Everyone Else is a Returnee

Yu IlHan’s eyes turned fierce.

“Are you trying to make me suffer even more?”

[It’s a really good artifact! It’s too exceptional of a treasure to be given to you! It’s one of the best artifacts in Heaven!](Erta)

Yu IlHan took a detailed look at the God-ranked artifact on his palm. He thought about what he could do with this artifact that can freeze time and put up a barrier.

“Wait, does the barrier reject everyone i don’t want out if I put it up when I’m about to die?”

[Now you know how amazing this is?] (Erta)

It really was incredible. Although there was a usage restriction of ‘once a month’, didn’t he just acquire another means of saving his life?

He had felt death right in front of his nose several times even when fighting with the Orochi this time. With regards to his ‘curse’, it was given that he would have to suffer a lot more in the future, but now that he had acquired a last resort for extending his life, he became a little more settled.

And secondly,

“I think you gave me this to do labor…”

Since not even the angels knew what would happen on Earth, this was as if they were telling him to grind out weapons from his workshop for two months, by himself, that is. Erta obediently nodded her head.

[Correct, Yu IlHan. You don’t have a lot of spare time.] (Erta)

“Just because of who was it again? Huh?”

Gritting his teeth, Yu IlHan put the hourglass in his chest pocket. It did made him hurt when he realised he would become a loner for 2 months every time he used it, but thinking on it, since he was a loner anyway, it didn’t really matter.

“Erta, I will allow you to enter the barrier no matter what happens.”

[Wh, what are you saying?] (Erta)

Yu IlHan only thought that he could not be stuck in a barrier alone for two whole months, but Erta felt her heart pounding.

Of course, he couldn’t care less about whether Erta’s heart pounded or not, so he immediately grabbed her and headed to the workshop. Then, he activated the power of the hourglass as soon as he arrived.

The barrier was wider than he thought, covering the entire workshop. Considering how he was using the entire basement 5th floor of the building that Vanguard was on, it was very large.

[It’s also the first time that I am entering this barrier. Amazing. I can feel that time has been frozen.] (Erta)

Erta was looking around her with wide eyes, but in fact, Yu IlHan wasn’t that unfamiliar with this space. Why? It was similar to when time on Earth was stopped entirely.

“Erta, come here.”

[Yes… Yes!] (Erta)

Yu IlHan’s voice calling Erta sounded strangely kind for some reason.

Even though nothing had changed, it seemed that only Erta was strange for feeling a special feeling since they were alone in frozen time.

No, that wasn’t it! Everything occurring in this space didn’t amount to anything on the outside, and would only be shared between Yu IlHan and Erta. Erta thought that this was a very romantic thing.

She became scared for a moment imagining Lita’s growling face, but the next moment, she remembered Lita’s words – ‘it’s not crime if you don’t get found out’, and calmed down again.

Yes, it’s not crime if you don’t get found out! If Yu IlHan shuts his mouth, then even Lita wouldn’t be able to find out! Erta became calm instantly and looked towards Yu IlHan.

When she did, she could find herself facing ragged armor, spear, and robe. Her expression also became ragged.

[I knew this would happen.] (Erta)

“Right? They’re worse than I thought. They somehow pulled through during the battle, but now… they’re scraps.”

The robe was unique-ranked, while the armor and the spear were both legend-ranked. But they ended up in such a bad state so how can he not be sad? Seeing the depressed Erta, Yu IlHan thought that she was not much different.

“I need to restore them. Wouldn’t it be possible if I use the Orochi’s skin and bones?”

[*Sigh*] (Erta)

Erta set herself straight. She scolded herself for expecting romance from someone she shouldn’t expect anything from, and chose to face the ice-cold reality.

[Yu IlHan, what level is your mana crafting at?] (Erta)

“32, why?”

[Then it should be possible. I will teach you a technique that you will use a lot from now on.] (Erta)

Hearing about a new technique, Yu IlHan’s eyes shined brightly. However, Erta’s feelings while looking at that was as cold as a blizzard.

[Mana crafting is a technique to awaken the potential of an object that did not have any ability. Then, wouldn’t it be possible to do the reverse?] (Erta)

“Reverse?”

[Compressing an already activated ability and extracting it.](Erta)

Yu IlHan momentarily did not understand what she was saying, but he fell into thought while thinking about what it was meant by doing the opposite to the things he were doing until now.

This technique wasn’t something that was usable by directly injecting information into Yu Ilhan, so Erta also just kept watch. Of course, it was also because she herself couldn’t use the technique she was trying to teach Yu IlHan – extraction.

Yu IlHan had long since caught up with Erta’s mana crafting skill level.

“I vaguely get it. So you’re saying to take away the ability bestowed onto the artifacts.”

[You will need magic stones.] (Erta)

It was too dangerous to experiment with a legend-ranked equipment from the beginning, so Yu IlHan selected some unique ranked weapons and 2nd class magic stones to experiment on.

[There are two months left so don’t be hasty and take it slow.](Erta)

As soon as Erta finished talking, a brilliant light appeared.

