Roona's Radiance
"Did that guy really make this?"
"Splendid. I can feel the deep faith toward him."
They each muttered a word or two.
It was just a crude iron pillar topped with a hammer carving, but since it was a full Unique grade item, it somehow felt special to them.
Vulcan had worried they might take issue with it resembling Roona's famed battle hammer, but thanks to the Blessed One effect—or perhaps the Divine Mark from Roona Temple—they saw it as proof of devout faith instead.
'This works.'
- It actually works...
Truth be told, Vulcan hadn't been entirely confident, so he let out a quiet sigh of relief. Tud clicked his tongue in disbelief but had no choice but to acknowledge it since the clients approved.
"Then let's begin."
Since it had been crafted with low-rank forging skills he wasn't yet used to, they could have nitpicked if they wanted, but the group—already favorably inclined—didn't bother.
The satisfied lord nodded, and the Roona Temple priests encircled the statue, channeling holy power.
Roona's Justice (Unique) is imbued with holy power.
Holy power poured in like a waterfall, centered on the high priest.
This wasn't your typical reinforcement buff. It wasn't a special spell—they were literally hammering divine essence into it, forcing the object to absorb sanctity.
Imbuing higher-grade items required massive amounts of holy power, but whether due to the mythril alloy or its resemblance to their god, Roona's Justice soaked it up like a sponge.
It quickly filled to the brim, emanating a faint holy aura on its own.
Roona's Radiance (Epic) has been completed.
"......What?"
And just like that, Roona's Justice became Roona's Radiance—an Epic-grade statue, not Unique.
Epic-grade equipment crafting success!
Fame has increased by 300.
All stats have increased by 5.
◈ A statue crafted with utmost effort by a craftsman of immense potential to glorify Roona. Roona's Radiance has taken pity on it, infusing its glory to spread around.
◈ Applies [Roona's Territory] effect within a certain radius.
◈ Applies [Roona's Glory] effect within a certain radius.
◈ Applies [Roona's Blessing] within a certain radius.
◈ Applies [Roona's Encouragement] within a certain radius.
The effects matched its grade perfectly. Roona's Territory turned the entire Rezina territory into a sanctuary, Roona's Glory boosted all holy power effects, and blessings enhanced all stats for players and NPCs alike.
Finally, Roona's Encouragement dramatically sped up HP, mana, and stamina recovery, supercharging village rest bonuses.
He'd have to check duration, but this would accelerate hunting speeds and cut downtime massively. If it lasted long enough, players would teleport here pre-hunt for the merits alone.
'What a waste. Such a damn waste!'
Vulcan's stomach ached—he'd done a huge favor for others—but everyone else beamed, cheering Roona's glorious power.
"Ahem. Looks done, so... my reward?"
"Ah, right. For such excellent work, you deserve proper compensation! Hmm, it's beyond expectations, so I need to rethink the reward."
"Come to think of it, our temple's reward is pending too. 'That matter' will wrap soon—Tiran will summon you."
He'd slyly brought up rewards amid the good vibes, but got no immediate answer.
The Rezina lord promised to recalibrate due to exceeding expectations; the temple said Tiran would handle it personally.
"Tch."
Just hand it over since he was here—why drag it out? But he couldn't press.
The weak had to endure. Vulcan nodded reluctantly, bracing for more waiting.
At least the heretic interrogation they called "that matter" was ending soon—a silver lining.
"Might as well grind some more while I'm at it?"
The Rezina lord offered no new quests after.
Vulcan gained a hollow freedom but had nothing pressing. Normally he'd hunt and level, but post-Hainel rescue, local mobs gave unsatisfying EXP.
Sure, pennies made pounds—he'd scraped like that before—but circumstances changed.
His belly was full, but too many priorities left no slack.
Just the crafting skills to master numbered plenty; derived skills' ranks loomed too.
This job wouldn't have needed tricks with higher Architecture rank—bittersweet success.
Improv saved him now, but skill-heavy quests ahead could doom him.
Blind level grinding might snag unhandleable crafts, netting penalties over rewards.
"Better raise crafting ranks first?"
Thus, Vulcan prioritized crafting. Most used, and high-grade drops mid-grind meant solid cash even at low levels.
With the lord's forge unavailable post-job, he rented the village one with precious coin.
Mobile forge was an option, but statue buffs recovered stamina instantly, enabling nonstop crafting.
Clang!
Clang!
Vulcan hammered out diverse weapons from leftovers—valuable experience for variety's sake.
Weapons sold best to players, hence the focus.
That night, as radiant light bathed Rezina Village and Vulcan's forge glowed till dawn, shadows of darkness infiltrated.
"Ooh!"
Deep night, yet the forge blazed on.
Roona's Radiance kept invigorating him, letting Vulcan hammer relentlessly.
He honed skills crafting varied gear, hitting targets.
Item restrictions are further relaxed.
Item Crafting ranked up, and so did Item Master—huge.
"Item Master too?"
Legendary Item Crafting's rise mattered, but Item Master's immediate impact hit hardest.
All linked weapon masteries jumped from F to E—130% to 140% attack power.
Armor too: deeper heavy armor insight, 140% defense boost.
"Where's that one option line?"
But the real draw: relaxed item restrictions.
Simple—it meant gear once equippable only at half options now activated one fully.
'At this rate, I could take a level 100 head-on.'
Which option? Singles were clear, but multis? First line? Random?
Heart pounding, he checked.
Please select an option to activate.
"......Holy shit."
Item Master's rank-up blew past expectations—no force, no random: choose your option.
Irrevocable once picked, but cherry-picking one was massive.
Grab a stat boost? Dozens of levels worth. Skill slots for production class gaps.
"Crafting really is the way?"
Greed surged. E-rank this strong—what of D or C? Multiple lines? Partial power recovery?
Either way, heart-racing potential. Item Master's path unclear, but grinding diverse crafts seemed key.
If extras unlocked, no level worries.
- Eh, kinda yes, kinda no.
"Huh?"
Tud, rolling in chocolate piles, tossed out words—like he knew Item Master's secrets.
- Tch. Still blind to its essence? Dumbass.
Why assume it masters all items?
- "Well..."
Because... skill? But Vulcan swallowed it—Tud would clobber him.
'Essence of the power?'
This game never bullshitted. Even skills hid reasons in tooltips.
One word, nuance hooked players.
So Item Master's core? Legendary blacksmith? But why?
"Item comprehension... Ah! No way?"
- Not hopeless.
Why did a legendary smith get Item Master? Item comprehension, duh.
His F-rank? Eyes and info on items, but no experience.
"So I gotta handle every damn item type?"
- Knowing ≠ doing. Even instant insight on grasp wears thin without reps.
Confirmed. Rank up via diverse handling—not just crafting volume.
True comprehension built true mastery.
"......Gonna cost a fortune."
Workarounds: auction house or shops for bulk buys—no crafting all.
But money—tons.
Resell mitigated, but deficits loomed: shop repurchases devalued, auctions fee'd.
Still net positive for Item Master, but Vulcan grimaced at the bleed.
Thud!!
"......?"
He'd earned plenty this time, but escalating needs might outpace funds.
Clutching his sour gut, prepping for auction house—then odd noise outside.
Boom!
Crash! Bang!!!
Explosions. Thunderous blasts shattered the quiet dawn village.