< Bluebird >
“Myeongwoo!”
The thought I had as soon as I saw him, was that it was a long time coming. I had told him to sleep and rest properly every time we passed each other, but he had mumbled that he was okay, and now he became like that! 119[1], no, would calling a healer be better?
I put Peace and Chirpie down, and took out my cell phone as I went toward Myeongwoo.
“Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere by any chance?”
First of all, there wasn’t the smell of blood. Still, there was a chance he was injured when he collapsed, so I didn’t rashly raise him up, and took out a potion. Maybe he hadn’t lost consciousness, because Myeongwoo let out a dying noise and turned his head a little.
“Mana… potion……”
So it was a lack of mana, huh. That was a relief. When I quickly took out a mana potion and fed it to him, the pale complexion came a little alive.
“Should I get some water for you? Or what about being hospitalized and resting for a few days?”
I also thought about just forcibly putting him in a hospital. But even if you tied him firmly to a bed, if he went into the Forge, that was it.
“…I’m okay. The mana consumption was more than I had expected… I just didn’t have enough potions……”
“That freaking ‘I’m okay’!”
I was sick of it to death. I supported the still listless Myeongwoo, who was moving limply, and sat him on the sofa.
“Did you eat? When did you last sleep?”
“I collapsed, so I did sleep a little…?”
Myeongwoo replied, drinking another mana potion. Then are you proud of yourself for that, that you’re smiling?
“It’s not like you’re the kind of blacksmith[2] who has mandatory long hours day in and out[3], so why are you voluntarily working yourself to the bone? Make a schedule and stop working at a set time. And rest on the weekends.”
“Okay.”
For some reason, a reply came obediently unlike usual. When I searched his expression wondering what kind of change of heart this was, he grinned again. It was a face that gave me déjà vu. So.
“Did you finish what you were making?”
“Yeah.”
Myeongwoo, who had become perfectly fine at some point, maybe because his recovery had also become better as his rank went up, stood up from his seat. Then he took an item out from his inventory.
The thing that was revealed was a beautiful sword. There was a soft blue tint in the transparent blade that seemed like it was made of glass. It looked closer to decoration than something for actual combat use, but as an item, the strength it held would definitely not be weak.
“You made a weapon?”
“Ah, because the basic state for a dragon heart is a sword.”
“…What?”
“And the design is this one’s preference.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about. Just then, a small bird appeared with a pyorong sound. It was a round blue-feathered bird that was small enough to be covered by one hand.
-Cheep
“This one’s preference.”
-Cheeeep
I understood even less what he was talking about. I reflexively took the sword that Myeongwoo held out.
[Yoo Eunhye[4] – L-Rank
A sword born from a dragon lord as well as great master craftsman Shalos’ magic stone.
Contractor – Han Yoojin]
Um… umm……
The name, why was it like that? L-Rank… excuse me? Dragon lord? Great master craftsman? If it was Shalos, then that bead’s material? Magic stone… dragon heart…… And what was this contractor, why me, I don’t even remember doing that, why a contract?
“……That transparent magic stone you showed me that time, wasn’t SS-Rank, huh.”
It came to mind when I saw the transparent body of the sword[5]. The dragon human type’s SS-Rank magic stone was an opaque white.
“Yeah. It was an L-Rank magic stone. Specially, it was a magic stone with a particular name of Shalos’ Dragon Heart. The rank was higher than a normal L-Rank magic stone?”
Wow… was that so. Was that so. Wow, I learned something new.
“That… leaping over ranks just like that, I mean suddenly what L-Rank……”
“It’s a material with a rank that’s impossible for me to handle with my current abilities, but Ismual is an elemental that Shalos-ssi made. Thanks to that, I suffered a lot, but I could finish it! For other materials, I can’t handle even SS-Rank well yet. Still, this time the proficiency went up a lot, so soon, I’ll be able to make low grade SS-Rank items.”
Shalos-ssi made him an elemental and gave an L-Rank magic stone, too. The Forge also seemed to be that person’s, so he really was a giving tree[6].
“It’ll be convenient to transform it into something like a bracelet or ring normally. At any rate, it doesn’t have any performance as a weapon other than that it will never break.”
Even though it was an L-Rank? I should try changing it into a bracelet for now. As soon as I thought that, it transformed… but the two transparent chains with tons of blue gems dangling from it was disgustingly fancy.
“This is a little…”
“Its preference is like that.”
-Cheep
The blue bird landed on the back of my hand and tilted its head. It was made from a dragon heart, but why was it a bird? Was Shalos-ssi a blue dragon?
“Um… Eunhye?”
-Cheeep
“Can’t it be a little bit more simple?”
