Forged Fortune and Unsealed Might

A long roar finally faded away.

Mu-hyuk, struck by sudden curiosity, opened his message window.

"Whoa..."

There had been exactly two perfect crafts.

And that was why these options had appeared?

On top of that, he'd even earned a title.

His eyes widened.

This is huge!

When crafting, there was a very high chance of usage restrictions being applied. But this title reduced that probability.

In other words, it helped ensure no restrictions were added.

And the same had happened this time. Thanks to the Lucky Crafter title, the odds had dropped, and he'd gotten lucky enough to hit that low probability.

Mu-hyuk was genuinely thrilled.

He'd crafted countless weapons so far. He hadn't skipped crafting much during hunts or breaks. Now, that effort was paying off.

Or rather, luck had played the bigger role. Not just anyone could make a sword like this through effort alone.

Whew, let's sort this out first.

He decided to use the Soul-Infused Longsword himself.

Its options were so good that selling it would fetch a fortune, but right now, using it personally for faster growth was more efficient.

A lot of time had passed, and even if he sold the Soul-Infused Longsword later, the lack of usage restrictions meant plenty of buyers would line up.

The price wouldn't drop much compared to now.

No need to rush.

Of course, the urge to sell it immediately tickled his chest. Big money had a way of stirring greed.

He could sell the Soul-Infused Longsword and keep using the Skull Staff, but Mu-hyuk resisted the temptation.

Becoming a ranker came first.

That way, he could join the major episodes without falling behind.

With his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mind made up, he felt at ease.

He strapped the longsword to his waist and stared at the Skull Staff.

We've been through a lot together.

It had been a tremendous help.

He no longer needed it.

MP wasn't an issue anymore, thanks to Grokion's Ring.

Still, he had no plans to sell the Skull Staff right away. He'd hold onto it for now.

Mu-hyuk stowed the staff in his inventory and pressed on, tracing a semicircle around the volcanic zone.

Small Agni appeared again.

This time, five of them.

One more than before, but he was confident he could handle them.

Now that he had his new sword.

Damage that had been 180 with the Skull Staff was now 213.

Base damage was 14 higher to start, plus 10 from added damage and 3 from strength, for a total boost of 33.

In Illusion, even a 10-damage increase was noticeable. Confidence surged.

"Summon."

Twelve summons.

He grouped two Bone Swords and one Bone Bow per Small Agni, assigning four groups to four monsters.

He'd handle the last one solo.

Swish.

Shield in his left hand, he closed the distance.

"Kyuu!"

Flames erupted from the Small Agni's body, slamming into Mu-hyuk's shield.

The recoil slowed him, but he didn't get pushed back.

Silently narrowing the gap, he thrust his sword at point-blank range.

No easy crits, but he relentlessly targeted the same spot.

He'd finally shattered the core.

The Small Agni's HP plummeted.

Without recovery, the falling stone fragments no longer stuck to its body.

He finished it off soon after.

"Kyuu!"

Tiny Agni burst out in that instant.

Even one more!

To secure diamonds, he slew over a hundred. But without attack skills, it was slow.

Damn, if only I had an AoE skill...

That was the biggest regret.

No helping it.

He could only do what he could now.

Slash.

A Tiny Agni split in half.

One diamond on the ground.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Ignoring it, he moved to the next.

30 seconds flew by.

Far more than half the Tiny Agni vanished.

Shaking off the emptiness, Mu-hyuk rushed to aid his struggling summons.

*

Five days had passed since he'd entered the dungeon.

"Sigh, this is boring."

"Tell me about it. How long do we have to guard?"

"Just hang in there. Once he comes out, we can go in."

"Tch. I know. That's why I'm sticking it out."

Of course, Guardian Guild's high-level members and key players had dispersed for their own hunts, leaving just one to command.

So the guards now were level 38 prospects waiting to enter and mid-40s users on watch.

"But how did a necromancer survive two hits from the guild master?"

"No idea. Some special item or skill, probably."

"Yeah, figures."

"Of course. Otherwise, impossible."

The nearby users nodded.

"Right. I have decent HP, but one guild master crit and I'm toast."

"That bastard's probably grinding monsters inside, racking up mad EXP."

"Damn. If not for him, we'd be in there."

"The second he shows, start recording. ID his face, station guildmates in every village to tail him. Kill him the moment he hunts. Repeat till he quits or deletes."

"Basically, he poked the wrong bear."

They hid nothing of their wicked grins.

Then.

Someone appeared in the distance.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Aren't those Phoenix Guild scouts?"

"Eh? Them?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The three Phoenix Guild scouts arrived with a Guardian Guild key member.

"Captain!"

"Yeah."

"Who're they...?"

"I brought 'em. They'll brief you on the guild."

Guardian and Phoenix Guilds were already at war.

But Guardian's overwhelming power crushed Phoenix members.

Many had quit, including these three scouts.

They'd gotten an offer from Guardian and agreed to sweet terms.

"Alright, everyone gather up!"

"Yes!"

"These guys'll fill you in on the guild. Pay attention."

The three scouts began.

"FYI, this is a unique dungeon."

"...!"

Eyes widened.

"Floor 1 has..."

Their tale grew more astonishing.

"Peddler?"

"Yeah, kill monsters for diamonds, buy dungeon-exclusive items. Floor 2 introduces Agni monsters and..."

It was riveting.

"And..."

The dungeon info wrapped up.

"Hm, humanoid."

"Dumb ones, no special skills. Nothing to worry about."

The Guardian captain stepped forward.

"Back to posts!"

"Yes!"

Returning, the Guardian members muttered among themselves.

Knowing the info made them itch even more.

"Come on out, you punk."

They awaited the sneaky necromancer with bated breath.

Meanwhile.

Mu-hyuk's eyes gleamed amid the grind. He'd hit level 40 and met the peddler again.

"It's been a while."

"Yes."

Mu-hyuk reached out as he replied.

No words needed now.

Actions said it all.

Swish.

The peddler took his hand, summoning a hologram.

"Dungeon upgrade."

The peddler nodded as if expected.

He had 815 diamonds total.

Quick math, then he shook his head.

Too complicated.

Let the peddler handle it.

"Up to 25 possible?"

"Yes."

"Just to there, then."

"Got it."

Upgrades soared.

Diamonds drained fast: 21, 22, 23...

Down to 430, upgrades halted.

Mu-hyuk's lips twisted into a grin.

Area damage!

He'd always missed over half the Tiny Agni.

But with this from the 2nd seal, no more.

They'd be nearly wiped out now.

Diamond farming would speed up too.

Satisfying.

What about the rest?

"50 too far?"

"Yes. 1,080 diamonds for 50."

"1,080..."

Needed 650 more.

"Show other items?"

"Sure."

Skipped one-use consumables.

Low efficiency.

Scrolling down revealed oddities.

Tattoo of Attack 2 needed 380 diamonds.

Defense ones were cheaper, but still a burden.

Hm.

Tattoos boosted attack or defense nicely. But burning most diamonds on them? No.

Needed to break the 3rd seal.

Who knew what ability it'd unlock.

Upgrading was tough anyway.

To 49? Pointless.

Doubtful he'd hit 50 before floor 3, let alone clear. Still, instinct screamed to save for it.

Yeah, hold off.

Till 1,080.

"See anything you like?"

"Nah, nothing else."

The peddler nodded.

"Then, next time..."

"Yeah."

They brushed past.

Who knew when next, but now it was time to sweep Agni with his new power.