Episode 22
022. Can You Resist This?
Each and every one were abilities with jaw-droppingly good effects. But among them, the one that particularly piqued his expectations was the chance for an ‘Ego’ to take root.
‘I’d only heard about it in rumors… so it was really possible.’
A golem with an Ego.
In short, a golem possessing a self, capable of judgment and action on its own.
However, not a single player with magic Engineering as a profession had ever crafted one, nor had anyone seen one within Lepyon. There were many rumors floating about golems imbued with an Ego, but none whose existence was confirmed. And now, a minuscule probability to craft such a golem had emerged.
That alone made golden hand heart beat faster.
But it seemed the rewards weren’t over.
“Should I call you Successor-nim from now on… hm?”
“What? Successor?”
“You passed the trial, so you’ve met the conditions to be a Successor.”
Ravi spoke using honorifics that didn’t suit her. Unaccustomed to her awkward attitude, golden hand spoke quickly.
“Successor, what are you… Forget it. Just act like you always do.”
“Huh? Shall I? If that’s what Successor-nim wishes.”
He felt somewhat tricked, but in Ravi’s hand was a book. A skill book.
“This is a skill book permitted only to the Successor. It’s yours.”
[You have been recognized as the orthodox Successor of the magic School.]
[Acquired Hidden Skill: ‘Golem Modification Evolution’!]
The skill book Ravi provided. When he read its contents, even golden hand had to stand dazed for a moment at its effect.
[Golem Modification Evolution Lv.1]
[Active Skill]
Description: Can disassemble and reassemble a golem’s basic structure to modify it into a new form, or evolve its performance using higher-tier parts.
Effects:
[Modification]: Can improve performance by replacing or adding golem parts. Can equip new parts (weapons, armor, special devices, etc.).
[Evolution]: Can evolve a golem that meets specific conditions into a higher-tier model using special materials.
[Fusion]: Can fuse two or more golems or parts to create a golem of a new form.
golden hand clenched his fist. With this skill, he could surpass the limitations of his past life. Creating his own strongest golem army also seemed possible. And looking around, this place was optimal. As a place to make golems.
“Clock? May I ask a favor?”
“Huh? But Deputy Director Ravi is here… from me? Please lower your speech, Successor-nim.”
“No. The favor I want to ask is… might I borrow the atelier for a while? Something I want to make has come to mind.”
At his words, Ravi laughed and said.
“Kyahaha! Yes! That’s a magic Engineer for you! I gave you such a skill… can you resist this? Clock! What are you doing? Just go ahead and transfer the ownership rights!”
“Ahem, do as Successor-nim wishes! However, if I may ask… might I watch?”
golden hand nodded at Clock’s words. Thankful for his goodwill, golden hand quickly sat at the workbench. Now, it was time to make his very first golem, for himself.
golden hand spread the necessary items on the workbench. Ravi and Clock wore faces full of unconcealable anticipation. But golden hand was already deeply absorbed in crafting his own golem.
A golem solely for combat isn’t enough. My own golem that assists my crafting, lifts heavy materials, and becomes a reliable shield in times of need. Let’s go with that concept.
Once the plan was set, golden hand imsmediately began designing.
“Blue Index.”
[Activating ‘Blue Index’ skill.]
[Loading blueprint list.]
The interface window unfolded before his eyes. Without hesitation, golden hand called up the blueprint for the ‘Sun-Imbued Gear-Walker Golem’. Ravi tilted her head, looking at the 3D hologram manifested in the air.
It was an item golden hand had already made. But seeing it, Ravi tilted her head and made a remark. It seemed she, as a senior magic Engineer, wanted to give some advice.
“You plan to base it on that? But that’s a small golem. It’ll be hard to make a golem useful to you with that. It’s too small and weak.”
Ravi pinpointed the issue accurately. But golden hand had already anticipated this.
“I know. That’s why I’m going to start modifying now. Using the ‘Golem Modification Evolution’ skill you gave me.”
As golden hand finger cut through the air, a new function activated in the Blue Index window.
[Applying ‘Golem Modification Evolution’ skill to design mode.]
[Can select Modification / Evolution / Fusion mode.]
“Modification.”
golden hand first increased the golem’s size fourfold. The hologram golem instantly grew massive to 3 meters, but simultaneously, dozens of red warning indicators flashed.
[Warning: Frame strength is insufficient. Current structure cannot support its own weight.]
[Warning: Power source output is insufficient. Cannot move enlarged body.]
