Chapter 81 - Chapter 81

Chapter 81

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Translated by Jinmu

Read more at hivetoons.org

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For nations climbing through the undead section, the Holy Sword's existence was like a dependable pillar of support.

If things seemed like they couldn't be managed from the 60th floor range onward, they could just pay ten million dollars and rent it.

There was nothing stopping them from using the Holy Sword from the very start either.

Ten floors of the undead section.

Clear all ten floors by renting the Holy Sword, and that's 100 million dollars.

Factoring in a six-month deadline for each floor's clear.

Assuming they stretched it to the full limit, that bought five years.

100 million dollars to hold off tower collapse for five years is a bargain price.

And yet, it had snapped.

The Holy Sword, that is.

It had even snapped in real time, right before the world's eyes.

Articles exploding outward.

"The Harrowing Moment of the Holy Sword's Severing (Video Attached)"

"The Bell Tolling for Tower Collapse?"

"Nations Climbing the 60th Floor Range Shocked! How Could This Happen"

"Is Repair Possible? Even if Repaired, Doubts Remain Over Whether the Effect Would Continue"

"Item Repair Expert: Tower reward items and crafted items differ. Minor damage might be repayable, but severe damage is irreparable"

"Who Bears Responsibility for the Holy Sword's Destruction?"

"Saudi Arabia, which last used it, naturally should be held accountable."

"Saudi Government: We returned it properly. The damage occurred after the return."

"South Korean Government Hints at International Court Referral, Legal Battle Unavoidable."

"South Korean Awakening Management Agency Demands Nasser's 66th Floor Clear Bodycam Footage."

"Saudi Government: Bodycam Footage Release Prohibited Policy."

"UAE, Crown Prince Bin-Sala Issues Critical Statement Against Saudi Arabia."

Comments flooding in from the public:

"Damn it!"

"Those damned oil-nation people."

"Don't come after me. I'll set the oil fields on fire."

"What? They say it broke after returning it? Just release the bodycam! You bastards!"

"Isn't it obvious why they won't release the bodycam?"

"Of course. Because they have something to hide."

"Compensation must be demanded. Minimum 10 billion dollars."

"Would they pay? It's a bit ambiguous. It broke after it was returned."

"Either way, what do we do? The 60th floor range nations are going to be in deep trouble."

"They'll manage somehow. No worries for us."

"Hah! Nations with an S++ record holder can relax."

The Awakening Management Agency's phones were on fire too.

Nations that had already reserved, nations that had been planning to reserve.

Asking whether it was truly impossible to repair, and if so, shouldn't they be making alternative plans.

But as always,

No answer was provided.

The Agency had no clever options either.

* * *

The original plan was to camp outdoors in the fresh air for just one night.

Whether a trip or camping, one or two nights was fun, but anything beyond that was hardship.

That was how it was for Joo-hyuk.

Couldn't wash leisurely, and the sleeping situation was hardly comfortable.

But unexpected work had come up.

Repairing the Holy Sword.

He couldn't do it at the penthouse, so he'd have to hunker down here until the repair was done.

What Rajix required for repairing the Holy Sword was two things only.

A small electric smelter capable of melting metal.

And a forge used for heating iron.

That very day, a forge and small electric smelter were delivered from the Agency to Joo-hyuk's villa in Namyangju.

Rajix poured all the sacred relic fragments he'd collected inside the tower into the smelter.

The broken Holy Sword was being heated in the forge.

Sacred relics.

Objects imbued with divine power.

No, to be precise, they should be called Holy Attribute objects.

Though both terms were used interchangeably, a strict distinction should be made.

That's what Gyeon Dal-rae had said.

"Divine Power and the Holy Attribute are inherently different in nature."

"Is that so? How are they different?"

"Would you permit me to explain from the beginning?"

"We have plenty of time. Let's just hear the story."

Gyeon Dal-rae gathered her thoughts for a moment, then began speaking.

"There is not just one deity, my lord. In this world, there existed countless gods, each with a different identity."

That was correct.

If there was more than one dimension, why would there be only one god?

