“Six million, huh…”
I slowly stroked my chin, my eyes gleaming.
It was an immensely satisfying result.
At this level, it was enough to proceed with the choice I had once put off before due to unavoidable circumstances.
『Dimensional Barrier Easing (6,000,000)』
It was an option that reduced the disparity between dimensions and eased the restrictions placed on Awakeners.
Before, while I had been a little short on karma, I had succumbed to the utterly irresistible temptation of a “random draw” and had no choice but to postpone it for later…
‘The points just happen to line up perfectly, too.’
At this point, could it not be called inevitable?
Now, there was nothing in particular holding me back, so there was no need to hesitate any longer.
‘It looks like I’ll need a bit more time to strengthen my unique skill further anyway. And there’s nothing else I need right away…’
Letting out a light breath, I was swept up in that strange impulse I had felt once before and immediately selected 『Dimensional Barrier Easing』 for the second time.
Right after that, the six million points that had made my heart feel full just by looking at them evaporated in an instant—
“Mm.”
And soon, I instinctively sensed that something surrounding my body had changed.
It was a peculiar sensation, as if something I had never perceived until now was stirring and reacting.
But just like during the first purchase, that feeling did not last very long and vanished in the blink of an eye.
‘…Is that it?’
It was the same this time as well.
I could tell that something had changed, but I had no sense whatsoever of exactly what or how much had changed.
It had been like that the first time, so I had expected it would be the same this time too, but now that it had actually happened, I could not help feeling somewhat strange about it.
‘Good grief. Still, I’m a customer who spent a whopping six million in one go, you know.’
A small complaint arose in me, but what could I do about it?
The disappointed party had no choice but to let it slide.
‘Still… for now, it seems certain that the existing function has been strengthened even further.’
Wooooong—
I stared quietly at the platinum radiance rippling above my hand, then gave a small nod.
Even though I was using the same power, its output had increased noticeably compared to before.
This was only the result of emitting an extremely small portion of my energy. The larger the scale of the power became, the greater the difference would surely feel.
‘Right. Perhaps this might help resolve the issue concerning the dragon children.’
As I understood it, 『Dimensional Barrier Easing』 was an ability no different from a kind of hacking tool or Easter egg.
It granted the authority to bypass part of the laws commonly applied to all Awakeners.
The very fact that such an option existed in the Karma Shop, which was part of the system to begin with, was nonsense.
‘Well, that’s probably why it was hidden away so just anyone couldn’t obtain it.’
The condition to acquire the privilege 「Karma Shop Ver.2 Update」 was to have over ten million “unused karma.”
Accumulating that many points was no ordinary matter in itself, but even if such an ability existed, how many people in the world would simply let it sit untouched and carefully save it up?
On top of that, the price of the option itself reached five million and six million…
‘It definitely isn’t something just anyone can get their hands on. …Well, thinking about that now is pointless anyway.’
What mattered was how it would help me from now on.
After all, it seemed I would not be able to easily resolve that problem with only the abilities permitted in the Ganghwan Realm.
As I checked the changes in various ways, I soon closed my eyes softly and clenched both hands tightly.
“…Sacrificial offerings determined before they were even born…”
Thinking of them made my chest feel tight again.
An inexplicable irritation, whose cause even I did not know, surged up within me, and I let out a rough sigh.
‘As expected, I can’t stand it. The Ganghwan Realm is my new garden plot now. I can’t just sit by and watch something like that happen there.’
With that, I made my resolve once more.
I did not care about the Dragon God’s arrangements or whatever else. I would overturn everything as I pleased.
In truth, if I took this seriously, the odds were quite high.
Heinrich, a saint counted among the very best when it came to divine power; Hans, the Immortal King standing at the pinnacle of unholy mysteries including black magic; Horus, a dragon born with the blessings of the entire world gathered upon him.
And besides them, there were High Elf Harris, who was no different from an agent of Mother Nature, Heinz II, a vampire of divine blood, and Harley, who had now even acquired the factors of monsters.
—All those outstanding heroes existed within the same fence called me.
And there was no way I, who encompassed such talents, would simply sit back and give up!
‘Since things have turned out this way, I should focus a bit more on the Ganghwan Realm. As it happens, after swallowing the Demonic Cult this time, a structure similar to the one in Auterica has been created. It wouldn’t be bad to hold the rehearsal for the home stage in the Ganghwan Realm first.’
