Chapter 75

Аs if еntrаnсed, Brоn gаthеrеd thе materials аnd disаppеared intо thе fоrgе.

Веfore thеy knew it, оnlу Khаn, Вуutеk, аnd Sharin rеmainеd in front of thе fоrgе.

Shаrin, who had bеen wаtching from the sidе, sрoke up with a sеnsе of wonder.

“I felt this last timе tоo, but doesn’t Mr. Brоn’s еyes сomрlеtеlу change when tаlking about еquiрmеnt? It’s like he’s роssеssed by sоmething.”

In resрonse to her wоrds, Вyutek сrоssed his аrms and reрlied.

“Sharin, the mоre skillеd thе artisan, the more thаt tends tо bе thе cаse. From whаt I sее, Mr. Brоn seеms еvеn mоrе pаssiоnаte thаn thе skilled blacksmiths I saw in Kilpheon. And of course, his skill seems incredible too.”

“Hmm, how do you know so much about that, Byutek oppa?”

“…Sharin! Have you forgotten I’m a knight of Kilpheon?”

When Sharin retorted with a suspicious look, Byutek shouted in a flustered voice.

“Hey, I think oppa was just a low-ranking knight…”

“Both of you, stop there and let’s head back. Or do you still seem to have enough energy to chatter, thinking of going back to the Gate?”

“Hehe. What are you saying, Master. Let’s hurry back to the inn!”

When Khan shouted with a stern expression, Sharin calmly answered immediately.

While the three were returning to the inn, Byutek still wore a resentful expression.

‘It’s not that I was saying I was a low-ranking knight of Kilpheon…’

Unexpectedly, Byutek had a somewhat boyish side, and Sharin quickly picked up on that again.

“Byutek oppa. You’re not still bothered by the joke I made earlier, are you?”

“Wh-what are you talking about!”

“No, Byutek oppa was a very promising knight even in Kilpheon, yet you gave up that position to follow our Master around.”

“Th-that’s right.”

“Then stop making that dejected face and let’s hurry!”

“Since when have I been dejected! Do you think a knight of Kilpheon would be discouraged by something like this?!”

Listening to the conversation of the two following behind him, Khan could discover something unexpected.

‘Sharin handles Byutek better than I thought.’

Since Khan entered this world, he had spent quite a long time with Byutek.

And during that time, there was one thing he learned very clearly about Byutek.

‘The more you know him, the simpler he is.’

Khan himself sometimes had to directly resolve it when he saw Byutek sulking or feeling hurt like that, but now he thought that might no longer be necessary.

“Absolutely not! Byutek oppa was a very promising knight in Kilpheon, right!”

“Hahaha! Right! Let’s hurry back to the inn!”

“Yes!”

Unconsciously, Khan curled the corner of his mouth into a smile and quickly returned to the inn.

* * *

The next day.

In the Blue Magic Tower, there were two people who had been up since before dawn.

The two were packing their belongings.

Then, Serina let out a deep sigh.

“Phew, this really feels like just going on a trip.”

“Sorry, Serina. I’ve bothered you for no reason.”

“No… I told you to stop saying sorry? I’m sick of it.”

“Sorry…”

“Belbek!”

“Understood.”

When Serina shouted, half-irritated, Belbek moved only his lips with an impassive expression.

Serina stuffed necessary items and things into her Spatial Pocket.

While doing so, her gaze landed on a small orb emitting a blue light.

Tap.

Serina picked up the glowing blue orb and spoke with a regretful expression.

“Sigh… I should be the one taking this Mana Pill…”

“You’ll get one from Master someday too.”

“Forget it. You’d need at least as much talent as you for Master to give you a Mana Pill… You know. I don’t have as much talent as you.”

“That’s not true, Serina. In a way, you have even more outstanding talent than me. Isn’t there no one in the Blue Magic Tower who can match your Magic Casting speed?”

“Well, that’s true but…”

The orb Serina held in her hand was precisely the Mana Pill to give to Khan.

If she didn’t give Khan the Mana Pill within a month from the date of signing the Mana Contract with Khan, she would lose her life.

The effect of the Mana Contract was that absolute.

‘Khan… just how outstanding is his magical talent?’

In truth, Serina had lived thinking her magical talent was quite outstanding, as Belbek said now.

While her talent for Mana was somewhat inferior compared to other mages of the Blue Magic Tower, she was born with an innate talent for casting Magic.

However, after meeting Khan, the thought that her talent was outstanding completely vanished.

