Volume 24 Chapter 4: Helium Sculpture
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These were the stations that obtained footage for Royal Road.
+Weed is going to hunt Bar Khan, the King of the Undead.
+Priests and Paladins have crossed over from Morata to fight the Hermes Guild.
+No one cares about the Hermes Guild.
+Because of the Undead Legion quest and the fast growing ranks of the undead, Weed is going to hunt Bar Khan.
Weed’s plan had already spread to the users in Morata. Though it was true that the priests and paladins had been gathered for a long time now, Pollon’s troops did not bother to keep it a secret and were talking about it already. Each of the stations focused on the facts that had been revealed so far.
“Everyone, I have amazing news. God of War Weed is going to hunt Bar Khan.”
“A few days ago a lot of people say Weed wipe out the Hermes Guild’s force. However, it looks like in the future he’s going to hunt the Lich Bar Khan.”
“Bar Khan! The Leader of the Undead Legion and Weed who was famous for having completed the Lich quest. A monster that Weed has a history with…it’s going to be a very challenging hunt.”
It was the breaking news on several stations. Groups that would go and hunt boss monsters was a common occurrence but this time the ratings would go up a notch if it was a legendary monster. Weed had shown his fighting ability in the battle against Pollon’s unit.
The battle had not happened yet, but the fact remained that there were going to be countless amazing scenes. It was enough to say that the fact that Weed was going to fight the Lich Bar Khan would amaze the audience. Entire families were waiting in anticipation!
+Oh my god. Weed is finally getting into a real fight. Hunting down monsters likes its nothing and raising his level…I am so glad to be able to see it.”
+I don’t know who Weed is, it’s like I’m listening to a bunch of rumors.
+You’re here a bit late. I’m at the Hall of Fame and I’m a complete fan of the Orc movie.
+Guess what I have? I was lucky. I started out in the Kingdom of Rosenheim when I was a beginner and I bought one of Weed’s early fox sculptures. When I bought it, my friends thought that five silvers was overpriced but now it’s my greatest treasure. My girlfriend and I are so proud that we met him.
+So now the items must be worth….sell me that fox sculpture for 10 gold.
+A few minutes ago it was worth nothing. Now it’s worth over 100 gold!
The board was filled with various tales of Weed’s bravery. Aside from being a famous adventurer to the users in Royal Road, he was also had high popularity amongst the public.
#
Shin Hye-Min and Oh Juwan were holding an ongoing series called ‘Story of the Continent of Versailles, and was holding a telephone interview with Lee Hyun. Since they were paying Lee Hyun salary, he was willing to do it.
“Today we bring you a story about the Continent of Versailles that many people have been wanting to hear about, and with us on the phone is the God of War Weed. Weed?”
>Yes.
A short and annoyed answer came back!
“You’ve had a lot of adventures. What was the most challenging adventure?”
>Adventuring is tough.
“Modest words that you’re saying. But people want to know what was the most memorable one that you suffered through, can you tell us?”
Lee Hyun thought for a moment before he replied.
>When I became a sculptor…
“…”
Shin Hye-Min had to sympathize with him. Aside from when he was cooking and hunting in Royal Road, she did not see his hands stop from making sculptures. You could not just close your eyes and create a sculpture; it was very difficult to raise the level of sculpture beyond level 8 without good art skills. Sewing, fishing, cooking, repairing, bandaging, sailing, herbalism, and many other crafts were the true legend behind his hard work.
It was as if Lee Hyun had lived a lifetime of making toothpicks and wooden chopsticks. Oh Juwan thought it was a joke and asked the next question.
“Weed, it seems that you do not know about the message boards. Viewers admire you for a lot of things…people can not climb to high places as you have and instead climb steadily because of the growing fear of failure. What is your trick to not get tired of facing challenges?”
>Complete the challenge.
It meant exactly as he had said. In his life he had been caught up in all sorts of adventures. He did not go into the details of his visit to the City of Heaven since saying more wouldn’t benefit him.
“Seeing as others do not get special quests that are really hard there must be a secret. Do you have any advice for those that are wandering for adventure on the Continent of Versailles?”
>Be very thorough. Do not accept a quest carelessly.
