Meanwhile, at that very moment.
The divine servants scattering throughout the world were sweating.
[Is it truly alright to proceed with this plan?]
They were the divine servants of Libra. And they were currently heading toward the sanctuaries of each Divine Throne under their master's command.
Libra had summoned the saints from each Divine Throne.
It was to deal with Lee Geon and eliminate the traitors who had sided with him.
A so-called all-out war.
And given the gravity of the situation, each of the gods would surely consent willingly to the use of their saints.
However.
[Isn't it dangerous to exploit the invasion of an unknown civilization?]
[No, it's the perfect opportunity. The ones invading this time are no ordinary foes.]
[!]
The divine servants nodded in agreement.
After all.
The scale of this invasion was on an entirely different level from the usual rampages of Red Zone monsters.
At the very least, it would be an invasion on a scale that could have wiped out humanity 20 years ago.
'At the very least, several nations will disappear.'
The sporadic appearances of Red Zone monsters in cities had been an omen.
It meant there were creatures capable of even ignoring the divine barriers.
And the reason Libra, whose credibility was plummeting as the culprit behind the incident 10 years ago, was trying to use this was simple.
There was one excellent way to rally a crumbling support base.
'Fear.'
There is nothing easier than manipulating the hearts of humans gripped by terror.
Even if the world shows favorable reactions to Lee Geon or the Divine Throne of the Archer now, what would happen if they were powerless against the attack of an unknown civilization?
'The ones invading this time are no ordinary opponents.'
Beings beyond comparison to 20 years ago would come.
And what good would it do if Lee Geon had made a name for himself as a hunter 20 years ago? What good would it do if three saints were at his side?
'The opponent is what it is.'
The world map would likely change drastically after this invasion.
Human territories would be encroached upon, trampled, and ravaged, with half the population dying or being taken captive.
Of course, Libra would remain utterly unaffected by the invasion of the unknown civilization.
The same was true for the Divine Thrones who had allied with Libra.
But the nations showing favor to Lee Geon. And the nations of the Divine Thrones that showed favor to Lee Geon during this invasion would be mercilessly reduced to ruins.
And in that situation, the only land maintaining its form would probably be the sanctuary of Libra alone.
If so, where would the faith of the people turn after the invasion?
Knowing the answer, they smiled.
[Lee Geon will plummet into ruin in an instant.]
[You are right.]
Of course, even they had a variable they were concerned about.
[There was talk that Lee Geon's weapon works.]
It was the Celestial Punishment, wasn't it?
A legendary weapon made by gathering all sorts of artifacts and high-grade monsters from around the world.
[But didn't the god of Capricorn help him back then to make that much?]
[Of course. There's no way he could have made such an item alone.]
[Indeed, other saints besides the Capricorn god would have helped too.]
Aside from that, Lee Geon's Eight Great Armaments were said to be effective at catching monsters, but well.
[Back then, the world helped him and he was lucky to have such things, but now it's different.]
[Indeed. There are no materials left to make such a thing again.]
[And no time to gather such materials either.]
In other words, Lee Geon and the Divine Thrones following him would be utterly shattered this time.
And they would come to regret it.
Just who they had angered.
The divine servants dispersed, laughing.
* * *
[The Creation Workshop has established itself in the sanctuary of Serpentarius.]
[The Creation Workshop will always be open in the 2nd occupied territory.]
Along with the voice, something astonishing happened.
Rumble!
"Ah!"
Everyone crossing over through the gate from the hospital was shocked.
Lava was bursting and flowing down from a mountain the size of a hill that had settled in place of the mansion.
And the flowing lava traveled along pipes toward somewhere.
That place was none other than a gigantic furnace.
Near the furnace, a workbench and an anvil could be seen. It was all the smelting tools Lee Geon had stored in his skill space.
There were also items once owned by the saint of Capricorn.
It was then.
As Lee Geon headed that way, walls rose from the floor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As the walls rose, a green light gathered, and the lights coalesced to form a ceiling.
Boom!
At last, the workshop was complete.
And the workspace alone was roughly 40 pyeong.
It still felt cramped, but for now, it was enough.
'It was a good move to level up the Creation Workshop using the points I've saved up.'
[Creation Workshop]
- Lv. 5 (Capable of making basic equipment)
- Current size 132㎡ (A decent size for making something)
In the end, everyone who had followed in was left gaping.
