Chapter 82 : Chapter 82
Chapter 82
The method to properly utilize the Sealing Stone was simple.
Feed it blood.
It didn't matter if it was human blood or animal blood.
The blood shed by a living being was life itself, and the Sealing Stone was a remnant of a demon that coveted life.
A Sealing Stone that had consumed enough blood would finally become usable.
Its unique red hue would deepen, and its surface would gleam.
Its true value would be revealed when used as a sacrifice, processed, or directly consumed by a demon.
“So she fed it blood? Ria the blacksmith.”
“Pit.”
“She didn't go crazy or anything? Like she kept feeding it blood.”
“Pibit.”
“Then it’s fine. Let’s watch a little longer.”
“Pit, piiiii…….”
Bitdori, who had delivered the news, seemed displeased with the instruction to watch longer.
The creature was worried about Ria and also felt a sense of repulsion towards the existence of the Sealing Stone.
Reinhardt fully understood that feeling.
In the first place, Bitdori was a creature that would foam at the mouth and charge at any evil existence. To the point where a statement like ‘calmly watch’ wouldn't even be valid.
‘But I guess this means both Bitdori and I have changed a lot from the original game.’
Bitdori was a spirit of light.
But it didn't rampage insanely like in the original game.
Reinhardt, too, was a Knight of Light obsessed with justice in the original.
The current Reinhardt was fundamentally the same, but he could still hold on to the thread of reason if he wanted to.
Because this was an expansion pack.
It was content created to twist the past of the original game and lead it in the right direction.
The result was the sight of Bitdori, now buzzing and flying before my eyes.
Enduring and moving forward to carry out a task it desperately wanted to avoid.
‘A person can’t just live doing only what they want to do.’
The same was true for Reinhardt.
The moment he gave up and sat down, he was in a position to be swept away by the predetermined fate of death.
He had to endure and move forward, no matter what.
To change the past and endure the present to paint the future he desired.
“Stop slacking! Hurry up and…… Who was the one who sorted the materials!”
“I did it!”
“Where are your eyes? A guy who’s worked here for three years still sorts materials like this?”
“I’m sorry!”
Reinhardt visited Hasker’s Smithy.
It was still noisy.
It was a conversation that reeked of iron and sweat even from a distance.
“Excuse me.”
“You’re…… Uh-huh, I believe I told you? I won’t accept a commission from you.”
Reinhardt naturally approached and offered a greeting.
Despite being blatantly told to leave, he didn't mind and responded with a smile.
“I came to say hello. How is Ria’s condition?”
“Ria’s condition is…… none of your business.”
The blacksmith, whose face had become familiar, replied coldly.
But he couldn't hide his momentarily darkened expression.
‘He’s deeply troubled. He’s worried about Ria.’
To the blacksmith before me, Ria was a precious person.
It must have been the same for not just this man, but everyone working at Hasker’s Smithy.
At that, Reinhardt scratched the man's itch.
“I suppose so. I’m just asking, just in case, but have any suspicious individuals recently commissioned work here?”
“There was no one as suspicious as you.”
“The payment for the commission must have been substantial. But the item they asked to be processed wouldn’t have been ordinary.”
Flinch. The man’s body trembled.
“We don’t handle ordinary materials. We only ever deal with the finest quality.”
“Among the materials handled here, is there a red ore?”
“Surely you don’t mean a gem like a ruby?”
“No.”
The man stared intently at Reinhardt.
It was a scrutinizing gaze. A look that sought to peer into a person’s inner self.
What kind of person was Reinhardt?
How did he know that fact, and what was the intention behind asking such questions?
And.
Whether he was someone he could ask for help.
‘This far.’
However, Reinhardt chose to retreat rather than dig deeper.
“I will come again tomorrow.”
“……There’s no need to come.”
The reply that came back was weak.
Perhaps at the next visit, the man would open his heart.
‘Coming back in about three days should be fine. Until then, I’ll focus on Evangeline.’
In any case, Ria had time.
Her mind wasn't going to break just by being left alone for a few more days, and rather, her proficiency as a blacksmith would greatly increase in the process of analyzing the Sealing Stone.
And.
Watching Reinhardt’s back as he left.
The blacksmith, Kron, muttered in a voice tinged with wounded pride.
“……Hmph, what a dirty bastard. If you know something, you should share it.”
It was clear he knew something.
About the client who had visited a few days ago.
And about the problem Ria was facing now.
He didn't look like a villain, and he seemed like a person who would readily offer help if a hand was extended, but.
“He said he’d come again tomorrow. It won’t be too late to ask then.”
The blacksmith Kron smacked his lips.
However, the next day.
And the day after that.
The suspicious visitor did not appear.
“He said he’d come again tomorrow! Why isn’t he here yet!”
A hollow shout echoed inside the smithy.
In the meantime, Ria was gradually and surely breaking down.
To the point where anyone who knew her well could easily notice the change.
***
Awakening one’s talent is an arduous task.
It was only natural.
This was the world inside a game, after all.
If talent could be awakened too easily, players would quickly lose interest.
