Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Chapter 152: Difficulty Adjustment

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

152 – Difficulty Adjustment

The ‘forced contract’ that Keeper intended to impose on the Grimoire was a type of ‘seal’ that would make fulfilling the contract’s terms the top priority until the conditions were met. Knowing how absolute the effect of a contract imposed by a former Time Keeper was, the Grimoire tried to refuse, claiming that Keeper’s demands were too excessive.

However, Myung-jun, determined to obtain the Chalice of Souls from Alex before D-DAY, forced the Grimoire into the contract. The Grimoire, refusing to the end, resorted to its last option.

‘If you keep forcing me, I will kill my master and return to my original owner.’

Hearing the Grimoire’s words, Keeper responded with a mocking tone.

‘That’s ridiculous. You know very well that an Origin can never harm its owner, even if it’s a temporary one. Who are you trying to fool?’

‘Damn it. I never imagined the Time Keeper would be your ally. But I still can’t accept the contract. As you said, a forced contract could harm my master.’

‘Then it should be fine if it’s a contract made to prevent greater harm.’

‘If you don’t accept the contract, I will freeze you and your master permanently. I’ll put you in a permanent preservation capsule, completely isolated from the flow of time, so you’ll be sealed forever, neither dead nor alive.’

‘My master said that Cha Myung-jun is a true hero walking his own path for the salvation of humanity. Is it okay for a hero to do such a thing?’

‘Sorry, but I’m not a hero. I don’t intend to be one.’

‘Then why do you oppose the world government and claim to be the savior of humanity? As the owner of Cain’s Legacy, you could protect yourself and your loved ones even if humanity were to be annihilated.’

‘That wouldn’t be fun. Do you know the concept of online games?’

‘I’ve watched Alex play them, so I have some idea.’

‘Then you’ll roughly understand. For an online game to be fun, there needs to be a minimum number of players. What’s the point of being the top player on a server with fewer than ten users?’

‘A reasonable point. I think I understand your way of thinking now.’

Being permanently sealed in Myung-jun’s hand, doing nothing while witnessing the end of humanity, or accepting Keeper’s proposal and forming a forced contract— it was clear which option was more favorable for Alex, the Grimoire’s owner. Reluctantly, the Grimoire accepted Keeper’s proposal.

‘So, what are the terms of the contract?’

‘Until you deliver the Grade 9 Chalice of Souls, you must cease all hostile actions against Cha Myung-jun and his affiliated clan. Even if this causes Alex, the subordinate, to suffer losses, the benefits of Myung-jun, the superior, must be prioritized.’

‘In simple terms, even if someone offers a higher price for the materials provided by Cha Myung-jun, you must still deliver the Grade 9 Chalice of Souls to him. What if not delivering the materials puts Alex’s life in danger?’

‘Don’t worry. If such a situation arises, Cha Myung-jun, the superior, will protect Alex, the subordinate.’

‘Once I deliver the Grade 9 Chalice of Souls, will the contract be terminated immediately?’

‘Of course. The binding force of a forced contract weakens if it overly favors one side.’

The compensation Myung-jun offered Alex included providing the materials needed to create the Grade 9 Chalice of Souls and not charging for the repair costs of the dogfight equipment Alex had destroyed. Lastly, until the Chalice of Souls was delivered, Myung-jun and the Liberal Clan would protect Alex from any threats.

These ‘conditions’ were valuable enough to require Alex to prioritize delivering the Chalice of Souls to Myung-jun over other matters.

‘Well, there’s nothing to criticize. As long as the Chalice of Souls is properly delivered, it’s not a disadvantageous condition for Alex.’

Regretting that there might have been room for negotiation if he hadn’t destroyed the dogfight equipment Byung-tae was using, the Grimoire accepted the contract proposed by Keeper.

The moment the contract was established, a suspicious light flickered in Alex’s eyes, and his pupils dilated as if he had been brainwashed.

“Grade 9… Chalice of Souls… must complete…”

‘Damn it, how strong did you make the contract!’

‘When someone is first subjected to a forced contract, they usually end up like that. He’ll return to normal over time, so manage him well for now.’

‘Damn it. At least release the spell disruption barrier so I can teleport back. Now that the contract is established, he can’t attack you in that state anyway.’

