WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Occult World’s Coveted Blacksmith ◈
Chapter 60: Guys, I Found a Legendary Feature!!
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“Kh...! To see Wukong in person!!! I’m overwhelmed, big bro!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
On the way back to the workshop after chicken and beer, Jin Mu-yeong still hadn’t gotten over the thrill of actually getting Wukong’s autograph.
The whole way back, he held it in both hands like it was some sacred relic.
Was he really that happy?
Then again, even I thought it was pretty incredible.
The scale of the arena, the flashy spectacle.
I finally understood why people got so excited about sports.
And one of the stars was my little one?
The dopamine rush from watching it live was no joke.
It felt like I’d discovered a whole new world.
Maybe that was why people needed to keep trying new things in life.
Creak.
[Meowww!]
The moment I opened the workshop door, Yaongi came trotting over as if she had been waiting, rubbing her head against my leg.
“Up you go. Your big brother’s home.”
I picked her up and opened a tube of Churu for her.
Lick, slurp slurp.
She must’ve been in a good mood, because she was purring away.
So damn cute.
“Big bro, big bro, should I put this in a frame? No, maybe I should laminate it first...”
Leaving Mu-yeong behind to seriously plan what to do with the autograph, I flopped down on the sofa.
“Hmm...”
Soft.
A top-of-the-line sofa really could rival a hotel bed.
[Meow!]
Yaongi jumped up, climbed onto my chest like she always did, and settled into a loaf.
Soft and warm.
This was healing. Pure healing.
Scratching under her chin, I sank into thought.
The question was, what should I make for my next Ritual Implement?
Everyone knew the best ideas came while lying down.
This was CEO lounging.
When inspiration struck, you had to give it shape right away.
‘Hmm, I did boldly think I could make these and sell them like hotcakes, but...’
I hadn’t asked Choi Yu-jin about buying one yet.
I hadn’t even figured out how to make it.
‘A Ritual Implement that connects a spirit beast handler and familiar...’
A Ritual Implement that connected their intentions and senses in real time.
...How the hell was I supposed to make that?!
Ideas usually came to me easily.
But I wasn’t a spirit beast handler!
I was still lacking the basic knowledge in this area.
‘Should I ask for advice? I could probably contact Professor Gu from the Occult University...’
Right. Professor Gu still sent me messages regularly to check in.
It seemed Professor Gu still hadn’t forgotten how it felt.
Was that kind of persistence and diligence what it took to become a professor?
Still, for some reason!
The more Professor Gu acted like that, the less I wanted to make anything for them.
‘Hmm... Is there anywhere else I could get information?’
Still lying down, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through it.
Then, naturally, I tapped the familiar bat-shaped icon for 『Goblin Fire』.
There were piles of notifications.
[General Woongi has made a new post.]
I had to admit, this guy’s posts were pretty entertaining.
Seeing how much he liked the things I made gave me a sense of pride. Plus, I could check whether my little one was doing well from afar.
So I’d turned on his notifications.
[Review] Erupting Tiger, Review No. 19~
[Review] Erupting Tiger, Review No. 20~
.
.
‘He really posts these anytime, anywhere.’
At first, every post he made shot straight to the top. Now that everyone had gotten used to it, the view counts had dropped a little.
Swipe. Swipe.
Today’s feed was covered with posts about Wukong’s match and the Three-Section Staff I’d made.
‘Ahem...’
The reactions to the Ritual Implements I made came in so quickly that I kept checking them.
No!
Stop looking! You’re getting addicted to dopamine.
Just as I was about to turn off my phone...
[HOT] Found a legendary feature on Do Emperor’s limited-edition key ring!!!!!
General Woongi’s post had appeared right at the top of the best posts for the first time in a while.
‘...A legendary feature?’
As if possessed, I clicked it.
[HOT] Found a legendary feature on Do Emperor’s limited-edition key ring!!!!!
Author: General Woongi
Wahaha... I’m shaking so much I can barely type.
Janggun’s been flying around so much lately that I haven’t had much reason to step in.
But during a request today, a bunch of small fry rushed at me, so I fired off a goblin fire for the first time in a while.
But then!!!
My goblin fire came out like a freaking flamethrower???
Janggun got stronger, so I got stronger too. This is insane.
You guys seriously need to buy one next time!
└ Is this for real?
└ Spirit beast handlers, how is this even possible??
└ LOL, what does getting stronger have to do with a key ring?
└ Is Do Emperor actually an alien?
“...?”
If the familiar got stronger, the handler got stronger too?
What was that? Terrifying.
I scrolled down a little further and found a post explaining it.
[Info] Explaining why spirit beast handlers get stronger when their familiars do
Author: Introduction to Spirit Beast Handling
Yeah, it’s a phenomenon that already exists.
