Volume 3 Chapter 73: The Artisan Race

The Artisan Race—if the Equip Race is the human race that creates Magis Gear, then the Artisan Race is the one that crafts Magical Devices.

Magical Devices are tools imbued with special powers. While they don’t match the capabilities of the revered Divine Artifacts, they are nonetheless highly valued across the world.

The most significant difference between them and Divine Artifacts lies in their source of power: Magical Devices derive their energy from mana. These devices are crafted using Mana Stones as raw material. The higher the quality of the Mana Stone, the better the performance of the Magical Device. For this reason, the Artisan Race is perpetually in search of superior Mana Stones.

For the Artisan Race, creating Magical Devices isn’t just a craft—it’s their passion and purpose in life. To other races, the Artisan Race is indispensable, as they produce highly useful and convenient Magical Devices. As such, members of the Artisan Race are often treated as esteemed figures in most nations, enjoying extensive protection and privileges.

In other words, they are the elite.

Being born into the Artisan Race is essentially a guaranteed path to success. Despite their raw abilities being inferior even to the Common Race, and their numbers being few compared to all other races, the Artisan Race enjoys a life of luxury and freedom, thanks to their unique ability to craft Magical Devices. Their value as creators ensures they are rarely subjected to invasions or exploitation.

That said, history is not without its dark chapters. In the past, members of the Artisan Race were kidnapped and forced to create Magical Devices. However, in the present day, many nations, including the Kingdom of Elist, have made significant efforts to protect them.

Moreover, no amount of coercion or torture can force the Artisan Race to create a Magical Device against their will. Even if their lives are threatened, they refuse to compromise their pride as a race. They would rather face death than create under duress.

Trying to control an Artisan’s craft is futile. They create freely, according to their whims and inspirations, and nothing more.

At the same time, many members of the Artisan Race find immense joy in seeing others use the devices they create. For this reason, Magical Devices often find their way into the hands of common people, enriching lives across the world. These devices range from highly expensive one-of-a-kind creations to affordable, mass-produced tools, but they are indispensable in daily life.

Incidentally, my beloved Mar-chan is a rather extravagant Magical Device. Unlike mass-produced products, one-of-a-kind creations are often exorbitantly priced and unnecessary for simple living. Most of these unique devices bear the creator’s signature somewhere, but Mar-chan has none, leaving her maker unknown.

Though the Artisan Race dedicates their lives to crafting Magical Devices, many of them develop a strong desire to obtain better materials themselves, becoming self-proclaimed “mining enthusiasts.”

Mana Stones harvested by members of the Miner’s Guild are usually prioritized for the Artisan Race. Yet, some Artisans are unsatisfied with this and wish to venture directly into the Excavation Sites to seek higher-quality stones.

However, members of the Artisan Race are inherently ill-suited for such endeavors. Their raw abilities are insufficient, and even relying on their own creations has its limits. Crafting new Magical Devices takes time, and if they lose their tools in the depths of an excavation site, they are left defenseless.

It’s a reality I wish to avoid, but the fact remains—Magical Devices are consumables. Once the Mana Stone’s energy is depleted, the device loses its power.

In other words, there will come a day when I’ll have to say goodbye to Mar-chan.

“Then why not avoid using her altogether?”

How could I ever do something so heartless? To let her sit on a shelf, untouched and unblemished, would mean denying her very existence. Even if our parting is inevitable, I will cherish every moment we have together—living, laughing, and creating memories side by side. I will face her directly and treasure her until the very end.

But I digress.

Only a rare few geniuses among the Artisan Race can hold their own in the dangerous depths of excavation sites. These are the individuals capable of wielding their creations as weapons, fighting on par with other races.

Because of this, the Artisan Race’s tendency to venture into Excavation Sites, despite being ill-suited for it, has caused significant headaches for governments. Even as nations strive to protect them, these reckless individuals plunge themselves into peril, leaving their protectors exasperated.

Even if they don’t become miners themselves, many Artisans hire bodyguards to escort them into excavation sites. This tendency often causes headaches for miners, who are already dealing with the dangers of the site. Having to protect someone completely lacking combat ability is nothing short of a nightmare.

