Chapter 137
Iris Hall. Drener’s Room.
After finishing my daily schedule, I was diligently making clothes with the silk I had newly obtained.
Since my dormitory, Tattia Hall, had a shared workbench in a public space, the only place I could secretly make clothes was Drener’s room.
【Workbench】
【Crafting: Level 10】
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【Enchant】
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【Disassemble】
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【Armor Crafting】
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【Perfect Top】
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【Perfect Bottom】
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【Consumable Crafting】
Whenever I had free time, I crafted and disassembled clothes, pushing my crafting level to the cap.
Normally, I would have reached level 10 before midterms, but pressing a few buttons and actually crafting things myself were on completely different levels of difficulty.
Still, since I had quite a bit of experience repairing clothes, I gradually got the hang of it.
The Perfect Top and Bottom I was currently making—commonly called the Perfect Set—were the highest-grade armor I could craft directly.
To make anything better than this, I’d need to obtain crafting-type skills and raise my crafting level to Master tier.
But that wouldn’t be possible until the summer break of my second year, and even then, it would still be inferior to armor obtained from hidden pieces, making it rather pointless.
While I was working, Drener, who had been sitting quietly on the bed, spoke up.
“Astraea. What I’m about to say must not be told to anyone.”
“What are you about to say?”
“Reina Serenia is marrying Beryl Doubt.”
Because of his words, my hand slipped while finishing the seams.
【Crafting Failed. You have obtained a Poorly Made Perfect Silk Top (Black).】
I’d only messed up the finishing, but the garment twisted grotesquely and became unwearable.
Damn system.
I vented my boiling anger at Drener.
“Ugh! I’m already unsettled enough—why do you keep bringing that up?!”
“I’ve only mentioned it once.”
“Whatever!”
I wasn’t showing it, but honestly, my heart was in turmoil.
I hadn’t seen even a shadow of Reina all day—maybe she was avoiding me—and everyone was so gloomy that training ended early without much progress.
I didn’t know why Reina was getting married, nor could I guess what kind of trick Beryl had used.
Of course, I planned to stop the wedding—by killing Beryl if necessary—but what if I failed?
What if she actually married him?
Just imagining it was horrifying.
Drener spoke again.
“Judging by your reaction, you already knew.”
“Yeah. I heard it yesterday when I went to see Ria.”
“That brat. Looser lips than he looks. Serenia definitely told him not to tell you.”
So that’s why the atmosphere was strange today.
“He doesn’t know I’m Kim Sehyun. You’re the one with the loose mouth.”
“Still, shouldn’t you be grateful he prioritized you over his promise to Serenia?”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks. Now please stay quiet until I finish this.”
I took a deep breath to calm myself and disassembled the failed garment.
【Disassembly Complete! You have obtained 5 Behemoth Fiber Fragments and 1 Set of High-Grade Cut Clothes.】
【Great Success! You gain additional crafting experience.】
A Great Success popped up, but it wasn’t surprising. Unless I did something bizarre like earlier, both crafting and disassembly always resulted in Great Success.
At this point, it would be more shocking if it didn’t happen.
Drener stayed silent for a while, then spoke when I started crafting again.
“So what are you making?”
“Clothes to wear when I disguise myself as Kim Sehyun.”
“You made those yourself?”
“Yeah. I can’t let anyone identify me, so I disassembled decent clothes and reassembled them.”
“You’re quite skilled.”
“More or less.”
And finally, I completed one.
【Crafting Complete! You have obtained Perfect Silk Top (Black).】
【Great Success! Additional effects have been applied.】
At last, it was finished.
I immediately enchanted it with a stealth mana stone. With my Level 10 crafting bonus, the enchantment success rate was 100%.
**【Equipment】
【Name: Perfect Silk Top (Black)】
【Grade: Heroic】
【Type: Upper Armor】
【Description: A top made using silk spun from an upper-grade magical beast, Behemoth. Boasts considerable defense and durability while improving mana efficiency. The attached hood lowers the chance of identity exposure.
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An Advanced Stealth Mana Stone is enchanted, granting the skill 【Advanced Stealth】 and further reducing the chance of being identified.】
【Additional Effect: Durability can be restored by infusing mana.】**
A plain, jet-black outfit without any patterns—but perfect for hiding one’s identity.
Hmm. Whoever made this did a great job.
As I smiled in satisfaction, another system message appeared.
【Achievement Mission – The End of Mediocrity (Crafting) has been completed. Attack Speed increases by 10%.】
This mission is completed by directly crafting a Hero-grade item. The attack speed bonus might seem trivial, but for a mage like me, it was extremely valuable.
In Spell Breaker, everything from spell chanting to activation was affected by attack speed.
On top of that, achievement bonuses stack multiplicatively, so the more, the better.
I tossed the completed outfit to Drener. He frowned as he caught it.
“What are you doing?”
“A gift. Or more precisely, an advance payment.”
“Are you telling me to hide my identity and move around like you?”
“More or less. Though I doubt you’ll need to move while hiding your identity. At most, you’d retrieve this if I go down.”
“So you’re asking me to clean up your mess.”
Despite his reluctance, I didn’t pay much attention and started crafting the bottoms.
“Try it on first. If you still don’t like it, then fine.”
I heard rustling behind me as he changed clothes, followed by an impressed exclamation.
“Oh… This is— I hate to admit it, but it’s incredible.”
Why does he always say he hates to admit it?
“Go look in the mirror. It’ll surprise you even more.”
Soon, I heard another gasp.
“This… astonishing. My face is completely invisible beyond a certain distance. There weren’t any special materials used in the process, so how—!”
“Trade secret.”
Honestly, I didn’t fully know why either.
“Plus, it’s enchanted with a stealth mana stone, so you can completely hide yourself for about one minute. After use, it has a one-hour cooldown.”
