Now that we’ve revealed Weltschmerz is still active, we’ve put out the urgent fire. Our evaluation on the dark web has risen vertically, as if this incident felt like a warning.
“Now the problem is the Top, huh.”
Anyway, we’re the ones who took down the Butcher, a member of the Top. Naturally, we’ll belong to the Top. As if hearing my muttering, Ray asked:
—How do you enter this Top?
‘To be honest, I don’t know much either.’
The Top is an organization thoroughly veiled in secrecy.
No, actually it’s subtle to even call it an organization. It’s just ranking villains.
But as someone who was under Seol Rok-jin, I actually know that some of the villains in that Top are quite close-knit.
I wonder if about half of the Top members are that close-knit?
Dealing with the Top was Seol Rok-jin’s job, so I don’t know the details, but I found out later because when Blood Mage was killed by a hunter, the Top villains collectively sought revenge.
That revenge was so vicious that afterwards, there was no more talk of subjugating or arresting Top villains.
While there’s such a close-knit ‘Top’, there were members like the Butcher Park Sang-pyeon who made it onto the Top but couldn’t join the organization and were alienated. The former could be called true members of the Top, but what I want is the latter position.
—Why?
‘It’s uncomfortable to belong to another organization when I’ve already created Weltschmerz. And originally, those guys are real villains. They’re different from me who just put on a villain shell roughly.’
Villains among villains. Those who have fermented in the Top have committed evil deeds so terrible it’s hard to even mention. I have no intention of being friendly with them.
‘The problem is if they want us.’
The Butcher Park Sang-pyeon never received recruitment from the Top in his lifetime. He probably lived satisfied just being on the Top, but in fact, he never really made it to the true Top.
The Top doesn’t accept just anyone as their own.
What about Weltschmerz? Are we desirable enough for them to want as their own?
Unfortunately, according to my prediction, the answer to that question is ‘YES’.
It’s not common for someone to cause such a big stir in Korea. But we have to refuse.
Hmm, refusing a recruitment offer from those who are evil among the evil. Can we survive this?
—Ahem, it would certainly be difficult.
“Well, I’m trying not to worry too much since I might be counting my chickens before they hatch.”
Anyway, we don’t even know if the Top is watching us yet.
“Now that we have some leeway, I should first make a workshop.”
There’s a lot to do, but the most urgent is making a workshop we can use in here. That way we can process mana stones and make artifacts with them. We also needed to somehow modify the demonic sword Park Sang-pyeon was carrying. I’m uneasy about it just being stashed in a corner.
I decided to use the Red Flame Mana Stone currently supporting the base as the core to handle the workshop furnace’s firepower.
We’ll just use it together temporarily until we find something suitable later. It’s a decision we can make because the mana used for maintaining the base is minimal anyway.
Although processing mana stones might take some time, I needed to make a bracelet quickly. Without a bracelet, I’m just a mediocre B-rank awakener.
—You’d be better than that though?
‘Well, I’ve certainly gotten much stronger than before after unlocking 3 strokes this time. But compared to what people know now, it’s still a miserable level.’
My abilities tend to be overly overestimated right now.
To people who don’t know I was fighting while constantly recharging mana with the mana bracelet, my mana seems to be known as almost sea-level, and then I even shot that lightning on top of that.
Even so, I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw posts estimating me as a 7-Circle awakener.
7-Circle for me who was bedridden for a week after using that level of firepower once?
Knowing what a monster the real 7-Circle awakener Yoo Seon-je is, I can only laugh.
There’s a lot of hype, but in a position where I need to use this hype for a while, I can’t burst the bubble. Rather, I need to quickly make a bubble maker to create more bubbles.
So, making a workshop.
Seeing me say I needed to make a workshop, Han Seo-hyeon was shocked.
“Again! We’re doing construction again?”
“Yeah, we can’t keep using other people’s workshops forever.”
“I’m sick of it, so sick of it.”
I understand you’re tired of having to make bricks again, but…
“I’m thinking of making a staff for you to use with that mana stone.”
“Huh?”
Han Seo-hyeon looked at me with a surprised face.
“It’s better for Jae-ho to enhance his physical abilities, and I can use a bracelet. In the end, you’re the one best suited to fully utilize the mana from that mana stone, right?”
“Huuuh!”
Han Seo-hyeon jumped up from his seat.
“What should we do first?”
—He’s such an easy-to-read kid.
I let out a small laugh.
We decided to put the workshop location outside. There were many empty rooms in the base, but we couldn’t put an ultra-high temperature furnace in those empty rooms.
Actually, considering various efficiencies, it would be better to build it underground (the warmth would circulate up to above the workshop, making it an automatic floor heating system), but I held off because Han Seo-hyeon would really revolt if I suggested underground construction.
“Hmm.”
For now, I plan to imitate the personal workshop at Professor Geum’s house. With Ray, who has perfect memory, drawing the blueprint was quick.
After finishing the blueprint, we started making bricks in earnest.
“Uuugh! I thought I’d never do this again!”
Han Seo-hyeon danced with joy at the physical labor after a long time.
“Haha, kid. No need to be that happy.”
—Anyone can see he hates it.
‘They say language has power. So it’s better to speak as positively as possible.’
The one practicing my words best was Han Seo-hyeon.
“Wow! We only have to make tens of thousands this time! It’ll be over in no time!”
How accustomed to manual labor have you become? Kim Jae-ho also started helping, and the way he carried mud looked as skilled as if he had rolled around construction sites for 30 years.
—I can’t tell if this is a villain group or a labor force group.
“It’s all to save this world, you know.”
That’s right, that’s right. I smiled contentedly.
“Boss! Are you slacking off right now?”
“No, I’m the site supervisor.”
—You’re slacking off!
“You’re slacking off!”
