Episode 124
Golin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of the orichalcum, known as the metal of the gods.
When Zeke deactivated the Hersion, Golin was so flustered he started to panic.
“O-Orichalcum! Hand over the orichalcum!”
Watching the commotion, Zeke spoke firmly.
“Would you like to work with orichalcum?”
“Of course! Besides, I’m probably the only craftsman in the world who can handle the metal of the gods!”
Though his words were arrogant, they weren’t entirely untrue.
Even Gelion, the master craftsman of souls, hesitated to handle the orichalcum-made Hersion.
But the moment Golin laid eyes on the Hersion, his eyes turned a fiery red, and he lunged for it.
Zeke addressed Golin.
“If you listen to me, I’ll entrust you with the repair of this Hersion.”
It was an unusual request—not asking for a repair, but offering it as a reward for cooperation.
Surprisingly, Golin calmed down noticeably at Zeke’s words.
“Hmm… Alright. Let’s head inside first.”
Golin led Zeke into his forge.
Inside, it looked like a typical blacksmith’s workshop, except for the mountain of failed projects piled in one corner.
‘Now I see why he’s Gelion’s mentor.’
Gelion also had a habit of stacking his failed works in a corner.
Golin poured a full mug of beer into a rough-looking cup and brought it over.
“This is Golin’s special homemade brew. So good, you won’t notice if one of us drops dead while drinking it.”
Zeke took a sip of the beer Golin offered. It was indeed as fragrant as Golin claimed.
“This is excellent beer.”
Golin grinned with satisfaction at the compliment.
He downed his beer in one go and brought over an entire keg.
Dwarves and beer were inseparable, so it seemed Golin had taken to brewing his own even in the barbarian lands.
After finishing his beer, Zeke noticed a magical aura emanating from the mug he was holding.
‘What’s this?’
To his surprise, the rough-looking mug was enchanted with a temperature control spell.
When Zeke recognized the magic on the mug, Golin chuckled.
“It’s a nifty little thing that keeps the beer tasting perfect. You’ve got a keen eye.”
Golin continued, taking another swig of beer.
“By the way, a full orichalcum Hersion, huh? You must be a knight from the Empire. Not just any rank, I presume. I’ve never even imagined something like this.”
Zeke shook his head.
“No, I’m Zeke Draker.”
At that, Golin spat out his beer.
“D-Draker?”
Golin finally noticed the pureblood awakener’s gloves Zeke was wearing.
Setting his mug aside, Golin scrutinized Zeke from head to toe.
“A pureblood awakener of the Draker family with an orichalcum Hersion.”
The Hersion crafting techniques of the Rom Empire were top secret.
The Holy Kingdom also produced Hersions, but they couldn’t match those of the Rom Empire.
There was one exception, though: the silver armor given to Kali Draker by the Holy Kingdom.
That armor was also a type of Hersion, made entirely of mithril, and was superior to standard Hersions.
The rumor that a single piece of silver armor cost as much as running a large city for a year wasn’t unfounded.
Zeke addressed Golin, who was eyeing him with suspicion.
“It’s an artifact I discovered in an ancient ruin.”
“Found such a divine artifact in a ruin?”
He nodded, lying smoothly.
A Hersion of this caliber couldn’t have been excavated quietly. Even if it were possible, it would require someone of the Draker family’s head, not just a regular knight.
But Golin didn’t seem to care about Zeke’s explanation.
“Well, be that as it may. Are you asking me to repair this Hersion?”
“Yes. It’s an ancient item, and the magic circles on it aren’t fully activated.”
“Magic circles, huh. For something like this, you could probably inscribe five, no, six third-circle spells.”
Zeke shook his head at Golin’s words.
“There are twenty-eight grand magic circles, but only three are active.”
Golin spat out his beer again.
“H-How many did you say?”
“I said twenty-eight.”
“T-Twenty-eight grand magic circles?”
Golin clutched his head in disbelief.
“That’s impossible… No, wait. If it’s orichalcum, the metal of the gods, maybe you could engrave circuits more densely…”
Zeke clapped his hands to snap Golin out of his reverie.
