by Park Saenal
***
“Right now, they should’ve passed on safely to the next hunting ground?”
Who would’ve known his raid of the Queen Rat would be a big help to Mook’s group? It was something he had never thought about.
“This connection is strange… Huhut.”
Grid was glad to help the poor people. He arrived at Pangea that was bustling for the festival and took off his mask. Then he was startled.
Chapter 529
Chapter 529
“…”
Grid was surprised because the bustling crowd on the street all sat down. Tens of thousands of people. The festive atmosphere became as silent as a dead mouse. It was an unbelievable and unrealistic thing to experience.
‘Pagma?’
The cause of the sudden silence! Grid got goosebumps as he watched the group of people that appeared in the center of the street. The group walked past the bowing crowd. They wore blue daoist robes and had long black hair tied up. It was exactly the same appearance as the Pagma that Randy copied in the Mysterious Forest.
‘These people are?’
The men in robes boasted a beautiful appearance. Why did they look so much like Pagma, and why did people bow before them? Someone poked Grid’s side. It was a regular NPC. His head was bowed and he was shaking. It seemed like he was afraid to be noticed by the robed men.
“Not bowing before the yangban, are you crazy? Do you have 10 lives?” (Wiki Link)
“Yangban?”
“The residents of the Hwan Kingdom!”
‘The Hwan Kingdom…’
The kingdom that used the white phosphorous tree as their national tree. Grid bowed his head and asked the NPC.
“Is Pangea part of the Hwan Kingdom?”
“Tsk tsk. I should’ve known you were stupid the moment you didn’t bow in front of the yangban.”
“…”
“Pangea is part of the Cho Kingdom.
“Then why are you bowing to the yangban of the Hwan Kingdom?”
“What are you saying? Isn’t it natural to bow to people who serve their kingdom? Do you not know this because you’re stupid?
“…?”
Did the Hwan Kingdom have the concept of a common kingdom?
‘It seems like Pagma was born in the Hwan Kingdom…’
He was gradually finding out information. Grid decided not to fret about it.
“Hrmm.”
At this moment, a yangban in blue robes passed by Grid and gave him a meaningful smile. Grid felt awe the moment he looked into the yangban’s eyes. There was an unknown aura and overwhelming majesty that made his heart race.
[You have an urge to bow.]
[You have resisted.]
This was just because Grid met his eyes?
‘Don’t tell me…’
Grid gulped.
‘The power of a legend?’
Grid was confused.
“Huhut.”
There was coy laughter as the yangban left Grid’s field of view.
***
Idan’s restaurant.
“Would you like me to prepare the citron tea in advance?”
A beautiful girl reminiscent of a cat. The employee Yang Fei asked the question with an impassive expression. But Grid didn’t answer. He was still thinking about the yangban that he encountered on the street.
‘I’m certain. That’s a legend-grade presence.’
When Grid first lent his body to Braham. Grid had been shocked and thrilled when seeing Braham gather all the mana. The yangban’s presence matched Braham of that time.
‘But… None of the legends were described as originating from the East Continent? It’s just my guess that Pagma came from the East Continent.’
In the first place, there were nine legends. But the number of yangbans he saw today was over 10.
‘Don’t tell me that separate legends exist for the East Continent?’
Separate from the nine legends of the West Continent.
‘…Ah, it’s natural.’
The West and East Continents were isolated from each other. It stood to reason that they wouldn’t share legends. It was right for them to be separate.
‘Look at Lord.’
He was called a genius that represented the West Continent.
‘Hey… This is really…’
The world became bigger. The powerhouses that couldn’t be seen on the West Continent and in Hell overflowed in the East Continent. But Grid didn’t feel frustrated. Rather, he found it interesting.
‘In the future, I will be stronger.’
Even if he became stronger than he was now, he wouldn’t be criticized for destroying the balance. In other words, it meant Grid had the confidence to be strong.
‘I am a legend.’
He was always trying hard. Yes, like right now!
“Now! Sorry to keep you waiting!”
“…”
Idan cooked eggs for Grid’s breakfast. The yolk was cooked to the point of being burnt, while the whites were raw.
“Crazy. It’s hard to deliberately make this.”
Grid couldn’t help spitting out. Fortunately, Idan took it as a compliment.
“It took a lot more work than normal egg rolls. After separating the yolk and egg whites, I cooked only the yolk and poured the whites, using the concept of them as a sauce.”
“…Don’t you think you should cook them normally?”
“Aish, this person. How can you eat ordinary egg yolk and egg whites?”
“You can cook moderately…”
“I made this dish with a chef’s heart of wanting to feed my guest the best egg. Using the soft egg whites to cover the hard yolk, isn’t this new and ingenious?”
‘You could start off with soft-boiled.”
It was surprisingly a dish not made out of malice. Grid really didn’t want to eat it, but he closed his eyes and poured the eggs into his mouth. The feeling of the egg whites wrapping around his teeth every time he chews made him feel bad. The smell of the egg spreading in his mouth made it hard to breathe and the unique flavour of the yolk disappeared after it was cooked too much, giving a feeling of chewing dry stone.
