Yujin had first decided to take care of equipping Han-cheol, so he headed to the dwarven workshop.
Of course, there were also the pieces of equipment he had brought from Tiamat’s tomb, but regardless of their quality, there was no way to know whether they would suit Han-cheol or not. So, it seemed necessary to have something custom-made.
If it’s equipment infused with a demon itself, its performance should be guaranteed enough…
With that in mind, Yujin headed to the dwarven workshop that Crom had mentioned, bringing Han-cheol along.
At first, he wondered where he might find the workshop, but surprisingly, there was only one dwarven workshop in the Labyrinth City, so it didn’t take long to locate it.
It also helped that the workshop, while singular, was enormous and stood out easily.
In any case, even though Yujin managed to find the dwarven workshop, there was still one thing bothering him.
It was how the people of this world might react to crafting and using equipment made from the body parts of a demon. The equipment that were clearly evil in nature.
If things went beyond simple rejection and someone actually reported him for trying to use such materials, it could become a bit of a problem. So Yujin hesitated for a moment…
“Hmmm… This is a very powerful material. It’s got my blood boiling.”
“There’s no issue with it?”
But when he actually showed one of the dwarves at the workshop the horn of Encheos, far from being repulsed, the dwarf’s blood boiled with excitement.
He was one of Crom’s acquaintances and the moment Yujin mentioned he’d been sent by Crom, the dwarf immediately recognized him and welcomed him.
– Hahaha! Crom may be a reckless bastard, but he’s still one of our kin. If you saved him, then of course you’re a benefactor to us too!
Even as he called Crom a reckless bastard, the fact that he referred to Yujin, who had saved Crom, as a benefactor of their kin showed just how strong the dwarves’ sense of kinship was.
When they first met, the dwarf had looked grumpy and clearly irritated, but now it seemed that was just his default face.
Especially when he saw the horn of Encheos just now, his eyes had lit up like stars. Just like in the usual fantasy stories where people go crazy over rare materials.
In any case, when Yujin looked at the dwarf in front of him and asked if there would be any problems, the dwarf instead tilted his head in confusion.
“Problem? What kind of problem are you talking about?”
“Well, as you can see, this is a demon’s horn. Isn’t it natural for items related to demons to be something people are a bit reluctant to handle?”
To be precise, Yujin had been concerned that because anything demonic tended to be taboo, trying to craft gear using a demon’s horn might be outright illegal or at least something people would reject. However, the dwarf chuckled and replied.
“Did you crawl out of the early days of the Labyrinth or something? Sure, that might’ve been true in the past, but not anymore.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, it’s true that anything infused with demonic power, including body parts of demons, usually isn’t something you want to mess with lightly. Even now, dark magic and most things associated with demons are still considered taboo… but since quite a bit of time has passed since the Labyrinth first opened, things have changed a bit.”
“What exactly has changed?”
“That would be the rewards you get from the Labyrinth’s trials, wouldn’t it?”
The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and continued.
“As you probably know, the ones who mostly administer trials in the Labyrinth are demons. And what do they usually hand over when someone clears their trials? More often than not, it’s something infused with their own energy. Sure, every now and then, they might give out artifacts imbued with divine power stolen from other Transcendents or relics containing mana or aura, but more than half the time, it’s something tainted with demonic power.”
“So what you’re saying is…”
“Exactly. Since the rewards are from inside the Labyrinth, we have to find some way to use them, right? And if we just leave them lying around, unused, and some accident happens, that’d be a disaster. What if a dark mage steals it? Or worse, if the demonic power matures and goes berserk on its own… Either way, for those reasons, processing materials with demonic power into usable equipment is no longer banned in this era. Of course, there’s a rule that says only certified experts can handle such materials to make sure they don’t harm the user… but come on, who are we? We’re dwarves. The race of craftsmen. There’s nothing we can’t handle.”
Feeling the intense pride in the dwarf’s words, Yujin nodded to himself inwardly. And then, the dwarf continued speaking.
“Well, that may be true, but still, carrying around a demonic sword imbued with a demon’s energy is undeniably seen as ominous in many ways. Places like the All-God Church still frown upon it, and the taboo against demons remains strong. So in many cases, people end up selling these materials to the All-God Church, the Mage Association, or to some school’s magic tower for profit.”
At that point, Yujin tilted his head slightly. Something struck him as a bit odd.
“Even if the All-God Church wants to isolate items infused with demonic power, do the Mage Association or magic towers accept them too? I thought research into demonic power and dark magic was usually forbidden.”
“They don’t ban research aimed at countering demonic power or dark magic. Of course, who’s to say for sure? They might claim they’re developing magic to resist demonic power, but behind closed doors, they could very well be secretly researching dark magic…”
The dwarf shrugged as he spoke. It wasn’t a biased or discriminatory remark; it genuinely seemed like something he believed could be true.
“Honestly, isn’t that how it is? It’s the same with us dwarves, but no one can deny that curiosity is part of a mortal’s instincts. And if someone claims to pursue truth or knowledge, like a mage does, they’re probably even more prone to it, not less. Don’t you think?”
“You’re absolutely right.”
