NOVEL WEB Chapter 50
Chapter 50: Blacksmith Elgeni (1)
Elder Reljoen chose not to pursue the player Yeonwol, opting instead to write an apology and acknowledge their enmity to seek his help.
However, not all Dark Elves shared the same sentiment.
Yeonwol had joked that the Dark Elves thought and judged like robots, but ultimately, they were not real computers.
Each Dark Elf inevitably had their own unique way of thinking.
One Dark Elf, who had been silently eavesdropping on Yeonwol’s conversation with the elder, made a decision.
‘I cannot let a human who knows about Darkwood leave peacefully. If that secret leaks to the world, the very existence of all Dark Elves will be at risk.’
If their race’s most fatal weakness were revealed, every Dark Elf tribe would face annihilation!
‘Before that happens, I must act.’
This Dark Elf’s name was Aldein.
He was a veteran among veterans, a former Dark Elf ranger skilled in archery, stealth, and dagger combat.
Moreover, he possessed a unique killing technique that doubled the death penalty feared by players.
‘No matter how powerful a player is, if they fall victim to an assassin, they won’t return for a long time.’
By now, even the native inhabitants of Elthera World understood this.
Players feared being killed by powerful NPCs because being permanently banished from this world was a possibility.
‘The one who knows the secret of the Dark Elves must be exiled from this world.’
Aldein tightly pressed his lips together and glanced around.
His kin glared at him with loathsome eyes.
“Don’t look at me with those cursed eyes, you half-breed.”
“It’s surprising that someone who can’t even wield Darkwood magic managed to follow us this far.”
Aldein was different from the other Dark Elves.
Unlike the fully black-skinned Dark Elves, Aldein had radiant, bronze-toned skin.
A half-blood Dark Elf.
He was distinct.
He couldn’t commune with Darkwood like the others, nor was he affected by the ‘curse.’
Other Dark Elves either envied Aldein for being free of the curse or mocked him for his inability to wield Darkwood, calling him repugnant.
Yet Aldein considered himself a true Dark Elf.
‘…Removing a threat to the Dark Elves in advance. If I dedicate myself to the future of my kin, one day, Darkwood will recognize me.’
Equipped with a bow and dagger, Aldein slipped into the shadows and quietly set out into the street.
‘Everything is for my mother…’
When Yeonwol finished his conversation with the Dark Elves and left the city, Velinessa, who had been quietly following him, spoke up.
“…Master. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For risking yourself for me. No matter how I try, I cannot repay the kindness you’ve shown me.”
Her voice carried genuine gratitude.
Velinessa.
She had undoubtedly committed atrocities.
Burning an entire village was an unforgivable act of evil.
In Yeonwol’s judgment, she deserved to be killed multiple times for her crimes.
Even considering the false accusations she had endured…
‘Still, that doesn’t make her actions excusable.’
Yeonwol always maintained a cold perspective.
No matter how it was rationalized, Velinessa’s wrongdoing was unforgivable.
However.
‘Regardless of her crimes, the false accusations must be resolved. Otherwise, it’s unsettling.’
Being falsely accused of burning a village without reason—that stigma alone was enough to address.
“You remain a heinous criminal. But I have accepted even that part of you. Just remember that.”
Eltis, who betrayed his lord.
Mad, who attacked passing adventurers in his longing for freedom.
Cooling, who killed his kin during an eternal winter of frost.
And now Velinessa.
Each of them was problematic in their own way.
Yeonwol didn’t particularly dislike this.
‘It’s just like my past self.’
He didn’t care whether they were good or bad.
After all, they had been resurrected after death.
Though he hadn’t promised to bear their sins, he had no interest in their past transgressions.
‘I only care about having capable subordinates.’
Returning to the city, Yeonwol busied himself.
After completing a major quest, there was much to do.
He needed to repair his equipment, sell off the loot he had collected, and prepare supplies for his next hunt.
Currently, Velinessa’s level was 169, far below her capabilities in life.
Had her alchemy proficiency been at an advanced or master level, she might have fully regained her level or even surpassed her former strength.
Nonetheless, despite her weakened state…
“Master. I’ve prepared tea and snacks!”
“….”
“Here! This is a rose tart. The delicate rose petals infuse it with a refined aroma. And this is a picnic parfait with fresh fruit, whipped cream, and layers of macadamia nuts…”
Velinessa was remarkably competent.
Unlike Eltis, who only knew brute force, she possessed elegance and various skills befitting her beauty.
She tailored her own dresses and was familiar with desserts usually reserved for noble ladies.
However, Yeonwol sensed a peculiar “inferiority complex” in her hobbies.
Having lived with such feelings his entire life, Yeonwol noticed it immediately.
‘…A noblewoman wouldn’t sew her own dress or personally prepare luxurious desserts like these.’
A noble lady would wear dresses prepared by others, enjoy desserts made by maids, and dine on meals cooked by personal chefs.
Velinessa had not been afforded such privileges.
