Elixir of the Divine Body – Part 1
The Nord warriors waved their arms energetically.
“Take care, brother!”
“See you in Korea!”
“For Valhalla!”
“For our brother!”
That’s how it turned out.
Not just the warriors here, but the entire Sigurd clan had decided to join the battle.
Though they were discouraged because of their low levels, they simply laughed it off.
[If we die for our brother, that’s the greatest honor there is!]
[We’ll be recognized as great warriors in Valhalla and beyond!]
They said with hearty laughter.
Sigmund and Hjordis hugged me from both sides.
“The Paladins of the Thor Cult decided to come too. We’ll see you soon.”
“You said you’re going to get stronger? I knew you were amazing ever since you saved me.”
“I owe you my life, brother. I’ll repay it with my own life.”
The Grand Court of Stockholm wasn’t officially stepping in.
Thor still maintained a lethargic neutrality.
The Paladins were participating in an individual capacity.
Even so, there seemed to be hundreds of them gathering.
I patted the two on the shoulders and took out a Great Escape magic chip.
The head of the Hunter Association stood beside us and bowed respectfully.
“The Hunter Association has also decided to participate officially.”
“Isn’t it too dangerous?”
“There’s no reward without risk.”
The chairman’s eyes gleamed sharply.
It seemed he had done the math and concluded it would be profitable.
Well, just look at the list of forces joining.
Not only the Four Major Powers, but also the Demon Cult, the Castle of the Inexplicable, the Four Dragons, the Sigurd Clan, and even the Goblin Nation were getting involved.
If they could snatch even a shred of Old Father’s flesh or a drop of his blood, it would be a massive jackpot.
[Sir Sword Star. The Demon Cult, the other races, and the dragons have arrived first. The goblins also said they’ll handle rear support.]
A message from Choi Sunsoo.
[And the magical artifact you requested has been prepared. You can use it whenever you like.]
[As expected of Director Choi.]
The end was drawing near.
Sensing that, I said a brief farewell.
“Then, see you in Korea.”
Great Escape activated.
The magic chip shattered, and light enveloped me.
The next moment, I wasn’t outside the Norwegian Maze Forest — I was in my mansion.
“Whew…”
A wave of fatigue washed over me.
It wasn’t physical exhaustion.
I was just mentally worn out.
Since I had been running non-stop, my mind was demanding rest.
But rest could come after death.
At least, not until the Old Father was dead.
Instead of throwing myself into the magical bath, I used a Rapture spell to wipe away the fatigue.
[Master. A guest is waiting for you in the reception room.]
They came faster than I expected.
When I headed to the reception room, the people sitting there stood up.
“Long time no see, Sir Sword Star.”
A cheerful young man in his twenties.
It was Kim Chunbok, the junk dealer from Shinwon Market.
His real identity was a broker for the Bucheon Colosseum.
Back then, I had sourced a lot of diamonds through him.
I hadn’t needed him lately, so we hadn’t kept in touch.
“It’s been a while.”
I replied with a nod.
Then, the others.
A giant man in a suit, a woman in steel-reinforced armor, a boy leaning on a black cane, and a skinny man clutching a white hat — all bowed politely.
“It’s an honor to see you again, Sir Sword Star. Even having served you briefly remains the glory of three lifetimes.”
“Hello.”
“A pleasure to meet you.”
“It’s an honor to meet Sir Sword Star.”
All familiar faces.
The giant was the King of Destruction.
The woman was the Dragon King of Embers.
The boy was the Black Pearl King.
The skinny one was the White Light King.
Just in case, I asked the King of Destruction.
“These must be the friends you mentioned before? But, the ones from last time…?”
“Oh! They’re all doing fine! They’ve retired and are living leisurely lives. They did want to meet you, but they insisted on giving this opportunity to their juniors.”
“I see. That’s a relief. Here, a gift. Please distribute them among yourselves.”
I took out three bottles of Elixir and handed them over.
The King of Destruction’s eyes widened in surprise as he accepted the Elixirs.
“T-This precious thing…”
He was so shocked that his hands trembled slightly.
It made sense.
After all, an Elixir was a treasure.
To me now, Elixirs were no more than the result of a two-second effort, pulling them out of an endless supply.
I observed the King of Destruction and spoke.
“You’ve gotten much stronger.”
“Huh? Hahaha. I’ve been working hard. I saw someone incredible, you see.”
He replied, scratching his head in embarrassment.
Beneath his powerful physique, his mana circuits glowed brightly.
[Giant’s Strength][Vajra Body][Close-Combat Mastery]
[Fighting Spirit][Onslaught]
Previously, he only had Combat Arts, Fist, and Kick skills.
Now, it had been integrated into the higher trait of Close-Combat Mastery.