You all know spirit beast handlers feed Spiritual Power to raise their familiars, right? There’s a flow of Spiritual Power constantly going back and forth between the handler and familiar.
That’s why a strong handler makes for a strong familiar, but it works in reverse too.
Normally, we’re the ones feeding them and raising them, so it wasn’t noticeable. They grow together little by little.
Some people who pulled a high-tier familiar from the Awakening gacha may have experienced it. Their overall power suddenly jumps overnight.
It’s the same with these limited-edition key rings. The buff suddenly makes them much stronger, so you can immediately feel the Spiritual Power flowing back.
──────
‘...Aha.’
So, to sum it up...
The handler and familiar had connected flows of Spiritual Power.
Come to think of it, when I saw them earlier, the flow hadn’t seemed one-sided.
It was faint, but it felt like they were exchanging it with each other.
That meant when a familiar got stronger through that flow of Spiritual Power, the spirit beast handler got stronger too.
└ Whoa?? That was a thing?
└ Damn, if the familiar gets stronger, the spirit beast handler gets stronger too. That’s so romantic.
└ I’m becoming a spirit beast handler too LOL.
└ Did Do Emperor calculate even this?
└ Do Emperor’s master plan is insane...
└ Seriously, that gave me chills....
└ So spirit beast handlers have been hogging this sweet deal all along??
└ LOL;; Try raising a familiar yourself. You think that’s easy?
└ Then if I find a special-grade spirit beast that’s already Awakened and make it my familiar, I’ll instantly become a special-grade sorcerer!! I’m going.
└ Not a chance. You’ll get eaten immediately.
Then again, I’d heard that even the same low-tier spirit beast performed differently depending on whether a Grade-1 spirit beast handler controlled it.
They controlled them by sending their own Spiritual Power into them.
Of course, the spirit beast’s potential had to support it too.
‘The flow of Spiritual Power goes both ways...’
Grin.
An idea hit me.
‘That’ll work.’
* * *
The next day.
Imprinted Intent Transmission.
As the name suggested, it was a Spell Formula that conveyed the practitioner’s Imprinted Intent to their familiar.
The principle itself was simple.
Just as you infused Imprinted Intent into Spiritual Power when drawing a Talisman...
You squeezed out that Imprinted Intent and sent it remotely on waves of Spiritual Power.
That was the basic mechanism behind [Imprinted Intent Transmission].
Of course, a simple principle didn’t mean it was an easy Spell Formula.
It was hard enough to focus your Imprinted Intent while drawing a single Talisman.
Sending it remotely to a familiar in the middle of a fight?
It was apparently a fairly difficult Spell Formula to begin with.
That was why most spirit beast handlers either trained their familiars well enough to let them fight on their own or sent only very simple commands.
‘Attack.’
‘Stop.’
Coordinating every movement like Choi Yu-jin had done in the arena was a feat reserved for the very best.
So it was only natural that Imprinted Intent Transmission had lagged behind Wukong, who had become even faster through Lightning Energy Refinement.
In the instant it took to see, judge, and send Imprinted Intent, Wukong had already taken three more steps.
There was only one answer.
‘Instead of watching and issuing commands, make the handler command them while feeling the spirit beast’s senses at the same time.’
To do that, the process of exchanging Imprinted Intent needed to become much faster and more efficient.
I sprang to my feet and stood in front of the workbench.
I already had the foundation.
‘The turtle totem I made for Si-yeon!’
I’d apply the structure that connected the coordinates of body and soul.
If I designated both coordinates in advance, there would be no need to search for and focus on the other side every time.
That would reduce Spiritual Power consumption while increasing the resolution of the senses being exchanged.
Then I’d add an [Amplification Circuit].
The flow of Spiritual Power between handler and familiar was originally as faint as a thread.
Even if it came through as-is, it would be too unclear to understand.
So I’d amplify that faint signal several times over and make it clear.
I’d add a [One-Way Circuit] on the spirit beast’s side.
It was basically a backflow prevention valve that opened the door of sensation only in the direction flowing from the spirit beast.
Only Imprinted Intent would flow the other way.
If Yaongi started seeing the world through my eyes too, that would create a whole different kind of chaos.
All right, design complete.
The remaining problem was the form.
‘A bracelet will do for the practitioner’s side.’
But this would be a paired item, so the familiar needed to wear one too.
Spirit beasts came in every conceivable body shape. What was I supposed to do with ones that didn’t even have wrists?
What about snakes? Birds? Fish?
So the conclusion was simple.
‘Separate the core from the outer casing.’
I’d pack all the circuits into a tiny core, then make that core removable and attachable anywhere.
Set it in a ring, and it became a ring. Attach it to a bracelet, and it became a bracelet. Thread it onto a headband, and it became a headband.
All right, shall we make it?
Bzzzzzt.
