episode_0068

“Um. This magic stone… seems to have failed…”

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

She had failed.

She had completely let down the trust of her investors.

She couldn’t bring herself to lift her head at the thought.

What expression would her investors be wearing right now?

What kind of gaze would they be casting down on her?

She was afraid to find out.

“It wasn’t supposed to fail…”

It couldn’t fail.

She had thought that at first.

As always, once she laid her hands on it, it moved as if possessed.

There were usually some obstacles along the way.

But this time, her hands moved incessantly.

There was no moment of rest.

She couldn’t stop as she didn’t know when this flow would cease.

As long as her hands were moving, she couldn’t stop.

She tirelessly scratched, hammered, and chiseled with the tools.

She peered through the goggles with lenses, continuing the work despite the stinging sensation in her eyes.

Time passed unnoticed in the workshop where the sunlight didn’t enter.

Of course, that wasn’t important.

She had refined the magic stone, and now she was nearing the end.

It was just the finishing touches left.

Her eyes were trembling from exhaustion, and her arms were weak, but she didn’t let go of the tension until the very end.

Clack.

She removed the final piece of the magic stone.

The processing was complete.

Only then did the tension release from her body, and she collapsed to the floor, drained of energy.

It was undoubtedly a great success.

Among all the magic stones she had worked on, none had a better finish than this one.

She could proudly claim that.

And indeed, she had to.

But when she brought the inspection device for the magic stone’s emotions…

“Huh?! What’s going on here?”

Her eyes widened.

The fluctuating scales on the inspection device’s gauge.

They were all pointing to 0.

Not even a minuscule value.

It was 0.

Magic capacity was zero.

Magic transmission efficiency had plunged into the negatives.

It was worse than when it was just an ore.

It was even worse than handling magic barehanded.

“Why on earth…!”

This couldn’t be happening.

It was showing signs of success.

She fell into a panic and couldn’t speak for a while.

She couldn’t remember how many times she had brought the faulty inspection device back and forth.

After sitting there dazed for the fifth minute, she heard that the investor had entered the VIP waiting room.

She couldn’t delay any longer, even though the processing was already done.

So, swallowing her tears, she suppressed her emotions and packed the magic stone into a box.

Carrying the worthless magic stone, she got on the elevator.

“Ugh, I’m sorry… I’m sorry, investor… I messed up…”

And in front of the investor upon arrival.

She burst into tears that she had been holding back.

She felt utterly defeated by her failure…

“You trusted me… You entrusted me with such a precious magic stone… And I ruined it…”

Where did she go wrong?

She couldn’t tell.

Usually, when she made a mistake, she felt a sharp pang, but this time, there was none of that.

Was it because this was only her second time processing a black magic stone?

Had she become overconfident after successfully processing the first one?

Countless thoughts raced through her mind.

“Tei.”

“Yes…”

“Look at me.”

“…”

Swallowing hard, she finally raised her head.

Suppressing her fear, she faced the investor.

But to her surprise, the investor didn’t seem disappointed.

With a faint smile, they placed their large hand on her head.

Feeling the weight of that hand, a small sigh escaped her.

“Ah…”

“Calm down. I’m not angry.”

“Yes…”

“The explanation of the magic stone isn’t over yet. Let’s finish it.”

“The magic capacity is 0. The magic transmission efficiency is minus 20… And, and…”

“What about the additional functions?”

“Huh?”

“The additional functions. Were there none this time?”

“…”

Her eyes widened, and she froze in place.

Ah, the additional functions.

Come to think of it, when she processed the previous black magic stone, it gained the ability to store a small amount of magic inside.

What about this time?

She had forgotten to check that.

Caught off guard by the shocking performance…

“Oh, I haven’t checked that yet!”

“Well, well. You still have a long way to go to become a pro. Did you bring the finished product before quality checking?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Alright. It’s not about anything else, this is nothing to apologize for. Performance? Of course, it’s good if it’s well extracted. But I didn’t entrust you to extract good mana stones. I entrusted you to get the mana stones you processed. It’s not about doing the job roughly or making mistakes in the middle, right?”

“Oh, no! At the time of the work, I thought it was perfect…”

“Then it’s fine. You did well. Good job. If the result is your best effort, then I don’t care. How can I invest without incurring any losses? It’s about taking risks while investing.”

“I-I’m an investor…!”

Well done. Good job.

Never having imagined hearing such words, tears welled up again.

If I were to hear that I had disappointed, I wouldn’t have the confidence to get back up.

Without a single mistake, it was a result of me exerting my maximum talent.

I had no confidence in doing better than this.

The investor knew that and comforted me.

Because they believed in me.

They believed that I would never compromise in mana stone processing and always do my best.

That belief supported me.

It pushed me forward.

To not fall.

To not stop.

“Alright! Let me check it right away! What kind of additional functions does it have?”

Moreover, it had not yet been determined as a failure.

The confirmation of the additional functions was still pending.

Perhaps, sacrificing mana capacity and efficiency might have resulted in an incredible additional function…?

If that were the case, it would make sense.

It would explain why my soul-infused creation turned out to be such a mess.

Empowered by the investor’s encouragement, I checked it out…

“Oh? Mana is going in!”

