Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Forest and Rocks (4)
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The highest-grade blueprint I'd seen so far had only been C-rank at best.
The sturdy steel hammer I'd gifted to the dwarves.
Even for Boneflesh, a mid-tier Lv. 2 blacksmith, it had felt a bit too ambitious a weapon to craft.
"Here! Take this! It's a copy, and the original's kept separate, so no need to feel burdened!"
"Take this one too! It'd just gather dust at home anyway!"
But today.
I was about to receive a mountain of blueprints.
All of them B-rank or higher.
'My god...'
The blueprints came in all varieties.
Mysterious tools and weapons of every kind.
There was even a blueprint for an elf bow.
'How much would these fetch if I sold them?'
Of course, I wasn't shortsighted enough to sell off my precious blueprints and capital.
Still.
Could anyone really put a price on the value of these?
"Hold on a second. Hand them over slowly. I'll check each one carefully."
I hurriedly gathered up the blueprints.
"I'll make sure to craft whichever ones catch your eye first. Ah, set them here. Thank you!"
It felt just like stuffing golden nuggets into a sack beneath the goose that lays golden eggs.
The dwarves were straightforward and generous to a fault.
I'd only crafted a single weapon for them, yet here they were handing over treasures like they were nothing.
How much time passed like that?
"Huh? Hey! Isn't that Tonir over there?"
"Tonir?"
That was when a few dwarves started whispering and glancing back.
"What's Tonir doing here?"
"Ooh, is Tonir bringing blueprints too?"
I turned to look as well.
Who was this Tonir guy?
"Kuh, Tonir? Isn't that the renowned blacksmith clan? Back in the day, all the elite warriors of the land wielded weapons from the Tonir clan."
"You're right. Tonir clan weapons are legendary. Even the few that remain shine as brightly as ever after all these ages."
"Whoa, then if we could just craft that one?"
"It might not be impossible to drive those damn elves from the face of the earth!"
Hope began to fill the murmuring dwarves' eyes.
That little dwarf clan must be something special.
Tonir approached me before long and spoke up.
"You there."
He held out a single blueprint clutched in his hand.
It was just a scrap of paper.
Yet somehow, it seemed to shine brighter than any the other dwarves had brought. Was that my imagination?
"Think you can craft this?"
"......"
Gulp!
I swallowed hard and took the blueprint.
[Item: Titan's Thunder Hammer]
[Grade: A]
[Type: Blueprint]
[Description: A design schematic for crafting the 'Titan's Thunder Hammer.']
[Effect 1: Allows crafting of 'Titan's Thunder Hammer.']
[Effect 2: Requires 'Iron Ingot' x100, 'Silver Ingot' x20, 'Mithril Ingot' x2, 'Wood Scrap' x30.]
[Effect 3: Due to its complex crafting difficulty, it boasts exceptional performance.]
'...What is this?'
I was stunned.
An A-rank blueprint.
Even on Earth, the value of an A-rank blueprint defied imagination.
It meant mass-producing expensive A-rank items.
'S-rank is out of the question.'
S-rank weapons felt utterly unique.
I hadn't even heard rumors of blueprints for them existing.
'And... it requires so many materials?'
I couldn't assume that was all.
Factor in the materials lost to failures, and the total needed would be countless.
'And mithril ingots?'
Boneflesh's smelting skills still couldn't produce mithril ingots.
No, before that—could Boneflesh even craft an A-rank weapon with his 'Mid-tier Item Crafting' (Lv2)?
Creak!
Boneflesh approached, hammer in hand.
A fierce glint emanated from his eye sockets.
I could feel his crafting urge.
[Examining blueprint: 'Titan's Thunder Hammer.']
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[Blueprint difficulty exceeds skill level.]
[High probability of failure.]
"Ah......"
I stared blankly at the message.
Was an A-rank blueprint still beyond my reach?
Clack! Clack! Clack!
But Boneflesh vigorously shook his head.
As if to say he could do it, he confidently raised his hammer.
"You want to give that a shot?"
Nod, nod.
He affirmed it boldly.
Tsk. I smacked my lips.
'Well.'
A high chance of failure.
Put positively, that meant success was possible.
Plus, if he pulled it off, Boneflesh's skill proficiency could skyrocket.
"The problem's the mithril, though......"
"Don't worry about that."
Tonir stepped forward as I rubbed my chin in thought.
"The clan has spare mithril in storage. If you'll take the challenge, we'll provide it without hesitation."
"Really?"
"Yes. We crave that weapon that badly."
"......"
Whoa.
Even the materials were covered?
Then I had nothing to lose.
"Alright, let's do it."
I nodded crisply as well.
* * *
"Hoho, you're challenging the Thunder Hammer, eh?"
"Give it your all."
"You're our Rock Clan's hope, you know."
Word of my challenge spread quickly through Titan.
The dwarves stopped approaching for the time being and cheered from a distance.
They watched me with eyes full of anticipation.
"......"
Clang! Clang!
Boneflesh hammered down with force.
[Completion: 30%]
Clang! Clang!
[Completion: 35%]
[Crafting failed.]
[Materials consumed.]
"Damn."
The process was as grueling as I'd feared.
Even Boneflesh, who started out confident, tilted his head in confusion.
His body wasn't keeping up with his thoughts, no doubt.
Still, Boneflesh gave it his all.
