Much of the kind and gentle impression Park Gilsu had given me at first had disappeared.
His face was thin and elongated, and he had become someone who rarely displayed even the faintest smile.
‘He is adapting to the towers quickly. Much of the naïveté he showed when I first met him has vanished from his face.’
His eyes were neither sharp nor intensely bright, but they possessed a calmness that made it seem as though he were always observing the person before him deeply.
The round glasses covering his eyes added a certain frailty to his appearance. Combined with his newly composed personality, they gave the impression of someone who quietly accepted the world around him.
‘It is good that his gaze is becoming deeper. But with a body that thin…. Tsk. I wonder whether he can fight properly without dying.’
Awakening did not erase the strength determined by a person’s natural frame.
It did not add ten to what someone had been born with.
It multiplied their original capabilities by ten.
As a result, someone who had already been physically strong experienced a far greater increase in Strength, while a person who had possessed excellent reflexes could become capable of catching an arrow in flight.
From that perspective, Park Gilsu was at a disadvantage.
‘Still, when the mind works harder, the body suffers less.’
If he established sound strategies before battle and moved appropriately, he would contribute far more than fools who relied solely upon brute force.
“Excuse me. Now that I think about it, what should I call you? I cannot think of an appropriate form of address.”
“Call me whatever you like.”
“Then… I shall call you Leader. You are leading us for now, after all.”
It felt slightly embarrassing, but I did not care what he called me, so I allowed it.
He soon explained why he had come.
He had several reports regarding our preparations, but the decisive reason for his visit was the weapon I had promised him.
That was when I discovered that Park Gilsu possessed a more eccentric side than expected.
“Would it truly be impossible?”
“…Mr. Park Gilsu. If something like that were possible, do you not think I would already be using it myself? Let us keep this realistic and modern.”
Every weapon Park Gilsu asked me to create was absurdly futuristic and overpowered.
A Laser Gun was only the beginning.
He even suggested installing something resembling a space fleet’s naval cannon.
“That is unfortunate. After seeing people fire flames from their hands and transform into monsters, I thought it might be possible.”
He had apparently attempted to judge the request realistically according to our current circumstances.
‘Then again, something like Fireball makes even less sense. Flames emerge from a person’s hand without any device.’
I could understand his strange reasoning to some extent.
“Then what weapon could provide reliable assistance? I heard that mastering a bow is difficult. Could you perhaps create another gun like yours?”
A gun.
At present, it was practically my signature weapon in this place.
Even though asking me to create another one could easily invite misunderstanding, he made the request openly.
‘He does not appear to have another motive. Does he genuinely want to become useful?’
A ranged weapon would certainly provide an advantage during battle.
I had already proven that during the previous fight.
“Unfortunately, we do not possess the necessary materials. What about a simple but powerful spear and shield instead? As the saying goes, ‘A hundred days for the spear, a thousand for the saber, and ten thousand for the sword.’ Becoming reasonably proficient with a spear should not be difficult. Practice only the thrust, and use the shield whenever you are in danger.”
When someone who had never handled a sword attempted to use one, they were often more likely to cut their own arm than the enemy’s.
A spear that could thrust from a distance was safer in several respects and more useful during a chaotic battle.
Park Gilsu considered my suggestion briefly before nodding.
“Very well. However… I realize this is shameless of me, but could you create weapons for the others as well, if possible?”
He had phrased the question indirectly, but its meaning was clear.
Why had I not created weapons for everyone despite possessing a Blacksmith-related skill?
Equipping everyone would allow us to repel the enemy invasion more reliably.
“First, we lack materials. Furthermore, skills are not omnipotent. Creating an item requires both Points and time, and the time remaining to us is woefully insufficient. Even now, there is not long before the next invasion. Creating even one weapon will be difficult. In your case, I need to make both a spear and a shield.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you. Then I shall leave them in your hands.”
Park Gilsu nodded after realizing how considerable the preferential treatment he was receiving truly was.
“I also used my ability to ask what would happen during Week 2.”
Now that he mentioned it, Park Gilsu had said he possessed an ability called Sphinx of Thebes.
Since it was Rare-ranked, it could demonstrate power comparable to Foresight.
‘He can also ask three questions.’
I nodded and questioned him.
“What did it say?”
“It only left me with a cryptic statement. ‘Hermes’ Feet meet Arachne and vanish, burned by the sun like the wings of Icarus.’ Should I ask additional questions to obtain something more specific?”
“You still have two questions remaining, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then save them for now. We do not know what variables may arise during battle. It would be better to use them then.”
“Ah…!”
Sphinx of Thebes was never an ability meant to be used like a fortune cookie by asking, ‘Will I be lucky tomorrow, or will something happen?’
‘It becomes increasingly valuable in the higher towers.’
The reason was simple.
Exploiting weaknesses.
The towers contained creatures with such varied abilities that one encountered unfamiliar monsters constantly.
Many defied ordinary logic. In some cases, even a Flame Monster’s weakness could be fire.
An ability like Sphinx of Thebes was therefore extraordinarily useful.
I knew the weaknesses of the monsters inhabiting the towers because I had died countless times discovering them.