A transparent liquid-like substance flowed out from the axe Yu IlHan was holding, before it climbed up his arm, through his shoulders, and towards the magic stone he held in his other hand. After that, brilliant light appeared once again.

Erta checked while thinking ‘no way’.

[You failed, right?] (Erta)

“I succeeded.”

At the same time as Yu IlHan replied, the axe that had its ability absorbed became metal powder and crumbled, but Yu IlHan couldn’t care less.

He looked at the 2nd class magic stone in his hand. Green text slowly appeared on his retina.

[2nd class magic stone with the power of ‘Destructive’ ‘Tyrant’ dwelling in it.]

[A magic stone possessing 2 options. When mana crafting with this as the material, it is possible to apply 2 options onto the target. The options may devolve, or evolve, according to the ability of the crafter and the level of the magic stone.]

[Alpha option ‘Destructive’ : Increases the attack power of the weapon.]

[Beta option ‘Tyrant’ : Increases critical hit damage.]

“Ooh, I was wondering if it was the same as when Earth stopped in time but it isn’t, eh? Akashic Record is still aware of this place.”

[God ranked artifact doesn’t necessarily mean God’s powers. Rather than that, be honest with me. You were actually a dragon, weren’t you?](Erta) (T/N: She says this since dragons are innately adept at using mana)

Having a high skill level didn’t correspond to high technical ability. Although there was the Akashic Record’s help, the one using the technique, in the end, is the entity.

However, having succeeded in a new technique, and perfectly too? Erta couldn’t accept it.

However, Yu IlHan had his own reasons.

“No, but this is similar to the things done by enchanters in novels, isn’t it? So the image making was quite simple.”

[In fact, people who do mana crafting as their profession are called enchanters. It isn’t like all blacksmiths are capable-of-anything like you.](Erta)

“And now, I can use mana.”

[Ah.](Erta)

Erta shut her mouth.

That was true. She had forgotten since the equipment that Yu IlHan had made until now were unbelievably OP, but until now, he had made numerous equipment and did mana crafting without the ability to wield mana!

So now, that he could wield mana, succeeding in extracting in one go wasn’t too strange.

Not only that, his blacksmithing and mana crafting would bring out results incomparable to before. Since mana was the absolute energy that affected all things!

[Quickly acquire 3rd class, Yu IlHan. And you have to acquire blacksmith as a subclass! Got it?](Erta)

“Okay, I get it so don’t give me that frightening look.”

If possible, Erta even wanted to leave Yu IlHan’s equipment creation to until 3rd class, but no matter how high his level had become, it was still a long way to lv 100.

Yes, let’s make him look at his equipment again after acquiring the blacksmith class. Looking forward to that day, Erta decided to honestly admire his pure smithing techniques.

“Should I go in order?”

There were two important elements in extraction – The target equipment of extraction and the magic stone to imbue it into. The robe, the armor, and the weapon’s specs were all specialized to Yu IlHan’s strengths, so if possible, Yu IlHan wanted to extract them using the best magic stones possible.

It wouldn’t end with just extraction. He had to make the new equipment with the finest materials he had in order for those options to be applied in full. He did not want to make a mistake.

To do that, what came first?

Yes.

Dismantling.

[Are you insane? You’re saying that you will dismantle all these monsters!?](Erta)

“Erta, our ancestors once said this. That everything can be worked out by pure labor.”

[I don’t like those ancestors!](Erta)

Now that his plan had been set, there was no more time to lose! Yu IlHan took out a knife for dismantling and opened the entrance of the Cross Bag. He started dismantling while taking out corpses in quantities that he could handle!

“Eternal Flame, you are now in charge of taking care of the byproducts!”

Flicker! It felt as if the Eternal Flame had nodded in response.

In fact, it didn’t matter even if it didn’t. He’d just stuff it full anyway! Not satisfied with using just one hand, Yu IlHan took out another knife on his other and danced like a madman.

What was interesting was that every time his knife was swung, the monsters that popped out from the Cross Bag were all stripped of their skin, and were being dissected into parts.

Bones, skin, muscles, tendons, and excluding a little of the monster’s meat, blood, and magic stone, all the extra waste were all goaled-in into the furnace with a light movement of Yu IlHan’s feet.

The Eternal Flame swallowed all of it before burning it into nothing. Meanwhile, Yu IlHan would dismantle another one, and throw its meat and waste into the furnace. Such a process was being repeated again and again without the tiniest bit of a mistake.

[I wonder if he might catch the attention of the God of Dismantling at this rate.](Erta)

Erta worried. Yu IlHan, who had half-heard her, shouted while swinging his knives with a uselessly cool smile.

“I will even dismantle God if it’s dead!”

[Don’t act cool, it isn’t cool!](Erta)

2 weeks passed from then. Yu IlHan, who had only taken the minimum amount of rest, finally stopped moving his knives.

“I finished.”

[Really!? There were over 100,000 2nd class monsters though!](Erta)

“I only needed to dismantle a little over 7000 a day then.”

[Okay, you’re the Dismantle King.](Erta)

Having earned a new nickname, Yu IlHan shrugged his shoulders.

“In fact, there’s one left, but these won’t do for that one.”

