Chapter 45: Rani, the Weapon Smith

They say humans are creatures of adaptation.

That’s the Woonjang-style way of speaking.

At first, it was confusing…

But now, I understand it smoothly as soon as I hear it.

[Staff = the Cheongryong Eonwoldo I’m holding]

‘Come to think of it, it feels like the staff is shaking a bit?’

Good timing.

I was just about to time it anyway.

“Let’s go to the training ground together.”

“Alright.”

If I had known this, I should’ve stopped Rani earlier…

She’d be fully focused on her training by now.

“Ah.”

Of course.

As soon as we got to the training ground, familiar sounds greeted us.

Thump, thud, thump, thud.

“Hehe.”

Hammering cheerfully with a bright smile.

That sounds like when she’s deeply focused…

Still, just in case, I leaned in quietly.

“Bokdeongi?”

“Huh?”

‘What?’

‘How did she hear that?’

Usually, she doesn’t even blink when training right next to me.

“You called for Rani?!”

“Of course. If Bokdeongi isn’t Rani, then who else is here?”

She nodded —

Our Rani, who loves Bokdeongi’s voice, came running excitedly.

“What’s up?”

“Let me introduce you.”

“This is our Bokdeongi.”

“She’s amazing at crafting weapons.”

“Rani, the Woonjang says he needs a staff.”

“Grandpa’s? Great! Rani will make it! I actually already have what Grandpa needs from Gomdori! Gomdo-ri!”

‘Todd?’

“Ah, inventory.”

“Rani, did you forget?”

I can open the inventory too.

So stop poking Todd’s belly.

You’ll burst the stitches…

But first, let me open the inventory.

[Cheongryong Eonwoldo Shard]

I slid the shard out.

“Rani, do you recognize this?”

“Yeah! Right! It’s a great material that Rani likes! It suits Grandpa perfectly!”

Right?

Even to me, it looks just right.

“Hmm… but Grandpa, why do you need a staff?”

“Uh…”

Hmm.

Looks like Rani still hasn’t mastered the Woonjang-style way of speaking.

That staff isn’t the kind you think.

‘Woonjang?’

This calls for an explanation.

“Um, the staff the main magician wants is this kind of staff.”

How thoughtful.

It’s a staff.

No, actually, looking at the Eonwoldo he’s holding…

“Huh? This isn’t a staff…”

Rani tilted her head in confusion again.

‘Confusing, isn’t it?’

But well, it’s not important right now.

“Anyway, you just have to make that. Can you do it?”

“Yeah! Rani likes making this more than staffs! It’s fun!”

Good.

That’s exactly the answer I wanted.

“Then, Rani, give me the materials!”

Getting ready to make a weapon after a while must have excited her.

Rani’s eyes sparkled.

Oh?

Now she’s poking my thigh too.

Alright, calm down.

“What materials should I give?”

“I can’t list them all… but since these are good materials, Rani will need a lot of other materials too!”

“Oh, that many?”

“Yes!”

“Well… yeah.

Even when making daggers or shields, we needed tons of materials.

Ugh.

If we hadn’t raided all the warehouses in China, I wouldn’t even dare to try.”

Still, there’s plenty left for now.

“Here, take as much as you want!”

“Yay! Nice!”

‘Want me to open the inventory?’

Rani hummed happily and started shopping.

I wonder what materials she’ll take this time.

“Huuuum.”

Looks like she’s pondering.

***

After a while, she asked, “Grandpa, which do you like better — burning hot or freezing cold?”

“Hehe, it’s gotta be fire magic, right?”

“Okay! Got it!”

Oh.

She made her choice.

She confidently selected the materials.

Then,

“If you give me the staff, I’ll use it to make one for you too!”

She took the staff — no, the Eonwoldo — hugged it tightly, and ran off.

“What a lively kid.”

“Our Bokdeongi is lively, isn’t she?”

“Bokdeongi…”

It fits her, doesn’t it?

But it’s not just because she’s bright that we call her Bokdeongi.

“Why do we call her that?”

“You’ll find out in a week.”

“So, look forward to it.”

Thump, thud, thump, thud.

The training ground was filled with lively sounds.

Bokdeongi and Rani have been hammering away for four days straight.

What about the other workers?

[Auto-hunting in progress]

[00:27:29]

[Chaos Tower, Floor 50]

[Monitoring]

Everyone gathered to monitor the situation.

***

“Definitely, since it’s the 50th floor, even Robin the worker is taking quite some time.”

“Yeah. It’s not something you can finish instantly.”

“Wow, Robin thinks! Robin? So fast!”

