Humanity had many large and small workshops. However, most of humanity and their governments chose to commission their items from the “Four Great Workshops.”
The Four Great Workshops were considered to be top tier. However, an elite and highly unique workshop leapfrogged even these four workshops. It was the Genius Workshop; they were known as the best.
The Genius Workshop was under the direct supervision of the Capricorn, the Zodiac of the Manufacturing temple. Moreover, it was the only workshop capable of manufacturing SS-rank holy items. This was why they held great power.
At one time, the Goat Saint had also been a part of the Genius Workshop. However, he had gone missing for some unknown reason.
Anyway, the news that Lee Gun could make SS-rank items too had sent the world in an uproar.
– Amazing! If Lee Gun can make SS-rank items, we don’t need to use the Genius Workshop, right?
– Wow! This is crazy! Lee Gun is a cheat.
– How do the disciples of the Capricorn temple create it when they aren’t SS-rank? Does one have to make a deal with the Capricorn?
– Have you ever seen the Capricorn do anything beneficial for someone other than its disciples?
– Does that mean they make SS-rank items on their own??
– In the first place, Lee Gun being a Maker is shocking.
– Normal Makers can’t raise their battle skills, right?
– Isn’t it a lie? Are you sure you don’t have to see the result of the “Physical Examination” to say such a thing?
– He’ll 100% be a battle-type. Such crazy fighting abilities can’t show up without that. I’ll eat my shorts if that’s untrue.
Making SS-rank items was a part of the Genius Workshop’s unique identity, and this was why its craftsmen were taken aback. Them stepping forward this time made sense.
‘There is no way a fighter like him could have made an SS-rank item.’
‘It may look like an SS-rank item, but it’ll be destroyed in front of a real SS-rank item.’
That wasn’t all.
‘It’s a great opportunity to sell our weapons since humanity is going to attempt to gain back its territories.’
Abundance was gone, and there were signs that expeditions would be conducted, something which humanity hadn’t done for the past twenty years.
This meant a massive quantity of equipment would be sold for the large-scale expeditions, making it a chance to increase the reputation of the Capricorn temple.
As proof, donations were flowing toward them from various countries.
‘The problem is Lee Gun.’
What if the rumor that Lee Gun’s weapons were amazing persisted? It would deal a critical blow to the Capricorn temple.
‘We have to stop him at all costs.’
If they couldn’t solve this disgrace, the orders for the manufacturing of the weapons would instead be transferred to Lee Gun.
‘He’s merely an amateur.’
All of that had led to this moment.
The master craftsmen wanted to show the truth. They wanted to regain the prestige of the Genius Workshop.
And this was why the sword was swung.
Shweek!
The sword clashed against the bow!
Clank!
The sound of metal breaking rang out.
Hearing the disastrous sound, the disciples clenched their eyes shut.
“Ah! The SS-rank bow was broken…!! Bows are rare…”
“Even if it wasn’t SS rank, it was probably an S-rank weapon…!”
“As expected of the weapon made by the Genius Workshop…”
However, when they opened their eyes, they almost screamed.
“W-What the hell!”
The item that had broken was the Genius Workshop’s longsword, not the bow made by Lee Gun.
They wondered if they were seeing something wrong. They looked at it once more, yet the result was the same.
When the blade of the longsword had struck the belly of the bow, the blade had ruthlessly shattered, and the broken end of the sword had impaled itself on the ground.
A deafening roar instantly broke out.
“The Genius Workshop’s sword broke!”
“What the hell? Is this for real?”
The crowd was abuzz.
Moreover, the ones most in disbelief were the ones who had brought down the sword.
‘T…This is crazy!’
Why did it break? Their faces were pale from shock as they looked at the broken sword.
At that dizzying moment, a voice rang out!
“The one that hit the bow broke! The Genius Workshop’s item broke!”
The flustered master craftsmen quickly hid the sword. Then, they desperately yelled.
“E-Everyone, this is a mistake!”
“!”
The raucous hall quietened down.
The master craftsmen continued.
“The weapon was swapped. This is a weapon with its durability almost at an end. They all look alike. Ha ha.”
Suddenly, turmoil erupted in the hall.
“They said it was a weapon with no durability.”
“Wasn’t it really shiny?”
“It was an item made by the Genius Workshop. Things that look good may not be necessarily better. Also, how many SS-rank items do you think they’ve made? It is understandable that they got it mixed up.”
“I guess.”
“Hey! Check the rank again! Since it looks the same, did you bring a C-rank item by mistake? How can a sword be unable to destroy a bow? Ha ha ha!”
The master craftsmen started sweating. In the end, they quickly gestured to their apprentices.
“Hey, hurry up and bring the other one. Bring Number three.”
“W-What?”
“Number three is…”
“Hurry up and bring it!”
The flustered apprentices ran as fast as they could. When they brought the item, the hall was abuzz once again.
