Chapter 75: Bargain

After possessing Combat 1’s body,  what came into my sight was—  

“A tower?”  

It was an old, worn-down tower.  

To be precise, just a part of the tower.  

Zone 5 itself was quite vast, but even within that vast Zone 5, only about two and a half floors of the tower were visible.  

What I saw now was the massive door leading into that towering structure.  

And then—  

“It’s been a while.”  

“A visitor…”  

“Seems one has come to see us.”  

The two Gatekeepers guarding the tower.  

Slowly rising to their feet, the two Gatekeepers shook off dust and stone fragments, sending clouds of powder into the air.  

They must have been crouching there without moving for quite some time.  

Their true nature was—  

“Statues?”  

Statues.  

Massive statues nearly two floors tall.  

Both shaped like humans overall, one wielding a sword with a faint turquoise hue,  the other holding a spear that shimmered the same blue-green tint.  

Because of the years, the sword’s blade was completely broken and cracked,  and the spearhead was entirely missing, leaving only the shaft behind.  

But the sheer presence and intimidation radiating from these statues as they rose was immense.  

“Come then, challenger. Face us.”  

“You must defeat us to set foot within this great tower.”  

The tips of the sword and spear pointed directly at me—  

No, at Combat 1.  

It was a scene fit for a movie.  

In that situation—  

“Ah, no.”  

I took a step back without realizing it and said,  “I’m not the challenger.”  

“What?”  

“I’m not the challenger. How could I possibly fight and win against you two? I absolutely can’t.”  

The two Gatekeepers.  

Setting aside their formidable weapons, just the size alone made me feel I couldn’t even begin to fight.  

Combat 1 and 2 had been built using some fairly strong gear, but the moment I saw those two Gatekeepers, I realized.  

There was no way to win against them.  

No matter how well Combat 1 and 2 fought, the moment that worn sword sliced through Combat 1 and 2, their bodies would be shattered completely.  

‘What happens if the Soul of the Blacksmith gets broken?’  

I still didn’t know.  

Could it simply be remade?  

Or would the summoned being created by the Soul of the Blacksmith simply vanish?  

Not knowing meant I had to be careful.  

“Have you no pride?”  

“You’re a coward.”  

“That’s why we can’t just let you go.”  

“If you’ve come this far, you must take responsibility.”  

“No, I don’t want to fight!”  

I had to run.  

If I fought those two statues, Combat 1 and 2 would definitely be destroyed.  

If I could at least salvage their broken remains, I could try to repair them, but looking at those massive sword and spear, I doubted there would be any remnants left.  

Even if there were, going to retrieve the remains would just get me attacked by the statues again.  

But then—  

“Kraaah!”  

“Gyaaah.”  

Monsters began appearing from behind.  

I had been cleaning up monsters at the entrance to prevent this situation.  

But since I possessed Combat 1 and 2’s body, I hadn’t been able to hold them back, and monsters had crept all the way here.  

If I released the possession, I could handle the monsters somehow, but escaping from the statues while dealing with the monsters—  

Impossible.  

Definitely impossible.  

Whether I ran or fought, Combat 1 and 2 would be broken.  

Though they were newly made, I had grown somewhat attached to them.  

Was this really how it would end?  

It felt too sad to give up without a fight, so I desperately racked my brain, looking around.  

Then my eyes landed on—  

“The sword and spear.”  

The weapons held by the two statues.  

They shimmered faintly turquoise and clearly weren’t ordinary weapons.  

Yet, such precious weapons were in a ruined state.  

If they were intact, they’d certainly be called Weapon Spirits.  

Wouldn’t it be a shame for a weapon user to have such a valuable weapon in that condition?  

Recalling this, I shouted through Combat 1’s mouth—  

“I will repair them for you!”  

“Hmm?”  

“What?”  

The two statues paused momentarily.  

Taking advantage of that, I fired off words like a machine gun.  

“Just looking at them, it’s clear they’re no ordinary weapons. Left as they are, they’ll completely break.”  

“Hmm.”  

“They are old, indeed.”  

“I hadn’t realized, but they’re badly damaged.”  

“Maybe you should have handled the spear more gently.”  

“And your sword… all the teeth are gone. At this rate, it’s less a sword and more a club.”  

“And your spear’s blade is entirely gone—wouldn’t that make it a club as well?”  

The statues glared down at their weapons and started bickering.  

A smile crept onto my face.  

I’d hit the mark.  

I could do this.  

“I will repair them for you!”  

“What?”  

“I’m a blacksmith, after all. I can repair most equipment.”  

“Do you really think this counts as ‘most equipment’?”  

“Of course not! I mean I have that level of skill. If you don’t get repaired soon, you’ll be forced to face challengers empty-handed, and would that be okay?”  

“Hmm.”  

“Facing challengers with bare fists…”  

“That would be disgraceful.”  

“Indeed, that would be.”  

While the statues debated,  the number of monsters behind us kept increasing. 

“Kyeeaaak!”  

 If the statues didn’t decide soon, we could all be torn apart before they finished their decision.  

“I have decided.”  

The statue holding the sword stood up.  

Then—  

“Kwah-kwah-kwang!! “

Swinging its sword, it cut down the monsters rushing toward us.  

It wasn’t just brute force—the sword radiated a cutting energy that completely annihilated the monsters.  