“Right. Nearly done in 28 minutes.”

That?

Normally, it takes over ten hours.

They fight, then rest in a safe zone.

Fight again, then rest again.

It’s a continuous cycle.

“Robin must have been desperate to take 28 minutes.”

Robin, the top-tier worker.

[Specialty: bow.]

A monster that fires five arrows at once.

With 100% accuracy, no less.

But still, it took 28 minutes, so you know how tough it is.

Definitely getting more intense.

But well.

At least we safely passed the 50th floor.

[Chaos Tower Floor 50 Cleared!]

[Level Up!]

[Clear Time – 00:30:58]

[World Record Achieved!]

[Bonus Reward – Key Fragment of Chaos]

Of course, the result was a world record.

And with the 10th fragment collected on the 50th floor —

[‘Key of Chaos’ Completed.]

The Key of Chaos is complete.

Now we’re at B rank, I guess.

“We’ll explore the maze together tomorrow.”

First, I should greet Robin, who just returned.

..He’s here.”

“Good job. So, want to train some more today?”

“.I’ll rest.”

Usually, he trains a bit before leaving.

Today, he headed straight to the veranda.

He must be really tired.

Well…

He’s been shooting arrows non-stop for 30 minutes, so that’s understandable.

If it were me, my arms might have fallen off.

“Arthur, from the 51st floor, you and Robin should go together.”

“Are you okay going alone?”

“No, it’s still tough.”

Arthur and Robin can handle up to the 60th floor.

But, well…

There’s no rush.

We can take it slow and steady, one floor at a time.

“Director, the main magician is here too.”

Ah, right.

True.

The weapon will be finished in a few days.

From then, more options will open up.

“Hmm… we’ve cleared the 50th floor, so maybe rest for a few days, then decide what to do?”

Since there’s no need to rush…

For now, mission confirmation comes first.

[Mission Complete!]

[Chaos Tower Floor 50 Cleared (50/50)]

[Reward]

[Unique Skill EXP]

Ahh.

[Temporary Disguise Permit (24 hours)]

[Clearing the 50th floor completed one mission!]

[EXP increased.]

[Next mission appeared.]

[New Mission]

[Complete Fixed Team Summon and Worker Summon once (0/1)]

And it’s an easy mission too?

Sweet.

Yeah, that’s how it goes.

***

After one hard mission, they give easy ones back-to-back.

“Worker Summon… not fixed team…”

‘Worker summon, huh?’

Lately, we’ve only been calling the fixed team…

And now suddenly this mission pops up.

But whatever.

“There’s one slot open, so it should be fine.”

‘Who knows?’

Maybe we get lucky and get a top-tier worker.

Going to the tower in pairs…

Ah.

Just thinking about it is sweet.

Okay, decision made.

Mission appeared, so let’s summon after a while.

“Worker Summon.”

[Summoning workers!]

[Rank – Gold]

[Summon Range: All from Top-tier to Intermediate]

A random summon after a while.

Maybe that’s why I’m excited.

‘Who will show up?’

Watching eagerly for a moment.

Flash!

A flash of light.

But…

“Why is there no one—”

I stopped mid-sentence.

Maybe it’s just my imagination.

This feels familiar.

“Ah, no way…”

I looked down with a smirk.

Squelch.

Right.

It’s you guys.

Squelch, squelch.

“Yeah… nice to see you…”

Slimes I haven’t seen in a while.

‘Thoughts?’

Half glad, half disappointed.

But were they the same ones last time?

Let’s check.

[Worker Resume]

[Name: High Slime / Intermediate]

[Specialty: None]

[Daily Wage: 5 Lower-grade Magic Stones]

Ah.

Right.

Amazing.

‘How did they show up immediately?’

Like they were waiting.

Squelch, squelch.

Looks like they’re excited to be out again.

Wriggle wriggle.

They’re practically dancing.

Squelch.

“Sajang, did you say we’d see each other again?”

“…”

Did you?

Ah.

Right.

Like a casual invite to grab a meal later…

“Did you guys wait after hearing that?”

Squelch, squelch~!

I don’t even need Arthur’s translation for this.

Strong yes.

Oh dear…

‘What am I supposed to do with these pure workers?’

Squelch.

“Sajang says! Fixed team? Will add us to fixed team?”

“Fixed team?”

There’s one slot left in the fixed team.

I was thinking to put a top-tier worker there if one appeared…

‘But slime in that slot?’

“Not bad.”

I’d been thinking about this too.

They’re super convenient for cleaning.

No matter how hard a person tries?

They can’t keep things even half as clean.

