Trait Hoarder

An Old Bet — Part 4

Giiiing—

The machines roared to life.

A massive ring detached from the floor and began floating in midair.

A three-dimensional magic circle connected the ring to the surrounding space, glowing intensely.

At its center, a single magic artifact hovered.

No—two, three.

A swarm of magic spirits rushed toward them.

[Deciphering magic circle output.]

The magic circles engraved upon them unraveled, piece by piece.

Each pattern was analyzed and projected into the air.

The Sun Tower’s supercomputer transferred the data to the central monitor.

[Magic traits detected: Airborne Leap, Mental Protection, Mana Amplification, Personal Barrier, Elemental Attack…]

Then came the next step.

[Initiating magic circle separation.]

Chiiik, chiiiiik.

Magical drones fired beams at close range.

The exposed magic circles were carefully isolated.

The goal was to dismantle, mix, and reassemble them into a new formation.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

No matter how advanced the Sun Tower’s facilities were, no matter how powerful the computational abilities of the magic spirits, human hands were still required.

[Initiating Supreme Flame melting process.]

“You need to be careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

I pushed open the thick door and stepped into the workshop.

Gugugugung.

A cylindrical structure descended from above.

More precisely, it lowered over the three pieces of the Geumo Set.

“Hoo…”

I tensed.

Inside that structure was Ultimate Flame.

Since it was an explosive-type magic, I had to be cautious.

If I failed to control Supreme Flame properly, everything would detonate.

I wouldn’t die, but it would be painful enough to make me wish I had.

I reached out my hand.

Focusing my mind, I released Supreme Flame.

Golden flames bloomed like petals, wrapping around the Geumo Set.

Fwoosh!

The fire began melting the artifacts.

Not completely—

But just enough to loosen the bonds between magic and magic, metal and metal, mana core and gemstone.

[Initiating Ultimate Flame melting process.]

Wooooong—

The cylindrical structure roared violently.

Then, a crimson blaze erupted.

It wasn’t a perfect Ultimate Flame.

Ultimate Flame condensed its power to the extreme before triggering an explosion.

Now, that highly concentrated flame—the purest manifestation of fire itself—was descending upon the Geumo Set.

I swept my hand.

The golden Supreme Flame spiraled outward in a controlled arc.

It didn’t move easily.

Because Ultimate Flame—that maniacal tyrant of a flame—resisted.

Drip.

A bead of sweat slid down my forehead.

One mistake, and it would all explode.

I locked my gaze onto the crimson Ultimate Flame, carefully regulating my mana.

Fortunately, the trait I had gained after my recent discussions with the Tower Master was proving invaluable.

[Comprehension]

Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to control a magic that wasn’t my own.

The mana cost was staggering.

I barely managed by utilizing the Thor Cultivation Technique, Mana Soul, and Insight.

Mana Recovery, Deep Breath, and Mana Absorption were useful, but Insight kept my mind sharp, which was even more critical for this task.

[Melting complete. Proceeding to disassembly phase.]

Viiiiing—

The magical drones hovered into place.

Each carried specially designed clamps, chisels, and engraving tools.

I gripped Mjolnir.

Activating my Artisan trait, I adjusted my traits accordingly.

Then, I meticulously began carving into the three artifacts.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The magic circles couldn’t be damaged.

The components couldn’t be broken.

This was a delicate, intricate process—so much so that my fingers started trembling on their own.

No, that wouldn’t do.

I kept my Focus trait active from start to finish.

Following the magical blueprint projected by the magic spirits, I carefully sculpted each detail onto the Geumo Set.

“Hoo!”

At last, the disassembly phase was complete.

Through the glass, I saw the Tower Master giving me a thumbs-up.

But this was only the beginning.

[Initiating reassembly. Introducing additional materials.]

The magical drones carried an armful of resources with their mechanical limbs.

Dragon horns, bones, and scales—priceless materials.

But they wouldn’t be used as-is.

For the past few days, the mages had refined and compressed them to their absolute limits.

If used for weapons, they could create Dragon Slayers.

If used for armor, they could forge Dragon Sets.

The drones carefully layered the materials over the components.

Then, a preliminary bonding process using magical beams.

At this stage, a light push from a child could cause it all to collapse.

Which is why it needed to be melted and fused together.

[Initiating Supreme Flame-Ultimate Flame fusion process.]

The fusion was my responsibility.

I deployed Aegis alongside Mjolnir.

Carefully placing the artifacts in position, I adjusted my traits.

[Supreme Flame] [Thor Cultivation Technique] [Mana Soul]

[Magic Resistance] [Comprehension] [Insight]

First, Supreme Flame.

I thoroughly seared the materials with flame.

The haphazardly arranged components softened and began merging.

At the same time, I projected the reconstructed magic circles onto them.

A monotone voice from the magic spirits resonated in my ears.

[Fusion phase initiated.]

“Hup!”

I took a deep breath and swapped traits.

[Artisan] [Crafting] [Modification]

[Divine Relic] [Adaptation] [Magic Resistance]

I struck with Mjolnir.