Those were meaningful words that came from his own experience.
After Lee Hyun came out, they began to interview other completely different people.
‘Story of the Continent of Versailles’ appears to be a popular show, and it looks like a lot of people decide to watch it.’
Instead of boasting about pride, Lee Hyun had only spoken briefly.
‘It’s not like I receive any additional payment for a longer interview.’
Letting others know more about him would only make his mouth sore.
“Finally its time to think about how to hunt down the Lich Bar Khan. It seems like a difficult question to answer isn’t it?”
Lee Hyun thought back to his past fight against Bar Khan. It was going to be difficult since he didn’t have enough combat power and the odds were against him. Each of the stations were debating about how to increase the success rate of hunting down Bar Khan.
Bar Khan had a huge damage potential as well as being a Necromancer. With enough dead bodies the battle will be endless with tens of thousands of monsters along with one legendary one. The undead army was a disposable resource. The Undead Legion was only part of Bar Khan’s power and it wasn’t a big loss to him if he lost it. The hunt had too big a risk. Lee Hyun calmly replied.
>If it’s too much I’ll immediately have a plan to escape.
Aside from the item drops, the experience and skill proficiency lost when he died was a lot of damage. He did not care about being courageous but instead sought to see this fight to the end! Lee Hyun had a very realistic idea for his battle.
#
The Pollon’s Hermes Guild unit of rangers, knights, and mages accessed Royal Road. They appeared at the place where Weed had attacked them before.
“What about the surviving Knights and Rangers?”
“They escaped in the direction of the central continent. The number of people that escaped safely are less than 20.”
“Too many had died.”
All but two of Pollon’s Crescent Knights had died. The Hermes Guild users could connect again after some time, but the knights were all dead.
It took a lot of training, time, and money to raise the quality of the knights. Due to the fierce competition within the Hermes Guild, you had to suffer until you had recovered your losses.
“It would be preferable to return to the central continent instead of taking more risks.”
Because Weed’s forces of Geomchis had turned the battle around they were in no position to fight back and could only flee or else they would die.
Many of the users from the Hermes Guild force had lost a lot of items and equipment. They had lost and they would not fight a battle they could not win.
“To think that we lost on a blessed sanctuary.”
“Wasn’t it fun to fight against Weed though?”
“Yes, he was much stronger than our famous Crescent Knights.”
Pollon did not have any regrets. It was a difficult experience but he had the opportunity to battle against Weed.
“The Hermes Guild will have its revenge. The real power of the Hermes Guild is many times stronger than this.
Pollon roughly knew how much power the Hermes Guild had at its disposal. He had joined the Hermes Guild and gradually obtained a higher position only to find out the true reality of the guild’s power. The full strength that had been released towards the Kallamore Kingdom. They then caused a great war and began the occupation of the central continent. The Hermes Guild would surely seek to battle again with Weed and saw it as nothing more than entertainment. Of course with their aloof pride broken, they would become angry.
“Weed, you have managed to smoothly travel through the Continent of Versailles up to now, but in the future there won’t be anywhere you can be safe.”
Pollon ordered his troops to withdraw.
“Wizards make a teleport gate. We’re going to return.”
#
Ttungttangttungttang!
Weed handed the warrior equipment that he made with the blacksmith skills to the Geomchis when he was finished. It was similar to it was before but it had taken a significant amount of labor to dissolve the materials and recreate it using the blacksmith skills. Weed was Intermediate Level 5 in blacksmithing and could use the raw materials to their best.
“A person can not stand idly by. If there’s a heat wave and a drought, then I would make a pool.”
That was way of life for Weed!
“Weed, long time no see.”
“I appreciate all the trouble you went through.”
Mapan had brought over two large furnaces to liquefy the helium for him.
“For the cost of transportation, would japtem be fine…”
“Weed nim, japtem is the best.”
“There is a lot of japtem that I need to take care of so could you also take care of its price? I’m sorry that you had to come all the way out here to take care of this for me.”
“It’s always a pleasure to be doing business with Weed nim.”