Hearing the Grimoire’s words, Myung-jun checked Alex’s condition once more before turning off the psionic field generator.

Then, several magic circles formed around the Grimoire in Alex’s left hand, emitting a mysterious green light.

Simultaneously, the page of the Grimoire that Myung-jun was holding began to burn and turn black.

‘The next time we meet, it will be time to hand over the materials.’

Hearing the Grimoire’s voice gradually fade, Myung-jun spoke to Alex as if giving a suggestion.

“Until then, do your best to become stronger. To create the Grade 9 Chalice of Souls, the creator must first break through the Grade 9 barrier. If you need help with gate strategies, contact me. Although, based on my understanding of your personality…”

At that moment, Alex, whose eyes had returned to normal, responded with a determined voice.

“I must overcome such trials on my own. At least if I am to call myself your rival, Mr. Myung-jun.”

As the magic circles completed their activation and the page of the Grimoire in Myung-jun’s hand shrank to the size of a thumbnail, the Grimoire’s voice echoed in Myung-jun’s ear.

‘Ah, despite the forced contract, I should thank you for sparing someone weaker than yourself. There will be a <Difficulty Adjustment> soon. It might have already been adjusted. If you can, you should prepare in advance.’

Myung-jun wanted to ask about the <Difficulty Adjustment>, but the page in his palm burned to ashes and fell away before he could.

Before Myung-jun could grab Alex, Alex’s form vanished in a burst of brilliant light from the magic circle.

[Psionic reactions within the detection area have disappeared. With the current equipment, it is impossible to trace the remaining psionic traces.]

Thus, the entrance test for the Awakener training institution ‘Icarus,’ which Myung-jun had ambitiously prepared, ended ambiguously, leaving only the wreckage of the dogfight destroyed by the unexpected guest.

However, despite the ominous warning from the Grimoire, Myung-jun’s expression sparkled with anticipation.

The <Difficulty Adjustment> mentioned by the Grimoire was another key to humanity’s awakening that Myung-jun had wanted to trigger intentionally before D-DAY.

Myung-jun restored the communication network and spoke to Soo-jeong, who was watching him.

“Senior.”

[Yes.]

“We need a meeting. Right now.”

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***

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The test room, damaged when Myung-jun entered with the Knights, was immediately restored by hundreds of ECVs urgently dispatched by Soo-jeong.

The damage to the city left by the applicants undergoing the entrance test was also promptly repaired by thousands of ECVs dispatched to the area.

Leaving the applicants staring blankly at the city being restored in real-time by the flying robots, Myung-jun urgently summoned the Liberal Clan members who had been dispatched as examiners.

He then explained the recent attack.

“So, the strange technique that guy used is called ‘magic.’ We were utterly helpless.”

“As I mentioned before, the magic-type abilities used by that man named Alex are counter-skills that have an advantage over my technology-type abilities.”

“But that counter-magic didn’t work at all on your Knights, Boss.”

“That’s because my Knights are equipped with an anti-magic system. Unlike the equipment made by Senior, my Knights were a bonus item received when I unlocked my sealed abilities.”

“Then for the equipment we’ll make in the future…”

Soo-jeong answered Ho-chang’s question.

“To deal with potential future magic-type Awakeners, we plan to create new equipment that includes an anti-psionic field generator. Of course, since unforeseen situations could occur before the new equipment series is completed, we’ll first create auxiliary parts that can be added to the existing equipment.”

With eyes sparkling with determination, Soo-jeong said,

“I promise you. No matter who we face, you will never experience such a hollow defeat again. I will make sure that never happens.”

It wasn’t just Byung-tae and Ho-chang whose pride was shattered by the unprecedented threat of magic. Soo-jeong, who had designed their equipment from scratch, also suffered a blow to her pride.

Seeing Soo-jeong resolve to seek revenge next time, Myung-jun smiled.

He then addressed the clan members who were looking at him.

“As for Alexander James Orion, the magic-type Awakener who attacked us today, I sent him back with a kind of seal that prevents him from being hostile to our clan. We have something to receive from him, and he doesn’t seem to be the type to inherently oppose our clan.”

“Hmm… But my personal aircraft was completely wrecked by that supposedly non-hostile individual.”

