Chapter 1601
There might be many similarities, but it was rare for it to be identical. Just as even the snowflakes had different patterns, the scales of the dragons that Grid remembered were different in pattern. It was just like Xenon’s scales in his hand right now.
[Dragon’s Scale]
[Rating: Myth
The scales of the gray dragon Xenon.
Xenon himself is sincere to Overgeared G.o.d Grid and the scale is not damaged at all.
It is the only complete dragon scale that exists in the world.
Minimum smelting requirement: Possess a legendary rated production skill.
Conditions for smelting: Legendary rated production skill at the master level.]
It was before leaving Reidan. Grid received a total of three scales from Xenon. Each one of them were larger than Grid’s body, and their patterns were slightly different. Even with Grid’s insight, he only noticed it when he observed closely. The angled direction varied by about one degree, the texture of the root part resembling petals was different, there was a color difference that was at a level that was hard to tell, etc. It was a difference that couldn’t be overlooked if he wanted to fully implement the dragon’s armaments.
A dragon’s armaments—in other words, Grid wanted to fully reproduce the pattern of the scales on their bodies. In particular, Ifrit and Cranbel’s armaments. There was an obligation to clearly recall the pattern of the scales of the two dragons, how they connected and how they functioned.
“......”
Of course, there were limitations to memory alone. Grid repeatedly played videos of the two dragons dozens of hundreds of times. It was as he smelted Xenon’s scales and recreated them into hundreds of small scales. He closely watched, studied, and recorded how to make the pattern of each scale.
‘I have to approach it with the sense of a.s.sembling.’
It took a lot of work to produce the scale armor. It was made by cutting iron plates and sewing them on leather cloth like scales. Meanwhile, the dragon armor set that Grid would create demanded more care and effort. Grid had no intention of adding leather. There was a fear that the leather of other beasts or monsters would be detrimental to the dragon scales. He didn’t need leather. The scales themselves had a structure that absorbed shock. He would craft the armor only by binding the scales.
Grid concentrated solely on it in order to perform the high level work he had never tried before. By referring to the appearance of Ifrit and Cranbel, the blank blueprint was slowly filled. He also devised tools and environments in order to actually implement the hundreds of scales recorded on the blueprint.
Time pa.s.sed by like a flash. The scales hadn’t even been smelted, but a fortnight had pa.s.sed.
***
It was right after another major battle. The sound of handwriting echoed in the silent battlefield. It was the sound made by the Overgeared members.
The h.e.l.l expedition members watched in a somewhat absurd manner. The habit of taking notes after each battle was strange no matter how they looked at it.
‘What are they doing?’
They had a very strong desire to peek, but no one did it hastily. They knew it was rude. They were also busy reviewing the battle. For rankers, who couldn’t settle for the present and dreamt of a higher realm, reviewing was the most important procedure. As they entered a deeper h.e.l.l, they organized information about new monsters and checked themselves as they fought. They studied so they could do better next time.
The writings of the Overgeared members were along the same lines. The reason they took notes was because there was more information to record than others. Their records would greatly affect the functionality of the new items to be commissioned from Grid.
That’s right. Their records were the cradle of information that would later be delivered to Grid. It was looking back on their own shortcomings and a request for item production at the same time. It was beneficial for both the Overgeared members and Grid.
Grid gained endless information thanks to his colleagues and the items created based on that information would further develop the Overgeared members.
***
-This week’s style.
After logging out, s.h.i.+n Youngwoo entered the dressing room and changed into sportswear. Sportswear and outdoor clothes to wear from Monday to Sunday were placed beside each other on one side of the closet. As always, his sister Sehee had prepared it.
‘Am I that bad at dressing?’
s.h.i.+n Youngwoo had a serious question as he looked at the note left by Sehee. No matter how much he thought about it, Sehee seemed to be overdoing it. In fact, he wasn’t bad at dressing. Sehee had been helping him for several years and he had done a few photo shoots. He would be stupid if he still didn’t have a fas.h.i.+on sense.
The problem was that he didn’t differentiate between brands. He blindly preferred cheap brands, so there were times when his coordinated clothes didn’t suit his age group or social status.
It wasn’t like this from the beginning. s.h.i.+n Youngwoo bought a car before buying a house. He didn’t know about smart spending. Until just a few years ago, he had luxuries that were far from frugality. However, it wasn’t an innate instinct. He didn’t have money, so he couldn’t eat what he wanted to eat and he couldn’t buy what he wanted to buy. He had regrets because he went through such hard times.
Now Youngwoo had relieved this. He had eaten what he wanted to eat and bought all the things he wanted to buy. He also built a magnificent house. Money just piled up in his account. He no longer felt the need for luxury.
Was it a type of regression instinct? There was a rebound and Youngwoo became frugal again. He never spared money when buying necessary things or eating food he wanted to eat, but he wasn’t particularly obsessed with consumables such as clothes and cars. Well, this didn’t mean he would refuse the clothes his younger sister bought him.
“Good morning!”
“Good morning.”
At the entrance of the walkway...
