Kwak Jung urgently shouted amidst the heat of the military.
[We just received news that the enemyâs fleet is attacking our alliesâ ports andâŠ]
He was only able to shout up to there.
âHe says the enemies are attacking Ventetz!â
âThose sons of bitches!â
âTheyâre attacking where? Lemme head over there right away!â
âWalk faster, huh?!â
âLetâs march forward faster!â
âFaster! Tomorrow morning my ass, weâre getting there by tonight!â
The soldiers began to quicken their pace without anyone telling them to, all the while spewing different curses and shouts.
â...â
Kwak Jung was flabbergasted.
âLook at these guys...â
He was proud of them. Their pace right now was probably the fastest of any army in the continent, and even so, they were trying to move faster. Without anyoneâs orders at that. Thanks to them, Kwak Jung didnât have to tell them to move faster and ended his speech telling them to conserve energy. He didnât understand how this militaryâs leader, Kang Chul-In, and even the lowest foot soldiers were all passionate to the extreme.
[Donât run, and move at an appropriate pace. Weâre marching, not participating in a marathon. So what if we arrive early? Does it matter if we canât fight properly because weâre exhausted?]
âYes, sir!â
The soldiers of the Valhalla Kingdom all bellowed in response.
âMessenger soldier.â
Kwak Jung immediately sought a messenger soldier after he was done giving his commands.
âYes, sir.â
âWeâll dispatch Temeraire, Full Metal Dragon, and the Zeppelin to Temeraire. However, I wonât accept any of them being damaged. Tell our forces to avoid a direct fight and only attack when theyâre in a safe position to do so.â
âYes, sir!â
âWhat about Bat?â
The âBatâ he was talking about was a code name for Kwak Jun.
âNo news from them, sir.â
âReally? That bastard really...â
âAccording to our spy, Bat is leading the Gullveig Alliance as their commander-in-chief...â
âWow.â
âIt seems like the Bat has crossed over...â
âNo.â
Kwak Jung shook his head.
âNot yet.â
âI-Is that so?â
âI donât know what heâs thinking, but not yet. If he crosses over now, the deals he made with us will all be revealed, and heâs not crazy enough to do that.â
âOho?â
âThereâs something up his sleeve, but heâs not someone to move easily. Heâll reveal his true self at a decisive moment. Until then, leaving him alone is better for us.â
âBut isnât it too dangerous?â
âIf we can catch that bat, this war will be a slice of cake for us. No, weâll be able to swallow the entire continent.â
With Kwak Jun as the commander-in-chief of the Gullveig Alliance, the amount of insider information he would have could be destructive.
âItâs a double-edged sword⊠but letâs leave him alone for now.â
If Kwak Jun betrayed them, the damage they received would be enough to topple their kingdom, but Kwak Jung was confident that he wouldnât be betrayed by Kwak Jun.
âYes, sir.â
âInstead, have the Fox Valley assassination squad on standby to bat-hunt. Bat has to be taken care of within 12 hours in case of emergency.â
âYes, sir.â
âOh, and also.â
âYes?â
âWhat about Trinidad? Theyâre not late, right?â
âNo, sir.â
âReally?â
âYes, theyâre en route to arrive at Ventetz by tomorrow morning by the latest.â
âMm⊠then I suppose tonight is the most important.â
âWouldnât that be the case, sir?â
âTell them to endure using any means possible. When Trinidad arrives, the situation will reverse.â
âYes, understood, sir.â
That was the end of their conversation.
âWhew⊠things are going wrong from the beginning...â
Kwak Jung wrapped his hands around his head after the messenger soldier left when they were finished with their duties.
Throb! Another headache was coming on because he used his head a bit.
***
Tang, tang! At the peak of Mt. Hephai, the sound of hammering didnât stop in the smithy.
âWukiiiii!â
Vulkan focused on his work, screaming as monkeys did. He was hammering his Immortal-rank item âOdmalicaâ down onto the weapons of Kang Chul-Inâs party.