As a result, while many Artisans seek escort services, few are willing to take on their requests. If no one steps up, however, the Artisans are likely to attempt mining on their own, which makes these escort jobs something of a punishment game among miners.

Most of the time, high-ranking miners end up accepting these requests. As annoying as it is, no one can afford to alienate the Artisan Race, given their unique ability to create Magical Devices.

Frankly, many Artisans are spoiled to the point of being selfish or strong-willed. At the same time, their craftsmanship and eccentric personalities make them particularly difficult to deal with.

Among these difficult individuals, the woman currently sitting before me, Alice Hellsight, listening intently as Tesea explains the contents of the diary, stands out as someone especially dangerous.

“Kuhi, kuhihihihihi.”

Her laugh alone makes me want to avoid her entirely. However, under the current circumstances, she is a rare and valuable ally. After all, I never imagined running into an A-rank miner in a place as secluded as this.

Despite being a member of the Artisan Race, she holds an A-rank title.

Her skills must be extraordinary. The fact that she not only escaped captivity after unraveling the mechanisms of this city on her own but also discovered this hidden chamber proves as much.

Though, according to her, it was all “just a hunch.”

It’s likely that only someone like her—someone who has been crafting Magical Devices all her life—could pull off such a feat. Ordinary people cannot rely on mere instinct to solve problems.

Having avoided the miner profession throughout my life, I knew nothing of her, but she is likely a well-known figure in the royal capital.

“Kuhi, kuhihihihihi!”

After listening to the diary’s contents, Lady Hellsight burst into loud, peculiar laughter and snatched the diary from Tesea’s hands.

“Oh, this is gold! I thought this city was a worthless dump with nothing of interest, but to think it held secrets like these! Kuhi!”

She flipped through the pages with a delighted grin, chuckling to herself.

“Getting caught and stripped of everything before I even got into the city pissed me off, but hey, it wasn’t a complete waste!”

As for why Lady Hellsight is here—she apparently attempted to infiltrate the city but got caught immediately. What was she thinking?

Magical Devices are often crafted based on Divine Artifacts. For this reason, members of the Artisan Race seek not only Mana Stones but also yet-undiscovered Divine Artifacts.

Hearing about the sudden appearance of the Floating City of Firmament near the royal capital, Lady Hellsight tried to sneak in out of sheer curiosity—and failed spectacularly. Tesea had been unaware of this because Hellsight was apprehended before she could even enter the city, leaving the city itself unaffected.

Still, for the Floating City to capture an A-rank miner so easily speaks volumes about its defense systems. These systems remain dormant unless someone attempts unauthorized entry or poses a threat to the city, but they can also be manually activated from the control room, which is something we’ll need to watch out for.

Granted, Lady Hellsight mentioned she didn’t bring many combat-oriented Magical Devices this time.

What was she thinking?

Well, her goal was to investigate the city discreetly and avoid detection, so she deliberately left unnecessary items behind.

She clearly understood that brute force wouldn’t work against the city’s defenses, so her approach was deliberate.

Still, wouldn’t it have been better to prepare properly for this? On the other hand, the Floating City is unpredictable in its appearances. I guess she simply couldn’t resist her curiosity.

“These Beings—Once Considered Gods—Seem to Be Surprisingly Similar to Us Artisans.”

Indeed, while there is a noticeable difference in performance between Divine Artifacts and Magical Devices, the two are strikingly similar. Magical Devices can almost be described as Divine Artifacts with their mysterious energy source replaced by mana.

The ability to create—perhaps the Artisan Race is nearly identical to the long-extinct humans of old. The only difference is the type of power they wield, now dependent on mana.

“So, what this means,” Hellsight declared with a sly grin, “is that we Artisans might someday reach their level, huh? Kuhi!”

She snapped the diary shut with a dramatic flourish.

But is that really true? While it’s unclear what the people of old used as their source of power, it’s hard to imagine mana being its equal. Still, Hellsight seemed genuinely thrilled by the idea.

“Knowing that, let’s get out of here pronto! With Big Boobs Glasses’ info, smashing the Divine Holy Nation won’t be too hard. Once it’s done, we’ll scour this city from top to bottom!”

