Chapter 55

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 55

Chapter Title: Holy Kingdom (2)

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No matter how close we were, with no real hierarchy between us, I couldn't let my authority as guild master crumble.

I'd heard somewhere that a guild whose master loses their dignity is destined to collapse.

"Hoo..."

I hadn't been waiting for this exact moment, but the timing was perfect—five equipment creation tickets would soon be ready.

It had to be heaven's way of telling me to prove my abilities to the guild members.

Before we knew it, we were all seated around the living room table, which had turned into the proving ground and discussion hub for Boastful Guild.

"Ah! It's been five hours already!"

Hyeji checked the clock after sitting down and started excitedly stomping her feet.

Drawing equipment—no, crafting it—was undeniably a dopamine rush, fun as hell.

"Alright, everyone, focus up."

Hyeji and Yena snapped to attention at my words.

Confirming their perfect attitudes, I continued.

"You thought I'd been crafting equipment willy-nilly so far, right? Truth is, it was all part of a systematic plan. I'm about to share that plan with you."

We had eight minutes until all five equipment creation tickets were ready.

In that time, there was one thing I needed to clarify.

These two were Boastful Guild's only members—and my closest aides long-term—so it made sense to precisely share the utilization plans for the crafted gear.

Yena had been puzzled before when I supplied the Saintess with the Ring of Protection, and there'd be more support for other guilds or individuals ahead. I needed to clearly explain the criteria.

I'd previously categorized them as sales, personal use, support, and synthesis, but with circumstances changed, I planned to reorganize and explain afresh.

"First off, we only have two B-rank items. One's the kukri Hyeji has, and the other's going up on the Gallery for the B-rank giveaway event. So, Hyeji, you absolutely cannot break that kukri."

"Got it! I'll use it carefully!"

"No, just don't use it at all if you can help it. You want to raid more gates?"

"Of course! Miracle!... Oh."

"That Miracle run's on hiatus anyway. If you really wanna go, Yena can tag along for a bit."

Snagging another B-rank would just mean headaches.

I'd once considered buying whatever popped up at auction since tickets were more precious than ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cash, but learning how equipment dictates job tech trees changed that.

"You know I'm holding off on A-rank gear until something suits you perfectly, right? The kukri's ideal for now, so do not break it."

"Okay..."

A side effect: her sulking. But at least I'd curbed Hyeji's accident-prone tendencies. Now, time to select gear with pending craft reservations.

"The top-priority items to craft are these four."

Writing it out on the blackboard definitely boosted their focus.

Thanks to Secretary Lim Ahjung for sourcing it. Hyeji was listening intently, not even biting her nails.

Though maybe because her own gear was top priority.

"Of course, handing these out for free isn't the plan. As you probably get, these folks are all slated for our S-rank gate raid team."

"Mm~"

"Yena gets it right away. Like I said before, gear loans only for the foreseeable future. We've got plenty of cash—we can burn through it lavishly without issue."

"I get it too!"

"Good. That's E-rank worthy honor."

A great leader provides clear direction to their team, they say.

In that sense, wasn't I a great leader, a great guild master?

"But Yujun, prioritizing something doesn't guarantee we can craft it, right? It's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all random anyway?"

...

"If we pray clearly knowing what we want, maybe it'll work better...?"

Yena hit the nail on the head, but what could I do?

[Custom Craft] was a trash feature letting you burn five tickets on one shot. All we could do was pray harder.

——

"Alright, time to start the gear prayer ritual."

"Gear prayer ritual...?"

"Hyeji, you know what a rain dance is?"

"What's a rain dance...?"

"...Praying for rain."

"Oh! So gear prayer ritual is praying to succeed at crafting?!"

"Exactly."

The kid followed instructions well. Teach her one thing, she got two... or at least one. Reassuring.

Anyway, now ritual-hardened, we each took our roles like pros.

I pulled every item from my inventory; Yena levitated them with wind magic.

Hyeji knelt on the sofa chair, rubbing her hands furiously.

"For this craft, praying for Hyeji's boundless growth—let her lead the prayer."

"Y-Yeah! I'll do it!"

Hyeji rubbing her hands raw with enthusiasm was motivating.

"G-God! Please give me an A-rank dagger! If you do it today, I swear I won't break it, and if it does break, I'll fix it up and use it forever till I die! N-Now?!"

"No, you can't press it, so I have to."

"Oh, then again! Press it right when I finish!"

A deflating method, but the stage was set.

I crafted right on cue as her chant ended.

Squish—

"Goooooo!!!"

Shff shff shff shff shff shff shff shff shff

"P-Please...!"

...

"Hyeji ruined it."

Yena's blunt fact stabbed into Hyeji's ear as she mourned the tragedy.

A-rank success odds were abysmal anyway, and who prayed—or didn't—didn't definitively sway it.

It wasn't Hyeji's fault; Yena was just teasing.

"Sorryyy..."

"It's fine. Prayer doesn't guarantee success."

"Ughhh... I'm trashhh..."

"Seriously, it's okay? Wasn't expecting much."

A-rank odds: a whopping 6%.

Failure: 94%.

Expect failure, celebrate success—better for mental health.

"Maybe restart the macro. Praying every time is exhausting."

Time to switch grades anyway.

"Ughhhh— Sorry. Waaahhh!—"

"Sigh, it's fine..."

I reluctantly approached to hug and console the crying Hyeji... only to get bound by Yena's wind magic.

"It's okay~ Hyeji, you boosted the post mentioning the Saintess's spot. Yujun handled the craft, so it's his bad luck~"

"Ung... R-Really...?"

"Yeah... My bad..."

Once more, I played the villain to successfully console Hyeji.

...

"This won't do."

That craft was to uphold my authority as Boastful Guild's master.

Not just a craft fail—I'd failed to protect my dignity too.

"Hoo..."

For a blacksmith, there's one moment you never dodge a fight.

When someone says you're unlucky.

In my probability-driven world of success and failure, nothing hits harder.

"Yena, Hyeji. Sit back down. Still got work to do."

I'd planned to hold off for a while.

Even if ten A-ranks piled up, I'd endure.

But what choice now?

Facing a must-win moment.

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

—

"Y-Yujun..."

Even the ever-composed Yena gaped at my phone screen.

She'd heard the infamous horror stories of synthesis and grasped the gravity instantly.

A-rank synthesis—5% success rate.

Miserable odds, and materials vanished without trace. Brutal.

Yet I pulled it out because the payoff matched.

Watching Yena's power with Eye of the Storm cemented it.

Stack A-ranks forever; one S-rank trumps them all.

Even without full power, it'd overwhelm S-rank Awakener Chae Yeonhwa.

"Yena, if this 5% hits... take back what you said earlier?"

"W-Which? That you crafted it...?"

"No, that I'm unlucky."

"..."

Yena had to respect me.

I was the world's sole EX-rank Awakener, blacksmith, maker of S-rank Eye of the Storm...

Anyway.

I wasn't gambling blindly.

Crafting Eye of the Storm had revealed an S-rank recipe existed.

Find it, and it'd craft guaranteed, bypassing 5%.

These two—Belt and Gauntlets of Herculean Might—shared identical affixes and base options: Stage 4 Strength boost.

Man proposes, heaven disposes.

Even Zhuge Liang couldn't touch luck's domain.

But I'd do it now.

Turn 5% into 100%.

With my insight.