Everyone Else is a Returnee

Before making new equipment for himself, Yu IlHan focused on perfectly extracting the options from his old equipment.

The robe that was ripped apart into pieces of cloth, half molten armor that should be called ‘lump of metal’ rather than armor, and the spear that finished off the Orochi along with itself due to the several thousand tons of weight applied.

If the Orochi had dropped a 4th class magic stone, then he would have extracted the options onto it, but unluckily, or perhaps, because the energy that was supposed to become the magic stone was fully concentrated into the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword, the Orochi did not spit out a magic stone, so he used 3rd class ones for all the options.

As there weren’t that many 3rd classes in the battle, the number of 3rd class magic stones he had acquired was four, and Yu IlHan invested three of them to extract the options. Extracting the options were not wasteful at all, rather, he found it wasteful to give them up and try new ones.

[The skill, Mana Crafting, has become Lv 33.]

[You have acquired a 3rd class magic stone with the power of ‘Frighteningly’ ‘Hard’ ‘Shadow Leopard’.]

[You have acquired a 3rd class magic stone with the power of ‘Secretive’ ‘Reaper’.]

[You have acquired a 3rd class magic stone with the power of ‘Dark’ ‘Deathgod’s’ ‘Dragon-exterminating’.]

[You can’t let your guard down just because you’ve done the extraction perfectly. If you don’t do mana crafting while activating the maximum power of the magic stone, then the options may devolve in quality or may even disappear.](Erta)

“Thank you, Ertawagon.”

However, her worries were unnecessary; never did Yu IlHan slack in doing anything.

Of course, excluding team projects where he never had his turn since no one in his team found him!

Yu IlHan had a look at the robe first. He was confident in processing leather or cloth, but as he could only bring out the best of his abilities while handling metal, his expectations of completeness of the robe was the lowest.

After finding the most intact, sturdy, and tenacious part of the Orochi’s skin, he started processing it in detail. In his head, he was wondering about how to make it into a legend rank artifact, so he muttered these words unintentionally.

“It will be good if I’m able to enhance the equipment by using loads of magic stones.”

[That’s impossible. Although it will definitely differ according to the abilities of the crafter, equipments have an innate limit to the quantity of mana they can have.](Erta)

Yu IlHan also knew that much.

If it was possible to enhance equipments simply by pouring mana into them, then other worlds had to be overflowing with legend or higher ranked equipments. There also shouldn’t have been cases like his, where a person created a legend-ranked artifact through only mana crafting, but without the ability to wield mana freely.

As such, there exists a limit in every artifact. Mana crafting should be viewed as a process to refine an amount of mana within the limitations of the item itself.

This is also why both the abilities of the mana crafter and the item creator were important. If the item was a mess, then it was difficult for options to appear, and no matter how great of an item, if the mana crafting process was a mess, then the true power could not be brought out in full.

Alas, even if everything was perfect, it was impossible for too many options to be imbued into a single equipment, nor was it possible for too large an amount of power to dwell in it. That’s why equipments with 3 options have overwhelming value……

“Huh.”

Yu IlHan momentarily stopped speaking. It wasn’t that he had committed a mistake while working. It was just that something flashed in his head. And what’s more, a brilliant flash that would make him stronger!

[What is it, Yu IlHan? Did you think up of something weird again?](Erta)

“Hm. Hmmmmmm.”

Seeing Yu IlHan in thought, Erta thought that her judgement was correct. She didn’t know just what bulb had swtiched on in his head, but she did think that he might begin producing epic ranked weapons like nothing!

“Hm, so that’s why the Traps of Destructions were, so that’s it. I think I get it a little.”

[Well, please keep it secret from other people.](Erta)

“No, it won’t do for now. I don’t think I can make a great one with just a 2nd class magic stone. Moreover, if I don’t at least put a 4th class for the core…”

Yu IlHan seemed to speak nonsense before he took his phone out and started writing stuff on his memo. He hurriedly wrote with horrible handwriting, afraid as if he would forget it soon, before putting it back in satisfaction.

