Light of Arad: Forerunner

Chapter 47

Among the many systems that clearly existed and were utilized, one stood out.

It was the system of crafting items using Shinda.

“Based on the synthesis method for the base materials, you could gather those materials to craft items. While the foundation is still similar now… strictly speaking, there was only one place back then where you could create items.”

Even now, the sold by the NPC Shinda in the current game Dungeon & Fighter remains as a piece of that history and proof.

Even with the synthesis method and the necessary materials, to transform all those materials into actual equipment, you had to go through Shinda’s forge and the touch of Shinda.

Therefore, Jinseong thought:

“Even if no one uses it nowadays, because better items have appeared and are easier to obtain—”

He recognized that it could still be very useful for him.

Moreover, Jinseong, who could acquire and use discontinued items, believed that he could make use of a system that had practically vanished.

“Shinda, I understand you’ve made many items yourself in the past. What I would like to ask is for you to do the same for me.”

Jinseong spoke again.

But Shinda shook his head and gestured behind him with his chin.

“That was a long time ago. Ha ha, aren’t all the items I made back then still here?”

Jinseong looked at the weapons and armor displayed inside the forge, covered in dust.

However, they were all common-grade, the lowest tier of weapons.

They had no additional effects.

That wasn’t what Jinseong wanted.

“Aren’t you still helping adventurers with their durability? I believe you continue to do so because you still have a passion for crafting.”

“As I said, I offer opportunities to those who wish to use the forge and furnace. However… I no longer wield the hammer myself.”

“But you are a master, Shinda.”

Jinseong didn’t back down.

This was the same Jinseong who had essentially used from Linus for free.

Jinseong knew that with some rapport and a few requests, he could leverage hundreds of thousands of gold worth of items in Dungeon & Fighter.

He believed he could swiftly take advantage of something with relatively low value like the and .

But he was mistaken.

“Does a master remain a master forever? Even that whale that loomed in the sky… the current adventurers and those who live in this ever-changing Arad have no need for the things I once made.”

Shinda spoke in a slow voice.

His gravelly voice seemed to carry not phlegm, but a sense of futility.

“Oh…”

Though he was a craftsman who had flourished in a bygone era, what about the Shinda of today?

Jinseong, not a craftsman himself, could vaguely understand.

“That feeling of being pushed aside by the times… Even I felt down when Dungeon & Fighter’s popularity waned. But it’s probably not quite the same.”

How must Shinda feel?

Jinseong also knew what role NPC Shinda currently played in the game Dungeon & Fighter.

“Some users might not even know he exists. Even if he was popular in the past—. Well, it’s inevitable with continuous updates and new NPCs, but…”

It’s easy to dismiss it as inevitable, but for those actually living in Arad, it wasn’t something to simply laugh off.

For individuals, not just NPCs, in their lives, it wasn’t just a passing matter.

In some sense, Shinda might be feeling more than futility—possibly even despair.

If it had been a discontinued system, that would be one thing.

But and weren’t items that had been discontinued.

They still existed.

Yet no one used them.

Jinseong was momentarily taken aback, but he knew well that things rarely went according to plan.

“It was the same during the Alley Engineering content. Even during the Bakal Raid, there were newbies barely managing to chip 2% off Bakal’s health while their Fear Gauge was at 47%. No matter how unreasonable the situation, there’s always a way to clear it.”

An old blacksmith who felt the futility of whether or not his craftsmanship was needed.

What could be done to inspire him and have Shinda accept Jinseong’s request?

Simple consolation or encouragement clearly wouldn’t work.

What would help him would be proof that the master’s skills were still needed in the world…

“Shinda, you are a master. You are the blacksmith that all of Arad recognizes.”

Jinseong finally found his answer.

“I told you, Arad no longer needs masters—”

“And isn’t Sieve also a master?”

Sieve was another master, one who had caused trouble for players in various ways for quite some time.

* * *

There aren’t many who have reached the rank of master, surpassing even craftsmen, in Arad.

And one of those is Sieve.

Like Shinda, Sieve was a blacksmith and a master craftsman.

Also, he was the creator of .

“…What are you getting at? Why are you suddenly bringing up Sieve?”

Shinda’s nostrils twitched.

Jinseong shrugged his shoulders.

“Nothing in particular. Sieve has continued to craft orbs suitable for accessories and has gained great popularity and prestige among adventurers. Unlike you, Shinda, who has set your tools aside.”

Jinseong continued speaking casually.

“Adventurers go to great lengths to obtain Sieve’s orbs… I wonder if Shinda knows this.”

With Jinseong’s tone lightening up, Shinda’s nostrils trembled slightly.

“I have nothing to do with that! No matter what Sieve does—”

And just as the enraged master was about to lash out…

“No, it does matter. You two are the blacksmiths renowned in Arad. In fact, aren’t you, Shinda, even a few years younger? So why have you already given up? Back then, the name Shinda meant master! And Sieve! In fact, your fame in weaponry, Shinda, was higher, and still is higher!”

Jinseong spoke up.

He actively utilized the background settings of the game Dungeon & Fighter.

Shinda, who was on the verge of losing his temper, found himself unable to retort to Jinseong’s remarks.

