Episode 70
070. False Peace
Changsoo smiled, patting Geumson on the shoulder. The two friends chatted about this and that for quite a while.
“Anyway, looks like I’ll be moving soon too. Mirae Group said they’d give me an officetel as well.”
“What? An officetel too? Where? Don’t tell me Gangnam?”
“Probably?”
“Wow… you bastard, you really hit the jackpot. I’m jealous, you jerk! Hey, I’m hungry, let’s go get some pork belly and soju. You’re treating!”
“Alright, let’s go.”
As they stepped outside, the bodyguards stationed in the hallway all fell in line behind them. Changsoo instinctively hunched his shoulders at their imposing presence.
“Hey, are they coming too? That’s a bit…”
“No choice. They say it’s their duty.”
Thus, the odd spectacle of two friends and four giants of men heading to a humble neighborhood pork belly restaurant unfolded.
Sizzle-
Ssssssh-
Grill grill-
Thickly sliced pork belly sizzled appetizingly on the hot grill plate. The savory smell hit their noses, joined by the aroma of grilled kimchi and garlic frying in pork fat, stimulating their salivary glands.
“Ahh, this is the taste! Auntie! Another bottle of soju here!”
Changsoo picked up a nicely browned piece of pork belly first, placed it on a lettuce leaf, heaped on crunchy green onion salad and soybean paste, and stuffed it into his mouth. Chewing, he filled their soju glasses, an expression of having all the world’s happiness on his face.
“Here, have a drink. You’ve had it tough, my friend. Now let’s only walk on flower paths!”
Clink-!
With the cheerful sound of their glasses meeting, the two downed the bitter soju in one go. A tingling sensation, as if their throats were burning, spread through their bodies with an ‘Aaah-‘.
“Hey, but are you really okay with this? Mirae Group, I mean. Those conglomerate guys aren’t normal people. Aren’t you just going to be used and then thrown away?”
Changsoo was genuinely worried. Geumson, wrapping a lettuce wrap with well-fermented kimchi, answered nonchalantly.
“Don’t worry. They should be the ones worried.”
“Oho, look at that confidence.”
At Geumson’s composed reply, Changsoo giggled as he downed his soju. He seemed to think it was a joke.
“Anyway, make sure to contact me when you move! I’ll bring some Korean beef then. Oh! And when you stream, don’t forget to promote our ‘Ragtag Trading Company’!”
“That name, though… Alright, alright.”
The two drank late into the night like that. After Changsoo left, Geumson took a walk through the night streets to digest a bit. Unnoticed, the sun had set, and the city’s lights began to turn on one by one.
Lines of light created by dazzling neon signs and car headlights. Gazing at Seoul’s peaceful, beautiful nightscape, a dull ache throbbed in a corner of Geumson’s heart.
‘This scenery too… there’s not much time left for it, is there?’
In Geumson’s mind, the scene of that day when gates opened under an ash-gray sky flashed by. The metallic smell of blood and screams. From beyond those memories, a man’s voice seemed to echo.
『”Hey, Golden Hand, eat this at least. You haven’t eaten for days.”』
The early days of the Age of Ruin. The underground shelter in those times when even awakening 《Lepione》’s abilities was unfamiliar.
Geumson remembered ‘Choi Dong-hoon,’ whom he had met there. A steadfast pillar-like figure who calmed people’s anxieties amidst extreme chaos and held the temporary underground shelter together. A man who never lost his smile even in the wretched reality.
That day was the same. When everyone was exhausted and collapsed after days of continuous fighting, Choi Dong-hoon offered an old can of tuna he had scrounged from somewhere.
『”Soon, the military or something… won’t they come? Let’s just hold on a little longer.”』
They shared the tough, oil-soaked piece of tuna, vowing to survive. They promised to have pork belly and soju together someday when the chaos subsided. They endured that day by making such empty promises, not knowing when ‘someday’ would be.
But the next day, Choi Dong-hoon did not return. Caught in a surprise attack by monsters, he vanished without a trace before Geumson’s eyes. All Choi Dong-hoon left behind was an empty, dust-covered tuna can.
golden hand closed his eyes. This peace he was enjoying now. The dazzling city lights looked like the fading sparks of life from that day.
‘This peace…’
golden hand clenched his fist. There was no time to wallow in sentimentality. The alcohol was wearing off, his mind clearing.
What needed to be done now was clear. Logging into 《Lepione》. That was the best golden hand could do right now. To turn this false peace into a real one.
[Logging into 《Lepione》.]
[TIP. Seeing through the truth may not necessarily be a good thing.]
