A gemstone shimmering with the colors of the rainbow.
It was the SS-grade material, Orichalcum, that Kang Ho-duk had entrusted to me before.
Since Kang Ho-duk had given it to me with a request to take good care of it, I couldn’t bring myself to use it recklessly, so I’d just kept it stashed away in the corner of my Space Pocket.
But now, recalling the information about Orichalcum, my eyes widened.
After all, according to the description of Orichalcum—
[Orichalcum]
Form: Ore
Grade: SS
Description: A legendary ore that shines with rainbow light, also known as the “Gem of the Gods.”
“Gem of the Gods!”
It was because of that description: “Gem of the Gods.”
It wasn’t explicitly stated that it possessed a holy attribute, but isn’t the concept of a “holy attribute” itself essentially the power of the gods?
If so, wouldn’t it be possible to draw out that holy attribute by processing the Orichalcum properly?
With that thought, I immediately put my plan into action.
“Kang!”
A point of light rose above the Orichalcum ore.
Honestly, it felt like a waste.
Until now, I’d always hesitated to use SS-grade materials, only collecting shards or leftovers to craft items from them.
That precious SS-grade material.
And not just any, but the Orichalcum that I’d received from Kang Ho-duk—using it whole to craft a single-use item like a shell.
It felt like such a waste, but right now, there was no other way.
If Kang Ho-duk found out that I hadn’t used the Orichalcum for a proper item, but just made it into a shell, he’d be disappointed—but if that item could save countless lives, wouldn’t even Kang Ho-duk give his approval?
“Kang!”
As I hammered away, I finally understood why Orichalcum was classified as an SS-grade ore.
It was similar to when I smelted Cheonjeoseok in the past.
It maintained the innate hardness of ore, yet once processed, it possessed a unique flexibility.
But above all, what mattered was the power contained within Orichalcum.
Just as I expected.
‘It’s holy.’
It was a holy attribute.
Having now reached the level of a first-rate blacksmith, I no longer simply transformed the shape of the material to craft items.
Even just hammering, I could bring out the unique properties of a material.
And what I needed to bring out now was not the Orichalcum’s usual strengths—hardness, lightness, or flexibility—but its ‘holiness.’
The moment I resolved to do so, the point of light turned into a brilliant white glow.
With each swing of the hammer, that white light burst forth.
“Kang!”
Though it was difficult to work with, the light itself was proof that the item was being properly forged.
Even though my skill had improved, SS-grade materials were still hard to process and usually took quite some time to make.
But perhaps because of the urgency of the situation, or perhaps due to a heightened focus—
The crafting time was drastically reduced.
Without even realizing it, power surged into my arms, and the point that usually took dozens of strikes to break, now broke in less than ten.
“Kang!”
The Orichalcum gradually rounded out and took the shape of a shell.
Normally, the more roughly Orichalcum is processed, the more its rainbow sheen disappears and its hardness increases.
But the Orichalcum I was working on, instead, shone with an even more brilliant rainbow light.
And then, after a short while—
[Crafting complete.]
[You have obtained ‘Orichalcum Shell.’]
“Haa.”
I had succeeded in creating the Orichalcum Shell.
Wiping the sweat from my brow with my sleeve, I looked out at the battlefield—only to find, as expected, the situation was not good.
I had no idea how much time had passed while I was focused, but the Hunters were being severely pushed back.
After such a long battle, not only was everyone’s stamina low, it seemed they were running out of potions as well.
If this dragged on even a little longer, things could really take a turn for the worse.
At this rate, the Hunters would fall, and the Dokkaebi King might not even be defeated.
That was the one outcome I had to prevent.
“Aim!”
I immediately loaded the Orichalcum Shell into the cannon and ordered Combat 2 to take aim.
But despite the passage of time, the Dokkaebi King was still on guard against my cannon attack.
At this rate, I couldn’t land a proper critical hit.
Even just for a split second, I needed to create an opening in the Dokkaebi King’s defenses.
