Episode 13 – Harp Repair (2)
[Quest: Harp Repair]
Grade: A
Description: Repair the broken Lever Harp of Hamel!
Success Condition: Repair the damaged Lever Harp of Hamel.
Rewards: Experience, Title, 20 Gold, Reputation Increase, Information about the Well.
Failure Penalty: Reputation decrease, Yuell’s favor decreases.
Aren accepted the quest.
The rewards included gold and—most importantly—information related to the well.
There was no reason not to take it.
‘I couldn’t even sell furniture because I didn’t have money to start with… If I pull this off, I’ll finally be able to move forward.’
Aren carefully examined the lever harp.
‘If I can seal up the crack properly, it should be fine.’
He had watched his father repair instruments several times and had even helped before.
Now, he would put that experience to use.
Yuell had already prepared the materials.
“Please, I’m begging you!! I just want this nightmare to end!!”
She was desperate—clearly wishing to finish the harp and finally go home on time.
Having recently worked late himself, Aren could sympathize.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Yes!! Please!!”
If he had a repair skill, this would’ve been over quickly with some material cost,
but Aren didn’t have such a skill.
So he had no choice but to fix the harp entirely by hand.
‘First, I’ll need to seal the crack and reinforce the frame. It’s made of walnut, so…’
Aren gently unstrung the harp, releasing the tension in the steel strings.
‘High-quality strings… and well-maintained too.’
The harp was in surprisingly good condition otherwise.
That meant the crack had to be from an accident, not neglect.
He cleaned the damaged area thoroughly, removing dust and residue.
“Hm… the wood… not this one… not this one either…”
He sorted through the pieces of timber Yuell had brought.
Watching, Yuell tilted her head.
“Isn’t it the same type of wood? Can’t you just use any of them?”
Aren sighed softly and shook his head.
Being an NPC in the beginner village, it wasn’t her fault—
but she clearly didn’t know much about woodworking.
“They look the same, but they’re not all the same, you know.”
“The same but… not the same?”
She stared at the wood again.
To her, it all looked identical.
Aren smiled faintly, reminded of his younger self.
‘I was like that once, too.’
“It’s the same type of wood, but you need one with a texture and grain pattern that matches the harp as closely as possible.”
“It’s not just about looks. Even small differences can affect the tone of the sound. Instruments are delicate—one mismatch can change everything.”
“Oh… I never knew that.”
Yuell’s eyes widened with genuine admiration.
To think wood that looked the same could produce different sounds—she was amazed.
‘He’s incredible… How does he even know all this? Aren’s definitely not like the other Outsiders…’
While she marveled, Aren finished sorting the pieces and picked out one that matched the harp’s grain perfectly.
‘A reinforcement patch would work best here.’
The crack was too large for simple filler work.
‘A spline joint wouldn’t hold well here. Reinforcement wood will be more effective.’
“Hmm, the crack’s shape isn’t good… I’ll have to carve out space first.”
He picked up a chisel and began cutting precisely.
His hands moved smoothly and confidently.
[Skill: ‘Hand of the Stars Lv.1’ activates.]
[Precision efficiency increased.]
[Fine control accuracy improved.]
‘Ah, the skill’s helping. This is easier than I thought.’
The tool responded perfectly to his intention—
as if guided by instinct.
‘Good. This will let me do an even cleaner repair.’
Repairing a harp required extreme caution.
Even a slight misalignment could ruin its tone.
That’s why, back in reality, people used to fly in from overseas just to have his father fix theirs.
‘Yeah… we even had foreign clients once.’
He still remembered the one who said,
“I can’t trust anyone else with my harp,”
and flew across the ocean to their tiny workshop.
Tap, tap, tap.
‘That should do it.’
Aren cut the reinforcement piece to fit precisely into the space he had made.
[You have performed a detailed operation skillfully.]
[Dexterity +1]
‘Now, the fit has to be perfect.’
He focused intently—every muscle tuned to precision.
It couldn’t be too large, nor too small.
He remembered his father’s voice.
“Never carve carelessly. Even a tiny error can change the sound.”
His concentration deepened.
No fancy machines this time—only his own steady hands.
He trusted them completely.
Scritch, scritch.
[You have completed a flawless precision operation.]
[Dexterity +1]
Yuell found herself unconsciously holding her breath.
‘His focus… it’s unbelievable.’
Just watching him work was awe-inspiring.
He wasn’t fighting monsters or casting magic—
just carving wood.
Yet the intensity made her heart race.
‘Is this what I’ve been lacking?’
Every precise motion of his hands exuded confidence and grace.
She had known Aren was special, but this was beyond anything she expected.
“Haa…”
Aren exhaled lightly.
‘Perfect.’
He inserted the reinforcement piece.
It slid in seamlessly—no gaps, no resistance.
Like it had always been part of the harp.
“Wow…”
Yuell gasped softly.
It was flawless.
Aren smiled in quiet satisfaction.
‘Exactly how I wanted it.’
It would’ve been difficult in the real world,
but in this game, his Dexterity stat and skill effects made the impossible possible.
‘Now, time for the glue.’
He carefully sanded the crack, removing every speck of dust.
Then, evenly spread adhesive and pressed the piece into place.
“All right, that should hold.”
“Is it done?”
“Not yet. Once the glue dries and sets, I’ll do the finishing work.”
