Chapter 124

Ten minutes later, the admonishment came to an end.
“It’s called ─. Do you understand?”
“For example, ….”
“Answer me straight!”
“I hear you, I’m sorry.”
“Okay. I’ll keep an eye on it.”
After a quick scolding, he pats Edwin on the side. Normally, he’d hit him on the shoulder, but it’s too much for Tamtam, who’s 50 centimeters shorter than Edwin.
In any case, the sincere apology seemed to mollify him. Kim Yi Hyun, who had turned the tip of the arrow and was staring across the river, saw the timing and interrupted.
“Can I talk to you in private?”
“Repair? Not anytime soon. Tails are like this.”
“I don’t care if it takes longer than that.”
You hold out the items you brought in front of Tamtam. Two items wrapped in cloth. One was heavy, like a money bag, and the other was long, like a stick.
“What’s this?”
“Gifts on the left, orders on the right.”
Tamtam was confused by the explanation, so she checked out the gift first. When she was handed the bag and looked inside, her eyes widened as if they were going to pop out.
“This, this, this, this, this…!”
“I picked it up in Naraka.”
“Aaaahhh!”
He screams and shoves his face into the bag.
Sniff.
“This, this smell. It’s real, it’s real, it’s real…!”
For a moment, before she sniffed, a shiver ran through Yang Tam Tam’s body. When she pulled her head back out, her face was slack, like someone who had been drugged.
“I love you. You’re the best. Do you want me to kiss you? Yeah!?”
“I’m going to sue you for sexual harassment in the workplace.”
“Ha, you should have told me if you brought this!”
“I’m glad you seem to be getting over your chapter.”
Edwin spoke up, and Tamtam snapped his head at him.
“That’s that, this is this, and you go earn it. You don’t expect a blacksmith to like a man who messes with his equipment, common sense.”
“…….”
He looked like he’d been hit with a real hairball. I couldn’t even say it was a misunderstanding. After all, Edwin was of the “if the weapon breaks, replace it” mindset.
It’s going to be a bumpy road for them to get close. Kim Yi Hyun didn’t mind. If I keep doing that, I’ll probably end up hating her.
Anyway.
“When you’re satisfied, please check this side.”
“Oh, right. Order? Leave it to me!”
It was a good thing he was so motivated, because if he failed, I felt like I would be violent inside. Even more so if I made a mistake.
In the game, crafting is systematically guaranteed to succeed, but I don’t know what it would be like in real life: you can’t just blow up a single ingredient.
The cloth was unraveled to reveal the awl.
“Hmm? Hmm. Can I take a closer look?”
“As you wish.”
“Jiam-wait a minute.”
Tamtam puts down his prized sack and carefully holds the awl in both hands. Her eyes are serious. The impression of the dwarf woman, so out of place around iron and Chapter, changed.
Edwin watched like a dumbfounded mute, and I secretly sighed; he recognized Tam Tam as a master craftsman by his aura alone.
I had every right to be picky.
“Where did you get it?”
“At the ruins of Naraka.”
“Aha. Somehow.”
Turn the awl around and around, and scratch it lightly with your fingernail.
“What do you want it to look like?”
“Maybe a knife would be easier to use.”
“It’s more like a rapier or an Easter egg.”
Skin contact with the material.
With that alone, a myriad of knowledge was unfolding in Tam Tam’s mind, some of which she had learned as a blacksmith, and some of which she did not.
Tamtam is not your typical yard worker: she’s the head of the Cellbrox Labs fabrication shop. Users submit materials to her, and she devises the appropriate “recipe” to create the equipment.
In reality, it doesn’t make sense.
Throw me a bunch of materials I’ve never touched and expect me to make a weapon in a week, and I’m lucky if I don’t get shot.
But Tamtam does it without fail.
“For the sake of system convenience.
The developers thought it was unrealistic, too, and they included a good reason why.
Tamtam is a spellcaster. She can read information from objects that she considers to be the “materials” of equipment. What materials are compatible when melted and mixed. Even the most efficient way to cast them.
For her, there’s no such thing as trial and error when it comes to always delivering the best for her users.
“Except for the reinforcement.
Soon you’ll have a six-star weapon in your hands.
I believed it, but my expectations were betrayed.
“Hmm. That’s not going to work right now.”
That’s what Tamtam concluded after looking at the awl for a while.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Kim was flustered.
What’s different from the game?
The answer was simple.
“If you’re going to throw something together, you can still do it. It’s a great way to get the basics together, but if you want to do something better, you’re going to run out of material.”
“Location….”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come to think of it, I did.
The awl is just a “key ingredient”.
Other ingredients are required. The same type and quantity of ingredients as specified in the game. To realize the “optimal recipe” as envisioned by Tamtam.
“When was the last time I farmed?
In fact, the longer you play, the less you need to farm. If you buy the items that come into the exchange every day, you’ll eventually have a surplus.
I vividly remember the reaction of users when it was added, who were happy to finally escape farming hell. The workshop is an integral part of the crafting center.
The problem is that the exchange is blocked right now.
“Opens at the end of Episode 6.
