Chapter 36
……He hadn’t known.
So <Blood Link> skills could also be unlocked by satisfying hidden conditions.
Thanks to that, he had obtained a <Blood Link> skill for free—one that normally required paying a whopping 10,000 BP.
The good deed he had done for Jackson and Nora had returned to him as an unexpected benefit.
‘Then if I figure out the unlock conditions for the remaining skills, I can acquire them without investing those expensive points.’
The <Blood Link> skills all demanded enormous amounts of BP.
Even focusing only on Blood Mage skills left him short on points, so he didn’t have much leeway to worry about other classes’ skills.
Still, learning that he could unlock <Blood Link> skills by satisfying hidden conditions was incredibly valuable information, but……
‘As expected, it’s not showing.’
Just in case, he activated the <Blood Link> skill window, but no matter how hard he looked, there was no sign of any unlock conditions.
Well, that was why they were called ‘hidden conditions.’
Clicking his tongue, he checked the newly acquired Paladin skill.
【Radiant Holy Flame】
When facing demons, it creates Radiant Holy Flame.
“……!”
He almost sprang up from his seat like a spring.
Crazy. He got this skill already?
Did satisfying the hidden conditions completely ignore the level restrictions for <Blood Link> skills?
‘If it’s <Radiant Holy Flame>, I remember Bismarck had to reach level 50 to obtain it.’
It was an attack skill that far surpassed his current level of 30.
<Radiant Holy Flame> was an absolute flame of invincibility against the demon race.
Of course, it had the downside of being unable to deal damage to non-demon targets, but……
‘Starting with the second Main Quest, I’ll be encountering demons multiple times. And later, when the <Inferno Gate> opens in earnest—.’
This skill would truly become a ray of light.
Among countless Paladins, the reason Bismarck stood out the most was solely because he alone could wield <Radiant Holy Flame>.
Well, that was in the game.
In this world, he had now become the one and only being who could wield <Radiant Holy Flame>.
‘Perfect.’
Just as he was about to lift the corners of his mouth without hiding his joy,
“Khup…….”
“G-Grandfather…… Grandfather……!”
The sound of heartrending sobs came from ahead.
Jackson and Nora were embracing each other and weeping.
It was only natural for them to shed tears after finally being freed from the curse that had oppressed them for so long.
……If he grinned by himself in this atmosphere, he’d definitely be seen as tactless, wouldn’t he?
Ruth put on a serious face and waited patiently until their crying subsided.
Some time passed like that.
“Thank you, Saint.”
Jackson clasped Ruth’s hand with trembling hands and knelt.
He bowed his head to the floor as if worshiping a god and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
“T-this grace is not mine alone. My father, my grandfather… all our ancestors who suffered under the weight of the brand owe you a debt that can never be repaid.”
“Didn’t I clearly tell you earlier that I am not a Saint?”
“No. You have severed the yoke of suffering. To us, you are a true Saint.”
“……Still, impersonating a Saint is a serious crime, so please use a different title.”
It would be troublesome if he got caught by the inquisitors.
Anyway.
“Jackson.”
It seemed both Jackson and Nora had mostly calmed down, so Ruth brought up the reason he had come here.
“I need a weapon.”
“Ah…….”
The brand had been erased.
Sadly, the lifespan they had already lost would not return.
But from now on—at least from now on—picking up the hammer would no longer shorten their lives.
“I will stake the honor of my family and create my life’s greatest masterpiece for you, benefactor.”
A craftsman’s blazing soul burned so fiercely in Jackson’s eyes that it sent chills down the spine.
***
It seemed he wasn’t going to waste any time and would start working immediately.
Jackson tightly tied a headband around his head and asked Ruth.
“Benefactor, do you have a preferred type of weapon in mind?”
“A sword.”
He answered immediately since he had already decided on the way here.
In truth, with the Blood Mage’s insane talent for all weapons, it could be a spear or even a bow without much issue.
But the reason he specifically chose a sword was because it was the cold weapon with the greatest versatility, and……
‘Above all, swords are the type Jackson is best at making.’
Since it didn’t matter what the user wielded, it was only right to choose the weapon that best showcased the maker’s specialty.
“A sword! That is my most confident field! Leave it to me, benefactor. Do you have any other specific requests?”
“I do. Refine this and attach it to the completed sword.”
Nodding, Ruth rummaged through his belongings and took out
A jewel radiating a seductive crimson hue like a burning sunset.
But.
“W-wait. This is… could it be……?”
However, the master craftsman’s discerning eye instantly recognized that this was no ordinary jewel.
Upon seeing the item Ruth produced, Jackson looked as if he would faint from shock, and Nora also covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide open.
“T-the Dragon’s Eye… isn’t this the <Dragon Eyes>?!”
