The enormous amount of mana, somehow crammed into that small magic stone, instantly spread, filling the entire workshop.
It was a very beautiful scene, but at the same time it could make Yu IlHan melt or explode, annihilating everything, including the workshop itself, if something went wrong.
"Fuuu...fuu..."
The area was sealed to prevent the mana from leaking outside the workshop. Yu IlHan took deep breaths while calmly leading the mana filling the workshop. The mana that formed blue waves resisted his control and tried to escape, but Yu IlHan desperately held on, determined not to let a 5th-class magic stone go to waste.
The overflowing mana and Yu IlHan desperately guided it towards the armour. That scene looked similar to a god of the sea controlling the waves.
[Why does master make such a ruckus when creating a single item?]
[That's what's good about him, idiot.]
The armour, already resonating with the mana, began to take shape the moment it came into contact with the flowing mana. Yu IlHan's experience and knowledge as a blacksmith were changing not only the shape but also the metal's traits by using mana as a medium.
[The materials you filled inside the armour are evaporating!] (Mystic)
[It's not simply evaporating; it's reacting to the mana IlHan is controlling to shapeshift the inside of the armour… although it's still disgusting.]
It wasn't just that. The Iron-armoured fire dragon armour that acted as the mould could not withstand the molten metal's heat and the mana's pressure and melted down. It had completed its job as the mould for the new armour, but the important sentimental value that had influenced so many battles until now was just gone like that.
"Hhhp."
Of course, Yu IlHan was not planning to let go of that armour just like that. The fire-attribute resistance, along with the other options, was something he couldn't let go of!
The moment the armour melted, Yu IlHan led waves of mana to swallow the mana flowing from it as it was about to dissipate. Seeing the mana light turn red instantly, as if a red drop of ink had fallen into the sea, Liera also realized what was happening.
[So you didn't just melt it, but extracted it! I didn't know you could raise the effects that way...!]
"No, it was just my desperate attempt to not let go of the armour's effects."
Through the tedious and flashy-sounding process, the armour took shape. However, the process had just started!
The Iron-armoured fire dragon armour was replaced with pure white, thin metallic armour. When the strong mana that composed the 5th-class magic stone poured onto it, the white metal that had just begun to take shape as the armour started clanging and was processed in real time. It was an unbelievable sight.
[Wow, is making equipment all like this?] (Mystic)
[There's no way that's true.] (Liera)
A portion of mana became the anvil that supported the armour while the other portion became the hammer that shaped it. Can this really be called blacksmithing? However, another expression that fit this situation really couldn't be found. Liera could only stare at it, dumbfounded.
[Wow...]
The violent flow of mana, which seemed poised to explode at any moment, gradually weakened. During the armour's creation, it was naturally absorbed into it. The armour soon solidified completely and did not allow any further changes in form.
"Hhp."
However, the really important thing only just started from this moment. Yu IlHan focused to the extreme. Until now, a mistake would just end with affecting the outer appearance of the armour, but from now on, any mistake would bring this entire process to a failure.
He gathered the now less concentrated mana into one place to pull out a thin red thread from it. The string's mana concentration was high enough to kill any ordinary monster with a single strike!
[You weren't going to mana craft just like that?]
"Didn't I tell you? This is neither blacksmithing nor mana crafting. Please keep your volume down from now on."
Yu IlHan warned Liera, then closed his eyes completely. Then he stroked the surface of the armour, which had cooled quite a bit, to check the engravings he had etched just now.
The engravings were perfect. Now, it was time to fill them in! Yes, inlaying with pure, materialized mana was the climax of this process.
Inlaying with mana was a very absurd concept. Lower existences would laugh at him for failing to distinguish between matter and non-matter, and higher existences would laugh at him, asking why there was any need to confine mana to such a tiny space.
However, Yu IlHan couldn't care less about what the people around him said. As a loner, he didn't even know if what he was doing was right. He did it only in the way he thought was correct.
[Master, are you really a lowly 3rd-class?]
[Shush.]
Yu IlHan perfectly calculated the density and thickness of the red mana thread and started filling the engravings on the armour. The mana glowed and was absorbed into the engravings as they had found their homes, and at that moment, the league of the armour rose drastically.
No, perhaps that expression wasn't suitable. Just the armour that had the form had no meaning in and of itself. Only after inlaying the red mana did it come alive and start breathing.
If the Destroyer's Flying Fortress was a masterpiece that brought out Yu IlHan's everything at the largest scale possible, this armour could be said to be the opposite, and was no different from a process that compressed everything he could do in the smallest possible unit. There was no grandeur, but the mysticism and beauty did not lose out to the flying fortress.
"Hhp, fuu….."
[Au, so cool…..]
[And who was it that told me to keep quiet...]
[Shh.]
Red lines were being etched into various places of the blindingly white armour. As the frighteningly dense mana shrank, the lines on the armour grew brighter. As the work progressed, the emitted light grew stronger and stronger, but Yu IlHan's eyes were closed, so he wasn't affected.
An unknown amount of time had passed since the process began, and Yu IlHan realized his hand was now touching the very top of the helmet, and he heaved a deep sigh.
"Fuuu."
The frightening lumps of mana had now disappeared. They were all inlaid onto the armour, from the helmet to the boots. The red lines that looked like human blood vessels on top of the sturdy plate armor, gave a sense of fear, at the same a, strange beauty.
