Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Guild Foundation (2)
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As he began repairing Fenrir's damaged helm and torn cloak, Hyun-soo felt a tinge of regret.
'This is different from the Bell of Ramas.'
The Bell of Ramas was melted down and reforged to restore its divine power.
That's why he could use God's Custom Production.
But this helm and cloak were different.
It was, quite literally, a repair job.
What Hyun-soo regretted were the effects.
'If I were reforging them, I could have tailored the effects perfectly for myself.'
There were too many useless effects.
First, Axe Mastery +2.
Axes were unpopular artifacts among combat classes.
Besides, Hyun-soo didn't see any reason he'd need to use an axe in the future.
Then there was the increased magic defense and lightning resistance.
'The magic defense is decent enough, since it boosts my resistance to magic.'
Still, at his current level, higher physical defense would be better.
And the lightning resistance was particularly useless.
He had no reason to be fighting any lightning-based monsters anytime soon.
But then he recalled the concept of effect application rates.
'Depending on how I repair or craft something, I can maximize the effects I want.'
It was a shame, but Hyun-soo still trusted his skills.
He decided to repair and restore them simultaneously, aiming to maximize their defense.
Just then.
[The title 'God of Blacksmiths' shines.]
[You have acquired God's Custom Repair.]
Hyun-soo's heart pounded.
It had been a while since he'd acquired God's Emergency Production.
With this, Hyun-soo had now unlocked three of the God of Blacksmiths skills.
Custom Production, Emergency Production, and Custom Repair.
And Hyun-soo was excited to see its effect.
(God's Custom Repair)
Active Skill
Grade: God
Level: 1
Effect:
·When repairing, restoring, or reforging an artifact, you can remove unnecessary existing functions and add new effects.
·However, you cannot add unreasonable effects.
·You can add up to 100% of a desired effect.
·If the artifact is repaired with skill superior to that of the original creator, its effects may be enhanced by up to 20%.
"Heh..."
Hyun-soo let out a small gasp of admiration. A power that activated through blacksmithing-related work.
And it must have required certain conditions to be met.
Perhaps it was because he had a history of manual repairs, or maybe because he had reached level 100.
[Beginning God's Custom Repair.]
Upon activation, a hologram displaying the artifact's information appeared.
Then, a screen for modifying that information popped up.
Remove the unnecessary, and maximize the essential.
Over the next two days, Hyun-soo perfectly repaired the two artifacts.
[Repaired with skill superior to that of the original creator.]
[The effects of Fenrir's Broken Helm have been enhanced by 4%, and it has regained its original form.]
[Grade: Unique.]
[Repaired with skill superior to that of the original creator.]
[The effects of Fenrir's Torn Cloak have been enhanced by 8%, and it has regained its original form.]
[Grade: Unique.]
"Heh..."
Hyun-soo smiled with satisfaction.
An upgrade to the Unique grade!
To be honest, Hyun-soo had expected it.
The artifact had been so severely damaged.
Plus, since it was originally an irreparable artifact, he had hoped that successfully repairing it would result in a higher grade.
Hyun-soo checked the two newly transformed artifacts.
(Fenrir's Helm)
Grade: Unique
Durability: 6,000/6,000
Defense: 249
Requirements: None for creator, Level 250+ Combat Class
Special Abilities:
·Strength +1%, Stamina +1%.
·Active Skill: King's Howling.
·Passive Skill: Rip and Tear.
·Equipping two of the three set artifacts increases all effects by 7%.
·Equipping all three increases all effects by 15%.
·Something special might happen.
Description: Fenrir's helm, which was so severely damaged that it had completely lost its original form. It has been restored by a blacksmith of superior skill.
(Fenrir's Cloak)
Grade: Unique
Durability: 1,000/8,000
Defense: 333
Requirements: None for creator, Level 250+ Combat Class
Special Abilities:
·Sword Mastery Lv.2 increase.
·Bow Mastery Lv.1 increase.
·Attack and Defense +10% against wolf-type monsters.
·Active Skill: Wolf's Gait.
·Passive Skill: King of Wolves.
·Equipping two of the three set artifacts increases all effects by 7%.
·Equipping all three increases all effects by 15%.
·Something special might happen.
Description: Fenrir's cloak, which was so badly torn that it had completely lost its original form. It has been restored by a blacksmith of superior skill.
Hyun-soo immediately equipped them.
[You have equipped Fenrir's Helm and Fenrir's Cloak.]
[The set effect has been applied, increasing all effects by 7%.]
Hyun-soo felt a surge of pride. The bonus for equipping two pieces had jumped from 3% to 7%.
Even better, the bonus for equipping all three had been upgraded from 10% to 15%.
Furthermore, the helm's defense had risen from 148 to 249, and the cloak's from 201 to 333.
'With this much of a difference in defense, the reduction in incoming damage will be huge.'
He was also pleased with the newly changed effects, but what he liked most was the appearance.
Then, Hyun-soo's expression turned curious.
'What's this?'
A line written in the effects.
'Something special might happen.'
It was written on both artifacts.
"Is it because I repaired something that was irreparable?"
Ares had its little hints.
"Maybe this happened because I was the one who repaired it, not the original creator."