“To be precise, it is the crystalline lens of an ancient dragon.”
“……!!”
Jackson’s already shocked face now turned deathly pale, as if all blood had drained from it.
Even a regular dragon’s eye would be enough to make one faint, but this was the crystalline lens of an ancient dragon—something the word “rare” couldn’t even begin to describe.
Even though he had known from the start that the boy before him was no ordinary person,
Jackson simply couldn’t comprehend what one had to do to casually pull out the crystalline lens of an ancient dragon from one’s pocket like it was candy.
“T-the crystalline lens of an ancient dragon… May I examine it for a moment?”
“As much as you like.”
The moment Jackson received the <Dragon Eyes> from Ruth, open admiration sparkled in his eyes.
“O-ohhh…… I have handled countless minerals in my life, but this is the first time I’ve felt such immense mana from an object.”
<This old man is creepily staring at someone else’s eyeball and marveling……>
“Surely the ancient dragon who once owned this lens was a being of such greatness that we humans could never dare approach.”
<This old man knows a thing or two!>
“…….”
As Ruth listened to the exchange, he nearly lost his mind for a moment.
Without delay, Jackson hurried over to the workbench in the workshop.
More precisely, he approached the ‘furnace’ that looked like a chimney beside the workbench.
Then,
Fwoosh—!
He pulled a lever, and fierce flames erupted inside the furnace.
Jackson waited until the furnace had heated up sufficiently before
Tossing the <Dragon Eyes> he held into it.
<What…! Why the hell is this crazy old man throwing someone else’s eyeball into the fire?!>
‘It’s not throwing it into the fire—it’s refining.’
The plan was to melt the <Dragon Eyes> with intense heat and extract the highest-purity mana core from within.
The byproducts would then be processed appropriately to form an item with proper shape and effects before being attached to the weapon.
However,
“Ah…….”
Jackson suddenly peered into the furnace and let out a sigh.
His expression darkened rapidly. Watching this, Ruth also frowned with an ominous feeling.
“Is there a problem?”
“T-that is…… the <Dragon Eyes> isn’t melting at all.”
“…….”
“No matter how much ultra-high temperature flame I apply, there is no change. As expected of an ancient dragon’s body part… it seems ordinary fire cannot melt it…… Haa. This is troublesome.”
Whether this was his first time encountering such a case, Jackson broke into a cold sweat. Meanwhile, Entur looked strangely relieved for some reason.
Ruth was equally troubled, so he pondered deeply if there was any possible solution.
Then suddenly,
‘……Ordinary fire can’t melt it?’
Jackson’s words flashed through his mind.
If ordinary fire didn’t work, would ‘special fire’ do the trick?
‘Nothing to lose anyway. It’s worth trying.’
Having come up with an idea, Ruth approached the furnace where bright red flames still blazed fiercely.
Jackson was startled by the sudden action, but only for a moment.
The instant Ruth extended his right arm toward the furnace,
[Lava Tribe’s Legacy]
Kwaaaaaaaa—!!
Crimson flames, as if they could melt the sun itself, erupted from Ruth’s right hand like a dragon’s breath.
The Lava Tribe was a demi-human race blessed with the power of fire. The flames they wielded did not extinguish easily and sometimes transcended the laws of nature to burn things that should be unburnable.
It was power that perfectly matched the condition of ‘special fire.’
And [Lava Tribe’s Legacy] was the skill that allowed a human to wield such flames.
Right then,
Fwoosh—!
The flames burning inside the furnace swelled dramatically as they merged with the Lava Tribe’s fire.
The ‘magic amplification’ rune engraved on the furnace explosively increased the firepower of [Lava Tribe’s Legacy].
And finally,
“Ah?!”
The <Dragon Eyes>, which had shown no change even within the high-temperature flames, began to melt little by little like molten iron.
Upon witnessing the scene, Jackson could not hide his excitement. He looked back and forth between Ruth, who was still emitting flames from his hand, and the <Dragon Eyes>.
‘I thought he needed a sword so he must be a swordsman… Just what is his true identity?’
He wasn’t using any artifact either. That fire was purely the boy’s own power and magic.
Jackson had seen mage-swordsmen who wielded both sword and magic before, but……
Most mage-swordsmen focused heavily on ‘swordsmanship’ while their magic remained mediocre.
However, the magic Ruth was using was different.
‘That… that is outstanding even when compared to the standards of high-circle mages.’
The proof was that he was melting the ancient dragon’s eye so easily.
While Jackson stood speechless, unable to close his mouth,
Even the person currently melting the <Dragon Eyes> had his heart pounding wildly.
[‘Authority of Growth’ is reacting to contact with noble mana at close range!]
[Rank value is increasing!]
[At close range…….]
[Rank value…….]
