Chapter 42

Chapter 5.

"Great, it's perfect."

All the preparations for crafting the item were complete.

I took out the weapon crafting method I received from Evelyn this morning.

<'Thorn' Crafting Method>

Acquisition Condition: Advanced Blacksmith Mastery Level 5 or higher.

*Thorn: A flamberge with small, sharp blades protruding like thorns from the blade. Its appearance evokes the stem of a rose.

The target will suffer painful wounds even if they just brush against this weapon.

Usage Condition: Level 210 or higher.

For the Gale Spear, which required Level 240 or higher to use, the condition for acquiring the crafting method was Advanced Blacksmith Mastery Level 4 or higher.

However, Thorn, despite having a usage condition 30 levels lower than the Gale Spear, required an even higher condition to acquire the crafting method.

'It must mean that the difficulty of crafting this weapon is that much higher.'

Originally, a flamberge is a weapon that represents burning flames or waves. However, Thorn, as its name suggests, represents thorns, making it more difficult to craft than a typical flamberge.

'The small blades must protrude from the blade... The key is to craft them in a way that they don't easily break... This is going to be a headache.'

I unfolded the crafting method. Then, a notification window appeared with Thorn's detailed information.

[You have acquired the 'Thorn' crafting method.]

<Thorn>

Grade: Rare ~ Legendary

Rare Grade Information

Durability: 135/135 Attack Power: 190

Armor Penetration: +30%

*Guaranteed to cause bleeding on a successful attack.

*Reduces the healing ability of the attacked target by 30%.

Epic Grade Information

Durability: 160/160 Attack Power: 230

Armor Penetration: +35%

*Guaranteed to cause bleeding on a successful attack.

*Reduces the healing ability of the attacked target by 35%.

Unique Grade Information

Durability: 191/191 Attack Power: 280

Armor Penetration: +45%

*Guaranteed to cause bleeding on a successful attack.

*Reduces the healing ability of the attacked target by 40%.

Legendary Grade Information

Durability: 226/226 Attack Power: 344

Armor Penetration: +60%

*Guaranteed to cause bleeding on a successful attack.

*Reduces the healing ability of the attacked target by 50%.

*Creates the skill 'Tear Apart.'

A flamberge with small, sharp blades protruding like thorns from the blade. Its appearance evokes the stem of a rose.

The target will suffer painful wounds even if they just brush against this weapon.

Usage Condition: Level 210 or higher. Strength 700 or higher. Agility 300 or higher. Advanced Sword Mastery Level 2.

Weight: 300

"Tear Apart? What a brutal skill name. Information on the skill Tear Apart."

<Tear Apart>

Tears the target's body apart with the thorns. The target suffers fixed damage equivalent to 60% of their current health.

Skill Mana Cost: 500

Skill Usage Condition: The target must be in a restrained state.

'60% of the target's current health? If the target is already low on health, the skill won't be very effective... But if the target is at full health, especially a tank, this skill could have an incredibly efficient effect.'

The usage condition seems quite strict, but it is indeed a top-tier skill worthy of a legendary-grade weapon.

My recent condition is also good.

This time, I will succeed in crafting a legendary item.

'Let's start.'

I laid out the materials for Thorn that Evelyn had supplied and held a hammer in my hand. Just as I was about to start crafting...

“$)@*U$!!”

“…!!”

Clang! Clang!

"Why is it so noisy?"

The sounds of people shouting and weapons clashing could be heard from outside the forge.

It's a pity I can't accurately determine the content of the commotion from beyond the wall.

"Watching a fight is the most fun, though..."

Did people start a fight after drinking during the day, to the point where they can't even recognize their parents?

Or did someone touch another person's wife and get into a knife fight?

I would like to watch the fight from the window, but I don't have the leisure to enjoy such entertainment.

"Instead of worrying about other people's affairs, let's work hard and earn money."

Feng promised to deposit the payment for the Gale Spear within three days. My goal is to complete Evelyn's weapon by then and secure a large payment at once.

Then, I plan to pay off the house debt cleanly and buy a luxury car with the remaining money.

