< New Garden (2) >
“Six million, huh…”
I slowly stroked my chin, my eyes glimmering.
It was a highly satisfactory result.
With this amount, I could finally carry on the choice I had postponed due to unavoidable circumstances.
『Dimension Barrier Mitigation (6,000,000)』
That was an option that reduced the gaps between each dimension and eased the restrictions on Awakened Ones.
Previously, not having enough Karma led me to succumb to the unbearable temptation of ‘random lottery,’ forcing me to save it for later…
‘Just in time, the points fit perfectly.’
Could I consider this fate?
Now that I had no distractions, there was no need to hesitate any longer.
‘After all, it seems like it will take more time to further enhance the Unique Skills. And I don’t really need anything else at the moment…’
Letting out a light breath, I was engulfed by a strange impulse I had felt once before and immediately chose the second 『Dimension Barrier Mitigation』.
Right after that, the six million points that had generously blessed me instantly vanished—
“Hmm.”
I instinctively sensed that something surrounding my body had changed.
It felt as if something I hadn’t noticed was wriggling and responding.
Yet, like the feeling during the first purchase, it didn’t last long and vanished in an instant.
‘…Is this it?’
It was the same as last time.
I knew something had changed, but I couldn’t pinpoint what had altered and to what extent.
Since it had been the same before, I had expected this again, but actually experiencing it left me with a peculiar feeling.
‘Wow, but I’m a customer who just spent six million in one go.’
I felt a bit of dissatisfaction, but what could I do about it?
All I could do was bear with the loss.
‘Still… it seems like the existing functions have definitely been enhanced.’
Woowoo—
I gazed at the shimmering platinum light on my hands and nodded slightly.
Even though I used the same power, its output had noticeably increased compared to before.
Even a little bit of energy radiated like this, and as the scale of power increased, so would the sensation.
‘Perhaps this could help solve the issues concerning the Dragon’s child.’
The 『Dimension Barrier Mitigation』 I had in mind was akin to a hacking tool or an Easter egg.
It granted permission to bypass some of the rules that applied to all Awakened Ones.
The very fact that it was part of the Karma Shop, which was a part of the system, was nonsense in the first place.
‘Well, it must have been hidden so that just anyone couldn’t acquire it.’
The condition to obtain the special perk “Karma Shop Ver.2 Update” was to have over ten million unused Karma.
Gathering that amount of points wasn’t trivial, and how many people in the world would hoard them without using them, even if they had such a capability?
Even the price of that option alone ranged from five to six million…
‘No way anyone could just easily get their hands on it. …Well, it doesn’t matter to think about it now.’
What mattered was how it would help me in the future.
It seemed that just the abilities permitted in the Ganghwan Realm wouldn’t easily resolve those issues.
After examining the changes here and there, I closed my eyes gently and clenched my hands tightly.
“…A pre-ordained sacrifice, huh…”
Thinking of them made my stomach tighten again.
Frustration I couldn’t pinpoint swelled within me, and I exhaled sharply.
‘I can’t stand this anymore. The Ganghwan Realm is my new garden now, and I can’t just sit back and watch that happen.’
I vowed again.
I wouldn’t care about the Dragon God’s arrangement or anything like that; I’m going to overturn it all as I please.
In fact, if I genuinely set my mind to it, it was quite a feasible task.
The holy power-bearing Heinrich Saint Landgard, the Undead King Hans at the peak of dark magic and forbidden mysteries, and the Dragon Horus who was born blessed with the entire world’s blessings.
Not to mention, the High Elf Harris, who was no different than the great natural residents, and Heinz II, the Pureblood Vampire, and now Harley, who possessed qualities of a Yokai— remarkable heroes were all within my grasp.
How could I simply sit back and give up while having talents like these under my wing?
‘Since it has come to this, I should focus more on the Ganghwan Realm. Conveniently, I just absorbed the Demon Cult, and a similar structure formed in Auterica. It wouldn’t hurt to conduct some rehearsals for the main stage first in the Ganghwan Realm.’
And I had to check the changes brought by the second 『Dimension Barrier Mitigation』 too.
Considering that six million points had gone in, it wouldn’t just end with the previous effects being amplified.
First, I needed to ascertain what I had.
‘Just thinking about it…’
But unexpectedly.
One of the additional effects of 『Dimension Barrier Mitigation』 was something I could confirm much earlier than I had anticipated, and in a totally unexpected place.
Among the dwarves hammering away vigorously in time flowing ten times faster than Earth,
Dwarf Howard.
*
Howard’s daily routine as the personal workshop guardian was simple.
Bang—! Clang—!
Hammering away, eating, hammering again, having a drink with his meals, occasionally dabbling in crafting or non-metal processing, then hammering away until bedtime.
A repeating— exceptionally consistent, monotonous routine.
But Howard never once thought that it was boring.
‘Of course not! How could it be boring when I can make anything I want?’
This wasn’t solely because he was in the body of a Dwarf.
Well, maybe that had a significant role, but at least he was incredibly satisfied with that fact himself.
‘There’s no better hobby than this.’
In reality, creating something wasn’t exactly a rare or niche hobby, was it?
Representing his thoughts, his workshop was filled with the fruits of his hobby that he had crafted thus far.
From a smooth, round shield engraved with stars at the center, to impractical weaponry and ornaments that looked as if they had just jumped out from a movie or game.
There were indeed perfect items that seemed to step right out of cinema or games.
‘Although they look like this, along with magical metals, I’ve fused all sorts of rare metals into them, so their actual performance isn’t so bad.’
Truth is, those weren’t created solely for fun.
His top priority was to complete the all-purpose combat exosuit he had designed, termed ‘Titan.’
However, that task proved to be more difficult than he initially thought.