Of course, it’s a shame to fill up the slot…

But that’s fine.

***

There should be a way to expand slots anyway.

It’s not like we desperately need battle workers now.

Okay.

Decision made.

The last slot goes to slime.

[Fixed Team Management]

[Registered to Fixed Team – High Slime (Intermediate)]

I was about to send them right away, then paused.

“But do we need to upgrade them to top-tier too?”

One of the Fixed Team Management expansion conditions:

All workers must be top-tier or above.

They’re intermediate now…

‘Wouldn’t accepting them lower the rank?’

“No worries, once a slot is expanded, it stays fixed.”

“Ah.”

“And for life-purpose workers, their grade automatically rises to the minimum summon grade, so no worries.”

Oh, that’s convenient.

“Then once I level up my unique skill —”

“It’ll automatically upgrade to top-tier.”

Nice.

No need to think twice.

Registering immediately.

[Registered to Fixed Team.]

[High Slime (Intermediate)]

Squelch.

Ding!

[Successful Recontract with All Workers!]

[Reputation Increased.]

Oh…

I didn’t expect that.

This is sweet.

Good.

Squelch, squelch.

Nice to work with you.

Yeah.

Let’s keep doing well from now on.

***

“There sure are a lot of fascinating beings around the director.”

“Huh?”

If you say so yourself…

No, I have to agree.

‘Watching slimes clean?’

When you see it for the first time, you can’t take your eyes off.

Squelch, squelch.

They spread everywhere and finish cleaning in an instant —

“It’s like magic.”

Right.

It is magic.

‘If cleaning this fast isn’t magic, what else is?’

Ding!

[New feature added.]

[Worker Dispatch]

[Office (Eye of Truth, Beijing, China)]

‘Huh?’

‘What’s this now?’

‘Do these people use magic too?’

“They already opened an office in Beijing.”

No way.

***

Only four days passed…

‘How hard have they been working?’

“Why do you ask, director?”

“The Eye of Truth people seem to have already opened an office in China. A new feature just popped up.”

“Oh, then…”

“Yes. Looks like we can go to China.”

We still need to test it first.

But the feature is there.

Alright, let’s check it out.

“Todd, want to go? You can talk to the people there if you have anything to say.”

“Yes, understood.”

Okay.

Let’s open the door.

“Director, if it’s alright, may I go myself?”

“Woonjang?”

Suddenly?

Well, there’s no reason to refuse.

But why?

“I want to check something.”

“Hmm.”

Something to check…

I have a hunch.

Still, I asked gently.

“You don’t have a weapon, are you okay?”

“Hehe… well, I’m not going to use magic, so it’s fine.”

True.

It’s not like he’s going into a dungeon.

‘Would a top-tier worker be in danger without a weapon?’

Okay.

“If possible, can you use the disguise again like last time?”

Of course.

Definitely.

If you go as you are, it’ll cause chaos.

[Temporary Disguise Permit]

Luckily, I got one from a recent mission.

I’ll give this to you before you go.

Be careful out there.

Beijing, China.

A remote area far from the bustling streets.

A man brushed past an old building.

Woonjang nodded slightly.

“This is it.”

Exactly as the bear guy said.

An old, run-down building.

No signs, nothing.

But.

Woonjang could sense it.

The same aura as the guys he met before.

And.

“Hehe…”

That intense scent of blood.

These guys have seen so much bloodshed.

You can almost smell the carnage.

Even though it’s outside the building.

“That’s their base.”

***

Now that I’ve memorized the location, it’s time to go back.

But if the main magician ever comes here again…

All of you will die.

My staff will make sure of it.

Today marks exactly one week since Rani started crafting.

That means?

“The weapon’s done today? Scene, weapon!”

Correct.

Just looking at it, the shape is already complete.

Seems like finishing touches now.

“The more I look, the more amazing it is. What kind of worker is Rani…?”

“Sajang, look! A dragon? There it is!”

“Yeah, I see it too.”

‘You mean that blue dragon?’

It really looks like a living dragon.

The Cheongryong Eonwoldo.

Its name lives up to the hype…

“That thing lights up too?”

“Probably.”

“Director, what do you mean?”

“Hmm… you’ll find out soon enough.”

Now you can tell.

It’s almost done.

‘What kind of weapon will it be?’

Everyone watched the hammering eagerly.

Thump, thud.

“Ugh~!”

Soon, Rani’s hammering stopped.

“Heh… Done! Rani worked really hard…!”

Clearly.

The most magnificent result yet.

“And the name is Yongyongi, bang! Wow…!”

“Wh-what…”

A name that shocked one person deeply.