Things recorded in an era.

What did that mean?

In Korea, there had been the Dragon Light Sword, the Twin Dragon Sword, and the Four Tiger Sword.

These swords were blades that had led the past.

And no matter what country one went to, such swords existed there too.

In China, there were the Ganjiang and Moye Swords. In Japan, the Sword of Orochi.

And in some country there was Excalibur, while somewhere else there was Damascus, said to cut stone.

All of them had led their eras, and there had been a clear reason they could do so.

It was an age of war.

It was a world that needed heroes, and swords that would support those heroes.

And the blacksmiths who forged them became the very people who led the age.

But the world of today was different.

The people of today only went wild over the swords that had led those times.

Ah, the Twin Dragon Sword wielded by Admiral Yi Sun-sin!

Ah, the Dragon Light Sword used by the sacred Haemosu!

But the world Hyunsoo lived in was different.

It was a place where people could go wild not over creations of the past, but over creations of the present.

An age where what stood out was not Hyunsoo’s restoration of the Dragon Light Sword or reconstruction of the Seven-Branched Sword, but a strong sword.

And now he had reached the road that went beyond imitation.

“Isn’t it exciting? Something made by him alone.”

Takashi had thought that would begin to be made within a few months.

But that was a miscalculation.

Hyunsoo had already begun.

*****

Twin Dragon Sword, Four Tiger Sword, Dragon Light Sword, Seven-Branched Sword.

They are unquestionably famous swords.

And so Hyunsoo had imitated those blades and made them countless times.

Then at some point, he began to feel it.

...The way I look at swords has changed.

The crafting methods of famous swords were beginning to brand themselves into his mind.

What kind of sword was the Four Tiger Sword?

It was a sword that could not truly cut an enemy, and was made because it was said to drive away evil spirits from that world.

What kind of sword was the Twin Dragon Sword?

Large and crude, and that much harder to swing, but if one swing was successfully brought down, it produced overwhelming destructive power.

And what about the Seven-Branched Sword?

Its branch-shaped blade also signified that it was not meant for cutting, and it was a sword containing various techniques of Baekje.

By imitating more than dozens of such weapons, he came to pierce through their strengths, weaknesses, and essence.

Fake.

Hyunsoo now understood that this was why Takashi had rebuked Emergency Crafting.

But he also contemplated another essence hidden by that eccentric old man, that teacher Takashi who knew too well that excessive growth became poison.

“...A foothold for creating my own pure artifact.” 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

And he also came to understand why his father had been so obsessed with imitation.

To train the eye to see strengths and weaknesses.

And the power that could be produced once all of those things piled up and piled up.

In the past, his father had compared it to a writer.

Hyunsoo, they say famous writers keep three things.

What are they?

Seeing a lot. Writing a lot. Imagining a lot. Writing much, imagining much, reading much. They say good writing cannot come out from merely writing alone.

...Does it really have that great an effect?

You’ll understand later.

Now he understood completely.

Because he had seen a lot, he knew what was necessary and what was not.

Because he had crafted a lot, he knew how something had to be made and what materials had to go into it.

And because I imagined a lot.

That was why he could make it now.

“My own artifact.”

Not something monopolized by the past, like the Twin Dragon Sword, the Four Tiger Sword, or the Dragon Light Sword.

“I can make a sword born from beginning to end by my own design.”

His heart pounded.

Thump, thump, thump.

And this was where the reason he had said to Grout, thank you, storm, was revealed.

Because Grout had unquestionably given ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) him the inspiration to craft his own true demonic sword.

He checked the few drops of red blood inside the glass vial.

(Regenerative Blood)

Grade: Transcendence

Restriction: Blacksmith level 600 or above

Difficulty: Highest grade

Special Abilities

· It can exhibit the power to recover through blood like a vampire.

· It can exhibit the power to grow stronger through blood like a demon.

· At times, it may absorb anything at all, and it is also a material proving how strong Grout’s desire to live, as the master of this blood, had been.

· Caution is required in its use.

· If dropped onto a living creature, Grout will revive.

· After 5 days, the Grout revival effect disappears.

Description: Blood that Grout remodeled over a long period of time. It was extracted by an unknown artificial method, and it is originally close to impossible to use as a crafting material. If mishandled, it may even try to absorb all of the user’s blood.

It was an incredible material.

Most striking of all was the line at the end: If dropped onto a living creature, Grout will revive.

And it was also connected to something Hyunsoo had already heard from Arte.

Arte was one who had watched Grout for a very long time.

Demons originally live forever. But Grout was a being born between a vampire and a demon. And because demons and vampires alike called him a mongrel, he carried an inferiority complex and dreamed of becoming a great archdemon.

He believed one of the means of becoming a great archdemon was eternal life. So, because he was a mongrel and could not live long, he long studied ways to obtain eternal life.

That is also why he locked me inside a cage.

When Grout had dreamed of eternal life, he definitely had not yet achieved it when he was with Arte.

But now that was no longer the case.

He had achieved it in Eternal Hell.

Grout can’t know I obtained his blood through Gathering.

How had this blood originally been meant to be used?

Grout had likely told his legion this:

If he ever died, scatter this blood over some living creature.

Then he would revive.

In other words, it was a half-finished immortality that still required something else.

And during the battle, Hyunsoo had acquired this regenerative blood, and through it, an inspiration had come to him.

“You wanted eternal life?”

Hyunsoo let out a hollow laugh.

“Then live eternal life, Grout.”

That bastard had locked his precious friend Arte inside a cage and admired him.

And from what Arte had told him, he knew Grout as a being that killed for amusement.

Would such a creature be allowed a peaceful rest?

Hyunsoo would not permit it.

As Hyunsoo began crafting, he was imagining something truly terrifying.