“Ah! Right. Could you show me that Hersion?”
Zeke spoke firmly.
“First, write a confirmation letter for the Guild Alliance. Then we can discuss the repair.”
Eager to get his hands on the divine artifact, Golin quickly scribbled out a confirmation letter.
<I’m alive. Don’t bother looking for me. ― Golin Yobern>
He even stamped it with his seal.
Zeke carefully stored the letter in his inventory.
Meanwhile, Golin, his eyes gleaming, waited impatiently for Zeke to produce the Hersion.
Zeke retrieved the breastplate he was wearing and handed it to Golin.
“Ooooh!”
Golin carefully took the breastplate and brought it to his workbench.
He donned a magnifying glass and examined every inch of the armor, making all sorts of exclamations.
“This is! Unbelievable… To think this is possible! Incredible… Absolutely incredible.”
After an hour of marveling and lamenting over the breastplate, Golin removed his magnifying glass and spoke to Zeke.
“Can you activate this?”
Zeke instructed the system to activate the Hersion.
With a rustling sound, the Hersion transformed from a breastplate into a full plate armor.
Golin marveled anew at the Hersion’s features.
Watching Golin, Zeke began to feel a bit bored.
‘This could take a few more hours.’
While Golin was engrossed in examining the Hersion, Zeke decided to check the random boxes he had received as a reward and organize his points.
Stepping outside the forge, Zeke opened his inventory and retrieved the three random boxes he had earned from defeating the Hydra.
Thud!
Three items appeared before Zeke.
‘What are these?’
A worn mace, a cloak, and an old book lay before him.
Zeke examined the items’ details.
―Mace Information―
Description: A holy mace imbued with the power of light, crafted during the Lubern Dynasty.
Unique Ability: Light’s Retribution (Effect applies only upon striking)
Special Note: Deals triple damage to undead and demons.
―Cloak Information―
Description: A cloak that alters the wearer’s appearance.
Unique Ability: Perception Alteration
Special Note: Changes others’ perception rather than the wearer’s actual form.
―Book Information―
Description: A magical tome containing light magic, passed down since before the Lubern Dynasty.
Unique Ability: Magic Inheritance
Special Note: Automatically transfers knowledge to a descendant of the Lubern bloodline who has learned light magic.
Zeke pondered over the mace and the magical tome.
“Light magic? Magic that only a descendant of the Lubern bloodline can learn. Fascinating.”
The crown he had taken from Richmond also had unique abilities, like Light’s Mace and Light’s Shield.
Though Zeke couldn’t use magic, he could acquire skills and use them freely through the system.
However, unlike the crown, this time it seemed he couldn’t use the tome without being a bloodline descendant.
“Hmm, first the Unsteel series, now the Lubern series. I wonder what’s going on with the Lubern Dynasty.”
As far as Zeke knew, the Lubern Dynasty was the predecessor of the Holy Empire.
They expanded their territory by leading holy knights armed with strong faith.
The Lubern Dynasty, once a minor state, soon grew into a vast empire, laying the foundation for the Holy Empire.
The king of Lubern became the first emperor of the Holy Empire, but after two generations, the royal authority was overshadowed by the papal power, leading to the execution or exile of the Lubern bloodline.
The emperor’s position was then filled by a vote from the electoral families.
‘The fact that Lubern Dynasty items keep appearing must mean something.’
Zeke opened the leather-bound tome of light magic.
A message appeared.
―Main Quest Mission―
[Return the lost second half of the magical tome to a descendant of the Lubern bloodline who has inherited light magic. (No time limit)]
[Quest Mission Reward: Title “Knight of Light,” Skill “Sacred Flame”]
‘A main quest?’
The main quest, which had been dormant for a while, suddenly resurfaced. It seemed that while he couldn’t use the tome himself, finding the right person would yield rewards.
Zeke pondered over the mission details.
“A descendant of the Lubern bloodline, huh. How am I supposed to find a royal family that disappeared centuries ago?”
