LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 45
Chapter 45: The Hideous Witch (6)
The neutral city of Gelbern City is well-known as a gathering place for Asian players.
Here, Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese coexist, with Southeast Asian players often appearing as well.
Yeonwol headed not to the blacksmith’s district but to the alchemist’s district.
[Elgeni: Uhm, meeting secretly in the blacksmith’s district wouldn’t be ideal…]
When Yeonwol sent a DM to Elgeni, he thought she might refuse the request, but she replied faster than expected.
Since it was an epic-grade unique weapon, her excited tone in the reply suggested she had long been eager to handle a new type of weapon after dealing with mass-produced weapons for so long.
[Elgeni: Uh, just to confirm, you won’t hold me responsible if the weapon gets destroyed during enhancement, right?]
[Yeonwol: Yes, of course.]
How many times did she need to ask?
This was common sense.
Why would a blacksmith bear the responsibility for a weapon’s destruction? Naturally, the client bears all risks for penalties incurred during enhancement.
Otherwise, no blacksmith would want to enhance someone else’s weapon.
[Elgeni: Then… cover me.]
Turning his head slightly, Yeonwol spotted a petite girl wearing a hood, looking up at him.
[Elgeni: If the guild finds out, it’s over for me. But I really want to handle a new weapon…]
Over if the guild finds out?
It might be a contract issue.
While the exact reason was unclear, all that mattered was enhancing the weapon.
“Hm, under such circumstances, would it be okay to use a public forge that players borrow?”
“Yes, there’s no other choice…”
Using the forge rented by the Sellatan Guild was also a bad idea. If someone found out about their secret dealings, it could cause trouble for Rapion.
“Instead, I’ve prepared a private rental forge. You won’t need to worry about being noticed.”
Yeonwol led her to the rented forge. A forge that only two people could enter was quite suitable for maintaining secrecy.
Finally able to remove her hood, Elgeni exhaled a deep sigh.
She looked exactly as Yeonwol remembered her.
Though her appearance hadn’t changed much, she seemed gloomier than before.
In his memory, Elgeni always had a bright, positive smile.
Now, however, it felt like she was forcing a smile to mask her sorrow.
“This is it.”
“This is the Tutorial Boss’s…”
“Yes, it’s called the Blue Sea Blade.”
Elgeni gazed at the Blue Sea Blade placed on the anvil with a tense expression.
Even as an epic-grade weapon, a drop from a special boss monster carried a unique significance.
“Is it really okay for me to handle such a weapon…?”
“It doesn’t matter. If it breaks, I’ll just get a new one.”
Gulping, Elgeni swallowed nervously and picked up the hammer.
Her eyes turned blue, and the Blue Sea Blade’s details appeared instantly.
[The weapon
[Most of its power is sealed, and its level requirement is set to 1.]
[Enhancement paths include ‘Increase Level Restriction,’ ‘Unlock Special Abilities,’ and ‘Skill Enhancement.’]
“…!”
Elgeni’s gaze landed on ‘Increase Level Restriction.’
Weapons with low level requirements naturally had limited performance.
Since they could be used by low-level players, their limits were clear.
However, lifting the level restriction could massively increase performance proportional to the level.
“This weapon, despite having a level 1 restriction, already performs at a level 100 standard. If it’s enhanced to a level 100 restriction, its performance could become extraordinary.”
Weapon enhancement typically raised level restrictions slightly, but increasing it to level 100 in one go was almost impossible.
However, given Elgeni’s unique skills and talent, it seemed feasible.
“Wait a moment. I have something to help with this.”
“What? But you’re not a blacksmith, Yeonwol…”
“Huh?!”
As a magic circle engraved itself onto the anvil beneath the Blue Sea Blade, it began spinning rapidly.
[The Tripod Refinement Circle is activated, reducing the probability of equipment destruction during enhancement by 3%.]
[The stat increase upon enhancement success is slightly boosted.]
