Chapter 214: The Unquenchable Anvil, 'Orun' (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: The Unquenchable Anvil, 'Orun' (1)
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed as he looked at the destroyed bracelet.
‘Just as I thought...’
It was exactly as he had expected.
Orun, who held the alias 'The Unquenchable Anvil,' was once a legendary blacksmith great enough to personally forge the crown of the Dwarf King.
However, after a series of incidents, he lost his status and was banished from the kingdom.
Now, he barely scraped by, relying on alcohol to get through the day while making a meager living off humans.
Even then, his frequent enhancement failures had caused his few remaining customers to turn their backs on him.
Jinhyuk quickly checked Orun's status window using 'Gluttony's Eye'.
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Name: Orun
Race: Dwarf
Age: 71
Level: 23
Strength: 23 / Agility: 13 / Stamina: 21 / Magic Power: 1
Stat Points Available: 0
Class: Steel Blacksmith
Unique Ability: Breath of Metal
Skills: Lv32 'Smelting', Lv31 'Skilled Hammering', Lv31 'Continuous Enhancement', Lv31 'Flame Control', Lv30 'Workshop Weaponization'...
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[Copy Condition: Orun, one of the 'Five Hammers' and the 'Unquenchable Anvil' of the dwarf kingdom 'Penta Horn'. Make this worn-out iron artisan, who has grown weary of everything, put his true heart into his work. Doing so will allow you to copy one of his unique abilities or skills.]
[Note: He harbors a deep emotional wound, which has led to severe alcoholism.]
The title of 'artisan' wasn't just for show.
His average skill level was well over 30.
'There are probably only a handful of people in the entire Tower who possess this level of proficiency relative to their character level.'
And to copy Orun's abilities, there were conditions that had to be met.
'Good.'
A rough plan was already forming in his head.
The first thing he needed to do was...
Jinhyuk offered Orun a reassuring smile.
"It looks like you made a slight mistake."
"Ahem! Exactly my point. I rarely make mistakes, but my condition must have been off today. On that note, could you give me another chance?"
Orun spoke with shameless confidence, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
At this point, his shamelessness was so thick that even a professional Brazilian waxing salon would refuse him service.
But...
"Since it's you, Master Orun, of course I should give you another chance."
"Haha, thank you. You really are a true sucker... I mean, customer."
"In return, could you teach me a bit of your metalworking techniques?"
"What? Metalworking?"
"Yes. Ah, of course, I'm not asking for step-by-step lessons. Just slowing down your pace a little would be more than enough. For a novice like me, simply watching a master blacksmith like you enhance weapons is worth a fortune."
He flattered the dwarf without sounding condescending, while also providing a perfectly logical justification.
Plus, Orun likely felt a shred of guilt for shattering the bracelet Alice had given him...
It would be quite difficult for him to refuse.
"Haha. This is the first time I've met someone who wants to learn blacksmithing instead of combat skills. Are all Players like you?"
"Well..."
"If all Players were like me... the entire Tower would probably turn into a living hell."
Just imagining it was horrifying.
The thought of fossilized veterans running around in packs, cackling to themselves...
"So you're an oddball."
"I simply believe that true skill lies in working with metal."
"Bwahaha! It's been a while since I felt like showing off my real skills. Fine, watch closely and learn. Opportunities to witness my hammerwork don't come around often."
Orun burst into boisterous laughter.
Then, he once again hefted his heavy hammer, which was engraved with runes.
"Well... it's the perfect weather for some enhancing. I've got a good feeling about this one."
The dark clouds, thick fog, and drizzling rain seemed to kindle a fire in the dwarf's manly heart.
The hammer rose high into the air once more.
Naturally, the materials to be sacrificed were the various accessories Alice was wearing.
"N-No! That was made to commemorate me inheriting the headship of my house...!"
Alice screamed, looking as if she were on the verge of tears, but...
"Here we goooo!"
Crash!
[Enhancement failed!]
[The 'Sun's Ruby Ring' has been destroyed!]
A brilliant burst of sparks erupted.
The result was exactly the same.
Yet, Orun did not falter and swung his hammer again.
"Hup!"
Crunch!
[Enhancement failed!]
[The 'Heart of Lake Delsus' has been destroyed!]
"Uwooooh!"
The hammer rose and fell in a frantic rhythm.
Thud!
And with every strike, shattered fragments flew in all directions.
This was hell.
At least, it was for Alice.
[Enhancement failed!]
[The 'Rainbow Gem Necklace' has been destroyed!]
"M-My necklace! I only wear that on really special occasions...!"
Alice flew into a frenzy, completely losing her mind, but it was already too late.
Items destroyed by a blacksmith's hands could never be restored.
* * *
Quite a bit of time passed before Orun finally stopped hammering.
Eleven in total.
A whopping eleven accessories had been shattered due to failed enhancements.
No matter how thick-skinned Orun was, even he couldn't hold his head high in this situation.
"Pant. Pant. Pant..."
Orun breathed heavily.
Feeling parched, he chugged the alcohol sitting on the table.
