Chapter 63

< Preparation Complete (3) >

He immediately returned home. It was too crowded in the workshop, with too many people just on the other side of a single door, to have a detailed conversation.

- Piyak!

Piyak, who landed on the table, stared intently at Myungwoo. For some reason, he seemed deeply impressed, though it was hard to tell what was going through that tiny mind of his.

“Quite some time has passed; what do you want for dinner?”

Myungwoo said in a matter-of-fact tone, as if he had never seen an SS-grade skill before. It wasn’t as if he was back to his old self, though.

The anxious look that used to appear frequently was completely gone. His expression was brighter, and there was a sense of ease in his attitude and voice.

He seemed like a completely different person, despite looking the same. It made sense, but still.

“Is dinner really the issue right now?”

Holding Peace, he sat on the sofa and grumbled. Why didn’t you explain the skill? I can only see the skill name, and I’m so curious. I thought you’d be excited to tell me as soon as we got home, but you’re being too calm.

“Sit down and let me explain.”

At my urging, Myungwoo smiled with satisfaction. I hope he wasn’t deliberately dragging his feet.

“Sorry. I know you must have been very curious.”

His apology felt as insincere as an ant’s eyelash. He sat down next to me on the sofa.

“The skill is called Master of the Golden Forge. As I said, it’s an SS-grade skill.”

“A forge? It sounds like a special crafting skill, right?”

“Yeah.”

Myungwoo nodded proudly. So it’s a crafting skill. I was pretty sure from the name, but I was a bit worried it might be something strange.

“It’s a skill that allows you to create items, including weapons and armor, and even jewelry if it contains any metal.”

If it contains metal, you can make anything. It’s even more impressive than I expected.

Myungwoo seemed to be looking at the skill description window in the air.

“There’s no limit to the grade of items you can create.”

“No limit?!”

That’s too much, isn’t it? I thought an SS-grade skill would only produce SS-grade items at best.

“There’s no limit, but at my current level, I can only create low-grade items. There’s something called proficiency.”

“Proficiency?”

“Yeah. The higher the proficiency level, the higher the chance of creating high-grade items. The grade of the materials is also important. There’s a crafting encyclopedia for beginners that only lists up to A-grade items. It’s just for reference, and you’re supposed to use your own skills for serious item creation.”

It seems that while there’s no limit to the grade of items you can create, the Awakened’s skill level plays a crucial role. It seems like you have to grind to improve your skills even after acquiring the skill.

However,

“...The skill description window seems quite detailed?”

The explanation is long, and there’s even a crafting encyclopedia. Isn’t that a bit too considerate?

“Yeah. It’s more detailed than the whetstone. Maybe it’s because it’s an SS-grade skill?”

...I want to show you my L-grade skills with just a line of description. Hey, System guys? Isn’t this a bit discriminatory? The resistance skills are one thing, but isn’t the description of my skills too lacking?

“As far as I know, the length of the skill description has nothing to do with the grade.”

Take Yoo Hyun, for example. His Green Willow Leaf skill is described in just one line: “Creates numerous willow leaves to confuse the enemy.”

“Then is it because it’s a special skill? The basic description page is five pages long, and the crafting encyclopedia is over three hundred pages.”

Wow, this is really too much. They make me struggle with my skill descriptions and then give Myungwoo a book.

The System guys pretended to care about me, but maybe their real target was Myungwoo. Was I just needed to acquire an SS-grade crafting skill? It feels like a betrayal.

“...A detailed explanation is good, though.”

“And a bundle of materials was added to my inventory.”

Hey, System guys! You’re being too obvious with the discrimination! You’re just giving everything away. Myungwoo pulled a small bag out of his inventory, about the size of a small backpack. At least they didn’t give too much.

“It’s a pocket of extra-dimensional space.”

“...Extra-dimensional space?”

“It can hold up to one ton. It’s amazing.”

Myungwoo was amazed. One ton in such a small space... It’s like an extra inventory. There are space-related items, but this is the first I’ve heard of it.

“Look. This is a thousand-year-old unicorn horn, an S-grade material. This is a fragment of a hidden star, an SS-grade ore. I can’t bear to use them now. They all seem to be S-grade or higher.”