There were three materials in total for this original creation.

First, regenerative blood.

Second, a good mineral.

Third, Grout.

And the first had already been secured.

And there’s also the premise that a demonic sword must have a demon dwelling inside it.

That too had already been prepared as excellent material.

Then only the second material remained.

And Hyunsoo already knew the place where he could purchase that second material.

The Honor Shop.

[Desired Transcendence Material Draw 400,000 Honor Points.]

Because it said desired, that meant Hyunsoo could obtain the material he specified.

And its grade was a whopping Transcendence.

Of course, it would cost 400,000 Honor Points.

Considering Kali had obtained around 120,000 points, it was a truly enormous amount to spend.

But I need it.

Looking at the description of regenerative blood, it said it might absorb all of the crafter’s blood.

In other words, instead of putting Grout inside, Hyunsoo himself could be devoured by Grout.

This wasn’t even something meant to be used as a crafting material in the first place.

But Hyunsoo’s Gathering had made that possible.

And so he also needed something that would prevent the thing that might devour him from doing so, and keep Grout from escaping from inside the artifact.

Also—

Because it’s a demonic sword, I also need a pure demonic mineral.

[You are using 400,000 Honor Points.]

[You have purchased the Desired Transcendence Material Draw.]

[Please select your desired material.]

“A mineral that contains demonic energy.”

[Please select the desired effect.]

“It would need to be a mineral capable of creating a powerful ego sword, and it would have to completely imprison the being placed inside so that it cannot exercise its power. It would also be nice if the imprisoned being’s power could be used as a medium.”

Ding!

[Search successful.]

[You obtain the demonic mineral Jae Stone.]

[It is Transcendence grade.]

Jae Stone.

If you change just one letter, it becomes mercy. What kind of meaning is that supposed to be?

Since it was a demonic mineral, it surely did not mean the kind of love bestowed upon inferiors.

The System’s naming sense is the worst.

And Hyunsoo had misunderstood because it was called a desired draw.

He had thought this mineral had been created by the System at this very moment.

Anyway, what mattered to Hyunsoo was its effect.

(Jae Stone)

Grade: Transcendence

Restriction: Blacksmith level 550 or above

Difficulty: Highest grade

Special Abilities

· It will be the finest material for use in an ego sword that contains something.

· It controls even the most powerful force.

· Depending on the subject contained within it, everything other than the crafted item’s attack power may change.

· It contains excessively powerful demonic energy. It will not be easy to craft with.

· Even the slightest mistake will cause it to be completely destroyed.

It was a mineral pickier than a water purifier.

A sensitive mineral that would be completely destroyed by even the smallest mistake?

But its effect was exactly what he wanted.

Ha, custom-made for Grout~

Hyunsoo put the mineral Jae Stone into the blazing-hot furnace.

RUMMMMMBLE—

With all three materials completely assembled, Hyunsoo had begun crafting.

But there were people watching him, a fourth material Hyunsoo himself did not know about.

They were the Ares branch heads.

What was that fourth material?

—It has been a long time since User Hyunsoo created something original. Just how much his skill has grown in the meantime...

The last material they were thinking of was Hyunsoo’s skill.

And then there was the new China Branch Head, Lee Hwan.

He was watching User Hyunsoo with shaking eyes.

In truth, he had been close with Tao, the former China Branch Head.

When Lee Hwan had asked why Tao would give up such a good position and resign, Tao had answered shortly and thickly.

Hyunsoo, that son of a bitch.

......?

Even now, those words from back then rang vividly in his ears.

And so Branch Head Lee Hwan had wondered whether the rumor that Hyunsoo and the branch heads were colluding was true.

But it was not.

What they had been worried about—

Th-they were worried about what would happen because of the things the user pulls off?

How could that make any sense?

But as if proving it, the expressions of the branch heads on the video call were extremely grave.

They were making sounds like ssseup... haa... heo...

Branch Head Lee Hwan smiled awkwardly and, wanting to ease that serious atmosphere, said,

“I think you’re all worrying too far ahead. Surely he’s not going to pull off some incredible creation?”

Flinch—!

The moment he said that, every branch head flinched violently.

“......?”

Then they looked at Lee Hwan as if glaring at him.

Wh-what’s wrong with them?

Representative Lee Sejin smiled faintly and said,

—Branch Head Lee Hwan. Branch Head Tao, who sat in that position before you, said exactly Surely he’ll never pull it off? nine times, and each time he pulled it off.

“......?”

—Among us branch heads, Hyunsoo will pull it off? had become a forbidden phrase. And just now, Branch Head Lee Hwan said it.

“No, that kind of superstition—”

—Haven’t you heard that Branch Head Tao also called it that kind of superstition, then watched him pull everything off, suffered a relapse of hair loss, started wearing a wig, and finally resigned because he couldn’t bear the stress?

“???”

At that, Lee Sejin spoke in a calm voice.

—It is time for you to learn something important, Branch Head Lee Hwan. First, take out your phone.

Slide.

—Send this message to your wife.

“???”

—Because I planted a flag, I don’t think I’ll be able to go home for a while.

“......?”

Lee Hwan thought, Are they making fun of me?

But before long, when he saw the branch heads on the other side of the screen tearfully sending messages to their loved ones, he lost the ability to speak.

What was even more terrifying was that it was not I don’t think I can come home today, but I don’t think I can come home for a while.

Hyunsoo, that son of a bitch...

Lee Hwan, finally realizing Tao’s deep meaning, filled with tears.

Meanwhile—

CLAAANG!

CLAAAANG!

“UOOOOOOOOH!!!”

Regenerative blood, Jae Stone, Grout, skill.

And at last, having acquired a fifth material called Lee Hwan’s flag, Hyunsoo was running wild.