Hearing the simultaneous nagging from the two, I got up. My plan to sneak in some rest had failed.
* * *
Even while constructing the workshop, we didn’t stop our individual training. It would be putting the cart before the horse if we stopped personal training while building the workshop to get stronger.
As a result, Han Seo-hyeon finally succeeded in turning the Butcher Park Sang-pyeon’s corpse into a skeleton.
Black mana gathered in the air following Han Seo-hyeon’s hand gestures. What appeared through that mana was a skeleton wearing armor.
Unlike the first skeleton summoned naked, this one was even holding a weapon in its hand.
It definitely felt like a next-level skeleton.
“Oh.”
The one made from the Butcher’s corpse was different in color from the start. Unlike the first skeleton made of white bones, this one’s entire body was made of black bones, as if proving it was made with dark magic.
After clashing swords, I found it was much harder. Its movements were also much smoother. Unlike the first skeleton that always moved stiffly, this one moved much faster and more fluidly.
“How did you make the contract?”
What on earth did he do to get the Butcher’s consent? Han Seo-hyeon grinned at my question.
“Did you know you can torture souls too?”
“Huh?”
“It worked, you know.”
Is that something to say with such a smile? Well, Han Seo-hyeon’s mental health has long since left my hands.
Anyway, no matter how great this guy is, its job was already set.
Carrying bricks.
“It’s faster with two of them carrying!”
Following Whitey, now Blackey too. They were immediately put to work at the construction site.
Thanks to them, the construction time was definitely reduced.
In 3 days, I was able to complete the workshop and furnace.
The process itself was similar to when we built the house. Make bricks with mana flowing through them, then engrave overall mana circuits into those bricks.
The only difference was adding a few extra processes to withstand ultra-high temperatures.
There were at least five mana circuits engraved here.
Ultra-heating, automatic repair, flame resistance, increased durability, shape transformation.
I even engraved several mana circuits of the 3-stroke talent I just started handling.
It was natural considering the temperature would easily rise to thousands of degrees.
Anyway, making it wasn’t that difficult. Compared to when we built the house, adding one more room was certainly lighter.
We also had more manpower than back then.
Everyone must have gotten the hang of it too. The first material to be handled there was, honestly, too much for me.
I took out Yebrica’s mana stone.
“To be honest, I think there’ll be about 30% loss if I process it.”
—Not ‘think’, there will be.
“Hmm.”
But there’s no suitable person to entrust this to. It’s awkward to go to the black market now that we’ve become wanted.
I thought about entrusting it to Professor Geum, but I didn’t want to make a pitiful request.
—You’re sulking.
‘I’m not sulking. Really? I’m absolutely not sulking. I’m really not regretful at all.’
Still, I do know the method of refining mana stones itself. Actually, the method of refining mana stones is so simple it’s ambiguous to say I ‘know’ it.
“It’s just continuously heating at ultra-high temperatures.”
That’s right. The best way to refine mana stones is heating.
Originally, mana stones are lumps of mana accumulated by some monster as it lived. Impurities are bound to be mixed in. The process of burning and burning to make it pure is called refining.
I applied heat to the furnace. The mana circuit connected to the Red Flame Mana Stone started spewing thousands of degrees of heat.
I placed Yebrica’s mana stone in the center of the heated high-temperature furnace.
You just keep heating it like this for days.
The mana stone soon started heating up. At first there was no change, but something started dripping like sweat beads from the surface of the red-hot mana stone.
Impurities are coming out.
I plan to make a staff for Han Seo-hyeon as soon as that mana stone is refined. I don’t plan to do any unnecessary processing. I don’t have that ability in the first place.
For now, I think just keeping that mana stone’s shape and making it into a staff form will produce at least a B-rank staff, so I plan to hand that over.
Later when I have the ability, I’ll change it to something better.
—Are you really only planning to make the kid’s thing with that mana stone?
“Splitting the mana stone would be a big loss. If we use it whole, it should go to Seo-hyeon.”
My current position is short to mid-range dealer. Until a proper vanguard comes in, I need to handle close combat, so a weapon made with that size mana stone would just be cumbersome for me.
It might be okay for Han Seo-hyeon who will stay in the rear, but it’s not great for warrior types either.
A bracelet is enough for me.
—I don’t know if you lack greed or what.
“Instead, don’t worry because I plan to milk it for all it’s worth.”
* * *
Do Chae-hee took a deep breath at the arrival of the long-awaited psychometry user.
“Hello.”
“Yes, is this the scene?”
The woman in her mid-20s named Yoo Chae-rin looked extremely tired at a glance. The carelessly worn cardigan was full of pills and her dark circles reached down to her chin.
Even Do Chae-hee, who had been breathing fire until just now, couldn’t shout in front of her. She felt newly sorry.
Yoo Chae-rin placed her hand on the floor. After a moment, Yoo Chae-rin, who had staggered as if dizzy for a moment, straightened up and opened her mouth.
“Um, I saw a few scenes…”
Yoo Chae-rin slowly opened her mouth.
“It seems to be the three that make up Weltschmerz. Han Seo-hyeon called that person ‘boss’.”
“What about the face?”
Do Chae-hee pulled out a photo from her bosom.
It was that face discovered in Australia.
“Did you see this face?”
“Hmm, I think I saw it. The image quality wasn’t that clear to begin with.”
Psychometry wasn’t such a convenient technique. Because all the memories from that place were read, sometimes it only extracted scenes unrelated to the incident. Is this a bust too? Just as Do Chae-hee was disappointed, that’s when:
“Ah, there was one noteworthy point.”
Yoo Chae-rin took out a notepad from her bosom and quickly sketched a drawing.
“A person came to that morgue. A person wearing a black robe like this.”
Do Chae-hee frowned at those words.
“Who is this?”