“Are you okay?”

“I will be better after drinking some potions.” Peak Sword smiled and waved his hand at the anxious Grid. His bright smile made Grid’s expression darker. The dead could revive and slight wounds could be healed, but it was still painful. There might be a set limit to pain in the game, but Grid still wasn’t willing to accept it. It was why many of the two billion players preferred non-combat classes or chose archers, magicians, etc.

“...Don’t overdo it next time,” Grid declared coldly. It was intended to hide his feelings, but it couldn’t be hidden. Peak Sword knew Grid’s nature because he was Grid’s first fan.

“Ah, really. A person who dies every day is sensitive about someone’s hand being damaged.”

“It is at least a month before I die. What is every day? Additionally, it doesn’t hurt after death but a fracture is very painful.”

“It is a problem for us when you die, whether it is once a month or every day. I know. I know. I understand so lose that expression. God Grid, stop worrying.”

In the end, Grid smiled at Peak Sword who surrendered and then looked at the shining stone in his hand.

[Fire Stone Filled with the Breath of the Fire Dragon]

[Rating: Myth

A mineral that was born after ingesting Fire Dragon Trauka’s breath for 200 years.

An unnamed miner risked his life and succeeded in mining it.

Weight: 10]

Why did only one fire stone grow in that huge lair?

“The dragon’s breath sometimes changes the nature of matter. However, most substances can’t bear the change in nature and will be destroyed. This one was able to hold on,” Braham explained the reason and tapped the fire stone.

It was an admiring attitude. The myth-rated mineral was remarkable even to Braham.

‘What type of sword will be born?’

The unfortunate part was that it wasn’t ‘iron’ but ‘stone.’ This wasn’t the stone age so the value of stone-made equipment was bound to be low. However, Grid was a legendary blacksmith. He didn’t blame the materials. He had to use his skills to sharpen the stone so it was like steel. A fire stone with the breath of the fire dragon, who had existed since the beginning...

“I’ll focus on working on it for the next few days.”

Grid had no worries now that he knew he could come and go from Talima at any time.

Peak Sword cheered on Grid who headed straight for the smithy.

***

‘It is completely different from when I came previously?’

This was Jishuka’s impression when she came to the East Continent after a long time.

The people of the Cho Kingdom used to be anxious and wary toward the foreigners from the West Continent. Now they were full of energy. No matter where she went, they treated the players kindly and welcomed them. Thus, she wondered if this was Grid’s power.

‘Grid, you’ve changed the world while I’ve been trying to gain a few levels.’

He was truly a great person. He deserved her love. Jishuka smiled happily as she quickened her pace. She arrived at the capital of the Cho Kingdom in just two days.

‘I will take a day off before leaving.’

She still had a long way to go. Jishuka’s destination was the Xing Kingdom. Her quest was to find the ‘Breaking Evil Arrow’ at the shrine here.

‘I don’t know why I should get it.’

The Breaking Evil Arrow, as the name suggested, was an arrow that destroyed unclean beings. In other words, it was an arrow that dealt additional damage to existences such as undead, ghosts, and demonkin. Jishuka wasn’t satisfied. Mithril arrows that were fatal to the undead and demonkin were already popular in the West Continent.

‘Of course, the Breaking Evil Arrow has a higher concept than the mithril arrows.’

She was told it was a divine arrow. The Breaking Evil Arrow would naturally be better than the mithril arrow. However, was it better than the mithril arrows used by Jishuka? Jishuka wasn’t convinced that this was the case. It was because she currently wasn’t using normal mithril arrows, but instead mithril arrows made by Grid. It was impossible to be fascinated with the Breaking Evil Arrows from Jishuka’s position when she already had mithril arrows three times more powerful than normal mithril arrows.

She didn’t feel good because she needed to waste a few days obtaining the arrows. She would’ve quit the quest if it wasn't her class quest.

“...Hrmm.”

A ten-story pavilion—the look in Jishuka’s eyes changed as she entered the largest and most gorgeous inn in the capital of Cho, Kars—the Wind Lantern Inn. She already felt something strange just from walking the streets. The people of Kars looked gloomy, as if they had experienced a type of disaster.

‘Why is the atmosphere of the capital so gloomy?’

All the other areas of the Cho Kingdom had a bright atmosphere. Why did the people of the capital look like this? The vigilant Jishuka called out to the waiter, “The menu please. Ah.”

The Cho Kingdom was a place where both east and west culture co-existed. How could she speak English after visiting such an obviously Oriental inn? Jishuka felt regret for a moment but fortunately, there were no communication problems.

“Yep. Here’s the menu.”

“Is basic English necessary to be a waiter....?”

“Huh?"

“Nothing, I was just talking to myself.”