Crafting a high-level weapon.
That demanded an immense investment of time and effort.
Even the slightest hesitation in a hammer strike.
[Crack forms.]
[Crafting failed.]
[Materials consumed.]
Everything he'd built vanished.
"Boneflesh."
I stayed by his side.
I didn't leave everything to him—I tried to endure alongside.
"Don't give up. I've learned that the hard way. Nothing's impossible with effort."
Yeah.
Had there been any real effort in our blacksmithing up to now?
Was it truly effort when we'd just used the skill and it popped out perfectly?
Not system proficiency—real proficiency.
The kind etched into the body through hundreds, thousands of repetitions.
Bodying the technique.
That might be what Boneflesh needed.
Clang! Clang!
A clear metallic ring echoed through the mine.
I sat cross-legged beside him.
Taecheong Heart Method.
Calming my mind, sensing my qi, sinking into thought.
Clang! Clang!
His hammer strikes slowed in sync.
It was happening as we communed.
'How should I swing it? In what way?'
'How can I deliver even force without upsetting the balance?'
Boneflesh's dilemmas flowed into my mind.
In that process.
I felt the pride of his 'Blacksmith' class.
Clang! Clang! Claaang!
In that moment.
His hammer began to move with even greater grace.
'Thunder....... The designer wanted to infuse this weapon with lightning speed.'
'To plunge enemies into terror with thunderous roars.'
Lightning symbolized fear.
The light's iron mace plummeting from the sky—unpredictable where or when it would strike.
Incredibly swift and intense to boot.
Clang! Clang!
The imagery I'd conjured began infusing Boneflesh's hammer.
The Taecheong Heart Method's qi churned like lightning.
"Huh?"
"No way!"
"L-Look at that! Lightning's flowing on the hammer!"
The distant dwarves started buzzing.
Stunned by the unprecedented sight.
"I-I heard about this once! Our ancestors said the same phenomenon appeared when they hammered!"
"Yeah! They said it happens when you pour your soul into the hammer!"
"Soul?"
"Yeah, soul! We called blacksmiths who could infuse their soul true masters!"
The dwarves gathered one by one to watch Boneflesh's hammering.
The lost legacy of the Rock Clan.
Emotion was clear on their faces.
"......"
My body trembled too.
'Boneflesh.'
What was he, really?
How could he infuse that 'soul' with just a mid-tier item crafting skill?
And not even his own thoughts—but mere lingering echoes of a soul in a dead man's body.
[Completion: 2%]
Clang! Claaaang!
'Whoa.'
I sighed inwardly.
This hammering was clearly far more intense and taxing than any before.
Yet completion wasn't rising properly.
What kind of weapon was trying to be born that demanded this?
Clang! Clang!
One hour passed, then two.
Finally, a full day.
[Completion: 21%]
"......"
24 hours of work for a measly 21%.
One consolation, though.
No more failure messages.
Clang! Clang!
Boneflesh didn't stop hammering.
Nor did I cease circulating the Taecheong Heart Method.
At one point, I instinctively summoned the old man.
But he watched my focused form, nodded, and vanished.
Clang! Claaang!
Rumors had already flooded Titan.
"A true blacksmith......"
"That guy's the real deal!"
"Ahh, that artisan's passion pierces the depths of my soul from here!"
Now it was a trance.
Even the dwarves' cheers faded from my ears.
Blacksmithing connected to 'qi' after all.
Into Boneflesh's storm-like hammering.
I poured my energy.
His strikes grew even more fluid.
He danced.
Mansul hadn't been wrong.
And unlike the old man, my Mansul surely carried a blacksmith's soul.
* * *
"Hmm."
A ghost watched Joo Dong-hoon from behind with a pleased gaze.
A wrinkled face, clad in white mourning garb.
The absolute master of this world, the Mansul virtuoso.
The old man thought.
'This turned out better than expected.'
'Watching that hammering is bringing him even closer to 'qi.''
'Taecheong Heart Method's already reaching advanced levels.'
He was satisfied.
At first, he hadn't liked how the kid chased petty tricks.
But not anymore.
'Hoho, I underestimated the Taecheong Vessel Rebirth Grand Method.'
Even though he'd created it himself.
A technique he'd never tested.
A secret art that could turn a dullard like trash into a heaven-sent genius!
Its power was indeed extraordinary.
Joo Dong-hoon.
He was undoubtedly.
Learning blacksmithing for the first time in his life, without any master, all on his own.
Gleaning insights from actions, evolving them into his own.
Creating his unique techniques.
That was the path of a genius!
Clang! Clang!
The hammering was done by Boneflesh, sure.
The dwarves before his eyes cheered for Boneflesh.
'But.'
The old man knew.
The hammering wasn't Boneflesh alone.
Joo Dong-hoon's imagery layered onto Boneflesh's precise strikes.
Seeing the hammer take shape.
It evoked a power rivaling his own weapons from his prime.
'Amazing kid. Freaky kid.'
Yeah.
This time, he was genuinely impressed.
The kid always slipped around, but he had to acknowledge this.
And.
'Now you finally act like my disciple.'
The old man decided to postpone training for a while.
For Joo Dong-hoon now.
Self-gained knowledge mattered more than forced infusions.
"......"
Having watched his disciple contentedly.
After an hour, the old man vanished with a whoosh!
Feeling pride for the first time.