Chapter 253: Chapter 253
"Now it's all or nothing."
The combination-type skill was something anyone could use.
And with the right formula, any materials could be synthesized into something new.
Honestly, Su-ho would’ve loved to use Nam Hae-won’s synthesis ability, but he hadn’t prepared that far ahead.
"Next time I meet Hae-won, I’ll definitely have to get a proper synthesis done."
Su-ho quickly threw the gathered fragments into the combination jar.
[You have placed Steel Bar Fragment from the Howling Furnace into the Combination Jar.]
[You have placed Steel Bar Fragment from the Howling Furnace into the Combination Jar.]
With the materials inserted, Su-ho immediately activated the jar.
[Combination in progress...]
[Combination successful.]
[You have obtained Steel Bar Fragment from the Howling Furnace (B).]
The system notification popped up.
Unlike usual, the message felt dull and unimpressive. Read complete versıon only at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Which made sense—until now, every combination Su-ho had performed resulted in at least S-grade outcomes.
"Yeah, this is the normal kind of result."
Still, it was unsettling to see the product share the same name as the base materials.
Despite the slight unease, it was a success nonetheless—so he checked the details.
Steel Bar Fragment from the Howling Furnace
Su-ho felt a small thrill surge through him.
The item effect had increased—from 1% to 1.5%.
Just a 0.5% bump, sure. But that wasn’t the important part.
The real takeaway was that the stat had increased at all.
That was the core strategy behind passing this trial.
Time wasn’t infinite.
To be precise—his stamina wasn’t infinite.
Su-ho replaced the item in the socket with the new 1.5% version and resumed gathering more fragments.
Clang, clang, clang!—Crack!
Clang, clang, clang!—Crack!
[Quadrant Harvest activated.]
[Quadrant Harvest activated.]
The weak points, which initially started as isolated spots, gradually spread wider and wider.
He glanced toward the Magmanums and the Flame Demon just in case, but unfortunately, the Blacksmith’s Eye didn’t work on them.
"If only I could harvest from those guys—I bet the materials would be amazing."
As soon as he gathered enough fragments, Su-ho tossed them into the jar and tried combining again.
He didn’t have a proper recipe for the steel bars, so all he could do was trial-and-error his way through combinations.
Still, the results turned out better than expected.
Then again, he wasn’t aiming to produce some god-tier item—just combining similar-grade materials.
After several trials, Su-ho finally uncovered a reliable formula for the steel bar fragments.
"Combining items with identical options produces higher stats faster."
It was all B-grade materials, after all.
He repeated the gathering and combining process dozens of times.
Then, just as he was starting to hammer ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) for a new batch—
[The Blacksmith’s Unleashed Hammer reacts to your strikes.]
[Second seal is partially released.]
[A quest has been generated.]
The hammer's second seal had been released.
"Ah, right. The requirement for the second seal was that."
The first condition for releasing the second seal of the hammer: strike 100 times.
Apparently, he’d hit that mark while gathering materials without realizing it.
Su-ho immediately checked the new quest.
The Blacksmith’s Second Teaching
"Overlapping materials and hammering them...?"
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
But the confusion didn’t last long.
Su-ho’s gaze fell on the square steel fragments he had just gathered.
"Does this mean stacking them?"
After a moment of thought, Su-ho stacked two fragments vertically and aimed his hammer at the top.
There wasn’t any other logical strike point anyway.
Right after the first strike—
The stacked fragments faintly glowed red.
He'd found the method.
Su-ho continued hammering with increasing confidence.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The more he hammered, the hotter the fragments glowed.
At the same time, the top fragment gradually sank downward, fusing into the lower one, whose surface started to swell and absorb it.
After a few more strikes—
The upper fragment fully melded with the lower.
The final hammer blow rang out with an especially crisp sound.
The glowing red fragment briefly flashed yellow before returning to the familiar steel hue.
Then, a system message appeared.
[Material crafting successful.]
[You have obtained Steel Bar Fragment from the Howling Furnace (B).]
Su-ho cautiously touched it.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t hot at all.
He checked the item info.
Steel Bar Fragment from the Howling Furnace
Su-ho’s eyes widened.
The synthesized fragment had raised fire resistance by only 1.5%.
But this hammer-crafted version?
A full 2% increase—double the original base value.
"Completely different efficiency!"
A Blacksmith’s hammer was no ordinary tool.
It made sense—what would be the point if it gave the same results as a recipe anyone could use?
Fueled by that thought, Su-ho joyfully resumed hammering.
Kang-kang-kang! Clang!
First, he harvested the materials.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! KANG!!
Then, he fused them by hammering.
Even though the hammering took more effort, it saved time overall due to the improved efficiency.
Whenever the heat got too intense, he’d cool off briefly in his subspace house before returning.
In that process, Su-ho discovered something interesting.
"You don’t have to stack just two fragments—you can do three or four at once. But unless the base stats match, the efficiency drops."
For example, combining two 1% fragments gave 2%.
But a 2% and 1% combo? That only yielded a 0.5% increase.
Also, stacking too many without proper balance made them collapse, rendering the materials unusable.
"Can’t even socket them after that mess."
Sure, he could use his Blood Weapon to craft clamps and stabilize them—but that took too many hits compared to just hammering two at a time.
So, for now, pairing them up was the most efficient method.
Eventually, after repeating this process—
A surprising message appeared.
[Material crafting successful.]
[You have obtained Steel Bar Fragment from the Howling Furnace (A).]
But this time, the grade was different.
Su-ho instantly checked the new item.
Steel Bar Fragment from the Howling Furnace
As the grade rose, so did the description.
And now, the fire resistance was in the double digits.
"Yeah, at 10%, this is finally worthy of being called A-grade."
Items with high elemental resistance were usually high-grade.
Elemental resistance and affinity were always valuable, regardless of level.
Su-ho immediately slotted it in.
[Steel Bar Fragment from the Howling Furnace has been equipped to Socket 1.]
[Fire Resistance has increased by 10%.]
That brought his total fire resistance to 60%.
"At 60%, I can really feel the difference."
At 55%, he wasn’t sure if it was working.
At 56%, he sensed a slight shift.
The effect was undeniable.
[Nameless Blacksmiths nod at your actions.]
A system message appeared.
The fourth hourglass had run out.
Su-ho smiled with satisfaction.
"Looks was the right approach."
Earlier, when he half-assed the process, the Blacksmiths weren't impressed.
They acknowledged him.
Clearly, using the Blacksmith's Eye and Hammer was the correct method.
Eyes gleaming, Su-ho turned to the fifth hourglass.
The Flame Demon, silent until now, suddenly let out a wild scream.
The final hourglass hadn't even started yet.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
Suddenly, the entire forge began to quake.
It felt like an earthquake—Su-ho almost lost his balance.
A few Magmanums toppled off the steel bars in the chaos.
Because right after the shaking stopped, lava began to surge upward.
Like water flooding a sinking ship, lava rose right up to the base of the steel bars.
The Flame Demon howled again.
Its body turned blue—its mane erupting into blue flames, setting its entire surroundings ablaze.
It was the highest-level flame Su-ho had seen in this trial.
And with lava now licking at the bottom of the steel bars, the heat became unbearable.
Only then did the final hourglass start to drip.
"You’ve gotta be kidding me."
The heat was on a whole different level now.
It had been brutal before—but this?
Su-ho bit his lip hard.
Then activated the Blacksmith’s Eye and turned his gaze toward the tracks.
Even with 60% fire resistance, it wasn’t enough.
"No choice. I have to move fast."
Just as he raised the hammer again—
[Boss Monster has appeared.]