Gulp!
Grid wanted to spit it out but barely managed to swallow it, tasting sweet fruit at the end.
[You have received food poisoning from eating uncooked food.]
[You have resisted.]
[Stamina has risen permanently by 1.]
‘The food wasn’t cooked properly…’
But Idan was the serious problem. It was clear that Idan didn’t have a talent for cooking.
“Hah.”
Then Grid asked him.
“Why didn’t you use salt?”
It would’ve been a bit easier to eat. Idan felt and replied to Grid.
“Salt is bad for your health!”
‘You will die if you eat ramyun.’
“Here.”
Yang Fei served the citron tea to the grumbling Grid. She prepared it beforehand. Grid lit up at the thought of rinsing his mouth with the tea. Grid looked at Yang Fei like she was an angel.
“Thank you.”
Gulp gulp.
Grid tried to get rid of the egg taste with the fragrant tea. Yang Fei spoke meaningfully as Grid’s face recovered its color.
“That… My legs are sore today.”
Yang Fei lifted her skirt slightly and exposed her white calves. It was a stimulating sight. But Grid wasn’t stimulated. For any woman under the age of 20. Grid didn’t recognize them as a woman unless they had a D cup.
“Yes, I will massage it with sincerity today.”
“…”
Grid spoke carelessly while Yang Fei’s face became like a carrot. She already had a body that couldn’t live without Grid’s hands.
***
“You came!”
A large stadium to the north of Pangea’s Castle. Grid visited the waiting room of the stadium that reminded him of the Coliseum and White of the White H
ammer smithy welcomed him. White grabbed Grid’s hands tightly.
“Mr. Woodcutter, thanks to you, we can now create flames of the desired temperature with the white phosphorus wood. It will be your achievement if the White Hammer smithy wins the competition this year.”
‘Woodcutter?’
Grid thought it was strange but didn’t question it.
“What is the theme of the competition?”
Grid was interested from the perspective of a blacksmith and White replied.
“It’s the same as last year. It is to reproduce Pangea’s treasure that was lost in the war two years ago.”
“What’s the treasure?”
“Red Phoenix Bow. It’s a bow.”
“Red Phoenix…Bow!”
Grid felt a strong interest. Red Phoenix Bow. Based on the name, a red phoenix… Then the bow would have powerful fire properties. It was highly likely that Jishuka would have a high compatibility with it.
‘This is a treasure of the East Continent, so the base attack power won’t be a joke. It would be nice to obtain the production design.’
It was virtually impossible to get a production design just by seeing the item being made. One in 10,000 blacksmiths couldn’t do it. But Grid was a legendary blacksmith, not an ordinary one. He could try it.
‘Of course, the probability of success is low.’
He would do his best as always. The excited Grid suddenly felt doubts.
“Why is the theme of the competition the same as last year?”
“Last year, the blacksmiths failed to reproduce the Red Phoenix Bow. The lord probably intends to keep the same theme until a perfect masterpiece is reproduced.”
“What type of bow is the original Red Phoenix Bow? Do you have the design of the Red Phoenix Bow?”
“It is a bow based on one of the four patrons, the blue dragon, the white tiger, the black tortoise, and the red phoenix. It’s a bow that shows the amazing destructive power of fire. Of course, there’s no design. It has been lost since ancient times. We can only use our imagination to create it.”
“Hrmm…”
If it was a bow with the fire attribute, was a fire stone used as material?
‘Melting down the fire stone and using it with iron… The iron bow originally boasts great destructive power… No, wait.’
This was the East Continent. He couldn’t think about it with the perspective of a West Continent blacksmith.
‘There might be another specialized material on the East Continent with the fire attribute… Ah!’
A sudden thought passed through Grid’s head.
‘The white phosphorus wood!’
Grid was convinced.
‘I am the only one who can make the Red Phoenix Bow.’
Why? He was the only blacksmith in the world who could cut down the white phosphorus tree! Grid’s eyes flashed.
“What benefits will be received from winning the competition?”
Greed was within Grid’s shining eyes. A powerful greed that wanted to devour everything in the world! But White was blinded to Grid’s nature.
‘Oh, look at those passionate eyes!’
White misunderstood and explained the situation.
Chapter 530
Chapter 530
“What benefits will be received from winning the competition?”
“We will be able to exclusively deliver battle gear to the lord for a year. We will also be featured in the recommendation to tourists and will earn a huge amount of revenue as a result.”
Pangea was twice as big as Reidan, the second largest city in the Eternal Kingdom. Unlike Reidan, it was constantly full and had a high floating population. The smithy that won this competition could indeed amass a large amount of wealth. They would be honored as the best blacksmiths of Pangea, so winning the blacksmith competition was the dream of all blacksmiths in Pangea. But that wasn’t White’s only purpose.
“And… We become qualified to enter the dungeon of the lord’s castle.”
“The dungeon of the lord’s castle?”
In fact, there were castles that contained dungeons. Chris’ territory was an example. Chris was famous for having a vampire boss that appeared in his castle’s underground dungeon and accumulating elixirs. As it happened, Grid’s territories didn’t have a private dungeon.
