The Artisan Does Not Blame His Tools

"Thank you, Seoyeon."

"Guild Leader...."

Lee Seoyeon jolted and took a step back.

What had just moments ago been Kim Jun's body wrapped in her healing mana was now exuding an entirely different aura.

After the transplant of the Dragon Heart, Kim Jun's mana had not simply increased in quantity. Its very nature had changed.

This is...

Unstable, violent, and cruel mana.

Lee Seoyeon could feel all of it pouring out of Kim Jun's body.

"Is it all right? This mana...?"

She asked with worried eyes.

Even to her, an S-class healer, the mana flowing from Kim Jun was dangerously potent.

"It's fine."

Dragon power had an equally dangerous double edge to match its overwhelming might.

It granted transcendental strength beyond human limits, but a fatal side effect always came with it: slowly, it could eat away at one's humanity.

The angrier he became, the more explosively that power surged. In the storm of violent emotion, the power of the dragon reached its peak.

But at the end of that road, every trace of Kim Jun's humanity would scatter, and the dragon's consciousness would take root in its place.

Lee Seoyeon had seen the shadow of that fate lurking within him.

*

Kim Jun exhaled deeply as he felt the unstable whirl of dragon power.

If he couldn't control this rampaging ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠force, then everything would be meaningless.

"This... and this."

He took from his subspace pouch the materials he had obtained by dismantling the dragon's body and examined them one by one.

Teeth, bones, hide... even eyes.

These rare materials would help him regulate the dragon mana overflowing from his body.

Knock, knock—

Kim Jun knocked on the old blacksmith's shop at the very back of the artisan district in Thebes.

"Who's there?"

A brusque voice came from inside.

"I heard you're the most skilled blacksmith in Thebes."

"I ain't working anymore. Go to the place next door."

The tone was sharp, almost irritable.

Kim Jun smiled. He had been through this before in his previous life.

But he knew the reason, and he had brought the solution with him.

Thud—

When he pushed the door, a bag of materials slipped through the half-open gap and fell to the floor.

"I said I'm not working!"

The voice inside grew rougher.

"Would you at least take a look?"

Rustle—

The bag opened, and crimson dragon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scales spilled across the floor in a blaze of light.

Then long, sharp dragon fangs and solid dragon bones were added on top of them.

"Th-those are...!"

The door flew open, and a dwarf with a red beard that reached his chest appeared.

He stood only as high as Kim Jun's shoulder, but his broad frame and the thick, muscle-bound arms that seemed twice as wide gave off the unmistakable strength of a blacksmith.

Rough fingers trembled as they hovered over the materials.

"Dragon..."

The dwarf's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You're Aaron, the blacksmith, right?"

Kim Jun asked.

"And these materials... how in the world did you get them...?"

Aaron could hardly continue.

His rough hands carefully picked up the materials.

His ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes were full of reverence, as though he were handling sacred relics.

"They're all S-rank materials. How did you... ah!"

Aaron's eyes suddenly went wide. Though he had long since shut himself away from the world, he could not avoid the rumors echoing through Thebes' alleys.

He had heard the story of the hunter who had slain a Red Dragon alone and earned the legendary hidden class of Dragon Slayer.

And now that hunter was standing in front of his shop.

"Can you make something for me?"

At Kim Jun's question, Aaron's expression darkened at once. His shoulders slumped.

"Come inside."

Kim Jun followed Aaron into the workshop.

The interior was unexpectedly clean, but the cold forge and dust-covered anvil told him plainly that it had not been used in a long time.

"Weapons made from materials like these are the kind of opportunity that comes once in a lifetime, if at all."

Aaron let out a sigh.

"But I'm no longer a blacksmith."

He pointed to the empty tool rack hanging on the wall.

"My hammer's gone. The Lunarium Hammer, passed down through my family for generations, broke during my last job."

Lunarium. A rare mineral found only in the Tower.

There was a deep sense of defeat in Aaron's voice.

Perhaps the pride he had carried for decades as a blacksmith had shattered along with that hammer.

"How can a craftsman who can't even manage his own tools properly work with materials this precious? I'm sorry, but someone like you, a hunter..."

Kim Jun said nothing. He simply took another item from his subspace pouch.

"This is...?"

Aaron's eyes widened again. On the table lay a blacksmith's hammer crafted with perfect balance and proportion.

Fine patterns had been engraved across its surface, and ancient characters were etched into the handle.

"T-the Hammer of Belleron?"

It was the reward Kim Jun had received from the hidden clear on the first floor of the tower.

Aaron's hands began to tremble. He lifted the hammer with great care.

