The Knight King Who Returned with Gods : Chapter 67
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 67: Geobrick's Hammer
The Pantheon Guild compound was located in the middle of
a vast agricultural field with five surrounding mountains.
It was not too far from the city, but it was not exactly
convenient to get to. Occasionally you'll see golfers from the nearby golf
course.
Until recently, the road was partially blocked because of
the contamination of maso.
Lately, with the erection of an altar to the Goddess of
Life and Fertility and the creation of the Shrine of the Pantheon building, the
area had been visited by Hunters.
These days, however, the Pantheon Guild building had
become quite a hotspot. Mainly because of the Hunters and the tourists who come
to watch them.
"Present, entry number 59! I am Han Jin-soo, a Class
A Hunter from the Matrix Guild!"
At the entrance to the guild building, a burly man strode
to the front of the line.
Famous for being an impregnable tanker, Han Jin-Su was
muscular and over two meters tall.
Hari swallowed hard as she looked at the massive, looming
figure, then carefully held up the microphone.
"So, Han Jin-Su ssi, how are you feeling as a
challenger?"
"How do I feel? If I lift this hammer, will I be able
to keep it?"
Han Jin-Su's gaze shifted to the large one-handed hammer
lying before him. All the challengers stared greedily at it, and the tourists
were filming to see if he would succeed.
Hunters were powerful and should be able to lift a hammer
that looked a bit heavy.......
Well, maybe, but so far no Hunter had been able to lift
that hammer.
The hammer must be so heavy that even the Hunters who
considered themselves to be the best could not lift it even for a moment.
But Han Jin-Su placed both palms on the handle of the
hammer and grinned.
'I
have a unique skill <Weight Conversion>, so no weight is a problem for
me!'
While activating his unique skill, Han Jin-Su tried to
lightly lift the hammer. However.......
"Huh?"
It didn't budge. Despite the fact that the <Weight
Conversion> had brought the hammer's weight down to nearly zero kilograms,
the hammer didn't move as if it was stuck to the ground.
"If you can't do it, move it along. There's a lot of
people waiting."
"N, not yet!"
Han Jin-su yanked the hammer with all his might now. He
stomped his feet on the ground and exerted all the strength he could muster.
But in the end, the hammer didn't even shift, and the
others weren't able to move it either.
This whole situation goes back a week.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! There's a big
problem!"
On the way to dinner with Beatrice, Hari rushed up to him
together with Chief Kim Jin-Soo.
"Tsk, don't make a fuss. How can an adult maiden act
so roughly?"
"T, that's sexist... Anyway! There is a big
problem!”
“What happened?”
When Leon asked with a light sigh, Hari quickly reported
the situation,
“In the warehouse! Sir Geobrick’s hammer is missing!”
"The hammer is missing?"
"Yes! I went in there with Chief Jin-Soo today, but
it was gone all of a sudden... it must have been stolen!"
"That's unlikely."
"Uh... B, but it disappeared?"
“That hammer cannot even be held by anyone other than a
qualified person. If it's gone, it's of its own volition, not theft."
"......."
How does that make sense? Hari swallowed the question
that was about to come out of her mouth.
Right, whatever this guy says makes sense. Even if it
didn't, there was no point in getting yelled at for trying to force a poke.
“I can feel the energy nearby. Let’s go there.”
As Leon took the lead, Hari and the Queen followed. To
their surprise, the missing hammer was in the center of the Pantheon Guild
building.
"Hey, check this out."
"I don't know, it won't budge."
"Who brought it here?"
The hammer in the middle of the training ground attracted
the attention of the cadets and soldiers.
You can't help but notice it when it's sitting there like
that, even if you don't want to look at it.
"What are your intentions?"
Leon stared at the sacred hammer, stuck firmly in the
ground. The hammer, which the recruits hadn't even been able to shake, lifted
easily in Leon's hands.
But that was only for a moment. The hammer moved on its
own as if attracted by a magnet, then immediately escaped from Leon's hand and
fell back on the floor.
“Oh my~, this hammer has a strong self-expression."
"......It looks like it wants something."
