Chapter 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Synthesis Addiction (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Eek!!!”
A tremendous probability buff.
Out of all those, only three grades caught my eye.
[B-Grade Equipment - 12% → 80%]
[A-Grade Equipment - 6% → 50%]
[S-Grade Equipment - 3%] 🔒
“What the hell do I need to do to unlock S-Grade?”
S-Grade crafting probably unlocks after succeeding at something for the first time, but of course, there's no way to know what that is.
My attention lingered on S-Grade for a moment, but anyway, the real stars right now are B-Grade and A-Grade, basking in their skyrocketing probabilities.
80% chance? That's basically a guaranteed success, isn't it?
Even higher than D-Grade or C-Grade, but that makes sense since probabilities adjust based on proficiency.
‘Ah... Could I come back later?’
Unfortunately, there was no way to pause the tutorial midway.
“Argh, I should've been less lazy! Should've lived more diligently!”
If I'd grinded out a bunch of A-Grades to boost my proficiency first, then tackled the tutorial, A-Grades would've been freebies.
“Hoo...”
But what's done is done.
Right now, I had to choose between 80% B-Grade or 50% A-Grade.
It didn't take much agonizing to decide.
[A-Grade Equipment - 6% → 50%] ☑
B-Grade gear wasn't all that welcome in our forge anymore.
I was already a first-rate blacksmith who crafted A-Grade equipment.
I couldn't settle for B-Grade anymore.
Even if I succeeded at B-Grade, I'd just crave A-Grade, and if I failed, I'd regret not trying for A-Grade instead!
A-Grade was something I could make anytime with enough time anyway—no need to sweat this one shot.
This was just a tutorial, after all.
“Let's goooo!!!”
“Please give me a badass A-Grade shield!!!”
『Viking Helm (A)』
“Viking?!”
Honestly, I hadn't predicted what kind of armor it'd be at all.
But this...
“Pfft! I'm losing it—!”
A Viking helm with horns that screamed questionable practicality.
The moment I laid eyes on this romantic choice over function, I burst out laughing and rolled around on the bed like a maniac.
“Oh... I feel like a Viking now.”
I slapped the Viking helm on my head and checked myself out in the mirror by the front door.
My outfit below the neck was a total letdown, but the helm itself oozed insane cool factor.
“This is gonna sell for a fortune.”
Forget the grade—this had pure aesthetic romance value.
And on top of that, it was a whopping A-Grade.
Its actual performance was top-notch too.
📛 Name:Viking Helm
🏷️ Grade:A
🔮 Attribute:Cannot be Enchanted
🛡️ Damage Absorption:B+
✨ Effects:
- Warrior-class Awakeners gain a 3-stage boost to Stamina when equipped.
[Infused with the Blacksmith's Touch—a special power has seeped in]
➕ Additional Effects:
- Stamina stat increases by 2 stages when equipped.
- If the user receives the Blacksmith's recognition, [Oath of Loyalty (A)] becomes available.
Too bad I couldn't enchant it with an attribute, but I decided the “Viking” label counted as one.
“This...”
I'd use it for a while.
Especially for dumping all my enchantments into it or channeling Viking vibes in clutch moments.
Above all, that damage absorption efficiency was right up my alley.
Gallery users I'd scammed, the guy who thought an electric sword was coming and ended up with a plain iron sword, Chae Yeonhwa working off her debt after getting fleeced...
Come to think of it, quite a few. Who knew when someone might come for me at night?
Plus, it hid my face decently.
“Hoo...”
Armor satisfied me way more than I'd expected.
Honestly, even after unlocking armor crafting, I'd debated activating it—and cool factor was a big part... no, most of that debate.
But now? My mind was changed.
It didn't exist yet, but I dreamed of full-plate sets for the whole guild.
After scraping every Viking video on YouTube late into the night.
I finally rubbed my eyes awake at 1 p.m. the next day.
“Mm...”
No more fretting over equipment crafting tickets meant leisurely mornings.
“Ooh...”
While I slept, two rounds of 5+1 crafting had happened—twelve crafts total—and not a single A-Grade.
“This can't be real...?”
It was.
How did I know no A-Grades came out while I slept?
Last night, I'd tried ignoring them while checking the Viking helm, but failed and glimpsed the other inventory gear in my peripheral vision.
Viking spirit helped me resist a full check, but it must've evaporated overnight.
“Ughhh, how much is all this?!”
The moment I woke up, those blurry A-Grades from last night flooded back, and I couldn't resist checking inventory.
Plop—
Thud—
I dumped every A-Grade onto the bed.
Eleven in total.
Between my first A-Grade longbow and last night's tutorial Viking helm.
Nine more—A-Grade gear nine times in a week.
I inspected their appearances first, then stashed them back one by one, appraising each to savor them.
“Ah... the taste of A-Grade gear.”
Worthy of a first-rate blacksmith, they boasted stellar options.
Only one gripe: just two could take attributes.
An orb and halberd—magic weapons.
“Mm...”
Last night's dilemma lasted way longer than B vs. A.
Conclusion: hold off.
I desperately wanted to enchant and finish weapons now, but bad results or outright failure terrified me.
Out of fourteen straight B-Grade enchants, only two satisfied me.
A-Grades take way longer to stockpile, so even accounting for that, I needed at least five enchantable ones.
“Hoo...”
I barely resisted enchanting, but now my eyes drifted elsewhere.
[Equipment Synthesis]
“Ah...”
Last time, with only one A-Grade, I couldn't check synthesis odds.
Just a peek.
Just check the success rate.
[Synthesize - 5%]
“What the fuck... Why only 5%?!”
I'd half-guessed the odds without checking.
Like B-Grade synthesis matching its 12% craft rate, A-Grade would be 6%... or so I'd thought.
“Who the hell decided to skim 1%?!”
I'd never gotten official 6% info, but it felt like I'd been robbed.
I needed to claw back that dirty feeling somehow.
“5% ain't bad, right?”
Even I knew that was bullshit.
But...
That didn't mean I'd never try.
Failure meant losing an A-Grade, but success? S-Grade.
Plus, first synthesis rewards were probably coming.
High risk, but ultra-high reward gamble.
“L-Let's do this...”
...
『Double-Edged Dagger (A)』 destroyed!
“Fuck...”
“Hoo... hoo...”
I snapped awake from my S-Grade dreams to harsh reality.
Before my eyes wasn't S-Grade, but the A-Grade longbow in the first slot.
“Hah... At least it leaves one behind... Great info...”
I'd wanted to test it someday.
Just not with an A-Grade...
Buy some failed E-Grades cheap from any forge as fodder—easy.
“Hoo......”
Yeah, I learned a ton from this.
5% is brutally tough.
...
To get S-Grade, you destroy a 6% A-Grade with 95% odds!
S-Grade must have insane performance!
Only one piece gets wrecked per synth... Way more attempts than I'd thought!!!
If I'd called this a failure, I'd have gone safe-mode blacksmith life, maybe lost my mind.
But I don't see it as failure.
“Ten... Just ten, and I'm diving in...”
Ten A-Grades, excluding enchantables.
Ten shots—one's gotta hit, right?
Started with eleven; two enchantable, one destroyed.
Just two more A-Grades...
That day, I'd become the supreme blacksmith who'd crafted S-Grade.
S-Grade geeeear! Just one, then I'll live right—please!!!