‘Maybe I should hug Demian next time I see him.’
Completely unexpected messages, like birthday gifts, were filling the air.
As the <Dragon Eyes> melted, the condensed dragon mana inside spread throughout the workshop like a fragrant aroma.
There was a setting that mages with high mana affinity would grow stronger simply by stepping into a place filled with high-purity mana.
But that was supposed to apply only to mages who handled mana—Blood Mages should not be affected……
Yet it seemed that didn’t matter in front of <Authority of Growth>.
[Rank value is increasing!]
[At close range…….]
[Rank value…….]
The stat increase messages kept appearing almost once every ten seconds.
Although maintaining the skill increased his blood ki consumption, Ruth felt lighter than ever.
“I will continue.”
“Yes……!”
<Don’t get excited while burning someone else’s eyeball, you perverts!>
The only one in a bad mood here was Entur.
***
The refining was completed successfully.
It should have been a moment for celebration, but Ruth felt somewhat disappointed.
The refining had finished faster than expected.
‘I wanted to melt it as long as possible so my Rank stat would rise even more…….’
<You psychopathic bastard……>
While Entur shuddered in disgust at Ruth, who was disappointed he couldn’t melt someone else’s eyeball for longer,
Jackson was still trembling with awe as he looked at the small red orb he had picked up with tongs.
Nora also couldn’t take her eyes off the orb, her body shaking.
“G-Grandfather. This is……”
“Yes. It is the core of the <Dragon Eyes>. A one-of-a-kind material that cannot be obtained anywhere else on the continent.”
This red orb was the extract obtained after melting away the impurities from the <Dragon Eyes>.
In other words, it could be considered the true essence of the <Dragon Eyes>.
Goooo—.
Though the orb was only the size of a small seed, the mana it emitted was of terrifying purity and immense quantity.
It felt less like an orb and more like facing an extremely small sun.
Jackson couldn’t even begin to imagine how much vast energy was condensed inside this tiny thing.
Ruth also exclaimed in admiration and asked,
“Is it finished?”
“Yes. It is flawless. Hmm, it might even be too perfect—that could be the problem.”
“Pardon?”
Instead of explaining to the tilting-headed Ruth,
Shing—.
Jackson suddenly brought over an iron sword hanging inside the workshop.
A groove for attaching magic-enchanted items had been carved in the middle of the sword’s hilt.
“As you’ve probably already noticed, benefactor, the refined <Dragon Eyes> contains far too much mana. That part is fine, but the problem is—”
The moment Jackson inserted the <Dragon Eyes> into the groove of the iron sword,
Crack—.
Crunch!!
The flawless iron sword shattered into pieces like a cookie in an instant.
“Hmm……”
“Most metals or iron will be unable to withstand the mana of the <Dragon Eyes> and will break like this. Even though this iron sword was made of ‘Thorium’.”
‘Thorium’ was one of the hardest metals. It was not something that broke easily.
“What kind of metal can withstand the <Dragon Eyes>?”
“Hmm, well… I think ‘Vulcart’ that grows in the Riter Mine would definitely work.”
“Vulcart…….”
Vulcart was one of the main materials used for crafting top-grade weapons and armor.
There were two ways to obtain it.
One was the Riter Mine behind the village that Jackson had just mentioned.
The other was in late-game regions like the Demon Sea.
‘The latter is basically suicide at my current level.’
So there was only one conclusion.
He had to go to the Riter Mine.
Since he was already in Riter Village, not going to the Riter Mine would be foolish.
“If we have Vulcart, you will be able to craft a sword worthy of the <Dragon Eyes>, Master.”
“……Y-you’re not seriously planning to go to the Riter Mine, are you?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t!”
Jackson cried out in horror. Nora’s face also turned deathly pale as she panicked.
“That place is monopolized by White… ah, no. The <Silver Snake Group>, and their main base is right on the path there!”
“T-that’s right! And deeper inside the mine lives the ‘Monster of the Mountain’! Even the <Silver Snake Group> doesn’t dare go near where the ‘Monster of the Mountain’ is sleeping…! Or do you have some good idea?”
Nora asked, wondering if he had some clever plan. Ruth nodded confidently.
“I do.”
“W-what is it?”
“Kill them all. Both the <Silver Snake Group> and the ‘Monster of the Mountain’.”
“…….”
Silence fell.
As Jackson and Nora stood frozen like statues, speechless,
Guoooooooooooo—!!
“……!”
“……?!”
A roar that seemed to tear apart heaven and earth erupted from somewhere.
Jackson and Nora, who had been wearing dazed expressions, hurriedly covered their ears and crouched low.
“No way……!”
As Jackson trembled like a leaf in terror, from outside the workshop came
“The Monster of the Mountain has appeared—!”
Despairing news echoed throughout the village.
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