My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 36

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

Chapter 36
Jae-beom hurried toward Mullen’s Shop, organizing his plans in his mind.
Since his plan to level without rest for four days in the Beast Forest had fallen through, he needed an alternative approach.
Jae-beom nodded as if he’d anticipated this, then headed toward Mullen’s Shop.
“Ah, you’ve arrived!”
Mullen greeted Jae-beom warmly. Under normal circumstances, Jae-beom would have responded to Mullen’s greeting, but right now he didn’t have time for pleasantries.
“Could you issue me a Library access pass?”
“Hmm? Ah, so you’ve found a companion.”
Though his attitude might have seemed somewhat rude, Mullen handed over the pass without complaint, likely because his affinity was high. Jae-beom immediately sent a message to Ye-jin.
[Me: The Library access pass is ready.]
[Ye-jin: Wow! That was fast.]
[Me: Can you come to the Blacksmith District right away then? Just head to Arhenna’s Blacksmith.]
[Ye-jin: Arhenna? …Did you establish a trade agreement with Arhenna?]
[Me: Yes.]
Ye-jin seemed to have heard rumors about Arhenna as well. Jae-beom answered briefly, as if it were obvious.
Making a fuss over such things would only make him look foolish.
[Ye-jin: Um, but….]
[Me: Yes?]
[Ye-jin: Will Arhenna’s shop still be there?]
‘…Wait, what?’
It was an oversight he hadn’t considered. Because Mullen’s Shop had remained perfectly intact, he’d been confused—but now Osirius Castle didn’t exist.
Countless players were complaining about vanished NPCs.
[Ye-jin: …Should I introduce you to a blacksmith I know instead?]
[Me: No. Let me check if it still exists first.]
While the internet had compiled a fairly comprehensive list of missing NPCs, it was unlikely they’d catalogued NPCs like Arhenna who barely interacted with players.
* * *
Fortunately, the Osirius Smithy—or rather, the Dairun Blacksmith—still stood.
“Move faster!”
“We need to strike the iron now!”
The blacksmiths surrounding the forge moved busily, sweat dripping down their faces.
“It’s just as it was before?”
Ye-jin murmured as she looked around the smithy with fresh nostalgia.
However.
“Now! Begin the enchantment!”
Under the direction of alchemists, blacksmiths could be seen here and there blending various materials into the molten metal, preparing intricate enchantment components.
“…Or not?”
While infusing enchantments into weapons did happen occasionally, it wasn’t something you’d see at the Osirius Smithy.
They were blacksmiths, not alchemists.
Still relieved to find some trace of the place, the two of them headed toward where Arhenna’s Blacksmith had been.
―Clang, clang, crash!
Arhenna’s Blacksmith had fortunately survived.
“Arhenna.”
“Oh, it’s you! …You’ve grown considerably stronger since we last met. No, quite a lot stronger?”
Watching Arhenna recognize Jae-beom at a glance, the two felt relieved. At least Arhenna seemed unchanged.
“Hmm? Who are you?”
Arhenna tilted her head, studying Ye-jin.
“Ah, I’m….”
Ye-jin laughed awkwardly, flustered. After all, she had once challenged Arhenna’s trial and failed.
‘So she doesn’t even remember….’
Just as she was about to brush it off.
“A new customer? Come right in. Thank you so much for bringing such a beautiful guest.”
“…Pardon?”
“…What did you say?”
Both of them questioned simultaneously. What Arhenna had just said was utterly unlike her.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
Around Arhenna’s waist was a luxurious leather belt studded with ornate jewels.
‘…Jewels?’
Moreover, a long staff was elegantly strapped across her back.
“A staff?”
Ye-jin couldn’t help but voice her thoughts aloud.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
Arhenna’s thick fingers were adorned with ornate jeweled rings.
Rubies, sapphires, emeralds—various gems gleamed with an ethereal light.
“Rings?!?!?”
This time, Jae-beom nearly shouted.
“Hah!”
Before Jae-beom and Ye-jin, who cried out as if to say this isn’t Arhenna!
“Why, why are you like that… You’re scaring me, please stop.”
Arhenna was clearly frightened! The sight itself was nothing short of a desecration of everything they knew about her.
After verifying Arhenna multiple times, the two finally had to face reality.
The Arhenna they knew had disappeared.
“So, why did you come… why are you here?”
“Don’t speak formally to me… never mind. I’ve come to enchant these jewels.”
“Please use the order counter in front. The grade of the alchemist handling the enchantment work varies depending on the price.”
“We even have staff… never mind.”
However.
“It’s a kiosk….”
Looking at what Arhenna presented, they felt as though they were coughing up blood.
[10th Grade Alchemist: 1 Gold.]
[9th Grade Alchemist: 3 Gold.]
⋮
[Great Enchant Alchemist Vallerot: Consensus Required.]
“….”
“For your information, I am… a Grade 3 Alchemist.”
“…Why is a Grade 3 Alchemist showing us around?”
“…Because it’s my shop.”
Jae-beom and Ye-jin stared at what had once been Arhenna before them, squeezed their eyes shut, and continued speaking.
“First, we need to assess the performance of the gem to be enchanted… so let’s request a Grade 10 Alchemist first.”
“If the enchantment turns out well, can we replace them with a higher-grade alchemist?”
“Yes.”
Fortunately or unfortunately, thanks to Ye-jin’s explanation from having visited a similar shop before, there was no difficulty in placing the order. A few gestures with my right hand, and the transaction was complete.
Ding!
[You have hired a Grade 10 Alchemist.]
[1 Gold has been consumed.]
[Please proceed to Station 23.]
Jae-beom and Ye-jin approached Station 23, which they had been assigned to according to the counter’s guidance. What greeted them was a worn and shabby desk.
Various reagents and alchemical tools lay scattered haphazardly across its surface.
“Hello. I’m Jebenriin, a Grade 10 Alchemist.”
A woman seated behind the desk offered a greeting.