Dorian muttered to himself in amazement while looking over at the smithy.
âA monkey blacksmith⊠will he really make us Immortal-rank items?â
âThe system said so, so thereâs nothing we can do but wait. Iâm also a bit suspicious since itâs a monkey but...â
Kang Chul-Inâs sentence was cut off abruptly.
Flash! The hammering stopped, and a brilliant light began to emanate from the smithy.
â...!â
Each member of the party looked shocked.
What is that?
Kang Chul-Inâs body shook from the energy that was coming from Vulkanâs smithy.
Boom! The door to the smithy opened, and...
âTheyâre⊠finished...â
Vulkan came out.
âW-What?â
Dorian was taken aback.
âWhy did you get old so suddenly?â
âYeah.â
Hecate seemed to be wondering too.
âYouâve aged a bunch.â
It was a sudden change. His previously shining copper-bronze fur was now white and his face was filled with crinkly wrinkles. The muscles that even Kang Chul-In had been amazed by were all gone. Vulkan looked irrefutably older.
âHere⊠they are.â
Vulkan plodded over where Kang Chul-In was with heavy footsteps and handed him the two swords, Kaiforce and Mitra.
âKaiforce and Mitra are some of the best swords Iâve ever seen. There was nothing to change about their functions, but⊠it was difficult to grow the demonic and holy powers...â
â...!â
âDo you⊠like them?â
It was quite a stupid question.
âOf course.â
Kang Chul-In nodded with a stiff face.
âIâve⊠never these kinds of swords in my life.â
It was the truth. Kang Chul-In was genuinely shocked.
[Invincible] Soft Sword Kaiforce
The famous sword of the Emperor of Blood and Iron of the Ancient Kingdom.
Attack Power: 2000
Durability: Infinite (Indestructible)
Property: Dark
Application limits: At least level 95
Option 1: All stats + 30%
Option 2: Can change forms
(Penalty options deleted)
Special skill 1: Blackout
Special skill 2: Hell Road
Before awakening, Kaiforceâs original attack power was 500, but now? It had increased by a whole 4 times, reaching 2000. Moreover, the annoying penalty options were gone, and two special skills had been opened.
âI adjusted some things.â
Vulkan explained.
âKaiforce and Mitra are polar opposites of each other, so Mitraâs owner wasnât able to use the hidden functions of darkness within Kaiforce.â
âDid you unlock it?â
âAs aforementioned... Kaiforce is my creation.â
âI see.â
âPlease take a look at Mitra too.â
âHm?â
âI donât know if youâll like it. Mitra is an item that was made 500 years before I made Kaiforce... Itâs not polite to touch creations of other blacksmiths⊠anyhow, please take a look.â
âI will.â
Kang Chul-In checked Mitraâs details at Vulkanâs words.
[Invincible] Holy Light Sword Mitra
Oh pure light, shining light!
Attack power: 1999
Durability: Infinite (Indestructible)
Property: Light
Application limits: At least level 95
Option 1: All stats +30%
Option 2: Can shift forms
Penalty Option 1
-Cannot Kill: The user cannot kill other humans.
Special skill 1: Sharp Winds of Light
Special skill 2: Blessing of the Sun God
It was strange that its attack power was one less than Kaiforce at 1999, but he had no complaints about it.
âI could get rid of the Refusal of Malice, but there was nothing I could do about the Cannot Kill.â
âI see...â
âMitra was created with a special material called the ectoplasm of holy fire in the first place⊠there was nothing I could do about it. The soul of the saintess inside it doesnât budge...â
It seemed like the Ego inside of Mitra had fought to keep its spot, but Kang Chul-In didnât care. It wasnât like it was the first time that Mitra was picky. When he had to kill people, he could just use Kaiforce anyway.
âSo⊠is there anything you donât like...?â
Vulkan asked Kang Chul-In in a careful voice. He seemed to be worrying about what to do if Kang Chul-In didnât like the gift.