“Good, that’s the idea done. I think I can manage a simple application at the current moment.”

[How suspicious.](Erta)

“Well, you’ll get to see it.”

The robe was created smoothly. Yu IlHan first scraped off the Orochi’s sharp scales carefully before gathering them all in one place and processing the skin, and he processed them so thinly that it looked like cloth, before putting together a robe large enough to cover his entire body.

There weren’t many places for his abilities to shine, so despite the materials being of the best ones, it ended up as a rare ranked artifact, but the main course was from now.

Yu IlHan turned his head. The scales he had scraped from the Orochi were in that place.

[Yu IlHan, please tell me it isn’t] (Erta)

“It is.”

Yu IlHan picked one of the scales with tongs and put it inside the furnace where the Eternal Flame was burning. Since he knew that the Orochi’s scales, bones, and even some parts of the muscles showed metallic characteristics, he had no hesitation.

The Eternal Flame seemed to have acquired quite a lot of firepower after being strengthened by eating part of the Orochi’s corpse. Erta only looked at it while sighing, but Yu IlHan couldn’t shake off the ‘what if?’ thought from his head.

“What if the Eternal Flame became like that after absorbing a part of the Orochi, which had absorbed 3 pieces worth of high ranked metals from the Traps of Destruction?”

[I’m also predicting that that’s the case. Of course, it’s properties did change by quite a large amount.] (Erta)

That meant that the Orochi meat and blood he had extracted also had a lot of heavy metals! Yu IlHan became depressed since he had been expecting a dragon-meat party.

[Don’t eat it, you can’t resist it even with your extreme poison resistance!] (Erta)

“But I will be able to endure if I only eat little bits of it at a time, right?”

[Aren’t you thinking something weird at the moment?] (Erta)

Since he felt like he would get scolded if he said it now, Yu IlHan shut his mouth and processed the scales. He sharpened or hammered the molten scales or fused them with other materials. As always, as he gained experience, his working speed became insanely fast.

His work didn’t end easily. He sharpened and fused countless scales until they became palm sized. he sharpened them and processed them for an entire day. He did that until they numbered 300.

[I think I get what you’re doing.] (Erta)

It was obvious what he was trying to do. What did the Orochi do when he first approached it? Didn’t it make the scales stand erect and shoot them out?

Yu IlHan was trying to imitate its technique through equipment. Since he had experienced the attack himself, he wouldn’t fail with the mana crafting process.

However, Yu IlHan denied her words.

“No, Erta. That much is too weak.”

Saying that, Yu IlHan took out 300 2nd class magic stones from his Cross Bag. Since the number of monsters he had killed numbered 100,000, he still had more than 20,000 magic stones.

Japan was almost doomed due to the dungeon wave, but Yu IlHan had acquired an absurd amount of money, enough to revive a country.

[Are you saying you will use all of that? That’s impossible! Didn’t I just say so a moment ago? There is a clear limit to the mana an armament can receive!] (Erta)

“Yes. One for each equipment. At most 3 or 4. This is the limit.”

Yu IlHan’s lips were making a smile. Despite the fact that he was doing the same thing for 24 hours straight, his confident smile was without a hint of fatigue.

[If you know then…… Hm?] (Erta)

At that moment, Erta also seemed to have realized.

Insane as ever – being able to think of that, Erta asked.

[Yu IlHan, are these scales all……] (Erta)

“They’re all rare ranked or above.”

Yu IlHan answered as if he had waited for it.

This meant that, he had, through 24 hours of work, had created 300 rare ranked daggers.

“Of course, the weapon has a limit, so there is a limit to their uses, and I do wonder if the people will be able to use them properly even if I gave it to them.”

Assassins would like it. The finished daggers were both extremely light and extremely sharp. If anyone knew that he had only used 5 minutes to finish each of these, then they would all be shocked.

However, Yu IlHan didn’t create these to use them as daggers. He had made them as a part of the robe.

“Let’s start then.”

