Having only good materials did not mean a fine artifact would be made.
Only when various elements formed the proper harmony could a fine artifact finally be born.
Special User Management Team.
Representative Lee Sejin was flustered after seeing the Demon’s Gauntlet Crafting Method.
One of the many components needed to create a good artifact.
Possessing good materials.
The first condition had been satisfied.
And the second.
Having a peerless function.
That had now been satisfied as well.
“It steals the target’s cooldown and can reduce your own by up to twice as much?”
Team Lead Lee.
As the Story Team lead, he too did not get surprised easily, just like the Special User Management Team.
When Team Lead Kim had called him over, saying, “We’re in trouble,” he had assumed Kim was making a fuss, but now he was bewildered.
Team Lead Kim answered,
“And on top of that, it can even steal the target’s MP...”
As if to say, Now it’s your turn, everyone looked at employee Lee Jihui.
The final line written in the Demon’s Gauntlet Crafting Method.
“It can also steal status ailment rate.”
“...”
“...”
It stole what belonged to the opponent, and the wearer gained twice the benefit.
If it stole 1 second from the opponent, the wearer’s cooldown was reduced by 2 seconds.
Of course, that was only the “maximum.”
While everyone was focused on Hyunsoo,
the Story Team lead saw his cell phone vibrate with a bzzzt.
What is it?
The Story Team lead watched something slightly different from the Special User Management Team.
If the Special User Management Team watched “people,”
the Story Team watched “quests” and “stories.”
As expected of the Story Team lead, his cell phone was linked to various things.
[The activation conditions for Secret Quest: Admiration have been satisfied.]
“Admiration!?”
Team Lead Lee cried out in surprise and said to Lee Jihui,
“Can you check where the blacksmiths of the nation of Hyun are right now?”
“Yes.”
Lee Jihui tapped on the keyboard.
Taptaptaptap—
Blacksmiths that looked like black dots could be seen heading toward the forge where Hyunsoo was.
“It’s true...”
Team Lead Lee looked flustered.
Lee Sejin, Team Lead Kim—none of them knew everything about the story.
The only one who would know such things was the supercomputer Ares.
That was why each team had been divided.
“What is going on?”
Lee Sejin asked.
“Secret Quest: Admiration. It is a quest that was scheduled to occur soon because the blacksmiths’ respect for user Hyunsoo is so high. The way it progresses is simple. Those who admire him watch him, and when a result they find satisfying is produced, the reward triggers.”
“Is there some problem with that?”
Lee Sejin looked puzzled.
In one sense, it seemed like nothing more than one of the quests carried out by a user.
“It’s because of the reward.”
“The reward?”
Team Lead Lee wore an expression that seemed to ask why, of all times, it had to trigger now.
“Secret Quest: Admiration proceeds while user Hyunsoo is crafting. It is completed when, through that crafting process, the blacksmiths realize their respect was not misplaced. Also, the reward is granted after the crafting is complete.”
When everyone showed interest, Team Lead Lee said,
“The reward for that quest is a modifier.”
“...”
At that, everyone looked shocked.
A modifier.
Something that granted an artifact greater power by bestowing a modifier upon it.
Everyone there instinctively realized that it would become the third material.
*****
Nick.
He was Japan’s unofficial blacksmith ranker.
His level was higher than the official number-one blacksmith in Japan, so in truth, it was correct to call Nick Japan’s greatest blacksmith ranker.
That Nick had come to the nation of Hyun.
Haa...
He sighed as he stared at three sheets of parchment.
[Agares’s Armor Crafting Method. (Incomplete.)]
[Agares’s Helmet Crafting Method. (Incomplete.)]
[Agares’s Gauntlet Crafting Method. (Incomplete.)]
He had obtained them after clearing linked quests for half a year.
He must have been able to obtain them because he was a blacksmith.
However,
Nick had been unable to complete these crafting methods for a long time.
To begin with,
unless a crafting method was completed, one could not confirm what effects it contained.
And the method for completing a crafting method?
It was simple.