'At my age, I need a car anyway... I want to buy a good car and drive it to the school reunion. I want to make Ah Young, who toyed with me, regret it a little.'

Clang! Clang!

I hope my desperate heart is imbued in the forging.

***

Boom!

Crack! Crack!

The ground crumbles and trees fall.

Fire and water clash in the air, and swords and fists cross.

A simple war of attrition won't easily decide the winner.

Mihara, having successfully put some distance between herself and Regas after escaping from his relentless punches and kicks, expended a large amount of mana in one go.

Whoosh!!

A massive flame shot out in a straight line, engulfing Regas's face. The fierce momentum was like a flamethrower. However, Regas easily dodged by leaning back.

Mihara was not disappointed. Instead, she seemed to have been waiting for him to dodge, and she smoothly followed up with an attack. She thrust her sword straight into Regas's exposed abdomen. It was an attack that anyone could see was hard to avoid.

But Regas was as agile and nimble as a leopard. He rolled to avoid the sword and immediately got up and kicked upward.

Crack!

Mihara, a master of swordsmanship, quickly regained her balance and blocked the kick with her sword. Then, she summoned a large flame again and attacked Regas.

Boom!!

This time, Regas did not dodge the flame. He swung his fist, charged with a powerful force, and blew the flame away.

Mihara's sword came flying from beyond the scattered remnants of the flame.

Regas, who had turned his head slightly to avoid the sword, could not hide his disappointment.

"Are you attacking with the same pattern consecutively? You are simpler than I thought. This is not a meaningful training session."

"Of course not! I added some variations! And this isn't just a training session!"

Crackle!

"……!"

Regas's eyes widened. He had just realized that Mihara's sword was imbued with electricity.

Boom!!

The dry air, already heated by the consecutive flames, exploded due to the influence of the electricity.

Right next to Regas's face!

"AAAAH!!"

A notification window appeared in front of Regas, who was screaming in pain.

[You have lost the vision in your left eye.]

[All stats will decrease by 30% until the wound heals.]

[Your head is spinning.]

The stat reduction was followed by a state of confusion.

While it's much better than being completely stunned, confusion is still one of the worst status effects.

Regas, unable to control his body, stumbled around.

'To be caught by such a basic attribute combo... My training is still far from sufficient.'

Regas lamented, and Mihara did not miss the opportunity.

'I'll finish this in one move!'

Mihara, determined to use her strongest magic, took out magic stones and gems to reduce the casting time.

"The transparency of sapphire becomes ice, a symbol of ruthlessness, and the intensity of ruby becomes fire, a symbol of anger. A small emerald to the left of the pentagram. A large emerald to the left of the hexagram. Wrath imbued in a gentle wind becomes a storm. Two energies that cannot coexist are carried by the storm and become one, transcending human comprehension!"

Mihara staggered. She had used all her mana at once, depleting her mental strength to the extreme.

Then, a storm large enough to easily swallow a house manifested.

Mihara, captivated by her own magic, burst into laughter.

"HAHAHA! How is it?! This is my strongest technique, which once wiped out 180 of the God of War's followers in one go! Its name is Mihara's Special Ice Fire Ultra Storm!!"

Indeed, the fierce storm contained both the energy of ice and fire.

Thousands of sharp ice fragments rotated around the storm, serving as blades, while condensed fire energy quietly occupied the center of the storm.

This storm would now swallow Regas, tear him apart, and explode, turning him into a handful of unrecognizable ashes.

If it had been two seconds earlier.

"Though the power is impressive, wasn't the incantation too long?"

Regas, now a bloody mess, had already regained his composure. He took a stance for a kick, and a thick yellow aura, reminiscent of the energy of a thunder god, rose like a mist from his feet.

Mihara was taken aback.

"Already recovered from confusion?"

The average duration of the confusion status effect is 5 seconds. And Mihara, using the power of magic stones and gems, took an average of 3 seconds to cast her ultimate skill.

According to Mihara's calculations, the storm should have already engulfed Regas before he recovered from confusion.

But what is this