Youngwoo and Jishuka arrived at almost the same time and greeted each other brightly. Recently, the two of them had been exercising together every morning. It was because Youngwoo requested it. Spending time with Youngwoo for any reason was what Jishuka desired most, but she knew to respect the person she loved. Jishuka secretly pursued Youngwoo and she took pleasure in hiding and watching as he exercised alone. She never infringed on his personal time by suggesting that they exercise together.
“How was it yesterday?”
“Amoract’s mimicry came within a week.”
“Again? You didn’t use the Origin True Energy again, did you?”
“No. After that, Bunsdel and Teruchan always acted together.”
“Is it possible to organize it with the kings of the different species?”
“Yes, Amoract’s mimicry is definitely different from Baal’s clone. It can be used without restrictions but it is relatively weak.”
“Without restrictions...”
Youngwoo and Jishuka’s athletic abilities were different. The speed at which they ran lightly without a break in their breathing exceeded the full speed of ordinary people. However, they talked without a break. The reason Youngwoo suggested working out together with Jishuka wasn’t just to enjoy a date. It was to understand each other’s situation by exchanging new information every day. Communication was important.
“The seats are full.”
Jiwol-gu. It was the 26th sub-administrative district of Seoul that was newly created due to the influence of s.h.i.+n Youngwoo. The neighborhood where Youngwoo lived was given the ridiculous name of ‘Overgeared-dong’ and it had the largest population in Jiwol-gu.
The walkway was a bit crowded in the early morning and the training area with several exercise equipment was already full of people.
“Oh my, the two of you? Use this. I’m okay.” The aunts who spotted the young couple made a fuss and gave up their seats. They had very pleased expressions on their faces. It was an att.i.tude toward a young couple.
“Aish~ finish your workout. I’ll just accept your heart.” Jishuka perfectly communicated with people without an interpreter. There wasn’t much difference from Koreans in terms of the exclamations used.
‘There is a reason why my parents like her.’
Youngwoo looked happily at Jishuka, who was smiling and talking with the aunts. Jishuka’s bright and friendly nature always made him feel good. He felt like he was taking vitamins and nutrients just by looking at it so the longer he saw it, the healthier his mind and body seemed to be.
“Grid?”
“Huh?”
“Can I borrow your body for a little bit?”
Youngwoo was smiling widely when he came to his senses. He was puzzled by Jishuka’s sudden blush and nervous att.i.tude.
“Of course...?”
Youngwoo answered the question and thought it was a good thing that he allowed it. It was because Jishuka was happy to hear the answer and looked very pretty. The way she slightly lowered his eyes and smiled widely was reminiscent of a puppy. He thought it would look good if she lay down and extended her belly with this face. Most people around the world used the words ‘cool’ or ‘s.e.xy’ for Jishuka, but Youngwoo saw that she had a cute charm. It was a charm that only Youngwoo knew about.
“T-Then I’ll borrow it for a second...?”
“......”
Youngwoo took a deep breath. It was because Jishuka took off her shoes, stretched out her leg and placed her heel on Youngwoo’s shoulder. She was very flexible. Her legs were also long...
As Youngwoo admired an ambiguous part, Jishuka’s face turned red like an apple. She couldn’t make eye contact with Youngwoo as she leaned her upper body forward. The hearts of the two people touched. They heard each other’s bursting heartbeats from up close.
“Stretching... we can’t skip it...”
“R-Right...”
Youngwoo thought of himself as a tree. A tree that helped Jishuka’s movements. He gave strength to his core and held it tightly. Nevertheless, his trembling voice was something he couldn’t help.
“You too... do you want to use my body...?”
“......”
His ears and heart were itchy.
These days, Youngwoo was happy every morning.
***
Kaang, kaang, kaang...
The sound of a hammer hitting metal echoed through the tower. It was nice to hear because it was clear and regular. The tower members recalled their ordinary human days. It reminded them of the sound of the wind chimes attached to the eaves of their homes.
“Now it seems like a place where people live.”
The tower members stayed in their rooms unless there was a special event. It was because their tendencies toward truthseeking meant they considered their own time important. The tower was too huge for nine people and it was always silent.
However, this changed since Grid started to stay here. The Overgeared Skeleton secretly helped Biban clean, Randy tried to watch and learn from the tower members, while Filewolf and Noe acted frivolously. Their presence alone made the tower feel bustling. The sound of GrId working, which had already been going on for a month, added to the vitality.
All the tower members welcomed this atmosphere. Loneliness had grown in them without even knowing it. They had endured the years with their commitment to protect world peace, but unfortunately, they weren’t able to take care of their own happiness.
“......!”
The contemplative tower members suddenly opened their eyes in a wide manner. The dragon radar was beeping with a warning.
“Isn’t this unbelievable?”
The location at which the dragon emerged was inside the Tower of Wisdom. It was an unbelievable situation.
The tower members were busy moving. They immediately prepared for battle and gathered in one place. It was clear that the radar was broken. This could never happen...
In the midst of the tower members brainwas.h.i.+ng themselves, the radar gradually a.n.a.lyzed the dragon’s position accurately. It was the room where Grid was staying.