One completed it through “Crafting Method Creation,” a power all blacksmiths possessed.
What happened once it was completed?
The necessary materials,
the method for crafting it, and so on would be written in detail, making it possible to actually craft the item.
However, there was one problem.
[Your Crafting Method Creation level is absurdly low for completing Agares’s Helmet Crafting Method.]
[Your Crafting Method Creation level is absurdly low for completing Agares’s Armor Crafting Method.]
Just like this, Agares’s crafting methods were not permitted even to Nick.
In fact, Nick had traveled all across Ares in an attempt to complete those crafting methods.
But all of his attempts had failed.
That was how desperate he was. He had even posted about Agares’s Helmet Crafting Method on a sales board.
The payment was a staggering three hundred million won.
When the post first went up, people showed interest.
—If it’s Agares, then it must be a crafting method related to the Great Archdemon Agares. Where did he even get this?
Agares’s crafting methods were artifacts more than worthy of drawing the attention of outstanding blacksmith rankers.
Nick hoped for one thing.
Even among blacksmiths, there were various classes, and among those people, he wanted to find someone whose Crafting Method Creation level alone was extraordinarily high.
However,
—It looks like it’s probably Legendary-grade, but if all three are combined as a set, I estimate they’ll produce Transcendent-level power. But it says the level restriction is 550. That means your Crafting Method Creation level would have to be Highest-grade Level 8, doesn’t it? Aren’t the current blacksmith rankers only around Highest-grade Level 1?
—Yeah, that’s right. There are tons who aren’t even Highest-grade yet and are still Advanced-grade. I bet less than 5% of blacksmith rankers have reached Highest-grade.
In reality, even Nick, Japan’s unofficial ranker, was only Advanced-grade Level 7.
—The person who posted this should probably wait until you reach Level 550, or until you hit Highest-grade Level 8 in Crafting Method Creation. You may have obtained the artifact in the first place, but it seems like it’s a crafting method you’re meant to make later.
—Why do those Pureum bastards keep making things people can’t even craft?
They’re definitely right...
It was an accurate answer.
There were more things in Ares than expected that could not be achieved at the current level.
This too must have been one of them.
Also,
as the person above had said, how much time would it take to reach Level 550?
The average level of blacksmiths is half that of ordinary users.
Based on that formula, it would take at least two years.
Nick was certain.
Highest-grade Level 8? There may be almost no one who can reach that at all.
Griiiip—
Looking at the incomplete crafting methods, Nick could only sigh.
Would the nation of Hyun be different...?
That was why Nick had come to the nation of Hyun.
With the feeling of grasping at straws.
He headed to where Takashi was.
Japan’s greatest Master Blacksmith.
He thought Takashi might be able to solve this far too easily.
But the blacksmiths said,
“...He has left for rice-soup training.”
“What is that?”
“It is an arduous path of training where he shuts himself in the kitchen for two weeks and does not come out until he has made the perfect rice soup.”
“...?”
At some point, Japan’s greatest Master Blacksmith had become a master of rice soup.
Of course,
Nick had no intention of asking for help for free.
He took out a map and looked at it.
It was a map he had obtained after proceeding through an extremely difficult quest.
This isn’t something you can buy with money...
Nick felt as if he could give even this away, as long as someone completed Agares’s crafting methods for him.
Right then,
“I heard Hyunsoo has returned?”
“Oh, really?”
“They say he entered the forge as soon as he got back. It looks like he’s crafting a gauntlet.”
“It’s been so long since he crafted something!”
Nick was surprised.
The blacksmiths’ eyes were sparkling simply because Hyunsoo was crafting something for the first time in a while.
To what extent?
Hyunsoo is a god!
Hyunsoo-lujah!
Our Hyunsoo is crafting!?
He could feel boundless praise for Hyunsoo from them.
“Let’s go watch.”
“Another lesson may descend upon us.”
“Just watching him helps!”
Like that, a large number of blacksmiths moved in a swarm.
Nick found it absurd.
Are these people insane?
Just watching helped?
The only being that could make such a thing possible would be a god.