The more difficult the trials and tribulations, the greater the sense of accomplishment, and any reasonably-sized development company knew that fact all too well.
It was the same for Knight Evangeline and Blacksmith Ria.
The talents of these two were brilliant.
Although they were no different from pearls in the mud for now, once awakened, it was as good as humanity taking another step towards victory.
So, the arduous process was a given.
Because I knew the outcome, it was a trial worth enduring.
‘Is this not it?’
But no matter how true that was, there was bound to be a gap between the world seen on a monitor screen and the world faced with one’s own eyes.
“Oh, should I proceed in the same way today?”
Evangeline’s face was pale.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
"Her gaze, which had always been so confident, wavered anxiously, and the fear of the cold made her body shrink."
“The same way.”
“I understand.”
It had already been a week.
Evangeline had been training in the same way.
Meaning, she had been doing nothing but sitting alone on a street bench, enduring the cold.
The results were minimal.
She seemed to have adapted to the cold a little, but the agony of the process remained.
“Eat this before you go.”
“This is……!”
Reinhardt had prepared a gift for the exhausted Evangeline.
It was a special stew from Elmore, with hot steam rising from it.
‘In the original game, she would always look for this stew whenever she visited the north.’
Evangeline was a gourmand, and like one, she had a picky palate.
But wasn't Reinhardt already in a position to know her tastes?
“This is…… truly delicious!”
Exactly as I had predicted.
After one spoonful, Evangeline looked at Reinhardt with shocked eyes.
“I heard it’s a stew that the locals here enjoy. They said you could get a taste of the local flavor.”
“Yes, that’s exactly right. Using ingredients that guarantee a simple yet distinct flavor, stewed until tender to bring out the taste……”
Evangeline finished the stew in an instant. Her eyes, which had been worn out with fatigue, regained their vitality.
“If you’ve finished, let’s begin.”
“Yes, Reinhardt.”
Evangeline walked out with vigor.
She sat on the bench and began to accept the cold with her whole body.
She looked to be in pain, but perhaps thanks to the delicious meal, she seemed to be enduring it much better than yesterday.
‘She just has to hold on for a few more days anyway. The Evangeline on the community side said she was starting to see effects too.’
Evangeline’s awakening was imminent.
Reinhardt was certain of it, and the basis for his certainty was the [Community].
[Search: Evangeline]
A list of posts containing the keyword Evangeline appeared.
Reinhardt gathered and organized only the posts written by [Evangeline] herself.
<Evangeline>
[Arrived in the north. Awakening quest started.]
[It’s so, so cold. It’s even colder because I’m Evangeline. Maybe because she’s a character who naturally gets cold easily, it’s unbearably cold.]
[I’m wearing five layers of clothes and it’s still cold. It’s just so cold.]
The date this was posted was about a week ago.
Reinhardt moved on to the next post.
<Evangeline>
[Starting to adapt to the cold. It’s still so cold, but better than at first.]
[Still so cold though. It’s seriously freezing.]
[Reduced my layers a bit. Now I can move around with just three layers on.]
[Not sure if my body has adapted or if I’m about to awaken.]
This one was posted about three days ago.
‘The progress is definitely similar.’
There wasn’t a huge difference between the training situation of [Evangeline] in the community and the Evangeline currently in Reinhardt’s sight.
Both were achieving similar results in a similar period.
Again, the next post.
It was a new post from this morning.
<Evangeline>
[My body got hot for a moment. It wasn't cold at all.]
[But it was only for a very short time. After that, I waited in the cold for a long time again. It felt even colder than before.]
[Then it got hot again.]
[It was so hot I took off all my outerwear, but it was still hot.]
[In the end, it was bearable. It wasn't hard to endure.]
‘Yes, the fact that this reaction appeared means.’
The last post was the catalyst that gave Reinhardt the conviction that it wouldn't be long now.
A post registered just one or two hours ago.
What the content above meant was simple.
‘It means it was effective.’
Finally, the [Evangeline] in the community saw the effects of her training.
She had escaped the misery of the cold.
It meant she had reached the point of feeling hot in the harsh cold, and in the end, had reached a serene state where she felt neither cold nor heat.
‘Then it’s normal for this side to show a reaction too.’
The training period was similar.
The conditions were no different.
The will of the person being trained, if anything, would be stronger on this side, not weaker.
Reinhardt looked out the window.
Evangeline still had a haggard expression, constantly moving her lips.
It seemed she was muttering something.
I couldn't hear the sound, but Evangeline had been in that state for some time now.
‘I wouldn't know if that post was a lie, but the possibility of that is low.’
There was no reason for [Evangeline] to lie.
To be active in the community, one had to show a minimum level of sincerity.
Their real identities were viral marketers, and as such, their goal was to stimulate the desire of players waiting for the major patch to buy.
But what if lies were mixed in?
What if they bought the product only to find that such content wasn't included?
The users would flip out.
Accusing them of deceiving consumers, and so on.
It was at that moment.
“……It’s finally here.”
A change occurred in Evangeline, who was visible outside the window.
She took off a thick layer of clothing and placed it beside her.
A single bead of sweat was trickling down her forehead.