While chatting, I finished the bottoms—of course, with a Great Success.
I tossed them to Drener as well.
“So? Accept it, or return it?”
“…If your identity gets exposed, things would become troublesome in many ways. I’ll accept your proposal.”
For someone saying “I have no choice,” he sure looked pleased.
The way he clutched the clothes tightly, as if afraid I’d change my mind, was amusing.
Now that Drener’s set was complete, it was time to make mine. Since I’d already done it once, I should be able to do even better this time.
As I began crafting more carefully than before, Drener spoke again.
“So what do you plan to do about Serenia’s marriage?”
“What else? I’ll stop it. There’s a 200% chance she was threatened or offered something.”
“That makes sense. More believable than her suddenly accepting after rejecting him so coldly. But how will you stop it?”
“We already have a plan. If Beryl disappears, the marriage will be naturally canceled. You can’t hold a wedding with a ghost.”
“I see. Is the plan you mentioned before going smoothly?”
“More or less. If today goes well, preparations will be complete. Probably.”
“Probably…?”
“He’s the son of the current High Archbishop of the Lumen Order, and a promising candidate for the next one. Just leaving the possibility open is already huge.”
“I see. Since you’re moving personally, I thought it’d be 100% certain.”
“I’m not omnipotent, you know.”
Just how much faith does he have in me? Still, it didn’t feel bad to be relied on.
“In that case, to increase the odds, I’ll sleep in your room tonight.”
“What kind of twisted logic is that?”
And so, I stayed holed up in Drener’s room until the sun set and night deepened, when foot traffic became sparse.
When the promised time arrived, I put on the Perfect Set and prepared to head out.
The deep black of the outfit blended perfectly with the darkness of the room—so much so that even I couldn’t clearly make out my own silhouette.
Drener asked,
“Are you going?”
“Yeah. By now, Tyran’s subordinate should’ve dragged him outside.”
I had already received the agreed-upon note. As planned, it came mixed in with a garbage-throwing “terror attack.”
A bunch of people rushed in and threw trash into my room, making cleanup a hassle—but the plan itself was flawless.
Perhaps to reassure me, the note detailed exactly how Tyran would be restrained, down to the minute.
Then Drener asked,
“Is that man trustworthy?”
“I don’t know. But if we fail to search Tyran’s room, the entire plan collapses, so I don’t have a choice.”
“So it’s a gamble?”
“It’s fine. I don’t play games I lose. That’s why I said I’d sleep in your room—just in case.”
Only then did Drener nod in understanding.
“I thought you were just too lazy to move around, but so that was the reason.”
Well, that was part of it too.
“Anyway, don’t let anyone in while I’m gone. If someone looks for me, pretend I’m here.”
“You’re always dumping annoying tasks on me.”
“But I gave you an insanely good outfit. Just the material cost alone is ridiculous.”
“……”
Apparently speechless, Drener waved his hand, urging me to hurry up and leave.
I entrusted my back to him and stood by the window.
Though it was deep into the night, it was still a bit early for sleeping, so most rooms in Iris Hall still had their lights on.
I activated my stealth skill and slipped out the window.
Tyran’s room was above Drener’s, so I quietly climbed the wall and entered through an open window.
Nothing had changed much since the last visit—except that, aside from the bed, there were barely any signs of living.
Probably because he only used the room when necessary, leaving it untouched otherwise.
I searched carefully to avoid leaving traces, but no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find anything—perhaps out of fear that Beryl might discover it.
Where did he hide it…?
Tyran was a reckless man. Even in combat, he chose all-or-nothing tactics, attacking even if it meant taking damage himself. No matter how well he hid it, I should’ve found it by now.
But Tyran wasn’t foolish enough to overlook that. He wasn’t a narcissistic idiot.
He must’ve hidden it in a different way.
A way where he could find it, but Beryl couldn’t.
Suddenly, a possibility crossed my mind. I immediately used 【Mana Synthesis】, letting aura flow through the room.
Something reacted.
Its location—on the bookshelf atop the desk.
I pulled out a book.
[The Relationship Between Celestial Bodies and Theology]
The title alone made no sense to me.
I flipped through it, but there was nothing about Beryl, fiends, or demons—only stars, the Age of Myths, dragons, the origins of celestial bodies, dungeons… incomprehensible stuff.
There was no way Tyran could read something this difficult. And since I’d seen the book react to aura, there was definitely something hidden.
As a test, I infused the book with aura.
Suddenly, it snapped shut and began to glow. The title letters disassembled, then rearranged themselves.
[Documents Regarding the Subjugation of Beryl Doubt]
When I opened it again, the contents I’d been looking for appeared.
[These documents are compiled under the assumption that Beryl Doubt is a fiend. As will be explained later, the conclusion is that Beryl Doubt is not a mere fiend, but one who has contracted with a high-ranking demon.]
Oh. He nailed it.
I’d only given Tyran a few hints that Beryl was a fiend, yet he’d deduced everything perfectly.
Flipping further, I saw the contents neatly organized—and one section caught my eye.
[Regarding Beryl Doubt and Reina Serenia.]
What the—
Could it be that the reason Beryl wanted to marry Reina was written here?
As I quickly turned the pages, sudden commotion erupted outside.
“I can’t make you move just for my personal business. Go back first.”
“If I return like this, everyone will criticize me for letting you move, Brother. With the final exam of the first year coming up, we prepared this party to lift morale—you need to say a few words.”
They were Hanan’s and Tyran’s voices.
Damn it!
Did they realize I was in the room? No—I was using stealth. There’s no way—
No, this isn’t the time. I need to hurry—!
As I scrambled to move, the footsteps suddenly sped up.
Click.
The sound of a key turning echoed through the room.