“Big Boobs Glasses…”

Hellsight returned the diary to Tesea with a casual shove, and Tesea muttered under her breath, glancing self-consciously at her own chest. Then, snapping back to attention, she ripped out a page from the diary.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing!?”

Hellsight bellowed, stepping toward Tesea in outrage. I quickly grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

“What’s your problem, huh?”

Before I could reply, she swung around and slapped me across the face with a swift motion.

It didn’t hurt much, but the lack of hesitation in her attack left me stunned. Yeah, I definitely don’t like her.

“That belongs to Tesea,” I said firmly.

“Hah?”

“It’s hers.”

Hellsight glared at me, her gaze sharp and brimming with annoyance. Eventually, she let out a loud, irritated click of her tongue.

“Tch! Fine, whatever. If it’s important, I’ll just kill you later for it.”

She yanked her shoulder free from my grip and plopped herself onto the bed with a huff. Tesea approached me, whispering softly.

“Thank you… Is your cheek okay?”

“I’m fine.”

For someone so brazen, Hellsight didn’t have much physical strength. Whether she had used mana to enhance herself or not, she didn’t feel very strong. I could probably handle her easily in a direct confrontation—even the kids from Karisa Village hit harder than she did. Honestly, I couldn’t help but wonder if all members of the Artisan Race were this weak.

As I mulled over the thought, I noticed Tesea hesitating about where to stash the folded diary page before finally tucking it into her cleavage.

Meanwhile, Hellsight began shoving her hand into her throat.

“Blegh… urghhh…”

Uh, yeah, that’s going to happen.

“What…?”

“Ew…”

Tesea and I instinctively stepped back as Hellsight started vomiting onto the floor. Watching her bizarre behavior left us thoroughly bewildered.

Amid the mess, something solid clinked onto the ground. Hellsight wiped her mouth, reached down, and picked it up.

“Tch… Took you long enough.”

It was a small pouch. Opening it, she extracted an object that shimmered brilliantly—a Mana Stone.

The gem was about the size of her palm, emitting a deep, clear blue glow that spoke of its high purity.

“This here’s my ace in the hole.”

Hellsight smirked, placing the Mana Stone in her palm and hovering her other hand above it, closing her eyes. Instantly, the air around her shifted.

The atmosphere grew taut, like a single thread pulled tight. Her heightened focus was palpable, and even I found myself holding my breath. Beside me, Tesea stared, captivated.

The Mana Stone began to glow brighter, its shape slowly morphing. Normally, creating a Magical Device requires significant time and effort. If it’s something you’ve created before, the process speeds up, but creating something entirely new is a laborious task.

This must be something Hellsight has crafted many times before. Even so, her speed was exceptional.

Sweat beaded on her brow as she worked in silence. Before long, a knife emerged in her palm—a blade with a blue sheen that retained the brilliance of the Mana Stone it was forged from. She gripped it tightly, raising it to inspect the blade in the light, before clicking her tongue in irritation.

“Tch… Good enough for a quick job, I guess.”

“What is that?” I asked.

“‘Lifestealer Laifeet.’ Stab any living being with it, and it’ll drain their life away. If it’s a person, the blade will extend right into their heart. Fragile and single-use, but hey, one hit is all you need.”

“…That’s brutal…”

“Hah! We Artisans don’t get to fight unless we make stuff like this,” she said, throwing up her hands in an exaggerated shrug before smirking.

“And you know, it’s the perfect weapon for me—and for a mana-less weakling like you right now. One sneak attack with this, and even that bastard Aizon will drop dead.”

She wasn’t wrong—this knife gave us a fighting chance. If I played my cards right, there were plenty of opportunities to stick the blade into Aizon.

“Or… you wanna do it yourself? Don’t you wanna kill him?” she taunted, pointing the knife at Tesea.

Tesea’s hands clenched into fists.

“Heh… That look on your face… that’s more like it. Way better than that goody-two-shoes act. You really want to kill him, huh?”

Hellsight leaned forward with a satisfied grin, clearly reveling in Tesea’s reaction.

“I’ve got a plan. Listen closely, you pathetic Noir, and you too, Big Boobs Tesea.”

“Big Boobs Tesea…”

Once again, Tesea glanced down at her chest, sighing in exasperation.