And there was another thing he found ridiculous.
People are going to watch when he needs to concentrate more than ever?
On top of that, Hyunsoo was a king.
He could not possibly have that much time to spare, and crafting was a task that required a higher level of concentration than one might think.
There was no way he would allow it.
Just then,
[The Demon’s Gauntlet Crafting Method is completed.]
After completing the Demon’s Gauntlet Crafting Method, where purple and black harmonized perfectly, Hyunsoo saw the blacksmiths crowding toward him.
What is this?
While he wore a puzzled expression, one blacksmith stepped forward.
He was a blacksmith who had always been highly motivated, so Hyunsoo remembered him as well.
“We heard you were crafting for the first time in a while. We would like to learn by watching from beside you, if that would be all right.”
Honestly speaking, Hyunsoo did not like the idea.
It was exactly as Nick had thought.
Crafting this won’t be easy.
It was a mineral he was touching for the first time.
But Hyunsoo looked at them.
Their expressions were full of respect and admiration for him.
I’ve become someone’s dream...?
His heart pounded. It felt good.
The fact that he had become someone’s dream.
Hyunsoo had been about to say, with an unpleasant expression, “Not today,” but then he realized that such a thankful moment was a blessing.
And so, as if surrendering, he smiled and answered,
“Of course.”
And Hyunsoo did not know.
[User Hyunsoo accepts Secret Quest: Admiration.]
Although the notification had not rung for him, this notification had appeared for the Special User Management Team.
Nick, watching that Hyunsoo, was quietly impressed.
He’s allowing this?
If it had been him, he would never have allowed it.
In fact, he might have gotten angry and told them to get lost.
But Hyunsoo was different.
“All of you, come closer. I’ll teach you how to use fire, how to use a mineral in a way that suits a gauntlet, and how to use a new mineral.”
“Th-thank you!”
“Thank you, Hyunsoo!”
The blacksmiths were overjoyed, almost jumping in place.
And suddenly,
Nick thought this moment, before the work had begun in earnest, seemed like his chance.
Once he starts working, it’ll be hard to talk to him for days.
So Nick moved from among the observers and held out the three pieces of parchment.
[Agares’s Armor Crafting Method. (Incomplete.)]
[Agares’s Helmet Crafting Method. (Incomplete.)]
[Agares’s Gauntlet Crafting Method. (Incomplete.)]
Even as he held them out, he was polite.
That meant revealing who he was.
“I’m actually not a blacksmith affiliated with the nation of Hyun.”
At that, the other blacksmiths nodded.
“No wonder...”
“I thought I’d never seen him before.”
Hyunsoo received them from him.
“I am one of Japan’s unofficial blacksmiths. However, because of these, which I obtained a very long time ago...”
Nick honestly explained everything about these crafting methods.
“If you complete these for me...”
But soon, Hyunsoo handed them back.
Seeing the crafting methods returned before he could even finish speaking, Nick gave a bitter smile.
“...As expected, it can’t be done?”
Nick nodded bitterly as he looked at the crafting methods.
Well, of course...
Even Hyunsoo had not reached Level 550 or Highest-grade Crafting Method Creation Level 8.
No, his level was in the early 500s, and he crafted by hand, so naturally there was nothing like that.
It was an expected result.
“Still, thank you for hearing me out.”
But then Hyunsoo looked puzzled.
“Huh? What do you mean, it can’t be done? I finished all of them and gave them back.”
When Nick picked them up, notifications rang out.
[Agares’s Armor Crafting Method has been completed.]
[Agares’s Helmet Crafting Method has been completed.]
[Agares’s Gauntlet Crafting Method has been completed.]
[It is a Legendary artifact set.]
[However, because a skilled blacksmith supplemented the crafting methods and filled in their deficiencies, they can now be crafted as Legendary–Transcendent artifacts.]
“...?”
Nick was dumbfounded.
The total time it had taken Hyunsoo to complete those crafting methods in front of him.
Fifty-eight seconds!?
Because it had taken less than one minute.
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