âNo.â
Kang Chul-In shook his head.
âI like it.â
âR-Really?â
âThese⊠arenât they the most powerful weapons in existence?â
âY-Yes!â
âAre you unconfident?
âNo!â
âThen why are you acting so careful around me?â
â...!â
âHave some pride.â
âHeokâŠ!â
âYouâre the greatest blacksmith I have even seen.â
Brrr! Vulkan trembled at Kang Chul-Inâs compliment.
âK-keuk!â
Then, he began to cry.
âHeuk⊠heuk heuk...â
â...?â
âI thought⊠I-I couldnât do it anymore⊠keuk⊠a thousand years⊠pent up in here⊠keuk...â
âAh.â
Kang Chul-In realized why Vulkan was so unconfident.
âDonât worry.â
âHeuk heuk...â
âThey say that fame is temporary but class is forever.â
âT-Thatâs a saying?â
âOf course.â
Vulkan didnât have any way of knowing a famous saying back from Earth, and Kang Chul-In nodded to comfort the monkey that was stuck for a thousand years.
âStill, itâs a relief...â
âHm?â
âKaiforce and Mitra are like⊠my last works. I wonât regret anything⊠even if I die right now⊠keuk...â
Vulkan thumped his chest and plopped down to the ground.
âDid you overwork yourself?â
âItâs the effect of making Immortal-rank weapons⊠I expected my lifespan to be cut short, haha⊠Still, it feels nice...â
â...?â
âI was⊠exiled here because of an unforgivable sin from the past. Iâve lived a thousand more years than I was supposed to, so why would I be regretful about dying now?â
âHmm...â
âI still have about 1 to 2 years left to live, so Iâm planning on returning to my homeland and spending my last days there⊠ah, also...â
Vulkan turned to Dorian and Hecate.
âThe gauntlet made of Adamantium⊠I think itâs a weapon that prioritizes the efficiency of mana...â
âHuh? Yeah, thatâs right!â
Dorian nodded.
âIâve raised the efficiency of mana from the original 65% to 97.7%... Iâve named it⊠âGod Hand.ââ
âWow!â
âIt might be hard to use because the efficiency of the magic was raised to the extreme⊠but itâs much better than what you used before...â
âOf course! Thanks! Wow, the options are incredible!â
Dorian couldnât contain his pleasure and thanked Vulkan over and over again.
âMiss...â
âYes, monkey?â
âI got rid of the revolver you used to use.â
âG-Got rid of it?!â
âInstead...â
Hecate looked like she was going to explode. Vulkan pulled out a musket and a pouch that looked like it was made from the skin of a reptile.
âItâs a demonic gun called Monster Double. I can guarantee ten times the firepower of what you used to use.â
âR-Really?â
âThe accuracy of the aim decreased, but itâll be able to destroy 50 meters within its target.â
âO-Oh? Dang, then two bullets can...â
âThe pouch I gave you is the magazine.â
âWhat?â
âItâs a special leather pouch with a magic cast on it. As long as thereâs ammunition inside of it, itâll automatically reload. I included how to make the ammunition inside, so you can make more when you need it.â
âOho?â
Hecate didnât express her feelings explicitly, but she looked extremely satisfied. For Hecate, a musket that could automatically reload was perfect for her destructive tendencies.
âOh, also...â
Vulkan looked back at Kang Chul-In.
âThe weapons are Kaiforce and Mitra, and your accessories are the Overpower Bracelet and the Amplifier Talisman of the Trinity Impact, am I right?â
â...!â
âI thought so.â
His accuracy was fitting of the title of âgreatest blacksmith.â
âAnd your protection sucks.â
âT-Thatâs because...!â
Kang Chul-In had an awkward face. He had been planning on looking for the Ishtar Set because his defensive ability was a shame, but he had been so busy that he wasnât able to.
âSo I made one.â
Vulkan held out a black belt.
âWhatâs this?â
âOn the house.â
âA freebie?â
Kang Chul-In tilted his head.
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