“I have decided as well.”  

The spear-bearing statue stood up next.  

“Kwah-kwah-kwang-!!”  

It thrust its spear into the path ahead.  

The wind pressure from the spear’s tip sliced through the monsters filling the passage, shredding them to pieces.  

Truly immense power.  

I was glad I hadn’t fought them.  

If I had, I would’ve certainly lost Combat 1 and 2.  

“We entrust you with the repairs, challenger.”  

“And I as well.”  

“However, if you fail to repair them, you will bear the consequences.”  

“You are prepared, challenger?”  

That meant if I failed, I would pay with my life.  

My legs trembled slightly, but I couldn’t just give up out of fear.  

“I’m prepared. But I ask that you also make a promise.”  

“A promise?”  

“You don’t expect to have your weapons repaired for free, do you? And what if, after repairs, you two attack me?”  

“We are honorable Gatekeepers. That will never happen.”  

“How can I believe that?”  

“Arrogant.”  

“Still, it’s a valid point.”  

“Hmm.”  

“Then.”  

Whoooom—.  

The two Gatekeepers crossed their weapons.  

The crossed blades glowed, emitting a mysterious light.  

“I, Sword Gatekeeper, promise.”  

“I, Spear Gatekeeper, promise.”  

“During the contract, we will not attack you, challenger. When you repair our weapons, we will acknowledge you, challenger. You will gain the qualification to enter the tower. However, if you fail to repair our weapons, considered a failure of the trial, we will attack you.”  

“Thud.”  

The two statues stabbed their crossed weapons into the ground.  

No wonder their weapons were so damaged.  

I thought that for a moment, then—  

“Understood.”  

I nodded and accepted their proposal.  

If things went badly, I thought I’d just run away and hide until I was ready.  

“However.”  

These statues were no simple beings.  

“If you might lie, we will keep both the dolls as a hostage.”  

“Eh?”  

The statues lifted me—  

No, Combat 1—   and hung me by the waist as if I were an item.  

They had probably noticed for some time that Combat 1 and 2 was a kind of Living Armor.  

I sighed deeply and said to the statues,  “I’ll prepare everything and come back.”  

“Do so.”  

The sudden confrontation with the two Gatekeepers came to a pause.  

“Ugh, what on earth is going on?”  

***

I had unwittingly ended up repairing the two Gatekeepers’ weapons.  

And not just ordinary weapons, but enormous ones fitting for Gatekeepers—  

Massive sword and spear.  

Before getting started on the repairs in earnest, I had some preparatory work to do.  

[‘Return Scroll’ purchased.]  

The Return Scroll.  

The scroll the Assassin had intended to use to escape.  

It was quite expensive, but compared to the cost of life, it was nothing.  

If things went badly, I’d need to use it together with my assistants, so I had bought Return Scrolls in plenty.  

The return location was, of course, my precious room.  

“This alone won’t be enough.”  

I thought of the Assassin.  

The Assassin always said it’s better to have many safeguards.  

Now, I had to approach repairing the statues’ weapons with the same mindset.  

I could tear the Return Scroll to instantly return to my room, but before using the scroll, there would always be a moment of vulnerability.  

One attack might be stopped by Firefly, but with two statues, one defense wouldn’t be enough.  

[Using Crafting Skill.]  

For insurance, I immediately activated the Crafting Skill.  

[Please select the form of the item to craft.]  

“A small shield.”  

[Please specify the shield’s detailed form.]  

[Please select the shield’s material.]  

I wanted the statues not to misunderstand, so I made the shield as inconspicuous and simple as possible.  

It wasn’t even meant to be held in the hand to block.  

I would hang it on my back and use it only if absolutely necessary to block the statues’ attacks.  

[Beginning crafting.]  

“Bang!”  

I filled it with the sturdiest materials I could find.  

Engraved runes of protection on it.  

After hammering away diligently for a while—  

[Crafting complete.]  

[‘Coward’s Round Shield’ acquired.]  

[Round Shield] Coward’s  

Form: Shield  

Rank: SS  

Requirement: Level 80 or above  

Description: A peculiar shield not meant to block enemy attacks head-on, but designed to protect the wielder while fleeing.  

Defense: 800  

Abilities:  

1. Cowering – Greatly increases defense when running from enemies.  

2. Escape – When fleeing, movement speed increases proportionally to damage taken.  

3. Cowardice – Once per day, perfectly blocks enemy attacks while fleeing, regardless of attack power.  

4. Escape Formation – Consumes all mana to create an impenetrable mana barrier proportional to mana spent.  

“Not something I can sell.”  

A shield called ‘Coward’?  

Abilities that are hard to use except when running away from enemies.  

A shield I’d be ashamed to put on display in the forge.  

But—  

“Perfect.”  

It suited me perfectly right now.  

It was a bit disappointing it wasn’t SSS rank but SS rank, yet the abilities were good enough that it made little difference.  

“The runes strengthen the item skills as well.”  

Runes really were helpful.  

I handed out Return Scrolls to all my assistants and explained the plan ahead.  

Originally, a Korean’s strength comes from food.  

After having a hearty meal—  

“Gather up!”  

I called all my assistants for this repair mission.  

Challenger?  

Entering the tower?  

I didn’t care about those things.  

I just couldn’t leave Combat 1 and 2 behind like this.