Weed had placed Mapan in charge of disposing of the high quality loot japtem from the Necromancers. The Necromancers had levels that exceed 300 and some even past 400. He had made the undead hunt a lot and had now piled up a colossal amount of japtem. Weed gave the japtem to Mapan so that he could directly sell it to the store for an additional 15% of its value. Then he calculated 5% to be taken as profit. When trading in town, merchants that bought japtem usually got a small margin and 10% was usually the default amount .
“Isn’t he a really good merchant?”
“I know. I’ve dealt with traders a few times in the past but I’ve never seen a good a deal as 5%. Is it because he’s a professional?”
They wanted to sell of their items they got from the Necromancers. They were very nervous to walk around with the burden of carrying japtem. Weed took a guess and then went over to introduce Mapan.
“Say hello here. This is Mapan, a merchant I’m close to from the past. If you want to get rid of your japtem then I could ask him to take care of it for the same price he got for me.”
“Can I really? I don’t have the time to go to the shop to find a merchant since I want to go with Weed nim.”
‘5 percent isn’t much compared to all the trouble I went through to come here…’
It would have been bad if Mapan had met with the Necromancers. Transportation costs were high given how high the risks were.
“This is fine. Mapan is a very good merchant. He used to trade a lot in the past with japtem but now he rarely has the chance since he needs to manage his trade store.”
Mapan then went to say.
“I like adventures so I came here to watch Weed. I would also like to take care of the japtem as an extra. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to take.”
They came with Necromancer japtem. They could sell it for 2 or 3% in Morata but this was the best price that had seen yet.
‘How much is all of this.’
Mapan could earn a lot of money from the trade of japtem if it was in bulk.
They were offering their Necromancer japtem!
There were accessories as well as rusty, broken weapons and armor. Weed had deliberately let Mapan deal with classifying the japtem since he could repair it for more profit.
Weed could dissolve and rework it into respectable equipment with his blacksmith skill. Mapan earned a lot more through the 5% profit margin and had an excellent opportunity to get a lot of customers.
After finishing the japtem deal, Weed and Mapan walked back to the carriage quietly. They had been partners the entire time! They only talked to each other secretly with whispers.
>Here’s the referral fee…
>Thank you. Please allow the identifying of the materials to be handed to me. I’ll dissolve the equipment there.
>You’re welcome. If you have another opportunity like this be sure to call me.
>However, do you have a lot of people to sell necromancer stuff to?
>Warlocks. The Necromancer items will easily sell in Morata.
Not only did he plan to sell the Necromancer items, he had planned to use them.
#
He stoked the fires of the large furnaces that were set up temporarily.
“I have to be careful…failure is not allowed.”
Weed was nervous because he was using the precious metal helium.
“It would be nicer to have higher blacksmith skills.”
If he was a master blacksmith then he could make the best items from the helium! With the holy materials he could make a piece of armor that could represent a kingdom. However Weed decided to make the helium into a sculpture.
“A sculpture has no level limit. Later I can melt it down and make it into a sword.”
Weed thought of sculptings with a practical sense rather than an artistic one.
“Once the mold is ready.”
He had created countless molds in advance when he had been hunting with the Death Knights as a Doom Knight. Since Weed was working with the large furnace, Pale’s party along with the paladins, priests, and Geomchis went to hunt in the nearby area. They were wondering what he was doing with such a large furnace. Weed made the fire have an even higher temperature. He stocked the large furnace full of firewood to gradually increase the heat. To increase his chance of success he used more firewood to increase the firepower as much as he could.
“Still not enough. Needs more firewood.”
Weed had given money to Mapan to transport a significant amount of wood in his wagon. Because he was working on helium he could not conserve on the amount of trees used.
He used the strongest, finest burning trees for it. The firewood that cost over 300 gold in total was used up in 10 minutes.
“Still not enough.”
Weed focused entirely on the fire.
“I wonder if he’s making a mithril sword?”
“I suppose that would be a good weapon to hunt down Bar Khan.”
The priests and paladins were waiting for Weed in order to hunt down Bar Khan. They were currently in high tension while wondering what he was doing with the large furnace. The majority of them had went on hunting parties to fight against necromancers.
Noel: Weed is trying to make something in the hearth’s fire. Since he brought a large furnace from town, it must be something important.
