Chapter 28
Crack...!
The sculpture split apart, and that enchanting light I never got tired of seeing leaked out from the cracks.
[A "Moderately Large Story" is being contained within the item!]
[Story Type: Legend of Guan Yu at the Battle of Boma]
Ding!
[Green Dragon Crescent Blade (B+)]
[A weapon said to have been used by Guan Yu before he became the Martial God.
Created by Do Hwa-in.
!WARNING! A "Moderately Large Story" has seeped into the item!
→ 2 unique characteristics have been created!
*1. The morale of the soldiers under the general's command rises.
Each time the Green Dragon Crescent Blade cuts down an enemy's head, the soldiers' morale rises.
The chance of soldiers suffering fatal injuries decreases.
*2. The general's martial prowess rises.
Each time the Green Dragon Crescent Blade cuts down an enemy's head, the general's martial prowess rises.]
"A buff...?"
Maybe because I'd created it while imagining the Battle of Boma, where Guan Yu gained widespread fame by taking Yan Liang's head in one charge, the characteristics had turned out rather unusual.
I'd have to test it directly to know exactly how powerful the buffs were.
Still....
I stared at the parts that said Moderately Large Story and B+.
"I doubt the buff values are low."
If anything, in an environment with lots of weaker monsters inside a Gate, this could become incredibly powerful toward the latter half of the raid.
"Well, I'll ask Kim Sang-hyeon to test it. Then we'll know for sure."
The preparation period for the massive Gate was a month and a half.
Since they were going into a massive Gate, they would definitely gather the Raid Team during that time and practice working together.
They had to prepare for every possible scenario even without knowing the environment inside.
Before making the next weapon, I decided to hand the Green Dragon Crescent Blade over to Kim Sang-hyeon first.
Judging from the way its characteristics referred to a general and soldiers, giving it to him early would probably help them formulate their raid strategy too.
"Yes, hello. Vice Guild Master Kim Sang-hyeon...."
Kim Sang-hyeon stared at the Green Dragon Crescent Blade resting on his office desk for a long time.
He wasn't merely reading its status window.
As someone who openly called himself a fan of Artist Do Hwa-in, he was taking his time admiring the weapon's appearance.
Of all things, a Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
Who would ever have imagined that such a legendary weapon could exist as an actual item?
Artist Do seemed to surprise him every single time.
And this appearance....
The scales of the green dragon coiling up the black shaft glittered as though they might start moving at any moment.
The dragon's head engraved across the blade itself radiated a sense of pressure.
Its two eyes seemed to look down on the entire world.
And the blade that formed the dragon's fang was so sharp that....
"Oh."
Kim Sang-hyeon had unconsciously brushed his finger against it.
A small cut appeared.
The wound itself was trivial.
But considering Kim Sang-hyeon was an S-Class Hunter, even that was surprising.
"It really is a weapon on the level of A-Class."
Artist Do had kept his promise.
The status window might say B+, but the symbolism of the weapon and the characteristics attached to it could very well make it superior to an A-Class Gate item.
The ranks of items created by Artist Do's skill definitely don't follow ordinary standards. If he eventually creates A-Class or even S-Class items with this skill.... the world could change.
If Yeonwoo Guild had ever lost Artist Do, Kim Sang-hyeon would probably have regretted it for the rest of his life.
It was truly fortunate that Eom Seok-hwan had been someone the artist could trust.
That connection was what had brought Artist Do to Yeonwoo Guild in the first place.
"Hmm. Should I give Team Leader Eom a bonus? And of course, we'll have to reconsider how much we're paying Artist Do as well."
Kim Sang-hyeon stopped his thoughts there and immediately picked up the guild's internal phone.
He couldn't simply sit around admiring the Green Dragon Crescent Blade anymore.
It had been a long time since he'd felt this restless.
When had his blood last run this hot?
"Yes. I'd like to move the training schedule forward. The Raid Team members for the massive Gate are currently doing individual training, correct? Inform each team leader and tell them to gather in one hour."
There was an unmistakable note of excitement in Kim Sang-hyeon's voice as he remembered his younger days.
It certainly didn't sound like the voice of someone about to attempt South Korea's first solo clear of a massive Gate in the middle of the Association's schemes.
"This is incredible, Artist Do!"
The voice coming through the phone was shockingly excited.
Was this really a call from the normally calm and gentle Kim Sang-hyeon?
I actually checked my phone without thinking.
"That's good to hear. I wasn't sure how useful it would be since the characteristic turned out to be a buff."
"Hahaha! It's actually better this way! Apparently, anyone I personally recognize as a soldier under my command receives the buff."