Especially the heart of the armour had a magical engraving that Yu IlHan had put his heart and soul into, and the red lines were so tangled that no one could really tell what they served.
[Did it end?] Liera carefully asked. Yu IlHan seemed to hesitate a little, but still nodded.
"Yes, for now."
At the moment Yu IlHan declared the end of the process, the armour emitted bright light again. In that light, Yu IlHan's retina was engraved with new text.
[Firedragon Body was complete.]
[Firedragon Body]
[Rank – Demigod]
[Defence – 15,000]
[Durability 2,000,000/2,000,000]
[User restrictions – 100% or more fire attribute resistance]
[Options –
1. 100% increase in fire attribute resistance and attack power.
2. Can freely change the form of the armour at will, and using the armour to attack will have 70% of the defence of the armour as attack power.
3. 30% increase in all Physical Combat-category skills.
4. 50% increase in all recovery-category skills.
5. Absorbs and re-analyzes weapons and armour before ejecting them.
6. Endlessly creates fire-attribute mana and stores it. The stored mana can be ejected for offensive purposes, and the power amplifies when using a fire-related ability.]
[One of the miracles made by the Blacksmith that creates myths. This is a masterpiece that all who wield fire will sell their souls to acquire. It is absurd in itself, but the armour still has a lot of uninterpreted engravings.]
"So there's a demigod rank."
Just as Yu IlHan was muttering that after looking at the armour, Liera replied as if it was nothing new.
[Yes, so you already created a God-ranked one, so Demigod seems easy to you, huh?]
"No, it still looks like it's higher than Chaos, and I never thought that this would become God-ranked."
[Why?]
"Because this is still incomplete. You have a feeling after looking at those options, right?"
[The part where it says it absorbs weapons and armour to re-analyze and eject them?]
"There's that too, but the more important one is the 6th option."
Liera, who didn't understand a single thing about the artifact even after looking at the same item window, pondered whether to retort, but decided to keep quiet. This was her common sense when dealing with Yu IlHan to keep her blood pressure down.
Meanwhile, Yu IlHan, who had never even thought about how she felt, called out to his partner to finish off the armour perfectly before he wore it.
"Orochi."
[Why do you call for me?] Orochi replied as if he was annoyed with everything in the world now. Perhaps that was because he got too many strong enemies lately. Yu IlHan, who understood how he felt, laughed and spoke.
"Time to move to your new house."
[New house….? Then, to that armour?] Orochi shouted in surprise. To think Yu IlHan put in all that effort to make his new home? However, Yu IlHan added a condition.
"How many perverted demon thought-souls are there inside me right now?"
[Around 300 thousand, I guess?]
"I'll let you move if you eat them all."
[...]
Orochi became silent for a moment, but still replied like a man after some time.
[I'll try.]
"When?"
[Right now.]
"Good."
Orochi escaped the Eight-tailed dragon spear and immediately invaded the 'space' where Yu IlHan had put all his thought-souls. Mystic, who thought back to how she had been in that space just a few moments ago, shuddered.
[Just what are those strange things in there? I think it'll be very hard for that guy to win.]
"But right now, the other thought-souls should have shrunk back due to your appearance. No matter how strong a lower existence they were, they're no different from frogs in front of a higher existence."
Said the 3rd class that killed 5th classes. Mystic, who was the person in question of 'being killed by a 3rd class despite being 5th class', ended up harbouring killing intent towards her master despite the fact that no one ordered her to. Yu IlHan didn't care, though, and continued explaining.
"So, I'll aim for this moment. And moreover, Orochi will grow quickly after he eats one or two of them."
Above all, Orochi had the safe haven known as the Eight-tailed Dragon Spear. They couldn't escape the thought-souls area, but only Orochi had a free exit pass!
[Kehk, Kugh, Kuhuk. I almost finished eating an entire one!]
"Do your best, Orochi!"
[Don't eat popcorn, dammit!]
As he had predicted, Orochi used his advantage to launch guerrilla attacks and succeeded in devouring a perverted demon in mere 15 seconds. That was the signal for Orochi's counterattack.
[Kuooooooh!]
[Kihaaaaaah!]
Watching the grand series drama in his head, Yu IlHan polished the Firedragon Body until it shined, cleaned his workshop, and chatted with Liera and Mystic to become closer. This was all very frustrating for Orochi!
And like that, the 30 minutes that felt like an eternity passed, and Orochi returned.
[I... finished them all. Urgh.]
Hearing the report from Orochi, which was now unbelievably stronger than before, and made him wonder if he was still a lower existence, Yu IlHan nodded in satisfaction and activated the skill. With the mastered Soul Enchant skill, he let it settle inside the Firedragon body.
[Infernal dragon body was complete.]
Checking the information on the artifact, which was still Demigod-ranked but had marginally better specs, he drove the Eight-tailed dragon spear into the armour with his hand.
Seeing the armour absorbing that while glowing, Liera screamed, but Yu IlHan only snorted and opened his inventory.
"Orochi, meal time!"
[I'm already full!]
That day, Yu IlHan emptied out his inventory to stuff the Infernal Dragon body.
Such was the creation of one of Yu IlHan's strategic classed weapons.