The various different worlds the summoned entities had lived in had gods as well.

The human gods, the gods of dwarves and elves, the gods of beastmen, and so on, gods from different dimensions.

"Young master, could you combine and merge into one the unique divine power, as it were the sovereign authority of each of these gods?"

"I'm not sure."

"Impossible. They cannot be mixed. Authority is not something that is blended."

Then what about the sacred relics Rajix had collected?

"Those can be mixed."

Why would that be?

Gyeon Dal-rae's explanation continued.

For example, consider beverages.

Cola, soda, banana milk, orange juice, strawberry juice, apple juice, mango juice...

The unique taste, aroma, and fruit juice within a beverage was the unique authority and identity possessed by each god.

But if you stripped away the taste, aroma, and fruit juice of that beverage, what would remain?

Nothing but water and sugar.

That sugar was what you could think of as the Holy Attribute.

A fundamental power left behind when a god's unique individuality and authority had faded.

Add one amount of sugar to another amount of sugar?

It's just sugar.

The sweetness only deepens.

Then why had the unique divine power disappeared?

Because the world had perished.

The gods had shared their fate with the worlds that perished.

Just looking at Lucius Bardin was a clear example.

A Holy Knight who claimed to serve the god Naigel, unable to defy a single instruction from the summoner.

How could this even make sense?

Of course it did.

The god Naigel remained only as a name; the rest had vanished.

Lucius Bardin was a summoned entity possessing the Holy Attribute, nothing more and nothing less.

The sacred relics Rajix had collected also retained only the Holy Attribute.

Melt them all down and fuse them onto the Holy Sword to rebuild the damaged patterns?

Like adding sugar to sugar to make a lump of sugar sweeter and sweeter still.

"The Holy Attribute added to the Holy Attribute becomes a Holy Sword of profoundly deep, rich Holy Attribute."

"Ah, I see."

Rajix had known that too.

That was why he'd said from the start that he could repair it.

'Wyee...'

First, he put the collected sacred relic fragments and the orichalcum ingots into the electric smelter.

Metal fragments went in as they were; wooden and stone-based sacred relics were ground to powder first.

Then he flipped the switch to smelt.

After waiting briefly, the Holy Attribute molten metal began bubbling away.

The broken Holy Sword needed to be heated as well.

Gobang worked the bellows with a whoosh, whoosh until it glowed red in the forge.

When it seemed sufficient, the molten Holy Attribute metal was used to join the broken portions of the Holy Sword.

Then Rajix took a golden anvil and golden hammer from his subspace backpack and began pounding the Holy Sword.

Reinforcing work.

Pouring the melted Holy Attribute metal between strokes, then hammering again.

It took quite a bit of time.

It required a lot of materials too.

Fortunately, enough had been gathered inside the tower.

The finishing step was enchanting.

Skills and items unlocked upon ascending to SSR rank.

The Workhorse's Essential Item Encyclopedia was one, and Enchanting was another among them.

He traced the patterns faintly remaining on the blade surface. Chiseling them out to a uniform depth and width.

Cross-checking with the encyclopedia and magnifying glass to see if there were any mistakes in the pattern.

He mixed the remaining Holy Attribute molten metal with Mana Stones to prepare the material needed for enchanting.

Then filling the carved grooves with the material.

Now almost complete.

All that was left was taking a whetstone from the subspace backpack and finishing it.

Sharpening the edge and grinding it smooth.

Beads of sweat ran down Rajix's face.

If doing something, do it thoroughly.

Finally.

"Wyeeeeek!"

Rajix raised the Holy Sword high and let out a cry.

Joo-hyuk came rushing over.

"Did you finish it?"

"Wyee, it's done."

"Oh my goodness! Our Rajix, you really worked hard."

"Wyeeng!"

"Good grief! Look at this sweat. Hey! What are you doing? Get something to wipe the sweat!"

The summoned entities came clattering over.

"Wow, Rajix workhorse, you're looking badge-worthy here, you are. I'll fan you, sir."

"This girl nearly weeps. Even if ten truckloads of Cossack came, could they compare to one premier manservant?"

