"Oh, divine one. Has it really been a year already?" I took down the 1414 Nas continent calendar hanging on the wall and replaced it with the 1415 Nas continent calendar. Today was the day to welcome the new year. January 1, 1415. It marked exactly one year since I had reincarnated as the chubby lord Jared of the Nas continent after dying from overwork.
First, I checked the potion of Lapir. Originally a one-time potion, it could be refilled every January 1st using a reset bug. I had already placed the holy water blessed by the deputy priest in it, so the contents must have changed by now. Sure enough.
[Lapir's Potion]
The information window that had been labeled 'a glass bottle containing holy water' until yesterday had changed.
"Let's start the new year with a level-up!" I immediately drank the potion. My level shot up by 3 in an instant. Compared to when I first drank it, the increase was smaller, but the total experience points remained the same. To gain such a windfall just by drinking was an incredible benefit.
I wanted to check my body condition, which had improved through consistent bug training, so I opened the stat window. With the level 3 increase, I naturally invested the 15 bonus stat points into mana.
[Jared – Lv. 63]
[Strength: 35]
[Health: 35]
[Mana: 3969]
[Wisdom: 360]
[Agility: 35]
[Charm: 205]
[Physical Defense: 135]
[Magical Defense: 449]
[Remaining Stats: 0]
"The rise in mana is dazzling."
A proud smile crept onto my face. It had been exactly six months since I last checked the stat window on July 1st of last year. During that time, I had raised my mana by 1104 and my magical defense by 184 just by diligently practicing the bug training method.
To raise stats to this level with artifacts, I would need at least a few artifacts of 8-star grade or higher. Naturally, such artifacts held astronomical value. For someone like me, who was reluctant to part with even a single gold coin for managing the territory, buying artifacts was a luxury.
Thus, I could say that I had made the most efficient use of my time.
"Once I finish the matters concerning the Kingdom of Sinders, I should take the promising candidates and properly tackle a dungeon." I recalled the level-up that I had been putting off relatively. The reason I hadn’t rushed to level up was because of the option on Deluke's bracelet. Specifically, option 5.
[Option 5: If your level is lower than your opponent's, your strength and wisdom stats are applied at double the rate.]
Because of this, I didn’t need to be overly fixated on leveling up. Against enemies with little difference in level, being at a lower level actually became a significant advantage for me.
Just then!
[Disciple 'Lakis' has mastered the Quick Sword Technique. As a reward, 10 stats are distributed to the master.]
A reward message for the master appeared due to my disciple's achievement. As always, I quickly and mechanically invested the 10 stats into mana. This news was about Lakis, whom I had chosen as my eighth disciple after much deliberation four months ago.
Now turning forty-one this year, the so-called 'old man,' Lakis was strangely continuing to grow. Especially with his overwhelming loyalty towards me, he had experienced first and second awakenings in succession, greatly increasing his level and stats. Reflecting on my initial evaluation of Lakis, he had clearly been a C-grade retainer with obvious limitations.
But now, he had grown to the point where he could be considered a B-grade retainer.
He had surpassed the limitations of age that were the biggest hindrance to growth!
"Well, first... let's finish the crafting." Having briefly stood up to change the calendar for the new year, I returned to my desk in the office. The artifact combination crafting I had been focusing on for the past two months was now nearing completion.
The re-crafting trick. It was a trick that only a handful of artisan users in <Paradiso> could use. What is the re-crafting trick?
It involves disassembling multiple artifacts and combining their cores to create a new artifact. For example, disassembling four rings and merging them into one to consolidate the options. The reason this trick came about is simple.
There are limits to the number of artifacts you can wear and the slots available. For rings, if you wear them on all ten fingers, you can’t wear any more afterward. I had once tried to wear one on my toe just in case, but it didn’t work.
Using the re-crafting trick, I could integrate multiple artifacts into one, making it highly valuable. Of course, the work wasn’t easy. Since two months ago, while raising my crafting skill proficiency, I had wasted a lot of 'experimental artifacts.' At first, I had organized the loss amount one by one, but at some point, it snowballed, and I gave up on calculating it.
"If there are flaws in the system, digging into them persistently is my reason for existence."
I continued to focus on crafting, sweating profusely. The reason I was putting so much effort into this task was simple. It was a field that no one else could easily challenge.
For artisans in this world, 'disassembling' artifacts was considered unthinkable. They believed that artifacts themselves contained mysterious powers, and disassembling them would incur the wrath of the gods. Thus, the crafting that leaves only the core of the artifact was almost non-existent in current know-how.
There were likely very few artisans who would casually engage in what was considered a taboo act.
Moreover, since artifacts themselves were so expensive, the inability to experiment with disassembly was the biggest reason.
"In fact, if you don’t know how to finely disassemble and separate the core, this task is no different from throwing money on the street."