His level was nearing the end of Level 5.
With a little more experience or a sip of Nectar, he’d hit Level 6.
Being SR-rank, he wouldn’t even need a Reconstructive Elixir.
‘At this point, isn’t he practically SSR grade?’
Not only the King of Destruction — his companions too.
They had grown far stronger than they were when they first appeared in the game.
It seemed watching their masters — including my party — being crushed had shocked them deeply.
Maybe, in a year or two, everyone here would reach Level 6.
“Please, sit down.”
I settled comfortably on the sofa.
A magic spirit flew over and placed a cup of coffee in front of me.
After a moment of silence, the broker, Kim Chunbok, opened his mouth first.
“By the way, Sir Sword Star. Did you know your name has been engraved in the Colosseum Hall of Fame?”
“The Hall of Fame?”
“Yes. The entire Colosseum management voted unanimously. Normally, only those who rank No. 1 in the league are recorded, but they made a special exception for you, Sir Sword Star.”
I, too, had once ranked No. 1 in the 4th level rankings.
But that was it.
I had never claimed the top spot in the rankings for level 5 and above, nor in the overall rankings.
The unlimited ranking matches were the same.
As a side note, excluding me, the other three members of the Kim Party — Kim Chulkwon, Kim Mabeob, and Kim Saje — had taken first place in the three-man ranking matches.
“Thank you. Well, there’s no loss for me.”
I simply smiled calmly.
Even if I was ranked No. 1 in Korea, it was just a local Colosseum.
Whether they put my name in their Hall of Fame or not, it didn’t affect me.
It only benefited the Colosseum.
It gave them promotional material and a chance to boast about their ties to me.
“Speaking of which…”
The junk dealer glanced at me nervously.
“The Colosseum management and the gladiators wish to participate in this war.”
I set down the coffee cup I had been sipping from.
These were the people who had been hesitant and cautious at first.
Seeing them now eager to join meant they must think we had the advantage.
“Fine.”
There was no reason to refuse.
And no reason to go out of my way to take care of them, either.
“But if you’re participating, you must strictly follow military law. Disobedience to orders will be severely punished according to Korean military law and the Cheorwon wartime laws.”
“Yes! Thank you! We will follow your lead!”
“It’s an honor!”
Not only the junk dealer, but also the King of Destruction’s party bowed their heads.
They were participating too, it seemed.
Risky, but there was a lot to gain from the spoils of war, so it made sense.
I took another sip of coffee and fixed my gaze on the junk dealer.
“You know why I contacted you specifically to get in touch with the King of Destruction, right?”
It was time to move on to my business.
The junk dealer bowed deeply and tapped his wrist.
The list I had sent beforehand popped up in front of me.
Phoenix feathers, Kraken tentacles…
All materials for the Elixir of the Divine Body.
The junk dealer carefully pointed to the list with a cautious look.
“As you must know, Sir Sword Star, acquiring these materials is no easy task. They all come from sacred beasts over a thousand years old. Some were even worshipped as gods in ancient times.”
“That’s right.”
“However, whether it’s luck or fate, all of these materials were recently traded. As for the sub-materials and the rest, I can personally procure them.”
The junk dealer glanced at the King of Destruction.
The King of Destruction lowered his eyes slightly.
“You seem to already know. Well, given how noisy it was, it’s no surprise… Yes, I have all the sacred beast materials in my possession. We planned to use them to craft Reconstructive Elixirs once my companions and I reached our growth limits.”
Reconstructive Elixirs made from sacred beast materials.
They must have planned to consume them one by one, and for them, that would have been enough.
“Given this upcoming war, wouldn’t it be better to sell them to Sir Sword Star at a fair price? I’m sure you wouldn’t treat us unfairly.”
“Hmm…”
Of course, they couldn’t just hand them over for free.
Materials from 9th-level sacred beasts.
Buying them with money was nearly impossible.
It was a miracle they even ended up flowing into the Colosseum.
“Is there something you want? If it’s within my power, I’ll meet your request.”
If my level were lower, this would be easier.
We could just bet things like Iron Fist and settle it with a duel.
But now I was level 8.
Challenging a mere level 5 opponent to a duel would be absurdly mismatched.
“Well, the thing is…”
The King of Destruction lowered his gaze.
His eyes landed on my hands.
They were clutching the golden fleece.
“I know it’s only right to give them to you, Sir Sword Star, but these materials were incredibly hard for me to obtain… So I’d like to make a few requests.”
“Speak.”
“First, I would like to retrieve Iron Fist, a memento from my master.”
Seemed they had discussed this beforehand.
The King of Destruction’s companions also nodded.
“Fine.”
I had expected that.
Honestly, Iron Fist couldn’t even be compared to the materials from a 9th-level sacred beast.
