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Chapter 191
Bufafa said gratefully, “I did not know I would be granted an audience with Lady — here.”
Lady —? I couldn’t hear what he said. My brain couldn’t comprehend it. Just like with the Demon King, it was System interference. The current me wasn’t being allowed access to this information.
‘Rather than showing I don’t know…’
Pretending I knew who he was talking about might result in a far more favorable outcome. It was more favorable for me to be the one creating and directing the situation.
“Is that so?”
When I first met Bufafa.
After I gave him the Ten-Thousand Year Old Cold Iron.
And the current me.
What was the difference? That change was responsible for Bufafa’s dramatic reaction.
‘The difference is…’
There was one striking difference.
‘The now-sleeping Isabel.’
The only difference was whether Isabel’s ego was awake or not. Isabel was a ‘transcendent artifact’, so it was possible she would appear to a dwarf elder as some kind of ‘noble being’.
I conspicuously stroked Isabel, examining Bufafa’s expression.
‘Yes.’
Elder Bufafa’s brows flinched, and his long beard trembled a little.
‘I’m right.’
I couldn’t comprehend ‘—’, but I figured it out. My heart settled back into place. There was no doubt. The ‘—’ Elder Bufafa was saying was Isabel.
“She is asleep at the moment. With my lowly ability, I am unable to draw out her full power.”
“I see. No wonder I failed to recognize her earlier.”
Elder Bufafa’s dark red beard suddenly changed to a fist shape, then slammed onto his own swollen eyes. His lively beard was truly fascinating.
“These two useless eyes were unable to recognize the noble one. Even digging them out would not atone.”
“It’s because my ability is lacking.”
But who was Isabel, to make Elder Bufafa fall to his knees before her? This sword was definitely no ordinary artifact.
“How do you know about Isabel?”
“It is because I am a dwarf of Sword Forest origin.”
“...”
Sword Forest.
That was the name of the field that appeared in Isabel’s item description.
‘That was an existing field?’
It didn’t seem to be a field that only existed in name to flesh out a setting.
The twin dwarfs watching from the side straightened proudly. “The dwarfs originally from the Sword Forest are the pride of our people.”
“Because they carry noble blacksmith blood.”
Elder Bufafa shook his head. “It was only by luck that I was born in the Sword Forest and ended up coming here.”
They were essentially the nobles of the dwarf world. If he was from the Sword Forest, did he know a way to go back to the Sword Forest? I had a feeling I could unlock more of Isabel’s abilities if I went there.
“Do you know how to get to the Sword Forest?”
Elder Bufafa shook his head. “I apologize. I know where the exit of the Sword Forest is, but not the entrance. No dwarf of Sword Forest has ever returned to the Sword Forest.”
Thanks to Isabel, I gained a piece of information. The ‘Sword Forest’ was an existing field. And I had a feeling something related to the Sword Forest would happen.
In any case, we were here to turn the Old Crown into the Crown.
“I leave it in your capable hands,” I said.
Bufafa took the Old Crown, but his full attention was still focused on the sword at my waist. Ever since he realized my sword was the Isabel he knew, he’d been in a daze. His beard was burning and drool was dripping from his mouth, but didn’t seem to realize it at all. He was still out of it.
‘He looks like he’d cut out his liver for me if I asked.’
I could hardly let this good opportunity slip away.
“Much of Isabel’s strength is currently sealed.”
“I-I see.”
That was another piece of information. In her current state—the state where Isabel was in my possession—even the sharp-eyed Bufafa could not precisely ascertain Isabel’s status.
“Do you, by any chance, know any way to unlock this forcibly sealed strength, if only partially?”
“...”
“I say this because it’s a great shame that I cannot bring out the true worth of a transcendent artifact.”
To be more precise, it was because I wanted an even better item.
“I think the same,” said Elder Bufafa after thinking intently. “I will need to take a close look to know for sure, but there is a way to restore her to some degree.”
“What is that method?”
“It requires two materials, as well as a dwarf from the Sword Forest.”
The dwarf from the Sword Forest was right in front of me. That one was settled.
“What are the two materials?”
“One is [Blacksmith’s Red Jewel], and the other is [Magician’s Red Jewel].”
I was struck momentarily speechless.
‘Blacksmith’s Red Jewel?’
I already had it. That was the item given to me by the incomprehensible Demon King.
I’ll wait for you at Endless Sky.
With those words, he gave me this Blacksmith’s Red Jewel as a present.
‘Is this also his doing?’
Was it his doing, or was it a coincidence? It was probably intentional.
‘In that case, maybe at Endless Sky…?’
If this was the Demon King’s doing, maybe I could acquire the Magician’s Red Jewel at this place called Endless Sky?
“I am already in possession of a Blacksmith’s Red Jewel.”
“...I see.”
“And I think I will be able to procure the Magician’s Red Jewel not long from now.”
I gave Endless Sky a mention, just in case he knew.
“Because there’s a high chance it can be found in a place called Endless Sky.”
“...”
From the looks of it, Elder Bufafa didn’t seem to know much about a place called Endless Sky. Okay, that was enough. I entrusted the Old Crown to Bufafa.
Bufafa yanked Pedro along by the ear.
“Rascal! Follow me!”
“A-A manly man should not be dragged by the ear!”
“I oughta rip those lips straight off your mug. Stop talking back and follow! You need to come wait on me.”
While getting dragged away, Pedro begged me, “Please forget what you just saw. Even a manly man has his weakn—YOWCH! It hurts, Teacher!”
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Lei
Proofreader - Ash
* * *
Three hours passed since Elder Bufafa began the restoration work. For three hours, I felt intense heat and heard a continuous stream of crisp hammering.
During that time, I was able to rest in comfort at Elder Bufafa’s house. Bufafa came up to me, wiping his sweat.