Of course, Hyun-soo had no idea what that effect might be for now.
He would find out in time.
Hyun-soo set off for an audience with the Sword King, Barad. On the way, he realized he was drawing quite a bit of attention.
He bought a mask from a street stall.
As he walked on, players started whispering.
"Must be an unofficial ranker."
"Wow... that artifact is seriously cool."
"Doesn't it look like a wolf?"
Hyun-soo arrived at the castle and was led into the garden by Bella.
Coincidentally, there were wolves in the garden.
[King of Wolves]
[You exude the dignity of a king toward monsters classified as beasts.]
[If their level is higher than yours, they will tremble in fear for 4 seconds.]
[Monsters of a similar level or up to 30 levels higher will be afflicted with the Fear status effect.]
*Whine, whimper, whine...*
Seeing the wolves backing away, Hyun-soo winced.
He quickly took off his mask and bowed, and Barad spoke.
"Let me introduce my dear friend, Hyun-soo."
For some reason, Hyun-soo felt a swell of pride.
[Your intimacy with Balo has increased.]
The man standing next to His Majesty, presumably a high-ranking noble, gave an enigmatic smile.
"I see. Now I understand Your Majesty's intentions. Should anyone try to bend your will, I will lend my strength. I, too, look forward to this."
Indeed, Balo was looking forward to it. How far would this man climb in the kingdom?
And he recognized the king's shrewdness.
'What a relief that he can be tied down with something as simple as a piece of land.'
Soon, Balo bowed his head and departed.
Then, for a short while, the two of them spoke like old friends, catching up.
Soon, they got to the main point.
"In the west, there is a small territory called Balas. It was a prosperous territory just a few decades ago, but not anymore. Some of the nobles are even suggesting we abolish the territory altogether. But I am the king."
As Barad spoke, a look of love and hate filled his eyes.
His people could be vexing at times, but they were also precious to him.
"They will lose their homes and be forced to leave. I want you to go there, find out why this happened, and revive the territory."
As Hyun-soo listened in silence, Barad continued.
"Keep it from collapsing. If you can achieve just 20% development, I will grant you a great reward. I'll give you 20,000 gold for every 10%."
A strange light flickered in Hyun-soo's eyes.
'He's offering 20 million won for every 10%?'
But Hyun-soo realized something.
It was a territory, after all.
Developing even a small territory by 10% was no easy task.
'Why would he ask a mere level 101 player to develop a territory?'
Hyun-soo soon caught on.
'There must be something there that only I can do.'
Barad then said.
"I've rented an old smithy for you there, so you can head right over."
Hyun-soo needed a base of operations, even a temporary one, and the timing was perfect.
A notification for 'Quest: Develop the Balas Territory' appeared, and Hyun-soo accepted.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After bidding Barad farewell, Hyun-soo immediately set off for the Balas territory.
Upon arriving in Balas, Hyun-soo understood why Barad had sent him here.
Smithies lined the street on both sides.
'A blacksmith's territory...?'
Yes, Balas was a territory of blacksmiths. Hyun-soo made his way to the temporary smithy Barad had told him about.
"Ha, haha..."
Arriving at the location Barad mentioned, Hyun-soo couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
*Creeak*
*Thud—*
As if to greet him, the old, worn-out sign of the smithy fell to the ground right in front of him.
The smithy was the smallest one around, and the inside looked like it needed a complete overhaul.
Hyun-soo rolled up his sleeves and went inside.
***
Pere, an old man who ran a small smithy, watched the new owner arrive.
He'd heard that the newcomer was level 101.
Barely a novice blacksmith who'd just reached the intermediate level.
Come to think of it, the smithy suited him perfectly.
The fact that it was a rental, not a purchase, spoke volumes about his financial situation.
But soon, other people arrived.
A very beautiful woman dressed in beginner's clothes spoke.
"Hohoho, a perfect disguise, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's perfect."
A little later, a middle-aged man who looked like a tank, clad in worn-out armor, also came in.
"Reminds me of my rookie days."
Watching them, Pere chuckled.
'They don't seem like bad people, but they're certainly strange.'
To hear them talk, you'd think they were some great hidden masters.
But Pere knew the reality: their master was a level 101 novice blacksmith.
And what was with this kid?
"Mr. Hyun-soo!"
A boy with a face full of black soot came running, a pickaxe slung over his back.
"This is our miner, Banya."
The still-youthful boy, the woman, the middle-aged man, and the owner of the smithy all exchanged greetings.
And before long, they came out of the now perfectly tidied-up smithy and stood side by side, looking at it.
"It's finally starting."
"That's right."
The young miner named Banya was a bit more candid.
"This place is just a rental, but let's buy our own smithy later and expand one by one."
The middle-aged man chuckled at that.
"Of course! That's more than possible!"
The woman smiled too.
"I'll do my best to support you all from the back, hoho!"
And the young blacksmith standing in the very center grinned broadly.
"Let's aim for the top!"
Pere watched them and guffawed.
He didn't mean it in a bad way.
It just reminded him of his own youth.
Of those days when, despite having no skill, no strength, and nothing to his name, he was brimming with spirit, shouting about climbing to the top.
But he didn't know.
That the level 101 blacksmith would one day save his life.