At the same time, I needed to check what had changed with the second 『Dimensional Barrier Easing』.
Since it had cost a whopping six million points, it could not possibly end with the previous effect simply becoming stronger.
Shouldn’t my first priority be to properly grasp what I possessed?
‘That’s what I thought, but…’
Yet truly beyond my expectations.
One of the additional effects of that 『Dimensional Barrier Easing』 was confirmed earlier than expected, in a completely unexpected place.
From the fingertips of a dwarven craftsman who was hammering away diligently again today in a flow of time ten times faster than Earth’s.
From the fingertips of Dwarf Howard.
***
The daily routine of Howard, an earthbound spirit of his personal workshop, was simple.
Clang—! Claang—!
Hammer metal, eat, hammer metal again, take a rest while having a drink with his meal, occasionally dabble in jewelry work or nonmetal processing, and then keep hammering until it was time to sleep again.
A repetitive—
utterly consistent and monotonous daily life.
But Howard had never once thought it boring.
‘Of course not! I can make anything and everything exactly how I want it, so where would there be time to get bored?’
That was not merely because he possessed the body of a dwarf.
No, perhaps that influence made up a considerable part of it… but at least he himself was extremely satisfied with that fact.
‘There’s no better hobby than this, either.’
In truth, making things itself was a major hobby that was not particularly rare, was it?
As if representing that thought of his, one side of the workshop was filled with the results of the hobbies Howard had created so far.
Starting with a smooth, round shield with a star engraved in the center, there were weapons in which not even a speck of practicality could be found, as well as accessories with designs that made one worry about copyright.
Objects that looked as if they had just popped out of movies and games were placed there in truly perfect form.
‘They may look like that, but I poured all sorts of rare metals into them, including magic metals, so their actual performance isn’t bad either.’
In truth, those had not been made merely as a hobby.
His foremost topic was the completion of the all-purpose full-body combat suit he had personally designed, commonly known as “Titan.”
But that work was not as easy as he had thought.
The limb parts, including the arm he had completed earlier, had somehow been possible, but the torso that connected all of them into one and the head part that served as the control unit were far from satisfying to him.
In such a situation, after feeling his own shortcomings, the work he had begun in order to polish his fundamentals and hone his skills had somehow reached this point.
Tang—! Tang—!
And what he was making this time was a two-handed greatsword of fearsome size at a glance.
It was a massive weapon whose blade length and even blade width surpassed that of an average adult woman.
It was a rare item whose materials even included meteoric iron (隕鐵), deliberately procured from the Ganghwan Realm for its extremely hard and heavy properties.
Claang—!
Then, at some moment.
‘Hm?’
A repulsive force different from before was transmitted through the hammer he had brought down and into his fingertips.
His caterpillar-like eyebrows twitched as he paused for a moment, but he soon lifted the hammer as if nothing had happened and struck the metal again.
Following his instincts, he used the skill imprinted upon him, 「Technological Revolution」.
Taang—! Taang—!
Periodic metallic sounds began to ring out through Howard’s workshop, as if he had never hesitated at all.
However, his state of mind was far from calm.
‘…What is this? No way?’
A strange repulsive force could be felt at his fingertips.
It was completely different from the meteoric iron he had handled until now, which had possessed no mystery and retained only the properties of the metal itself.
‘The mystery dwelling within the metal is coming back to life…?’
He could easily guess what the cause was, but he could not readily accept it.
‘No, accept it or not, it’s actually happening, so I can’t deny it. In that case, this really is…’
「Technological Revolution」 was an ability that interfered with the system composing items from other dimensions and modified part of it.
However, until now, that had only been possible with an extremely small part of magic tools. Touching the very foundation of an object itself like this had been out of the question.
Unlike his complicated thoughts, his body, familiar from long training, moved naturally without the slightest delay.
He put the metal into the furnace to heat it and hammered it, repeating the process.
Fwoosh—!
The furnace, raised to its maximum temperature through 「Attuner of Fire and Metal」, spewed blue flames.
At that tremendous temperature, parts of the specially made magic furnace began to melt little by little, but he did not pay the slightest attention to such trivial matters.
