Chapter 37
[Novice Blacksmith]
-Crafted equipment for the first time
-Manual Dexterity +1
“Uwaaaah.”
-…Are you that happy?
“I’m the happiest person in the world.”
-Anyone would think you just crafted a mythical item.
Seeing him rejoice as if he had won the lottery was a bit bewildering.
“Alright, let’s keep this momentum and make a helmet and gauntlets.”
-Yeah. Now that you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll succeed quickly. Make them and then level up…
“Just wait a moment, my lord. It’s not finished yet.”
“Huh?”
Carpe looked at Tina with a puzzled expression at her incomprehensible words.
Her gaze was directed towards the Sabatons he had just crafted.
“You mean finished? But this is a finished product, isn’t it?”
The notification clearly stated it was finished…
It was a natural question for Carpe, but she slowly shook her head.
“You may not be a simple blacksmith, my lord.”
“What?”
Come to think of it, she was right.
He had shouted as if he had created a masterpiece out of sheer excitement, but objectively, it wasn’t that big of a deal.
He had crafted a pair of plate boots by handling an iron ingot.
That’s it.
Something even a simple blacksmith could do.
There was nothing in the crafting process that hinted at the “Mage King” or “Magitech.”
“While the Mage King’s skill as a blacksmith is outstanding, his true talent lies elsewhere.”
Then it happened.
Ding.
[You have completed over 90% of the crafting process with ‘Excellent.’]
[You are now able to add ‘Rune Inscriptions’ to your crafted items.]
[‘Rune Inscriptions’ are a type of magical enchantment, a Magitech skill only available on successfully crafted equipment.]
“Rune Inscriptions?”
-Wow. Isn’t that a skill exclusive to Mage Lords?
“My lord, this way.”
Tina guided him to another area within the workshop, an alchemy laboratory.
Various experimental tools were laid out on a large desk.
As Carpe sat down at the desk, an alert appeared again, as if it had been waiting.
[Placing your crafted equipment on the workbench will initiate Rune Inscription.]
[Use the Magitech Pencil to inscribe the runes. The effects of the completed rune will activate randomly.]
“Magitech Pencil? Ah, is this it?”
There was an object in the corner of the desk that resembled a writing tool.
However, despite being called a “pencil,” it was more like a ballpoint pen.
And not just any ballpoint pen, but a thick one, reminiscent of a three-color ballpoint pen.
One peculiar aspect was the transparent body of the pen, revealing its contents, and the rubbery spot at the back.
“First, you need to fill it with Magitech solution.”
Tina said so and walked to the end of the desk, holding a beaker.
-So that’s what the dispenser is for…
“A dispenser? What’s that?”
-In simple terms, it’s like a water purifier. Except it contains chemicals instead of water. You often find them in university labs.
“Wow, bro, with that face and build, I thought you were more of a science guy. What a waste of physique.”
-What’s that supposed to mean?
Tina approached the dispenser and pressed a button while holding the beaker.
Suddenly, a murky gray liquid flowed out, filling the beaker.
“Is this the Magitech solution?”
“Yes, it is. It’s a mixture of magical ingredients melted together in the right proportions. The purer the ingredients used, the closer it gets to a silver color.”
“Wow. Did you make this yourself, Tina?”
“No, unfortunately, my knowledge of Magitech isn’t that deep. This solution was given as a reward when the workshop opened.”
“Hmm.”
A reward for the workshop opening.
Does that mean additional solutions are rewarded as the workshop levels up, as Tina said?
If not, then Carpe might have to mix and craft them himself, as Tina implied.
“Well, let’s look into that later. For now, let’s focus on the Rune Inscription.”
As soon as he saw the Magitech solution, he knew what to do.
Carpe dipped the Magitech Pencil into the beaker and pressed and released the rubbery part at the back with his finger.
Swoosh!
The gray liquid was sucked in, filling the inside of the pencil.
After repeating this a few times, the inside was filled.
Clunk!
Simultaneously, the pencil’s tip popped out.
-So, when it’s fully filled, the spot turns into a pencil? That’s fascinating.
“Is this it?”
“Yes. All preparations are complete.”
“Great.”
After nodding, Carpe placed the Sabaton on the workbench.
[Rune Inscription in progress.]
Instantly, changes occurred, geometric patterns began to emerge on the surface of the Sabaton.
“Is this the Rune?”
Considering the pencil, geometric patterns, and the word ‘Inscription,’ it was obvious what needed to be done.
“So, I just have to follow this pattern? And if I make a mistake and it overflows, it fails?”
“Indeed, my lord. Your insight is truly remarkable.”
“Whether it’s insight-worthy or not, I got it.”
No further explanation was needed.
Carpe adjusted his posture and carefully brought the tip of the pencil closer.
“Ugh?!”
It was dangerous.
The liquid flowed more than expected, almost splashing out of the pattern.
[Failure in Rune Inscription may result in item damage.]
“Would have been nice to know beforehand!”
That was close.
Carpe took a deep breath to steady himself.
“Focus. Just focus.”
He resumed the inscription.
Fortunately, unlike crafting equipment, there were no intricate patterns to follow, just a matter of maintaining concentration.
“Phew.”
About 10% in, sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Carpe adjusted his sore shoulders and spoke up.
“This is surprisingly tiring. Feels like tracing over a transparent paper on top of a drawing from childhood.”
