“The analysis results are in.”
“Let’s hear them. Make sure Shin-dono hears it too.”
“Understood. Taking into account the Orichalcum’s post-refinement transparency, magic conductivity, hardness, and other factors, we estimate the refinement rate at around 75%.”
“So, better than last time.”
Apparently, the previous experiment had yielded a 68% refinement rate.
However, unlike Shin, who could sense the quality based on experience and skill, their calculation method relied on extrapolated data from ancient documents estimating what 100% refined Orichalcum should be like—and working backward from that.
“I’d like to see it reach 90% while I’m still alive.”
Letting out a deep breath to ease the tension, Druk Yulk instructed the workers to store the Orichalcum in the warehouse.
It wasn’t meant for weapon creation right now; it would be archived as research material.
“From what you’re saying, there’s no actual sample of 100% refined Orichalcum?”“If there were, we’d have progressed further. I’ve heard they existed long ago, but things were chaotic until the world stabilized. Most of them went missing during the upheaval.”
Shin thought that if they had based this research on a guild from the game era, they’d at least have one physical example.
But it seemed the great cataclysm and the chaos that followed had left deeper scars on history than he expected.
Accepting that, Shin took out a small fragment of Orichalcum from his item box—a leftover piece from his own weapon crafting—and manifested it.
“Here, Druk-san. Take this.”
“What’s this all of a sudden? Hm, it’s a pretty small—wait…! C-Could this be!?”
Druk, examining the 5-cemel fragment suspiciously, was struck with shock the moment he realized what it was.
He quickly pulled out a small loupe—the kind used to appraise gemstones—from a pouch at his waist and began scrutinizing the shard with intense focus.
“That’s what it looks like at 100% refinement. Please use it for research.”
“You… You’re giving me this? I can’t offer anything in return!”
“That’s fine. It’s too small to use as a weapon, and even as a catalyst, it’s not enough. I just want to see the world’s blacksmithing advance a bit more. Unlike the past, if things stay like this, we might not be able to fend off monsters anymore.”
Shin wasn’t offering the fragment out of charity or idealism.
After traveling the world, he had seen for himself that simply leveling up wasn’t enough; monsters were rampaging in many places, well beyond the abilities of the average adventurer or knight.
This was a world where gods, divine beasts, demons, and creatures truly existed.
If such beings were to attack—and the technology to forge effective weapons no longer existed—what then?
From observing the earlier experiment, Shin had confirmed that even the most advanced technological group in this world—the Black Faction—could not yet completely refine Orichalcum.
In this world, weapons of Mythology-class or Legendary-class could only be forged by either support-specialized crafting characters or a handful of gifted individuals like Chosen Ones.
Even then, they couldn’t refine Orichalcum on their own. They needed a high-performance furnace like the one Druk and his team were working to recreate.
And that kind of furnace couldn’t be made easily, no matter how high your stats or how skilled a blacksmith you were.
The difference in quality between raw Orichalcum and fully refined Orichalcum was vast.
Without top-grade materials, even the best blacksmith couldn’t produce high-performance weapons.
“At the very least, I want you—I want the Black Faction—to possess the technology to make this.”
The skill to process materials into their ideal state for forging wasn’t something one could be born with like a Chosen One. It had to be developed and passed on to future generations.
Of course, just giving them a fully functional furnace or more samples would be faster.
But skipping the process would only narrow the path of technological progress.
Even during the game era, countless trials and errors occurred before a finished product emerged.
Many new discoveries were made along the way.
Druk and the others were walking the same path Shin and his allies once had.
“Your prototype furnace isn’t on the wrong track. I believe you and your team will eventually be able to build one capable of refining Orichalcum to 100%.”
Shin hoped they wouldn’t let this knowledge die out, that they would carry it into the future.
After all, if there was anyone who could do it once he and his group were gone, it was the Black Faction.
(That probably sounded a little self-important.)
Shin was aware that these thoughts were unlike him.
Still, watching Druk and his team’s genuine efforts stirred something in him; it made him feel it was okay to give them a little push forward.
𑁋
After the Orichalcum refinement test using the prototype furnace was completed, Druk Yulk resumed explaining the facilities.
In addition to the experimental building where Shin’s group had been, there were other buildings: one focused on researching material properties and another dedicated to planning new experiments and compiling academic papers.
“This area is separate from the experimental building. It’s used mainly for durability testing of weapons, and occasionally for live fire tests of defensive equipment.”
At the end of the tour, they arrived at a large, open plain.
It had been neatly leveled and had several warehouses arranged side by side.
Using perception skills, Shin could see weapons, materials, and large artillery-like weapons stored inside.
The far end of the field bordered the sea, so it was likely that weapon tests were fired in that direction.
“Were the weapons installed around the island also made here?”
“No, most of those were already there. We’ve just been maintaining them. Thankfully, the blueprints and required materials for upkeep were all preserved.”
Maintaining defense systems is one of the key requirements for operating a guild house.
Even Shin’s own guild house, from the days of the “Rokuten,” was no exception; if neglected too long, systems could malfunction.
Though the time it took before failure varied depending on the equipment.
“Speaking of durability tests, have you heard about Elamella?”
“Ah, the one who had a curse imbued on her weapon, right? When I read that report, I nearly exploded with rage.”
What FunkyFunky had done was unforgivable to anyone who sincerely pursued blacksmithing.