But frustratingly, that was something I couldn’t do myself.
“Nam Bora. Tell all our guild members—no, inform the Hunter Association as well. Have them stop the Dokkaebi King for 5 seconds. No, even just 3 seconds will do.”
– “Three seconds? With just that… Can you really bring down that monster?”
“Probably.”
I couldn’t be certain.
I believed the Dokkaebi King felt threatened by holy attribute magic, but since I’d been interrupted during the preparations, I hadn’t been able to confirm it.
But as far as I could see, this was the only method left and Nam Bora, despite my uncertain reply, nodded.
– “I’ll relay the message right away.”
A Rank 10 monster.
My words spread across the battlefield where the Hunters were fighting against the Dokkaebi King.
***
“Stop being such a nuisance and get lost! This world is doomed anyway! Even if it’s not me, your civilization will eventually fall!”
“Bang!!”
As the Dokkaebi King’s club struck the ground, the earth erupted as if it were a balloon.
The club, tainted black with repulsive power, bounced off everything it touched—including the ground itself.
“Grrk!”
“Han Yu-ra! More than half our fighting force has already been taken out. There haven’t been many deaths, but most are unable to keep fighting. Shouldn’t we fall back for now…?”
“Have you forgotten? This is Seoul. If we leave that monster unchecked even for a moment, all of Seoul will be destroyed.”
“But we can’t take much more…”
The Hunters’ situation was worse than anyone expected.
Even the Hunters who looked fine had already exhausted all their mana and potions.
They couldn’t keep fighting any longer.
They wanted to run, but honestly, where could they even go if they did?
If they retreated now, Seoul would just end up being devoured by that monster, and all that would be left was to hide somewhere far away, recovering their stamina as they waited for the monster to come.
But once they were recovered, would there even be a chance?
‘No, it’d be even worse.’
The Dokkaebi King recovered faster than any Hunter.
Though they’d inflicted some meaningful damage, once the Dokkaebi King’s body fully recovered, he’d only be even harder to deal with.
Knowing that, it was even harder to retreat.
As difficult as it was, they all knew this was the only chance.
‘What should I do?’
The Sword Saint wasn’t just a strong Hunter.
She was the symbol of the Hunter Association.
No, she was the representative of Korean Hunters, so most of the Hunters here were waiting for her command.
But what was she supposed to do?
There was no answer in sight.
No matter how they fought, there didn’t seem to be any way to bring down the Dokkaebi King.
And if they ran, all they’d do was cower somewhere and wait for annihilation.
There were only two options, but both were hopeless.
In truth, it was as if there were no options at all.
That’s why she was still unable to make any decision.
Just then, an unexpected order came from the Hunter Association.
— “Order from the Vulcanus Hunter.”
— “He requests that you restrain the Dokkaebi King for just three seconds.”
— “So he can’t defend himself, so his weak points are exposed.”
— “If you can stop the Dokkaebi King’s movements for just three seconds, he says he can bring him down.”
“Vulcanus Hunter…?”
It wasn’t just the Sword Saint who received the order.
Every Hunter present received the message from Vulcanus.
Honestly, the response was less than enthusiastic.
“They want us to hold that monster? ‘Three seconds’ sounds easy, but how are we supposed to do that…”
“Sure, support fire is great and all, but he’s safe over there, so he doesn’t understand just how dangerous and urgent things are here.”
“And even if we do manage to hold him for three seconds, how does he plan to take down that monster?”
“The cannon was strong, but I doubt even that could take the monster down in one shot.”
Most of the responses were like that.
Since the situation was so dire, everyone received Vulcanus’s order negatively.
But the Sword Saint was different.
The moment she heard Vulcanus’s order from the Hunter Association, the dying light in her eyes brightened.
“From this moment, we will carry out the Hunter Association’s instructions.”
“What? But Han Yu-ra! Of all people, why should we follow the command of a blacksmith in a combat situation—?”