-After music, are we now in art class? At this rate, you’re not the Magitech King, but the King of Arts.
“Actually, the Magitech King was quite proficient in the arts as well.”
-Is that so?
While the analogy of tracing over a transparent paper seemed fitting, the reality was much more challenging.
Unlike flat paper, the Sabaton had numerous crevices and bumps, making it difficult to draw.
“There’s no turning back.”
-Just because you said that, you’re bound to fail. It’s practically a jinx.
“If it’s you, my lord, you’ll surely succeed.”
“Kyu-kyu!”
And so, more time passed.
There were a few more close calls along the way, but he barely made it through.
“There we go!”
Ding!
[You have completed the ‘Rune of Recovery’.]
[Rune Inscription successfully completed. Item grade increased by one level.]
[First Rune Inscription completed. Title ‘Rune Crafter’ acquired.]
[Rune Crafter]
• Dexterity +1
• Magic Power +1
A satisfying explosion of notifications!
Carpe chuckled and said, “I told you I’d finish it in one go, didn’t I?”
-Wow, impressive.
“Now, let’s see the fruits of our labor.”
Carpe checked the information on the Sabaton.
[Superb Plate Sabaton of Healing]
[Grade: Rare]
[Level Requirement: Level 15 or higher]
[Physical Defense: 20]
[Magical Defense: 18]
• Health +3
• Magic Power +2
• Additional Option: Restores 1% HP per second when HP falls below 60% (Lasts 10 seconds, cooldown 15 minutes)
“Wow!”
The magical grade rose by one level to Rare, and the suffix ‘of Healing’ was added to the item name.
Moreover, the overall stats had increased.
But the most impressive part was the appearance of an additional option that hadn’t been there before!
-This is incredible!
Finding a technique to add stats to already crafted equipment was somewhat common, but acquiring such high-quality additional options was rare among 9th-grade crafting skills.
-So an 8th-grade skill has this effect… Is it a skill exclusive to Mythical classes?
While there was a penalty for equipment breaking upon failure, it could be overcome through repeated practice.
-And the important thing is that this isn’t the end.
“Huh? What else is there?”
Carpe raised an eyebrow.
The item seemed to be complete already, so was there another process or enchantment left?
When Carpe looked at Tina, she shook her head as if unsure.
-It’s not about what’s left, more like a bonus.
That’s when it happened.
Ding!
[You have successfully crafted a Rare-grade item.]
[Health increased by 1, Dexterity increased by 1.]
“Huh?”
-Remember what I said earlier? Crafting jobs are inherently weaker.
“I remember. I couldn’t choose combat skills because of a lack of skill points.”
-Yeah, but even though it’s a crafting job, don’t you still need to level up? That’s exactly what this crafting bonus is for.
Even though it’s weak, it still boosts stats a bit.
“How much do the stats increase?”
-It varies depending on the item grade. Rare only increases stats by 2, but if you craft Legendary, it increases by a total of 16.
“Wow, that’s insane. 16? Crafting Legendary items gives more than three levels? If you grind it out…”
-Of course, there’s a limit to prevent excessive grinding. It’s not that easy.
“Ugh.”
-If you show even a hint of grinding, they’ll crack down on you mercilessly. Anyway, that’s why the crafting bonus isn’t something you receive because you’re good at it, but because you’re a crafting profession…
Ding!
[The crafter’s class grade is ‘Mythical.’]
[??? Blesses those who walk this great path.]
[Crafting bonus is applied twice.]
-This insane game is at it again! Hey! Don’t they think about balance?!
“Haha! This game is a godsend, really. They should give the developers a Nobel Prize.”
-What’s with the question marks… This crazy game keeps spitting out weird stuff one after another…
Regardless of whether the heavens wept or not, Carpe, intoxicated by the crafting bonus, continued to craft the next item without hesitation.
And so, after about an hour…
“Alright! Done!”
He had successfully crafted a pair of gauntlets and a helmet. Even the rune inscription was perfect!
[You have successfully crafted a Rare-grade ‘Superb Plate Gauntlets of Defense.’]
[Strength increased by 2.]
[You have successfully crafted a Rare-grade ‘Superb Plate Helmet of Magic Healing.’]
[Health increased by 1, Magic Power increased by 1.]
[Crafting bonus is applied twice.]
“This is it!”
The rune inscription ‘of Defense’ was a straightforward option that increased the equipment’s physical defense by 10%, while ‘Magic Healing’ was a mana recovery version of healing.
“Just by smithing and drawing pictures, one can make a fortune.”
With the stats gained from crafting three pieces of equipment totaling a whopping 12, along with decent additional options, there was nothing else to do but smile.
-It seems like we’re done exploring the workshop for now.
“Yes, now that we’ve got the gear sorted, it’s time to go for some real hunting.”
-No, there’s one more place we need to visit before that.
“Huh? I thought we’d checked out all the rooms?”
Though I wondered if there was any equipment left, the unexpected location where Cheonma’s words flowed from was none other than his room.
-My room.
“Your room?”
-Yeah, since the room function opened up, some unexpected things have come up in my room. So, follow me.
“What could have happened…”
And so, Carpe and Cheonma moved to the room, as there was an important discussion that needed to happen between just the two of them.
As the two men entered the room…
“No, what is this…”
Carpe said with a bewildered expression.
“Why is that in your room?”
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