To Hubert, who had now become the master of one of the largest trading companies on the continent, the price of such a furnace was nothing more than pocket change.
What mattered now was not something so minor.
‘I have to confirm it. How this result will turn out.’
According to the laws between dimensions, a magic tool from one world does not function in another world.
From the beginning, the very foundation that composed it was completely different.
And that did not apply only to completed magic tools, but also to materials imbued with the mysteries of other worlds. There was no way an object from the Ganghwan Realm, which was based on qi (氣), would function normally in Auterica, which was based on mana.
And yet, now.
That “impossible” thing was actually happening.
‘If this applies intact even to completed products…’
Even as Howard became drenched in sweat, as if water had been poured over him in the heat of the ultra-high temperature, he never stopped moving.
Revolution.
As an item that twisted the common sense of the world was about to be born, the desire he possessed as a dwarf facing that moment forcibly moved his body.
Claang! Hiss—
Forging, quenching, polishing.
Every process flowed together as smoothly as water.
And finally.
“Ha… Hahahah!”
Howard, whose arm muscles had swollen enormously due to 「Superhuman Strength」, lifted the greatsword, far larger than his own torso, with both hands.
An incredibly huge, thick, and heavy double-edged greatsword.
The weapon made to kill a dragon in an old classic manga he had seen as a child had been recreated exactly at his fingertips.
While containing a mystery that could not exist in this Auterica.
“To think something like this was possible.”
He stared blankly at the greatsword for a while.
Of course, this miracle had not been made possible by 『Dimensional Barrier Easing』 alone.
The harmony had been created by multiple factors working together: the fact that the one who had forged the material was an Awakener, someone one step removed from providence; the fact that this Awakener possessed the ability 「Technological Revolution」, which interfered with the nature of items; and the fact that he had reached a level where he could fuse materials from two completely different worlds into one.
‘…A magic tool that has surpassed the limits of dimensions.’
Howard narrowed his eyes and sank into thought as he looked at his masterpiece.
This weapon was not something that could only be used in Auterica.
Even if it were taken to the Ganghwan Realm right now, it would surely display its full performance there, just as it did here.
While bearing the mystery of another world that did not exist in that world.
At that moment.
Fwoooosh—
The fiercely burning flames of the furnace shook violently once.
Immediately afterward, a strand of flame leapt out.
It wound around him several times, then scattered into the air and disappeared.
《The entity has fulfilled the conditions and grows. The skills 「Metallurgy」 and 「Precision Crafting」 combine and evolve into the special skill 「Golden Hands」.》
“…The blessing of the furnace.”
It was the third blessing Howard had received.
As expected, even the God of Fire and Metal must have been quite surprised by this result.
Holding the greatsword, Howard was overcome with an extraordinary emotion.
If the first blessing was the minimum condition for being called a “craftsman” in dwarven society, then the third blessing he had received this time was proof of the qualification to be called a so-called “master artisan.”
His teacher Zaonic was also a craftsman with the title of master artisan, so Howard, who had only been involved in crafting for a few years, had already reached a position similar to his teacher’s.
‘Of course, in terms of actual skill itself, there’s probably still a considerable difference.’
But judging by his current growth rate, the day he possessed true master artisan-level skill would not be far off.
Howard calmed his excitement with a deep breath and carefully set down the greatsword in his hands.
In the middle of doing so, his gaze turned toward the other items displayed on one side.
Until now, they had been works he was supremely satisfied with…
“Tsk.”
Looking at them now, every single one displeased him.
His hand picked up one of the items he had made before, a hammer with a short handle that contained the power of lightning.
It had been a work he had liked quite a bit at the time he made it, but now it looked like nothing more than a defective product with only superficial flair.
“I’ll make them again.”
Howard murmured quietly.
His gaze was not directed only at that one hammer.
Every item he had made as a hobby, and…
His eyes turned toward the metal suit hanging on a mannequin stand.
Not only the completed limb parts, but also the torso and head sections that remained unfinished.
‘If I overlay it with the Black Tortoise’s carapace and use a yeouiju as the energy source…’
Inspiration that had been blocked until now began to burst out fiercely.
He could feel it with certainty.
The day he completed that thing was not far away.
As expected, the first harvest from the Ganghwan Realm had been highly satisfying.