"Supply Officer, allow me to embrace you. Wipe your sweat on my chest."

"Wyee?"

"Cossack, you rascal! Get back! Why are you pressing up against him?"

"...Ah, no, I'm also sweating, so..."

"Assassin, I will wipe you off. Come here."

"Yikes?"

One final step remained.

Checking that it functioned properly inside the tower.

Joo-hyuk took the Holy Sword, and together with the summoned entities, entered the tower.

Whoosh!

It didn't take long.

They came back out quickly.

Whoosh!

The moment they exited, he immediately lifted his phone and dialed.

"Hello. This is the Deputy Director. The repaired Holy Sword can be collected."

They'd probably be shocked.

Seeing the changed Holy Sword.

Repair time: a full two days.

That said, he'd probably have to double the rental fee going forward?

* * *

A countermeasure meeting was being held in America as well.

With the Holy Sword damaged, what possible method could they use to clear the 67th floor's Undead Phantom Reaper?

Secretary MacMillan from the Department of Homeland Security, Director Antonio, and top player Gerald Watson had gathered.

Player Gerald Watson was pessimistic.

Shaking his head vigorously.

"Absolutely no way. Without a replacement item for the Holy Sword, the clear would be impossible."

"...Even Light-attribute items?"

"Those are barely useful, I keep telling you. Compared to the radiance, they're garbage."

"Sigh."

So frustrating.

What bad luck was this?

"Antonio, what's South Korea's Awakening Management Agency saying? Can it be repaired?"

"Haven't gotten a definitive answer. South Korea, well..."

"They won't be in any rush. They have an S++ clear record holder."

"And repair is likely impossible. We tried it ourselves, didn't we? In the tower reward item mass production plan."

"That we did."

Tower reward items were incomparably superior to self-crafted items.

But with an extremely rare probability.

So what if they scanned a reward item and had something like a 3D printer reproduce it?

Using tower metals as the material, of course.

But it was a failure.

The replicated item had no options attached whatsoever.

Same for damaged items.

No matter how identically they reproduced it, if a key part was broken, that was the end.

"Of all places, the patterns were engraved on the broken part of the Holy Sword. Even if it gets reattached, do you think the options will recover?"

"Damn it!"

Secretary MacMillan erupted in anger.

"We need to get our hands on Nasser's bodycam clear footage. We have to see with our own eyes what that crazy son of a... did."

"Will they share it? They might have already deleted it."

"Freaking... Light-attribute item rental to Saudi Arabia, banned from here on."

* * *

France, which had been next in line after Saudi Arabia, was equally exasperated.

There had been more than three months remaining until the French Black Tower's clear deadline.

So why had they rushed to book the Holy Sword?

Because France's top player Guillaume Loiret's condition was anything but normal.

He was on a razor's edge.

So much so that even antidepressants couldn't calm the symptoms.

So they'd advised him not to enter the tower.

It was clear that Dark Aura was having a negative impact.

Then they'd come to learn of the Holy Sword's option.

Stalwart Spirit.

Might this perhaps be effective for Guillaume too?

So they'd hurriedly made a reservation.

Hoping that having the Holy Sword would be of some help.

But now it had all come to nothing.

Even the last thread of hope had vanished.

"Because of that Nasser, the tower's going to collapse. Would rather the Eiffel Tower had collapsed instead."

"We were next in line. How about using that as leverage?"

"Leverage for what?"

"It's Nasser who cleared the 65th floor without the Holy Sword, after all, isn't it? We could demand a temporary naturalization. Asking him to clear France's 65th floor."

"I'm not sure it'll work, but... put pressure on them and see. Nothing to lose."

But they wouldn't play along willingly.

If they complied, it would be admitting responsibility for the Holy Sword's destruction.

"Where is Guillaume?"

"Currently at home."

"He hasn't entered the tower, has he?"

"T-that's hard to say..."

Preferably hope he doesn't enter the tower, but how does one stop a player from entering?

Just pray that the depression eased.

* * *

South Korea's officially known top player.

Nam Ga-eun came to the Agency again today.