"Damn it... if only I were three days younger..."
"Are you tired already?"
"Watch your mouth. Do you have any idea how much intense effort this requires?"
"It might look like you're just swinging blindly, but you were combining three or four different skills. Your wrist snap and timing weren't bad either."
Everything had been perfect.
Yet, the enhancements had failed for one sole reason.
'...Trauma.'
At the most critical moment.
The tragic blacksmith who had lost someone precious to him by his own hammering.
'What I need to do now... is help him overcome that wound and reclaim his prime.'
Jinhyuk picked up one of the hammers in the forge.
It was much smaller than Orun's hammer, but it had an excellent, snug grip.
"...You've got a decent eye for a human. But what do you plan to do with that?"
"After watching you swing a few times, I feel like I could easily do it too."
"What?"
At Jinhyuk's words, Orun's brow furrowed.
Up until now, Orun had laughed off everything, but this comment seemed to have struck a nerve with his pride.
Of course, that was exactly what Jinhyuk intended.
"No matter how great of a blacksmith you are, you're wasted on alcohol and letting your emotions bleed into your hammer... Why shouldn't I be able to do it? I've learned everything I need to know from watching you swing a dozen times."
"Absurd. Are you being serious?"
"Of course I am. We can make a bet if you'd like. I'll wager this. In return, if you lose, you must grant me one favor."
Jinhyuk pulled out the wines Alice had brought from the Empire's treasury.
Each and every bottle was a masterpiece, worthy of being called a treasure.
"Hmm. Surely you aren't worried about losing, are you? Well, considering your constant failures, it's only natural to be scared..."
The key here was to curl the corner of his mouth up by exactly 13.5 degrees.
As if saying, 'Go ahead, try me.'
And...
The provocation worked flawlessly.
"...Fine. It seems I need to show you what it truly means to work with metal."
In an instant, the atmosphere shifted.
The relaxed air instantly grew tense.
[Orun activates his unique ability, 'Breath of Metal'!]
As expected...
Who would have thought a production-class resident, rather than a combat-class one, could exude such a heavy, suffocating pressure?
'In a normal contest, I would never stand a chance against Orun.'
Since Jinhyuk was essentially an all-rounder, he did know how to handle a hammer to some extent.
In terms of Baduk, he was about an amateur 4-dan.
In gaming terms, maybe Diamond tier?
He wasn't exceptionally brilliant, but he was good enough to stand out among ordinary people.
Compared to Orun, however, his skills didn't even come close.
Even if Orun couldn't perform at his peak due to his past trauma.
Yet, the reason he had proposed this duel...
[You have met the copy conditions!]
[Copying the unique ability, 'Breath of Metal'!]
...was because he was absolutely confident he wouldn't lose.
In more ways than one.
"Let's use this for our task."
Jinhyuk pulled out 'Red Dragon's Blood' and 'Fang' from his dimensional subspace inventory.
"A tricky set of materials."
Orun's brow furrowed.
He had expected something difficult, but he hadn't anticipated a challenge of this caliber.
And for good reason.
Red Dragon's Blood was a top-grade magical material that even the Empire's court mages had failed to handle.
And the 'Fang' he wanted to enhance was a dagger crafted from the fang of Pentagris, a high-ranking mythical beast.
"That's the only way to truly measure our skills."
"...Fine. Then, who goes first?"
"I'll go first."
Jinhyuk stepped forward.
* * *
Watching Jinhyuk grip the hammer, Orun snorted.
'A mere brat dares to think he knows anything about working with metal?'
He had spent his entire life surrounded by iron and fire.
Outstanding talent and unceasing effort.
Only when both were present could one finally walk the path of a master blacksmith.
'Hmm... though his hammerwork isn't bad.'
The way he started with the right speed and timing looked surprisingly decent.
In fact, his movements felt strangely familiar.
'Huh? He can even do that?'
Orun's pupils dilated and contracted in rapid succession.
This was because Jinhyuk was breezing through a series of processes where any beginner would have made a mistake.
He moved with absolute familiarity.
His form even exuded a certain seasoned grace.
'Impressive. Quite... impressive.'
But that would be his limit.
Controlling the temperature of the fire while handling dragon's blood was an entirely different realm.
One had to understand the essence of the metal and feel its breathing.
To prevent a powerful magical material from corroding the iron, one had to read its very heart.
'There's no way that kid can pull that off.'
It was impossible.
Absolutely.
However, Orun had no way of knowing.
[The unique ability 'Breath of Metal', 'Fire Element', and 'Blessing of the Stars' are fusing!]
[Fusion successful!]
[You have acquired the unique ability, 'Fire Dragon's Breath'!]
[The fused ability will be stored in the 'Memory of the World'.]
[Fire Dragon's Breath]
Acquisition Difficulty: SSS
Description: The Dragon Race, rulers of fire and the strongest of all species. Among them, the Red Dragon 'Tensia' forged countless artifacts using fire. A power that pierces through the very essence of fire and iron, this ability is the crystallization of her essence.
That in this world...
...there existed a veteran who could utterly crush both effort and talent.