Indeed, the dwarf had a point. Mortals are naturally curious about the unknown, and that curiosity often leads to trouble. Who knows….perhaps there really are scholars from some school or even members of the Mage Association secretly researching demonic power or dark magic.
“Well, in any case… there’s nothing for you to worry about. Processing a demon’s horn into equipment isn’t exactly prohibited.”
“That’s a relief.”
“So, what kind of equipment are you looking for? I heard you’re a mage…”
“Ah, actually, it’s not for me. It’s for this person here.”
Only then did Yujin bring over Han-cheol who had been staring in awe at the huge dwarven workshop completely entranced.
“Squad Leader, time to snap out of it.”
“…Ah, no, Yujin. Are you serious? I’m really going to be using a weapon made by a dwarf?”
Even so, as Han-cheol still hadn’t snapped out of it, Yujin spoke up, and Han-cheol still seemed dazed by the fact that he would be using a weapon made by a dwarf.
The dwarf looked Han-cheol up and down, as if scanning him, and spoke.
“Hmm, this fellow here? At a glance, he looks like a warrior… So, what kind of equipment are you looking for?”
“H-Huh? Ah, yes… Well, the thing is…”
Han-cheol scratched his head awkwardly, stalling for a moment to think about what he actually needed.
He tried recalling his game knowledge, thinking about where that horn could be put to use… and then turned to Yujin with a question.
“Hey, Yujin. What kind of effect does that horn have? I mean, it’s a demon’s horn, so it must contain some kind of power, right? I figured it’d be better to craft equipment that fits that.”
“Oh, you mean its effects.”
At that, Yujin stared intently at Encheos’s horn for a moment.
<Encheos>
<Description: A horn containing the lower-ranked demon, Encheos. Though among Transcendents it holds a low rank, it undeniably possesses demonic power.>
<Abilities: Allows the use of surrounding demonic power, as well as mana. Demonic power regenerates slowly over time. Can push regenerative abilities to the extreme through mana.>
Yujin relayed the information that appeared before his eyes to Han-cheol. After hearing it, Han-cheol fell into thought.
“Hmm… Seems like it’d be best used for either armor or a shield…”
After a brief moment of consideration, Han-cheol finally spoke.
“My armor’s been lacking lately anyway, so let’s go with armor. Can you make plate mail?”
“Plate mail, you say? Well, it’s doable, but it’ll take some time. A horn of this size alone isn’t enough to make a full set of armor, so I’ll need metal of matching grade to go with it… That means the cost’s going to be pretty steep. Of course, since you’re a benefactor to my kin, I’ll give you a good deal…”
“Ah, if you need metal, I can provide the materials myself.”
“Huh?”
Rumbleeeee—!!!
Yujin immediately opened a subspace and dumped out all sorts of minerals he had brought from Tiamat’s tomb. The dwarf’s eyes widened in shock at the sight.
“Th-This is…”
“I’m no expert when it comes to mining or minerals, but… will this not suffice?”
At those words, the dwarf examined each of the minerals and dropped his jaw.
“Wh-What in the world…! This includes not just mithril, but orichalcum and adamantium too? These are rare minerals that you’d only find if you went deep into the lower levels of the labyrinth…!”
“Is it not enough?”
“Not enough? It’s more than enough! With this much, we should be the ones bowing down and begging to work on it!”
The dwarf shouted excitedly, then gave a big thumbs-up.
“Leave it to us! Even if we have to pull all-nighters, we’ll make it a masterpiece!”
“That’s a relief. As for the cost…”
“We’ll think about that after it’s made… Since you’re providing all the materials, the price won’t be anything crazy. If need be, we can just cover it using whatever’s left over from the minerals!”
“In that case, let’s do that. I’ll be counting on your craftsmanship.”
“Ah, of course!”
After chatting a bit more, Yujin decided it was time to leave. Han-cheol who was caught off guard was about to leave as well when…
“Hm? Where do you think you’re going?”
“Eh? Oh, I just…”
“It’s your armor we’re making. We need to check your measurements! Come over here!”
With the dwarf insisting that there was no leaving without getting his measurements taken, Han-cheol had no choice but to be dragged away. Watching this, Yujin spoke up.
“Then, I’ll see you next time, squad leader.”
“Uh, yeah…”
Han-cheol, still dazed, was pulled along by the dwarf and had no choice but to respond to the farewell.
…What the hell is going on?
Suddenly being given gear made by a dwarf out of demon horn left him completely stunned. On top of that, the materials were apparently things like mithril, orichalcum, and adamantium.
He found Yujin even more of a mystery than before.
Meanwhile…
[Dammit… Dammit… How did I end up like this…]
Encheos, who was just moments away from becoming the material for Han-cheol’s armor, muttered in despair with a groan.
He wanted nothing more than to break loose and go on a rampage, Yujin be damned, but…
– If you cause any unnecessary trouble, things will become extremely unpleasant.
Because of the warning Yujin had given him with a smile before they arrived, he couldn’t do anything. If he did, he’d truly be erased.
[This damn life…]
In the end, with nothing left he could do but lament his situation, he was simply thrown into the furnace…
Leave a Reply