Chapter 7 : Moonlight Grandmaster Piece

"Finally, it's time to start sculpting."

The material for sculpting was a big boulder inside the cave.

After his sculpting mastery rose quite a bit, normal materials didn't raise the fame stat that much.

Although he could have used ice instead, there were limits, and it wasn't so good for expressing details, so he choose to work on a boulder instead.

Weed stood, staring at the boulder.

"What should I make?"

In the past, he wouldn't have hesitate.

Fire!

Fire!

Or something warm.

It's always the most effective to make something simple and straightforward.

It was easier on the mind when not considering the added benefits that were desired from the finished product and just focusing on the sculpture. But as his experiences built up, the eye for making sculptures became different.

"A sculpture doesn't exist by itself. It's more important to consider the situation."

Even if he sculpts a campfire, it will only give a small warmth factor.

Sculpting is not that simple.

It is made to reflect genuine pa.s.sion and the spirit of art!

Weed realized how his skill wasn't on par with a master artisan.

But at the least he now knows the most important element of making a sculpture.

"The sculpture is as good as dead if it doesn't contain emotion."

He sculpted for his grandmother once in real life, in front of her who had aged with him for his entire life.

Of course, his sculpting skill was pathetic.

Even if he sculpted hundreds or thousands of times in virtual reality, it's different in reality.

Considering how he was experimenting with sculpting, where the small touch from his fingertip made a huge difference in the sculpture itself, it was a very risky thing.

The sculpture he completed had many flaws.

When looked at closely, it had many places that weren't properly finished and had scars because he put too much strength when carving.

Critical flaws to sculptures!

Still, it moved people's hearts.

Because the sculpture had his grandmother's life stored inside.

To someone who didn't know, they would only think of it as a sculpture of a grandmother.

But to an elderly woman who had gone through various difficulties throughout her entire life, it would feel differently.

A face that became so familiar to the point that it almost came alive.

As he completed the sculpture, the face that had the trace of life melted in and gave the elderly expression various feelings.

Even if it was a famous artisan's sculpture, it wouldn't move people if it was only made with skill and without purpose.

In sculpting, time and life had to be invested into it.

Therefore, it was critical to match the sculpture to his situation.

'Definitely, I can't ignore the setting. I need to put in as much of my life as I can into it. I need a sculpture that honestly expresses the situation I am in.'

Then Weed thought of an idea.

A man and a woman were left in the cold, earth-freezing North.

A couple pained by extreme coldness.

Nature was nothing but cruel.

A blizzard came every day and hungry wolves cried.

Aohhhhh!

"Come this way."

The man had the duty to protect the woman.

After going through many difficulties, they found a safe cave and took refuge inside, away from the vicious wolves. However, even if they managed to escape from dangerous enemies, hunger and cold still followed them.

The woman with bottomless beauty and immense kindness, the only one of her sort in the whole world, said to the man.

"I'm cold."

The man could do nothing but watch her with sad eyes.

Because he was useless, he couldn't protect the woman he loved.

Their lives stood on the verge of death.

If only I could sacrifice my life to save this woman!

The man would definitely have done it if it would save her life.

But the reality was that it would not change the situation, and the woman knew.

The woman did not blame the man.

"Still, thank you."

"For what?"

"For staying with me until the end. And I love you."

To the man who had a soft and gentle heart, her words where the best gift possible.

Wharak!

The man folded his arms around the woman.

"I love you too."

No matter how cold the sky and earth was, it couldn't freeze the hearts of this couple. They could feel a thread of warmth as they hugged each other.

"Yeah, this kind of concept would be the best."

Weed took out his sculpting knife and approached the boulder.

Seeuk.

Rock powders fell.

Cutting the edge of the boulder, he slowly gave it shape.

Accenting the feeling of the couple who worry about and care for each another, he sculpted.

Of course, the story had different facts from the real situation.

It's true that Weed and Seoyoon came to the North. But they were never separated and alone by themselves. Alveron was there, as well as the Wyverns and Bingryong.

"Can't you fight well! You powerless, useless things!"

Weed hara.s.sed Bingryong and the Wyverns, and even forced the holy priest Alveron to work. But he hid all those truths.

And, the truth didn't end with just that. The powerless woman who stirs up the instinct to protect and the woman Seoyoon were far different from each other!

The strong female warrior who can slay just about any monster, Seoyoon.

The appearance of hungry wolves was true at least, but the reason why they cried was different.