That meant there was no limit on the number of targets.
It wouldn't be able to show its full potential in ordinary Gates where only a small group entered.
But there was still nothing disappointing about that.
"In future joint operations, Yeonwoo Guild may even be able to claim overall command authority because of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade."
Since he had to stand as the general in order to provide the buff, Yeonwoo Guild now had one more reason to take the representative role even when several guilds cooperated on a Gate.
"You really seem to like it."
"It's the best."
The answer came instantly, as if he'd been waiting to say it.
"Most buff-type items take the form of ceremonial equipment. Because of that, the best method was usually to use them before battle and finish things before the effect expired. There are Hunters with buff skills as well, but... they're rare, and they usually have limits on how many people they can affect."
Kim Sang-hyeon finished his explanation with a firm conclusion.
"As the vice guild master of a major guild, I've experienced many different buffs. But this Green Dragon Crescent Blade is the best. Not only can it provide buffs in the middle of combat, the effects can stack."
"Do you think it'll make a significant difference inside the massive Gate?"
"I'm almost tired of saying how positive the prediction looks."
The call ended there.
Kim Sang-hyeon said his soldiers still hadn't adapted to the buff yet, so he needed to return to training.
He's already just calling the Raid Team members soldiers now.
One thing was certain.
Kim Sang-hyeon had become completely intoxicated by the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
"Now all that's left is a sword for Guild Master Shin Ha-gyeon."
I'd actually spent far longer deciding on his weapon than I had with the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
Since Kim Sang-hyeon's weapon had ended up with buff characteristics, I wanted Shin Ha-gyeon's sword to gain something different.
Besides, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade only buffed the general wielding it and the soldiers under his command.
That meant Shin Ha-gyeon, who held a higher position than Kim Sang-hyeon, probably wouldn't receive the effect.
And considering how much respect the Yeonwoo Guild Raid Team had for Shin Ha-gyeon, I thought it would be better to give him characteristics that directly strengthened his own combat power.
I only finally decided today after thinking about it forever.
Durandal.
The legendary sword of France.
It was the famous weapon wielded by a knight named Roland in the epics The Song of Roland and Orlando Furioso.
Durandal had such clear legendary characteristics that I wasn't too worried about it randomly turning into another buff item.
Its traits were overwhelming destructive power and a blade that would never dull or chip.
According to legend, an angel had descended and placed holy relics inside Durandal, granting the sword divine protection.
Well, I can't deny that this choice is partly because I personally like it.
Roland, the legendary knight of Europe.
And his sword, Durandal.
Wasn't that just as exciting a subject as the Green Dragon Crescent Blade?
And for a weapon like that, the most fitting material would be....
The Sacred Wood of Dirom.
I still had some Sacred Wood left from the <Pilgrim> commission.
It wasn't large enough for another extra-large sculpture, so I'd simply stored it away.
As expected, everything found a use eventually.
Durandal was, after all, a holy sword.
Among the materials I possessed, Sacred Wood fit the image of holiness better than anything else.
Even if the raw material was wood, once I used Pygmalion...
It would surely transform into something worthy of the legend.
Next is the design.
There was no definitive description of Durandal's appearance, so deciding on its form took quite a while.
But the Green Dragon Crescent Blade had also included my own imagination.
In the end, imagination was what completed legends and myths.
There was nothing wrong with that.
So I simply had to create a sword worthy of the knight among knights.
Around 140 centimeters long.
A double-edged Western sword with a long crossguard.
Every hammer strike split the wood with a sharp crack.
Pak! Pak!
Between the cracks, clusters of stars glittered inside the material.
It was a sight I never got tired of seeing.
Once the central axis of the sword had taken shape, I began decorating the crossguard and hilt.
Since the holy relics were supposedly stored in the hilt, I paid particular attention to that section.
I tried to make it look as mysterious and sacred as possible.
"Pygmalion!"
Crack...
Fractures appeared across the surface of the Sacred Wood.
Brilliant light began leaking through them.
But my excitement only lasted for a moment.
[A "Moderately Large Story" is being contained within the item!]
[Story Type: Legend of Durandal]
[!WARNING! There is insufficient "Story Material"!]
[An incomplete Story will be contained!]
A barrage of notifications filled my vision.
At the same time...
Clang!
An ominous sound rang out.
Eventually, a completely ordinary sword was left in front of me.
Its form was definitely the sword I'd carved.
But it looked far too plain to be called Durandal.
Its Aura was faint.
The blade itself looked fragile enough to snap at any moment.
The status window was no better.