Clang!

I struck again.

Claaang!

Once more.

Kaaaaang!

This was the most critical phase.

I couldn’t afford to lose focus.

One misstep, and both the dragon materials and the Geumo Set would be ruined.

I had to maintain perfect control over Supreme Flame and Ultimate Flame to ensure seamless fusion.

Naturally, that meant I couldn’t rely on a fixed trait set while hammering.

If I focused solely on Supreme Flame?

I’d lack the necessary Artisan traits, and the fusion would fail.

If I focused solely on my hammering?

Supreme Flame and Ultimate Flame would spiral out of control and explode.

So I chose a different approach—

Trait swapping.

Whenever I struck downward, I used my Artisan set.

Whenever I raised my hammer, I switched to my Supreme Flame set.

Swapping traits in perfect sync with each hammer stroke, I poured everything into the artifact creation process.

“Hah…”

The Tower Master’s mouth hung open.

The other elders looked impressed, but none as much as him.

The Tower Master could see it.

My Trait Swap.

The constant shifts in my innate talents, changing in real-time.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

My breathing grew ragged.

Even with Magic Resistance active, it was hard to breathe.

Had I not been wearing an oxygen-supplying magic mask and a full-body protective suit, this process would’ve been impossible.

This suit could let me swim in lava with a smile.

And yet, even while wearing it, the heat was this intense—probably similar to standing right next to the sun.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

I kept hammering.

It was almost done.

The three magic artifacts were slowly taking shape.

I poured my entire being into the final strikes, making sure my precision was flawless to avoid damaging them.

Huaang. Huaaang.

Light flickered.

A glow of mana spread through the air.

Each artifact pulsed, their unique radiances expanding and contracting like heartbeats.

The crown stood in dignified solitude, while the belt and boots complemented each other.

I could feel it instinctively.

The end was near.

[Final engraving phase initiated.]

Only one last strike remained.

“Huuuuup.”

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs to their limit.

[Artisan] [Divine Power] [Sensitivity]

[Divine Relic] [Lightning] [Earth]

I even removed Magic Resistance.

The flames ignored my mask and protective suit, searing my skin and burning through my insides.

But I was faster.

Mjolnir and Aegis—heavenly lightning and infinite earth—collided.

Kwaaaaang!

The final engraving.

The combined power of two gods delivered the finishing touch.

Unlike before, neither deity bestowed me with their blessings.

But their power was still enough to reconnect the dismantled magic circles, to reforge the disassembled mana cores and components.

Enough power to bypass at least 30% of the Sun Tower’s usual artifact crafting process.

Flash!

A brilliant white light exploded outward.

The cylindrical structure that had hung above me silently withdrew.

In its place, an extreme freezing spell engulfed the entire workshop.

The temperature, which had been in the thousands of degrees, rapidly plummeted.

Thud.

The door swung open, and the Tower Master rushed in.

“Sword Star! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Chiiii—

With Magic Resistance, Fire Resistance, and Supreme Flame all active, the moisture in the air evaporated instantly.

Condensed vapor rose around me in thick white plumes.

Seeing me unharmed, the Tower Master let out a breath of relief.

“That’s a relief. You should’ve let us handle it. We would’ve made it just as well, just more safely.”

“That would’ve taken too long.”

“At most, a month.”

“A month is too long.”

I had only spent eight hours hammering.

Even counting the time I spent advising on Ultimate Flame’s stabilization and overseeing the process, it had only been a week.

One month versus one week?

No way I was waiting three extra weeks.

Who knew what could happen in that time?

“Shall we check the results?”

“Let’s.”

The Tower Master twirled his fingers.

As I caught my breath, floating magic tools equipped with communication and projection functions activated, approaching me.

A golden dragon belt, shaped like the serpentine eastern dragons.

Phoenix boots, posed as if they were about to take flight.

A crown adorned with interwoven black and gold horns, exuding majesty.

No—rather than a crown, it was more of a monarch’s coronet.

As I took hold of the artifacts, a magical hologram flared to life.

A speech bubble projected by the Sun Tower’s magic spirits.

Inside, detailed specifications of the three artifacts appeared.

“Haha. This turned out even better than expected.”

“Because the blessings of Lightning and Earth were imbued into them. If I were a paladin, it would’ve been even greater—it could’ve reached Divine Relic grade.”

A so-called Holy Artisan.

A trait that only a priest with an artisan background could possess.

I had no faith, so that wasn’t an option for me.

But that didn’t matter.

All three artifacts had turned out as top-tier SSR-grade equipment.

“The belt and boots are a set.”

“That’s right. I condensed the Geumo Set from three pieces down to two.”

The original Geumo Set bonus had been moved to the one-piece bonus.

And if I wore both pieces together?

The effects would be amplified into Golden Dragon Form, enhancing all Geumo traits.

Essentially, the two-piece bonus now granted two effects instead of one.

“The Monarch’s Coronet is impressive.”

