Chapter 38
[★BEST★]
[ID: White Boar]
[Recommendations: 2,750,000]
[Title: I’ll Rank the Production-Class Skills for You!]
– Hey, what’s up.
– I’m a hunter with countless production-class subordinates: blacksmiths, jewelers, tailors, you name it.
– To all you production-class folks out there.
– I see people arguing on the boards about whose skills are tier 1 or tier 2.
– Let me clear this up so you can stop bickering.
– First off, there are endless production skills.
– Blacksmithing, jewelry, tailoring, item crafting, mining, metallurgy, cooking, smelting, woodworking, potion-making, tanning, leatherworking, weaving, enchanting, engineering, herb-gathering, blueprint design, alchemy, and so on.
– Ha, exhausting just to list them.
– Look up what each means on your own.
– The important part is: every skill matters.
– The point of production classes is making things, right?
– And if you’re going to make something, you want it to be the best, don’t you?
– To do that, you need all those skills above.
– None of them are useless.
– The better the item, the rarer and more varied the ingredients you’ll need.
– Which means every one of those skills is at least tier 2.
– So stop fighting over it.
– You’re like those people arguing “Which is stronger, UDT or the 707th?” The point is, they both serve different purposes but are equally needed.
– That said, there are two tier 1 skills.
– Why? Because each of them encompasses at least two or more others.
– Those two are “Item Crafting” and “Alchemy.”
– Item Crafting condenses blacksmithing, jewelry, tailoring, potion-making, etc. into one.
– Alchemy isn’t about making gold—it’s about transmuting leftover materials into other resources.
– With Alchemy, you can get expensive metals, ores, blueprints, gems, herbs—you name it—far more easily.
– So, if any of you turning twenty this year have one of those skills, go ahead and scream your lungs out.
– In summary:
– Item Crafting and Alchemy are tier 1.
– Everything else is tier 2.
– If you disagree, fine, you’re right.
– If you’re still salty, come find me, White Boar.
– Peace.
—
“Hm.”
Inside the rented workshop, I summoned Bone Six.
Creak?
The short skeleton tilted his head, holding a cute little bone hammer.
I sent him toward the makeshift magical furnace.
Whoosh!
Fuel roared, glowing red-hot.
[Skill: Intermediate Smelting]
[Level: 1]
[Description: Extracts metal from ore.]
[Effect 1: Can smelt iron ore.]
[Effect 2: Can smelt copper ore.]
[Effect 3: Can smelt silver ore.]
“Alright.”
I had bought a few piles of iron ore nearby.
“Go on, give it a try.”
Of course, I had no idea how to smelt.
But he was a blacksmith. He’d know.
Just as Bone One instinctively swung his sword.
Creak!
He nodded, picked up a chunk of ore, and slowly poured it into the furnace.
[You activate the skill, ‘Intermediate Smelting.’]
[You produce an Iron Ingot.]
[You produce an Iron Ingot.]
[You produce a Scrap Heap.]
[Proficiency +1.]
[Tip: When proficiency reaches a certain threshold, the skill level increases.]
“Ohhh.”
As time passed, ingots piled up beneath the furnace.
Basic materials for item creation.
[Skill: Intermediate Weaving]
[Level: 1]
[Description: Spin thread and weave fabric.]
[Effect 1: Produce Intermediate Thread.]
[Effect 2: Produce Intermediate Fabric.]
Weaving worked the same.
By supplying spider silk, cocoons, wool, goat hair, flax, and so on to the loom—
[You activate the skill, ‘Intermediate Weaving.’]
[You produce Intermediate Thread.]
[You produce Intermediate Thread.]
[You produce a Scrap Heap.]
[Proficiency +1.]
Threads of all colors bloomed brilliantly.
“Whoa.”
I couldn’t help but marvel.
In short, smelting and weaving pulled usable materials out of raw resources.
As simple as a game.
Just toss it in, and out it comes.
“Bone Six.”
Creak?
He stopped working the loom and looked at me.
“Let’s try alchemy next.”
I had decided.
Today, I would test every skill he had.
The workshop didn’t have its own alchemy table.
There was only one, tucked in a corner room, shared by everyone.
Since alchemy was rare, the owner probably hadn’t bothered providing more.
Step, step.
As we moved, I noticed a hooded man puffing on a cigarette, focused on his work.
Another customer, clearly.
‘Well, Bone Six or not…’
I didn’t mind.
I was an unusual Necromancer myself.
He must have been an uncommon alchemist.
I simply watched quietly.
After about thirty seconds, he turned to me.
“Newbie?”
“Huh?”