The afterglow of pork belly and soju with Changsoo hadn’t even faded. But golden hands was already logged into 《Lepione》. The buzz had long since disappeared. It was as if he hadn’t even gotten drunk.
‘Seeing through the truth… may not be good? Is this about Tia?’
He thought of Tia because something similar was written in the description of the light attribute she had awakened. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t grasp its exact meaning.
Somehow, the tips 《Lepione》 provided weren’t helpful at all. In his past life, 《Lepione》’s tips had often provided genuinely useful information. But the current tips seemed to just spout strange sayings.
“Anyway… should I start fixing up my armor soon?”
golden hand dismounted from the Iron Walker’s back. They were currently on a desert route leading to the magic city of Aertos. Sand stretched in all directions, and the hot sun bore down on golden hand. Yet, strangely, he was sweating from the desert heat despite having fire resistance.
“Walker, let’s get ready to work.”
“Woooorker!”
The tireless Iron Walker. From the Forgotten Giants’ City to this desert. It had moved without rest. golden hand felt a surge of pride for the golem.
‘Walker’s level is already 3? I should add special parts… but what should I add?’
Looking at the Iron Walker preparing for work, golden hand fell into thought. Special parts could be added each time it leveled up. But he had been delaying it, not wanting to attach subpar parts, and now it was already level 3.
‘I need to look around Aertos.’
The magic city of Aertos. It seemed like a place where he might find special parts suitable for the Iron Walker. If not, he had a hunch he could at least get some ideas.
“Woooorker! Worker!”
While golden hand was lost in thought, the Iron Walker called him. It seemed the preparation was already complete. golden hand went to the spot the Iron Walker had prepared, unpacked his armor, and placed it on the workbench.
[golden hand’s Dragon Scale Breastplate]
Starting with that, golden hand’s removed his silver helmet, pauldrons, gauntlets, and greaves—all the equipment he had worn. Gear that had been with golden hand since the early days of 《Lepyon》.
But now, all the items had lost their luster. The Dragon Scale Breastplate was already half-destroyed, and the other equipment were barely functioning.
“Going to Aertos like this is practically suicide.”
All equipment had a level 50 requirement. golden hand was now level 55. Currently, Geumson was practically naked except for his hammer.
“Tia? Can you warn me if monsters appear?”
— Tiat!
Tia fluttered up from Geumson’s shoulder, keeping watch around them with a small cry. Now Tia could fly well even with her small body. Taking in the items that needed work, Geumson opened the new hidden system, ‘Giant’s Forge.’
[Hidden System ‘Master’s Workshop’ Lv. 2]
[New Crafting System ‘Giant’s Forge’ is now open.]
Rumble-
Along with the brief message, the desert sand vanished from his view, and a forge, as if a fantasy made real, unfolded before his eyes. The illusion of lava flowing like rivers on all sides. Within that illusion, a massive anvil and furnace were situated.
[You have entered the ‘Giant’s Forge’.]
[When handling Ancient-grade or higher materials, material loss rate decreases and the probability of drawing out latent potential increases by 50%.]
[When crafting equipment, base stats and durability receive an additional 20% increase.]
“So this… is the Giant’s Forge.”
Geumson was momentarily overwhelmed by the majestic scenery. But he quickly collected himself, splashing metaphorical cold water on his face. He first placed the Dragon Scale Breastplate, the priority for repair, onto the workbench. Then, he took out the material that would be the core of this modification.
[Fragment of Kronos’ Crown]
The moment it touched his hand, the final moments of the Giant King Kronos flashed through golden hand mind. A material filled with sorrowful, regretful longing, a wish to turn back time.
‘I’ll infuse… this power into the armor!’
Without hesitation, Geumson threw the Dragon Scale Breastplate into the furnace.
Whoooosh-!
The legendary-grade armor began to melt slowly in the fierce flames. To completely dismantle the existing framework and have it reborn as a completely different existence by fusing it with new materials—that was the picture Geumson envisioned.
“Walker, put in the crown fragment.”
“Worker!”
The Iron Walker used a giant tong to pick up the Fragment of Kronos’ Crown and placed it into the furnace. But the crown did not melt. Instead, it absorbed all the surrounding heat, glowing colder and harder than ever.
[Warning: The target’s magic resistance is too high, making smelting impossible.]
‘As expected, it’s no ordinary item.’
As if he had anticipated this, Geumson raised his right hand.
‘Sun’s Right Hand!’
Whooooooosh-!
The solar flame blooming from his palm merged with the furnace’s fire, unleashing a ferocious heat incomparable to before. The temperature in the entire forge skyrocketed, causing the sand around golden hand to glow red and begin to melt.