The Archer disciples were dumbfounded, and their mouths fell open. This time, the opposite side had brought out a greatsword that was so long and big enough that only the strong Leo disciples could lift it.
The Archer disciples grabbed Goat in fright.
“T-They plan on hitting it like a hammer!”
“Hey, you guys are bullies! You plan on using a greatsword against a bow! That is a bit much!”
“Ahhk! No! They plan on breaking it…!”
“Goat, Lee Gun-nim made it for us! It’ll be broken in half! Go and get it back!”
Taken aback, Goat was about to step forward.
“He said they could do whatever to the bow to test it! However, they are purposefully trying to break it! That is a step too far!”
Unlike his normal self, Goat had called Lee Gun the great Lee Gun-nim. That was how much the bow had moved him. He had poured his affection toward the bow.
Of course, he was desperate. At this point, it wasn’t a test. It was torture for him.
However, the greatsword fell down on the bow before Goat could take the stage.
Kwahng!!!
It was entirely different from before. Then, a scream reverberated in the hall.
Chaeng-gahng!
It was a clear sound, but it was the sound of something breaking. At the same time, a piece of metal flew into the sky.
Goat screamed as he was about to cry. “Ahhhk! That is the weapon that Lee Gun-nim made for me!”
“Ahhhhh! They finally caused an accident—”
The Archer disciples were about to rush forward, but their eyes turned round. Then shouts exploded within the hall.
“Ahhhhhk! What the hell is that?”
“Amazing! It is unharmed! What is that?”
“The greatsword was completely shattered!”
“This is awesome!!!!”
Yes, the broken item was once again the Genius Workshop’s weapon!
One of the master craftsmen held the sword that only had its hilt intact. He shook as he looked at the undamaged bow.
‘This is crazy…!’
A red light was circulating the sleek bow, and the bow didn’t have a scratch on it.
The master craftsmen were having a mental breakdown.
‘This doesn’t make sense. That greatsword was made by our Zodiac Saint.’
‘Moreover, he took a full swing at it!’
‘He also hit the joint where the bow should be the weakest!’
In the end, unable to accept the result, they kept hitting the bow with the handle.
[Goat’s Bow has received no damage.]
[Goat’s Bow has no idea why they are doing this, but it says this feels good. It says to scratch its back now.]
[The power of the massage(?) has made Goat’s Bow fall asleep.]
“What the hell? Why is a bow this hard?”
At those words, screams and cheers filled the hall.
Deeply moved, the Archer disciples covered their mouths.
“Holy shit! We received something excellent…!”
“I never expected it to be that durable!”
That greatsword was famous for being made by the Goat Saint! It was a first-class weapon!
They were used to having the cheapest equipment, so they felt honored. And that wasn’t all.
“Did you really think a sword could break our weapons? Aren’t you looking down on us too much? Do you realize how sturdy the base of the weapon has to be to withstand our strong grip?”
“That’s right! The bow made by Lee Gun-nim is strong enough to use as a blunt weapon!”
“It is incredibly light despite that…!”
“That’s right…! It is nuts! The bow we bought from the Capricorn temple was so heavy….”
“When we asked them to make it light for us, they blamed our strength!”
The Archer disciples sobbed in joy when they thought about the weapons that they had received.
‘Lee Gun-nim huzzah!’
Every one of them had used Lee Gun’s weapon, and they would continue to use it.
The master craftsmen were having a meltdown. They were trying to destroy the bow, yet it seemed to be getting shinier instead of getting battered.
‘This makes no sense.’
A Zodiac Saint had made that greatsword using a blueprint given by the Zodiac. There was no way… However, they soon realized the reason.
[Capricorn says anyone can make a bow.]
[Capricorn says Lee Gun and the Archer Saint are thick as thieves.]
[It states the Sagittarius gave Lee Gun the blueprint to their royal holy item.]
[It states you guys won’t have much problem making such a weapon with the blueprint.]
[That is why comparing weapons is unnecessary. It says to return immediately…]
The eyes of the master craftsmen flashed when they heard the revelation from their Zodiac.
“It just has to be something other than a bow!”
[?!]
It seemed they could finally accept what had happened.
“Yes. The Archer Saint is his friend. Of course, he has the blueprint of the royal holy item!”
“I… If we have it, we could make something similar!”
They quickly brought out Lee Gun’s blade, which the Archer disciples had handed over to them earlier.
“A sword should be compared to a sword instead of a bow.”
When they brought out the blade, the Archer disciples flinched. It was one of the Lee Gun-made items that Hugo had sent to them.
“Hey, hey. Are you sure that blade will be fine?”
“Uh. That is… It’s a common item made by Lee Gun-nim. He said he uses it for cutting beef jerky…”
“What?! That isn’t a blade made for fighting! Ahhk!”
“If they destroy it, they’ll say they won!”