“Really... That’s impressive...”

It’s good that high-grade materials are rolling in, but... No, it’s a good thing. It’s better than nothing. With one ton of S-grade or higher materials, you can quickly build up proficiency and churn out high-grade items. It’s a good thing.

- Piyak Piyak!

Piyak, on the table, ran towards Myungwoo and rolled off the floor. Actually, it seemed more like he was after the bag.

“By any chance, did you put magic stones in there?”

“Magic stones? I don’t know...”

Myungwoo, rummaging through the bag, pulled out a transparent crystal, slightly larger than a child’s head.

- Piyak Piyak Piyak Piyak Piyak Piyak Piyak!

“Put it back, quickly!”

“Oh, oh.”

When the gem disappeared, Piyak, who had been glowing, collapsed on the floor, looking as if he had lost a country. It’s amazing how such complex emotions can be expressed in those tiny eyes.

- Piyak...

“Piyak, come here.”

- Piyak... Piyak...

Oh, this little guy. When I picked him up, he drooped like a wet teddy bear.

“What was that?”

“It’s just an SS-grade magic stone.”

I thought SS-grade magic stones were supposed to be white. Was he just calling the transparent one white? I’ve never seen one, so I don’t know.

“Piyak, give up. I already gave you a D-grade magic stone today.”

- Piyak...

“I’ll give you a higher-grade magic stone when you grow bigger.”

I don’t know if he’ll grow properly, though.

Due to an error, Piyak’s taming failed. I could apply keywords, but his status window still showed □□. I couldn’t see the growth conditions, and my “My Child” skill didn’t work like a taming skill.

Well, it’s not a big problem if he stays at F-grade. He’s not a burden. Of course, if he starts eating SS-grade magic stones, even the world’s richest person would go bankrupt.

“By the way, my stats also increased.”

Myungwoo said as he put the bag back in his inventory.

“Stats? But your level didn’t increase? And there’s no stat boost from skills or titles?”

“Yeah. My stats just increased when I got the skill.”

The grade of stats is determined by the level. If your stats increased without your level increasing, it means your grade has increased.

“...Let’s do some calculations. What’s your average stat? Exclude mana.”

“The average is... around 21?”

21 means, in terms of level...

“E-grade. On the higher end of E-grade.”

Closer to D-grade. With growth, it’s likely to reach D-grade. It’s the first time I’ve heard of a skill increasing your stat grade.

“So, am I E-grade now?”

Myungwoo said with a smile. Why does he have so many exceptions?

“Your stats are E-grade, but your Hunter grade is at least B. With increased proficiency, you could be recognized as A. S-grade is difficult because it requires the ability to participate in S-grade dungeon raids.”

It’s an unreasonable condition. It’s like saying only combat aptitude can be S-grade.

Anyway, now.

“What do you want to do, Myungwoo?”

It’s time to think about the future.

“You are the only one with an item crafting skill, and it’s an SS-grade skill with no limit on the grade of items you can create. You can be a unique existence in the Hunter world.”

“I feel embarrassed hearing that from you.”

Myungwoo looked embarrassed.

“It’s just a fact. S-grade items are rare. Even in S-grade dungeon raids, S-grade byproducts, usually magic stones, are the main items, and it’s rare to get items like weapons or armor. Especially weapons and armor are so rare that you can hardly see them unless you get the first raid bonus.”

“Do they only appear during the first raid?”

“They can appear during regular raids, but usually not. So far, only fifteen S-grade weapons have appeared in the country, and no SS-grade weapons at all.”

Five years later, the number increased, but only because the number and difficulty of S-grade dungeons increased. Even then, the known SS-grade weapons were less than thirty. The last news I saw was about the twenty-eighth SS-grade weapon. There were more armors and minor equipment, but only a few hundred.

“It would be easy to establish yourself if you could consistently produce S-grade weapons. It’s not irreplaceable, but the rarity is high enough. If you can produce SS-grade weapons, you’ll receive even more attention than me. Equipment, unlike mounts, directly enhances a Hunter’s abilities.”