I could find a function similar to the previous mana stone.

When mana was poured into the stone, instead of flowing through, it was sucked in.

No matter how much was put in, it endlessly absorbed.

Considering that the storage capacity of the previous work was truly minimal, it was astonishing.

Perhaps this was a mana storage with an immense capacity?

As such expectations arose…

“Hmm. It’s going in but not coming out.”

“Excuse me…?”

A shocking revelation was heard.

The poured mana… couldn’t be extracted…?

Then what was the use?

“It’s a failure…”

“Hey hey! Focus and keep your eyes on it!”

My head was spinning.

.

.

.

‘What on earth is this?’

Tei presented me with a task.

This time, it was a major disaster.

And that’s because…

[Accumulated amount: 80/62,500]

When mana was put into the stone.

This window appeared.

Seeing that Tei was completely clueless, it wasn’t related to the stone itself.

And Mijeong, lying on the sofa with an uncomfortable expression, didn’t react either.

This was a system window visible only to me…

‘Accumulated amount? What happens when it’s filled?’

There were too many unknowns.

Upon examining the properties of the mana stone, this window appeared.

[Kali’s Soulstone]

[Status: Good]

[A magical tool made from the soul of the High Druid Kali. It will bloom when the time comes.]

The description was not just lacking, it was severely lacking.

It was unbelievable.

So why did I need to charge mana, what does ‘bloom’ mean, and what happens when it blooms, there was no information at all.

One thing was certain, ‘bloom’ wasn’t a simple matter.

It was an additional function significant enough to even interfere with the system window.

In my experience, such cases only occurred when discovering a tremendous hidden item.

“What do I do?! Mana is going in but not coming out… This is totally a waste!”

“Stop crying already.”

Tei, this guy, seemed to have reached the level of crafting hidden items.

It was so absurd that I couldn’t even force a laugh.

At the time of the work, my hands moved as if possessed by a god.

It seemed as if the spirit of a master craftsman had entered and left Tei’s body.

‘So, what do I do with this?’

The remaining mana amount until ‘bloom’ was 62,500.

Even if I poured out all the mana inflated by the Paladin every day, it would take a minimum of 250 days.

So, what if I entrusted this to Mia?

Elvengard was an environment where mana naturally accumulated.

If I asked Mia to steadily pour mana inside, could we aim for ‘bloom’ within 3 months?

‘No, that’s too risky.’

Without even knowing what ‘bloom’ meant, I couldn’t entrust it to a third party.

You never know.

The probability was extremely low, but Elvengard could face an unimaginable disaster.

Or, if a good reward appeared and Elvengard swallowed it without notifying me.

It seemed best for me to carry this mana stone with me and gradually put it in.

I have to leave some leeway for magical power, so I can’t put everything in. Considering that, it will probably take over a year.

Of course, that’s just when I do it alone.

I might get help from others.

Or maybe I’ll have the chance to receive a large amount of magical power.

I might unexpectedly see a ‘full bloom’ soon.

“Good. The probability of raising the peak is high.”

A magic stone that has gone through the hands of a skilled craftsman will not suddenly turn into a dangerous bomb.

‘Full bloom’ is likely to be helpful to me.

Do I really have to accumulate as much as 62,000 magical power?

Maybe it’s an item that raises the peak significantly.

Since I already surpassed the high-end level by far, a slight increase in stats here won’t make much of a difference.

A random box aiming for the peak is much better for me.

“Investor. You don’t have to pay the fee this time. Well, actually, I should be the one asking for money… I ruined a perfectly good ore…”

“It’s fine. Take the money. I wanted this magic stone.”

“But, but this is clearly a failure!”

Tei raises his voice as if in protest.

Perhaps he is disappointed in himself, extending it to me.

I might need to be a bit stricter.

“Who says it’s a failure?”

“This is completely useless…”

“That’s why I said, who says that. You never know. If you put enough magical power in it, a special effect might activate.”

“Is that so…!”

“I guarantee it. Something tremendous will happen. If nothing happens, bring it back and get a refund. How about we look forward to what will happen when we fill it with magical power together?”

Tei starts to cry again.

Isn’t he tired?

Cry again, I’ll hold Tei’s head and embrace him first.

Then Tei wraps his arms around my waist and desperately holds back his tears.

“Thank you… Thank you always… If it weren’t for the investor, I… I…”

Tei can’t finish his last words and finally bursts into tears.

If I weren’t here?

He worries about everything.

Even without me, you would have made a name for yourself as the best craftsman.

Although it might have been a bit delayed.

Tei seems to have calmed down a bit and slowly moves away from me.

Tei’s hands are dirty, so I wipe his tears for him.

Come to think of it, there was something else to ask for.

“Oh, right. Could you please receive my letters in this building? Keep them from leaking out to the outside. You’re the only person I trust.”

“Ugh. Yes. Of course. If it can help the investor. But why are you so cautious about receiving someone’s letters?”

“The priestess of Elvengard, the daughter of Yevgenia, and Lady Briem.”

“You’re using my workshop as a contact point for adulteresses?! No way!”

“Hey. Adulteress…”

Tei shakes his head in disbelief.

The words are a bit harsh.

It’s been a long time since I stopped such things.