“Oh, I see…”
“Do you have any other sandpaper?”
“Other… sandpaper?”
“This one’s too coarse. Can you bring me some 200 and 400 grit?”
“Wait—sandpaper has numbers?”
“……”
Aren was momentarily speechless.
A member of the Carpenter’s Guild who didn’t even know about sandpaper—it was almost absurd.
‘Yeah… beginner village NPCs really don’t know much.’
He felt a slight headache coming on. He hadn’t expected ignorance at this level.
Yuell, sensing his incredulous gaze, awkwardly scratched her cheek.
“Sandpaper is numbered according to how rough it is.
Low numbers mean it’s coarse; higher numbers mean it’s finer and smoother.”
“Oh, I see. I didn’t know that. I had no idea sandpaper even had numbers—let alone that they represented roughness…”
“Could you find me a few sheets?”
“Ah! Right, I’ll go look!”
Yuell hurried outside and, after some time, returned with several sheets in hand.
Fortunately, she had found the right ones.
‘Good. The glue’s dry too.’
Normally, the joint would need to set for hours,
but since this was a game, it had already hardened.
Aren began sanding.
He started with a 100-grit sandpaper to smooth the surface—
being careful to follow the grain so as not to damage it.
Then, with 200-grit, he evened the surface and aligned the reinforcement piece with the harp’s frame.
‘And finally…’
He switched to a 400-grit fine sandpaper,
his fingers adjusting pressure delicately until the surface gleamed faintly.
“Wow…”
Yuell was stunned.
Each time Aren’s sandpaper passed over the wood,
it shimmered—as if by magic.
He followed the grain, steady and precise,
and soon the repaired section began to blend seamlessly with the rest of the harp.
‘Incredible… he’s using multiple grades of sandpaper to polish it perfectly!’
It was mesmerizing to watch.
Even when the same type of wood was used,
a patch usually left visible traces.
But on this harp, there was no sign of repair at all.
Then, after a final coat of polish,
the harp regained its former brilliance—
like it had never been broken.
‘Looks perfect. The strings don’t need adjustment either… let’s check everything else.’
Aren inspected the instrument closely.
Even with his enhanced perception buff,
he couldn’t find a single flaw.
The repair was complete.
Perfect.
“Good. Now, I’ll just restring it…”
He carefully attached the strings again.
They were made of steel,
so one wrong move could slice his fingers.
‘And… done.’
The final string was set in place.
The restoration was finished.
Ding!
[You have achieved a remarkable feat!]
[You have perfectly repaired Hamel’s Lever Harp without the aid of repair skills.]
[Strength +1]
[Stamina +1]
[Dexterity +10]
[Repair Rate: 96%]
‘Ninety-six percent… If I’d had better tools or materials, I could’ve pushed it higher.’
Still, this was his limit for now.
He clicked open the message window.
[Level Up!]
[“Hand of the Stars” skill EXP has greatly increased.]
[Skill Level Up!]
[Hand of the Stars Lv.1 → Lv.2]
[Quest “Harp Repair” completed.]
[Achievement unlocked—quest rewards enhanced.]
[You gained 20 Gold.]
[You can now receive information about the Well from Yuell.]
[Unique Title Condition Met – “You Broke It, You Fix It.”]
[You Broke It, You Fix It]
Grade: S (Unique)
Effect:
Dexterity +10
Repair Efficiency +20%
Material Consumption –30% during repair
Musical Instrument Repair Efficiency +30%
Instrument Performance Efficiency +20%
Performance Buff Range +50%
Aren smiled contentedly.
Building furniture was fun,
but repairing an instrument brought a completely different kind of satisfaction.
‘I was worried since it’s been a while, but… it actually went better than expected.’
He opened his palm.
Sweat glistened faintly—
proof of tension and focus.
But he didn’t mind it.
If anything, he felt good.
The same strange mix of joy and excitement
he used to feel when working beside his father.
‘If Dad were still alive… he’d be so proud of this.’
He clicked his tongue softly.
‘If he were here, we’d probably be repairing this harp together.’
He could almost hear it—
that calm, low voice beside him.
“The grain’s the other way, Joohyun. Feel the direction the wood breathes.”
That voice still echoed in his memory.
He couldn’t hear it anymore,
but whenever his hands touched wood—
whenever he shaped and restored something—
it was as if his father stood beside him again.
He took a deep breath and refocused.
Time to finish the job.
He opened the item window.
[Repaired Lever Harp of Hamel]
Grade: S
Description: Lever Harp once used by the bard Hamel.
Flawlessly restored by a highly skilled craftsman.
Requirements: Level 150+, Strength 100+, Finesse 120+
Durability: 33,600,000 / 33,600,000
Options:
Finesse +10
Dexterity +5
Sound Amplification +10%
Performance Skill Efficiency +15%
Performance Buff Effect +20%
Buff Range +20%
Performance Skill Level +1
Bard’s Inspiration: When performing, grants a random buff to allies with a certain probability.
The durability had fully returned—along with the harp’s original stats.
‘So this is its true form.’
This was the moment he loved most—
when something once broken regained its shape and soul.
A quiet pride welled up inside him.
‘With this…’
Ding!
A new message appeared.
[Yuell’s affection has greatly increased.]
[Her affection has surpassed a threshold.]
[You can now receive a special gift from Yuell.]
