Chapter 24: Soul Armament (2)
The footsteps of Hwanryeong Team 2, heading to the Hwanryeong workshop to customize their Soul Armaments, were lighter than ever.
How could they not be? Who wouldn’t be in high spirits when promised equipment that could drastically enhance their abilities?
Though they were set to head to North Korea the following week, such thoughts had already vanished from their minds.
Upon arriving at the workshop, the artisans greeted them.
“Hmm… Since Chae Gain-ssi has fire-attribute mana, using this mana stone would…”
“For Cha Hyunsung-ssi, since he takes the front line, we should focus on enhancing durability…”
“For Lee Mina-ssi, a suit and rapier prioritizing functionality and speed to better harness Sinea’s acceleration…”
The workshop staff swarmed around, measuring the awakeners’ mana characteristics and designing armaments tailored to their physical conditions.
Yoo Soha watched them with a satisfied expression, then—
[Soha.]
“What’s up, Eclipse?”
[Do you have a Soul Armament?]
“No, not yet.”
[Why not?]
“I’d love to have one, but the workshop hasn’t gotten hold of a high-rank mana stone with iron-attribute mana yet. That’s why I can’t make one. As I explained earlier, Soul Armaments require mana stones from high-rank magical beasts, and iron-attribute ones aren’t common.”
[I see.]
“You know that armor I tried to give you last time?”
[I remember.]
“That was equipment on par with a Soul Armament. Well, it wasn’t customized like a Soul Armament, so its performance is relatively lower, but it was processed with a mana stone…”
[That was some impressive equipment.]
“Right? But you said you didn’t need it.”
[Correct. I don’t need armor. But…]
“But?”
[It seems I might need a decent sword. The one on my back is difficult to wield carelessly. And it’s not practical for you to make me a sword for every battle, is it?]
Yoo Soha nodded thoughtfully.
Indeed, it would be better to give him a sturdy sword rather than wasting mana every time.
“You’re right. During the last Hwanryeong Grand Tournament, you were pretty exhausted after swinging that sword, weren’t you?”
[Yes. With my current weakened strength, one swing seems to be my limit.]
“Got it. Want to materialize first?”
[Alright.]
Eclipse immediately materialized his body.
His sudden appearance caught the attention of a few idle workshop staff, their eyes sparkling.
“Uh, Team Leader 2? Is this your guardian?”
They had heard plenty of rumors about Eclipse. The guardian who defeated Shin Sungmin, no less.
“Yes. Perfect timing. Eclipse says he needs a sword to use.”
Seeing the workshop staff approach and ask about Eclipse without prompting, Yoo Soha seized the opportunity and spoke.
“Does he need a Soul Armament?”
When the artisans asked, Yoo Soha nudged Eclipse and said,
“You tell them. Oh, by the way, you can’t use a Soul Armament without mana.”
“Then a Soul Armament is out of the question. I can’t wield mana.”
“…Pardon?”
“He’s right. Eclipse can’t use mana.”
“Well, then, using a Soul Armament might be difficult. Since it’s equipment powered by mana… Could you tell us what kind of weapon you’d like?”
“A sturdy sword will do. As long as it doesn’t break easily. I don’t mind if it’s heavy.”
“Even if it’s heavy… Then we’ll use a heavy but durable metal… What shape would you like?”
“Do you see the sword on my back?”
“Yes.”
“Something similar to that.”
“Understood.”
After a short while, one of the artisans brought a blueprint to Eclipse.
“Eclipse-nim? If we restore the original shape of your broken greatsword, would it look like this?”
“Exactly. Impressive.”
“Got it. Length, width, thickness… Would it be okay if I touched it? It’d be more accurate if I could handle it directly.”
“Unfortunately, touching it might be dangerous.”
“Ah… I see. Understood.”
The artisan quickly accepted it. There were countless cases of people getting into trouble for carelessly handling a guardian’s weapon.
“Then we’ll proceed as is. Is that alright?”
“It’s fine. And thank you.”
“Haha. Team Leader 2 made quite an investment this time. This is on the house.”
“I see.”
“By the way, Team Leader 2?”
“Yes, what’s up?”
“Don’t you need anything? I feel like we should repay you for this commission.”
“Oh, I’m good. But if we find a good mana stone during the North Korea expedition, make me a Soul Armament with it.”
“Haha. Understood. Thank you for always using Hwanryeong Workshop.”
As the artisan returned to his station, Eclipse asked Yoo Soha,
“Soha.”
“Yeah?”
“I have a question. May I ask?”
“What is it?”
“I heard this workshop is part of Hwanryeong. Doesn’t that mean it belongs to your father? So why are you paying for it?”