When the blue bird cheeped, just the chains were left and the dandling gems disappeared. No, one was left. It cheeped as if saying that it definitely couldn’t get rid of that one at least. A ring… was a little, you know, and when I changed it to a necklace, a gem necklace that sparkled super blindingly appeared. Was it a crow instead of a bluebird? Or was it Shalos-ssi’s preference when he was alive? It was well known that dragons liked gems, but was it true for dragons of different worlds?
Anyways, a bracelet was better, then.
“…Its name really seems like a person’s.”
“I didn’t name it.”
Myeongwoo explained himself, saying that it was decided on its own.
“Currently, it only has one skill. It’s a damage nullification skill like those previous Shalos’ Beads. But it’s not 1-time-use, and rank adjustment is possible. When its full of mana, let’s say when it’s fully charged, it nullifies all of about L-Rank damage for a duration time of 1 hour, more or less, and theoretically no rank limitation like before for about 10 minutes? To charge up the consumed mana, you have to feed it magic stones.”
The Shalos’ Bead would’ve been something like a dragon heart fragment, so I had guessed that the skill effect would be similar. But to think that it nullified L-Rank damage for 1 hour, and could be replenished with magic stones. That was a scam.
“But it takes quite a while to absorb magic stones, and it has to eat S-Ranks at minimum, so it’ll be better to only use it when it’s necessary.”
“For S-Rank magic stones, they aren’t hard to find, and how long does it take to absorb?”
“If you say it’s completely empty, about a week?”
“That’s not that long! Wow, if an S-Rank Hunter uses this-.”
“The skill doesn’t get applied unless it’s the contractor.”
I had thought it might be so, and it really felt like I was splashed with cold water. I mean, why? At my upset eyes, Myeongwoo explained, scratching the back of his head.
“If there wasn’t that kind of restriction, I wouldn’t have been able to fit it as an L-Rank… It’s not 1-time-use, and it’s much higher than a simple shielding. Since it only nullifies damage over a certain amount, and movement is unrestricted. And the maximum amount is unlimited to rank.”
That was so. But… no, if it was limited to the contractor anyways, then it would be better for it to be applied to me. Since I also had poison and curse resistance and the doubling skill, too.
It was a really good item. Now that the duration time had also increased, I should notify the Seseong Guild Leader that my worth had gone up from before.
“It’s a growth type, so other skills or effects can appear from now on, but…”
Myeongwoo suddenly had a grave face. I followed suit and my expression became heavy. Was there something like a side effect?
“Stat integer increase… was impossible.”
“…Huh?”
“Even if something is an S-Rank item, stat increase is a sub because it has a separate skill, or if it’s just barely an S-Rank, an integer increase effect is added on. Integer increase is a little… on the cheap side, should I say? Even if they’re the same rank items, if one is an integer increase, then it’s low quality, something like that. It’s okay to see it as there aren’t any items at all that are integer increase starting from SS-Rank.”
“……Is that so.”
No wonder it was hard to find S-Rank integer increase items. There weren’t a lot of people who used it, so I was wondering why I couldn’t see them. I was a little sad.
“Still, how great is this already? I mean, a damage nullification skill is much more impressive! I just asked for it just in case, but to think that you would make something this perfect. On top of that, the material, the time…”
When the surprise over the unexpected item settled down, the feeling of being moved was pushed forward. At the same time, the bracelet in my hand felt so heavy. It was excessive, really.
“You could’ve just used it. In the first place, it was something that was left to you, too. This much for me-.”
“Besides that, there’s other things you can say.”
Myeongwoo firmly cut off my words. I flinched and stared at that guy. It was a face that was proud to the point that light could come out. It was an expression and eyes that were plenty satisfied.
When I saw that, I remembered what I had to say.
“Thanks. Really.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“For real, thank you.”
“No problem.”
“Myeongwoo, you’re the best. You’re impressive.”
“I also think I’m a bit impressive. Ah, it really was difficult.”
“Now, rest while you work. Please.”
Myeongwoo smiled as he nodded his head. It was a bright and light attitude that seemed like he had taken off a heavy weight.
“Still, don’t go around alone. You know because you’ve used it before, right? Even if you use a damage nullification skill, there’s no problem with everyday-life-level of contact. Though in the first place, you wanted a defense ability where contact was possible, so it’s an obvious result.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Since I could be handled however, I would be in a state where I was easy to just grab and run off with. But there was no cause for me to go around alone, and above all, I liked that there would be nothing that would be dangerous even if I carelessly went into a dungeon . Now, Yoohyun should worry less, too.
“Eunhye, take care of me from now on.”
-Cheep
The blue bird that had landed on my wrist replied. Just then, I noticed Chirpie, who was sitting blankly at my feet. It seemed like it had received some shock. What was it? Did it realize that the magic stone it had aimed for had turned into an item?
“Chirpie?”
-…Chirp
Was it looking at the bracelet… no, the bird? Just then, Eunhye flapped down in front of Chirpie. Chirpie, who had jumped up, shouted strangely combatively.
-Chirp!