"H-how did this end up with you!"

The dwarf's eyes were huge with disbelief. His mouth hung open beneath his beard.

"The hammer that's only ever been spoken of as a legend among blacksmiths!"

Kim Jun nodded.

"It's yours now, if you'll make my equipment."

Aaron stood there in silence for a long moment, the hammer still in his hand. Then, all at once, he straightened his back and his eyes changed.

"Equipment for a Dragon Slayer... and materials I'll never be able to get in my lifetime, along with a hammer like this."

He looked at Kim Jun with a determined expression.

"I'll pour every last skill I have into it! I'll make you the finest equipment possible, one that can perfectly control your dragon power!"

Aaron was already feeding the forge.

The long-dead flames roared red once more, breathing life back into the workshop.

"Come back in three days. I, Aaron, will show you the greatest work of my life!"

*

"Come in!"

The moment he knocked, Aaron's excited voice rang out from inside.

When Kim Jun stepped in, Aaron was standing before something covered by a large cloth.

"Take a look!"

The dwarf swept the cloth away. Beneath it lay three pieces of equipment radiating a red glow.

First, a greatsword.

The blade, as long as Kim Jun was tall, had been forged around a dragon's spine. A red dragon motif was engraved along the blade, and the hilt was wrapped in dragon hide.

Second, armor.

A breastplate and shoulder guards made from red and black dragon scales.

Third, gloves.

The gloves woven from dragon claws and scales promised perfect protection and mobility down to the fingertips.

"I named it the Dragon Slayer Set."

Aaron said proudly.

"Call the greatsword Dragon Eater, the armor Dragon Skin, and the gloves Dragon Claw. Each one will help control your dragon mana while amplifying it."

Kim Jun stared at the equipment in awe. Even in his previous life, he had never seen a set this perfect.

"And..."

Aaron pulled another item from beneath the workbench.

"I had materials left over, so I made this too. Judging from my years of experience, I thought you'd need it."

It was a sword. Far lighter-looking than the greatsword, its gently curved blade gave off a faint red sheen.

The hilt was wrapped in dragon hide, and the scabbard was made from the same material.

"Call it Dragon Tail. You'll be able to use it for purposes different from the greatsword. It should come in handy when you need speed or precision."

Kim Jun lowered his head without saying a word. It was a deeper expression of gratitude than any words could have been.

"With this set on, you'll be able to control the power of the Dragon Heart. But be careful. That power... may be more dangerous than you think."

Worry lingered in Aaron's eyes.

While he had been making the equipment, he had experienced something strange.

Each time he tempered the dragon scales, the forge flames writhed.

As if they were alive.

The instant those flames touched his skin, rage surged through him.

Hatred followed, and at the end of it, even an inexplicable thrill seeped in.

It was the dragon's lingering will.

"I understand. Thank you, Aaron."

Kim Jun began putting on the equipment one piece at a time.

Kim Jun felt the mana raging inside him suddenly settle.

It was still there, ready to be drawn out as overwhelming power whenever he needed it, but it no longer seemed as though it would threaten his consciousness.

----

"At this level..."

Kim Jun, now fully equipped, smiled with satisfaction.

He had already obtained endgame-grade equipment this early in the tower.

The Iron Golem has absurdly high defense, but with Dragon Tendon Enhancement's defense-penetration effect, I can break through it easily enough.

The structure of the tower unfolded in his mind. The monsters waiting on each floor, and even their weaknesses.

Liches specialize in powerful magic attacks, but Dragon Skin's magic resistance will let me withstand them.

These were the stretches where countless hunters had lost their lives in his previous life. But now, things would be different.

The most important thing was the set effect.

Each piece of equipment was powerful on its own, but the synergy unleashed when worn together went beyond imagination.

He could chain attacks strengthened by Dragon Eater's mana amplification, then continue the assault with Dragon Claw's increased attack speed.

If Dragon Tail's double-strike effect triggered in between, he could suppress an enemy in an instant.

The same held true for defense.

With Dragon Skin's damage reduction and magic resistance, and with Dragon Scale Counter added on top, most attacks would only turn into poison for the enemy.

"It's a perfect combination."

When Kim Jun lightly clenched his fist, a red aura seeped from Dragon Claw.

In my previous life, it took me half a year just to reach the twentieth floor...

But now things were different.

With this equipment, he could challenge even the higher floors of the tower.

"So, how about we drink to celebrate?"

"Beer?"

"Wahahaha! Of course beer! When you've made a masterpiece like this, the gods themselves would be offended if we didn't celebrate with dwarf dark beer!"

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