Chapter 12….Treasure (3)
The great god bestowed upon him a “divine artifact” in the form of a teddy bear and said:
[The bear has long symbolized sanctity and power, and dolls contain the desire to emulate living beings.]
[A, take note of this and study it carefully.]
“I will do so.”
A (“Ai”) responded and began researching the artifact.
However, the research was far from easy.
‘Truly, magic that manipulates the mind is unfamiliar.’
Perhaps because Ai had seen the harpies enchanting men through song, and with the foundational knowledge provided by the research lab’s quill, Ai managed to complete the research somehow.
Thus, a red grimoire filled a corner of the lab’s bookshelf.
「Mental Stabilization」
Author: Ai
Yet Ai could only admire it briefly.
“Hm?”
Sensing a disturbance, Ai’s gaze turned toward the artifact on the table.
A storm of mana swirled violently around the artifact. Ai attempted to use psychokinesis to calm it.
Unexpectedly, it acted like a mother bird assisting its chick out of the egg—
Heave!
“……”
The awakened self of “Vivid Memory” rose and let out a silent roar to the world.
Simultaneously, emerald-colored mana radiated from it. Ai felt a familiar magical power.
“…Mental Stabilization.”
Gradually, confusion and panic began to subside.
The entire lab was filled with emerald mana, more specifically thanks to the artifact, which had inexplicably come to life.
At that moment, Ai recalled the god’s words:
[The bear has long symbolized sanctity and power, and dolls contain the desire to emulate living beings.]
“So the artifact was specifically a teddy bear because it was the perfect vessel for a sacred soul.”
It moved, projecting mental stabilization over a wide area.
Truly a divine artifact. Ai quietly closed his eyes in reverence toward the god.
Until “Vivid Memory,” having finished its roar, curiously padded over and gently tugged at Ai’s clothes.
Meanwhile, B, who had been organizing exploration results, sensed the mana storm and hurried over.
When B had brought back harpy feathers from the windy canyon, she thought she had won.
But Ai had now achieved the feat of awakening the divine artifact.
‘Completely lost this time.’
As a warrior, B admitted her defeat. Even if she captured the harpy alive, there was no way to surpass this.
Of course, she was in no way discouraged by a single loss.
She only silently considered how to win next time.
‘To beat Ai, I need to make full use of my specialty.’
B’s specialty was modifying existing magic for combat use—like how combining cold and elemental manipulation produced ice-armed weapons.
‘And I must excel with it in actual combat.’
B’s sharp mind began calculating for her first attempt to claim the god’s title.
“Hm?”
“…Alright, I’ll hug you.”
Victory was one thing, but hugging the divine artifact as it approached with outstretched arms was equally important.
The teddy bear was warm and soft, like a real creature.
From what Shinwoo had experienced so far, objects sent into the tower were strengthened by its mana.
Even a basic elixir could become a storm of mana, and ordinary butane gas could gain enough power to blow off the head of a D-rank steel predator.
Given this, it was no surprise that items had been restricted to prevent accidents.
Thus, Shinwoo had expected the “Memory” he sent to the tower to gain enhanced effects.
At first, seeing no major change, he thought items might not strengthen…
“Who would’ve thought it’d become a teddy bear.”
「Vivid Memory (C+)」
Description: Strengthened by the tower’s mana, the ‘Memory’ absorbed fragments of the ancestor’s lingering thoughts from the lab’s abandoned staff and formed an immature consciousness.
Enchant: 「Mental Stabilization Lv.2」, 「Thought Absorption Lv.1」
Improvement: ‘Effectiveness increases with absorbed thoughts.’
“Right, there was the ancestor’s staff.”
A staff imbued with primitive magic after being soaked in goblin blood for a long time—no wonder it carried lingering thoughts.
‘So the mental stabilization magic applied to the consciousness it formed results in this.’
Cradled in Mage B’s arms, “Vivid Memory” gently shook its head.
For simplicity, let’s call it “Vivi.”
“Judging by its actions, it’s still at animal level.”
It had the curious, adorable charm of an animal that made one smile just by watching.
But Vivi’s true power lay in its ability to apply mental stabilization magic over a wide area.
