Chapter 14

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: penny

Chapter: 14

Chapter Title: DM Villain

-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Gooooaaah!!!”

I didn't have even a shred of faith!

'Slip one B-rank in right now and I'll join immediately!!!'

"Ah, shit..."

Of course.

I wasn't mad at all.

It was all within expectations.

Still inside the margin of error.

The B-rank gear success rate was 12%.

Rough math said even six pulls gave a total 72% chance.

In other words...

"This time it's different!"

I'd spent the last five hours productively glued to the Gallery.

My equipment creation tickets were topped off again at five.

"Hoo..."

...

The instant I geared up for another 5+1 run...

What caught my eye wasn't B-grade gear, but A-grade at 6%.

"Regression to the mean!?!?"

I'd stacked six straight failures now. It was prime time for a win.

Screw independent trials—this next six creations had to land at least one.

If success was guaranteed anyway, why not aim for the absolute peak?

Shouldn't a blacksmith always give their all?

...

I agonized like a madman.

Switching to A-grade, my eyes drifted back to B-grade.

I'd already waited five whole hours.

What if I wasted another five and got nothing? Could my sanity hold?

"Get a grip."

I was still a damn small-timer.

A small-timer turned orphan.

An orphan who'd blown five million won in two days flat after leaving the orphanage.

Sure, tomorrow morning I'd rake in a fortune from selling those two C-grade pieces.

Until then, I was flat broke.

To fill this void in my chest, I needed a B-rank weapon.

Above all...

No more ticket losses. I couldn't take it.

B-grade gear - [5+1 run]

"Shut up and roll it!!!"

"Wha... don't fuck with me!!!"

"Yesss!!!"

I'd hoped those six failures exorcised some bad luck for a double success, but no dice.

Failures don't matter, though.

All those sacrifices piled up to deliver this one triumph.

"Tower Shield? A shield type, huh?"

Not a weapon, which sucked, but B-rank was B-rank.

Plus, shields had gained solid traction lately—not exploding in popularity over the last two years, but definitely loved more.

I had no clue why, but who cared? Weapon or armor, I couldn't control it anyway. Good news for me.

Fresh off my blacksmith routine, I smoothly hit [Attribute Impartation] to check feasibility.

"Tch."

Too bad—this Tower Shield couldn't take attributes.

"Is the Karambit just straight-up busted?"

Six total so far.

Five crafted, one from the repair tutorial.

Only two eligible for attributes.

Small sample, but one in three success meant more were probably duds.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

That B-rank weapon pulling off attribute impartation anyway? Time to reevaluate that Karambit.

"Not selling for a while regardless."

No urgent cash crunch, so no dumping B-ranks yet.

C-ranks alone could fund my life forever. From B up, I'd sell for value beyond money.

Hadn't nailed down what "value" meant yet. I'd mull it over.

Right now, one job: appraise our pretty Tower Shield's effects.

"Whoa... those stats tho..."

No non-warrior buys a shield anyway.

Buyers met the stat prereqs guaranteed.

That meant +3 Strength stages, +2 Stamina for them.

"Hold up."

Did Blacksmith count as warrior-class?

B-rank, so no selling yet.

Couldn't let gear rot, though. I'd use it in emergencies.

No proper combat skills meant stalling till backup arrived—this shield was perfect.

If I qualified as warrior-class for full effects...

Strength D+. Stamina D.

Solid D-rank Awakener territory.

Huge leap from E-rank wallpaper paste.

Grinning like an idiot, I dove into [Equipment Storage] and pulled the Tower Shield.

Thud—

"Whew, close call."

Lucky it hit the bed.

Bare floor? I'd be patching it for months before moving out.

"Ooh."

So this is what a Tower Shield looked like.

Phone pix never clicked, but up close? Crystal clear.

Why they called it "Tower."

"Man, this'll hide me good."

Curl up right, and I'd vanish from frontal view. Massive.

Huge iron slab screamed heavy, but lifting felt fine.

Stats probably kicked in on pickup.

"Ah..."

Tower Shield's bonus hit; I snapped open my status window. No joy.

Just Strength up two stages to D.

No other changes. No blacksmith recognition skill either.

How did blacksmith "recognition" even work?

Did I need to recognize myself separately?

I balled my right fist, stuck out my thumb, pointed at myself, and yelled.

"Recognized."

...

"Did it work?"

Status check after the cringe-fest: still no new skill.

"Sigh... Doesn't apply to me?"

That self-recognition bit was dumb even by my standards.

A blacksmith recognizing himself? Concept felt off.

I shoved the shield back in inventory and flopped onto the bed.

"Hoo..."

Bummer, but what could I do?

Save the gloom for five hours from now.

I'd wobbled toward A-grade for a sec, but time to lock in.

B-grade focus from here. Only.

Mindless—no, trance-like creation till I hit attribute staves: wind, light, or fire.

In the end, Kim Hyeji's persistence wore me down enough to check DMs.

Fine. What grand pitch deserved such begging?

To pass my already pissed-off bar, it'd need at least nudes.

Not that I wanted 'em—just that level of sincerity.

Inbox open: way more messages than expected.

...

"Ah, you crazy bastard."