Episode 6 is the part with the Shadow. It’s a deconstructed scenario, but it’s not directly relevant to the plot, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
However, it’s still early in the day.
This feature won’t be available for at least three months from now.
You don’t know what the new exchange in your lab will actually look like.
“Should I be patient…?
No.
I quickly dismissed my fleeting thought.
“If you can get it, you can make it.”
“Isn’t that right?”
“Then write down everything you need.”
“Huh? Let’s see, I can substitute Laktnidi for some parts…….”
Just drill the exchange in advance and you’re good to go.
* * *
Public break rooms.
Kim stared at the faces around the two tables. Ignoring the awkward air that had been flowing since they’d gathered, she spoke up.
“Let’s go on vacation.”
“Huh? Vacation? I love it!”
As usual, the answer was cheerful.
He nods to Asterike, who says yes without question. Our eyes meet and she smiles wryly. It’s a comforting moment, even though I’m not really tired.
“What about Aria, do you take her?”
“Only if you like it.”
“Arya, what do you think, we’re going to go play.”
Arya, slumped in her chair, replied cautiously.
“Fearful human…. But if there’s an Ast, it’s Oke.”
Aside from the weird way he talked, he had a very catchy title.
“Ast?”
“My name is too long.”
“It’s a little long.”
“You can call the prefectures that too.”
Despite her nonchalant demeanor, Asterike was looking forward to it. It was like she was calling him by his nickname. The strings weren’t his full name, but they were all called strings, so I didn’t feel anything special.
But in the end, she had to swallow her disappointment.
“No, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. It’s not that I don’t like it, I’m just used to it.”
It was half true and half false.
Kim wanted to distinguish between ‘Ast’ and ‘Asterique’, as her appearance in the game is so different from his, which is important to give him a sense of responsibility and realism.
“That’s two. The rest?”
“It’s a bit of a stretch, but I’m okay with that.”
“Three to Edwin. Chelsea, what do you say?”
“Soot…….”
Kim’s reluctance was reflected in his eyes.
“I thought you’d be most excited about this, but you’re all about vacations.”
“Vacations are nice, sure, but only if you’ve been screwed over once or twice.”
Suspicion filled my eyes.
“My boss, who can’t sit still for long, gets everyone together and says, ‘Let’s go on a vacation,’ and it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be cheap. It’s not like it’s a mine tour under the guise of a vacation, is it?”
“No way. I’m not that mean.”
“Why is this so hard to believe…?”
“Why don’t you believe me?”
It seems a bit biased, so I needed to fix it.
“Okay, okay. Chelsea’s out.”
“I almost said… I trust you, I have to go, I have to go, I have to go.”
He’s an easy guy to work with.
Chelsea’s mouth clenched shut in frustration as Kim’s words bruised her pride. But only for a moment, as she glanced at the one person who hadn’t yet responded.
“Why did you really call this guy?”
“Sorry for the late greeting. It’s been a long time, Team Leader!”
Tatalia.
One of the reserve officers who acted together during Operation Ashbelt. He had recently been taking marksmanship lessons from Chelsea.
“I thought you said he was your disciple.”
“I’m not a disciple.”
“Well, I’m sorry to hear you say that, Instructor!”
“Instructors are bullshit. I told him not to pretend to know what he’s doing out there until he’s halfway to the target.”
“I’ll make it happen.”
His fists are pumped and he looks determined. For Chelsea, it was ridiculous. 10 out of 20 shots on target is some kind of a challenge….
“Then why don’t you call your apprentice?”
“Do I have any disciples?”
“You know, the one who drives well.”
“Why is Turkham my student?”
“I feel the same way.”
“Aha.”
I get it.
Kim had no choice but to agree. Chelsea’s words were better than he thought.
“You can’t just call them up and tell them to go home.”
“Well, that’s one thing.”
“Can I… go? I have to train.”
“Whatever. I personally don’t find that holding a gun all day improves my skills. There’s something to be said for taking a break, not that I’m saying you should.”
I’m starting to see the connection.
“If that’s what you mean, yes, I’d love to have you!”
Kim smiled inwardly at Tatalia’s response. Of course, her reasoning had nothing to do with her relationship with Chelsea.
The key is configuration.
“I’m glad I made the connection.
Tatalia is the half-sister of a famous colossus. She’s the sister of a character who provides various items to the lab through a system called the Exchange. With her around, it’s at least easier to make room.
“So, Hyun. Where are we going?”
It was Asterike’s question. Under intense scrutiny, Kim revealed his destination.
“St. Kitts.”
The motif is Las Vegas.
It’s Polaris’ biggest gambling house.
* * *
Chelsea halts in her tracks as she walks through immigration, her mouth agape at the sight of St. Kitts.
It was a colorful city, more than Kilikia.
If Kilikia is a sophisticated city, this one seems to have taken luxury to the extreme. Fountains and firecrackers lit up the night sky. Orange lights from towering towers illuminate the casino.
Baccarat, poker, blackjack, slot machines, yabawi, and roulette.
Money and alcohol.
Dealers and gamblers.
Success and failure.
Winners and losers.
“Heaven.”
Chelsea have stepped into a paradise they could only dream of.