The Birth of a Master Crafter

The items produced by the All-Purpose Crafter class had a significant variance between their low and high damage outputs. The bonus attack power applied to an item would gradually decrease based on its current durability, and since the rate of decline accelerated as durability dropped, one was forced to grit their teeth and repair the item. Even with the penalty of a permanent reduction in maximum durability, if the durability hit zero, the item would be completely destroyed.

After crafting my first steel sword at a High grade, I had produced five more at the Normal grade, but I wasn't disappointed. I had used the iron ore provided for free, and the durability and attack power were nearly at the High level anyway.

"Whew. It’s still afternoon, so why not try another ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠project?"

Munching on a chocolate bar I’d brought in before entering, I uploaded all the crafted steel swords to the sales board. Passing by a table filled with various flasks, I saw several sheets of tanned leather hanging on a rack.

Mutated animal hides were commonly used to craft survival gear for low-floor climbers. Because they were abundant and infused with mana, they performed much better than regular leather when crafting items. I cut the already-tanned leather with scissors, threaded a needle with the giant spider silk, and began to sew. Before long, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the result was ready.

Working with leather was a different kind of challenge compared to swinging a hammer. Cutting the leather to size and sewing the pieces together was exhausting. Above all, the faint, lingering stench of the tanned leather gave me a headache. I shuddered at the thought of having to do the tanning process myself.

I crafted leather armor, greaves, bracers, and hats, then registered them on the sales board at prices higher than the market average. I expected them to sell well because, aside from durability and defense, they came with small but useful options. If they didn't sell, I could just lower the price and re-list them. Today, I’d use up all the ore and leather, craft everything, and sell it all. Usually, I’d have to buy materials, but since the skill provided the workshop and materials like a starter pack, it was a total goldmine.

Clang! Clang!

The clear, resonant sound echoed through the workshop. Because of my pathetic stamina stat, I had to take a break after every item, so I’d massage my muscles, browse the Gallery, and resume crafting once my stamina recovered. The materials were gone in no time.

"Time to clock out!"

Now, it was time to rest while waiting for the items to sell. Since there was still time left before evening, I decided to pack my things to move into my studio apartment. It was right next door, but it couldn't be helped. After all, the compromise I reached with my parents—who originally didn't want me to move out—was to live in the unit right next to them. My parents were well-off, so it didn't really matter, but I couldn't tell the difference between living there and staying in my own room.

As I packed, I checked the Gallery and saw the number of comments on the real-time trending posts skyrocketing. I clicked on one out of curiosity.

"Wait, that's what I posted."

My sales posts were being flooded with comments like crazy. The prices were within my expectations—slightly higher than the sum of the attack power and durability. They were expensive, but since a single F-rank magic stone could net you an average of 100 points in the Gallery, and monsters were guaranteed to drop magic stones, climbers were diving into item purchases with eyes burning with greed.

High drop rates for magic stones, low drop rates for items, limited supply of crafted items, and the cycle of durability loss and destruction meant item prices were trending upward. Demand absolutely outstripped supply. And that was just for Normal items; for Rare grade and above, the price was whatever the seller demanded. Even high-floor climbers were trending toward using multiple Normal items and one high-grade item. In this climate, a new nickname appearing and dumping several blacksmith-made items and leather armor pieces caused quite a stir.

I watched my nickname dominate the recruitment board, then opened the Free Board and wrote a post.

"Just uploaded another one. Please buy them at a high price."

As soon as I registered the post, comments started pouring in.

Seeing the Sword Saint—who uses a Rare grade sword—appear in the comments, I realized that crafting a High grade item in just one day was a massive shock. The comments were multiplying exponentially. Heh. After setting the sales and free boards on fire, I closed the Gallery, imagining my soon-to-be-plump point wallet.

I sighed at my still-unrecovered stamina. My ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lack of stamina and strength made my efficiency terrible, but if I just climbed the lower floors to balance out my strength, stamina, and mana stats, I’d be able to mass-produce items. Since I knew nothing about swords, I decided to craft and use warhammer-type weapons that just needed to be swung.

"I have two hides left, so I'll make two sets—sell one and wear one."

Since the strategies for each floor were public on the Association’s site to help with climber survival rates and point acquisition, I’d be able to climb to some extent. As I planned for the future, I felt my stamina recover and picked up the hammer again. Should I start by crafting a warhammer to smash some monster skulls? The remaining material was Black Iron Stone—a metal that was extremely hard and infused with mana. It was a special mineral that didn't exist on Earth. Perhaps because of its properties, it was so hard that you had to keep pumping mana into it during smelting just to shape it.

"Perfect for making with a hammer."

I put the Black Iron Stone into the crucible and shoved it into the furnace.