Unless it’s a special case like Kang So-young, if a Hunter had to choose between a mount and a weapon, they would always choose the weapon. It’s a choice that shortens dungeon raid time and makes them stronger and safer. Is there any need to think about it for long?

“And if you somehow produce SSS-grade or higher weapons, you would be the only one who can raise the grade of S-grade Hunters.”

On average, if a Hunter has two or more grades of equipment, their effective Hunter grade increases by one. However, there’s a limit to the grade boost from equipment. Even if an F-grade Hunter has S-grade equipment, they can only reach the upper D-grade. The same applies to other grades.

A B-grade Hunter with S-grade equipment can reach A-grade. An A-grade Hunter with SS-grade equipment can theoretically reach S-grade.

That’s as far as it goes. There are no known SSS-grade equipment.

“No one could surpass your status. All S-grade Hunters would be dependent on you. If you choose a Hunter, they could become the world’s strongest Hunter. The first Hunter with SS-grade stats! Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that impressive? Isn’t that really the best?”

As I spoke, I felt like I was giving Myungwoo special treatment. With no limit on the grade of items, L-grade items could appear. Moreover, there are wish stones and mythic items.

Mythic equipment. Not just SSS-grade, but L-grade Hunter stats might be possible. The grade boost from equipment is theoretical from S-grade onwards.

“Are you exaggerating too much?”

“It’s an objective fact. However, I don’t think you can stand on your own right now. Safety is the top priority, and there’s also the issue of material supply. You’ll need a lot of practice to build up proficiency.”

You could buy materials, make items, and sell them, but the time spent buying and selling is a waste. At first, only low-grade items will be produced, and they don’t sell well. Lower-grade Hunters have relatively low purchasing power. There aren’t many Hunters yet, as the Awakening Center hasn’t been established.

Therefore, it’s much more efficient to receive support, get a lot of materials, and produce a lot of practice items.

“The easiest path is to join a large guild. They won’t hesitate to support you once they see your skill, and you can grow quickly. They’ll take care of everything else, and you only need to focus on item crafting.”

It might be better for Myungwoo. He would be more comfortable both physically and mentally.

“But if you don’t want to join a guild and prefer to run an independent item crafting shop without interference, I can help. No, I want to invest.”

It’s not like helping like before. Myungwoo can go anywhere and be welcomed.

“Invest?”

“Yeah. You know I’m leaving Hyeon soon. So... I’m inviting you to come with me. It’s just an invitation, so you don’t need to feel pressured. Being part of a guild is definitely more convenient.”

I hope Myungwoo isn’t part of a specific guild. If he joins a specific guild, they will likely try to monopolize items, especially S-grade or higher equipment. If the difficulty and number of dungeons increase slowly over five years, it might be different, but monopolization in the current situation is not good. They might also try to control the number of items produced to maintain their premium status.

“If you’re going to join a guild, I hope it’s Hyeon. For my sake.”

At least with Hyeon, I can interfere. I can add conditions to the contract to prevent excessive monopolization or quantity limits.

“If I become independent, even if Yoo Jin helps you, you’ll have a lot to handle.”

Myungwoo said calmly.

“Of course. I can provide a safe place, materials, and funding, and connect you with Hunters who will come to you. Still, if you make a few high-grade items, the news will spread quickly. Once you reach S-grade or higher, you’ll be in a dominant position and can act freely... but it might be tiring.”

You need to have the right temperament to handle a line of famous Hunters and use items as leverage. If you’re timid, it will be stressful. There will certainly be empty-headed, arrogant people who look down on you.

Maybe I should suggest he join Hyeon.

“Just choose what’s comfortable for you.”

You’ve already suffered enough. I can’t make you suffer more.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect such a good skill.”

Myungwoo scratched the back of his head.

“But if what you say is true, if I work hard, I can become better than a large guild. Right?”

“Of course.”

“Then there’s no need to think about it for long. Being cooped up at home is enough once.”

As he said this, standing up, I felt a pang in my chest. I didn’t take him out much, but I hope he’s not blaming me. He must be talking about the kidnapping.

“If something like that happens again. Then...”

He smiled without finishing his sentence.

“Do you want to see my forge?”

“...What?”

Can you actually see it?

< Preparation Complete (3) > End

ⓒ Geunseo