Wearing pink-tinted glasses and possessing a delicate face, she extended her hand with a radiant smile.
“Please, have a seat. Will you show me the enchantment?”
―Whoosh.
Jae-beom, mentally exhausted from his encounter with Arhenna, handed over the crystal from the Beast Bear.
“…Please.”
He was too drained to even muster the energy to speak properly.
“This is…!”
Unable to hide her astonishment, Jebenriin murmured.
“I should examine this more carefully.”
She picked up a pair of magnifying glasses with intricate patterns etched upon them from the desk.
The moment she unfolded the temple pieces, the mystical patterns engraved on the glasses began to emit a blue radiance.
―Whoosh.
Jebenriin placed the glasses on her face.
A blue gleam appeared in the lenses, then gradually deepened into a rich azure.
Slowly, she brought the crystal closer to the glasses.
As the lens touched the crystal, an intense blue light enveloped the glass.
Moments later, within the blue haze, a crimson radiance began to faintly bloom. It was like watching a brilliant red sun rise from the depths of the ocean.
The instant Jebenriin brought the glasses closer to the crystal, something incredible occurred.
The blue light pouring from the lens suddenly convulsed, then began to flash violently.
It was as though a blue tempest were raging within the glasses themselves.
“What, what is this? I’ve never seen a reaction like this before….”
Jebenriin muttered, her bewilderment unmistakable.
Her hands trembled ever so slightly.
―Beep! Beep beep!
At that moment, a piercing alarm shrieked from her glasses.
It sounded like a siren warning of danger.
Jebenriin’s face drained of color in shock.
She desperately reached to tear off the glasses, but it was already too late.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted in a blinding flash of light.
The glasses shattered into fragments, scattering in all directions. With the lenses destroyed and the frame snapped, only the remnants of the glasses lay scattered across the floor.
“Ahhh!”
Jebenriin screamed.
The shockwave sent her pink hair whipping to one side.
“Wh… what…?”
Dazed and reeling from the blast, Jebenriin stared blankly down at the shattered fragments of her glasses.
Her right eye, which had been hidden behind the pink-tinted lenses, now gazed down at the debris scattered across the floor. Through the faint wisps of smoke rising from the destroyed glasses, Jebenriin’s bewildered expression became visible.
“Measurement impossible… that was the verdict.”
It was a record-breaker.
* * *
Jebenriin acted quickly. Not long after, Jae-beom and Ye-jin were able to meet up with Arhenna again.
“This way, please.”
Arhenna gestured toward Jae-beom and Ye-jin with a kind smile, though her fear was plainly evident.
“This is the Special Crystal Analysis Chamber.”
As Arhenna opened the heavy iron door, a strange sight unfolded before us. It felt as though we had stepped into another dimension.
The entire space was suffused with a steampunk aesthetic.
The walls and floor were covered in rusted iron plating, and bizarre machinery filled every corner. Intricately twisted copper pipes stretched across the walls and ceiling.
Those pipes, glowing with a coppery hue, resembled the blood vessels of some colossal living creature.
Steam rising from between the machines blanketed the interior like fog.
Hot vapor billowed forth, adding an otherworldly quality to the air.
It felt like the interior of an airship.
Gears and pistons moved in rhythmic patterns throughout the space.
The heartbeat of the machinery filled the chamber.
―Screech, clank, click.
The instrument panels lining the walls were covered with various scales, numbers, and symbols.
Needles trembled faintly, pointing to different readings.
The faded brass panels resembled ancient navigation charts.
“Wow…”
Upon entering the chamber, Ye-jin gasped in wonder. They looked around with fascination.
“That machine over there is the crystal analyzer.”
Arhenna pointed to a massive machine standing in the center of the room.
The machine, adorned with gleaming silver metal and ornate jewels, commanded a magnificent presence. It towered from floor to ceiling, its colossal size impossible to ignore.
“This machine can analyze any crystal perfectly. Its composition, magical essence, even its hidden secrets.”
Pride resonated through Arhenna’s voice.
“Now, please place the crystal here.”
She pointed to a pedestal positioned at the front of the machine.
Jae-beom approached slowly and withdrew the beast bear crystal from his pocket.
―Hum!
The moment Jae-beom placed the crystal on the pedestal, the machine roared to life with a deafening sound.
―Whoosh! Whoosh! Crackle!
Steam rose from the silver metal surface as the entire machine vibrated subtly.
Soon, a blue mist swirled around the pedestal.
The mist began rotating in circles, as if scanning the crystal itself.
―Hummmmm… Whirrrrr….
A deep bass tone resonated through the space as the machine began operating in earnest.
The massive gears embedded in the floor moved slowly at first, then accelerated.
―Clank! Clank! Boom-boom-boom!
Energy erupted from the machine’s core.
A violet plasma pillar surged skyward like a column of light.
Energy rippled outward through the surrounding air like waves.
―Hisssss… Whoooosh!
The energy column, expelled along with steam, concentrated directly above the crystal.
The pitch-black crystal absorbed the energy, then began glowing red from within.
And after some time had passed.
―Screeeech!
The continuously spinning machine suddenly halted.
Then, slowly, silence fell as if time itself had stopped.
In that moment, a massive hologram unfolded centered on the crystal.
The hologram materialized in the air like a curtain of light spreading open.
[Analysis of the beast bear crystal composition is complete.]
And a System Message appeared in Jae-beom’s vision.
[Beast Bear Crystal]
[Performance: Attack Power +10%]
[Additional Effect upon Enchantment Inscription: ???]

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