The Masterpiece of a Crafter
Refining materials is a delicate art; depending on their composition, they often refuse to blend, clashing instead of harmonizing. The greater the blacksmith, the better they manage these materials, maximizing the synergistic effects of their fusion. Clang! Clang! Items made from common materials like steel have their limits. It is said that a truly skilled blacksmith can push steel to its absolute threshold, crafting items with the attack power and durability of those made from special metals. However, a blacksmith of that caliber would likely produce far superior results using those special metals to begin with. I decided to upgrade my gear by incorporating beryllium and a touch of mithril into the steel.
◈ Details: A top-tier blacksmithing material. Natural mithril is extremely difficult to obtain, and even a small amount significantly enhances the performance of crafted items. It possesses a clear luster similar to silver and holds resistance against mana-based effects. Requires significant blacksmithing skill to utilize.
Beryllium and mithril are harder than steel; they cannot be forged with mere brute force. A blacksmith, as a production-class, requires strength and stamina, but mental fortitude and patience are equally essential. After melting the metals and pouring them into the mold, the process of tempering begins—hammering along the curved surfaces. It is a repetitive cycle of heating, striking, and cooling to increase defense and durability. Hiss!
◈ Details: Water saturated with mana. Regular consumption can increase the Mana stat and improve physical capabilities. This water, used to cool the equipment, is more expensive than iron ore of the same weight. Purchased via the Gallery.
I spent the next day, and even some time after the sun had set, hammering away at the gear. It was a task requiring immense patience, but it was a noble endeavor—crafting the very armor that would protect my life, the gear I would spend so much time with. While I was at it, I melted down my war hammer and forged a new one. After finishing the repetitive work that demanded strength, stamina, and focus, the creations were complete!
Production successful.
Stats increased: Strength, Stamina, Mana.
Experience increased.
Level increased.
Skill proficiency increased.
Production skill grade has ascended to match your rank: D > A. Performance during production is significantly increased. Options are positively adjusted.
◈ Details: Extremely sturdy. Does not obstruct vision. The jet-black surface and subtly glowing luster could be considered a work of art. Despite this, its superior defense makes it so that even most attacks won't cause a shock.
◈ Stats: Durability 110/110, Defense 76
◈ Protection: Immune to vision blur, dizziness, and confusion status effects when struck.
◈ Intimidation: If the opponent yields, their physical abilities are reduced by half.
◈ Fighting Spirit: Breaks the opponent's mental fortitude. Less likely to be intimidated by strong enemies.
◈ Resistance: Absorbs mana to reduce damage from mana attacks by 15%.
◈ Cohesion: Draws in surrounding mana, increasing mana recovery by 10%.
◈ Restriction: Strength E, Stamina E or higher.
◈ Details: Extremely sturdy. Flexible joint movement makes it comfortable to wear. The smooth, curved surface effectively deflects enemy attacks. A perfect fusion of beryllium, mithril, and steel.
◈ Stats: Durability 198/198, Defense 210
◈ Sturdiness: Durability does not decrease unless hit by a powerful impact.
◈ Flexibility: Damage reduced by up to 92% when deflecting attacks off the curved surface.
◈ Absorption: Absorbs mana to increase mana recovery by 28% and reduces damage from mana attacks by 42%.
◈ Toughness: Status effect duration reduced by 32%. Immune to status effects below a certain level.
◈ Secret Art of Defense: Armor defense increases by up to 60% when the opponent's attack power is high.
◈ Exclusion: 40% damage reduction from weapons made of iron.
◈ Rampart: Defense applied to all parts of the wearer's body.
◈ Restriction: Strength E, Stamina E, Mana E or higher.
◈ Details: Boots that provide complete foot protection. High mithril content and even distribution provide excellent magic resistance. Extremely light and comfortable for long-term wear.
◈ Stats: Durability 80/80, Defense 52
◈ Lightness: Movement stamina consumption reduced by 21%, movement speed increased by 15%.
◈ Running: Consumes mana to increase movement speed by up to 40%.
◈ Agile Movement: Recovers from movement-restricting status effects 74% faster.
◈ Recovery: Stamina recovers while both feet are on the ground.
◈ Absorption: Absorbs mana to increase mana recovery by 21% and reduces damage from mana attacks by 32%.
◈ Balance: Easy to move even on rough terrain.
◈ Restriction: Stamina E, Mana E or higher.
◈ Details: The power of this war hammer is enough to crush anything. The saturated mana reacts to the user's mana, dealing powerful damage to enemies.
◈ Stats: Durability 170/170, Attack Power 120-180
◈ Mana Shock: When attacking using mana, adds physical defense-ignoring damage equal to half the attack power.
