Chapter 256: Chapter 256
It was incredibly efficient.
While crafting materials with just 1% resistance often required dozens of combinations to barely reach 10%, the Ironclad Soldier Fragment started at 5%, drastically cutting down that entire process.
‘At this rate, I might be able to hit 50% fire resistance in no time...!’
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 Fragment 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.] Thɪs chapter is updated by novel•fire.net
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragment (A) of the Molten Dragon.]
Su-ho immediately checked the item’s stats.
[Ironclad Soldier Fragment of the Molten Dragon]
Su-ho nodded at the number.
Right. Expect too much, and the disappointment hits harder.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit let down.
‘Then again, if stats increased every time I fused something, that’d be broken.’
There was no way the system would hand out overpowered items without limits.
Even if the efficiency dropped by about 50%, this was still more than acceptable.
If he had crafted this using conventional methods, the result would’ve been far worse.
Brushing aside his disappointment, Su-ho quickly crafted another 15% Ironclad Soldier Fragment and began another fusion.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[Material crafting failed.]
[The materials have been destroyed.]
Su-ho’s eyes widened as he read the notification.
When he checked his inventory, both of the 15% fragments had disappeared without a trace.
Su-ho stared blankly at the empty slot where the fragments had been.
Then he shut his eyes.
“...You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He was already pressed for time—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 somewhat 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 hammer.’
So he figured it was time 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 resumed crafting from the beginning.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragment (B) of the Molten Dragon.]
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragment (B) of the Molten Dragon.]
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragment (B) of the Molten Dragon.]
Su-ho’s gaze sharpened, eyes now that of a true artisan.
How much time had passed?
[Your understanding of hammering has improved.]
[Congratulations! You’ve learned Blacksmith's Hammering (E).]
His hammering skill leveled up.
When he checked the skill info, the crafting efficiency bonus had increased from 5% to 10%.
This was always bound to happen.
Finishing the inspection, Su-ho returned to his task.
After some more time passed, he finally succeeded in creating two 15% fragments again.
His fourth attempt since the initial failure.
Which meant he’d failed two more times along the way.
But unlike the first time, 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% fragments.
Then, he began hammering them slowly.
Same strength, same rhythm, just like every other time.
If it failed, he’d simply try again.
Then came the fourth blow—
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragment (A) of the Molten Dragon.]
He’d finally succeeded.
Effect upon use: Fire Resistance +23%
Seeing that, a smile crept onto Su-ho’s lips.
All from just combining two pieces.
And now, he understood something 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 seemed.
Which meant that if he succeeded in fusing two 23% pieces...
‘I’d get 35% fire resistance!’
And using the same logic, two 35% pieces would yield 53%.
Su-ho thoughtfully rubbed the 23% fragment.
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 time 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, time was on his side.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! CLAAANG!!
[You have successfully crafted a material.]
[You’ve obtained Ironclad Soldier Fragment (B) of the Molten Dragon.]
Another successful creation.
[Quest conditions fulfilled.]
[The Liberated Hammer 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 came flooding in.
Only then did Su-ho remember—
‘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.
Su-ho’s lips rounded in surprise.
It now worked on monsters?
Which meant—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 game-changer.
Next, he checked the hammer’s new information.
[Liberated Hammer of the Great Blacksmith]
A new skill, Square Fusion, was now officially named.
But what intrigued Su-ho more was the second socket.
‘This changes everything.’
Originally, he’d planned to fuse two 23% fragments into a 35% one.
But now, with a second socket?
He didn’t need to anymore.
‘If I slot two 23% fragments, I’ll get a whopping 46% resistance.’
Add the power of his Flame Form ability, and his fire resistance would hit 96%.
Honestly, he hadn’t known how many more failures it would take to get a 35% fragment.
Normally, he’d move on to the next step here.
But Su-ho remembered the last line of the system notification.
He opened his status window.
And all core attributes sitting at 97.
It was finally time to test the Unity Effect.
Su-ho invested 2 points each into Strength and Magic.
Then, calmly increased Perception one point at a time.
[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.
[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.]