[The enhancement success rate increases by 5%.]
“Oh my, how is this even possible…?”
Alchemy increasing enhancement success rates?
She had never heard of such a thing.
And that wasn’t all.
When Yeonwol sprayed the Blue Sea Blade with a potion called
[The weapon is granted ‘Elun’s Blessing,’ decreasing enhancement success rates by 10%, but greatly increasing the stat boost upon success.]
Lastly…
[‘Stone of Destiny’ is fused into the weapon. Enhancement success rate increases by 7%, and the probability of equipment destruction decreases by 3% upon failure.]
Seeing the flood of enhancement benefits, Elgeni was visibly astonished.
[Final Enhancement Probability for Blue Sea Blade]
*Success: 45%
*Failure: 51%
*Destruction: 4%
*Upon success, performance increases by 27%.
After finishing these preparations, Yeonwol stepped back.
“Now, it’s the blacksmith’s turn.”
“If I had known this was possible, every blacksmith would’ve collaborated with an alchemist.”
“That’ll happen soon enough.”
Hiding her surprise, Elgeni took a deep breath and raised the hammer.
A 45% success rate.
However, this probability didn’t apply equally to all blacksmiths.
Clang!
When Elgeni began hammering, Yeonwol held his breath.
Afraid to disturb her concentration, he didn’t dare move.
The Blue Sea Blade’s appearance began to change.
The distortion of its form seemed worrisome, as though the weapon might melt or break.
But the sudden appearance of a message clarified otherwise.
[Elgeni’s exceptional metallurgy ensures the weapon will never be destroyed. Destruction probability decreases to 1%.]
[Her metallurgy boosts the enhanced weapon’s effects by 120% and unlocks 38% of its latent abilities.]
[Additionally, her precise craftsmanship in handling metals increases the enhancement success rate by 27%.]
“Wow…”
Truly, her skill was top-notch.
For an ordinary blacksmith, seeing even one of these messages would be extraordinary.
But Elgeni executed more than four special enhancements.
Could this all be due to her skills?
Impossible.
Production classes relied heavily on player control, just like combat classes.
This was entirely Elgeni’s talent.
And the fruit of relentless effort and dedication.
[The enhancement of the epic-grade unique weapon
Elgeni’s monstrous talent, combined with Yeonwol’s touch of alchemy, created a result that was beyond imagination.
Grade: Epic
Usage Restriction: Those who defeated Khazaram and gained recognition / Level 112 and above
Attack Power Increase: 39~45%
Strength +12, Agility +15, Vitality +8
When a critical hit occurs, an additional 9% of the damage dealt is inflicted as fixed damage.
Upon acquiring Blue Wave Ascension Blade and reaching Intermediate Swordsmanship Mastery, the active skill ‘Iaido: First to Strike’ becomes available.
Through repeated use of the weapon’s special effect ‘Iaido: First to Strike,’ the skill can become fully yours.
Yeonwol stared in disbelief. He already knew that her enhancement skills were top-notch.
However, achieving this level of enhancement performance, barely three years into the game’s release, was astonishing.
“…The weapon has become nearly twice as strong.”
And then there was the unique effect.
The skill [Iaido: First to Strike], which he had barely used due to lack of mana, could now fully become his skill.
If that skill were transformed into a personal skill, even if he could no longer use the Blue Sea Blade, there would be no regrets.
On top of that, additional damage with every critical hit? Such added effects were unachievable without exceptional metallurgy skills.
“Hehe… This is the first time I’ve performed such an extraordinary enhancement. As expected of you, Yeonwol.”
“I didn’t do much, though…”
“No way! It was thanks to your alchemy. Without it, the weapon might have broken again…”
“Surely not.”
Yeonwol, casually brushing off her words, paused at the mention of ‘the weapon breaking again.’
‘Elgeni is famous for never breaking a single weapon.’
Before he could ask for clarification, an alert popped up in the community.
