Episode 53
053. Tia
The fiery energy rising like a heat haze from his palm.
But Geumson furrowed his brow.
‘It’s too strong. If I infuse this flame as it is, the egg won’t withstand it—it’ll turn to ash.’
Perhaps because he had just worked with the Ancient Void Iron Ore, the output was too high.
Gold Hands exerted an intense level of concentration.
Then, unlike before, a message appeared.
[Due to the influence of your Concentration stat, you delve deeper within.]
Focusing all his consciousness to the tip of his right hand, the blazing flame transformed into a single, slender thread of light—like the fine needle used by an acupuncturist.
Following the blue thread shown by Pulse Insight, Gold Hands carefully inserted the needle of light.
Like unblocking clogged meridians, wherever the light touched, the obstructed flow of magic began to slowly open.
[Proficiency in ‘Divine Dexterity’ skill has increased.]
[Proficiency in ‘Pulse Insight’ skill has increased.]
[‘Pulse Insight’ skill has reached Lv.2.]
One hour, two hours…
Cold sweat poured like rain from Gold Hands’s forehead, but his fingertips never wavered.
Finally, the moment the last blocked magic pathway was opened—
Fwaaah—!
A faint golden light burst from the entire egg, and it began to pulse weakly.
[Petrification process has halted.]
[Life force begins to recover. (Life Force: 5%)]
[Life force begins to recover. (Life Force: 6%)]
.
.
.
The Phantasmal Elementia Egg began greedily absorbing the energy of the Sun’s Flame.
It seemed the Sun’s Flame was taking effect.
“Good, we’ve passed the first critical point.”
But it was too early to relax.
Stirring the life force with the Sun’s Flame had, conversely, caused the internal magic to grow even more wild and turbulent.
The egg trembled violently, and the red cracks on its surface began to widen further.
[Warning: magic Rampage phenomenon detected.]
[If not stabilized within 1 minute, the Phantasmal Elementia Egg will be destroyed.]
“Tsk, I expected this.”
Gold Hands clicked his tongue at the message but didn’t panic.
He quietly lifted the Forgotten Void Hammer.
The sight of Gold Hands holding a hammer before the fragile egg seemed somewhat awkward.
But he wasn’t holding the hammer to break the egg.
Aiming for the single point shown by Resolution’s Intuition—the hardest point that could best transmit external impact inward—he didn’t swing the hammer down but gently touched it to that spot.
Thoom—
[Effect of ‘Forgotten Void Hammer’, ‘Flow Distortion’, activates.]
[Effect of ‘Forgotten Void Hammer’, ‘Silent Earth’, activates.]
The moment the hammer touched the egg, the magic movement came to a complete stop.
At this moment, the only energy that could move was the one Gold Hands had infused—the heat conveyed by the Sun’s Flame.
Whoosh—
The Sun’s Flame incinerated all the rampaging malevolent magic inside the egg.
Simultaneously, the void power imbued in the hammer forcibly twisted the chaotic magic flow into a stable circulatory structure.
[Magic inside the egg stabilizes.]
[Life force begins to recover. (Life Force: 10%)]
.
.
.
[Life force begins to recover. (Life Force: 98%)]
[Life force begins to recover. (Life Force: 99%)]
Geumson smiled as he saw the life force reach 99%.
He could feel a squirming movement inside the egg.
‘Could it be… about to hatch so soon?’
The Elementia Egg seemed to have regained vigor as soon as its life force was stirred by the Sun’s Flame.
But something felt wrong.
The message was stuck at 99%, not rising further, and the movement inside the egg was gradually weakening.
‘Don’t tell me… it doesn’t have the strength to break out of the shell?’
Gold Hands pondered briefly.
Then, as if having made a decision, he lifted the Forgotten Void Hammer once more.
Geumson took a deep breath.
All surrounding noise faded away; only the egg’s intense, pulsating vibration reached his fingertips.
Among the countless red points shown by Resolution’s Intuition, one shone particularly bright—the single vital point that could disrupt the egg’s entire structural balance.
Gold Hands channeled his strength into the hammer’s tip.
And—
Twang—!
Crackle—
A clear, crisp sound reached his ears.
Across the egg’s surface, which had returned from death’s doorstep, beautiful cracks began to form, heralding the birth of new life.
Crackle—
Cra-crackle—
The crack spread like a spiderweb across the egg.
Finally, the center of the shell shattered, releasing a rainbow-hued radiance.
Gold Hands shielded his eyes with his arm, gazing into the heart of the light.