Erta knew very well which one that was – it was referring to the sole 4th class mutant that Yu IlHan had hunted this time in the Japan incident, Yamata no Orochi!

Meanwhile, Yu IlHan flicked the now-ragged dismantling knives to the Eternal Flame, and took out a pair of butcher blades lying in his Cross Bag.

[Don’t tell me you’re trying to dismantle that here too?](Erta)

“Why not? It’s no problem if I take it out slowly.”

To Yu IlHan, who had already mastered remote collection of the Cross Bag, something like that was not even difficult.

Seeing him using a function that the angels had applied without much thought to such degree, Erta thought that she herself and the angels had committed a huge mistake, but the boat had already set sail. (T/N: i.e. the milk was already spilt)

“Then here I go.”

Yu IlHan clanged the butcher blades in mid air a few times, before calling out the corpse of the Orochi from the Cross Bag little by little with a deep breath.

“Huaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Then, he jumped around like a madman while dismantling the Orochi’s body!

[I should have shown this to Lita.](Erta)

Even while Erta was flabbergasted at that sight, the body of the Orochi was slowly, but surely coming out from the Cross Bag.

As the Orochi had a sturdy body, excluding the parts that were shredded by the pile bunker and the final spear throw, the body was almost fully intact. such a body was now being flayed into skin, meat, bones and blood.

Yes. Even while dismantling, Yu IlHan was extracting the blood in a special container!

[Can I upload this on Yout*be?](Erta)

“Don’t talk to me!”

In a blink of an eye, a tenth of the tens of meters large Orochi was dismantled.

Having seen through where to slice to be more efficient, Yu IlHan sped up. Quicker, and more perfectly!

“Damn, can’t see a magic stone.”

[Considering what kind of chaos a 4th class magic stone would bring to the current Earth, it’s instead fortunate that there isn’t one!](Erta)

Thinking that Erta was worrying unnecessarily, since it would be used in Yu IlHan’s own weapon anyway, Yu IlHan sped up even more.

Even though the corpse of the Orochi was, in the end, just skin and bones, every time the butcher blades came into contact, sparks flew everywhere.

Was it because it came to be after swallowing three Traps of Destruction? Even though he was bringing out the best capabilities of the dismantling techniques he had learnt, separating flaying the skin and the bones was teeth-grittingly hard. He wouldn’t even be able to try if not for the superhuman strength skill.

“You can eat that!”

Even while dismantling with all his effort, he threw the parts that were destroyed by his attack and became unusable, to the Eternal Flame.

Perhaps due to the meat being of a tremendously higher class to the ones it had ate before, the Eternal Flame ate up all of the Orochi’s byproducts in joy. Then, it shined brightly before changing into a golden-colored flame.

[Aaah, it grew again, again!](Erta)

“Don’t be so angry.”

The dismantling speed kept speeding up. Starting with the seven heads, through to the body all the way until the tails!

Then, Yu IlHan ended all his actions after some time. In front of his eyes was the giant sword that was made from the fusion of all of the Orochi’s tails.

The dismantling of the Orochi had ended, and now, there was only the un-dismantlable part left.

[Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword (天叢雲剣)]

[Rank – Legend]

[Attack power – 4,444]

[Options – 40% increase in attack power when confronting dragonkin, able to activate ‘Purple Flame’ by imbuing mana.]

[Durability – 5,000/5,000]

[A weapon that was created after the energy of a mutant 4th class monster that was born absorbing the records of the Japanese mythological monstrous beast, Yamata no Orochi, was refined. It is extremely hard and sharp, and shows maximum power when fighting against dragonkin.]

“Hm.”

Thinking back to it, there was a notification of acquiring a legend-rank artifact when he killed it.

He just passed it up at that time since he was in a mess, but it seemed like the notification appeared because its entire body had entered the Cross Bag while a part of its body became an artifact.

Checking the abilities of the artifact, Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword, Yu IlHan nodded. Then, he spoke.

“It’s a little weak considering it came from a 4th class boss, right? It’s not even that sharp too. What’s the worst is that I would need to be a 5m tall giant if I want to use this weapon.”

[Yu IlHan, your next line is ‘So I will create a new spear from this!’](Erta)

“So I will create a new spea… Huh?”

Yu IlHan became shocked, and Erta spoke while sighing.

[Make it, Yu IlHan. Just why don’t you create epic-ranked ones too. Just…](Erta)

The hope of humanity, Yu IlHan, nodded his head and picked up his hammer.

Since he finished dismantling, what was left was to extract the options and create the equipments. He had neither reason nor room to hesitate.

Author’s notes

In Mabinogi, there’s a concept called ‘reverse enchanting’. It’s acquiring the said enchant scroll by burning the enchanted item. I’ve got the idea of extraction from there. Fuu…. whenever I think about it, my blood pressure…!

I will even dismantle God if it’s dead : It’s a parody of a famous line in the novel, Kara no Kyoukai.

Answer – Melting the sword and making it into a spear! Of course, in Japanese mythology, Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword isn’t such a giant sword.

Translator’s notes

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Proofreader: Koukouseidesu