‘He looked about as young as me, but he definitely used Magic with Chantless Casting… That’s true talent.’

Serina was also very fast at casting Magic, but that didn’t mean she could use Chantless Casting.

Of course, with steady practice, Rank 1 or Rank 2 Magic might be possible, but in reality, since Rank 1 or Rank 2 Magic isn’t used much, practicing low-rank Magic steadily was a foolish thing.

“Phew… Enough! What do you know? Anyway, are you all packed, Belbek?”

Serina shook off her wandering thoughts and stood up.

“I finished earlier. I was waiting for you.”

“Ah, really? Then you should have said so! Let’s hurry and give this Mana Pill away first! Did you pinpoint the location?”

In response to Serina’s question, Belbek silently drew up his Mana.

Vroom…

Then, a map formed of blue Mana appeared before Belbek’s eyes.

An ‘X’ was marked there.

When signing the Mana Contract, they included a clause stating, ‘The contractor and contractee share each other’s locations,’ so they could know each other’s whereabouts anytime like this.

“He’s still in Asmar. Perhaps it would be good to go quickly before he goes elsewhere.”

“Right! If we go fast, it should take a few hours! Let’s go!”

Belbek nodded at Serina.

Vroom…!!!

Whoosh!!!

The two drew up their Mana and, at an incredible speed, instantly left the Blue Magic Tower and began heading towards where Khan was.

* * *

At the same time.

Khan’s party emerged from an inn in Asmar they were using as their lodgings.

“Yawn… But why are we going so early in the morning?”

“By now, the Artifact should be fully completed. If you’re sleepy, I’ll go alone, so keep sleeping.”

“No way. It’s an Artifact Master will receive, so it’s better to go together and see it!”

Sharin, whose mouth was torn open from yawning, shouted quickly when Khan suggested going alone, having completely shaken off her sleepy appearance.

‘I wonder what grade of Staff I’ll receive.’

Anticipating what grade the Artifact he would receive might be, Khan moved his steps towards Bron’s Flame Forge.

Arriving at the Flame Forge quite quickly, Khan stood in front of it and waited.

Usually, when he arrived in front, the forge door would open.

Rumble…

And this time too, the door of the Flame Forge slowly opened.

Through the opening door, a blacksmith other than Bron came out to greet him.

“Ah, it’s Sir Khan! Mr. Bron has been working all night to make the Artifact, but it seems the work isn’t finished yet.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Yes! To wait inside… the heat would be too intense for you, so could you come back a little later?”

“Understood.”

The reason Khan came to the forge so early was because he knew this Quest very well.

‘Every time I progressed Bron’s Quest, the materials he asked for were slightly different… but the time never changed.’

While playing the game, when Khan brought item materials to Bron, he could receive the completed Artifact early the next morning.

‘That’s why I purposely came early in the morning… but it’s still not finished.’

There was one more reason Khan came out this early.

‘I wanted to check the next Main Quest quickly, but it seems it’ll be delayed a bit.’

In the world of <Geo Arc>, the direction changes depending on how you clear and play the Main Quest, so Khan wanted to check the Quest as soon as possible.

After clearing all Main Quests in Asmar, the best region to move to next was Erindel.

‘If I go to Erindel… I should be able to clear the Underground Arena Quest too.’

While playing <Geo Arc>, Khan had repeatedly deleted and re-leveled his Character because of this Main Quest system.

Because depending on how you progressed this Main Quest, it determined whether your Character became ruined or blessed.

However, the reason Khan couldn’t properly grasp the directionality of the Main Quest wasn’t solely because of that.

‘Suddenly, because of a Hidden Quest, I skipped the Main Quest and came to Asmar…’

The current situation of the Kingdom of Sinsiniel was slightly different from the background Khan knew from the game.

With such thoughts, Khan’s mind was becoming a bit complicated.

Thud thud thud thud…

“Pant, pant… Here… it’s completed!!”

Bron, who had run to Khan in an instant, was drenched in sweat all over, and perhaps because the temperature was relatively low, steam was rising from his body.

Gasping for breath, he held out the Staff he was clutching to Khan.

“Pant… My, greatest masterpiece…!”

“No, Mr. Bron…! Look at your sweat! Are you really alright?”

Sharin asked Bron with a worried expression.

But Bron didn’t even pretend to hear, looking only at Khan.

Then, Khan’s pupils, which had been examining the Staff Bron handed over, shook greatly.

‘This is…!’