“I guarantee that among all headgear, this ranks near the very top. Unless we’re talking about legendary Dragon King Crowns, nothing surpasses it.”

The Dragon Monarch’s Crown had the following traits:

[Monarch’s Authority]—Subjugates those weaker than the wearer.

[Pride]—Negates external magical and mental interference.

[Cold Rationality]—Maintains clarity of mind in any situation.

[Dragon Mind]—Enhances mana control and magical computation.

[Dragon Speech]—Enables communication in the dragon tongue.

To be honest, it was more suited for a mage or a priest.

But that was fine.

It had five subordinate traits stacked on top of it—

Just like Mjolnir and Aegis.

Considering that Star Spawn only had five traits across both its chest and leg armor, this was practically Divine Relic grade.

Until I beat the hell out of a god and stole a true Divine Relic, this was the best I could get.

The Tower Master clicked his tongue.

“If only we had used Corpse Dragon materials in the Geumo Set as well.”

“That wouldn’t have worked. The Monarch’s Coronet was practically built from scratch, but the Solar Phoenix Set is an enhancement of the Geumo Set.”

“Solar Phoenix Set… That has a nice ring to it.”

“You named it, Tower Master.”

The Tower Master smiled in satisfaction.

The Sun Tower had gained plenty from this endeavor.

The remains of the Golden Dragon and the Corpse Dragon.

Experimental data on Supreme Flame.

A full breakdown of the Geumo Set.

And now, the Dragon Monarch’s Crown and Solar Phoenix Set schematics.

Would they be able to mass-produce the Dragon Monarch’s Crown or the Solar Phoenix Set?

Impossible.

Because they didn’t have Supreme Flame.

And Ultimate Flame alone wasn’t enough to craft artifacts.

What could they expect from an explosion-type magic?

In the end, they’d either have to modify Ultimate Flame for crafting purposes or increase Solar Flame’s firepower—but either way, that would take years.

Even in the game, research on Ultimate Flame was still incomplete by the time Episode 9 was released.

“Sword Star. A gift.”

“What is it?”

“Open it.”

The Tower Master handed me a small magical box.

Inside, the Sun Tower’s emblem gleamed.

Mages rarely bothered wearing these out of sheer laziness, but I knew exactly what it was.

The Sun Tower Elder’s Emblem.

It ranked far higher than the honorary Paladin and Protector badges I had been wearing up until now.

“We are appointing you as an honorary elder of the Sun Tower and granting you a research lab in the upper floors. You will receive a monthly stipend for both personal upkeep and research funding. If you require assistance, we can assign research mages and magical theory instructors to support you.”

“Honorary elder, huh?”

“If you’d like, we could offer you a real elder position.”

The elders didn’t look pleased.

Of course they wouldn’t.

If I became an actual elder, they’d have to share power.

And the thought of a warrior, not a mage, holding an elder’s seat must be even more unpalatable.

Honestly, I wasn’t interested either.

Why would I tie myself down to the Sun Tower?

It was better to accept the honorary elder title, collect the stipend and research funds, and leave it at that.

Even that alone would bring in tens of billions of won per month.

“No, thank you. Just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine. If I accepted, wouldn’t that mean attending regular meetings? And producing research results, too?”

“Haha, that’s true.”

“The honorary title is more than enough. I’ll gladly accept it.”

The elders’ faces brightened immediately.

So transparent.

As the Tower Master pinned the elder emblem onto my chest—stacking it atop my other three emblems—the elders broke into applause.

“Congratulations!”

“With the Sword Star joining our ranks, the Sun Tower is bound to flourish!”

“If you have time, how about collaborating on some research?”

“I noticed Ultimate Flame and Supreme Flame complement each other beautifully…”

“If we combine Ultimate Flame and Supreme Flame, we might rival Amaterasu’s Flame! Maybe even surpass it!”

Not interested.

The fusion of Ultimate Flame and Supreme Flame was never implemented in the game.

There were hints of it, though.

What was clear was that if such a fusion were achieved, it would be a mage-type trait.

I had only been able to use Solar Flame and Dragon Sovereign Fire thanks to Chaotic Flame bypassing class restrictions.

But if a trait equivalent to Amaterasu’s Flame were created, Chaotic Flame wouldn’t be enough to override the restriction.

A fruit forever out of reach.

I had no interest in researching a spell I wouldn’t even be able to use.

“I’m a bit busy.”

“That’s unfortunate. Still, you’ll need to attend your induction ceremony, won’t you?”

“What’s the point? Just release a press statement. That should be enough. I need to leave immediately.”

“What’s the rush?”

Of course it was urgent.

Episode 2 was right around the corner.

Even the week I had spent at the Sun Tower felt like too much.

After some brief conversation, I boarded the Red Cougar.

My destination was already set.

A location where high-level zombies had surged in massive numbers during the Zombie Crisis.

A place I had to pass through before facing the Corpse Dragon.

A dungeon where a Level 7 boss, the Reinforced Skeleton Corpse Golem, would appear.

The Magitech Exoskeleton Factory.

–TL Notes–

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