"Wh-what is this? A smithy?"
That wasn't all.
[The 2nd occupied territory begins its function as a workshop.]
[The characteristic of Serpentarius's sanctuary (1/1) is applied.]
[Serpentarius Sanctuary Characteristic (1/1): Increased Regeneration]
- Unlimited physical regeneration while within the area (regardless of object, holy relic, or creature)
- Regeneration speed and range increase the closer to the main island
Green lights like fireflies began to rise all over the island.
At the same time, the holy knights of the Archer God were startled.
"Uh…!"
"Regeneration?"
Amazingly, the wounds on their arms were healing. Albeit at a slow pace.
That wasn't the only surprising thing.
"The lord's weapon is…!"
That's right.
Even the bow that Hugo was holding was being regenerated.
"Unbelievable. Even the weapon is regenerating…!"
Hugo, holding the bow, was also surprised.
It was the very bow that had been broken in two while fighting the Scribe.
Of course, the broken bow didn't just snap back together, but the moment the green firefly-like things flew and touched the bow.
Flash!
[The weapon is being regenerated by the sanctuary effect of Serpentarius.]
The fine scars on the weapon were healing. And the broken or missing parts were also slowly growing back.
It was unmistakable regeneration.
At this, Hugo seemed to have a sudden thought and turned his head.
'Kevin!'
That was understandable, as Kevin had his right arm cut off by Lee Geon.
But if this was a place where even they were regenerating, wouldn't his arm be regenerating too?
As expected, as if everyone had the same thought, all eyes turned to Kevin.
But Kevin, who had crossed the gate, was glaring at Hugo with an envious look.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Ah, no."
Hugo subtly glanced at Kevin's right arm, but unfortunately, there was no sign of regeneration on Kevin's arm at all.
Moreover, it didn't seem to be applied to Hayley either.
If so.
'Could it be that only the Archer God and Serpentarius, just the two, are enjoying the sanctuary effect?'
Hugo was greatly shocked.
'Surely, only those permitted by the god of Serpentarius are receiving the buff.'
A debuff might be different, but normally, only one's own holy knights could receive the sanctuary's buff.
That's why it was so unexpected.
He didn't know who the god of Serpentarius was, but to grant regeneration even to the Divine Throne of others, who were strangers.
'For a bastard like Geon to serve such a god... they must be an incredibly great being.'
Hugo's eyes sparkled with emotion. Even respect was contained within them.
So he was about to tell Lee Geon to express his gratitude to the god of Serpentarius.
But it was then.
Clang!
A clear metallic sound echoed throughout the island.
It was the sound of a hammer.
Clang! Clang!
It was different from his playful demeanor so far.
With fairly serious eyes, Lee Geon was swinging his hammer.
[Switched to Production Workshop mode.]
[Personal traits , , and are being exerted.]
In Lee Geon's right hand was a giant tong formed by the slime, and in his left hand was a hammer.
And on the anvil was something Lee Geon had been making for a while.
The hammer was striking it.
Clang!
[The Achievement-Granting Hammer (SS) increases durability.]
[The Achievement-Granting Hammer (SS) grants vitality.]
[The Achievement-Granting Hammer (SS) increases defense.]
[The Achievement-Granting Hammer (SS) increases surplus energy.]
Feeling hot, Lee Geon even threw off the shirt he was wearing. The first thing visible was his back, drenched in sweat.
Unlike 20 years ago, it was a clean, well-muscled, and solid body without a single scar.
Thanks to that, Hayley had already fainted while standing.
But it was then.
Hiiiiss!
As an immense heat surged, the holy knights of the Archer God were flustered.
"W-what is this heat…!"
Even the holy knights of the Archer God, who followed the sun god, would have gotten burned if they hadn't erected a barrier beforehand.
Moreover, it wasn't just simple heat.
'Mana can be felt in the heat.'
Even Lee Geon, who could be considered the master of the sanctuary, was taking damage from it.
[These are flames containing special energy.]
[Danger. Improper handling could endanger your life.]
As expected, wounds began to appear on Lee Geon's body.
"Uncle!"
A startled Cheon Seongjae tried to bring healing medicine, but Lee Geon paid no attention and continued hammering.
Rather, he seemed to be enjoying the pain.
In the end, unable to watch any longer, Gott looked at Hugo.
