Chapter 1956

“What is that?”

Lauel arrived at the herb field and cocked his head. Hundreds of bells were embedded in the field, releasing a soft light and making clear sounds. He felt at peace as he listened to them.

“This is a treasure made by Euphemina. From my understanding, it has the effect of preventing herbs from running away. It really works.”

It was only then that Lauel spotted the blonde-haired girl moving in the corner of the field. He approached her.

“Didn’t the server just open? How did you react so fast?”

“During maintenance, I checked the detailed list of additional treasures that were revealed. I heard there is a treasure that makes it impossible for herbs that are at least five hundred years old to escape, so I rushed to this place as soon as I logged in. It’s a simple treasure, so I made it quickly. There were plenty of materials piled up in the guild’s warehouse.”

“The moment you found out that there was such a thing, you predicted that this would happen.”

“You must have thought the same. You just didn’t have the time to check the treasures.”

“I will become familiar with them as soon as I deal with some things. I think I will get a pretty good image of how much the world has changed just by understanding the effects of the treasures. Anyway, do all five hundred year old herbs develop intelligence and run away?”

“No, not all of them. There is a chance for it to happen, though.”

“So now luck applies even to herbs.”

“That’s just how South Korean games work. In any case, with these bells, the problem is mostly solved. I handed over the design to the farmers, so they will be the ones to take care of it in the future. Oh, don’t worry too much about the thousand year old herbs. Piaro is tracking them himself.”

“Thank you for your hard work. We made it through this thanks to you.”

New information arrived just as Lauel exhaled in relief.

“A boss has appeared in the mine that Jokbal created, but… Jokbal can’t control it?”

“Some of the minerals developed egos and are running wild. This means that Jokbal can’t control them. It seems that most attacks don’t work on them, so Peak Sword personally came to support us.”

“We have to dispatch top forces to the fields and mines… Has the ocean expedition team departed?”

“I just got a call. A swarm of flying fish flew in and sank the warships anchored at the docks…”

“What?”

Lauel rarely lost his composure, though upon hearing all this…

It would take some time to adjust to this changed world.

The good news was that the elixirs made from the herbs and fruits exceeded all expectations. Additionally, the boss monster that Peak Sword hunted in the mines dropped some very rare treasure materials.

“Show them to His Majesty first. I will let the treasure research team know to quickly select the treasures that would be good for His Majesty to master.”

“Yes, sir!”

***

Failure in item crafting usually meant that a low-grade item was created. Even if they got an item that didn’t meet their expectations, it was rare for them to waste the materials that they used.

However, failing to craft a treasure would cause the player to lose all the materials they had used. Anyone could make a treasure if they had the materials, but they would experience a huge loss if they failed.

“No matter the treasure, the probability of success for the first production attempt is 15%. The next attempt increases by 5% and there is a maximum success rate of 80%…”

All players had access to the 37,098 treasure blueprints. However, it wasn’t feasible to increase the crafting proficiency of all the existing treasures. Players had to make a selection and then concentrate on the ones they had chosen. The larger the numbers of players involved in this activity, the more work they’d get done.

Jishuka handed out tasks to the personnel as scheduled.

“From now on, all of you will specialize in building ships. The guild will provide you with the materials, so don’t worry about the resources, just work.”

“There are more than a hundred types of ships. Which ones should we make? When I checked the designs, I noticed that some of the ships have duplicate materials…”

“We are excluding the top fifty types because the materials they require are difficult to obtain. We will mainly manufacture high-speed ships.”

“Most high-speed ships are small, so they will greatly limit the number of people that can be on board.”

“It’s okay. For the time being, our top priority is to open up a route. This means that speed is definitely important. It should be enough to accommodate around four people per ship.”

Existing warships couldn’t survive in the updated waters because troops of flying fish with blades on their mouths gnawed through the iron plates and wood. The moment he logged in, Chris witnessed what was going on and threw himself into the sea to annihilate the fish. Even so, most of the ships had already been destroyed.

Even if the guild still had access to a warship that had escaped this fate, they didn’t dare send it to sea. How could a warship sail when it couldn’t even withstand a troop of flying fish, which used to only eat seaweed, but had now evolved?

“We will take a look around.”

“Of course.”

After Jishuka and other high-ranking players departed, dozens of Overgeared Guild members in charge of shipbuilding sat down on the dock and began crafting treasures. They had placed materials from the warehouse into a square white box and chanted a spell. Strange characters appeared and hovered around the box.

Soon, the red-hot characters turned into flames and heated up the box. A few small flags emerged and floated around it. Then, there was an explosion of light, and magic circles were drawn on top of each other. Before they knew it, the box was spinning in the air.

[The treasure crafting has begun according to the set design.]

[There are three days left until production is complete.]

“The vessel is small, but it takes a long time.”

Exer sighed when he checked the notification window. He was level 430, and quite a famous figure in society, but he was one of the youngest in the marine exploration team. As the update was released and the world around him changed, he found it pitiful to have to build a ship in such a remote area.

His friend, who joined the Overgeared Guild at the same time as Exer, chuckled. “If you have time to complain, then go look at other designs. It will take us months to get the hang of it.”

The box that floated before their eyes was still emitting a mysterious glow and noise as it smelted the ship.

Treasure crafting was a fully automated system. All they had to do was put the materials in the box and chant the spell written on the design. The treasure would be smelted on its own. Still, it needed to be constantly supplied mana, but other than that, the process required nothing else. It was different from item production, which required a specific set of moves to be performed.

“Of course. I was told to choose three treasures and submit them, so I had to make a careful selection. As expected, it’s best to choose a weapon, armor, and a flying tool, right?”

