Existence Rank and the Dark Hound Set

"……Did I really make this?"

Vulcan stared blankly at the agapite chestplate before him, murmuring as if entranced.

"Do you have any idea how much money went into this?! This can't be happening!!"

But in the next instant, he exploded in rage, venting his frustration.

The agapite chestplate—officially named Heavy Rock Armor—that he'd poured three whole hours into crafting was in such a pathetic state that he could hardly believe it had come from his own hands.

"A legendary skill! An epic hammer! Rare materials! And it still comes out as total garbage?!?!"

In a word, trash.

Not a single beneficial effect for the wearer—just a pile of debuffs, low defense, and sky-high equip restrictions. Aside from melting it down, it had zero uses. An expensive piece of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠junk sat right in front of him.

"I'm gonna lose my mind, seriously."

He could accept the Common grade, somehow. Even with an artisan's blessing and a legendary crafting skill, luck was always a factor. No amount of preparation made the odds of Common zero.

But even so, what the hell was this debuff nightmare? No positive effects despite dumping in those pricey materials? Defense worse than level 100 gear?

"Why, why, WHY! What the hell!!"

Something was seriously wrong. He'd followed the recipe from Dragon Eye to the letter, hammered without a single mistake. He'd even lavished it with agapite ore—one of the rarer minerals—treating it like a newborn baby. This result was unbelievable.

"My money……."

It was a soulbound item, so no selling it as-is. But if he'd made something decent to sell, he could've raked in a fortune. Vulcan's insides burned with regret.

- Pfft. What an idiot.

"Laughing? You think this is funny right now?"

Whack!! He snapped at Tud and got his skull smacked for it.

He knew his temper had flared, but Tud had no reason to let it slide.

- You screw up like a moron and then get pissy? Want me to show you real anger? Huh?

"Urk. No, sir. I just…… sigh……."

Vulcan's rebellion was swiftly crushed by Tud.

But the worry lingered. Low grade alone? Just bad luck—he'd melt it down or try other ores for different parts. But these abysmal options and defense screamed structural failure.

'Low skill rank? Or my level too low?'

Two suspects: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skill rank too low for agapite, or his level too low to handle it. Maybe both. Still, with a Legendary skill, he figured melting and shaping would at least complete it.

Fantasy game logic defied common sense, but his head spun anyway.

- Tsk. Touch stuff beyond your station, and that's what happens.

"Do you know why this happened?"

- You think I'd tell y—

Tud, lounging and tossing chocolates into his mouth, threw another jab. It seemed like mere scorn for Vulcan's stupidity, but Vulcan read deeper intent.

He quickly pulled stashed chocolates from his inventory, soothing Tud, who switched gears.

- Ahem. Of course I know. Who am I? The great dragon who stood at the pinnacle of item power.

"Ugh, yeah, yeah. Knew you'd know. If even you don't, who would? So…… why'd I get this trash?"

Flattered by the bootlicking? Tud smirked and launched into lore hidden even from game settings.

- Every existence has its own 'rank.' Living or not—even a pebble underfoot.

- Dumb humans think their rank's high, but a chunk of this agapite ore outranks dozens, hundreds of villagers combined.

"Come on, that's a bit much……."

- Like it or not, fact. Humans and kin can only raise rank through endless toil. Pure rank? Humans are bottom-tier. Kobold level, maybe.

"……Orc at least?"

- Nonsense. Orcs' natural physiques? Allotted by rank. Humans? Pathetic.

"But humans dominate the continent, right?"

- You think that's pure talent? Why'd so many monster kingdoms fall to them otherwise? Humans scrape by on effort, maxing their pitiful rank or breaking limits.

Vulcan pushed back, feeling unjustly maligned, but Tud's facts battered him down.

"Even beyond dragons?"

- Idiot talk. Great races' rank rivals entire human kingdoms. Dragon Slayers? They snag a few fresh hatchlings at best. Ancients? Need the whole continent's might—and even then, only borrowing high-rank gear's power.

- Without item power filling their gaps, they'd pay dearly for touching the great ones.

"Ah, yeah…… So, this mess is 'cause my rank's too low?"

- Exactly. Finishers handle gear that's already accepted low-rank humans. Artisans? They shave raw rank, refine it, attune. No rank? Can't draw its power.

"Level up, got it. Tsk."

Vague as "existence rank" was, Vulcan recalled Tud calling level-ups soul rank boosts. Short of high levels, forget top materials.

- For now, yeah. Minimum rank might change things.

"Hm?"

- Later, when you get th…… Never mind. And one more: dumping rare metals whole ain't always best. Proper alloys unleash greater power. Balances item rank too.

"……Got it."

Mysterious words followed, but Vulcan gained insight. He knew mixing rare metals sparingly made superior alloys, but greed overrode. 'Equip restrictions' clicked too—likely minimum rank per item. His Legendary class as Tud's incarnation, plus Item Master, ignored most restrictions (level aside) via infused rank.

'Some providence in store.'

Tud trailed off, but Vulcan guessed: something related awaited. Unknown when or how, but that hope reignited him.

"Whew. Alright, let's start over."

This time, he scanned recipes for metals his rank could handle, targeting level 200-restricted gear. Dozens of options, all sellable. He'd mix rares sparingly, skip top ores—no need to narrow early. Forge ten, twenty? All of 'em.

He dove back in, crafting gear to boost his power.

"……Did I really make this?"

Five days of nonstop crafting later, Vulcan lined up his items and echoed day one.

But the meaning? Worlds apart.

A full Rare-grade armor set from shadow ore, high-grade iron, and senos ore (2:7:1)—his.

The Dark Hound set had a hidden option: set effects scaled by piece grades. Luck struck—all Rare, max benefits.

Individually, he'd made better defense or stats elsewhere. But overall? Nothing boosted his combat like this. He could say it confidently.

"Kuh! This is it!!"

Plus, set skill [Shadow Assimilation]: mid-tier stealth in darkness, low mana cost—perfect for him.

Item Master's low rank halved defense, limited options to two lines ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠each. But set effects? Full access. Vulcan was thrilled.

"Sell the rest…… heh heh heh!!"

Auction Uncommon/Rares from the process? Nice payout.

Legendary skill rank unchanged, but results? Plenty satisfying.

- Keep going nonstop?

"Gotta. Stamina's still good."

Too early to rest. Days of minimal sleep, bare recovery—yet after his dream set, back to the forge.

Mental fog threatened sleep, but titles/buffs minimized stamina drain. Plenty left.

True gamers burn stamina dry before rest—for full refill on return.

- Huh? That's…….

Tud eyed the hammering oddly. Armor done—accessories next? Nope: something long.

"Yup. A bow."

Money-grub Vulcan making weapons? Fine. But for cash, long swords ruled popularity.

No—steel bow, no wood. Senos and elasticity-boosting beritte ore mixed into ironbow.

- No need to fixate one weapon…… Decent choice, but pure shooting lacks punch?

Archers prioritized agility over strength; bows often agility-restricted. Ironbows? Niche.

Proved for Vulcan's personal use.

Tud's concern valid, though. Vulcan had bow mastery via Item Master, but no archer skills—damage suffered.

Bow skills via options? Wishful.

So what scheme? Even Tud puzzled. Vulcan just grinned.

He shaped the ironbow frame, strung it, then mass-produced solid iron arrows—iron bolts.

- You don't mean……?

The form? Eerily unique. Even Tud, grasping late, gawked.