Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 135

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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135
The moment Jae-in returned to Parchem’s workshop, she began crafting her own hammer, modeled after Jerex’s.
“Was it done like this…?”
She pressed the hammer against the anvil and struck it lightly while channeling mana. She attempted to create a circulation circuit like Jerex’s, but it didn’t work smoothly.
Still, Jae-in hadn’t expected success on the first attempt. She continued striking the hammer without pause, feeling out the mana.
Beside her, Bae Na-young sat surrounded by stacks of books, and unconsciously began manifesting magical circles and formulas she’d read about using violet mana.
Before the reading Bae Na-young lay an abundance of delicious food, bouquets of flowers, and ornaments—all offerings from the faithful of the Purple Goddess Sect.
“Earthlings truly are… diligent folk.”
Marcelo watched Jae-in, who refused to give up and remained absorbed in her work, and Bae Na-young, who never set down her books. His fondness for Earthlings deepened.
* * *
Jerex had initially found it bothersome to have Jae-in watching him work, but as she performed chores and silently held her ground, he began to feel a subtle warmth toward her.
Even someone as temperamental as Jerex found his heart softening when Jae-in, far from his homeland where everyone despised him, approached him without hesitation or reserve.
Moreover, Jae-in possessed the eye to appreciate dwarven craftsmanship. In Jerex’s judgment, she was certainly no fool.
“Are you an exceptional craftsman on Earth?”
“Well… I suppose you could say that?”
“I’ve never seen anyone with your kind of tenacity. Yes, that’s how a true craftsman should be.”
“Ha, I hear that from time to time. From my researchers.”
Thanks to the free-spirited company atmosphere, the researchers spoke such words directly to Jae-in’s face. She’d heard herself called a relentless research director more than once.
“But this—you truly cannot learn this. It’s a waste of time.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Tch… For someone who knows no surrender, it’s faster to just show you. Come here and grip my hammer.”
“Really?”
Jerex had never allowed Jae-in to touch the hammer and anvil, even while she helped clean the workshop, so she approached with excitement. The Sensory Skill revealed different depths of understanding between merely observing something and physically touching it.
“Listen.”
“Oh… it’s light?”
“A specially crafted hammer. It’s not about brute force. We dwarves harness the power of flame to transform all things. Fire is the genesis of all creation. Without fire, nothing could ever be born. Fire transforms everything—whether toward good or ill.”
As Jerex grasped another hammer, flames erupted from it.
“Strike blindly with overwhelming fire, and even the hardest metal becomes ash. We refine materials through the power of flame, perfecting them completely.”
The flames Jerex unleashed were contained within the hammer.
The moment Jerex struck the material, the contained power flowed into the material, through the anvil, into the earth, and back to Jerex. When that cycle connected, the material transformed.
“Wow…”
Watching from close range, Jae-in became captivated by the beauty of that circulation loop.
“Try it. Better to attempt and fail quickly.”
Jae-in took a deep breath, breathed flames into her hammer, and contained them just as Jerex had.
Jerex’s eyes widened without warning. The flames Jae-in exhaled and contained were purer than any he’d ever witnessed. Purer than his own.
And then Jae-in brought the hammer down.
Boom!
The practice material resting on the anvil shattered completely.
“Ha… hahaha. Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Mm…”
“Now that you know, go on and clean up!”
Even as I swept, my mind kept returning to the sensation of tapping Jae-in’s head just moments before.
* * *
“I think we can acquire most other materials, but that final component is proving problematic.”
“What is it?”
“The Essence of Fire.”
“Where would one obtain that?”
“It’s left behind when Salamander, the incarnation of fire, perishes. It appears once every few decades, and each time it brings catastrophe—making it nearly as precious as a Dragon Heart. I had hoped one of the master craftsmen in this mountain range might have hidden one away, but given that no one has mentioned it so far, either they don’t have one, or they have no intention of selling.”
“I see… If this will take considerable time, I’ll need to return to Earth. I’ve already delayed far too long.”
“Yes. Finding it could take years. Once we locate it, we’ll contact you.”
“In the meantime, I should research the manufacturing process myself. If waiting becomes too difficult, I might just attempt it anyway.”
Since there’s a processing method, I might be able to reverse-engineer a substitute.
“Since it’s yours, I won’t stop you… but what a waste.”
“Master, thank you for your help.”
Jae-in, towering over the goblin, bowed respectfully to him.
“I haven’t even finished it yet—what thanks are due?”
“We should pack our things now. The chairman said he’d return tomorrow. Oh, I should say goodbye to Jerex as well.”
“…You really do have remarkable patience.”
“Isn’t that a craftsman’s essential quality?”
“Kekeke. Well said.”
* * *
“Y-you’re… leaving?”
“Yes. They said they couldn’t obtain the Essence of Fire.”
“…That’s a rare treasure. So you’re leaving the Dragon Heart here?”
“We’ll be taking it with us. Once we obtain the Essence of Fire later, we’ll bring it back. Thank you for everything.”
“I see.”
After Jae-in left, I locked the workshop door.
Standing in thought for a moment, I made my way to the back of the workshop and gently tapped a brick beneath the bookshelf with my hammer. The brick slid inward, and the bookshelf slid open with a soft whisper.