The waiter was around 15 years old. Jishuka smiled at the boy and gave him a silver coin as a tip. The boy, who had already been enjoying Jishuka’s beauty, was delighted after receiving the coin and treated her as a young master. He soon served the food and Jishuka asked him, “What happened? Everyone’s facial expressions are so uncomfortable."

“Ah, that...”

The power of beauty and tips was awesome.

The boy sincerely answered Jishuka’s question, “Zombies and skeletons have been appearing every night this week and wandering through the city. All the people of the capital are uneasy and unable to sleep. They couldn’t sleep at all because they have been fighting with a broom all night to drive the zombies away from their front yards.”

“Undead appeared in the middle of a capital with such strict defenses?”

“It isn’t just in the middle. They crawled out of every corner. The kingdom says that a wicked daoist is staying in the capital and playing tricks... Therefore, you should be careful. People’s gazes toward foreigners aren’t very good these days.”

‘I can’t understand it.’

The guardian god of the Cho Kingdom was the red phoenix. Grid’s revival of the red phoenix blessed the entire nation and the sacred flames of the red phoenix had the power to destroy all evil. Yet undead appeared every night?

‘It is clear that someone is deliberately releasing the undead...’

Who was so strong that they could summon undead that could withstand the flames of the red phoenix? This was really a level of skill that went beyond common sense.

‘...Wait?’ A chill went down Jishuka’s spine. She focused on the mention of ‘zombies,’ not ‘jiangshi.’

“Did you say they are skeletons and zombies?”

“Yes.”

“There are zombies in the East Continent?”

“It isn’t impossible, but... it is hard to see them. The daoists of the East Continent make jiangshi, not zombies.”

In the end, this was the work of a necromancer from the West Continent. Jishuka remembered the face of a madman and asked the waiter again, “The soldiers must be exhausted as well?”

“Yes... They haven’t been able to sleep for a week because they have been fighting the undead... All the soldiers are having a hard time.”

‘I think this is more serious than expected?’

Jishuka got up from her seat and walked out of the inn. She observed and grasped the location of the inn and the surrounding topography. The last place she stared at was the top floor of the inn.

“Is there an empty room?”

“Yes, that place is always empty. As you can see, it is a room that uses the entire top floor so the accommodation fee is very expensive. Even the nobles and wealthy people from other lands were reluctant to stay there.”

“I’ll rent it for a few days.”

“Huh? No, Customer. One night in that room is worth dozens of nights in other rooms...”

He didn’t want to fill the stomach of the boss who said he wanted to catch a pushover. Jishuka threw a small bag at the waiter who was trying to persuade her.

“This should be enough.”

“...Gasp!”

The waiter’s eyes widened when he opened the bag. It was the first time the boy had seen so many gold coins even though he was working at Kars’ largest inn. Jishuka sighed. ‘I managed to save a little bit only to use it all up again.’

She still had quite a bit left to pay back Grid so she was troubled. However, Jishuka had no intention of missing this opportunity.

The inn owner welcomed her, “Oh my, welcome, welcome! The Wind Lantern Inn is dedicated to serving the princess!”

“The meals will be room service.”

“I will do so!”

‘He looks like a money-obsessed ghost.’

Jishuka stared coldly as the inn owner hurriedly ran out of the room. Then she went out to the terrace and activated Hawk Eyes.

‘Good.’

It was as expected. All of Kars filled her field of view. All the routes to the major facilities, including the palace, could be seen.

“Now you are all dead.”

Jishuka smiled deeper and her eyes flashed like a hawk who captured the prey.

***

Stones were weak to heat. Unlike iron, they didn’t melt in fire. They broke apart or were burned. It wasn’t about smelting and tempering when it comes to making things out of stone. It was about meticulous work.

‘This is a myth-rated mineral.’

It would be a weapon of the greatest power just by making it into a blade. This was what Grid thought...

“Groan...”

He soon realized that he had misjudged. The Fire Stone Filled with the Breath of the Fire Dragon couldn’t be broken no matter how hard he struck it. There were no scratches at all.

‘What am I supposed to do?’

Grid’s struggles continued. He kept hammering on the fire stone until his stamina ran out. He even improved by changing to a high-grade saw. However, the fire stone didn’t budge.

“Gasp. Gasp...”

Grid’s hand, holding the hammer, convulsed. What should he do? Grid was forced to admit that his methods were wrong. He forgot about the passage of time and concentrated on thinking. Finally, a rooster’s cry echoed through the tranquil streets as a new morning was announced.

The dozing blacksmiths, who didn’t dare leave work when the king remained, opened their eyes all at once. At the same time, lightning struck inside Grid’s head. A stone filled with the breath of the fire dragon. It had probably been exposed to the hottest heat in the world. It was also for 200 years. Was it right to look at it like a stone?

He burned the white phosphorus wood. Grid raised the temperature of the furnace to its maximum and threw in the fire stone without hesitation.