I watched the artifact I was completing with a proud expression. This was an artifact created by disassembling four artifacts taken from the lair of the lich Deluke and re-crafting them. I combined the contents of two necklaces and two rings to create one ring.
If I could continue this process of reducing the number of artifacts, I would gain quite a few advantages through crafting. It would lay the foundation for me to advance faster than many rivals in the future.
[The combination crafting is complete.]
[You can finish the combination crafting by infusing 3,000 mana.]
[Once the combination crafting is complete, the fusion of the cores will begin. Once the fusion is complete, an artifact with a new name and classification grade will be born.]
"Good." I immediately infused the mana. Three thousand mana was now a level I could easily manage with my current stats. By repeating this task, I could enjoy benefits far beyond the maximum of ten rings that others could have. I could use the trick of disassembling forty artifacts and integrating them into ten.
Shwaaa. Finally, the mana infusion for the new artifact was complete, and the core fusion process finished. The ten artifacts left by Deluke. The moment I finished utilizing the remaining four, excluding the six I had equipped, I had made sure to use Deluke's legacy without wasting even one.
[Bara Ring]
[Classification Grade: 6-star]
[Option 1: Increases Strength by 75]
[Option 2: Increases Health by 65]
[Option 3: Increases Agility by 55]
[Option 4: Increases Physical Defense by 45]
[Option 5: Increases Magical Defense by 35]
[Option 6: Unique Skill - Ultra-Fine Disassembly Crafting: You can disassemble the cores of artifacts with a classification grade of 7-star or higher.]
[Option 7: Unique Skill - Special Fusion: There is a 10% chance of acquiring a special skill option during the fusion process of artifact cores.]
"Nice!" I cheered. The naming of the Bara Ring seemed to be because the crafting tools I used throughout the production were limited edition tools produced by the famous artisan 'Bara.' The options were solid. They filled my lacking stats with valuable boosts, and moreover, there were two crafting-related options attached. I could say it was a two-for-one deal!
"After resting for a few days, I should also re-craft the artifacts obtained from the tomb of Mahat III." I recalled the artifacts sleeping in the void space. They were the spoils I had monopolized from the tomb of Mahat III, which I had explored with Isabel, Chloe, and Ella. Since the earrings and necklaces overlapped in slots, it was awkward to wear them, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to combine them.
"Oh, my back..." I held my stiff back and stood up from the chair. It felt like my back had taken a toll from taking care of matters inside and outside the territory while focusing on crafting whenever I had a chance. They say a man's life is in his back. I should take good care of it. It would be troublesome if my lower back started to weaken at the young age of twenty-six!
A little while later. Without even having the chance to leisurely enjoy the start of the new year, I was filling the training ground with the hot breath of a guest who arrived at dawn. The guest was none other than Chloe, who had been training with me during the nights and early mornings for the past four months.
"Today, you want me to actively use 4-class magic?"
"Yes."
"You burned your hair off last week by acting all high and mighty. Have you already forgotten?" I pointed at Chloe's bobbed hair. Just a week ago, Chloe had long silver hair that reached down to her chest. But now, it had transformed into a bob that barely touched her chin. This was because she had requested me to use magic freely, and I had unleashed a Fire Wall, burning the tips of her hair.
I had secretly hoped she would be a bit scared by my comment, but Chloe continued without a care.
"If I don’t push myself to the limit, I don’t feel any tension at all."
"If you burn your hair again this time, it might not just be a bob cut but a shaved head."
"I don’t mind. Hair or clothes, I just grow and wear them without any thought."
Her words reminded me of the Ice Queen, and I nodded in resignation.
"Be careful. I won’t hold back."
"I will also aim for the lord's back if the opportunity arises."
"If you’re confident, go ahead."
A brief smile appeared on Chloe's lips before vanishing.
Whoosh. I used haste magic to enhance my physical speed. It was necessary to outpace Chloe, who had grown considerably, and to look for openings. Over the past four months, her growth had been nothing short of dazzling. Of course, other promising candidates were no exception.
"Experienced and sharp. Unlike Master Ella, Lord Jared perfectly understands what kind of attacks I aim for." Throughout the training, Chloe marveled repeatedly. The reason she came to train with Jared every dawn and tortured him was precisely this. He provided her with tailored training that suited her perfectly. While Ella structured a curriculum based on her own experiences and had Chloe adapt to it, Jared crafted a customized strategy for Chloe, allowing her to engage in mock battles.
Chloe loved the mock battles with Jared, who stimulated both her offensive and defensive responses. Each day of training was a thrilling and exciting time for her.
Siiing. Chloe subtly glared at Jared through the glimmering daggers in the moonlight, thinking to herself, "Honestly, I want to train with him for 24 hours straight."
End of Episode 62