It was incredibly efficient.
While crafting materials with just 1% resistance often required dozens of combinations to barely reach 10%, the Ironclad Soldier Fragnt started at 5%, drastically cutting down that entire process.
‘At this rate, I might be able to hit 50% fire resistance in no ti...!’
No—if he allowed himself to hope just a bit more, he might even be able to create a fire resistance material with 100% resistance.
‘Of course, that’s just wishful thinking.’
Even in his past life, Su-ho had never seen an item with 100% resistance.
Let alone a fully crafted item—this was just a material. A raw component.
Smirking, Su-ho crafted yet another Ironclad Soldier Fragnt with 10% resistance.
And at last, he began the process of combining two pieces.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragnt (A) of the Molten Dragon.]
Grade A.
No change in grade.
Su-ho imdiately checked the item’s stats.
[Ironclad Soldier Fragnt of the Molten Dragon]
Grade: A
A fragnt of the Ironclad Soldier controlled by the Molten Dragon, guardian of the Wailing Furnace.
As an extension of the Draconic Soldier, it possesses strong fire resistance due to the Molten Dragon’s influence.
After repeated crafting attempts, it has attained enhanced properties.
Effect upon use: Fire Resistance 15%
“Hmm.”
15%.
Su-ho nodded at the number.
Right. Expect too much, and the disappointnt hits harder.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit let down.
‘Then again, if stats increased every ti I fused sothing, that’d be broken.’
There was no way the system would hand out overpowered items without limits.
That’s fine.
Even if the efficiency dropped by about 50%, this was still more than acceptable.
If he had crafted this using conventional thods, the result would’ve been far worse.
Brushing aside his disappointnt, Su-ho quickly crafted another 15% Ironclad Soldier Fragnt and began another fusion.
And then—
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[Material crafting failed.]
[The materials have been destroyed.]
“...Huh?”
Su-ho’s eyes widened as he read the notification.
Failed?
No—destroyed?
It was real.
When he checked his inventory, both of the 15% fragnts had disappeared without a trace.
Su-ho stared blankly at the empty slot where the fragnts had been.
Then he shut his eyes.
“...You’ve got to be kidding .”
He was already pressed for ti—and this?
‘I knew it. Things were going too smoothly.’
Fire resistance materials were already valuable with just double-digit percentages, and this wasn’t even a finished item—it was just a component.
More importantly, why hadn’t he considered that failure was even ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) possible during the crafting process?
‘This is a whole new kind of stress.’
Still, it was sowhat refreshing.
Su-ho had rarely experienced this type of failure in his life.
‘At most, I’ve swung my sword until I got the results I needed. Never had joy and despair riding on a damn hamr.’
So he figured it was ti to get used to it.
After all, he wasn’t just the successor of the Void Style anymore—he was also the inheritor of the Blacksmith’s Way.
Remaining composed, Su-ho resud crafting from the beginning.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragnt (B) of the Molten Dragon.]
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragnt (B) of the Molten Dragon.]
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragnt (B) of the Molten Dragon.]
...
Su-ho’s gaze sharpened, eyes now that of a true artisan.
***
How much ti had passed?
[Your understanding of hamring has improved.]
[Congratulations! You’ve learned Blacksmith's Hamring (E).]
His hamring skill leveled up.
When he checked the skill info, the crafting efficiency bonus had increased from 5% to 10%.
Not that surprising.
This was always bound to happen.
Finishing the inspection, Su-ho returned to his task.
After so more ti passed, he finally succeeded in creating two 15% fragnts again.
“Phew.”
His fourth attempt since the initial failure.
Which ant he’d failed two more tis along the way.
But unlike the first ti, Su-ho calmly accepted the failure and used the remaining pieces to craft a new one.
This marked his fourth attempt.
Expressionless, Su-ho stacked the two 15% fragnts.
Then, he began hamring them slowly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Reverence? Prayer?
None of that.
Sa strength, sa rhythm, just like every other ti.
If it failed, he’d simply try again.
Then ca the fourth blow—
Clang! CLAAANG!!
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragnt (A) of the Molten Dragon.]
“...!”
He’d finally succeeded.
“Check item info.”
Effect upon use: Fire Resistance 23%
Seeing that, a smile crept onto Su-ho’s lips.
23% resistance.
All from just combining two pieces.
And now, he understood sothing crucial.