It had decent performance, but it was only SR-grade.
I hadn’t used it in a long time either.
But for someone, it could hold deep significance.
I opened the golf bag sitting beside me and rummaged through it.
Where had I put it?
Passing over a dozen types of magic chips, dozens of potions and food materials, and even shoving my hand into a bundle of beef, I finally grasped a heavy object.
Iron Fist.
I handed the long-neglected, tarnished artifact over to the King of Destruction.
The King of Destruction received Iron Fist with a deeply moved expression.
“At last…”
“Congratulations.”
“All your hardship has paid off.”
“The late King of Destruction would be proud!”
The King of Destruction immediately strapped on Iron Fist.
He even activated the [Iron Fist] trait right on the spot.
Clang!
Just like when I used it, iron plates unfolded in an instant.
A dazzling glow of mana wrapped around the King of Destruction.
It was tremendously strong and durable.
If it hadn’t been for Iron Fist, I would’ve been killed by the Massacre Empress.
While I was briefly lost in reminiscence, the King of Destruction bowed deeply.
“Thank you for returning it to me. It’s in excellent condition. I’m sure my late master would have been grateful that Sir Sword Star made such good use of it.”
“Don’t mention it. It was a fantastic artifact. Thanks to Iron Fist, I was able to defeat many powerful foes. I hope you continue to fight well with it.”
“Thank you. But… I’m sorry to say, Iron Fist alone isn’t enough for all four materials. My companions have shares in them too.”
“I understand. What else do you need?”
Should I give them some Nectar?
But a bottle or two of Nectar — the amount they’d need — should be something even the King of Destruction had on hand.
Unlike me, they wouldn’t be chugging it by the bottle.
The King of Destruction hesitated, then took off his suit jacket.
Underneath, he revealed a vest.
A dark crimson metal vest.
Magical sigils and mana circuits intertwined, forming distinct shapes.
A sword and blood.
It was a fairly famous piece of armor in Arcane Seoul.
‘That’s the Ironblood Armor!’
Its rank was SR.
Both its performance and additional stats were impressive.
But the reason Ironblood Armor was so famous lay elsewhere.
If certain conditions were met, it would grant a high-level trait.
The King of Destruction looked at me and spoke.
“It’s an artifact I traded for a hundred diamonds. It was a bit expensive, but one of my companions insisted I had to buy it.”
The boy leaning on the black cane shrugged.
The Black Pearl King, disciple of the Dark Demon King.
Being a mage, he must have recognized the value of Ironblood Armor.
“There’s a powerful superpower sealed inside that armor. It’s almost divine in scale… We tried everything to unlock it, but the seal wouldn’t budge.”
“Why didn’t you consult the Mage Tower?”
“Well, there were… circumstances…”
The Black Pearl King shrank his shoulders.
Seemed they hadn’t acquired it through completely legitimate means.
Typical Colosseum party behavior.
Not my concern.
“So, what do you want?”
“I heard that once a warrior or mage reaches level 8, they gain a transcendent eye. We’d like to know what superpower is sealed inside the armor and how to unlock it.”
Not a bad request.
In fact, it was good for me, too.
The trait sealed inside the Ironblood Armor was something I could also make use of.
Combined with the [Sacrifice] trait I obtained through the Supreme Flame achievement, it would become tremendously powerful.
Gamers used to call it the Near-Death Build.
“Very well. I’ll help you. Is that your only condition?”
“There’s one more thing.”
The next request was minor.
They wanted some advice on areas they were currently stuck in.
It made sense. Where else would they find an 8th-level superhuman willing to teach them?
I nodded without hesitation.
“Accepted. Deal?”
“Deal! Thank you! Just tell us what the Ironblood Armor’s superpower is and how to unlock it, and we’ll handle the rest.”
“There’s no need to wait. I’ll unlock it for you right now.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. Stand over there.”
I took a few steps back to create some distance.
Sensing something, the four others — excluding the King of Destruction — quickly pressed themselves against the reception room wall.
The King of Destruction swallowed nervously.
“Uh, Sir Sword Star? Is it that kind of thing? A destruction-condition artifact?”
Quick on the uptake.
“Exactly. That armor, the Ironblood Armor, requires being destroyed in a single blow to unlock its superpower.”
“A-Are you sure?”
“Of course. Trust me.”
“B-But… wouldn’t I be in danger if the armor gets destroyed?”
“Of course you would.”
A pointless question.
I clenched my fist tightly.
[Giant’s Strength] ==[Titan’s Power]== [Giant’s Strength]
I spoke with sincerity.
“Please don’t die.”
–TL Notes–
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a momentous request coming from an 8th level. Thx for the chapters, cant wait for next week.