A Hunter who’d been fighting by her side asked, but the Sword Saint shook her head and replied.
“At this point, there’s no other way.”
“But…”
“Unless you have another idea? From what I see, it’s either keep fighting like this or…”
“R-running won’t solve anything either.”
“If you have no plan, and don’t want to follow the blacksmith’s order, then I’ll give the command again myself.”
The Sword Saint, Han Yu-ra, raised her voice on the battlefield, “From now on, we will do everything in our power to restrain the Dokkaebi King’s movements!”
Those who’d been doubting the instructions from the Hunter Association and Vulcanus could no longer complain.
The Sword Saint, Han Yu-ra, had given the command.
They had no choice but to obey.
At this point, not following her orders was as good as dying.
If even the Sword Saint was issuing such a command, then she must have a reason.
The Hunters fighting on the front lines could only follow the strongest among them.
“Screw it, I don’t care anymore!”
“Restrain him! No, take him down!”
“Attack his weak points—go for the ankles!”
“All Magicians, prepare your binding spells!”
At the Sword Saint’s cry, the Hunters united their strength.
Every Hunter combined their remaining power for one final push.
The Dokkaebi King, who’d thought the fight was already won, scowled as the Hunters, newly filled with hope, surged forward.
“A meaningless struggle! If you’d just lay your heads before my club, I’d grant you a quick death, but you choose the path of suffering!”
The Dokkaebi King’s attacks became even fiercer.
With each swing of his club, dozens of Hunters were sent flying; with every black orb hurled, dozens more were knocked aside.
In the midst of this chaos, Park Kang-chul, pushing forward through the barrage of black orbs, finally drove his Greatsword deep into the Dokkaebi King’s ankle.
“Crack!”
“Graaah!”
The Dokkaebi King’s scream rang out, and though the Hunters tensed, they all knew this was their chance.
“Now!”
“Attaaack!”
The Hunters squeezed out their last bits of strength and pressed the Dokkaebi King.
Normally, the Hunters couldn’t inflict even a speck of damage on the Dokkaebi King, but as they say—many grains make a mountain.
As they combined their efforts, the massive form of the Dokkaebi King wavered.
Meanwhile, the Magicians, led by the Azure Dragon, were chanting a group spell.
“Binding.”
At the end of their lengthy incantation, they cast the spell.
The mana that flowed from the magic circle twisted and coalesced into massive chains.
The chains shot forward, and in a flash, wrapped around the ankle where Park Kang-chul’s Greatsword was embedded, binding the Dokkaebi King’s already limping leg.
“Graaa!”
In that state, with attacks from Rankers and Hunters raining down, the Dokkaebi King finally fell, landing hard on his backside.
“Boom!”
“You wretches!”
The Sword Saint seized the opening and drew her blade for the final strike.
Pouring every last ounce of strength into it, she aimed the attack at the head growing from the Dokkaebi King’s side.
But at that moment, the Dokkaebi King was only restrained at the legs.
Both arms were still unscathed.
Though he’d dropped his club in the fall, his arms were still free to move.
“Fools. Not a chance!”
In the end, the Dokkaebi King blocked the Sword Saint’s attack and even countered, sending her flying.
A long gash opened up along the Dokkaebi King’s hand, but it wasn’t a fatal blow.
Struck by his repulsive power, the Sword Saint was sent hurtling away.
To finish her off, the Dokkaebi King reached out and used attraction to pull her back.
The Sword Saint, who’d been flying away, now reversed direction against gravity, heading straight for the Dokkaebi King.
Surely a life-threatening moment.
Yet, as she flew toward his grasp, the Sword Saint’s face was shining.
“It’s done.”
With his legs bound and having just thrown the Sword Saint aside, the Dokkaebi King had let his guard down, his arms still swinging wildly from his prone position.
And through that opening—
“Swaaa—!”
Vulcanus’s Orichalcum Shell came flying straight for the Dokkaebi King.