Exercised in the gym in the morning, ate in the staff cafeteria.

An Elite player but practically one of the Agency's staff, she'd become.

In truth, Nam Ga-eun was someone whose mental state had also taken a severe blow.

It would be a lie to say she'd been unaffected by the unexpected incident at the HG Hotel.

The spine-chilling experience of being taken hostage, a pale blue blade pressing into her neck.

She had been terrified.

The trauma had taken deep root.

She couldn't sleep properly after that day.

But there'd been something helping her through those moments.

The Holy Sword.

The strange thing was that the moment she entered the tower and grabbed the Holy Sword, every last trace of fear, anxiety, and worry washed away entirely.

Stalwart Spirit.

That was the strength that had kept her going.

Yet what was this? The Holy Sword had snapped.

Because of that bastard Nasser.

'Haah.'

There were only sighs.

Without the Holy Sword, what would happen? What about the 67th floor clear, right now?

All kinds of negative thoughts rushed in at once.

'I want to find the strength, but...'

Completely robbed of motivation, her shoulders sunken, Nam Ga-eun.

She didn't even want to enter the tower.

'Should I just retire?'

She knew she wasn't the only one struggling.

Even the Agency staff had gloomy expressions.

Especially the Holy Sword's actual owner, Player Bong Joo-hyuk, must be feeling an enormous heartbreak.

She wanted to see him later and at least offer some words of comfort, but...

Right at that moment!

"Player Nam Ga-eun."

"Oh, Deputy Director."

"If you're not busy, could you come see me for a moment?"

"Yes..."

What was he going to say?

It would be the same old story.

Don't despair, let's try to persevere, something like that.

Nam Ga-eun followed Jeon Kwang-il into his office.

Inside, Team Leader Lee Min-ah was waiting.

"Unnie?"

"Come in, Ga-eun."

And then.

Click, the door being locked by Jeon Kwang-il.

Why this.

Why lock the door all of a sudden?

"From this point forward, everything that occurs must be kept strictly confidential. Can you manage that?"

"...Um, yes."

"You must absolutely promise."

"I get it."

Lee Min-ah retrieved a long object from her inventory.

"Oh?"

One look was enough.

How could she not recognize it.

"H-Holy Sword? Is that a Holy Sword? It was snapped! Is this a counterfeit?"

"It's not a counterfeit. It's been repaired."

"Good heavens!"

Its appearance had changed too.

If the previous Holy Sword had been a worn-out second-hand item, the Holy Sword before her now could practically be called brand new.

"I ran a check first. The effect is incredible. Ga-eun, you confirm it in the undead section."

Like one entranced, Nam Ga-eun took the Holy Sword; the item information appeared.

Tower-Exclusive Roland Holy Kingdom Paladin Commander's Holy Sword.

Effect: Increased attack power against undead, Sacred Flame, Stalwart Spirit, Critical Hit rate increase.

Limitation: Effects do not apply against enemies other than undead.

Characteristic: A powerful radiance will be bestowed upon the user's sword and body.

"...My goodness."

Two things had changed.

The "insufficient durability" option was deleted from the Limitation.

And the Characteristic changed from "gentle" radiance to "powerful" radiance.

'Just how in the world...'

This was no time to stand around.

Go into the tower and confirm.

"I'll go and be back."

Whoosh!

[Entering the 66th floor of South Korea's Black Tower.]

Nam Ga-eun, Holy Sword in hand.

"...Holy..."

Blazing, the flames of radiance enveloped her entire body.

In this very moment, she was the sun itself.

"Yes!"

Courage welling up, her mentality hardened like steel.

Nam Ga-eun stepped forward.

Whoooosh! A Specter flying straight at her.

"You came at the right time. Come here!"

Slash!

First skill and the wing was severed.

Slash!

Second skill and the tail was severed.

Slash!

Third skill and the body was severed.

Whoooosh!

The Specter burned and scattered to ash.

"YEAAAAH! Strength! Strength! Strength!"

Truly, it was a Holy Sword of perfect effect.

Far more so than before the repair.