How far had I followed that clear and pure divine power?
The noise that had filled the streets gradually faded into the distance.
It was proof that I was moving away from the bustling heart of Pamiran.
Perking up their ears!
"I'm not a criminal, I tell ya?! Why would I live in a place like this?!"
"Right! The delicious smells are getting farther away!"
"Hey, you fat pig! All you think about is eating, waking or sleeping... Huh? What are you eating now?!"
"I brought some cookies from home!"
"Captain! That pig is dripping crumbs all over your head!"
"Don't tell on me, you idiot!"
I slowly nodded at the Kanmo duo as they started bickering and roughhousing.
Crumbs can just be brushed off.
If they're happy, it's okay.
Thud.
After walking along the winding path for a while, a house overlooking the Black Sea came into view.
It was much more decent and clean than I had expected.
Thump, thump, thump! Whack, whack! Slam, slam!
I set down the two who were locked in a bloody battle and walked toward the house.
The divine power was flowing from inside.
After knocking, I took a deep breath.
Who could it be? The owner of this divine power.
Since this is the island of artifact craftsmen, maybe it's an old man with white hair?
Creak.
The homeowner appeared through the open door.
Ah?
My guess was completely wrong.
It was a youthful face, far from being an old man.
I unconsciously swallowed dryly.
A face that looked roughly like a middle school sophomore.
Middle school second year—what a terrifying age.
It's not only the time of storm and stress, but also when rebelliousness soars to the heavens.
And to make it scarier, he was even chomping on gum.
"What is it? Whatever you're offering, I'm not making artifacts, so go back..."
Click!
"Hey, you little bell! How dare you speak informally to the Captain!?"
Kancho, with his hair all disheveled, aimed his assault rifle.
Behind him, the defeated Momo lay sprawled in a Yamcha pose.
I reached out to stop Kancho.
The harder you push a middle school sophomore, the more they bounce back, they say.
Rather than such violent means...
"Eeek!! I'm, I'm sorry!! I'll speak politely! I said I will!"
The startled kid raised both hands in the air.
"Spit out that gum too! How dare you chew it like a thug in front of the Yodel Rangers!"
The kid quickly wrapped the gum in paper and threw it away as if he'd never been chewing it at all.
Seeing this, I wondered if physical therapy really is the best approach.
I casually glanced inside.
A quiet house.
As expected, it's just this kid.
"Do you live alone?"
"Speak comfortably, I tell ya! Hurry! Before I blow the whole house away!"
"Sp-speak comfortably! And yes, I live alone!"
"I see. Well, first of all, I'm not here to ask you to make an artifact."
"R-really...? Then why did you come looking for me?"
"Just curious. Who you are, why you live here alone, and..."
I raised my head and looked around at the Black Sea and the island of artifacts, Pamiran.
"...what this island is really about."
"Can... can I ask you one thing?"
The boy glanced at Kancho's expression and cautiously opened his mouth.
"Go ahead."
"Why did you come all the way here? If you wanted that kind of information, wouldn't a bustling area or a guild be better than this rundown house?"
"That's because... you're the only one who isn't contaminated. The only one."
"!!!"
The boy's eyes widened.
This was the first time.
On Pamiran Island, aside from his father, anyone had used the word "contamination."
He stared blankly at Jinhyuk.
This person was different from everyone else who had come before.
It was a flaw that he was accompanied by this crazy little bell who immediately pointed a gun, but still, he seemed trustworthy.
"I'm Rick. Come in."
"I'm Yoo Jinhyuk. I'll excuse myself for a moment."
"And that kid sprawled out over there..."
Bolt upright!!
"Eeek!"
"Who are you calling a piggyyyyyy?!"
No one called you a piggy?!
Anyway, it seemed she had recharged her energy while pretending to be down.
Momo's lethal dropkick split the air.
"Guhack!"
Kancho got hit and rolled straight into the house.
I patted Rick's shoulder as his eyes shook.
"It's okay. This is normal. Shall we go in?"
Rick swallowed dryly and nodded.
I didn't know what was going on, but since he was already inside, there was no choice.
Once inside, Jinhyuk looked around the house.
Even though he lived alone, it was neatly organized.
Tools that seemed to be used for making artifacts were placed here and there.
"Are you an artifact craftsman too, Rick?"
"Yes. But I don't make them anymore."
Rick sighed and looked at the crafting tools.
"My father, who was an artifact craftsman, left them to me. I used to make artifacts with them too. For your information, my father passed away a few years ago."
Gulp!
Normally, I would have said something like "I'm sorry" or "My condolences."
But he was so matter-of-fact that it was hard to say that.
"Hyung. I have a question too."
"What is it?"
"What exactly is that contamination you mentioned earlier?"
He had heard the word countless times from his father.
But his father had never properly explained what it was.
"Do you know what divine power is?"
"I've never heard of it."
As expected.
Before coming here, Camilla had told me.
Most artifact craftsmen can neither see nor feel the divine power dwelling within them.
So they can't intentionally control it, but when making artifacts, it naturally seeps in.