They were crying, pleading for mercy, merely tasty food that got slaughtered for food as soon as they were seen.

Even when they came to such place, Weed adapted instead of starving to death.

"Well, art needs some ignorance of reality from time to time."

Even if it's a hero who saved a country from danger, he will have to go to the restroom too.

One can sculpt about how he led a war to victory, but one can't really draw or sculpt such a scene.

Whenever Weed moved the sculpting knife, rock slithers were sliced away.

Basic form took place.

Then, Seoyoon logged in and it became morning.

Depending whether it was night or day, battles happened periodically, so Seoyoon logged in when there would be hunting.

As the sun rose and bright light filtered in from the outside of the cave, the temperature rose a bit over night.

"Then, let's go hunting."

With the Wyverns, Weed headed to the Valley of Death.

Hunting when the sun's up, sculpting when the sun's down.

Like that, the sculpture started to take form after several days.

A man and a woman were hugging each other with the expression that they were about to cry out in inexplicable sorrow.

But Weed felt it was incomplete.

"It's not enough with only hugging each other."

Although the couple was so close to each other, there wasn't much feeling coming from the scene.

They were just a couple that had great sadness and pain.

Weed carefully thought what was missing.

"What would I feel if I was the man?" he asked himself.

He would be desperate and feel powerless.

Looking at the lover who was slowly dying, trying to warm her up, the man would feel very sad.

The fact that he himself could not endure any more, and that he would have to say farewell to his lover, his heart would be heavy with sadness.

Farewell and death.

He lost family members before, so he knew how much sadness it brought.

Weed decided.

"This is failed product."

Although he worked very hard for several days, he decisively abandoned it.

When knowing that it would be a failure, he couldn't continue to make it.

Weed started sculpting a different boulder.

This time, the couple was hugging each other again.

As if he was trying to waste his time, there was not much difference from the other one.

Even if he makes a similar sculpture, Weed's sculpting skill wasn't as pathetic as before, so it would raise the mastery of it a bit.

If there were any difference, the man and the woman were smiling now.

The most loving smiles they could show to one another.

"If you're about to leave this world, you should smile. That's the last thing you can show to the person you love."

Weed's parents pa.s.sed away when he was small.

He saw his parents for the last time when they were going into the surgery room in the hospital.

At that time, Weed cried and cried.

He cried because it was heartbreaking.

But, no one would know how much he regretted it afterwards.

"I should've smiled. I should've shown them the best smile."

He should've smiled. Shown that it's alright, and that he would live happily with his sister and grandmother.

Not being able to do it always remained as one of his regrets.

"Yes, a smile is the best."

Weed made the sculptures have the happiest smile toward each other.

A smile with abundant love and trust.

Still, it had a somewhat sad and ominous mood.

With their two arms, they embraced each other as much as possible, to share a little of their warm between each other, and to never separate from each other.

Please name the Sculpture

Weed said as he pointed the sculpting knife.

"Warm Lovers."

He decided on the name simply because they were hugging each other in a cold place.

But it came out to be a good one, going mysteriously well with the mood of the sculpture.

Would you like to name the sculpture Warm Lovers?

"Yes."

In truth, he had some guilt as he named the sculpture.

Because of the man and woman's faces.

He didn't realize it in the beginning, but the man resembled himself a lot.

Because he became emotional and sculpted as he thought back to his regret, he unconsciously carved his own face.

Because he went through so much hards.h.i.+p, he couldn't smile purely.

It was not a rotten smile, but a reliable and bright smile that he only showed to his family.

If it was only the man that resembled Weed, there would be no problem.

But the problem was the woman's face resembled Seoyoon so much so that it was as if he brought Seoyoon's face and placed it there.

Seoyoon's beauty was such that it would be no exaggeration to say her beauty was absolute.

To the point where one's own taste or preference wouldn't matter, Seoyoon was beautiful.

After sculpting her several times, to the point where he would be able to sculpt her with his eyes closed, he naturally sculpted her.

'How troublesome.'

It would be problematic to deal with afterwards, but Weed decided to leave it for now.

No matter what, Weed liked the finished sculpture.

It's not like he can edit a sculpture that is this complete.

Because the woman's or rather Seoyoon's face was turned toward the cave wall, it wouldn't be easy to look at unless one purposefully put an effort into it.

Ding!

Moonlight Sculpture Magnum.

You have completed Warm Lovers!

