Ignition] skill or [Fire Magic Skill].”

“What is the mana wavelength? If you have at least 90% of your remaining mana and used [Skill], you can roughly find out the wavelength by scanning it.”

“That’s a bit of a nonsensical situation… .”

The second lieutenant scratched his head.

“I did scan it according to the textbook. However, the maximum value of the magic power wave that came out was, what, far exceeding the mana wave of an S-class awakened person. At least everyone at the expo would have felt it, but does it make sense that no one sensed that kind of power?”

“More than anything, if that much mana was released, there should be some residual mana left even if the person withdrew their power on their own, but the amount of mana detected at the scene was not a small amount, but none at all. Unless a monster that devours mana appears and eats it, it is impossible.”

There, he added, and the deputy took out his cell phone. What appeared on the screen was the suspect’s personal information that had been confirmed upon entering the exhibition hall. The shooter clicked his tongue involuntarily. Even if it was for a report, he resolved to reprimand him later for taking out such information so carelessly from outside.

“As you can see, the person with the cleanest history is not a production or strategy person, but just a regular awakened person. The only S-class awakened person who participated in the exhibition was Liam Craven, and even he left right away saying that no one was looking for him. There is no way that a person like this could use mana that exceeds S-class.”

“Sure, it looks ordinary. So you thought it was a machine misdiagnosis?”

“Yes, it is true that he tampered with the equipment, so I suspended him from entry, but the remaining reasons were unrealistic, so I decided not to detain him based on my own judgment. As for the fireworks the manager saw, they must have been caused by the flash of his cell phone going off while he was trying to take a picture of the equipment, right?”

“I don’t like what the deputy chief of staff thought independently, took action, and reported, but if that’s the case, then the story is somewhat intertwined.”

After giving the assistant shooter a momentary sullen look, the shooter asked him another question to check if the troublemaker had done the finishing work thoroughly.

“Did you explain the situation to the equipment owner?”

“Yes! Hehe, I told you in person. You’re really pretty in person, I should’ve asked for your contact information! ”

“Arthur, would that person meet someone like you? You might become the youngest A-class Awakener.”

“Hey, dream big, you black bastard! Don’t interfere!”

“You’re good at talking, you’re good at talking. Let’s get up. Break’s over.”

The first shooter to get up from his seat grumbled loudly, and the second shooter also got up, shaking his butt. The second shooter, who was sticking out his mouth, suddenly remembered something.

“But it was a little strange.”

“What is it?”

“When I returned the weapon to him to check if there was anything wrong, he touched it and used it a few times, then asked me who touched it, what it looked like, and if I had his contact information, and then he ran off somewhere in a hurry.”