She had lived among nobles but remained a commoner at heart.
Yet her inferiority complex didn’t manifest negatively.
Unable to afford dresses from famous designers, she became a fashion designer herself.
She couldn’t eat desserts prepared by servants, so she learned to make them.
Velinessa was that kind of person.
A person who overcame inferiority through effort.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you dislike cake?”
“No, it’s exactly the kind of dessert I like. Thank you.”
“Yay!”
Watching Velinessa rejoice over simple praise made it impossible not to eat the dessert.
‘I’ve never taken time to enjoy sweet snacks before… I suppose I can start now.’
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask!”
Perhaps this incident had increased her loyalty.
After leisurely finishing the snacks, Yeonwol turned his attention to his experimental table.
‘I can’t rely on the lowest-grade potions I’ve made so far.’
Rapion’s skills might help secure excellent contracts and expand the business, but Yeonwol’s influence would diminish in the process.
‘To maintain a lasting partnership with Rapion, I cannot afford to lag behind.’
Previously, he had only dealt with the lowest-grade potions.
Their exceptional performance had been enough to compete with any alchemy guild, but now other guilds were catching up rapidly.
This was what they called the revolutionary advancement of alchemy.
Alchemy was developing at a far faster pace than in his previous life.
‘It’s time to introduce better potions.’
Yeonwol planned to slightly enhance the lowest-grade potions and also begin working on lower-grade ones.
‘With intermediate alchemy, I could craft mid-tier potions, but it’s too soon. Mid-tier potions are the domain of top-ranking alchemists.’
Introducing such items prematurely could cause complications.
Excessive use of future knowledge could invite unforeseen system interventions.
Improving lower-grade potions with slightly superior performance wouldn’t be difficult.
But maintaining a consistent edge wasn’t sustainable.
Thus, Yeonwol devised a new approach.
[Rapion: “Injection potions, huh… There were many alchemy guilds that tried this before. But the results weren’t very promising.”]
The method involved administering potions via injection.
[Rapion: “Potions typically need to be ingested to be fully effective. Sprinkling them on wounds only yields half the results for that reason.”]
Rapion’s point was valid.
This was why injection potions hadn’t been developed until now.
[Yeonwol: “I’ve managed to create a prototype injection potion, but its effectiveness isn’t outstanding yet.”]
[Rapion: “Not outstanding… meaning it’s at least slightly better, isn’t it?”]
The difference between zero and one was significant.
It wasn’t an impossible technology.
If it had been successfully developed, further refinement and commercialization could be achieved.
[Yeonwol: However, this injection potion is made using a completely different method from existing potion knowledge, so mass production will be difficult for traditional alchemists.]
[Rapion: I see. As expected.]
Unless Yeonwol himself sat down to oversee mass production, this wasn’t a feasible task since he was more of an adventurer.
[Yeonwol: I’ll send you the formula and a prototype. Share it only with alchemists who can absolutely guarantee confidentiality.]
[Rapion: Thank you. I’ll send you a list of the alchemists I trust most. You can check them yourself.]
Since this was a critical industrial secret, it couldn’t be shared with just anyone.
Rapion carefully selected three alchemists, individuals he had maintained close ties with for at least 15 years even in real life.
Finding trustworthy and skilled alchemists was no easy task.
‘Hmm? This person….’
Among them, one individual particularly caught Yeonwol’s attention.
‘…I see.’
A bad premonition struck him because he recognized one of the faces.
Entrusting the injection potion to someone like that?
A crazy idea…
‘No, on second thought, it’s a great opportunity.’
After some deliberation, Yeonwol sent Rapion a positive response.
[Yeonwol: Very well. They’re all exceptional alchemists. I’ll trust them with the injection potion’s recipe.]
After finishing the exchange, Yeonwol massaged his shoulders.
‘Since this technology is entirely different from existing potion expertise, it’ll likely take at least six months to a year to fully develop. That’s a concern for later.’
Having addressed the pressing business matters, it was time to prepare for his next hunt.
‘Monopolizing a field dungeon like before is no longer easy. There are too many players in this area.’
Many unexplored regions still remained, and not all of them were high-level areas.
Some were suitable for beginners starting at level 1, while others were perfect for intermediate players.
Yeonwol headed into town, stopping by general stores and alchemy shops to purchase various supplies.
Lastly, he visited the blacksmith to look for a staff for Velinessa.
Staves were special weapons crafted through collaboration between magic towers and blacksmiths, making them generally expensive.
‘If her weapon from life had dropped, I would’ve returned it to her. But, unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side.’
Currently, Velinessa had no weapon.
While she wore a random robe Yeonwol had picked up, he couldn’t be as careless with her weapon.
‘Armor significantly impacts overall stats as well. I’d like to equip her with something decent, but the availability of quality items is always an issue.’
As Yeonwol wandered through the blacksmith district, inspecting staves, an idea struck him.
‘Ah, that’s right. Maybe I should just entrust everything to Elgeni. It might also be a good chance to enhance my own armor.’