Behind the bookshelf lay a narrow space, barely tall enough to reach my dwarf head, and in its center sat a sturdy-looking box.
I bent low and entered. The cold was so intense that frost instantly formed on my beard.
I donned gloves and carefully opened the box to reveal a crimson orb. The red sphere absorbed all heat around it, claiming it as its own.
“Finally, the Dragon Heart is right before my eyes, damn it!”
I put on thick gloves and lifted the orb. This was precisely why I had fled the Eastern Continent—I couldn’t resist the temptation of the Essence of Fire and had stolen it and run.
“If I let this slip away now… I’ll never touch it again in my lifetime.”
My eyes were captivated by the flickering flames dancing within the Essence of Fire, seduced by its allure.
“That’s right… Is a Dragon Heart an ordinary object? If something goes wrong and it explodes, Jae-in would be in danger too. Taking it with me is the right thing to do—helping her.”
Until now I’d felt affection for her, but not enough to surrender the Dragon Heart. I hardened my resolve with self-justification.
I carefully returned the Essence of Fire to the box and closed the secret vault door.
I locked the workshop door firmly and ventured into the deepest part of the Forge District.
There stood an abandoned mine tunnel. I tore away the wooden boards sealing it and stepped inside.
I descended into the pitch-black mine tunnel, relying on a single small luminescent stone for light. We walked in silence for quite some time.
“Hmm… this should be about right…”
He pulled a chisel from his bag and touched the surrounding rocks and ground with his hands.
“Here.”
Jerex found a suitable boulder, positioned the chisel against it, and struck with all his might. Unlike the gentle hammer blows used when reshaping materials, this was a strike fueled by raw power.
Clang! Clang!
The sound reverberated through the mine tunnel as if it might collapse, but Jerex didn’t stop. Only when the chisel was completely embedded in the rock did he cease his hammering and step back.
“Is anyone there?”
He spoke to the chisel and waited in silence.
“Is anyone there?!”
He raised his voice and called out again.
[You know the old method of communication.]
Just as I was about to speak again in my anxiety, a voice resonated from the chisel.
“Hmph. That’s natural for a dwarf.”
Relieved that the other party had responded, Jerex didn’t let it show.
[Most of the young ones have forgotten this way. So who are you?]
“…Jerex.”
[Ha! Have you given up on life? The moment you stole the essence of fire, you became an enemy of the Empire. Wherever you are on the Eastern Continent, we will find you.]
“Then you won’t find me until I’m dead.”
[…Did you really go to the Western Continent?]
“Yes. That very possibility.”
[Tsk…. You traitor… Are you contacting me to mock me?]
“No. I’m coming back.”
[Hahahaha. The moment you arrive, my hammer will be buried in your skull.]
“What if I bring a gift?”
[A gift? You can’t come unless you bring a Blue Dragon Heart.]
“…”
[Don’t tell me…. You obtained one?! What…. What dragon is it?]
The other dwarf’s voice had shed its anger toward Jerex, replaced entirely by curiosity and desire for the dragon heart.
“An Ice Dragon.”
[A Blue Dragon Heart?!]
“What do you think? Do I have the right to return?”
[…Tell me the details.]
“Earthlings are trying to bring an Ice Dragon Heart and craft an item from it. I can obtain it. But to safely reach the Empire, I need help. And time is running out. The dragon heart returns to Earth tomorrow.”
[If you’re lying….]
“I swear by my hammer and fire. If I lie, fire will no longer bless me—it will burn me instead.”
[Good. What’s your location?]
“The Sleeping Fire Mountain Range. Where many forges are gathered. Do you know it?”
[I do. Isn’t it one of the most heavily defended places on the Western Continent? Damn it…. Wait. Let me find a way.]
Jerex sat down and fidgeted with his hammer, waiting quietly. After an hour passed, then two, with no response, he grew anxious and began pacing in circles.
[Jerex.]
“Yes. I’m here.”
Jerex was delighted to hear from Jung, but he kept his composure and answered calmly without revealing his emotions.
[I’ve discovered an ancient dwarven method of traversal. The conditions are extraordinarily complex, but it should be possible.]
“Traversal between continents? Have you lost your mind? I’m not a mage.”
[Silence. I’ve investigated everything before speaking. You possess the Essence of Fire, don’t you?]
“…Yes.”
[If you use this technique at the deepest point of the cave in the Sleeping Fire Mountain Range on the Western Continent where you are, channeling the Essence of Fire, you can travel the Path of Flame to reach the Eastern Continent. It’s a method only dwarves can employ. Of course, we must make preparations on this end as well. Both sides must be perfectly prepared for success.]
“I’ve never heard of such a thing. Are you certain?”
[No. It’s a gamble.]
“What?”
[It’s an ancient method I’ve only just uncovered, so I cannot guarantee success. However, this is our only option. If we had time, it might be different, but didn’t you say you’re leaving tomorrow? Under these circumstances, this is the best we can do. Will you give up?]
Jerex clenched his teeth and deliberated. This one harbors resentment toward me for fleeing with the Essence of Fire. How can I know if he’s trying to deceive me? Or perhaps I could arrive only to have the Dragon Heart stolen and meet my death.
“…No. I’ll do it.”
Jerex was already incapable of rational thought. Whether enchanted by the Essence of Fire or driven by the desire to possess the Dragon Heart, he could not say.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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