Chapter 37

[Beginner Blacksmith]

- First equipment crafted

- Dexterity +1

"Hmmmm."

- Is it really that good?

"I'm the happiest guy in the world."

- Anyone would think you made a mythic item.

Seeing him as happy as if he had won the lottery, it was a bit ridiculous.

"Alright, I'll keep this momentum going and make the helmet and greaves."

- Yeah. Now that you've got the hang of it, you should succeed quickly. Just finish them and level up...

"Please wait a moment, my lord. It's not finished yet."

"Huh?"

Confused by the statement, Carpe looked at Tina.

Her gaze was directed at the shabaton he had just made.

"Isn't this a finished product?"

The notification clearly said it was completed...

To Carpe, it was a natural question, but she slowly shook her head.

"Perhaps for ordinary blacksmiths, but my lord is not just a simple blacksmith, is he?"

"Huh?"

When he thought about it, she was right.

He was so moved by the success that he shouted as if he had crafted a masterpiece, but when he calmed down, it wasn't much.

He had just made a pair of plate shoes by shaping the iron ingot.

That was it.

Even a simple blacksmith could do that.

There was nothing magical or alchemical about the process.

"The Magic King was not only skilled as a blacksmith, but his true strength lay elsewhere."

At that moment,

Ding.

[You have completed 90% or more of the crafting process with 'Excellent'.]

[You can now engrave 'Runes' on your crafted items.]

['Rune Engraving' is a type of magic enchantment that can only be applied to successfully crafted equipment.]

"Rune Engraving?"

- Seriously? A skill exclusive to the Magic Overlord?

"My lord, this way."

Tina led him to another space inside the workshop, an alchemy lab.

On a large desk, various experimental tools were laid out.

As Carpe sat in the chair in front of the desk, another notification appeared.

[Place the crafted equipment on the workbench to start rune engraving.]

[Use the Magic Pencil to engrave the rune. The effect of the completed rune is random.]

"Magic Pencil? Ah, is this it?"

In the corner of the desk, there was an object that looked like a writing tool.

However, despite its name 'pencil,' it was more like a ballpoint pen than a pencil.

It wasn't a thin ballpoint pen but a thick one, like a three-color pen.

The unique feature was that the barrel of the pen was transparent, allowing you to see inside, and there was a rubber part at the back like a syringe.

"First, we need to inject the magic solution."

After saying that, Tina walked to the end of the desk with a beaker.

- Why is there a dispenser here...?

"Dispenser? What's that?"

- It's like a water cooler, but instead of water, it contains chemicals. You often see them in university labs.

"Bro, you really were a science major with that face and build. It's a waste of your physique."

- What, man?

Tina approached the dispenser, placed the beaker under it, and pressed a button.

A murky gray liquid flowed out, filling the beaker.

"Is this the magic solution?"

"Yes. It's made by melting magical materials in appropriate proportions. The purer the materials used, the closer the color will be to silver."

"Wow. Did you make this, Tina?"

"No. Unfortunately, my knowledge of magic engineering is not that deep. This solution was given as a reward when the workshop was opened."

"Hmm."

A reward for opening the workshop.

Does that mean, like the iron ingot, additional solutions will be given as rewards when the workshop level increases?

If not, it might be necessary to mix and create them as Tina suggested.

- Well, we'll figure that out later. Let's start with the rune engraving.

The moment he saw the magic solution, he immediately understood what to do.

Carpe dipped the Magic Pencil slightly into the beaker and pressed the rubber part at the back with his finger, then released it.

Squish!

The gray solution was sucked in, filling the pencil.

After repeating this a few times, the inside was full.

Click.

At the same time, the pen tip popped out.

- Does it convert to a pen when it's full? That's pretty cool.

"Is that it?"

"Yes. All preparations are complete."

"Great."

Carpe nodded and placed the shabaton on the workbench.

[The rune engraving has begun.]

Then, a change occurred with the notification.

Geometric patterns began to appear on the surface of the shabaton.

"Is this the rune?"

Given the pen, geometric patterns, and the word 'engraving,' the task was clear.

"I have to trace this, right? If I make a mistake and it splashes out, it fails."

"Indeed, my lord. Your insight is remarkable."

"I'm not sure if it's worth calling insight, but I understand."

No further explanation was needed.

Carpe straightened his posture and carefully placed the pen tip on the shabaton.

"Ugh?!"

It was dangerous.

More solution flowed out than expected, almost splashing outside the pattern.

[If you fail the rune engraving, there is a high probability that the item will be damaged.]

"You should have told me that before!"

I almost had a heart attack.

Carpe took a deep breath and composed himself.

"Alright, focus. Focus."

When he was about 10% through, sweat began to form on his forehead.

Carpe, who had been turning his stiff shoulders, spoke.

"This is a surprisingly tiring job. It feels like tracing a picture on a transparent sheet when I was a kid."