Enhancing armor or having a skilled blacksmith work on it could boost its stats.
‘I could even commission custom gear for the other Spectrals. Equipping Cooling and Mad with specialized equipment would be beneficial.’
Even monsters could wear equipment, though such items were extremely rare.
Without hesitation, Yeonwol sent a direct message to Elgeni.
Considering how excited she had been about his unique request last time, he expected a positive reply this time as well.
[Elgeni: I’m sorry… I don’t think I can help this time. I got caught sneaking out last time…]
“…?”
What was this strange word choice?
‘Caught?’
It sounded as if she were being held somewhere.
Now that he thought about it, there had always been something suspicious about her statements—breaking weapons and such.
‘Elgeni mentioned she was mass-producing enhanced weapons…’
Why would an alchemist as proud as her take on such a mundane task?
“Hm… Something’s definitely off.”
Lost in thought, Yeonwol left the blacksmith district and took a shortcut down an alleyway to return to his workshop.
Suddenly!
Sensing something amiss, Yeonwol quickly drew his weapon and swung it behind him.
Clang!!
A shadowy figure concealed in darkness deflected the Blue Sea Blade.
‘A concealed weapon!’
Assassins often coated their weapons to avoid reflection from moonlight.
A chill ran down Yeonwol’s spine as he took a step back.
‘No matter how skilled I am, fighting an assassin alone at night is tough!’
Assassins grew stronger at night and delivered devastating attacks when striking unseen.
Clang! Clang!
He couldn’t see a thing.
Relying solely on his instincts, Yeonwol managed to block two more strikes from the invisible weapon.
Thunk!
“Gah!”
A silent, short arrow pierced his shoulder.
[You have been struck by the skill ‘Sudden Blow’ and suffered a critical injury!]
[Skill effectiveness reduced by 70% for 1 minute!]
[Skills consuming more than 300 MP are sealed for 1 minute!]
[You have lost more than 30% HP in one blow, resulting in severe bleeding. Stop the bleeding quickly or risk death.]
Gripping the arrow embedded in his shoulder, Yeonwol chuckled bitterly.
“Well… I underestimated them.”
An assassin who wielded both concealed weapons and a bow?
While rare, such cases existed.
But to think that an assassin attacking a mere level 130 target like himself would possess such expertise was beyond expectation.
Step, step.
From the darkness emerged a sharp-eared man with bronze skin.
‘A half-elf?’
“…Surprising. How did someone as weak as you manage to block my attacks three times?”
In this game, the assassin class was special.
Specialized in assassination, they could use their skills to kill even much stronger opponents.
Stories of level 300 assassins killing level 400 knights were famous in Yeonwol’s past life.
And what of the current situation?
Yeonwol was weaker, and the Dark Elf’s level was higher.
Even so, the assassin had failed to assassinate him, unable to finish him in a single blow.
From that moment, the Dark Elf’s pride must have been utterly shattered.
“Still, even though I failed to kill you instantly, my skill has landed. You can’t use any skills now.”
An assassin’s skills sealed an opponent’s abilities when landing a surprise attack.
Though less effective if the ambush failed, the level difference made the effect devastating.
At this point, Yeonwol was practically incapable of using any skills.
“Human, even if you defeated the Witch of the Crimson Tower, you had allies then. But now, you’re alone. Foolish. After provoking a Dark Elf, did you think there’d be no retaliation?”
“Well, it seems a typical Dark Elf has finally shown up…”
“I will grant you a unique death. Every time you resurrect, I’ll come after you again and kill you in this manner.”
“Oh… That could be problematic.”
“Still acting confident? Planning to escape after resurrecting? Useless. Once a Dark Elf targets someone, we pursue them until they’re eliminated.”
“I’m not calm because of escape plans…”
Yeonwol smirked.
“…It’s because I was in need of a ranger class. This works out perfectly.”
“What nonsense are you spouting, human?”
“Relax. We’ll have plenty of time to talk soon.”
Yeonwol snapped his fingers.
Snap!
[Mirror of Spectrals]
Four mirrors materialized, and from within emerged two humans and two monsters.
“What in the…!”
Startled, the Dark Elf, Aldein, stumbled back, but Mad leaped high, kicked off a building wall, and blocked his retreat.
-…To dare attack the master. Unforgivable.
Whoosh!
Velinessa, her eyes blazing with fury, conjured flames in both hands.
-I will punish anyone who harms my lord.
Eltis also stepped forward, wrapping his axe in aura.
“How did you summon them? My skill should have sealed all mana usage!”
Summoning creatures of this caliber would normally require an enormous amount of mana.
Aldein’s assassination skills sealed the use of most mana-dependent abilities when striking unnoticed.
Only minor skills consuming less than 300 MP could be used—barely enough to resist.
“How…!”
“Curious, aren’t you?”
Yeonwol opened a potion and poured it on his wound.
“My followers, attack.”
A smile crept across his lips.
“Meet your new friend.”