Yu IlHan grabbed a bunch of daggers on one hand, and a bunch of magic stones on the other, before starting mana crafting. He focused in order for the mana to be equally distributed among the daggers he had. He wouldn’t have been able to try such an insane method when he couldn’t wield mana, but now, it was different.

The flow of mana from the magic stones flowed almost too easily according to his control and were split apart into streams before being absorbed into the daggers, and under the same imagery from Yu IlHan, implemented the same ability in all of them.

Yu IlHan finished all that work in a short time. The 300 daggers were still of rare rank, but their abilities were all the same. (T/N: How is it ‘rare’ if you have the 300 of the same dagger? O.o)

[Flash Orochi Dagger]

[Rank – Rare]

[Attack Power – 2,500]

[Options – Will be ejected at high speeds if a shock is received. At that time, attack power increases by 30%, and after the power is depleted, it returns back to its original position.]

[Durability – 2,200/2,200]

When Yu IlHan smacked the handle of the dagger as a test, the dagger shot out like a bullet and seemed to embed itself deep into the wall, before returning to its original position below Yu IlHan’s hand.

Perfect. This was a splendid weapon in itself. Of course, Yu IlHan had no intentions in stopping here though.

“Right, then.”

It was time to fuse the robe and the daggers. To compare, it was like multiple single items combining into a set. It was like how coke and french fries were bland on their own, but great together.

[That looks heavy.] (Erta)

“Hey, I swung around weapons weighing tens of tons, this is nothing.”

Yu IlHan equipped the 300 daggers he had made onto the robe in order. As they were originally attached together as skin and scales, just putting in a slight amount of mana made them stick to each other.

When 300 of them were stuck close together, the robe looked quite frightening, but it wasn’t too easily told apart – the daggers were too thin.

Confirming that the daggers were attached, Yu IlHan nodded in satisfaction before starting mana crafting. His first objective was to bring out the power of ‘secretive’ ‘reaper’ in the magic stone, and his second and compulsory objective was to……

‘It’s fortunate that I can now wield mana. Although I can’t acquire a skill right away, if I increase the number of equipments that work with mana, then I can become a lot stronger than others.’

You are already overwhelmingly strong as you are now! – or so Erta would say if she knew what he was thinking; the mana crafting began.

The overwhelming energy of a 3rd class magic stone, and the two options dwelling inside it were pulled out entirely and were led to the black leather robe under Yu IlHan’s lead. Not long after, a brilliant light appeared foretelling the results.

[Secretive Reaper’s Roaring Dark Python Robe was completed.]

[Secretive Reaper’s Roaring Dark Python Robe] (T/N: Gosh, that’s long)

[Rank – Legend]

[Defense – 3,500]

[Options-

25% increase in concealing abilities

25% in attack power when attacking in surprise

Generates a strong shock wave using mana]

Yu IlHan gripped his fists. Although he was sure that he would succeed, it was different seeing it for real. However, Erta turned pale after checking the finished equipment’s stats and shouted.

[Don’t you dare test that thing here!] (Erta)

“It will be quite a spectacle though.”

[And, your workshop along with this building will collapse!] (Erta)

the additional option on the robe was quite simple. Consuming mana to generate a shock wave in all directions. He did the mana crafting while thinking about the Orochi’s absurd strength, but it seemed like it had worked out as he had expected.

That in itself was a plenty good of an option, but the problem(?) was the neatly attached daggers on the surface of the robe.

The daggers had options that would eject when receiving shock, so the moment Yu IlHan creates a shock wave using mana, they would eject in all directions.

“In fact, there is a combo here.”

When Yu IlHan pulled his sleeves up, there was the Quick LIghtning Storm’s Gold Leather Bracelet. This was a splendid accessory that increased his mana recovery speed by 20%, and generated a lightning storm when under attack once a day!

The problem was that this did not come to light in the anti-Orochi fight.

[The attack power was too weak. I think it did activate during the battle, but I can’t remember when.] (Erta)

“Yes. However, it will be a different story if it’s with the robe’s power.”

If he timed the lightning storm well after creating the shock wave; if only the lightning storm would envelop the daggers at the same time they were ejected!