Hari wondered at Leon's assumption,
"Does the hammer have a will?"
“This is sometimes the case with holy relics. Especially
when it is an object that has been with a saint for a long time, its temper
becomes difficult.”
A holy relic is an object that has passed through the
hands of the saints and been blessed. A Holy Grail Knight's weapon, in
particular, is simultaneously blessed and celestial.
Exposed to the highest energies of the world, holy relics
can take on a will of their own. A kind of ego, if you will.
"However, I did not feel such a will when I fought
Sir Geobrick."
Leon remembered Geobrick's declaration before he handed
him the hammer.
[I, loyal to the Lionheart King and honored by Demera,
shall pass on the power of Geobrick through this hammer!]
It was an oath he had made with his soul. It was no
exaggeration to say that this hammer embodied the spirit of the Holy Grail
Knight.
In other words, the hammer wants to fulfill Geobrick's
oath.
"I see. You want me to find your master."
Leon smiled and took the hammer again.
"Put up a notice, and tell the Association."
"What should it say, Your Majesty?"
"The one who picks up the hammer, whoever that is,
I'll give it to them."
Leon's declaration was immediately relayed to the
Association via Hari.
[Is this a gate-clearing reward item?]
"It's a little different."
[Hold on. I'll send an appraiser first].
The appraiser sent by the Association examined the
unwavering hammer, and started screaming after less than 10 seconds,
"Euwaaaaaaagh! W, what is this!!!"
"W, what's wrong with you?!"
Chansu Lee, the employee dispatched as an appraiser,
trembled in disbelief,
"E, Epic...!"
"Epic?!"
After the Cataclysm, the items were categorized as
Normal, Rare, Unique, and Legendary.
Unique items are basically masterpieces made by
blacksmiths known as master craftsmen. Legendary items are created by pouring
in countless resources and hard work.
Even Legendary items are usually created by sheer luck -
one in ten million.
Because the odds are so astronomical, the typical supply
of Legendary items is gate drops.
However, in the 30-year history of the event, there were
items dubbed 'Epic'.
The broken sword of the Heavenly Demon, the master of the
hundred thousand great mountains of the continent.
The staff of the Archmage who founded the World Magic
Tower, said to bring about the creation of heaven and earth.
The Frost Queen's Heart, which still engulf and expand
upon the Siberian snowfields.
The Wandering Magic Sword that had been roaming the world
since the events of Black Gate Shanghai Incident.
The criteria for an Epic item was straightforward.
The item is powerful enough to change the course of a
battle. Until now, there had been no gate that failed to be conquered using
Epic items.
Epic items could be said to be unprecedented items that
overturn common sense, to the extent that the emergence of epic items would
lead to an increase in the total strength of a nation.
And now. Such an Epic item was in front of Lee Chan-Soo.
"R, really?! It will be given away just by picking
it up, is that true?!"
“Uh, um… yes. I guess so…?”
Hari had never imagined that the hammer in front of her
was an Epic item. Her eyes widened, and she felt like she should ask Leon for
confirmation right now, but──
“That’s right. Whoever lifts that hammer will become its
owner.”
"Y, Your Majesty! The value of this hammer is
staggering. P, please look at this!"
Lee Chan-Soo displayed the stats table he had collected.
[Geobrick's One-Handed Hammer]
◆
Rating: Epic
◆
Details:
This is a holy relic blessed by Geobrick, the Holy Grail
Knight of the Goddess Demera, the goddess of life and fertility, by binding his
soul.
Nucleus of Faith: Receives holy power directly from
Goddess Demera.
Perfect Vitality: never gets tired.
Goddess' Blessing: Defense increases by 400% while on the
ground. Recovery increases by 300%. 200% defense and 150% recovery are applied
to all troops under your command.
Sanctify: Implements holy law based on your faith and
holy power.
Unevaluable: Geobrick’s──────
Unaffected: Being of────────
"Heuk......."
Hari stared, then made an odd tongue-in-cheek noise.
She'd never seen such a ridiculous item status before.
Regardless, Leon's words didn't change.
The news was immediately released through the
Association, and──
[First in Korea. The third Epic Item in Asia unveiled in
the Pantheon Guild. Anyone can take it.]