“The main work is all done. Now we just have to let it cool.”
“Did it go well?”
“It is an object brought by the esteemed one, so I simply did my best.”
He spoke humbly, but judging by his expression, it was a great success. It wasn’t surprising—the crown was a quest item from the ‘beginner period’ of Playing, after all. For a race like the dwarfs, it was probably child’s play.
“Would it be alright if I could examine Lady — a little?”
“Isabel is my bride.”
“...”
“I’m sure there are no men out there who would carelessly pass their bride to another.”
“...”
Bufafa looked gutted. His eyes whirled around as he racked his brain. I threw him a lifeline.
“However, if that bride is sick, it’s only right to go see a doctor, is it not?”
Bufafa clasped my hands in his. He appeared rather touched by my words.
“I humbly ask of you to please allow me to closely examine Lady —. I will not forget this kindness.”
Not bad, not bad at all. It was great that I could put him in my debt when he was the one strengthening my weapon for me. It was like killing two birds with one stone, getting my cake and eating it too.
I breathed a little sigh. “Since you desire it so much, Elder Bufafa, in consideration of the many years of cooperation ahead of us, I will allow you to take a brief look at Isabel.”
Elder Bufafa’s beard formed a [!], then jumped up and down three times out of extreme joy. He put on a white glove that glowed with a blue light and changed into pure-white clothes. It almost looked like a priest’s robe. He wrapped his beard with mesh, like when women bundled their hair into a bun and then covered it with a hair net. Because he had so much beard, it looked like a giant egg was hanging under his chin.
It was a little funny-looking, but…
‘He’s serious and reverent.’
Bufafa took Isabel from me with a truly reverent appearance. Very carefully, with both hands. After examining her for a long time with just his eyes, he began to ever so gently touch Isabel’s blade here and there.
His eyes rolled up, showing only whites, and he began to convulse like he was possessed.
‘That looks like…’
It looked similar to when the Courageous Lion King descended on Kim Taechun. But it wasn’t a descent. The energy I was feeling was far more familiar to me than descent.
This was… the incantation of a dwarf.
‘A dwarf is reciting an incantation.’
I focused. What kind of incantation would come from a craftsman among craftsmen, a master among masters? He was even a dwarf of Sword Forest origin.
“--- --- --- ----.”
“--- --- ---.”
“--- --- --- ----.”
“--- ---.”
But to my dismay, I wasn’t able to understand a single word. After the incantation was recited, Elder Bufafa’s eyes opened wide.
“This stigma is…” He passed Isabel back to me. “The esteemed one is engraved with a stigma so deep that I cannot fathom its depths with my skill.”
Stigma. In other words, Achievement. That could be engraved on an item, not a Player?
“If I were to summarize this stigma with my cursory expertise…”
“...”
Bufafa gulped hard.
“Heavenly talent, accursed.”
Hm?
‘Heavenly talent is cursed?’
That was a stigma? It was a little odd. But come to think of it, it did sort of match Isabel’s personality. There was an ability she rejected her talent for and personally sealed, ‘Beat ‘em, Beat ‘em, Beat ‘em Harder’.
Bufafa continued to say strange things.
“The day the stigma is completely activated, Lady —’s true body shall descend.”
I didn’t know exactly what he was talking about, but…
‘Endless Sky.’
There were no two ways around it. I had to go there. Someday, I would have to meet the Demon King once more.
“Oh, before I forget. I have a request, Elder.”
* * *
The Old Crown was restored into the ‘Crown’. Pedro and I left the Winter Castle with a warm goodbye from Elder Bufafa, and I headed to the Tutorial Building to return to Korea using the Teleport Gateway.
‘It’s a huge drain on my Coins.’
But I didn’t regret it. I was producing content that no one else in this world could make. And I was pulling off successful acts in the Italian, Korean, and even the Japanese server. This was literally an investment period. When this investment period was over, I would be able to rake in a far greater sum of Coins and sponsorships.
Pedro held out his hand.
“I need to return to Japan.”
He always had to add one unnecessary thing.
“A manly man’s handshake must be passionate.”
I clasped his hand, and he shook it vigorously up and down. He was squeezing with all his might, but unfortunately for him, it didn’t hurt at all. Pedro was biologically a woman, and I didn’t understand why he was so fixated on being a manly man. His manly man obsession was made awkward by the fact that he wasn’t a manly man at all.
Pedro returned to Japan, while I went to the Gran Seoul Dungeon. I met Vela in the vicinity of the Gran Seoul Dungeon.
“We need to ask Jackson to find the entrance.”
“Yup.”
Jackson knew where the entrance was. The Gran Seoul’s hidden field was set so only Vela and I could clear it.
But I couldn’t get in contact with Jackson. He was probably dungeon clearing or doing some kind of scenario. Just then, I got a call from Song Kiyeol.
–Mr. Kim Hyukjin. As you predicted, Junghye made a move.
I knew that already. She was occupying the entrance and sending in her cherry-picked crew. Because I asked them to buy time for me, Taeguk Shield was temporarily backing off and observing.
But Kiyeol reiterating it meant something had happened.
–But Junghye… has withdrawn her men.
“How come?”
It seemed the Gran Seoul Dungeon’s entrance was taken over by someone else.
–About that…
Just then, I glimpsed the news being transmitted on the massive LED display in downtown Seoul.
‘Is it because of him?’
The Gran Seoul Dungeon entrance was being occupied by a Chinese Player. It was a very familiar face.
“Is it because of Lao Yu?” I asked.
The Chinese tamer, the virtuoso of the tamer world who was the first to show the world how to tame Big Black Dogs, was carrying out a siege in Korea.
Another event that hadn’t happened in the past was taking place.
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