The Grass Porridge Cult was able to watch in real time because the videos were on the internet.
This was the reason why Weed did not go with other users to hunt frequently and that was because he didn’t want to divide up the spoils but also because he valued his privacy. The advantage of fighting by himself was that he could hide his production skills and sculpture secrets instead of putting it out in the open for others to see.
“Now the temperature of the fire is suitable.”
Weed pulled out the massive helium. The metal known as the Tears of the Sky God. He put the prestigious helium into the furnace. The furnace was large enough to melt many metals at once but he concentrated solely on the helium.
He watched over the fire!
Weed was muttering to himself.
“I had to give up being greedy to get better results. If only they had given me Herrera’s Cup or the Crown of Fargo…”
Weed had recovered two of the three treasures of Freya. Using either one of the holy items would have been good. Unfortunately Weed was making the helium into a sculpture instead of a piece of equipment with that in mind.
“Fargo’s Crown, when worn is good for hunting. Herrera’s Cup has holy water that can flow out of it like a river.”
He put aside his endless greed and waited for the Helium to heat up and melt. Weed waited five times longer than normal before pulling the helium out. In the middle of the stone was filled with a sky blue liquid. The helium had melted safely.
“Now for the real part.”
He had used a large furnace to make sure that the skill was less likely to fail. From now on it was time to sculpt.
Weed poured the light blue liquid into a mold and waited for it to cool.
“I can not make a single mistake…”
It was frustrating to wait. He was familiar with making a sculpture with blacksmithing since it had been the same with Geumini. He could not help but be nervous though. He did not have the faintest idea of what the completed work would be like. The helium could be melted back indefinitely but if he failed to create a decent work then it would be a significant loss of materials. In the worst case then the magic in the metal would be lost.
If repeatedly refined then the divine power of mana in the helium would gradually weaken.
“Now.”
Weed took it out of the earthen mold faster than usual. It was time to work on the helium. Torches that illuminate the darkness! He was going to form the clear azure helium into a torch.
“Still…its a bit lacking.”
His blacksmith skills were too low to properly handle helium so he needed to work on the details. Weed had to make the sculpture more carefully and with greater detail to ensure that it does not fail. Weed took his Zahab Carving Knife.
He used the Zahad Carving Knife to work on the Helium since it was going to be a precious item for Morata’s castle that Yurin was staying in. Talrock Armor, Bahalan Bracelet, Kolderim’s Demon Sword, as well as Weed’s personally crafted equipment that he made for himself and Yurin often.
“Time to sculpt.”
Seugseug.
Weed scraped the surface of the helium with the sculpting knife. He boldly cut away the protruding parts.
+You are in contact with Divine Power.
+Strength has been reduced by 35.
+Health has dropped by 950.
+Undead power has decreased by 4.
Since he was a Doom Knight, the helium made him suffer enormous damage every time he touched it.
‘I don’t have much time, must make it immediately.’
He needed to finish the piece before he died. Helium had huge durability and took a lot of time to cool before it could become a sculpture.
+Hot metal has been used.
+Vitality has been reduced by 318.
Divine Power!
There were two types of pain that Weed had on him as he held his sculpting knife. The thing that set a professional sculptor apart from other art professions was that he had to shoulder all the physical suffering.
“Better works come from suffering…”
Weed said these words as if he were dying. He did not have the time to make the sculpture leisurely.
’This is nothing to me.’
Weed began to trim and create the entire mold with his sculpting knife. He had to watch the torch through the whole creation process with all of his experience is the sculpture was made of dissolved metal. As the helium became more cold and solid, it began to emit more mana and divine power.
“What, maximum mana is increasing?”
“I’ve gotten skills that make holy magic stronger. But never to such an extent.”
“My mana regen is going crazy at a 50% higher rate.”
As the sculpture began to near completion, the priests and paladins began to feel a change in their bodies. Weed was making a helium torch. The divine powers of the priests and paladins were being enhanced.
+The body is vulnerable to divine power.
+Defense has disappeared.
+Resistance has been reduced.
The divine power gradually wrapped around Weed’s body and weakened him. Strength began to rapidly fade from his bones.
