21st Floor
21st Floor
Kaang!
Kaang!
The sound of hammering echoed incessantly throughout the workshop.
But my expression was growing darker by the minute.
The euphoria I'd felt upon completing the gauntlets was nowhere to be found, and failed works were steadily piling up on the floor.
Rare, Rare, Epic, and then another Rare.
No matter how much I hammered, I couldn't break through the wall of the Unique grade.
"Seriously, why isn't this working?"
I yanked at my hair and stared down at the boots I'd just finished.
I'd clearly hammered with the exact same feeling as when I made the gauntlets, yet the result was utterly mediocre.
It was as if I'd poured every ounce of my luck and stamina into that single pair of gauntlets.
Or perhaps it was proof that my pure skill just hadn't reached that level yet.
"Haaah...."
A sigh escaped me on its own.
The Orichalcum was brought from the Empire, but it wasn't an endlessly gushing resource.
If I kept churning out failures like this, it was blindingly obvious I'd be squandering precious materials.
More than anything else, time was too precious to waste.
Swallowing my stubbornness, I opened my mouth to the empty air.
"Guide-nim."
[Speak.]
A dry and businesslike voice came to my ear.
I raised both hands as if admitting defeat.
"I've lost. Please turn the guideline back on."
[......Understood.]
Was it just my imagination, or was there a subtle trace of relief mixed into the system's answer?
[Activating guideline.]
With the familiar alert sound, my vision changed.
Red dots and blue lines appeared like spiderwebs across the surface of the Orichalcum.
The exact spot to strike, the precise heat required, the perfect tempering angle—every answer lay spread out before my eyes.
I lifted the hammer.
The hammer struck the red dot with pinpoint accuracy.
The vibration transmitted to my fingertips felt completely different.
The parts I'd been agonizing over alone started unraveling smoothly, as if I were solving problems while looking at an answer sheet.
Even the trajectory of impurities flying off was beautiful.
"Wow... this really is comfortable."
I let out a hollow laugh and continued hammering.
All I had to do was follow the guideline.
No need to agonize. No need for trial and error.
Just like that, I produced the gear one after another in rapid succession.
First, the Orichalcum Boots.
The curve supporting the arch of the foot and the axis protecting the ankle achieved perfect balance.
Next, the Orichalcum Leggings.
A structure that protected the thighs while never interfering with the movement of the knee joints.
Finally, the Orichalcum Chestplate.
While thoroughly defending vital areas including the heart, it distributed weight to minimize the wearer's fatigue.
In an instant, a full armor set was complete.
"Phew... I think that's just about everything?"
I wiped off sweat and straightened up the workbench.
Just then, a small leather pouch in the corner caught my eye.
It was leftover material from when I'd crafted Cassia's Rapier long ago.
When I opened the pouch, a tiny fragment of ore no bigger than a fingernail glittered back at me.
[Pure Orichalcum (Remnant)]
This was a trophy from the 18th-floor Boss, boasting a purity far higher than regular Orichalcum.
But the quantity was too small.
Yet it was a material far too precious to simply throw away.
"What in the world could I use this for...."
I was mulling it over and fiddling with the fragment.
[A method to utilize the remnants exists.]
The Guide's voice rang out.
My ears perked up instantly.
"A method, you say? What can I make with this?"
[Grind it into powder form and use it as a catalyst.]
"A catalyst?"
[If you melt it together with regular Orichalcum to form an alloy, you can elevate the latent potential of the material.]
I slapped my knee at the Guide's explanation.
Without delay, I began grinding the pure Orichalcum fragment into a fine powder.
The thing was so damn hard that I shed a bucketful of sweat before I finally managed to turn it into a fine dust.
Then I melted a chunk of regular Orichalcum in the forge.
Over the crimson, molten metal, I lightly sprinkled the pure Orichalcum powder.
The moment the powder made contact, the molten metal erupted into a violent reaction.
The red liquid instantly shifted into a hue tinged with purple radiance.
The air inside the workshop sank heavily.
It was an extraordinary presence.
My hands trembling, I picked up the tongs.
The guideline traced a complex trajectory through the air.
Kaang!
Kaang!
The sound of hammering grew sharper.
The alloy had incredible ductility.
The more I hammered, the denser the metal became, giving off a cold, steely-blue chill.
As if possessed, I swung the hammer.
The blade would be short, but sharper than any other sword.
The grip would wrap comfortably into the hand.
When I finished even the final tempering perfectly and honed the edge on the whetstone, a cool blue radiance flowed across the blade's surface.
The completed dagger vibrated on its own, flaunting its presence.
At the same moment, my vision flashed and a system message appeared.
[You have crafted the Legendary-grade 'Orichalcum Dagger'.]
[Your stats increase as a reward.]
[HP +5]
[Strength +10]
[Agility +12]
[Dexterity +17]
"L-Legendary?!"
I rubbed my eyes and checked again.
No doubt, it was Legendary.
Since the Rapier, a second Legendary-grade weapon had been born.
My heart felt like it would burst.
With trembling hands, I checked the dagger's information.
[Orichalcum Dagger of Purification and Crushing]
Grade: Legendary
[A masterpiece crafted by SW, a person of ordinary talent, using pure Orichalcum powder as a catalyst. The innate mana-affinity of Orichalcum was inverted and exploited, maximizing its properties to decompose and destroy mana. Before this dagger, no magical protection is meaningful.]
Durability: 1300/1300
Attack Power: +380
*Attack Speed: +45%
*Critical Hit Chance: +30%
*Grants 'Condemnation'
*Grants 'Salvation'
*Grants 'Crushing'
*Condemnation: Upon striking an enemy, instantly removes all beneficial effects (buffs) on the target.