Ordinary people did not possess that knowledge.
That made Sphinx of Thebes an absurdly powerful ability.
‘The riddle’s answer is not actually that figurative or metaphorical either.’
I had possessed the skill during a previous regression, so I immediately understood what the Sphinx was attempting to say.
‘When the Sphinx’s riddles mention figures or stories from mythology, they usually represent abilities. If I remember correctly, Hermes should indicate something related to Acceleration. It would be a waste of the name Hermes if it referred only to a low-ranked ability such as Haste. It must be at least an overpowered Rare-ranked Acceleration ability.’
After considering it briefly, I spoke.
“One thing seems certain. Something associated with Acceleration will be defeated by something related to Arachne. It also said the ability would burn beneath the sun and disappear.”
“Arachne is a mythological figure who was transformed into a spider and forced to weave thread forever. However… no one among us possesses an ability related to weaving.”
While calming the others, Park Gilsu had spoken with everyone and confirmed all their abilities.
Even when he reported them to me earlier, I had concluded that no one else possessed an especially unusual ability.
“It may not refer to that kind of ability. Arachne’s thread can also symbolize a lifespan. Still, an ability capable of obstructing Hermes…. I will have to think about this more carefully… Ah!”
“Did something come to mind?”
I nodded slightly at Park Gilsu’s question and looked toward the Junk beside me.
“Perhaps I could be Arachne.”
I nodded as I gazed at the pile of potentially useful debris we had gathered.
Week 2 might end even more easily than expected.
I told Park Gilsu that I would call him again once everything was ready, then sent him back to the others.
‘If the Sphinx’s warning is accurate, a Raider with an Acceleration ability will invade.’
Since the riddle had singled that person out, they were probably the most dangerous enemy we would face during the Week 2 battle.
‘During the early stages, anyone with an Acceleration ability is troublesome, even if the ability itself is low-ranked. The same applies to Haste and fast Transformation Skills such as Werewolf.’
People often said that speed was power.
During the early stages, the environment was perfect for anyone with an Acceleration ability to dominate.
Most people had not yet adapted to their superhuman bodies.
Even after adapting, they possessed no experience confronting something that moved too quickly to be seen, so they were defeated helplessly.
“But I am different. No matter how fast the hare is, the tortoise who has already reached the finish line wins.”
That did not apply only to direct combat.
As long as I knew their objective was the Guardian Stone, nothing would be particularly difficult.
Had an enemy with an Acceleration ability appeared without warning, the situation might have become troublesome.
Thanks to Park Gilsu’s contribution, however, we could deal with them easily.
Hunting a hare always began by setting a trap.
I separately instructed Park Gilsu to install several additional devices around the Guardian Stone.
The others would complete their assigned tasks according to the instructions he delivered.
Meanwhile, I examined the Junk gathered throughout the ruins for anything useful enough to employ with Boundless.
I had not collected all of it alone.
Several people among the remaining survivors had no particular tasks, so they followed my request and gathered nearby debris into one location.
The amount was considerably greater than expected.
It appeared as though they had brought every piece of Junk they could find throughout the ruins.
[Radiation-Contaminated Metal Fragment]
[Broken Electronic Components]
[Wrecked Vehicle Parts]
[Damaged Gas Cylinder]
[Thin Fishing Line]
[Broken Glass Shard]
[Chunk of Concrete]
[Rebar Structure]
….
“Will this be enough useful material? It is not as bad as I expected.”
To anyone else, the area would have resembled a junkyard operated by a scrap merchant.
To me, every piece looked like treasure.
“Obtaining equipment without using the Shop is invaluable. Eventually, every one of these items can become Points.”
I picked them up one by one and placed them inside my Inventory.
This was another privilege granted by Infinity.
Ordinarily, a person could store only twice the weight they could physically carry inside their Inventory.
Because of my Fixed Skill, Infinity, I could possess an unlimited number of skills and items.
The Online Plaza had not yet been activated, but later, I could sell items created from this material to other people there.
“Good. Shall I begin?”
After using Boundless several times, I had learned something with certainty.
Imagination was important.
The more concrete the mental image, the higher the Synthesis Probability became.
The less ambitious the intended result, the easier it was to create.
“First, Arachne’s thread from the riddle.”
It did not require numerous abilities.
Cutting power.
As long as it possessed that single quality, it would be enough.
HISS—!
FLASH!
Accompanied by the familiar mechanical noise, the desired item appeared within the Device Hologram Window.
[Sharp Matte Thread]
-Grade: Unranked
-Attribute: None
-Description: Thin fishing line coated with sharp glass. It reflects no light and is difficult to see.
-Effect: High-grade cutting power. Sharp enough to slice through leather easily.
“It worked. No matter what kind of Acceleration ability that bastard possesses, this should be enough to deal with him.”
I nodded at the Unranked item that had been created perfectly on the first attempt.
Boundless was unquestionably an absurdly overpowered skill.
[Boundless]
Grade: Unranked
Synthesize anything to transcend its limits, no matter how useless it may be.
The skill description was remarkably unhelpful.
Its potential applications, however, were nearly limitless.