“Just a little more…”
He had to remain calm and hold the helium with his hand, even if his health was gradually being put at risk.
“It’s complete.”
He stuck a rod under the torch to complete it! The bar was made out of Mithril and Adamantium. When he had hunted the Undead Legion, he had collected a lot of old weaponry.
+Please set the name of the sculpture.
Weed had to name it quickly. This was because he only had 20% health left.
“Torch Left by a Sculptor.”
+The Torch Left by a Sculptor right?
“Yes.”
Many sculptors had lost their lives without any help like in Las Gigolos. This was the legacy of Sculptor Weed’s works. It was a very good work that he used blacksmith, handicrafting, and sculpting to make so that he would not regret it.
——————————————————+
Masterpiece! You have completed the Torch Left by a Sculptor sculpture!
A sculpture made out of helium! This sculpture is a work that will be recorded in the history of the continent. It would not be an overstatement to say this was the greatest and most famous piece created by the sculptor Weed. This piece, created by God’s noble metal, will bring glory and radiant light.
Artistic value: 18619
Special Options: 8
+Those that see the Torch Left by a Sculptor will have their health and mana regen increased by 52% for a day.
+Additionally, the owner of the sculpture will receive an additional 30% mana regen.
+All stats are increased by 29.
+The mana consumption of all skills have been reduced by 75%.
+Magic power has increased by 33%.
+Mana based combat skills have increase in strength by 14%.
+Will keep enemies away.
+Mana Barrier(Advanced Level 4) will prevent ranged attacks within a certain range.
+Has the ability to drive away darkness.
+Prevents abnormal status.
+Increases the morale of troops.
+Strong magic resistance to curses and black magic.
+When viewing the sculpture Faith, Wisdom, and Intelligence will increase by 10 permanently.
Can not be used with other sculptures.
So far the number of completed masterpieces: 8
+——————————————————
+Sculpting Skills have improved.
+Handicrafting has improved
+Smithing has increased to Intermediate Level 6. You are now better at smelting unique metals.
+Smithing has increased to Intermediate Level 7. You can now create light armor with high durability.
+Fame has increased by 4924
+Art has increased by 51.
+Wisdom has increased by 7.
+Endurance has increased by 3.
+Stamina has increased by 4.
+Charisma has increased by 13.
+Charm has increased by 25.
+For creating a masterpiece, all stats have increased by an additional 3 points.
+This sacred sculpture has the ability to reduce the powers of the dead.
Weed’s eight masterpiece sculpture!
Since it was a sculpture that could be carried, it as going to be a great help in the fight.
“Nevertheless I was able to make another named sculpture…this much is good.”
Instead of sword or armor, it was a great sculpture that increased stats and lowered mana consumption.
It was some of the best options for a cleric or wizard. Thanks to the process helium, his blacksmith skills increased another two levels. There was not much left until it was level six and the reason it raised so much was because he was a human that was dealing with the highest grade metal.
“It’s so reassuring to create such a good sculpture…”
Weed moved his jawbone.
+A sculpture made out of the legendary material helium has been created.
+You can go to the Sculptor’s Guild to receive additional rewards.
Very nice things kept happening but as a Doom Knight the options were very negative things since the power in his body kept dropping. If he held onto the sculpture too long then he would die there holding it. Weed wrapped the sculpture in a white cloth and added it to his bag.
+You are no longer in contact with the Torch Left by a Sculptor.
+The aura of Divine Power is leaving the body.
+Once the energy completely disappears then it is possible to regain original combat capability.
The scenes of Weed creating the Helium Sculpture was broadcasted live on the internet and seen by many. However this was hardly anything to hide. The people of the Continent of Versailles had spread news by mouth. Whenever a A class or S class quest succeeded the effects were great.
The Relics of Freya were also made of the same Helium material.
“Such an amazing sculpture was made in the world. It is a sculpture that is very artistic but also imbued with magical powers.”
“The number of treasures created by human hands on the Continent of Versailles has increased by one, but this one is very powerful because of the effort that was put into it.”
“His Majesty, the King is very anxious to meet this sculptor. Keep the palace doors open and tell the guard to see if they can contact the sculptor…”
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