“Strictly speaking, it was more disassembled than wrecked. Aside from some parts broken by impact, it was more like the screws were loosened. And thanks to that technique, we also identified vulnerabilities in our existing equipment. Next time, the same technique won’t work.”

Myung-jun promised to quickly upgrade and restore Byung-tae’s personal aircraft, easing his concerns. He then brought up the main agenda of today’s meeting.

The reason he had urgently summoned the clan members, even postponing the acceptance notifications for the academy applicants.

It was about the <Difficulty Adjustment> that the Grimoire had warned Myung-jun about.

“Through today’s attack by Alex, we have obtained new information. There will be a <Difficulty Adjustment> soon.”

“Difficulty Adjustment? What is that?”

“To put it simply, it means that the strength of the monsters appearing in the future will be significantly higher relative to their grade.”

Myung-jun explained that instead of the <grade> increasing, the <strength relative to the grade> would increase.

Soo-bin, understanding the implication of Myung-jun’s words, raised her hand and asked,

“So, you’re saying that the grade won’t increase, but stronger monsters will appear within the same grade?”

“That’s correct.”

“What’s the difference between that and just having a higher grade? If they’re stronger, shouldn’t they be given a higher grade?”

“Not exactly. It’s related to the reward system.”

Myung-jun explained that the grade of an monster was determined not by its strength but by the quality of the materials and crystals obtained from it.

Until now, except for certain specific entities, most monsters provided materials that matched their strength, leading to the belief that the grade was determined by strength.

“But from now on, it will be different. Although we don’t know exactly how much stronger they will become, based on the current system, a monster that used to have the strength of a Grade 3 will now provide materials of a Grade 2.”

“It sounds like we’ll be working just as hard but getting less in return.”

“That’s correct. And we need to inform the world governments about this as quickly as possible.”

“Why?”

“Because if Awakeners challenge the gates with their current understanding, they could be completely wiped out by the suddenly stronger monsters.”

For Myung-jun, who aimed to strengthen humanity’s forces as much as possible before D-DAY, this was not good news.

However, Myung-jun thought that if he utilized this opportunity correctly, he might be able to train a large number of stronger Awakeners.

Of course, there would be significant casualties in the process, but the increase in gate difficulty would help in the elite training of the raid teams.

The rise in gate difficulty would lead to an increase in the prices of crystals and monster materials, the byproducts of gate raids.

The increased value would attract more people to the gates.

Myung-jun’s task was to provide those challenging the gates with stronger equipment and to train veteran Awakeners to lead the raid teams.

“One Grade 8 Awakener is overwhelmingly stronger than one hundred Grade 7 Awakeners. If the mediocre Awakeners who were half-heartedly challenging the gates drop out, leaving only those truly obsessed with raiding, we might be able to train a large number of high-grade Awakeners. The problem is when this adjustment will occur…”

At that moment, both Myung-jun’s phone in his pocket and Soo-jeong’s phone started ringing simultaneously.

Two calls from different individuals, but both callers were from the same country.

“My mother?”

“From the White House?”

The two picked up their phones and stepped out of the meeting room to avoid disturbing each other.

After finishing their calls at the same time, they returned to the meeting room.

“It seems like we received calls about the same matter. Is that right, Senior?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Curious to the point of madness about why the U.S. government and Soo-jeong’s mother contacted them simultaneously, Ho-chang asked the two.

“What is it? Why did the White House and Miss Soo-jeong’s mother contact you at the same time?”

Myung-jun, looking at Ho-chang, spoke in a slightly hesitant voice.

“Mr. Ho-chang.”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember Mr. James Gunner?”

“Of course. He was the team leader of EDF Gate Raid Team 5, which I used to train. And now, he’s also the leader of one of the most elite special raid teams in the EDF.”

“Mr. James Gunner’s entire Team 5 has been isolated inside a gate. Including the three Strikers provided this time.”

The calls from the White House and DARPA were simultaneous requests for help from President Ro Biden and Soo-jeong’s mother, Lee Jung-hee, regarding the U.S.’s top-tier gate raid team.

Everyone in the meeting room understood the implications of this rescue request.

Facing a massive change that could cost the lives of hundreds or thousands of Awakeners, Itō Kei spoke up on behalf of the silent clan members.

“The Difficulty Adjustment has already begun.”