The warm lovers from the place where even breath would freeze. The work expresses the lovers' pa.s.sionate love that even death cannot separate.

Due to its impressive expressiveness, the work deserves to be displayed even in a king's personal museum or in a palace.

This great work will have more value as time goes by.

The creative and highly artistic sculptor has learned and recovered the forgotten skill, Moonlight Sculpting.

This work will leave its name in the continent's history of sculpting.

Artistic value:

Exceptional sculptor Weed's work.

2,600.

Special options:

Those who have seen Warm Lovers will have 20% increase in life and mana regeneration rate for a day.

Resistance to cold 40% increase.

Maximum life 25% increase.

All stats have a 20 point increase.

- The sculpture fumes out hot air that would make one burn oneself when touching the sculpture.

- Party experience gain 6% increase.

- When lovers hug one another in front of the sculpture, they can receive the blessing of Warm Lovers.

- Does not stack with other sculptures' effect.

- The number of Moonlight Magnums completed: 1

- Advance Sculpting skill level rises to 2. Sculpting becomes surprisingly detailed and delicate.

- Dexterity skill mastery rises.

- Sculpture Understanding skill level rises by 1.

- Fame rises by 460.

- Art stat rises by 30

- Charm rises by 7.

- Warm Lovers was recorded in the history of sculpting.

- When talented sculptors look at this sculpture, it will help them improve their sculpting.

- For making a Moonlight Magnum sculpture, all stats additionally rise by 4.

Like always, Seoyoon logged in when night was about to end.

Unless there were dishes to clean after eating or leather to sort that was stacked up to be done from hunting, she logged in on time.

She didn't log in much in the past.

But after coming with Weed to the North, she was never late.

A place where freezing air flowed about.

But today, warm wind came from deep inside the cave.

".........?"

After looking around, Seoyoon found a sculpture that wasn't there before.

There was a man who was dressed lightly.

There was a woman who was wearing short sleeved clothes, unfitting to the climate here.

'Such a great sculpture.'

From where Seoyoon was, she could see the back of the woman sculpture and the man's face.

The man's face resembled Weed quite a lot.

'How can he smile like that?'

Seoyoon tilted her head.

Although the sculpture had thin clothes on, they had smiles that warmed the heart.

The warm wind came from the sculpture.

"........."

Seoyoon kept on looking at the sculpture.

'Such a well-made sculpture.'

The expression and detail made it hard to believe it was made of rock.

The sculpture that emitted gentle light was very beautiful.

Although their faces were smiling, they were trying hard to embrace each other a bit more in such harsh conditions.

It was a sculpture that filled the heart with affection.

'Only a person with a warm heart would be able to make such sculpture.'

With gentle eyes, Seoyoon looked at Weed who was sleeping near the sculpture.

He was a person with various talents. He cooked well and could survive well. A cheapskate who tried very hard to get even a penny more.

Still, he had one thing that not many people had. A warm heart.

She thought he was a good person.

Then Weed suddenly sprung up from his sleep.

"I guess I fell asleep after working so hard. She wouldn't be here yet right? Gasp!"

When he looked up and found Seoyoon, his face became as pale as a sheet, as if he had seen a ghost.

He s.h.i.+vered as well.

"W-When did you..."

Weed's fear did not cease.

If she saw the face on the sculpture, she wouldn't let him go easily!

But Seoyoon stood there expressionless. She thought Weed was a great person, but she didn't show her feelings.

'I cannot be loved by anyone.'

Seoyoon always felt pain in her heart.

For years, she lived not talking to anyone.

She wanted to talk, have a conversation. But fear always came first.

The fear of not knowing when she'll be scarred and that she will never be loved.

She was used to not expressing her emotion.

If she hid herself from everyone, the pain would be less.

Still, she spent a considerable amount of time with Weed.

The happy Morata town's festival.

The time in the cave.

At least Seoyoon wasn't uncomfortable hanging around Weed.

Still, she didn't express herself.

She had to hide herself especially more because he was one of few whom she knew.

'Phew, she didn't see yet.'

Looking at Seoyoon's reaction, Weed could only guess she hadn't seen the woman's face yet.

"So," he said hurriedly. "Let's go hunt!"

Since Seoyoon didn't have reason to refuse, they headed outside the cave.

Before going out, Seoyoon turned around.

She wanted to hold the sculpture in her eyes once more.

The face of Weed holding the woman, smiling so brightly.