"Lord, is it okay not to stop Lee Geon-nim? He's regenerating, but his body is completely burning up!"
Hugo sucked on his drink as if giving up.
"It's fine, it's fine. That bastard Geon's a masochist."
"Excuse me?!"
A masochist with regeneration ability.
Hugo clicked his tongue, thinking what a perfect match of abilities it was.
It was then.
In the brief moment Hugo looked away, a flash of light burst forth.
[Equipment has been completed.]
Armor S-Rank
- Attack Absorption (up to 80% of total attack) S-Rank
- Reflect (reflects damage up to the total amount of the user's magic power) (S-Rank)
- Mess with my holy knights and you die Skill (S-Rank) (Additional Trait)
[Divine Throne experience increases.]
[Dexterity stat increases.]
Light burst from the well containing metal in front of Lee Geon.
And it seemed Lee Geon did something inside.
Flash!
Along with the light, armor parts emerged from the well.
And everyone's jaws dropped at the items that came out.
"Plate armor?"
Judging by the form, it certainly was.
It was a magnificent design that looked like something knights from the medieval era would wear.
A design that covered from the top of the head to the tips of the fingers and toes, so it looked incredibly sturdy.
However.
"Hey, who wears something like that!"
Hugo shot him a glare, asking if he was making something so ridiculous.
"You can't even move wearing something like that!"
"Shut up. It's not made for you, you brat."
"What?"
Lee Geon immediately called someone.
"Seongjae. It's yours, so try it on."
"?!"
Cheon Seongjae, whose name was called, couldn't believe his ears.
"It's for me?"
"Yeah. Don't go around getting beaten up everywhere anymore."
"?!"
Cheon Seongjae sobbed.
Not only had he watched his uncle make equipment live, but it was even armor for him!
On the other hand, Hugo was completely dumbfounded.
"Hey. The weight of that cosplay-like armor alone will exceed 30kg. Do you think that weakling can wear that and walk around? He won't be able to move."
But it was then.
"Ooooh!"
The moment Cheon Seongjae touched the armor, an amazing thing happened.
"Wow! The size automatically adjusted to fit my body!"
The other holy knights were amazed. When the startled Hugo turned to look, there was his son, running around in high spirits.
The clumsily large plate armor had transformed like a t-shirt.
Even the weight looked very light.
And in response to his friend's gaze asking what happened, Lee Geon clicked his tongue.
"Of course I made the size and weight adjustable automatically. You idiot."
"……?!"
Hugo looked at Lee Geon as if asking him to make one for himself too.
But Lee Geon didn't even glance at him, telling him to cough up some money first.
It was then.
"Still, materials are definitely lacking."
Even what he just made was called plate armor, but it was only about the chest area at best.
So Lee Geon called for the piggy bank, just in case, but.
[Pishu can no longer regurgitate what he has eaten.]
[No items usable for production are visible.]
Lee Geon frowned at the tremendous treasures Pishu had proudly vomited out.
It meant that he only ate things resembling his former master.
Perhaps because of that.
"Is this really all you've eaten so far?"
[Booooo!]
"No, there's no way that's true."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lee Geon picked up a knife.
"Let's cut open your belly, brat."
[Boooo?!]
In the end, at its master's glare, Pishu quickly changed direction.
[The frightened piggy bank runs away.]
[Runs away, begging him not to cut open its belly.]
Eventually, as Pishu fled far to the seaside, Lee Geon lamented.
"Ah, so I can only make Seongjae's as originally planned."
He had planned to make his own too.
But it was then.
Thud!
Two huge bundles fell in front of Lee Geon.
'!'
It was Hayley.
"U-use, use it…!"
She, who had been unconscious, had brought something.
Unable to even make eye contact with the shirtless Lee Geon, she spoke.
"O-one is something you can use as material. And the other one is things you made during your lifetime, Lee Geon. Disassembling or improving them will surely yield even better weapons."
But Hugo was appalled as he saw the contents.
That was because all of them were items that had appeared in wealthy auctions.
So Hugo, who had tried to retrieve Lee Geon's belongings from his lifetime, was dumbfounded.
"Now that I see, it was you who swept up Geon's stuff at the auction."
That wasn't all.
All the holy knights seeing the contents were surprised.
Even Lee Geon was rarely surprised.
Among the items Hayley possessed, there was a familiar one.
"This is…!"
(Continued in the next episode)