*Salvation: Upon striking an ally, instantly removes all harmful effects (debuffs/status ailments) on the target.
*Crushing: Capable of destroying all types of barriers, shields, and magical walls. When destroyed, generates a shockwave proportional to the barrier's durability.
"Wow... this is insane."
My jaw refused to shut.
Every single option was beyond belief.
Wiping enemy buffs, dispelling ally debuffs, and on top of that, straight-up breaking barriers?
This was nothing short of a catastrophe for any mage.
Especially perfect for countering the barriers or berserk buffs wielded by tricky boss monsters.
I gave the dagger a few swings in the air.
The blade, so sharp it made no sound at all, sliced through the air.
"Thank you, Guide-nim. I owe you my life."
[That result was only possible because the creator's ability supported it.]
The Guide's succinct praise made my shoulders swell with pride.
I tried equipping all of the newly crafted gear.
Armed from head to toe in a full Orichalcum set, my reflection in the mirror looked like a completely different person.
Gleaming purple armor.
And the Legendary dagger hanging at my waist.
Finally, I looked the part of a hunter with a Legendary-grade class.
"Alright. Preparations are complete."
I clenched my fist tightly.
New equipment, and my stats had risen too.
Now it was time to climb the Tower once more.
The 21st Floor.
Whatever kind of place it turned out to be, the current me was more than ready for it.
The dawn air was cold.
I pulled my cloak tight and surveyed my surroundings.
The Tower entrance, sporadically lit by streetlamps, was dead silent.
Seeing myself slink toward the Tower like a stray cat made me chuckle dryly.
"Hah... how long am I going to have to keep hiding like this?"
A sigh escaped me automatically.
There was no denying that concealing my identity was the safe choice.
Thanks to it, I was free from annoying scouting offers, the media's attention, and whatever potential threats lurked out there.
But there were just as many restrictions.
Having to sneak in every single dawn like this was just a secondary hassle; the biggest problem was something else entirely.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with all of these?"
I recalled the Orichalcum gear piling up in my inventory.
The Rare and Epic-grade armor pieces, made as practice while trying to draw out the Unique grade, had piled up like a mountain.
Sure, I called them practice pieces, but on the open market, hunters would lose their minds and stampede to get their hands on them.
The seller would name the price. At auction, they'd easily rake in billions.
But I couldn't sell them.
The reason was simple.
The entire world already knew, through my strategy video, that a hunter named Barcode had cleared the 18th-floor Orichalcum Mine.
Orichalcum was the rarest and most powerful metal obtainable in our world right now.
And suddenly, a mysterious creator named SW dumps a massive quantity of Orichalcum gear?
Unless someone was a complete idiot, anyone would make a perfectly logical deduction.
'Barcode ransacked the mine, and SW used the materials to craft equipment? Then Barcode and SW are either the same person or in cahoots?'
Like that.
"Even though it's a waste... it can't be helped."
I clicked my tongue and let it go.
There was no reason to take risks just to liquidate inventory.
One day, when I had grown strong enough to naturally reveal my identity, I could just release them all at once then.
I stood before the Tower.
I placed my hand against the entrance that shimmered with blue light.
"Let's go."
[Entering 21st Floor.]
My vision flipped along with the familiar sensation of floating.
The white light receded, and a new landscape spread out before my eyes.
The very first thing I perceived was a thick scent of grass and humidity that pricked at the tip of my nose.
The moment my vision cleared, my jaw dropped involuntarily.
"Wow...."
It was a forest.
But it was a far cry from the common-sense forests I knew.
A single tree was so high that even craning my neck back, I couldn't see the end of it.
The fact that a single leaf was the size of a person said it all.
On the ground, giant fern-like plants dense enough to reach my waist obscured my view.
"Everything's disgustingly huge...."
It was the polar opposite of the Empire's desolate landscapes.
This definitely wasn't the Empire.
It was clear that the world-line that continued up to the 20th floor had ended, and a new floor had truly begun.
My nerves on edge, I guarded my surroundings cautiously.
An unfamiliar environment always brought variables with it.
Through the thick undergrowth, only the cries of nameless insects could be heard.
Carefully, I took a step forward.
That was when it happened.
A chill crept down my spine from behind.
There wasn't even a split second for my brain to think.
My instincts screamed a warning.
"......!"
Reflexively, I twisted my body and raised my left arm.
The newly crafted [Orichalcum Gauntlet] encased my arm.
A heavy, blunt impact struck the gauntlet with crushing force.
The shock transmitted to my shoulder, as if I'd just been smashed with a gigantic sledgehammer.
But I wasn't pushed back.
Sparks flew from the surface of the gauntlet as it dispersed the impact.
I quickly steadied my stance and tried to identify the attacker.
But all my eyes could catch was a swaying tree branch.
"Where did it go?"
I whipped my head around, scanning the area.
Something had definitely been there.
And unless my eyes had deceived me just now, it looked like it was bare-handed?
Hitting Orichalcum with bare hands caused this kind of shock?
Goosebumps crawled down my spine.
Beyond the undergrowth, I sensed a presence within the dark shadows.
It came from a spot thick with darkness beneath an enormous tree root.
I glared intently at that spot.
Something glinted from within the darkness.
Gold-colored pupils, vertically slit.
The eyes of a predator stared back at me through the dark.
The look in those eyes was filled with curiosity and mischief rather than hostility.
Slowly, a figure emerged from the shadows.
It had a humanoid form, but pointed ears rose from its head, and a long tail swayed gently behind it.
A beast-kin with the characteristics of a feline predator.
She raised the right hand she had used to strike my gauntlet moments ago.
As she licked her now red and swollen fist with her tongue, the corner of her lips curled up.
Her fangs gleamed.
"Sturdy~"