Hair-thin grooves were smoothly carved into the small polished cores beneath my fingertips.
Two cores for a pair.
I engraved identical circuits into both, without even the slightest error.
Coordinates, amplification, and a One-Way Circuit on one side.
Whoom.
When I gently fed in Spiritual Power, the two completed cores vibrated at the same time.
Okay. Working normally.
“Oh my, are you already making another Ritual Implement?”
Seo Ji-an approached just as I was nearly done.
“What is this one?”
“It’s a Ritual Implement that connects a familiar’s senses with its handler’s.”
“S-Senses? How...?”
“Let’s see it in action first.”
I attached one core to a bracelet I’d made in advance.
The other went on a choker.
“All right, let’s see if it works properly.”
I put the bracelet around my wrist and scooped up Yaongi, who was wandering around at my feet.
“Yaongi, your big brother will put a pretty necklace on you.”
[Meow?]
Click.
I fastened the choker around Yaongi’s neck.
‘Heh heh heh. Now, let’s see if it works properly.’
The moment I gently sent Spiritual Power into the core on my wrist...
Whoom.
Sensation flowed in.
The smell of metal dust brushing over her nose.
The air tickling the tips of her whiskers.
The feel of the wooden floor against the pads of her paws.
Even the view of the workshop from low to the ground.
Wow...!
It worked.
All right, next was Imprinted Intent.
“Okay, Yaongi. Paw.”
I gently pushed in my Imprinted Intent.
[Meow!]
As if she had been waiting, Yaongi held out one fluffy paw.
“Whoa!!!”
Ji-an let out a shout.
This was crazy. Crazy.
It really worked.
‘Other paw!’
[Meow!]
‘Jump!’
[Meow!]
Yaongi leaped into the air from where she stood.
The moment I formed an Imprinted Intent, Yaongi responded immediately!
Good. Good.
‘Go, Yaongimon!’
[Meow!]
Tap tap tap tap!
Yaongi raced across the workshop floor.
At the same time, all those sensations poured into me intact.
The springy bounce of the wooden floor beneath her four paws.
The wind splitting around the tips of her whiskers.
The refreshing stretch running down her spine.
Th-This...!
The rush was incredible.
It felt like I’d become a cat!
Tap tap. Tap tap tap.
When I directed her in my mind, Yaongi began running up the stairs.
The vibrations of each step bounding upward traveled through her paws.
Tap tap tap tap!
Yaongi crossed the second-floor hallway and slipped through a bedroom door that was slightly ajar.
...Huh? Wait. This was...
Kim Yu-ha’s room.
“Oh my, Yaongi!”
Yu-ha, who had apparently just returned from a request and was sitting on the bed without even taking off all her equipment, sprang to her feet.
“Yaongi, you came into your big sister’s room...?”
Yu-ha’s expression wavered.
Then again, Yaongi had only hissed and thrown cat punches whenever Yu-ha tried to touch her ever since Yaongi had been rescued in Japan.
Yu-ha liked her this much despite that.
Yaongi, you ungrateful little traitor.
“You finally came to your big sister?”
Hmm. Since we were here, should I give her a little extra service?
Yaongi, go act cute for her.
[Meow~]
Yaongi walked up to Yu-ha, gently wrapped her tail around Yu-ha’s ankle, and rubbed her face against it.
“...!!!!”
Yu-ha covered her mouth with both hands.
Lie down. Show her your belly too. Rub against her.
[Meow~]
Yaongi flopped over and acted cute.
“Ahhh, I can’t take it!!”
Yu-ha scooped Yaongi into her arms.
At the same time, a soft, warm sensation wrapped around my entire body.
H-Huh?
“Our Yaongi has such a pretty necklace. Aww, did big brother put it on you? So pretty.”
Yu-ha smelled nice as she rubbed her cheek against Yaongi’s.
“Oh, right. I came straight here after my request, so I haven’t showered yet. What if I smell?”
Yu-ha carefully set Yaongi down on the bed.
“Wait just a second! Your big sister will quickly change clothes first, then I’ll hold you as much as you want!”
Then she opened the closet door and reached for the hem of her T-shirt.
And then...
Swish.
Whoosh.
“...Ahem.”
I took the bracelet off my wrist.
“...Why did you suddenly do that, Do-hyeon?”
“No. It’s nothing.”
Ahem.
A little later...
“Y-Yaongi?! Where are you going?! I said your big sister was going to change right away!!”
Yu-ha’s desperate cry echoed down from the second floor.
Tap tap tap!
Yaongi came down the stairs and calmly sat in front of her food bowl.
Crunch. Crunch.
Well, either way, the test was complete.
Yaongi understood my intentions immediately.
And I could properly feel Yaongi’s senses too.
‘Now all that remains is testing it in actual combat...’
Grin.
Should I contact my VIP now?
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Footnotes:
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