Rolling Thunder Jijak! Give It Back Right Now!

After wrapping up my tower run and heading home, I checked out the new ability I'd picked up.

"A restoration ability, huh. I like it."

It was a new skill unlocked when my Blacksmith level went up.

Of course, it wasn't free restoration with zero conditions attached.

I'd figure out what materials it needed when I crafted a weapon for my new familiar, Undtung.

"Where should I burn the 100% success ticket I got as a level-up reward…"

Undtung cut into my muttering.

"If I may be so bold as to inquire whether you might consider using it when you craft my weapon…"

Mitsu's face twisted the moment she saw that.

"That grace is far too generous for a lowly creature like you."

"Eep…"

Mitsu had a point. It'd be a waste to dump a ticket ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like that on some ordinary artifact.

I'd thought about using it on the Luck Tracker, but even if that thing got better, it probably just meant a shorter cooldown.

"So… it's Mitsu's katana after all?"

"Even for my artifact, such grace ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would be far too wasteful, my lady."

Even knowing it wouldn't explode this time, she still clutched the katana tight against her chest.

While I was still debating what to enhance, my eyes landed on the status window.

"Wait a second… can I enhance the status window itself?"

Seeing is believing. It was a guaranteed success anyway, and I had nothing better to do, so I swung the hammer at the status window.

"Nope."

My hand passed straight through it into empty air.

"Yeah, fair. That'd be weird if it worked."

Treating the status window itself like an artifact and bashing it was a stretch to begin with.

I was about to pull my hand back in disappointment when a thought flicked across my mind.

What about the stuff inside the status window?

Skills existed as individual entries, just like in a game. Maybe those would work?

I opened Blacksmith (EX) and scrolled through every ability I'd picked up so far.

Craftsman's Touch

Trust

Give It Back Right Now!

Couldn't these be enhanced? And if they could, the one that would pay off the most was…

"Obviously you."

The core skill that had made me what I was now.

Figuring the worst that could happen was a mild disappointment, I swung the hammer — and the system threw up a warning.

A warning from the status window itself meant one wrong move and I could end up as an ability-less awakened…

"It's a guaranteed success right now, so let's go."

Heart pounding with anticipation over how it would change, I brought the hammer down again. A burst of glittering light, and the ability's info refreshed.

"No way."

The stats that used to skyrocket absurdly off a 1% rate… and now the success rate itself went up?

Including great success, that was a total 3% success rate. Three times what it used to be.

Now I understood why Blacksmith level-ups had been so painfully slow.

"If I keep enhancing Touch, I might crack 10% before long."

From now on, every level-up perk was going straight into this.

Nothing particularly content-worthy came to mind — until I remembered Undtung's weapon.

"Today's content: Undtung's weapon enhancement show!"

The words "enhancement show" lit the chat on fire.

Watching these people lose their minds over dopamine, I had to admit — like streamer, like viewers. That saying existed for a reason.

"Thank you, Princess!"

Undtung prostrated himself before me while Mitsu looked on with pure contempt.

Through the online blacksmith shops on the Hunter Gallery, I bought out every last dagger artifact from the no-name blacksmiths nobody ever ordered from.

Even buying them all like this still cost less than a single enhancement click of mine.

Which just went to show how rough life was for blacksmiths who weren't on a guild's direct payroll.

"Huh?"

A brilliant idea hit me.

To clear the final unlock condition — craft ten masterworks — I needed to raise my enhancement level.

Raising enhancement level meant blowing things up like a maniac and farming exp.

And for that, I needed a constant supply of low-quality artifacts.

"What if I just rounded up blacksmiths of my own?"

Buying no-name blacksmiths' items one by one like this was inefficient.

If I brought all these people under me, paid them a salary, and turned them into machines that just kept pumping out items…

I'd get infinite level-up materials. They'd get a stable income. Everyone wins. Perfect world complete.

I wanted to put the plan into action immediately, but there was one problem.

Paying salaries to hundreds of people required serious capital.

And the only way to pull that kind of money in a short time was S-rank magic stones.

"Next tower run's going hard mode. Magic stone farming it is."

For now, though, making Undtung's artifact came first.

"Alright, enhancement show starts now!"

"Um, Princess, I have a proposal, if I may."

Undtung spoke up while I was mid-detonation spree.

"I'm feeling real good today, I am."

In short, he wanted me to enhance according to his gut instincts.

Not like it was hard, so I took him up on it without a second thought.

"Now! Enhance this one right now!"

The dagger's original 10 attack power, plus 40 from the successful enhancement — total of 50.

Undtung's method was simple: when the feeling wasn't there, we blew it up.

We kept blowing them up until Undtung gave the signal.

"Now, if you please!"

And just like that, it stuck. Classic sacrificial enhancement — the kind of thing you only ever saw on game streams.

Already at +3. Now I understood why the status window had slapped him with "Strong Luck."

And just like that, the final enhancement landed as a great success — two Average Works crafted in a single day.

I considered pushing the enhancement further, but Undtung snagged it and ran.

"Thank you, Princess!"

No — the wrist that had been reaching for Opportunity was gone.

Undtung's wrist had been cleanly severed.

And there was only one person among us who could pull something like that off.

"Goblin. You keep crossing the line."

"Aaaaaagh! Lady Mitsu, why would you do this?!"

"You dare lay hands on something without the Princess's command?"

"Mitsu! What is wrong with you all of a sudden!"

I held Mitsu back and checked on Undtung.

"Princess, I'm fine, I am."

Just as he said, the wound on his wrist was already regenerating. Monster regeneration, maybe?

Mitsu finally seemed to come back to herself and sheathed her katana.

"I—I'm sorry, Princess."

Her voice was trembling faintly, unlike her usual self.

"To lay hands on something without the Princess's leave… please punish me."

"What punishment? Just get up already."

Even as she rose, Mitsu's expression stayed rigid.

[That lowly servant received her grace again…]

"Princess, I have a request."

[At this rate, I'll be discarded. I need the Princess's enhancement too.]

"This time, bestow your grace upon my katana, if you would."

"Out of nowhere? You've been refusing this whole time."

Mitsu said nothing and simply turned her gaze toward Undtung.

"W-why are you looking at me…"

"You sure you want to do this right now?"

"Yes. It must be now."

"…Alright."

It felt abrupt and I wasn't exactly drawn to the idea, but if she wanted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it that badly…

Undtung was still reading the room, hovering in the corner.

"Undtung, come here."

"Y-yes…"

He cautiously approached my side.

His severed wrist had healed cleanly, but he was clearly still terrified of Mitsu.

"How's the feeling? Think we can enhance it now?"

The gut instinct that had churned out an Average Work in no time — that was worth trusting.

Undtung studied the katana for a moment.

"Hmm… it's good. I think now would be fine, I do."

"…Alright. Enhancing?"

I raised the hammer. I'd never felt this nervous about an enhancement before.

A brief silence. Then I brought the hammer down — and with a flash of light…

CRACK—

Mitsu's katana shattered into pieces.

"……"

Silence blanketed the cramped one-room apartment with three people in it. Mitsu was the one who broke it.

"Hic… hhk…"

If she'd just gotten angry, that would've been fine. But she was sniffling.

Yeah. We were in deep trouble.