[Your imagination is frightening as ever!] (Erta)

Yu IlHan had now created a once-a-day defensive finisher attack. He wanted to test if it went the way he wanted it to, but as the barrier would dissipate once he exited it, he could only give up for now.

Having acquired a good result from the robe he had made, Yu IlHan’s hammering also gained power.

What he made next was the armor, and since he had an overflowing amount of leather and bones, he was planning to make an inner armor and an outer armor.

He first processed the Orochi’s skin wholeheartedly to make a simple inner armor, and he transferred the options in the 3rd magic stone with the power of ‘Shiveringly’ ‘Hard’ ‘Shadow Leopard’s’.

[What?] (Erta)

[Strong Shadow Dragon’s Dark Python Leather Armor was completed.]

[Rank – Unique]

[Defense – 4,200]

[Options –

35% increase in defensive power.

30% increase in critical hit rate and critical attack power when attacking in surprise]

[Durability – 3,200/3,200]

“Huh?”

A unique ranked armor was made.

Of course, it was already very good, but Yu IlHan was slightly disappointed.

Among the 3 options, the option to enhance the other two had completely disappeared, and the other 2 options had changed. Although it was just leather armor, it was made from the skin of the Orochi!

The original armor had the option to increase attack power by 50% when doing a surprise attack. Although he did gain a critical hit rate increase which he didn’t have before, he somehow felt like he had made a loss.

[Perhaps this is better. You have the critical hit skill, as well as a lot of titles and artifacts that go well with it. How about you make other equipments to increase critical hit rate in the future?]

“*Groan*.”

Critical hits were definitely strong. If it happened, it could stun the enemy for a moment, and the damage also explosively increases as well.

the reason he could cut the Orochi’s head and the tail was also because they were critical hits.

However, unless he could bring out critical hits 100% of the time, Yu IlHan had no plans on relying on it. This was the reason he wasn’t happy.

Anyway, armor crafting hadn’t ended yet. Since his surprise attack power was lowered, he resolved to make one with good options and heated up the Orochi’s bones with the Eternal Flame.

However, he wasn’t making armor with those bones, but sharp blades.

[You’re doing the same thing like the robe again?]

“No, this is a process to complete one of my dreams!”

Yu IlHan reminisced about the time during the initial stages of the Great Cataclysm, when he had just learned mana crafting, and had made the defensive equipment with the mantis scythe. At that time, he was proud of himself, but thinking back now, that was trash!

“Moreover, despite my mana crafting ability increasing since that time, I instead had to focus on the defensive power and the surprise attack power, so I put aside my dreams for a little. However, not anymore. I will fuse my ideals and reality into one!”

[You sound reasonable, but you’re planning to make armor with protruding blades again, aren’t you!]

“Yup. It’s my preference so please respect it.”

Although Yu IlHan had relied on the pile bunker, spear and other weapons until now, that didn’t mean that the Vale Tudo he had learned from Lita in the numerous years had disappeared nor had it regressed.

As such, he had not left out close combat when training alone until now. It was the final and the most fatal trump card he had against enemies who closed in on him after deflecting his spear!

Yu IlHan was now making the method to enhance that weapon.

“There definitely will come a time when I use this. The probability probably just went up now that I said it. 96%. Oh, 98% now.”

[Shaddap. I should’ve realized when you imbued the option magic stone into the leather armor.]

Even while sighing deeply, Erta had no choice but to watch Yu IlHan’s work progress. The scene in her head was one where Yu IlHan was courageously fighting against the Orochi.

‘May an armor befitting of the hero who challenges the impossible, be born’ – Muttering that in her heart, she ended up smiling slightly.

Author’s notes

Just, what had he thought of!?

I planned to skip the crafting part as much as possible, but I can’t just not use the Orochi half heartedly. But even so, the next chapter will be the end of it!

Translator’s notes

Sorry, been ill since the new years…. T^T. As of 5th Jan, I owe you 8 chapters (including sponsors)

Translator: Chamber

Proofreader: Koukouseidesu