[Warning: Configuration composition is unstable.]
…
…
“I knew it, plenty of problems.”
The warnings that instantly appeared. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t an issue that could be solved by simply increasing size. He had expected it, but seeing the actual warnings, he let out a deep sigh.
But golden hand didn’t stop. Not drawing a perfect blueprint, but tearing apart and fixing the existing incomplete blueprint to solve problems. This was golden hand own method, forged through creating success from failure.
‘Since when did I ever draw a perfect blueprint and make something… I learn through failure.’
When Lepione became reality, numerous real-world scholars and related talents embarked on crafting. Not only that, but actual artisans, from master potters, began making items.
Thanks to that, many held expectations. That with them, they could produce mythical-grade items. That they would end this Age of Ruin.
But the result was miserable. The world where Lepione became reality had become a place where existing methods no longer worked.
Perfect designs, various know-how were deployed, but magic, skills, and the system didn’t permit it, ultimately leading to failure.
Amidst that, Golden Hand’s didn’t give up. Unbowed by failure. He kept stepping on failure to create success. That fiercely struggling Golden Hand’s. So, current warnings like these just made him smile.
“First, the frame.”
Golden Hand’s took out the highest-grade iron and silver ingots he had personally smelted, along with ancient alloy fragments, from his inventory.
Intuition of Resolve.
In Golden Hand’s eyes, the internal structure, strength, magic conductivity, etc., of each material began to appear as numerical values.
‘This alloy is strong but too heavy. Use it only for the core axis of the frame. For the rest, use a 7:3 ratio of iron to silver to achieve both lightweight and strength.’
The knowledge in his head and his skills created perfect synergy. Something he had achieved through countless failures and effort in the past without skills. Finding the optimal alloy ratio was practically predetermined success.
[Devised creation method for new alloy ‘Moonlight Steel (月光鋼)’.]
[Applied to blueprint.]
[Frame strength has reached stable range.]
…
…
Clang—!
Clang-clang—!
Clang-clang-clang!
Forging the frame with Moonlight Steel, he used his Soul Forging skill to push its strength to the limit. With each hammer strike on the iron, the metal’s grain grew denser, emitting a subtle glow.
[Soul Forging skill proficiency has increased.]
[Soul Forging skill has reached Lv.3.]
[Possibility of ‘Soul Imprint’ imbuing the golem frame being crafted has arisen.]
Next, the power source. Golden Hand’s removed the existing small core and placed the ‘Perfect Ancient Heart’ blueprint obtained from the dungeon at the center. As expected, warning messages appeared.
[Warning: Ancient power source is incompatible with modern magic circuits.]
[Risk of explosion due to over-output exists.]
…
…
“Knew this would happen.”
Golden Hand’s hands moved brilliantly, beginning to fuse and reconstruct the two blueprints. It was work that would have been impossible without the experience of fighting and collaborating with countless Magic Engineers during the Age of Ruin.
[Successfully modernized the ancient power source with contemporary technology.]
[Power source issue resolved.]
[Surplus capacity within tolerance limit has occurred.]
[Additional parts configuration is possible.]
“Good.”
With sufficient surplus power, it was time to add functions. Golden Hand’s applied the impact dispersion structure of the ‘Golden Hand’s Dragon Scale Breastplate’ he was wearing to the golem’s outer armor. He reinforced the right arm to powerfully wield a massive hammer, and equipped the left arm with a ‘Flame-Thrower Structure’ that could also serve as a furnace for melting materials.
“Now… the real finale.”
All that remained was to slot the modified heart into the empty core slot on the golem’s chest. At that moment, the effect of the ‘Successor of the Cogwheels’ title came to mind.
[Effect 3. When crafting a golem, there is a low probability for an ‘Ego’ to imbue the golem.]
‘Low probability… so it’s luck in the end? Luck? Fortune?’
Then, one possibility flashed through Geumsom’s mind. The ‘Luck’ stat.
[Player Details]
[Base Stats]
Strength: 37(+20)
Agility: 27
Stamina: 27(+20)
magic: 27
[Open Stats]Luck: 22
Precision: 46
Divinity: 26
Command: 30
[Remaining Stat Points: 50]
His base stats were already ahead of players at his level. This was the perfect opportunity to test the Luck stat.
‘The system wouldn’t have opened a useless stat.’
Normally, investing in base stats like Strength was the standard. That was the most stable and rational choice. But golden hands had no intention of choosing the stable path.