“Oh. The artisans are indeed part of Hwanryeong, and most equipment can be used freely by Hwanryeong members. But Soul Armaments or labor-intensive equipment require fair compensation. Your greatsword commission will probably take quite a bit of work too.”
“I see. Understood.”
When Team 2 finished their customizations, Yoo Soha gathered them and said,
“Everyone done ordering their Soul Armaments?”
“Yes!”
They responded energetically.
“Great. Since the equipment’s been ordered, you’re free to go for today.”
“Thank you… Wait, today?”
“Yes, today. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin serious training for the North Korea expedition.”
“Oh…”
Their bright expressions darkened in an instant.
They had expected this to some extent, but hearing it directly still dampened their mood.
‘So much for a fun vacation. Oh well, we got Soul Armaments, so we’ll just have to do our best…’
“Don’t like it? If you don’t want to, we can cancel the Soul Armament deal…”
As Yoo Soha said this, they quickly shifted gears.
“No way! We’re so excited for training!”
Yoo Soha was dumbfounded, feeling like an animal tamer.
She hadn’t expected it to work this well.
“Alright. Then we’re done for today. See you at the training center tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
The first thing Yoo Soha did upon returning home was call Shin Sungmin.
“Hello? Shin Sungmin-ssi?”
—Yoo Soha-ssi? What’s up?
“You know that North Korea expedition I mentioned last time?”
—Yes, I remember.
“We’re planning to train for it, and I was wondering if we could use the data on North Korean magical beasts? I heard you have the rights to that data. We’ll need it to recreate them in the training center’s holograms.”
—Oh, sure, go ahead and use it. I’ll let the training center staff know.
Shin Sungmin readily agreed to her request.
“Thank you.”
—By the way, Soha-ssi.
“Yes?”
—Will Eclipse-nim be at the training?
“Of course. If I’m going, he’s going.”
—Then, in exchange for letting you use the beast data, could I make a request?
“What’s that?”
—Could I get some swordsmanship training from Eclipse-nim?
“Hold on a sec.”
Taking her hand off the phone, she turned to Eclipse.
“Eclipse.”
[What is it?]
“Shin Sungmin says he wants to learn swordsmanship from you. Is that okay?”
[If you want it, I’ll do it.]
“Thanks. We need his beast data to train Team 2…”
[We’ll be at the training center for training anyway, right? If he comes by, I’ll gladly teach him.]
“Got it.”
With Eclipse’s permission, Yoo Soha spoke into the phone again.
“Good news, he says it’s fine.”
—When should I come?
“We’re starting training tomorrow, so anytime between morning and evening at the Hwanryeong Training Center should work.”
—Got it. Thank you!
“See you tomorrow, then.”
—Yes!
Yoo Soha hung up, a wide smile spreading across her face.
Everything was falling into place.
Determined to train to the extreme for the next week to make the North Korea expedition a success, Yoo Soha grabbed Eclipse, who was about to rest, and asked him to teach her swordsmanship. Eclipse gladly complied.
Did the Hwanryeong Team 2 members know?
That they’d pawned their souls to Soul Armaments and fallen into a hell called training.
“Nice.”
“…Those guys again?”
“Yeah. I arranged to train with Eclipse-nim this time.”
“I don’t want to meet them…”
Adein expressed strong reluctance. After being thoroughly beaten by Eclipse’s greatsword last time, she even felt a sliver of fear toward him.
“Sorry, Adein, but I can’t compromise on this. You saw it too—Eclipse-nim’s incredible swordsmanship.”
“…It was incredible.”
As Adein reluctantly nodded, Shin Sungmin chattered excitedly.
“I’ve never seen someone wield a sword like that. It was just the basics, but something about it felt different. If I learn from him, I can get stronger. I can’t miss this chance.”
With Shin Sungmin’s eyes sparkling, Adein sighed in resignation.
“Fine, fine, just stop talking about that tin can… We’re meeting him tomorrow anyway.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“But don’t summon me when you meet that tin can tomorrow. That greatsword he used—it’s too creepy to even be near.”
“Got it. Thanks so much.”
As soon as Adein allowed him to meet Eclipse, Shin Sungmin hugged her tightly.
“Ugh, seriously… Stop getting away with stuff like this.”
Though Adein voiced her complaints, she eagerly leaned into Shin Sungmin’s embrace.
[Author’s Note]
Fan art has arrived! Two pieces, no less!
Thank you so much, ARMA-nim, for the incredibly haughty expressions of Soha and Eclipse.
Kim1Bak-nim.
Thank you for the dynamic and cool Soha. It’s exactly the image I had in mind.