The dungeon community on Eldit, for which he had set keyword notifications, began to buzz.
[Breaking News! The location of the level 150 dungeon ‘Crimson Tower’ has finally been revealed!]
[The boss monster is estimated to be level 180, and a guild has dispatched a level 200 expert to handle it…]
“Hmm.”
Though they likely intended to move discreetly, any movements involving level 200 players would quickly spread through the community.
It seemed the Crimson Tower’s location had already been discovered, and parties had been formed.
However, Yeonwol wasn’t in a rush.
He had a way to secure the boss for himself.
Still, there was no benefit in being overly leisurely, so it was time to wrap up the deal with Elgeni and prepare.
“Here is the promised payment. I’ve added a little extra as a service bonus.”
“I’m already satisfied just from forging such an amazing weapon…”
“Come on, not paying you would be disrespectful to someone who enhanced a weapon like this. Anyway, see you next time.”
After bidding farewell to Elgeni, Yeonwol packed up the enhanced Blue Sea Blade and stood.
Checking his stats, he found his combat power had increased by 16 points, reaching [181].
This also lifted some of the restrictions on his White Spirits, slightly boosting their stats as well.
‘This should be enough.’
Meanwhile, in various guilds, parties were hurriedly assembled and dispatched to secure the Crimson Tower boss monster.
As a result, the tower became crowded with players considered mid-level experts at around level 200.
Though they wanted to send higher-level players, the rewards would be halved or not given at all if their level far exceeded that of the monsters.
To claim the level 180 boss rewards, level 200 was the upper limit.
“Hurry up! We need to enter before the Malayd Guild!”
“Everyone knows field dungeon bosses appear only once, but the rewards are ridiculous. If we land this, we’ll be set for a while!”
“We could take a half-year break from work after this!”
However, by the time most players had hastily formed parties and reached the boss room, dozens of parties were already gathered in front of it.
“Damn, it looks like a party has already entered.”
“Sigh, it must’ve been the Glacial Guild. They discovered the location first and headed out, and we followed them here.”
“Nothing we can do… Wait, what? Even the Glacial Guild hasn’t entered yet?”
Sure enough, five level 200 players bearing the Glacial Guild emblem were anxiously pacing outside the boss room.
Biting their nails and looking tense, they were clearly late.
“Is there a party that entered before the Glacial Guild?”
“Yeah. The boss room was already sealed when they arrived.”
Although dungeons allow multiple parties to enter, the boss room itself does not.
The boss room has a limited capacity, and once a party enters, it’s sealed by a barrier.
“But here’s something strange. Even though the boss room is sealed, it says the number of players inside is zero.”
“What…”
Doubting the claim, the players hurriedly checked.
Sure enough, the boss room displayed zero players inside.
But something didn’t add up.
If an NPC had entered alone, the barrier wouldn’t activate, allowing players to enter freely.
Yet, with zero players inside, the barrier remained.
“Could there be summoned creatures inside?”
“Idiot. Didn’t summoners test that two years ago? Leaving only summoned creatures inside doesn’t trigger the barrier. There must be an actual player inside.”
“Then why…”
While everyone was puzzled, a lone player arrived late.
At first, no one paid attention. His equipment consisted of nothing more than the level 100 Relzers set.
Though the mask covering his face was a bit unusual, that was all.
He approached the boss room, but since he clearly couldn’t enter, no one stopped him.
Everyone dismissed him—until suddenly…
“Wait, that weapon!”
When the famous
In his left hand was an alchemist’s kit.
There was only one player who carried such distinctive gear in both hands.
“Yeonwol…!”
Why was Yeonwol here? His level shouldn’t be high enough to challenge this dungeon.
Before they could make sense of it, a notification appeared.
[Player ‘Yeonwol’ is entering the Crimson Tower boss room.]
Yeonwol passed through the barrier into the boss room effortlessly.
“What… what just happened?”
Every player present stared as if they had seen a ghost.