This was the reason why so many challengers had flocked
in.
* * * * *
"Hmm, this is the place."
"Let's check out the Epic item!"
The first people to visit the building after Geobrick's
hammer made the news were the small and medium-sized Hunter Guilds in the
vicinity.
The condition was simple: if you can pick it up, you can
take it home.
The Hunters, greedy for an Epic item, put everything
aside and made their way to the Pantheon Guild.
Just as they were about to enter the Pantheon Guild
building──
-Kilig!
They encountered Yakt Spinner guarding the entrance.
"Y, Yakt Spinner?!"
The nightmare of Cheongju Gate. The Yakt Spinner, a
killing machine that had wiped out countless raiding parties, was a survivor as
famous as Leon.
Even though its size had shrunk now, seeing a killing
machine with an estimated rank of S or higher in front of you was bound to
cause a sense of panic.
"W, what is it?"
-Hammer Challenger?
“That’s right.
-Welcome for your visit.
"T, thank you."
The Hunters turned to enter the building, feeling awkward
at the killing machine's softer-than-expected response.
But at that moment, a fierce wire whip slammed down in
front of them.
"Wh, what the?!"
-Admission fee.
"Eh?"
-Admission fee.
After repeating it twice, the Hunters understood what
Yappy meant.
"W, what is this admission fee......."
"I didn't hear about that......."
-Decided as of today.
Yapppy's mechanical leg lifted and pointed at a sign.
[Entrance fee to the Sacred Site: Hunter: 5 million won.
Civilian: 500,000 won.]
"Expensive......."
"No, civilians pay 500,000 won, why are we paying
five million!"
-Civilians watching. Hunters challenging. Additional
relic management costs.
No, there's no such thing!
But there's no turning back here. In fact, considering
the value of the Epic item, 5 million won was not even money, so the Hunters
cried and opened their wallets.
"...... Do you accept WeChat Pay?"
-Yes, we accept wire transfer.
After paying such an expensive entrance fee, the Hunters
met Han Hari who was waiting for them.
"Welcome, Hunters! I'm Han Hari, deputy director of
Management 3 of the Korean Hunter Association!"
The smartly dressed Hari greeted the Hunters with a
bright smile. They were delighted to be greeted by the previous year's top
rookie, but they couldn't wait to see the holy relic.
"Where is Geobrick's hammer? I want to see it in
person as soon as possible.”
"Hush! You need to watch your language!"
"Huh?"
Hari pointed out, making the Hunter look confused.
"It's 'Sir' Geobrick, and here, when addressing
honorable people, you must use honorifics!"
"???"
They were speechless.
But when you go to Rome, you have to follow Roman laws.
It was a well-known fact that Leon, the king of knights in another world, had a
crazy personality.
The Hunters coughed and corrected the name.
"I would like to take the challenge of Sir
Geobrick's hammer......."
“Before that! Let’s go to the altar and pray first!”
"......What?"
Following Hari's incomprehensible instructions, they went
to the Pantheon altar, which was set up separately within the Pantheon
building.
Here, the altar of Demera, the goddess of life and
fertility who was the object of worship for farmers, and the altar of the Pantheon
deities were separately installed.
It was not much of an altar, just a temporary one until a
proper temple could be built.
-Kiglug.
"I, it appeared again."
Yappy had made its appearance. The mechanical spider
walked to and from the multiple altars and stood in front of the Hunters, who
had just paid five million won each.
-Worship. Bow down to the gods of the Pantheon.
“Uh, um….”
The Hunters glanced at Yappy and reluctantly bowed. They
were thinking that they would have to prostrate themselves at every altar of
the deities, but surprisingly, a single bow seemed to do the job.
-Would you like to make an offering?
"No, what else do you want me to pay......."
-Up to you.
When Yappy seemed as if it was about to force them to do
so, the Hunters hesitated for a moment and then refused to make offering.
Among them were Christians, and the rest refused to offer
their worship.
Finally, they entered the site of the old training
ground, which had been closed and relocated. Upon entering, the Hunters felt an
unknown energy envelop them.