- Well, after music class, it's art class, huh? At this point, you're not the Magic King but the King of Arts and Physical Education.

"Actually, the Magic King was also deeply knowledgeable in the arts."

- ...Really?

The analogy of tracing a picture on a transparent sheet was apt, but in reality, it was much harder.

Unlike a flat sheet of paper, the shabaton had many curves.

There were several places where it was difficult to draw.

"I'll finish it in one go."

- That one line just set up a plot twist. You're definitely going to fail.

"My lord, you will surely succeed."

"Quack quack!"

Some time passed.

Despite a few more critical moments, he managed to push through.

"Done!"

Ding.

[You have completed the 'Rune of Healing'.]

[You have successfully completed the rune engraving. The item's grade has increased by one level.]

[You have completed your first rune engraving. You have obtained the title 'Rune Craft'.]

[Rune Craft]

- Dexterity +1

- Magic Power +1

A delightful barrage of notifications!

Carpe smiled and said,

"I said I'd finish it in one go, didn't I?"

- Wow, that's insane.

"Alright, let's check the result of our efforts."

Carpe checked the information of the shabaton.

[Excellent Plate Shabaton of Healing]

[Grade: Rare]

[Equip Level: 15+]

[Physical Defense: 20]

[Magic Defense: 18]

- Health +3

- Magic Power +2

- Additional Option: Recover 1% HP per second when HP drops below 60% (lasts 10 seconds, 15-minute cooldown)

"Wow!"

The magic grade increased by one level to Rare, and the suffix 'of Healing' was added to the item name.

Moreover, the stats improved overall.

But the best part was the appearance of a new, high-quality additional option!

- This is incredible?

While there were some skills that could add stats to already crafted items, the skill to add such a high-quality additional option was rare even among 9-star crafting skills.

- An 8-star skill with this effect... Is this a mythic-class skill?

Although there was a penalty of the item breaking if the engraving failed, this issue could be overcome through repeated practice.

- And the important thing is that this isn't the end.

"Huh? What else is left?"

Carpe tilted his head.

The item seemed to be completed, but was there another processing or enchantment step left?

When Carpe looked at Tina, she also shook her head, indicating she didn't know.

- It's more like a bonus concept.

At that moment,

Ding.

[You have completed the crafting of a Rare-grade item.]

[Health +1, Dexterity +1.]

"Huh?"

- Remember what I said earlier? That production classes are inherently weak.

"I remember. You said there weren't enough skill points to invest in combat skills."

- Right, but even if you're a production class, you still need to level up, right? That's where the crafting bonus comes in.

Even if you're weak, you get some stats.

"How much do the stats increase?"

- It varies by item grade. For a Rare item, it's just a 2-point stat increase, but for a Legendary item, it's a total of 16 points.

"Wow, crazy. 16 points? That's like a triple level-up for making a Legendary item. If I grind this... "

- Of course, there are limits to prevent exploits. You greedy guy.

"Phew."

- You always find the slightest loophole. Anyway, the crafting bonus isn't something you get just because you're good; it's something any crafter can get...

Ding.

[The crafter's class grade is 'Mythic'.]

[??? Blesses those who walk this great path.]

[The crafting bonus is doubled.]

- This game is insane! Hey! What about balance?!

"Wow! This game is amazing, really. The developers should get a Nobel Prize."

- What's with those question marks... This crazy game just keeps revealing more surprises, like an onion...

Ignoring the Centaur's screams, Carpe, intoxicated by the crafting bonus, moved on to the next item without hesitation.

After about an hour,

"Alright! Done!"

He finally managed to craft a pair of greaves and a helmet, and the rune engraving was perfect!

[You have successfully crafted the Rare-grade 'Excellent Plate Greaves of Defending'.]

[Strength +2.]

[You have successfully crafted the Rare-grade 'Excellent Plate Helmet of Magic Healing'.]

[Health +1, Magic Power +1.]

[The crafting bonus is doubled.]

"Here it is!"

The 'Rune of Defending' added a 10% increase to the physical defense of the equipment, and the 'Rune of Magic Healing' was a mana recovery version of healing.

"Hammering and drawing can make me full."

By crafting three pieces of equipment, he gained a whopping 12 stat points, plus decent additional options.

His lips couldn't help but curl into a smile.

- This seems to wrap up the exploration of the workshop.

"Right. Now that we have the gear, we should go hunting."

- No, there's one more place we need to go before that.

"Huh? I thought we had seen all the rooms."

Thinking there might be another piece of equipment left, the place Centaur mentioned was somewhat unexpected.

- My room.

"Your room?"

- Yes. Since the room function was opened, something unexpected appeared in my room. Follow me.

"What could it be...?"

Thus, Carpe and Centaur moved to the room alone.

Centaur said there was an important conversation to have just between the two of them.

The two men entered the room.

"What is this...?"

Carpe said, looking bewildered.

"Why is that in your room?"

The 10-star player who became stronger through the gacha system.