“Isn’t it better to choose elixirs that increase your stats and allow you to evolve? It’s not like we’re lacking in items. Even flying tools are useless. It’s better to get used to Braham’s Boots as soon as possible.”

“The elixir will be given to the top rankers first. We would have to wait too long… And I’m not even compatible with Braham’s Boots. The mana cost is too high.”

“Are the rumors true? Did you not put any points in intelligence…?”

“Uh. I don’t really use skills. I focus on basic hit combos.”

“Hmm. Then I don’t think you can use many of the treasures….”

The harbor was calm. Thanks to Chris clearing out the nearby troops of flying fish, there were only blue waves quietly rippling. The sea shimmered silver from the reflection of sunlight pouring down from the sky, beautiful clouds were covering the horizon.

Just then, a group of white birds flew across the sky, making the scenery even more peaceful.

Two days later…

“That’s it!”

Someone who was sitting in the corner of the dock completed the treasure. The man who secretly cheered was an ordinary player, not an Overgeared Guild member. Thanks to making a single-seater high-speed ship, he finished his crafting faster than the Overgeared Guild, who were manufacturing high-speed ships with at least four seats.

He was lucky in many ways. His base was in this maritime city. It just so happened that he had most of the materials for the one-seater ship. He quickly bought the rest of the materials from the market and went to sea faster than anyone else did.

“I was surprised to see the Overgeared Guild when I arrived at the dock yesterday. Now that this happened, I don’t have to pay attention to them any longer.”

The man snorted and activated the treasure. Mana drained away. Then, a white high-speed ship flew out of his inventory and fell in the water.

The man grinned and got on the ship. He was so excited. He was happy to have completed a treasure with only a 15% success rate in one go!

He was injecting mana to launch the ship, only to flinch.

[The treasure can’t be activated due to the number of passengers being exceeded.]

‘What do you mean the number of passengers is exceeded?’

A woman’s voice spoke in his ear.

“Strange. How could a mere mortal use the power of heaven and earth to refine and use a treasure?”

“……!”

The man was disgusted. He raised his head, drew his sword, and swung it. His 380 levels of experience had caused his body to move reflexively. The sensation of hitting metal reverberated from the tip of his sword.

The man frowned at the pain from his throbbing wrist. He was overwhelmed with anxiety. The woman who had climbed onto his small ship was staring at him innocently. She was dressed in gorgeous palace clothing, like she was the princess of a kingdom, but her attire was unusual and unfamiliar.

The man didn’t know who she was, but he realized he was no match for her. The skill he’d used with his sword didn’t even scratch the gray sphere that surrounded her.

The woman laughed, noticing the man moved to retrieve the treasure.

“Where are you going?”

The woman lightly swung her hand and hit the man’s cheek. He raised his sword to block her but was too slow. The man’s body flew out of the ship and rolled around. Then, the woman placed her hand on the ship.

She chanted an unknown spell and the white ship lost its color.

[The owner of the intermediate treasure ‘Single-Seater Flash Ship’ has been robbed.]

“No!”

The man was horrified when he saw the notification and threw himself forward. He didn’t want to be robbed of the treasure he had made, so he didn’t hesitate to use his ultimate skill.

The woman saw him and cocked her head.

“Are you alive? No!”

The woman’s dark eyes narrowed. The momentum with which the man was flying on the surface of the sea was amazing. His sword glowed red and exuded a menacing aura.

“How can a mortal handle the heaven and earth origin energy so freely? Are you an old monster who has lived for hundreds of years?”

The woman didn’t hear an answer. She gestured and threw a dagger toward the man’s body. A corpse didn’t have the ability to answer.

The ash pillar that rose from the corpse surprised her once more.

“The spirit is reborn…? He can gain experience without any fear of death. That is why he has reached such a high level as a mortal. Maybe I messed with someone I shouldn’t have… Hmph, well, there’s no reason to worry anymore.”

Similar things were happening all over the world. Players who were lucky enough to craft a valuable treasure from the beginning had a high probability of being attacked by unknown beings.

Surprisingly, among them was a high ranker.

“Hah, shit… I’ve memorized your name and face. I’ll see you next time.”

A desert.

Tarma cursed as he turned to ash.

The old man, who had suffered quite a lot of wounds, was in a pretty bad state. He got goosebumps as he remembered the moment his shield was broken by a mortal. He had a serious expression on his face as he cautiously questioned the young man behind him.

“What is this world? I have no memory of falling into a space crack, but when I opened my eyes, I ended up in a strange place. The mortals are unusual. Even though they surely have no spiritual power, they can use heaven and earth origin energy and the treasures. They all seem like veterans.”

“How can an old man understand the mysterious laws of heaven and earth? I have a hunch that the creators of this space knows us very well.”

The young man’s gaze turned to the sky. It wasn’t in the direction of Asgard, but higher than that.

Chairman Lim Cheolho’s eyes widened as he observed the situation through the monitors.

“It’s like he’s staring directly into my eyes. Or am I mistaken?”

He was trembling with goosebumps. The old man replied, “That person has reached the stage of a great person, so no, you are not mistaken. Their artificial intelligence, which we’ve created, is purely based on our memories, but that should be enough for him to realize what Satisfy really is. There is no need to be afraid. They are just data. They will never be implemented into reality without our assistance.”

“I doubt the players will be able to beat them within three years.”

“It’s okay if they can’t. Humanity is very fortunate to have the opportunity to gain experience. As I told you a few days ago, the probability of this update occurring was less than 1 in 10 billion. We didn’t expect this opportunity to come, either.”

The old man smiled at the sullen Chairman Lim Cheolho and shifted his gaze. His clear eyes were focused on the screen that showed Grid.

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