“Oh, oh...”
“What is this? What is this energy….
It's warm and gentle. It energized their bodies, cleared
their minds, and improved their vision.
They quickly realized what was causing this mystical
experience.
“It’s the energy flowing from the hammer….”
"I can't believe that this kind of energy is
released just by existing in the world......."
"So this is an Epic item...!"
The Hunters who were exposed to the energy of the hammer
thought it was worth five million won.
"Alright! This hammer here is Sir Geobrick's hammer!
Would you like to challenge first, Hunter Kim Ho-Yeol?"
The Hunter called out by Hari swallowed hard and
approached the hammer. He was a devout Christian who had just refused to
worship at the altar.
"I'll take the challenge then──"
The moment he grabbed the hammer,
-Bang!
"Kwaghh!!!"
Kim Ho-Yeol was knocked back by the force of the energy
from the hammer's hilt.
"W, what?!"
“The energy from the hammer?!”
As the other Hunters helped Kim Ho-Yeol to his feet, they
saw the energy surging from the hammer. The fierce roaring was proof that the
hammer had rejected Kim Ho-Yeol.
"C, can the hammer do that?"
"Ah, I forgot to warn you. Those who are deemed
unfit... may be rejected like that."
"Unfit? If you had requirements, you should have
told us from the beginning!"
The Hunters argued, but there was no defense.
"There are no requirements. It's just the hammer's
decision."
And how should they deal with it?
“Damn it! I’ll give it a try this time!”
Stepping forward was a large Hunter. Tank-type Hunters
are big, and he was the brawniest of them. And as he used heavy armor and
shield, he was also confident in his strength.
Fortunately, the hammer didn't bounce him off like the
hunter before him. The atheist grasped the hammer's handle and tried to lift it
in one swift motion.
"Keughhh!!!"
But the hammer didn't budge. It was too heavy, as if
thousands of tons of iron had been compressed.
"Aghh! Damn!"
After that, several hunters took on the challenge. Some
bounced off, but most made it as far as grabbing the hilt. But that was it. No
one could move the hammer even a millimeter.
While the fallen Hunters were panting and sweating, Yappy
approached.
“W-what?”
-Are you going to make an offering?
Why is it asking about offering again? The Hunters
frowned, but one Hunter's eyes lit up.
"A holy relic... yeah, that's it!"
The Hunter walked up to Yappy and made a 10,000 won
offering via wire transfer, then grabbed the hammer and──
-Krig!
The hammer, which hadn't moved in the slightest, moved
0.05 millimeters... just for a moment.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"It just moved... even though it didn't move at all
before......."
Was it because he made an offering? All eyes turned to
Yappy.
-Collecting offerings for the construction of the Altar
of Pantheon.
Everyone took out wads of money.
After a series of events, Yappy understood how to utilize
big data to revitalize the economic activities of each religious site.
-Hammer becomes money.
"Sir Yappy, is this really okay? Isn’t this
blasphemy?”
Hari asked with concern, but Yappy replied calmly,
-Is the efficient asset management ability of this unit
being challenged by the intellectual ability of a trivial organic matter? All
you have to do is follow this plan.
Hari read the schematics that Yappy had snapped up in a
flash.
"...Provide health-enhancing ringside seats to with
the exposure to the hammer's holy power?"
- Attracting regular visitors. Revitalization of
surrounding commercial areas.
“Providing visitors with a taste of blessed crops and
forcing them to make offerings….”
-'Voluntary' offerings.
“Using hunters as labor in the name of promoting faith?!”
-Labor activities is also physical training. Efficient.
"What are you going to do about wages?"
-Why give money to recruits? Feeding, sheltering,
housing, and necessities already provided.
"No, Sir Yappy... there is a noble law in this world
called the Labor Law──"
-Training soldiers registered as interns. Interns can be
paid below minimum wage.
“I’ve never seen anyone pay them such a small amount of
money!!”
-It is being paid back as 'voluntary offerings'. If they
don't like it, they can leave.
"It's vicious......."
The plan of Yappy, the treasurer of Pantheon, was just
getting started.
***
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