“So now we don’t have to worry about mental attacks anymore.”
Even individual mages could cast mental stabilization magic, and now Vivi could heal mental attacks in an area.
Effectively, unless facing a dramatically higher-ranked enemy, mental attacks were no longer a concern.
“Hmm, next hunting should be against orcs or imps.”
It was better to fight enemies with sealed powerful weapons than ordinary opponents.
The choice now was between imps and orcs.
“What materials are needed to upgrade the facilities…”
Checking the materials for the most-needed facility, the Arcane Engine Room:
“Demon horns. Imps, then.”
Next hunting: low-level demons, imps.
Shinwoo immediately researched imps online.
If you know your enemy, even a hundred battles can be won.
“Now that I know my power, if I know the enemy too, the game’s over.”
After extensive online research:
“Ah, demons smell like rotten eggs.”
Hunters avoided them due to their sulfuric smell. Some hunted only demons for religious or personal reasons.
Also, in foreign lands, farm owners mistook imps for thieves and shot them with double-barreled guns.
“Oh—”
After skimming through gossip to scholarly articles on imps’ origins, he snapped back to reality.
Time had flown.
“…This is why the internet is scary.”
Still, there was plenty of useful info, so he selected B, who rested after the gate exploration.
Mana had been sufficiently accumulated during “Memory” research—
[Magician B begins 「Cooling」 research.]
[Expected time: 5 hours]
“Demon-type monsters are generally fire-resistant.”
So he researched ice magic to increase usable weapons.
B was chosen as the researcher in hopes of avoiding any big mishaps like with A. She had proven herself with ice-armament creation, after all.
“Even though her name is B.”
HAHA! Shinwoo chuckled at his own joke, then sent A, the “Enchanter Ally,” off and stretched.
With urgent matters done, he planned to observe what Vivi would do while catching up on household chores.
That is, if his smartphone hadn’t vibrated.
Bzzz-!
“Mr. Cheoljin?”
He had exchanged contacts to help with appraisal work and was surprised at the prompt message.
Was there really so much work in appraisal?
…Turns out, no.
-I’m a bit old-fashioned, so I discuss and decide on item creation with clients on-site. I’d like you to come by when you have time.
“Oh, if that’s the case, I can come right away. Is now okay?”
-Sure. Also, the client for Cheongpung will come by the store shortly, and I need you to help explain a few things.
“Explain? Isn’t it better for the creator to explain the item than the appraiser?”
-Normally, yes. But this situation might get complicated.
Cheoljin explained. Shinwoo nodded silently.
‘Cheongpung’s grade suddenly increased—this could be a problem.’
Getting an A-grade item was good, but the sudden price spike could burden the client.
Cheoljin asked Shinwoo to explain the situation properly to the client.
-I considered selling it at B-grade price, but…
“That would be disastrous. If rumors spread that an A-grade item was sold at that price, it’d only be trouble for you.”
-The client seems reasonable, but you never know.
“Good thinking. I’ll explain, and if they don’t buy, they can find another owner.”
Cheoljin wanted Cheongpung in the right hands, and Shinwoo also hoped so since it reduced deployment time.
‘If it doesn’t work, there’s nothing we can do.’
After all, it was a chance to get an A-grade item. Hunters would pay any price—even go into debt—for it.
Shinwoo only needed to describe Cheongpung’s performance accurately.
“Ah, but I didn’t ask who the client is.”
Given Cheoljin’s recluse status and the fact that the client requested a B-grade item, it was clear a high-ranking hunter.
High-ranking hunters were more famous than most celebrities.
“Hmm, thinking about it this way, I’m oddly nervous.”
Shinwoo nervously swallowed as he approached Cheoljin’s workshop.
Considering Cheongpung’s size, the client was likely a female hunter.
Ding~
“Oh, perfect timing. This is Oh Hana, who requested Cheongpung. And this is Sung Shinwoo, the appraiser I just mentioned.”
“Hello~”
「Oh Hana」
Description: She is both excited and skeptical that the requested item became A-grade.
Special Notes: ‘Excited, skeptical.’
Weakness: ‘You know how much food she put in her basket that day. Just ask.’
Crazy.
…Why is Oh Hana here?
