The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 136

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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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Episode 136
136
After eating at his Parents’ House, Jin-woo logged back into the game immediately.
The Abandoned Dragon’s Nest—his personal stronghold, one might say.
Why was he here, you ask?
It was obvious enough.
Locations designated as the original owner’s domain allowed for interior decoration and installation of various facilities.
Provided one had the funds, of course.
But since money was what he had in abundance, naturally he’d constructed convenience amenities.
And that wasn’t all.
A massive Blacksmith with far superior equipment compared to Nível’s Blacksmith existed here as well.
It was here that I was currently attempting crafting.
Since I needed to forge the Typhoon’s Isis, I’d been primarily crafting swords.
This proved far more difficult than anticipated.
“Sigh.”
I’d been bringing in materials that could be called quasi-dragon-tier and practicing with them.
It should have been natural to succeed at least once or twice.
Yet I hadn’t managed it at all.
The highest grade available was Hero-tier.
When I’d originally smelted iron ore through smelting, it had been Unique-tier.
Yet swords created through crafting were only reaching Hero-tier at best.
No, rather—most of them were turning out to be Rare-tier.
I could certainly sell them at the Auction House for decent profit.
But that wasn’t the point.
These days, even Unique-tier items were beginning to circulate in minimal quantities. Rare-tier? Hero-tier?
This was scratching my pride, and I absolutely wouldn’t allow it.
‘Why isn’t this working?’
No matter how much one pursued realism, perfect realism couldn’t be achieved.
A game was still a game, after all.
Therefore, certain adjustments and various mechanics were inevitably incorporated.
Especially considering that I received more bonuses than anyone else at this very moment.
The fact that I still hadn’t succeeded made no sense whatsoever.
Let me slowly retrace the process once more.
I retrieved the dragon bone again.
Just enough to forge a single sword.
I brought the other materials as well.
‘Good.’
Typically, to forge bone into a sword, one must heat it to extremely high temperatures to make it metallic.
With ordinary bone, it would normally turn to powder.
It should burn completely and become ash, yet this was within a game, wasn’t it?
Dragon bone, in particular, becomes increasingly malleable as it’s heated, turning a metallic red and allowing for reshaping.
That’s when you place it on the anvil and swing the hammer to flatten it like metal, shaping it into form.
This is the first step.
Jin-woo has been handling this part well.
No, he’s doing excellently.
Just look at him now.
Clang! Clang!
With each swing of the hammer, the bone spreads evenly.
With every strike, the bone’s form was transforming.
As it gradually took on the shape of a sword.
To increase its hardness, I quenched it while monitoring its condition.
Up to this point, there doesn’t seem to be any issue.
But why is it?
Jin-woo furrowed his brow as he observed.
‘Something feels off.’
I always sensed this feeling at this stage.
After quenching and working the bellows again, I place the bone back in the forge to reheat it.
And the moment I’m about to swing the hammer.
Clang! Claaang!
At the sound of the first hammer strike, my brow furrowed once more.
Something’s definitely wrong here.
Everything about it—from the sound to everything else—felt off.
The sensation, if you will?
That felt strange too, but what’s maddening is that I can’t figure out why any of this is happening.
I decided to continue crafting anyway.
As expected.
Ding!
[Congratulations!]
[Through crafting, you have created a Hero-grade item: ‘Dragon Bone Sword’.]
A message I’d seen countless times before.
Another Hero-grade item.
Not even Hero+, just normal Hero-grade.
I stared at the notification, lost in thought once more.
The problem definitely seemed to arise during the quenching process.
On a hunch, I decided to try it with ordinary iron instead.
I created an ingot.
Just as when I first created an ingot, I crafted a perfect one from the purest iron.
And then I reheat the ingot.
‘Hmm.’
The ingot glowed a deep red as it heated.
I gripped the metal with tongs and placed it directly on the anvil, bringing my hammer down.
Clang! Claaaaaang!
A clear, crystalline ring.
Up to this point, everything was the same as before.
But then.
To quench the ingot, I submerged the heated metal into oil.
A sound erupted.
Sssssssssss!
The moment the cooling metal absorbed the oil.
Jin-woo examined the ingot again, sensing something amiss.
‘Huh?’
There had been a subtle change as the metal absorbed the oil.
The glowing red metal had cooled, and the crimson aura had faded.
Yet the metal remained glossy, still saturated with oil.
I returned it to the furnace, heated it again, and struck it with my hammer.
Claaaaaang!
An exceptionally clear ring.
A pristine, crystalline sound.
Jin-woo swung the hammer as if possessed by inspiration.
With each strike, the metal’s form shifted and evolved.
Without conscious effort, it naturally took the shape of a blade.
How many times had I struck?
When the form of an iron sword finally emerged.
A message appeared.
Ding!
[Congratulations!]
[You have achieved a critical success in crafting!]
[You have successfully crafted a Unique-grade item: ‘Perfect Iron Sword’!]
A mere iron sword had achieved Unique grade.
Yet with superior materials like dragon bone, I’d only managed Heroic grade.
Jin-woo examined it closely, and suddenly clarity struck.
The problem lay in the quenching process.
‘This approach won’t work.’
Observing how the metal absorbed the oil, I realized dragon bone would behave identically.
Recalling my previous attempts, it was true.
The dragon bone had absorbed the oil and displayed something peculiar.
I didn’t need to repeat the experiment to remember.
I’d already done this dozens of times over.
Then the solution was clear: I needed to change the quenching liquid.
Jin-woo understood with absolute certainty.
The question was what liquid to use.