‘Two 10% pieces made 15%. Two 15% pieces made 23%... So after 10%, the efficiency drops by 50%, with decimal rounding applied upward.’
Of course, he’d need to test more to be sure—but that’s how it seed.
Which ant that if he succeeded in fusing two 23% pieces...
‘I’d get 35% fire resistance!’
And using the sa logic, two 35% pieces would yield 53%.
Su-ho thoughtfully rubbed the 23% fragnt.
Equipping it would bring his total fire resistance to 73%.
But would that be enough?
Would it let him survive not only the scorching heat but also face the Molten Dragon in that inferno?
After much deliberation, Su-ho shook his head.
‘This is my first ti entering this Gate... and it’s a unique one—accessible only to heirs of the Blacksmith’s Way. I don’t know what other variables are hiding here.’
Sure, defeating the boss monster might close the Gate—but he hadn’t even seen the Molten Dragon’s Phase 2 yet.
So Su-ho decided to over-prepare.
After all, ti was on his side.
He resud crafting.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragnt (B) of the Molten Dragon.]
Another successful creation.
And then—
[Quest conditions fulfilled.]
[The Liberated Hamr of the Great Blacksmith responds to your dedication and unlocks the Second Seal.]
[Item information updated.]
[■■■■ smiles upon your progress.]
[Congratulations! You have acquired Blacksmith’s Eye (A).]
[Skill information updated.]
[You have achieved a great feat. 10 bonus stat points have been awarded.]
The system notifications ca flooding in.
Only then did Su-ho rember—
‘Oh yeah, I had a side quest.’
The quest was The Great Blacksmith’s Second Teaching.
The condition was to create more than 100 upgraded materials.
‘Guess I hit 100 without realizing it.’
Given all those failures, it’s not surprising.
But he hadn’t expected the Blacksmith’s Eye skill to level up.
He checked the updated skill info first.
[Blacksmith’s Eye]
Grade: A
A gift possessed only by successors of the Blacksmith’s Way.
Also known as Forge Eye (冶匠眼), it allows the user to observe targets from a blacksmith’s perspective.
Reveals the target’s most vulnerable points.
Applies to both inanimate objects and monsters.
“Oh?”
Su-ho’s lips rounded in surprise.
It now worked on monsters?
Which ant—could he now use Square Extraction not just on corpses but live monsters too?
‘Or does it simply show their weak points?’
Either way, he’d have to test it.
If true, this was a major ga-changer.
Next, he checked the hamr’s new information.
[Liberated Hamr of the Great Blacksmith]
Grade: S
A radiant legacy bestowed only to the Blacksmith’s most cherished successor.
Requires 1,000 hamrings to unlock the third seal.
First Seal Unlocked: Enables Square Extraction – precise collection of material from a target.
Second Seal Unlocked: Enables Square Fusion – combine materials into higher-grade ones.
Socket 1: Iron Fragnt of the Wailing Furnace (A)
Socket 2: Empty
A new skill, Square Fusion, was now officially nad.
But what intrigued Su-ho more was the second socket.
He smirked.
‘This changes everything.’
Originally, he’d planned to fuse two 23% fragnts into a 35% one.
But now, with a second socket?
He didn’t need to anymore.
‘If I slot two 23% fragnts, I’ll get a whopping 46% resistance.’
Add the power of his Fla Form ability, and his fire resistance would hit 96%.
Perfect.
Honestly, he hadn’t known how many more failures it would take to get a 35% fragnt.
‘Now then...’
Normally, he’d move on to the next step here.
But Su-ho rembered the last line of the system notification.
He opened his status window.
[An Su-ho]
Lv: 180
Class: Crusader
Traits: ,
Strength (Y): 97
Magic (Y): 97
Perception (O): 97
Bonus Stat Points: 10
Ten bonus stats.
And all core attributes sitting at 97.
It was finally ti to test the Unity Effect.
Su-ho invested 2 points each into Strength and Magic.
Then, calmly increased Perception one point at a ti.
[Perception stat increased by 1.]
[Perception stat increased by 1.]
Now there was just one point left.
Su-ho closed his eyes and offered a silent, desperate prayer to a god he didn’t believe in.
Asking that the Unity Effect would trigger.
Finishing his brief prayer, he invested the last point into Perception—bringing it to 99.
Then—
[All core stats have reached Yellow Grade.]
[The Unity Effect has been activated.]
[All remaining bonus stats will be used to equalize all Yellow stats.]
[Stat information updated.]
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