Irreversible (4)

“The process around the countercurrent has kept me busy, so I haven’t been able to contact you so far.” That evening, Kang Shin-hyuk was visiting Mirotoz. He had a hammer and chisel in hand, carefully processing the giant tree roots Halo had prepared for him while talking with Halo through the leaves beside him. Even though the work had yet to progress through even a tenth of what was needed, the elves were watching him with bright admiration-filled eyes.

[It must be embarrassing.]

Halo let out a laugh as soon as he heard about the incident from Shin-hyuk.

[How much effort would the little child go to in conveying her heart to you? Please measure it.]

“You sound more like her grandfather.”

[We were all similar. Just like when that child first accessed the Hero Universe, wasn’t it also difficult for you and me?]

“That’s…well, it was.” As the synchronization rate increased, his memories of accessing the Hero Universe in his previous life became clearer. Among them were the memories of Eunah when she had first entered the Hero Universe at the age of five. They were particularly vivid, perhaps as a result of him growing closer to her.

“If only she had treated me more like a brother like Janus, then the relationship wouldn’t be as distorted as it is now.”

[Well, Janus is a bit too carefree. Eunah needed Anvil at the time, I bet.]

Anvil, Halo, Janus. Those were the three people who cared for Eunah the most when she was young. It was clear when you saw Halo and Janus regularly exchange messages with her.

[And what do you mean by distorted? In my view, it is very straightforward.]

“Halo, you are still too far away. If this is straightforward, then Korean drama would be a highway.”

[It’s fun to watch you like this.]

“I see you’re also someone who watches Korean drama regularly…” He struck at the roots of the tree as he responded bluntly. He could practically hear the smile in Halo’s voice.

[Nothing to worry about. When you return, ask Eunah to meet with you. Just meet her and hug her as he would.]

“Wouldn’t her dependence only grow worse?”

[I swear it will be fine. This sort of shock therapy is most appropriate for that child.]

“Shock therapy…?” Why was a hug being called shock therapy? Didn’t Eunah wish for her grandfather’s unconditional love?

[Anvil, you said there was a woman on your mind?]

“Ah, yes. It’s a bit complicated.”

[For Eunah’s sake, I hope you can get along with her.]

“??” He couldn’t really understand what Halo was talking about, but he was grateful for the support of his relationship with Claire.

“I hope so too.”

[Yes, then the rest will take care of itself. Try to behave manly, Anvil. I believe in you.]

“You’re a little weird today.”

[It has to be…ah, I’m just a little jealous of Anvil, who lives in a lively way.]

“I want to refrain from such vigorous living personally…” With a sigh, he raised the hammer again.

[Meet and hug her. Don’t forget.]

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

[And don’t tell Tsukuyo.]

“I also don’t want to do that.” Work resumed as the two reached a consensus; Kang Shin-hyuk’s heart calmed down from the repetitive work. The only thought left in his mind was the magic circle around the naga priest he fought the other day. It looked like it was smelting his body. As he thought that, he began to grow tired of hammering.

[Huh. You in the previous life weren’t like that.]

“I know. I still have a long way to go if I want to keep up with that.”

[That’s not it. The branch has changed. The Anvil from the previous life was technically complete before accessing the Hero Universe.]

“Ah…looking at it, yes…Maybe.” No matter how much he had awakened the memories of Anvil, he was different. He had been processing and stacking new skills and techniques on top of the old ones he had instinctively learned upon awakening his metallurgy. That had been shown when he worked with an enchanter, which Anvil in the previous life wouldn’t have, nor would he have challenged the realm of All-craft without completing his blacksmithing skills.

“That couldn’t be good.”

[What did you think of?]

“What did you think of? For me, it was about the standard of metallurgy.”

[Isn’t that good? The way you approach it may be different, but you will be able to reach the highest level again someday.]

Perhaps he would do it faster than in his previous life, was what Halo wanted to say, but swallowed the words. Anvil, in his previous life, reached that realm many failed to quickly, but to be even faster than that…

‘No, since he was reincarnated, wouldn’t that fit?’ It was like he was being supplemented by the experiences of his previous life. When he reached the top again, his metallurgy would be even greater than it had ever been.

