Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: A Masterpiece Never Seen Before, Ultimate Success
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Do you feel like the hunter industry is finally normalizing thanks to the 6-Option Blacksmith?
For real, they used to say "If you don't like it, go somewhere else" lol
They were worse than used car salesmen or phone scammers, and now they've finally come to their senses. Sweet justice.
Prices have dropped a ton too. Repair fees that used to be 1 million won are now 500k.
The 6-Option bro broke the monopoly, and the bubble burst right away. That's the free market working.
You industry hacks should've done better all along. Too late to play nice now.
A bitter smile crept across my face as I scrolled through the gallery.
It wasn't my intention, but my appearance had triggered a much-needed self-correction in the rotting market.
Stagnant water always festers, but fresh streams purify it.
F-grade Hunter Survival Rate Skyrockets—Stats Are Insane ㄷㄷ
Whoa... one piece of gear saving lives.
Just one person in the party with a 6-option weapon boosts survival rates massively. It's security itself.
Old weapons were so heavy you couldn't even run, but 6-options have Lightweight, so you can pull off pants-wetting escapes in a pinch.
Savior of the hunter world for real. Deserves the Nobel Peace Prize lol.
I'll buy one for sure when supply catches up. It's worth my life.
A sense of responsibility settled over me.
It started as a way to make money, but each swing of my hammer meant some father, some daughter, got to live and eat a warm home-cooked meal.
The weight on my shoulders felt good.
Just one left until the grade-up.
Craft and sell 1,000 F-grade weapons
📍 Progress: 999 / 1,000
🎁 Reward: Grade Rise (F → E)
'The last one.'
Completing this would take me from F-grade to E-grade blacksmith.
I couldn't even guess what insane options or new features would come next.
Then, a news story from a few days ago popped into my mind.
National Assemblyman Sparks Controversy with [Hunter Weapon Control Bill]
— XXX Party's Rep. Kim: "Private blacksmiths monopolizing weapons is a national security risk... The state must manage them."
— Hunter Association: "Strongly opposes this outdated idea."
Bullshit.
National security was just an excuse—they wanted to swallow it all themselves.
But the hunters' reaction was ice-cold.
Do the assemblymen really have no clue about the situation?
They're begging to get screwed over.
Hey, Rep. Kim—didn't evidence of him taking bribes just drop? Timing is hilarious lol.
Hunter info guilds could bury a politician without breaking a sweat if they wanted.
[Breaking] Rep. Kim's home raided lololol
Karma hits fast ㄷㄷ. Still don't get that messing with hunters screws you?
Power makes the world bow on its own.
Irmi's words from the association HQ chief came back to me.
"Don't worry about it, Do-ha. We'll handle the annoying flies."
"Just focus on crafting, Do-ha."
Reliable. All I had to do was swing the hammer.
'The 1,000th weapon.'
A premonition that something special would happen stirred—not just a hunch, but the craftsman's instinct prickling like a warning.
As I pondered what to make, Irmi's figure flashed in my mind.
Always guarding my side like a shadow, handling the dirty work from the unseen corners.
I knew her main weapon was a bow.
'Some archers hit limits without specific auras.'
Shadow for assassins.
Iron wall for tanks.
Fire and water for mages.
For archers, it was wind.
But that wind was a sanctuary not granted to all.
She wouldn't be an exception.
"Let's make it."
This time, a bow.
The forge's furnace roared to life.
Beside my silently working clone, I carefully carved the top-grade yew wood into a bowstave.
It needed excellent elasticity yet be lightweight.
With the conviction it must become the wind itself, not merely cut through it.
Smooth—shh—
The sensation at my fingertips was extraordinary.
A colossal energy, leagues beyond past great successes, surged like a tidal wave.
[The Craftsman's Aura Infuses It!]
[The System Responds to the Creator's Will!]
The entire bow wrapped in dazzling emerald light.
'Huh? Not golden... green?'
Congratulations! Ultimate Success is possible only once, right before grade-up!
If great success was a technique, ultimate success was the system's gift before promotion.
1. [Gale Aura] & Mana Proficiency Slightly Increased
2. [Gale Aura] Power Up, Consumption Down
3. Range & Penetration +30%
[Auto-Aim]: Automatically tracks vitals of visible enemies for aim correction
[Gale Arrow]: Consume aura to generate wind-attribute arrows
[Wind's Eye]: Vision surges; enemy weak points marked red
"Holy... this is insane."
Not even proper F-grade—it's F+ territory.
Every option was an archer's dream.
Infinite shots without arrows, plus auto-aim? Straight-up cheating.
Then system alerts poured like a waterfall.
[Quest Completed!]
[Grade Up: F → E]
[System Update]
— [Equipment Activation] Grade Up: F → E
— Craft one E-grade weapon directly to gain an additional E-grade clone.
— E-grade crafting guarantees minimum option values upward.
And the most shocking one:
[Apprentice System]
— Impart F-grade recipes to apprentice blacksmiths.
— 10% commission on apprentice sales credited to master.
— Apprentice Slots: 0/10
— [Anti-Theft System] Activated.
'Whoa... Apprentice System?'
My eyes lit up.
No more struggling alone—or even with the clone—to meet demand.
Take other blacksmiths as apprentices, teach them recipes, let them produce.
I just sit back and collect commissions.
This wasn't a forge anymore—it was a path to a massive corporation.
'This is freaking nuts.'
My heart pounded.
Just an F-grade graduation gift like this—what would E, D, S bring?
The thrill of imagination hit me as I picked up the bow with trembling hands.
Time to repay its owner for her devotion all this time.
"Chief Irmi."
At my call, the shadow at my feet rippled as expected.
Swish.
"Yes, did you call me, Do-ha?"
Irmi appeared. Her expressionless face and flawless posture, as always.
"Take this."
I handed her the emerald-glowing bow.
"......?"
She took it reflexively.
That instant—
"This is...?"
"My 1,000th piece, an Ultimate Success. Only possible once right before grade-up. Felt perfect for you, Chief."
"......!"
Irmi's eyes widened like the bowstring.
She felt it—the gale aura within, wings that would carry her beyond a decade-old wall.
"You're... really giving this to me? It's priceless."
"Yeah, you always work so hard, protecting me from the shadows."
I added with a smile.
"You've been my shadow, so now become the wind and soar free."
Her hand trembled faintly.
Irmi, the cool, perfect elf chief—like an emotionless doll—bit her lip, showing feeling for the first time.
She clutched the bow like a treasured relic.
"......Thank you. I'll cherish it as the honor of my lifetime."
Her shoulders quivered ever so slightly as she held it close.
No one knew yet how far that gift would take her.
But one thing was certain: it would be remembered as her first wings.
So when's the blacksmith bro gonna grade up?
Yo, you think leveling up as a blacksmith is easy? Average is 3 years just to hit E.
Our 3-month bro hitting E already? No way lol.
Even 10-year vets are stuck at B. F to E is the toughest.
Only one S-grade blacksmith in the whole world. That's how rare it is.
No job's more grindy. Grateful just for what we have—keep supporting him.
Really hope he levels up soon. Imagining E-grade options is thrilling.
They didn't know yet.
That I'd just scaled that massive wall.
True mass production—not solo, but with a team—was about to begin.