The oil I’m currently using is already quite expensive.
So why isn’t it working?
‘This is frustrating.’
Each material undoubtedly had its own ideal components that worked best with it.
Dragon bone must be the same way.
Could I find the right one immediately?
Well, thinking it over wouldn’t hurt.
It wouldn’t hurt to examine the items I currently had either.
What did I have again?
With that thought, Jin-woo rummaged through his inventory and the Abandoned Dragon’s Nest for quite some time.
Something usable might turn up.
Then, in the midst of his search.
I discovered an item.
‘Huh?’
[Barkal’s Blood]
It was Barkal’s blood, obtained from butchering him.
I had a considerable quantity, but I’d been unsure what to use it for.
Still, I’d thought that since it was dragon blood, it must have some purpose.
But seeing it now, something suddenly clicked in my mind.
What if I used this?
Wouldn’t it have excellent compatibility with dragon bone during tempering?
‘No, that’s it!’
Dragon blood seemed useless on the surface.
But the blood itself contained abundant magical power—that was the established property.
So it was frequently used as a magical material.
I’d dismissed it as worthless since no one could use it now.
But wait.
If dragon bone rejected the oil when absorbing it.
What if I made it absorb dragon blood instead?
Rich with magical power and originally its own blood at that.
There was no reason the compatibility would be poor.
Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner?
Was I an idiot?
With that thought, Jin-woo chuckled softly and immediately set to work.
I heated the dragon bone again.
It took longer than with metal, but that was fine.
This kind of work required patience anyway.
Just as I was about to strike the dragon bone, heated to extreme temperatures in the furnace, with my hammer.
I could see it.
‘What is this?’
Small holes scattered throughout the bone.
I’d noticed them before, but I’d simply overlooked them.
Yet now, for some reason, they nagged at me.
Why were there holes at all?
Had the bone developed osteoporosis?
I wasn’t joking—I was genuinely curious.
For a moment, I wondered if the original bone had holes too, but it didn’t.
Wait. Could it be…?
Did the holes form while I was heating it?
The dragon bone continued cooling even as I pondered.
I had no time to waste.
‘Let me try soaking it now instead of hammering it first.’
Even if I failed, materials weren’t in short supply.
This was how I’d learn through trial and error.
So I submerged the dragon bone, heated in dragon’s blood, into the liquid.
Sssssssssssss!
Piiiiiiiiing!
Light erupted from the dragon bone.
I could see it clearly.
Blood being absorbed through the tiny holes in the bone.
And as those small cavities filled, the bone transformed into something smooth.
Still hot despite having cooled somewhat, the dragon bone gleamed.
With a hunch, I immediately heated the bone again.
Whoosh! Whoooosh!
I worked the bellows, raising the furnace temperature further.
The bone I placed on the anvil was unmistakably different from before.
Unlike the porous surface riddled with holes, it now resembled the smooth skin of a newborn.
Seeing this, I realized my intuition had been correct.
But it wasn’t finished yet.
I couldn’t stop here!
I began hammering with all my strength.
With everything I had!
Clang! Clang clang clang!
A clear, resonant tone rang through the Blacksmith.
A sound I’d never heard before.
The crystalline ring brought an involuntary smile to my face.
Yes. This was it.
As the dragon bone took the shape of a blade, I quenched it once more.
Sssssss!
Piiiiiiing!
Brilliant light erupted once more as the cooled dragon bone took shape.
I repeated the process again.
Refining the form with hammer strikes, then quenching, back to the forge.
As I cycled through this, the blade gradually materialized.
Jin-woo then moved to the whetstone to sharpen the edge.
Even before the sharpening began, I could already sense a chilling aura emanating from it.
‘This is incredible.’
A true masterpiece was being born.
I could be certain of that.
And so I began grinding the dragon bone against the whetstone.
Gradually, its true form revealed itself.
A sleek ivory-colored blade.
Elegant and refined in appearance.
Yet it radiated an equally formidable, unyielding presence.
The cold aura embedded in the blade was sharp enough to cut through flesh.
Anyone who saw it would instinctively recognize it as a legendary weapon.
I completed the crafting by fashioning the hilt and scabbard.
Then.
Ding!
[Congratulations!]
[Crafting successful!]
Seeing that message, I felt a twinge of disappointment.
It wasn’t a Perfect Success—merely a regular Success.
But what did that matter?
I gazed at the blade, eager to see what grade it had received.
Then.
[You have successfully crafted a Unique++ grade item: ‘Bloodstained Dragon Sword’.]
Upon reading the message, I swallowed hard.
Gulp.
Unique++?
A grade that only appears through crafting.
And it appeared?
Essentially the equivalent of Epic tier, was it not?
And I had just created it.
My mind reeled in astonishment.
Yet as I stared at it, a thought crystallized.
‘Wait… this sword was crafted using only basic techniques and materials. No special methods or rare components were involved.’
And yet the crafting system awarded it the highest possible grade—Unique++?
Insane!
Jin-woo gazed at the bone, wondering what he could achieve with higher proficiency—if he crafted it properly?
Actually, he’d always intended to use this bone when creating the Typhoon’s Isis.
And if he applied multiple forging techniques?
The grade of Isis itself might ascend even further.
Feeling this possibility, a thrill coursed through his body.
Yes, this was it.
Now that I’d grasped the direction, it was time to experiment with various approaches.
Jin-woo grinned widely as he studied the Isis recipe, muttering to himself.
‘Completion is near!’
The Typhoon’s Isis, called the Divine Blade.
It seemed there wasn’t much left to go before reaching that pinnacle.

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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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