Druk was no exception—he was clearly outraged.
“How did things look from your side? According to Kluck, he didn’t notice anything strange.”
“Same here. Honestly, some of the new tech we’ve completed was thanks to his cooperation.”
In terms of reviving lost technologies, FunkyFunky had contributed significantly. Enough to be considered an achievement.
“So he earned trust by selling off bits of knowledge he already had.”
“That’s probably what happened. At the time, nothing in his behavior or words seemed off. Still, it was a failure on our part. We’ll need to establish a proper background-check division. We also need to alert the other factions.”
There was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again.
Druk was now considering the need for a specialized unit capable of digging into the backgrounds of people associated with their organization.
Until now, that kind of vetting had been lax. Not just in the Black Faction, but potentially in other factions as well.
“It’s not a formal agency, but you might consider partnering with a merchant guild. They’d have access to trade information, especially regarding rare materials. I’d personally recommend the Golden Company.”
“Can’t underestimate the merchant networks. Up until now, we’ve been conducting trade under false identities, but it might be time to change tactics.”
Druk said he’d raise the matter at the next department head meeting.
“Well, let’s leave that topic for another time. I’m sure the other departments are itching to show off their work too. We’ve still got a mountain of things to talk about.”
The developers had invested time and passion into their equipment and technology.
They had confidence in their results, and though there was always a hint of nervousness when unveiling such things, there was also joy.
Shin understood that sentiment well, so he chose not to press the issue about FunkyFunky any further.
“Hm, looks like they’re ready. Take a look at that.”
Where Druk pointed, a movable turret sat on a low platform.
It had a 1-mel-long elliptical body with two 2-mel-long gun barrels extending horizontally.
“This is a magical high-angle cannon we developed based on surviving blueprints. It fires 30-cemel magic shells every two seconds. The shells are reinforced and can pierce monsters around level 300.”
“If this spreads, it could completely change how wars are fought.”
Unlike in the game era, there were no restrictions on the use of such weapons.
Back then, they were limited to guild battles or events, but in this world, they could be deployed freely.
One wrong move, and it could lead to devastation worse than reality.
“War… huh. Mass-producing them would be difficult considering the materials. And even if you had dozens, they wouldn’t stand a chance against high-level monsters.”
Druk firmly asserted that the targets were monsters, not humans.
Though he didn’t say it aloud, his implication was clear: humanity couldn’t afford to fight wars using magic weapons.
“I agree. Still, there are probably people out there who’d try it anyway.”
While wars between humans still existed, Shin didn’t want to see battlefields littered with shells and artillery.
“I get that. But Chosen Ones can dodge weapons like this easily. You can do that too, right? For now, the main actors on the battlefield are still people.”
On cue, a thunderous boom echoed, and a shell fired toward the sea.
It followed a parabolic arc and splashed into the water seconds later.
“I’m not sure whether to feel happy or sad that I can dodge them.”
“Oh? Bad memories?”
“My master once used me as a target for magic cannon training. If I dodged or deflected everything, he’d bring out an even stronger version. Eventually, we ran out of materials and had to spend days mining more.”
Though magical weapons were normally limited to special battles, they could be used inside guild houses.
There was even a virtual combat mode for training among players without penalties or equipment wear.
Large-scale weapons were hard to use, but weapons like the ones Druk used could be deployed.
However, the shells consumed magic like skills; once used, they were gone.
Recalling how many resources they wasted while messing around, Shin stared into the distance for a moment.
“Let’s hope the finished version never hits the market.”
“We dismantled them instead of installing them, so I doubt that’ll happen.”
“Should I be relieved or disappointed?”
Druk showed a conflicted expression, torn between the desire to study advanced tech and the fear of what such superweapons could do if released to the public.
“All we can do is pray the ‘what ifs’ never happen and prepare for them anyway.”
“True. Most of what we make here is best left unseen by the world.”
As long as the threat of monsters remained, weapons development couldn’t be halted.
But how they were used had to be carefully managed.
Even for the Black Faction, and even for Shin, balancing that was difficult.
“Alright, let’s put this topic aside for now. No use brooding over things we can’t control. More importantly, did that test fire just now count as a success?”
“Haha, I’ve been thinking a bit too much. As for the test—it was successful, I’d say. We modified the shell to increase its range, and the result was solid. We only have calculated estimates for damage though—can’t exactly set up targets out there.”
They could set up a target in the sea, but it would need to be strong enough to withstand the shell’s force.
That would require something much heavier than a simple boat, and disposable targets would be too expensive.
There were also accuracy issues, so they couldn’t just fire endlessly hoping to hit.
They had measured power at various distances, but actual combat performance was still hard to test.
“Yeah, you can’t exactly test prototypes in real battles.”
“Exactly. We don’t have the luxury of testing them live. The magical cannons installed around the island have better range and firepower.”
“But you’re still pushing forward with development.”
“Of course. We’ve got a tangible benchmark to aim for—something real from the past. The urge to surpass old technology is hard to resist.”
Still a long way to go… Druk said as he turned to lead them back to the facility.
The data from the test would be compiled by the other workers.
The tour of various departments continued, and Shin asked questions along the way.
Even after lunch, the barrage of explanations didn’t stop.
Still, Shin never lost focus, and in every place he visited, thoughtful discussions followed.
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