Blacksmith vs. the System

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test my newfound abilities as much as I wished. An hour after I started practicing with the new weapons, I was interrupted by an alert from the entrance, signaling movement. It was slightly annoying, as it meant I didn't have time to test the changes I made in my armor.

I opened another portal, and went back to the first floor. At the same time, I opened another portal to the fourth floor, sending a warning to my students to leave. I watched all seven appear on the first floor. "Stay here, and be ready to evacuate in case of danger," I warned them. The warnings of Rosie about dungeon attacks were clear, and I didn't want to lose them by accident.

"But —" Terry started, which I silenced with a gesture.

"No time to discuss it," I said as I left the dungeon. Once I left, I started examining the transformed layout.

"That's a lot of changes," I said to Harold, who immediately arrived at my side. "Let me check the defenses first while you test your new weapon," I said as I gave him the sword.

"This is amazing, sir," he replied while he pointed at the giant furnace, and the army of workers, almost a thousand of them, around it, had all gathered a few hundred yards away from the dungeon gate, safely in a secondary layer of defense.

The giant furnace of my own design laid at the center, already able to complete the initial mixture of shells and the dungeon crystals, reducing the workload of the workers considerably. Meanwhile, a second team of smiths was working to turn them into finished products, combining their system skills and the auxiliary steam-powered devices to hasten their workload.

A worthwhile process, as not only had they managed to lay three different defensive lines, but also managed to expand several railroads down the mountain, able to be used both for material extraction and for rapid deployment.

The number of canons was tripled, with several new models in place, both larger and smaller varieties. Though, they were not the only change. The anti-air weaponry had gone through significant changes as well, gleaming beautifully.

The sight before me was a testament to how quickly things could change when people were allowed to show their capabilities freely.

I used Observe, feeling the vibration of the metal as the superheated steam passed through like a central line of electricity, ready to power the devices as needed.

"What's the status of the army?" I asked.

"We have over five thousand advanced Farmers, each with a combat skill," Harold replied.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "I thought their numbers were much lower."

"It was, but we used the railroads to deploy them down the mountain, hunting the lizards that had been wandering freely. They had been enough to level them up."

"Good news," I said. "How about the cannons?"

"They are installed and ready to go, though we need more metal made from lizard claws, which they couldn't do."

"I'll deal with it," I said. "What's the status of the underground shelters?"

"They are already complete. The shelters are buried six hundred yards into the mountain, surrounded with thick metal walls, and we have a dozen scouts checking the perimeter to catch any tunneling attempt."

"Even better news," I replied, walking toward the forge. While my new forging variant didn't allow me to mass-produce metal, but then, my old skill did not either. I had been producing them based on Maria's formulas, which I was more than capable of applying.

Five minutes of determined focus was all I needed to provide the material for the shells. The rest was for the other smiths to deal with.

"How about the enemy?" I asked once I finished it.

"They are on the move once more, sir. It's slow going, but we expect them to arrive at dawn unless they have another surprise waiting for us."

"I'm afraid that they will have a method to neutralize the shells. Are the soldiers ready in case they have to deal with the lizards more directly?" Harold nodded. "Excellent," I said, then passed him the other bag, with ten spearheads. "Give them to your best soldiers, and spread them around. Just in case."

Another nod, and Harold departed. I moved forward, focusing on the steam engine that was in front of me. While it looked ugly, that had nothing to do with its potential. It had thick metal walls, several steam-based machine guns, and enough space to carry a hundred soldiers at once.

It was ready to deal with anything but a boss monster with ease.

While I examined that, I felt a presence behind me, digging into my bag. A familiar presence. "Rude," I said. Rosie pulled back with the twin daggers I had forged for her.

"You can't blame a girl for being excited with her new toys," she replied, her tone playful once again, which turned into wonder as she swung her new daggers. "This—"

"Not bad, right," I said.

"That's an understatement," she said, looking at me seriously. "Do you want to keep it hidden?" she added.