◈ Parry: No damage taken when blocking with the weapon.
◈ Destruction: Reduces the opponent's defense by 5% on hit, stacking up to 65%. Effect lasts for 3 hours.
◈ Crush: Reduces protection-related effects by 50%.
◈ Vanguard: Increases the strength of subordinates by 15% when leading them.
◈ Weakening: Deals triple damage to large monsters. Reduces the enemy's maximum health by half of the damage dealt. Effect lasts for 3 hours.
◈ Restriction: Strength E, Stamina E.
"How are there so many?" The absurd items born from the combination of special materials and abilities purchased from the special shop! I couldn't believe I had crafted them myself. Reading through the options felt like a feast for my eyes. "I can't believe I made these." I lifted the war hammer, and it felt perfect in my hand. "I could wipe out monsters with this. If I put this up for auction in the Gallery, how much would I even get?"
It had been about 49 years since the Tower appeared, but even rare-grade items were a rarity, let alone legendary ones. It was a given that they were managed at the national level. And items dropped in the Tower always had lower durability, attack, and defense stats than crafted items. This was a truth immediately apparent when comparing common, high, and rare items. The gear I had made had specs superior to any item ever seen in auction history. It was impossible to estimate their value. Nations would probably fight to buy them. "Not that I have any intention of selling them."
Special materials are very expensive and in short supply. If I wanted to get as much as I needed, I would have to climb the Tower myself. Using this gear, even the Hell difficulty would be a joke for the middle floors, and the upper floors would be a breeze. I had used up almost all the points I earned from 'Perfect Repair' to reinforce and craft these items. Since my wallet was feeling light, I decided to mass-produce steel swords to sell before entering the Tower. To facilitate this, I used my remaining points to purchase basic molds for swords and armor.
For mass production, I melted the steel, poured it into the molds to set, and then hammered them to finish. It wasn't the performance of custom gear, but it was equipment designed to produce many items in a short time. While I used a crucible for individual crafting, I used molds for this, melting the ore, removing impurities, and pouring it into the frames to create the basic shape of the swords. I hammered the red-hot blades and quenched them in cold water, creating steel swords in an instant.
◈ Details: A sharply forged steel sword.
◈ Stats: Durability 80/80, Attack Power 30-40
◈ Preemptive Strike: If you attack the opponent first and deal damage, attack power increases by 10% until the end of the battle.
◈ Restriction: Strength F, Agility F or higher.
Even though it was a common grade, it performed better than the high-grade steel swords I had made before. Back then, my skill grade was F, but now, with the adjustments, it was A. Was it because I made them in a mass-production style that the grade was low, but the durability and attack power were high due to the skill grade bonus? Well, it worked in my favor. I was curious about what kind of item I would get if I poured my heart and soul into crafting a steel weapon, but I set that curiosity aside and continued my work.
"Alright. Let's keep making them." I decided to use all the remaining iron ore to craft steel swords. Melt in the furnace, pour into the mold, shape, hammer, cool—repeat. When I finally came to my senses, the two tons of iron ore were gone, and in their place, hundreds of steel swords were piled up. I saw a few high-grade ones occasionally, but for now, I registered them all for immediate sale, restricted to South Korea. With the little molten metal left, I mixed in crushed magic stone powder and poured it into ring molds to craft steel rings.
◈ Details: A ring made by mixing steel and magic stone. Draws in surrounding mana.
◈ Stats: Durability 10/10
◈ Cohesion: Draws in surrounding mana, increasing mana recovery by 8%.
◈ Restriction: Mana F or higher.
I only had basic knowledge of artifacts, so this was my limit. I needed to shape the basic flow of mana and carve mana circuits according to the material's properties, but I was still inexperienced, and I needed more information to craft higher-tier artifacts. I'd have to check the special shop later. After making 10 detachable steel rings for my gloves so they wouldn't interfere with combat, I also crafted earrings and bracelets. Their performance was similar to the rings, but because there were so many, they added up to a performance that couldn't be ignored.
After finishing the artifact crafting, I checked the date through the Gallery and realized a day and a half had passed; it was evening. I'd gone silent without a word, so my family must have been worried. As soon as I stepped out of the Dimension Workshop, there was no one in the house. I sent a text to my parents apologizing, saying I'd been out with friends and my phone had died, so I only just saw their messages. Looking at my bed, I saw a note left on the blanket stating that the basement had been converted into a workshop and that I should leave items there when working. Had Manager Lee Seung-jun stopped by?
I tossed the note into the Dimension Workshop's furnace to incinerate it and lay down on the bed. Tomorrow, I start climbing the Tower again.