“Oh, the table’s for everyone. You were just standing there.”
“Ah, right.”
I nodded.
“Since you’re new, I’ll show you how. Come here.”
He was surprisingly kind, like someone reminiscing about their own early days.
‘Lucky me.’
I thanked him with shining eyes.
“Thanks.”
“…So, if you’re here at the alchemy table, you must have the skill. And that skeleton… are you a necromancer?”
“Yeah, but actually… it’s him who has the alchemy skill.”
“…What? Really?”
The alchemist licked his lips in surprise.
“Never thought I’d see this. A skeleton that can use alchemy.”
“I’m surprised myself.”
“Well, do you have any junk items lying around?”
“Junk?”
I rummaged through my portable bag.
From my recent C-rank dungeon runs, I had picked up about twenty odds and ends.
Rustle—
Out spilled venom sacs, tufts of fur, bone fragments, and other itemized materials.
“Hooh?”
The alchemist’s eyes widened.
“All C-rank or higher materials. Hard to come by.”
“Got lucky.”
“I see.”
He glanced at my waist badge.
White—E-rank.
He must have assumed I was just a wealthy hunter.
“…Well, alchemy’s simple. Just toss scrap or junk materials into the table and use the skill.”
“That’s it?”
I followed his instructions.
Bone Six dumped everything inside.
Then we waited.
[You activate the skill, ‘Intermediate Alchemy.’]
[Thump! Thump! Thump!]
[What item will appear?]
Flashes and messages popped up.
‘Feels like a slot machine.’
After a moment—
[Ding!]
[You have obtained Mandragora.]
[You have obtained the blueprint: Reinforced Steel Sword.]
[You have obtained a Silver Ingot.]
[You have obtained Intermediate Fabric.]
[You have obtained Intermediate Thread.]
[You have obtained Low-Grade Sapphire.]
[Proficiency +2.]
Clatter!
Items poured out beneath the table.
‘This is…’
Familiar somehow.
Like those old toy capsule machines—you put in a coin and waited to see what popped out.
‘This skill’s fun.’
Not as exhilarating as battle, but production had its own charm.
I was praising Bone Six when I bent down to gather the loot.
“What the—?”
The alchemist’s eyes were wide.
“What is this? You got a blueprint, herbs, even a gem?”
“…Why?”
I tilted my head.
Wasn’t that normal for alchemy?
[Skill: Intermediate Alchemy]
[Level: 1]
[Description: Combine materials to create new ones at random.]
[Effect 1: Produces basic materials.]
[Effect 2: Produces intermediate materials.]
It was right there in the description.
“No way. Mandragora and sapphires only come from intermediate and higher.”
“That’s… surprising?”
“Yes!”
He looked like he couldn’t believe it.
“What are you? An intermediate alchemist? Then why the E-rank badge? Is this some trick? Are you a magician?”
“I’m no magician. Isn’t intermediate alchemy common?”
“…Ha. Not at all. Do you know how hard it is to raise alchemy proficiency? People pour in millions, even billions, and still can’t break into intermediate.”
“Whoa.”
My jaw dropped.
Bone Six had been born with intermediate alchemy.
“Most alchemists need guild-level backing just to have a chance. On their own? Forget it.”
“……”
“Damn… a newbie skeleton with intermediate alchemy. Even White Boar only has five like that in his guild. This is insane.”
“What about advanced alchemists?”
“None yet. Not a single one, even after ten years.”
“……”
Now I understood.
Why production classes were looked down on despite being fun.
Why they couldn’t match the fame of combat classes.
‘Because they’re impossible to raise solo.’
The difficulty was brutal.
“Millions… billions?”
I barely had ten million won to my name.
“Hm.”
But instead of despair, a strange thrill welled up.
‘I want to raise him even more.’
The rarer it was, the better.
‘Effort is my strongest weapon.’
And I wasn’t the one sweating over furnaces—Bone Six was.
All I had to do was keep running dungeons and supplying materials.
‘Alright.’
My resolve burned.
It would cost a fortune, but I didn’t care.
He’d skyrocket in value one day. Absolutely worth the investment.
“Thanks for the advice. Take this.”
I handed him the Mandragora as thanks.
“What? No way… that’s a valuable mid-grade herb!”
“It’s fine. I’ll be around. I’ll ask you for advice again.”
I grinned.
Then I looked at my precious Bone Six.
Bone Six.
I’ll bring you the materials.
You just grow strong.
Strong enough to forge treasures for me.
‘Heh heh.’
I chuckled darkly to myself.
(T/N: HAHAHA. Bro got himself a gacha machine. lol)