Zeke decided to store the tome and mace in his inventory for now.
He planned to use the Syndicate’s information network to search for them, and if that failed, he would give up.
Picking up the remaining item, Zeke muttered to himself.
“A cloak that alters perception.”
He draped the cloak over his shoulders.
A message appeared.
[Visualize the form you wish to assume.]
‘What should I transform into?’
After a moment’s thought, Zeke envisioned Kaishir.
A soft hum resonated as the cloak shimmered, enveloping him in light.
Zeke examined his new appearance.
“I don’t see any difference…”
Just then, the door to the forge burst open, and Golrin came rushing out.
“This is… incredible! No, that’s not even enough to describe it… Huh? What happened to that Draker guy? And why is there an annoying elf face here instead?”
Golrin didn’t recognize Zeke at all. Zeke, noticing this, asked Golrin a question.
“What color do my eyes look to you right now?”
Golrin scowled and snapped back, “Get that annoying face out of here! Scram!”
Zeke released the transformation spell.
In an instant, he returned to his original appearance.
Golrin, witnessing the change in real-time, was taken aback.
“What… what was that? Magic?”
Zeke nodded. “Something like that. What color were my eyes in that form?”
Golrin clicked his tongue. “A dull sky blue. Ugh, don’t ever change into that face again.”
Zeke confirmed that he had successfully transformed into the image of Kaishir he had envisioned.
Feeling satisfied, he followed Golrin back into the forge.
Golrin turned to Hershion and asked, “Do you know what this is?”
“No, not really,” Hershion admitted.
Golrin grinned. “This is a relic imbued with the power of a constellation.”
“By constellation, do you mean like the Empire’s Thirteen Constellations?”
Zeke recalled the Hershion worn by Morgan Buffon, a knight of the Hound Constellation. The Hershion imbued with the Hound Constellation’s power was on a completely different level from ordinary ones.
Golrin nodded. “Since you know that, you’ll understand quickly. This is a relic far more extraordinary than those of the Thirteen Constellations.”
“A constellation beyond the Thirteen… Could it be?”
Golrin smirked. “Yes. This relic holds the power of Theia, the Moon Goddess.”
The goddess revered by the constellations of the Thirteen.
The Moon Goddess, Theia.
Zeke was stunned to learn that the Hershion Cain possessed was a relic imbued with Theia’s power.
“The power of Theia… Are you saying it holds the authority of the Moon Goddess?”
Golrin nodded. “The Grand Magic Circle is impressive, but compared to the Moon Goddess’s power, it’s like a firefly before the moon.”
The Moon Goddess, with power rivaling that of the Sun God, was the ruler of the shadow world. While the Sun God wielded the primordial light, the Moon Goddess commanded the primordial shadows. The constellations of the Thirteen couldn’t even come close to her power.
As Zeke was momentarily dazed by this unexpected revelation, Golrin spoke up.
“And… there’s good news and bad news.”
“What’s the bad news?”
Golrin clicked his tongue. “Don’t most people want the good news first?”
“Not me.”
“Fine, just listen. The good news is that it’s possible to repair this.”
“And the bad news?”
Golrin scratched his head. “There are two problems.”
He went to the back and returned with something in his hands—a small stone with a silvery ore attached.
“What is this?”
“It’s called meteoric iron. It’s a metal that comes from rocks that fall from the sky, so it’s hard to come by.”
Hearing how rare it was, Zeke thought of the meteoric iron armor series.
‘Is meteoric iron really that rare?’
He hadn’t realized its value since it seemed to pop out of every random box he opened.
Golrin sighed. “To repair that, you’ll need a massive amount of meteoric iron.”
“How much is ‘massive’?”
Golrin clicked his tongue again. “Oh, about ten ingots or so?”
Hearing this, Zeke pondered for a moment, then turned around, pretending to rummage through his bag while actually pulling a full set of meteoric iron armor from his inventory.
Clatter.
The full set of meteoric iron armor fell in front of Golrin.
“Will this do?”
Golrin’s jaw dropped as he watched Zeke casually produce the meteoric iron armor.