-Cheep cheep cheep
-Chirp chirp!
And then, Chirpie started to flap its small wings. Persistently, to the point of being pitiful. The blue bird looked at Chirpie being like that, and flew back up to my wrist. Then it disappeared as if seeping into the bracelet’s gem. Was that why it left one gem?
-Chirp… cheep
“Oh, Chirpie! Why’re you crying!”
From the small and black eyes, water droplets that were bigger than the eyes themselves fell sadly. Even when I quickly held it and soothed it, it kept on chirping and crying.
“What’s the matter, why?”
-Chirp, chirp
It chirped, and flapped its wings again. …Was it crying because it couldn’t fly? It didn’t pay attention to Blue or Comet flying, but was it because it saw a bird like it? But Chirpie’s wings were too small compared to its body. It was mostly fluff, and it didn’t even have proper wing feathers.
“…Hey, Myeongwoo.”
“Yeah?”
“If you happen to have time, could you make just one flight item for Chirpie? It can just be something like slowly floating around.”
“Alright. If it’s that much, then I’ll make it quickly.”
Him readily replying was really reliable and made me thankful. How do I live without you, really.
“Now you should set up an item workshop properly.”
After soothing Chirpie, I ate dinner with Myeongwoo for the first time in a while. The side dishes made ahead of time were delicious of course, but the ones cooked directly were to the point of provoking admiration. I automatically thought of Yoohyun and Yerim, but Myeongwoo didn’t particularly like either of them, so I suppressed it. Yerim did carefully take some side dishes, but I would be sorry to Myeongwoo if I involved Yoohyun, too. That Yoohyun, you should treat Myeongwoo gentler. Though it was bad starting from the first impression.
“I felt it while I was making Eunhye, but this thing called the system seems like it’s dragging people down.”
“You felt that?”
“You know using skills inside the Forge is different from outside. Status windows don’t pop up either. And Yoojin, you seem like you already knew it.”
“Ah, I also had matters where I got free from the system.”
Above all, a lot of it was thanks to the memories of the lizard owner guy.
“Especially skill explanation windows, you can’t believe them just the way they are. How should I say it, if it’s an ability that can set fire, it just has ‘it can burn something’. Even though you can cook food, or avoid cold, or brighten darkness, etc. And there are explanations that aren’t exact.”
“Not only that, the things called skills are my abilities in the first place.”
Myeongwoo nodded his head and spoke.
“If you use them with skill windows, it does work, but since the windows don’t pop up, the feeling is completely different. Above all, an L-Rank item is something I definitely can’t make within the system. But after combining strengths with Ismual and understanding the trick to handling mana, it was possible. Should I say that I broke free of the decided skills?”
To think that he had already realized that. That Myeongwoo really was impressive. I also somehow used Diarma’s abilities, but it would’ve been impossible if I didn’t have the memories and that guy’s magic stone.
“So I’m thinking of trying to train people who don’t have item production skills, but have the talent.”
“Training them?”
“Yeah. Instead of making items by myself, wouldn’t it be better to form a team? First, I was going to give an offer to Haeyeon’s Lee Minsuk ahjussi. He only has repair skills, but that’s also an ability for handling items. And he has much more real life experience than me.”
Teaching the skill. In worlds without the system, that was standard procedure. The method of taking in disciples with talent, and teaching them special abilities, making them familiar with it.
“It might be possible if it’s inside your Forge. I’ll also find people with related aptitudes for it and send them to you.”
“It’s not certain, so if I succeed.”
“Ah, and while you’re out, let’s go raise our levels.”
How many days was it since I used the My Brat skill? A long time had passed. At my words, Myeongwoo nodded his head, saying he was free now.
While we were going, should I bring Yoohyun? They could also become a little friendlier. I didn’t know if he had named the elemental.
[1] the emergency phone number, like 911 in the u.s.
[2] yj just says ‘black’, the eng word transliterated into krn, so based on context, I’m assuming he means ‘balcksmith’?
[3] a common way of saying ‘every day of the week’ in krn is listing the days out in a row sort of like this: montueswedthursfrisatsun. But in this case, yj says montueswedthursfrimonmon, which, as far as I can tell, is a slang sort of way of saying you don’t really have weekends because they also feel like mondays. So I just tl’d it to ‘[working] day in and out’ bc that seemed the easiest day to convey that
[4] eunhye is a word that means ‘favor, kindness’ or ‘[god’s] grace’ but it can be a name, too. Since it looks like a name, I wrote it with the ‘Yoo’ and ‘Eunhye’ separated as names are in eng, but in krn, there’s no space, as it also is for names in krn.
[5] yj uses a word that’s not in the dictionary (검신) so I’m making an educated guess that it’s ‘body of a sword’ based on context and potential hanja it could be based off of
[6] probably referencing ‘The Giving Tree’ by Shel Silverstein since it was written exactly like the official krn tl of the title