As the light slowly faded, the small creature standing at the center of the broken egg was revealed.
It was a newly hatched baby bird—but no ordinary bird.
Its downy feathers were like a spread of pristine white paper, yet the tips of its head feathers—
Whenever light touched them, they shimmered mysteriously in all colors: scarlet, gold, jade, sapphire…
As if holding the aurora within a night sky.
Most striking were its two eyes, deep and mysterious, like they held the galaxy of the cosmos within.
– Chee-yak?
The baby bird tilted its head and made a clear, melodious sound toward Gold Hands, who was staring blankly back.
Seeing this, Geumson couldn’t help but laugh.
And before his eyes, a system message appeared, announcing the birth of a new companion.
[The Phantasmal Elementia, ‘Mugeukjo (The Limitless Bird)’, has hatched!]
[Bound to the first discoverer and hatcher.][Phantasmal Elementia]
Grade: Mythical
Owner: Gold Hands
Level: 1
Traits:
Attribute Absorption: Absorbs all elemental energy and converts it into its own power.
Solar Affinity: When with its owner, growth rate increases by 100%, and absorbed attribute effects are shared with Gold Hands.
Skills: [Peck], [Body Slam], [Act Cute]
Description: A being of legend that makes all attributes its own. Though weak in its infancy, it holds infinite potential. Follows its owner as a parent.
“Phantasmal Elementia, the Limitless Bird…”
Gold Hands repeated the name.
The bird without limits.
True to its name, this small life held infinite potential.
Especially the Solar Affinity trait, which mentioned sharing attributes, seemed quite useful.
– Chee-yak! Taek!!
The Elementia waddled over and rubbed its small head against Gold Hands’s leg.
It seemed to be struggling, flapping its rainbow-hued wings hard as if trying to fly.
“Oh? Already?”
Flapping awkwardly, the Elementia began to lift itself with effort—but Gold Hands’s shoulder seemed to be its limit.
– Cheee…
The Elementia seemed to lose strength.
Seeing that, Gold Hands felt his heart melt.
He carefully stroked the Elementia’s head.
Simultaneously, a message appeared.
[You may name your new companion.]
[Will you give it a name?]
Gold Hands pondered briefly but quickly decided.
“Tia. Your name is Tia.”
Derived from Theia, the name of the Greek goddess of light.
Tia—he thought it suited this small baby bird perfectly.
– Chee-yat! Chee~
Tia, seeming to like her new name, flapped her wings happily in response.
Geumson smiled warmly, watching Tia.
Perched lightly on his shoulder, Tia settled comfortably as if it were her rightful place.
As soon as his work was done, Gold Hands hurriedly arrived at the auction house.
His appearance immediately stirred the players gathered near the entrance.
“Huh? That person… isn’t that Gold Hands?”
“Whoa, it’s really him! The guy who made the Moonlight Venom Sword!”
“He actually came. But what’s that on his shoulder?”
The players’ eyes were drawn first not to Gold Hands, but to the small creature sitting quietly on his shoulder.
“Is it a summon? Have we seen a summon like that before?”
“Doesn’t look like a summon… Is it a new cash shop item? There was no announcement.”
“Hey, someone check its info!”
A player unable to contain his curiosity used an Appraisal skill—but nothing appeared before his eyes.
[???]
[Information cannot be confirmed.]
“What? I can’t appraise it! How does an Appraisal skill not work?”
“A hidden summon? That’s insane!”
“Even so, not being able to check its info doesn’t make sense….”
Many discussions swirled about Tia, but Geumson merely quickened his pace.
Showing the invitation from Dusar, the guards politely escorted him inside.
“See that? He even has a VIP invitation. Class is different.”
“Is that the issue? What is that bird… Will it be put up for auction later?”
“Would he sell something like that? I’d keep it with me forever.”
“Moonlight Venom Sword and a strange bird? Is he really connected to the devs or something?”
Long after Gold Hands disappeared, the players continued talking about him.
Meanwhile, in the VIP room located at the highest point of the auction house—
Redbeard Dusar and Collector Calis sat comfortably in plush chairs, overlooking the commotion below.
“Hoho, the auction house is full of energy. That young craftsman seems to bring excitement wherever he goes. Don’t you agree?”
Dusar took a satisfied sip of ingeolbulju.
But no reply came from Calis.
As Dusar turned his head, he saw Calis’s hand beginning to tremble slightly.
“Calis? What’s wrong?”
Calis’s gaze was fixed on the small bird perched on Geumson’s shoulder—
On Tia.