Why the hell did their Saint-nim send such an item? They were about to react in fright when…
Clank!
“!?”
Cheers filled the hall.
“Waaaaaa! The sword broke!”
“It’s three straight losses for the Genius Workshop!”
“Hurry up and spread the word! Instead of the Genius Workshop, we have to ask the Serpent Bearer to make our weapons!”
The master craftsmen of the Genius Workshop turned pale when they saw the crowd’s movements. The problem wasn’t that their weapons were destroyed.
‘It’ll be troublesome if this gets leaked outside.’
“Really…!”
The master craftsman tried to use their disassembly skill without realizing it. They thought the weapons must have some strange mechanism to them.
“Hurry up and disassemble it!”
Kwah-jeek!!
The disassembly skill’s power was shocking like lightning, but when the power touched the weapons…
Kwahng!!!
The sleeping weapons made by Lee Gun suddenly woke up.
[Goat’s Bow is angry. It asks why the massage is intense.]
[The Sharp Jerky Knife is angry. It says the service is terrible.]
Goat’s bow and Lee Gun’s blade floated in the air, then they emanated magical energy and attacked the master craftsmen!
The crowd got more excited when they saw this scene. “What the hell? They are moving by themselves!”
“Are they possessed by a spirit?”
At that moment…
“Spirit! You wanna die!”
“!”
A familiar voice rang within the hall. It belonged to none other than Sungjae, and he was angry.
“All weapons made by Lee Gun-nim have a sense of self. They can grow on their own!”
His words caused a commotion within the hall. As if the durability wasn’t enough, the weapons responded by themselves!
“Are they for real?”
“Hey! Get out of the way. I want Lee Gun-nim to make my weapon!”
“Instead of the Genius Workshop, I want Lee Gun-nim!”
That wasn’t all. Chun Sungjae didn’t want to waste this moment. He kicked Goat with his foot.
Realizing what he had to do, Goat extended his hand. The action was unnecessary, but he called its name. The bow, which wanted to receive a massage, suddenly appeared in Goat’s hand.
Flash!
The disciples were surprised.
“What the hell? Teleportation?”
“That is the Serpent Bearer’s special engraving service. Anyone who wants it has to pay a hundred thousand per use.”
Goat’s mouth fell open when Sungjae started to run a business. The disciples didn’t care. They cheered as they gathered around Chun Sungjae.
“Will Lee Gun-nim take orders to make weapons?”
“Please! Make us some weapons!”
“Ah! I don’t know about that. For each engraving, I’ll have to talk to Unc— I’ll speak to Lee Gun-nim.”
“We’ll buy that service right now!”
“No, we are first!”
“Ahhhh! I’m sorry! The engraving service ran out for today. However, I will be sure to talk to Lee Gun-nim if you buy a Lee Gun-nim figurine with a number attached to it. However, the final decision will be up to Lee Gun-nim. If you’re fine with that, I’ll start the price at five thousand. There will be ten in line.”
“I’ll buy it! Six thousand!”
“Me! Seven thousand!”
“No! Me! Eight thousand!”
“Nine thousand! Please put in a good word to Lee Gun-nim!”
Chun Sungjae laughed like a little devil when he saw the people rush toward him.
However, the Archer disciples started to sweat.
“Those figurines are C-rank junk that Sungjae made, right? Isn’t he swindling them by selling it at that price?”
“Shhh!”
“Wow! Sungjae is selling them and checking their SNS to authenticate their purchases.”
“This is basically a missionary… Huh! The Serpent Bearer’s faith must be rising a lot…”
“Two billion won!!”
“Wow! Our Saint-nim should have made money that way…”
The Archer disciples started shedding tears.
On the other hand, the master craftsmen shook.
“The reputation of the Genius Workshop is…!”
They glared as they grabbed the shoulders of the Archer disciples.
“That bow! How long did it take him to make that?”
“What? I’m sure it was four— Ahhhk!”
The Archer disciples were pushed aside by the crowd. The master craftsman had heard only the number, but they laughed.
‘Four weeks!’
It took him four weeks to make a battle weapon!
‘We can make it in three weeks.’
Their eyes flashed.
“We didn’t plan on doing this, but…
“We would like to send a direct invitation to the place where our Zodiac-nim is dedicated.”
* * *
Around that time…
“What? Three weeks? It takes them three weeks to make one weapon?” The dumbfounded Lee Gun looked at Hugo.
The money and the contribution suddenly being sent to the Serpent Bearer were secondary.
“Hmph! I can slack off and make it in three days. What ingredients do they use?”
“Yes. They have to work 24/7 to… What?! Three days? It took you longer than that when you made weapons for us!”
“Why would I go full power to make equipment for you guys? That should be enough. You guys won’t be able to use it even if I give it to you.”
“#$*&#*!”
“That is a joke.”
Lee Gun then looked above the boiling melting pot. The Pisces Saint was hanging there.
