Level Up Machine 082: The Power That Shakes the Continent (3)
"Damn, when am I ever going to extract all this...?"
Yeong-sik let out a hollow laugh as he stared at the dizzyingly massive pile of ores. Well, it was worth 40,000 gold, after all. He wouldn't have believed it otherwise.
'Still, extraction doesn't take much mana.'
His Extraction skill for creating materials had no cooldown, so he could process huge quantities of ore in a relatively short time.
'Start with the iron ingots.'
Yeong-sik began extracting the iron ingots first, the most abundant by far.
Extraction completed successfully.
Acquired 275 Metal Screws, 167 Metal Parts, and 82 Metal Plates.
Acquired 1 C-Grade Metal Core.
About ten tons of iron ingots vanished into thin air, transforming into metal materials.
'Five hundred more to go.'
Yeong-sik eyed the mountain of iron ingots that hadn't shrunk at all despite the ten tons gone, his face twisting in dread.
*Ding.*
*Ding.*
*Ding.*
Clear bell tones rang out repeatedly, and the mountain of ingots dwindled bit by bit. In proportion, piles of various metal materials grew like mountains beside him.
Extraction skill level increased to 4.
The amount of materials obtainable through Extraction has increased.
'Great Success' trait applied: 10% chance to acquire double the materials.
'Great Success...?'
Yeong-sik's eyes sparkled at the message. Doubling material yields wasn't huge odds, but far better than nothing.
'Good call starting with iron.'
Had he begun with orichalcum or mithril, he'd have missed this trait. Stretching as the iron ingots neared completion, he murmured,
"Time for orichalcum."
He headed to the pile of orichalcum, which gleamed with an enchanting blue-purple hue—the most common ore for magic tools.
"Extract."
Extraction completed with exceptional success.
Acquired 32 Metal Screws, 12 Metal Parts, and 7 Metal Plates.
Acquired 5 C-Grade Metal Cores and 2 B-Grade Metal Cores.
The orichalcum scattered into the air like mist, a blue window popping up before Yeong-sik's eyes.
Mana-infused orichalcum yielded rare metal cores far more often than plain iron. With Great Success, he even scored B-Grade cores impossible from iron.
"Nice. Let's keep this momentum."
Grinning in satisfaction, he reached for the orichalcum pile—but his expression hardened. Despite Extraction, the pile barely budged.
'Wait, how much longer at this rate?'
Unlike iron's ten-ton hauls, orichalcum vanished in tiny amounts per use.
"...This alone's gonna be a slog."
Yeong-sik grimaced at the mountain of orichalcum.
Extraction skill level increased to 5.
The amount of materials obtainable through Extraction has increased.
Acquired 'Bulk Extraction' trait: Extract larger quantities at once.
"...Phew. This'll make it easier."
That night, after a full day extracting half the orichalcum, Yeong-sik sighed at the blue window.
Even orichalcum took ages; mithril, with even more mana, would take forever.
'Good timing, though.'
He smiled at the new Bulk Extraction trait.
Due to Extraction skill level up, a new skill is unlocked.
Acquired 'Modification Lv 1' skill.
"Hm...?"
Yeong-sik's eyes lit up at the window. Modification—a skill he'd wondered about from his Machine Engineer class.
He checked its info with keen interest.
Skill Info - Modification Lv 1
Content: Alter a machine's appearance and performance. Modifiable range proportional to skill level.
"Explanation's too vague."
Yeong-sik frowned at the broad description, unable to distinguish it from Enhancement.
'Let's test it.'
To try, he manufactured a hairdryer from the piled metal parts.
"Modification."
As he uttered the skill name, blue light from his mouth flowed into the hairdryer. An image flooded his mind of possible modifications.
"?This?"
His eyes sparkled. Among modifiable elements, one piqued his interest.
'If used right...'
The biggest flaw in his creations was their single-purpose limitation. But Modification offered a fix.
'Not practical yet.'
He eyed the skill window wistfully. It mitigated flaws but didn't perfect them.
'Might come in handy later.'
Turning to the remaining orichalcum, he said,
"First things first."
Night had fallen in pitch black, but it mattered little to Yeong-sik, more machine than man, fatigue a stranger.
"...Done."
The next morning, after an all-nighter, Yeong-sik murmured in relief.
Unspeakable mountains of metal materials filled his view.
40,000 gold—400 billion won worth—fully extracted.
Among the piles gleamed plentiful rare blue materials.
"Can't even compare to the iron golem days..."
The abandoned mine raid had been a turning point, but these dwarfed those gains. Guildmates bringing meals mid-extraction had gawked in awe.
'Can I even use all this before the next dungeon?'
Yeong-sik stared hollowly at the metal mountains. Extraction alone took a day; manufacturing and enhancing? Unimaginable.
"Enhancement first."
He turned to the neglected Enhancement skill amid his packed schedule.
"Enhance."
Placing a hand on his right wrist, he activated it. Blue light flowed in.
Enhance this item? Requires 8 C-Grade Metal Cores.
Yeong-sik nodded without hesitation. Cores were precious before, but now? Plentiful.
Shotgun level increased to 2.
Shells per shot and fire rate increased.
Gatling Gun level increased to 2.
Bullet durability increased. Reload time after depletion shortened.
Mine level increased to 2.
Max deployable mines increased to 7.
Laser level increased to 2.
Laser output increased.
Energy Blast level increased to 2.
Full charge time reduced; max energy increased.
Enhancement skill level increased to 2.
Can now enhance with higher-grade Metal Cores.
"...This skill's no joke."
Enhancing his weapons one by one, Yeong-sik let out a short gasp. Its effects were so profound, he felt embarrassed for neglecting it.
'Especially how it balances everything nicely.'
No explosive power like security level unlocks, but refining familiar weapons' flaws was hugely appealing.
"Cores are the issue, though..."
He frowned at the piles. B-Grades had some spare, but A-Grades were scarce, even from mithril.
'One more round, then.'
Knowing Enhancement's power, he couldn't skimp on cores.
"Enhance."
He used it again on his weapons.
Blade level increased to 3.
Can now use 'Slash' effect: High-speed vibration to slice targets.
Shotgun level increased to 3.
Can now use 'Blast': Fire three shots at once. Cooldown: No firing for a duration after use.
Blue windows popped up with each use—effects so potent, they rivaled standalone skills.
As his weapons gained new abilities, Yeong-sik's smile deepened. Seeing tools he'd wielded like limbs evolve—flaws fading, strengths amplifying—filled him with joy.
"Hoo..."
Exhaling deeply at the final message—Enhancement at level 3—a thrilling shiver coursed through him. Even his usual calm cracked; his body trembled unconsciously.
"Might be better to focus on Enhancement over Manufacturing."
Chucking wryly, he eyed the metal mountains. Temptation surged to burn rare A-Grade cores for the next level.
'Manufacturing first, though.'
Calming his eagerness, he gazed up. Most were basic parts useless without Manufacturing.
"Let's begin."
His voice steady again, he started the Manufacturing skill.
Manufacturing skill level increased to 7.
Vast number of machine recipes added.
"What the...?"
Yeong-sik's voice dripped with shock and awe at the blue window. His body trembled with excitement.
It was warranted.
"Ha?"
The window before him held absurd designs capable of shaking the entire Ernoir continent.