[I’m really happy to be able to see the process like this.]

“Huh?” Focused on his work, Kang Shin-hyuk didn’t quite catch what was said. Halo merely laughed it off, however.

[I think at this speed, you could complete it within a year.]

“…Saying that is already making me lose motivation.”

***

After a few hours of work on the shackles, he moved onto personal work. He wanted to process the parts of the new monsters he had acquired throughout his vacation.

“Let’s look at the thorn wolf first.” That was the first monster he encountered on entering the battlefield.

“The by-products are also big.” The first thing he pulled out was the loot of the elite entity Eleanor had killed. It had been automatically routed and stored at the moment of its death, but the harvested tail was larger than Kang Shin-hyuk if set upright. Eleanor had said she would give up the loot in exchange for renting the lance, but that wasn’t all it was to Kang Shin-hyuk. Processing such a high-level corpse would help his skill-level rise and increase the possibility of producing high-grade weapons.

“So how should I do this? It would be best to use the tail.”

-The tail is one of the strongest traits of the world.

“But, I have to make it with all-craft.”

-That’s right.

For that reason, the tail went back into the inventory. All-craft wasn’t an easy thing for him to attempt. The most stable way to process the tail would be to work with Lee Na-hee’s mana craft. He promised himself to work on it once more before the vacation was over.

‘Let’s make spears using the bones and blood instead.’ He focused on melting down the metallic thorns of the wolves, dipping them in the blood to cool. It was a method that Anvil, in his previous life, had tried in the later years. Doing so made it possible to amplify the abilities of the artifact if the appropriate monster’s blood was used.

‘When I used my spiritual power, I can vividly remember it.’ He continued to strike with his hammer as he analyzed the thorns with his spiritual power. It reached out to penetrate into the bones as the hammer strengthened them, before returning to Kang Shin-hyuk, forming a cycle of spiritual power between them. That was the unique technique of Kang Shin-hyuk, of Anvil, that none dared replicate.

[You are still you.]

Halo spoke once more, but Kang Shin-hyuk was completely immersed in his word. Golden waves overflowed from his eyes to cover the hammer and bones.

[What do you think, administrator? About what Anvil and I were discussing earlier.]

-Do you mean, Master Halo, about the vicious tricks you proposed to get our member in trouble?

[Administrator…]

Halo sounded tired as he responded to the administrator’s obsessive words, but the administrator already knew what Halo was trying to say.

-If you are talking about metallurgy, don’t worry. His skills haven’t disappeared. Rather, he is currently learning additional skills suited for a new world.

[Isn’t getting blood on his sword a huge factor?]

-Many encounters and experiences, including that, shape him.

Halo laughed at the words.

[Well said, administrator.]

-What is that?

[I was told that there was a chat with Tsukuyo.]

-…You’re really brave too.

Kang Shin-hyuk stopped working at that moment, wiping the whetstone clean before examining the spear blade.

-You have created a masterpiece [Wolf Thorn Javelin (S-)], which brings out the abilities of the monsters it is crafted from! Proficiency in metallurgy has greatly increased!

-Synchronization has accelerated- current rate of 32.5%.

Halo and the administrator looked at the finished product with admiration. An S- rank javelin was a tremendous achievement, but it was still a rank attainable in his past. He wanted to create an S-rank artifact.

“Then, let’s make something else.” Actually, there had been a separate main dish for his work. Kang Shin-hyuk did not hide his anticipation as he pulled out the naga priest’s body and the scythe he held.

[Huh.]

Halo let out a sound of surprise as he examined the scythe.

Only

[How did you get it?]

“…Hm?” Kang Shin-hyuk looked up blankly.

[Isn’t that the scythe I asked you to make? That was what I wanted to ask for before, but you came to it even without me saying anything.]

“This scythe…why?”

[What are you talking about? Isn’t there only one use for a scythe?]

Halo sounded confused.

[To farm, of course.]

His image of a reaper wielding a sickle was severely shattered.