While he had managed to create the arms and legs, the torso part, which connected everything, and the control unit, the head piece, just didn’t meet his satisfaction.
In such a situation, he realized his shortcomings and started this work to polish his basics and refine his skills, and now, here he was.
Thud—! Thud—!
And this time, he was crafting a two-handed sword of enormous size.
The length and width of the blade alone surpassed that of an average adult woman.
To ensure extreme hardness and weight, he had deliberately used ores from the Ganghwan Realm.
Clang—!
But suddenly.
‘Huh?’
He felt a distinct recoil from the hammer that was different from before at his fingertips.
He momentarily halted, his eyebrows twitching like a caterpillar, but nonchalantly resumed hammering away.
Relying on the skill engraved in him by instinct, he activated “Technological Revolution.”
Clang—! Clang—!
The rhythmic sounds of metal began to resonate throughout Howard’s workshop.
But his heart was far from calm.
‘…What is this? Could it be?’
He sensed a peculiar recoil at his fingertips.
It was entirely different from the ore he had previously dealt with, which had no mystique, only inherent metal traits.
‘The mystery sealed within the metal is awakening…?’
Though he could guess the cause, accepting it wasn’t easy.
‘No, accepting or not doesn’t matter; it’s happening for real, so this must be true…’
“Technological Revolution” was the ability to interfere with the system that composes items from different dimensions and modify part of it.
However, until now, it had only been feasible on a minute portion of magical equipment; touching the very essence of an object, as he was doing now, was unfathomable.
Despite his mind being flooded with complexity, his body, trained through long training, moved seamlessly without the slightest hesitation.
He heated the metal in the furnace and repeated hammering.
Fwoosh—!
The furnace, heated to maximum through “The Conductor of Fire and Metal,” spewed out blue flames.
Some portions of the specially crafted magical furnace melted down from such extreme heat, but Howard didn’t pay that any attention.
Now that he had become one of the owners of one of the largest businesses on the continent, it was mere pocket change for Hubert.
What truly mattered was not such trivialities.
‘I need to confirm this. What will this result yield?’
According to the laws between dimensions, a magical item from one world wouldn’t function in another.
After all, the very foundation that composed it was completely different.
Also, this rule applied not just to finished magical items, but also to materials imbued with the mystery of other worlds. A Ganghwan Realm item rooted in energy could not function normally in Auterica, based on mana, right?
Yet now.
That “impossible” thing was occurring.
‘If this is truly applicable to the finished product…’
Howard, feeling drenched in sweat as if he’d splashed himself with boiling water, continued his movements without pausing.
Revolution.
Facing the moment before a creation that defied the world’s common sense was born, the dwarf’s desire forced him into action.
Clang! Hiss—!
Forging, tempering, polishing.
Every step flowed seamlessly.
And finally.
“Ha… Hahaha!”
With “Great Strength,” Howard lifted the two-bladed sword, which was much larger than his torso, with both hands.
A massive, thick, heavy double-edged sword.
He recalled weapons created to slay dragons from classic cartoons he’d seen as a child, materializing right at his fingertips.
A creation imbued with mystique that shouldn’t exist in Auterica.
“I can’t believe something like this is possible.”
For a moment, he stared blankly at the sword.
Certainly, this miracle wasn’t achievable with just the 『Dimension Barrier Mitigation.』
The fact that he was an Awakened One one step away from destiny, and the fact that this Awakened One had the ability called “Technological Revolution” to interfere with item properties, combined with his ability to harmonize two completely different worldly materials, resulted in this exquisite blend.
‘…A magical equipment surpassing the boundaries of dimensions.’
With his half-closed eyes, Howard pondered over his masterpiece.
This weapon was not limited to use in Auterica.
Even if he took it back to the Ganghwan Realm, it would fully exhibit its capabilities just like here.
Embracing mysteries that don’t exist in that world.
In that moment.
Fwoosh—!
The fierce flames of the furnace flickered violently.
Immediately after, a strand of flame erupted outward.
It twirled around him a few times before dissipating into the air.
《The entity has met the conditions for growth. Skills “Blacksmithing” and “Precision Crafting” have combined and evolved into the special skill “Golden Hands.”》
“…The blessing of the furnace.”
It was Howard’s third blessing.
Indeed, even the gods of fire and metal must have been astonished by this result.
Holding the sword, Howard was filled with deep reflection.
If the first blessing was the minimum requirement to be called a ‘master’ in the Dwarf society, then this third blessing he just acquired was proof of his qualification as a ‘great master.’
His mentor, Zhaonik, was a craftsman with the title of a great master; thus, Howard, who had only been practicing creation for a few years, had now reached a similar stature to his mentor.
‘Of course, there’s still considerable difference in real skill.’
Yet given the speed of his growth now, the day he achieved true master-level competence wouldn’t be far off.
Taking a deep breath to calm the excitement, Howard carefully set down the massive sword he was holding.
During that moment, his gaze drifted to the other items displayed on one side.
Previously very satisfactory creations now seemed utterly unsatisfactory.
“Tch.”
Now that he looked at them, none of them appealed to him.
His hand reached for one of the previously crafted items, a short-handled hammer imbued with the power of thunder.
At the time, he was quite pleased with that creation, but now it simply looked like a poorly made item with just flashy aesthetics.
“Let’s remake this.”
Howard muttered quietly.
His gaze didn’t stop at just that hammer.
He set his sights on all his hobby-made creations, including…
His eyes landed on a metal suit hanging on a mannequin stand.
Including the complete portions for limbs and the unfinished torso and head parts.
‘If I layer the turtle’s back plating on that and use the Yeouiju as the power source…’
All the inspiration that had been blocked up until now burst forth fiercely.
He had a clear feeling.
The day he would complete it was not far off.
Indeed, the first harvest from the Ganghwan Realm proved to be very satisfying.
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