“Master Shinda Philip. Please help me. Earlier, you said I looked like a run-of-the-mill adventurer, right? I will be the tool to elevate your renown, Master Shinda. I will make sure that with your equipment, Master Shinda’s name will rise, rivaling even Master Sieve.”

Watching the trembling of his nostrils gradually subside, Jinseong made his plea.

It was half a statement driven by the brashness of youth.

Shinda stroked his nostrils gently.

“Even if you use my equipment, I doubt my renown will rise. With your skills… Ha ha. You sure have the nerve to say that.”

“Ah, well, um, you see—”

“Still, it feels like it’s been a while since my spirit has been lit. My concern is that my hands may have grown too dull to handle your request properly—”

“You don’t need to worry about that! This commission isn’t particularly difficult.”

As soon as Shinda finished speaking, Jinseong opened his [Inventory].

Then, he took out something and placed it on the ground.

It was an assortment of spider carapaces and remains.

“I’m looking to make armor. Shoulders, chest, pants, boots, and belt—five pieces of armor using the carapaces of spiders, the Marpissas.”

What Jinseong intended to create was a light armor set once favored by the Ghost Knight class.

The Arti Marpissa Set.

“Armor using spider carapaces isn’t exactly simple—”

“Heh, but I believe you’ll do it well. Oh, and I didn’t just bring these from Underfoot; I also brought something else… because I was sure Master Shinda would agree to my request.”

As he watched Shinda’s confusion, Jinseong pulled out something else.

One was a glass bottle filled with a shimmering purple liquid.

And the other…?

“Eugh—. That smell!?”

“Wh-what is this! This ominous aura?!”

Even G.S.D, who had been watching, flinched at the sight.

“Behold, the Dark Elves’ treasure, pride of the Pennes Kingdom! and . These are valuable enough to be used as trade goods!”

Taken out from a small box in Shallow Keep, these were the ingredients so disgusting to touch!

The intense stench emanating from the heavily fermented dairy products was enough to make not only Shinda but even G.S.D pinch their noses and step back.

“Heh, well then, I’m counting on you!”

Jinseong raised his voice and bowed his head.

Shinda, with a bewildered expression, looked at G.S.D.

“G.S.D, your disciple here, this one—”

“Even if he’s not extraordinary, he’s certainly not ordinary.”

G.S.D responded as if he knew exactly what Shinda wanted to say.

“—That’s precisely it.”

“Heh heh, that’s what I’m saying. These items aren’t easy to come by, you know?”

Jinseong at this moment might not fully grasp that G.S.D wasn’t merely referring to or .

* * *

Jinseong steadied his breath in front of the alley

leading to North Myre.

“Good thing the Wizard Guild stocked up on enough plague cure, at least.”

According to his original plan, he would have completed the commission for the Arti Marpissa Set with Shinda and then collected additional rewards from Sharan of the Wizard Guild.

However, since the ever-busy Sharan hadn’t returned to the Wizard Guild, there was no choice but to feel somewhat disappointed.

Still, the Duchy of Bell Meyer was also plagued, so a considerable amount of the plague cure mass-produced at the Alfraira Outpost had been distributed to the Wizard Guild for the duchy’s relief. Jinseong had stocked up on some of those cures before heading out.

“Heh, judging by how bitter it is, it must be good for you.”

Jinseong chugged down a bottle of the plague cure.

Then, he began to walk toward North Myre.

“Though I don’t see any users yet… I should at least assess the situation first.”

Normally, he would follow the trail of a user, but this time was different.

Most notably, there were no visible contaminated elements in the Pennes Kingdom, so he couldn’t even tell whose quest might be compromised.

Naturally, simply sitting and waiting didn’t suit Jinseong’s temperament, so he intended to take a proactive approach.

“When I think of Diregie, the image of Peter the Piper… that boss monster inspired by the Pied Piper comes to mind.”

Diregie’s influence has created many twisted and deformed abominations.

From a giant rat-man named Scar, to Peter the Piper, the Pied Piper himself.

North Myre is a location known for its particularly memorable monsters among users.

And right at the entrance of the dungeon region: North Myre.

Jinseong realized it instantly.

“Indeed, it’s different. Over there, even the grass is rotting away, but this side still remains vividly green.”

In the North Myre region, an epidemic swept through quickly, resulting in the deaths of most residents, and those who survived had to flee—leading to the discovery of a small village.

A green city that remained exceptionally clean, untouched by the plague.

The Queen of the Duchy of Bell Meyer had commissioned the adventurers and the NPC ‘Poison King’ Luise to investigate from that village onward.

Jinseong knew the scarecrows with strange shapes scattered everywhere were not just for scaring away birds.

Poof—!

As one of the idle scarecrows suddenly bounced like a spring and leapt forward, Jinseong grinned.

“Here it is.”

The Green City of Grozny.

Finally, Jinseong stepped into the first dungeon in the region: North Myre.

There was no fear in Jinseong’s mind as he faced the charging scarecrow mob.

“.”

The skill level increase due to the item he still wore.

With a single blow, the four scarecrows approaching him burst apart, scattering straw everywhere.

“Let’s slowly take a lo—huh?”

As Jinseong was about to begin his thorough exploration, something caught his eye.

A dark shadow swiftly passed between the buildings of Grozny.