"Is that even an option?" I asked, not expecting an answer. Ultimately, it was a rhetorical question. Even if I wasn't magically bound to the dungeon, leaving was not on the table.

"Not after things have reached this point. Horizon Institute on one side, heretics on the other…"

"At least we're not unprepared," I said as I pointed at the cannon venting its excess steam once it sent its payload in a parabolic arc, easily clearing five miles even in test settings. "We have enough defenses in place to make any victory Pyrrhic for our enemies, unless of course true ascended are even stronger than I fear."

"They might be, but I doubt they will be sent here. Without support, they will be left weak for any assassination attempt," she said. "With the right preparation, no enemy is unbeatable."

From her tone, it was obvious that it was not a theoretical statement.

"Is there anything I can do to make it easier?" I asked.

"A shiny target would be nice," she said.

"That, I can provide," I said with a chuckle. "Do you want to start now, or should we do our best to keep Thomas around?"

"We have to deal with him," Rosie said. "I scouted his forces a few times, and from what I could see, he had already committed every favor he could call. If he fails again, I expect him to retreat and report his failure, and the last thing we need is a fake-ascended Charisma user along with whatever force the heretics will throw our way."
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"Noted," I replied. I still remember how unpleasant it was to be on the other end of his Charisma pressure, difficult to move. Having him near the defenses could throw everything askew. "Unless you have anything else, I have some last-minute adjustments."

"Go ahead. Just make sure to give me an angle to attack."

I nodded, then moved toward the pipes I had created to drain tainted energy from fallen lizards, and started reinforcing. With Wisdom, it was easy to hold and transfer tainted energy. I moved forward, once again channeling mana from my feet as I moved farther away from the base.

At the same time, the enemy army had been approaching closer, and the moment dawn arrived, they picked up speed, making me suspect that the mysterious effect that was strengthening the monsters also made them harder to control.

We hadn't been in a position to benefit from that fact for the moment, but that wouldn't be the case in the future.

Once they passed the ten-mile mark, the first set of cannons started raining shells. The first few were on target, causing devastation.

Unfortunately, this time, that success proved temporary. Just like I had feared, a blue bubble covered the enemy army. The mana shield handled the barrage with ease, showing no sign of buckling or shattering.

It didn't surprise me. Ultimately, the current version of the shells was not designed to handle various magical defenses that could be employed. I could return and pump the shells with as much mana as I could afford in the hopes of breaking the barrier. Indeed, if it hadn't been for the changes in my weaponry, it would have been my best option.

Instead, I tightened the grip on my hammer, and started waiting for the arrival of the army. After my latest attempts, imbuing as much as my skills onto my weapons, I wasn't afraid of them blocking my attacks. And, if I miscalculated, retreating was not an option.

I stood alone, watching the lizard army climb the mountain under the cover of the blue shield. As they got closer, I saw that the number of ordinary lizards had been reduced significantly, replaced by the larger variants, and the number of boss monsters — both the landbound and the flying kinds — had increased significantly.

"Bring it on," I whispered as I tightened my grip on my hammer and moved forward recklessly. I caught the first line of the lizard army, at around the six-mile mark, protected by the giant blue shield.

I brought down my hammer, its head shining with a blinding amount of mana. I focused on the concept of Avalanche for a fleeting second, pushing both my Wisdom and my Strength to the limit before I brought it down.

[-3150 Mana]

The shield held, but unlike the rain of shells, it didn't do so smoothly. It buckled and cracked. A blue energy spread through the shield, repairing it.

Unfortunately for them, the speed of repair wasn't as fast as the speed of my mana replenishment. It took four swings for the whole blue shield to shatter like an eggshell, allowing the shells to wreak havoc through the army once more.

Just like that, I saw all the boss monsters rush toward me. I switched to my sword, retreating slowly, glad with the result.

After all, I was supposed to be the flashy distraction.