‘I heard that a castle’s dungeon is also a good place to collect rare items…’
Lauel’s strengthening Overgeared plan included the occupation of all such castles on the West Continent and monopolizing the dungeons.
‘It isn’t feasible.’
Grid’s eyes recovered from their greed. At the same time, they sharpened.
“What’s in Pangea’s dungeon?”
“Armored needle…”
“Armored needle?”
“The enemy who murdered my father, the monster that produces the ‘Silver Thread’ that all blacksmiths dream about.”
‘Thread made of silver?’
The silver thread sounded ordinary. But if it was simple silver thread, the blacksmiths of Pangea wouldn’t dream about obtaining it.
“It isn’t like normal silver thread?”
“It is silver thread obtained by the silver armor worn by the armored needles melting from their rotten blood. This silver thread is hardened by this process, repeating for many years. It’s said to never break and exerts mysterious effects.”
“Your father being killed by the armored needles…”
“It’s as you expect. My father won the competition several years ago, entered the dungeon to obtain the silver thread, and was killed by an armored needle.”
White’s father got into trouble when he entered the dungeon with the lord’s troops who regularly entered the dungeon. White was afraid that he would step on the same path as his father, but he was angrier and greedier than he was fearful.
“I will surely recreate the Red Phoenix Bow, win the competition, gain access to the dungeon, and gain resources from the lord. I will sweep away the armored needles and use the silver thread to make the White Hammer Smithy the best smithy. That was my father’s dream.”
“…Hrmm.”
Grid’s eyes changed once again as he looked at White. There was warmth in his eyes. Based on the humanitarian ideology of Pagma’s Descendant, Blacksmith’s Affection was expressed.
‘A blacksmith with dreams looks good.’
It was at that moment.
Ttiring~
[A quest has been created.]
[Win the Smithy Competition!]
Difficulty: SSS
You are the successor of Pagma’s techniques and will! You have Pagma’s humanitarian ideology of using ‘blacksmithing to benefit other people.’
You are impressed with White, who is trying to make the White Hammer smithy the best smithy in Pangea for his father. Help White win the smithy competition!
The moment that the White Hammer smithy is crowned the best smithy in Pangea, you will have an absolute ally in Pangea.
Quest Clear Conditions: A unique or higher rated Restored Red Phoenix Bow.
Quest Reward: White’s affinity will be MAX. The lord’s affinity will rise by 30~80 points. Different compensation will be obtained depending on your affinity with the lord. The right to enter the dungeon of Pangea’s castle. Your level will rise by one.
Quest Failure: Affinity with White will decline. Your reputation in Pangea will drop.
‘Good.’
Grid’s desire to participate in the competition grew. He had a reason and would even receive compensation, so there was no reason for Grid to refuse.
[Would you like to accept the quest?]
There were only two options in the notification window. YES or NO. Grid chose YES without hesitation.
“Now, Grid.”
White responded after the quest was accepted.
“In fact, I’m not confident about handling the white phosphorus wood properly. I am able to get better firepower than before thanks to it
, but I can’t completely control it. But as a legendary woodcutter, don’t you also specialize in firewood? That… I’m asking despite the shame. Will you participate in this competition as a member of my smithy?”
“…”
A legendary blacksmith was mistaken for a woodcutter? Grid was embarrassed because the development was different than what he expected, but he nodded.
“I understand. I will help you.”
“Ohh…! Ohh! Thank you! I really appreciate it!”
Of course, the legendary blacksmith was also good with the bellows. It wasn’t difficult for Grid to handle fire.
‘I just need to participate in the competition, no matter the manner.’
Once the competition began.
‘I will take the lead.’
***
“Umm.”
Han Seokbong. He was the descendant of a fallen noble family and had a poor childhood. But thanks to his wise mother, he was able to become a civil servant and rise in the ranks. Han Seokbong was appointed to help the king of the Cho Kingdom. It was said that the policies developed by Han Seokbong made the Cho Kingdom strong.
He was the genius who was appointed as lord of Pangea at the age of 50. The hero who raised his family name, a role model to the common people, and a national treasure, he had been troubled in recent years. It was because of the loss of Pangea’s treasure, the Red Phoenix Bow.
“In the end, the yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom moved!”
The four treasures that contained the power of a god.
The Blue Dragon Dao in the eastern Kaya Kingdom. The White Tiger Spear in the western Pa Kingdom. The Red Phoenix Bow in the southern Cho Kingdom. The Black Tortoise Jewel in the northern Xing Kingdom.
The Hwan Kingdom gave these four treasures to each kingdom and ordered them to protect them well. Now the Cho Kingdom had lost the Red Phoenix Bow. It was when Han Seokbong was the lord of Pangea.
‘The yangban said they would give me half a year…’
If he couldn’t regain the Red Phoenix Bow in half a year, Han Seokbong’s safety wasn’t the only problem. The Cho Kingdom had a lot of exchanges with the Hwan Kingdom, so it was likely the Hwan Kingdom would place severe restrictions for a few years. It was a situation where the status of the kingdom would plummet and become paralyzed.