"It's a power we call divine power in the world I live in. The craftsmen here on Pamiran Island also have that power."
"I know that. My father always said that to become a craftsman, regardless of artifact-making skills, you have to be born with a certain energy."
"Right. That energy called divine power is a very clear and pure force. That's why it can produce powers that would normally be impossible. But at the same time, it's also easily influenced by other things."
"Th-then..."
Rick swallowed dryly and trailed off.
"All the artifact craftsmen except you have had their divine power become murky or contaminated. They probably don't realize it themselves."
Camilla had said that among shamans, there are those whose divine power gets contaminated by negative influences, but Pamiran's case was far more serious.
The reason was simple.
Shamans can feel and control their own divine power, while artifact craftsmen can't even perceive it.
In the former case, it's possible to escape contamination through one's own will and power, but not in the latter.
In other words, once contaminated, they can never escape on their own.
"Hmm? Are you okay?"
Rick was staring blankly, holding his forehead.
After a moment, he opened his mouth.
"Actually... my father always said something similar. But I didn't believe him. No, the whole island didn't believe him. Who would believe that an invisible energy could become murky or contaminated?"
"When did your father start saying things like that?"
"After the lords of the Black Sea appeared."
My ears perked up.
So those sea monsters weren't originally there.
"The craftsmen of Pamiran have been using the water of the Black Sea to make artifacts since ancient times. It's a very traditional method. But one day, they suddenly appeared. They were enormous, big enough to create huge waves on the peaceful sea. At first, everyone, including me, was terrified. But before long, we started to adapt."
Adapt? That's a bit hard to understand.
Normally, when monsters appear off the coast, people try to find the cause and solve it.
Not just leave them be.
"Did you try various things but couldn't get rid of them, so you just left them?"
"No. Everyone found out. They realized that the explosive increase in artifact performance and productivity around that time was all thanks to those lords of the Black Sea. The Edilen family guaranteed that it was true."
Rick walked to the window and gazed out at Pamiran.
"I was young at the time, but honestly, I was surprised. I realized that if there's a justification, people can adapt that quickly."
I slowly nodded.
That's how it is.
Once you've tasted it, once your standards have been raised, there are things you can't go back to.
Especially when it's something you've devoted your whole life to.
"Only one person, my father, insisted that this problem had to be solved. He said we should stop making artifacts until then. Of course, it was impossible."
The next question had to be asked carefully.
A brief silence followed.
"By any chance, was your father..."
"No."
Rick shook his head.
"No one harmed my father. He was consumed by himself. There's something I want to show you."
I followed Rick up the stairs.
"Yaaaaah!"
"Body blow! Right hook! Lef... Guhack! W-wait! I got hit in the solar plexus! The solar plexus!"
I'll just look away for a moment.
From the bloody battle happening beside me.
Even after climbing onto the roof, Rick walked for a long time toward somewhere.
The place we arrived at was a corner of the island covered in rocky outcrops.
Rick stopped and pulled out a light from his pocket, shining it on the wall.
"What is this..."
The wall was filled with statues and murals.
It was a space that vividly conveyed a desperate effort to record something.
"After the lords of the Black Sea appeared, my father became obsessed with this place. Not just simple obsession... it was a mad obsession. He abandoned everything. Artifact making, the house, and even me."
Rick clenched his fist and bit his lip.
It seemed like a bad memory for him.
But why?
The center of the rocky space was conspicuously empty.
"That's why my father died. One day, the space itself just disappeared. Like a lie."
Rick closed his eyes.
Even now, the memory of that day was vivid.
Even when the whole island didn't believe him, his father never broke down.
But on that day, in front of the completely vanished rock face, his father fell to his knees.
"Disappeared, huh."
I rubbed my chin and examined the statues.
If all of this is a record... huh?
I squinted and leaned in.
Wait, why does this look familiar?
After looking it over for a while, I snapped my fingers.
It wasn't my imagination.
I've seen this before. And very recently.
I took a deep breath.
"Eliaaaaaa!!!"
"Hyung? Why are you suddenly yelling..."
Bang!
"Kyaaaaaa!"
Rick fell on his rear and screamed at the top of his lungs.
That was understandable.
Not only had a door suddenly appeared in midair, but it had also burst open.
"You called, Master? I was in the middle of a huge experiment, you know?"
Elia took off her goggles and approached.
"This is right, isn't it? The ruins Elia wanted to go to."
"Hmm. Hold on."
Elia stepped over the books scattered everywhere and went into her workshop.
Meanwhile, the workshop assistants scurried out to pick up the books.
If the guardian of the fields in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do, is the Ttoroengjwa, then these guys might be the guardians of the Star Workshop.
"Hey, hey, Master, look at this."
Elia, who had brought a Russian confidential document, looked up at me.
"It's exactly the same, isn't it?"
Ding!
[You have met the uncontaminated artifact craftsman and heard his story!]
[You have achieved the condition for clearing the 25th floor of the Mythical Tower!]
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T/N:
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