Chapter 61

The difference between just bones and awakened bones was obvious.

From recalling one’s past abilities to absorbing new knowledge from the old man.

Bone One, Bone Four, and Bone Five could never catch up to Sunny and Eldrin.

Well, even if they shared the same body, it was only natural that the one led by a master who had once reached the pinnacle would perform better.

Anyway.

Because of that, the gap between the bones’ abilities grew wider by the day.

Not just in skill proficiency or stats.

Even the knowledge of how to wield their bodies was on another level.

The difference in caliber was undeniable.

‘At this rate, won’t the weaker ones feel left out because of the imbalance?’

“You foolish brat. Don’t worry too much.”

As always.

The old man shook his arms after finishing the massage session.

“……Still, I can’t help but worry.”

I gave a bitter smile.

Once, this grand method had been pure agony. But now I had grown relaxed enough to even let stray thoughts surface during it.

“I don’t even know if the way I’m growing is the right path. At least in games, there’s a guide…… but I don’t know if the balance among my summons is right.”

“Keuk, keuk, the fact you can worry about such things must mean this method is working.”

‘So that’s what he means by the method’s efficacy? Ah, he’s just saying I used to not think at all.’

All the better then.

“So, about that, sir?”

“What’s with that unsettling grin?”

The old man frowned and stepped back.

“You’ve said I’ve been handling the method well lately. In that case, how about I take a short break? A week or two?”

“What was that?”

The old man roared.

But I didn’t back down.

“I’ve got something I need to do.”

“……Hmm, now that you mention it.”

The old man glanced around.

“This isn’t the usual training ground, but the workshop.”

“Yes, I want to seriously make another weapon. Last time I got too absorbed and missed my promise, remember?”

“Hrmm, that’s true.”

Spending thirty minutes a day on the Supreme Azure Mind Method.

That was the promise between the old man and me.

So whenever I had circumstances, I would always tell him.

Though he rarely approved.

“Well then, go ahead.”

“Eh?”

I was surprised.

Usually, he’d have thrown a fit, saying if I was going to act like this then I should abandon the Legacy of the Ten Thousand Arts altogether.

What was different today?

“You foolish brat, the primary is the Legacy and the secondary is the method.”

“Sorry?”

“I mean the Legacy comes first. The method is only there to support it. If swinging the hammer is the only time you can fully immerse yourself right now, how could I, as your teacher, stop you?”

“Ohhh…?”

Perhaps the only one who truly cared for my growth was this old man.

“Still, do it properly. If you slack off and just waste time, I’ll double the intensity during the next session.”

“Yes, sir!”

I answered firmly.

Then I rubbed my hands together.

“Master, shall we begin?”

“Yes.”

Up front, Dmir raised his hammer eagerly, while I sat down on the floor.

Now that I had the old man’s permission, there was no need to hesitate.

Wuuung!

The manifestation of the Supreme Azure Mind Method, letting me feel the mysterious energy that made up the world.

“Hooh, I can feel the master’s emotions flowing through. So this is how we make something together?”

The method was the same as before.

Just as I had hammered away in sync with Bone Meat, this time I connected with Dmir.

‘What kind of weapon should I make?’

‘What should I forge to please my master?’

‘To hammer alongside the benefactor of my tribe. What an honor.’

Dmir’s thoughts flowed into my mind.

Though not direct words, the emotions he shared were sincere.

“Master.”

“Yeah.”

“There are countless blueprints. Which weapon shall we make?”

“Hold on.”

Hmm.

It was a tough choice.

I couldn’t make many, and for now only one.

Should I make something that sells well?

Or something rare?

Whatever it was, it had to be something that could promote us.

‘Promotion, promotion….’

In this world, what had the most promotional impact?

It was my dream: becoming a Ranker.

Maybe I should make a weapon aimed at a Ranker.

‘Ranker.’

The first person who came to mind.

Undoubtedly, the Ranker closest to me right now.

The Ranker I knew best.

‘Ki Soyul.’

The one who had tied me and the old man together.

The benefactor who had protected me from that terrorist group.

She might look cold, but she was definitely not a bad person.

“Hooh, master?”

Reading my thoughts, Dmir’s eyes glowed.

“She’s a very beautiful lady, isn’t she? Suits you well. So we’re making her a weapon?”

He beamed.

His thoughts were written all over his face.

“Yes, she’s someone I’m very grateful for.”

It had two meanings.

A token of gratitude. And promotion.

If Ki Soyul would just use a piece from “Dmir’s Workshop,” the effect would be enormous.

She’d be exposed in countless interviews, and just one mention from her would skyrocket the brand’s value.

“Hmm.”

Dmir stroked his chin.

After a moment’s thought, he nodded.

“Alright, this blueprint will do.”

He lifted a bundle of papers.

A blueprint for a B-rank assassin’s dagger.

An ordinary design drawn through alchemy.

Though Dmir had knowledge of better blueprints, my current skill level made them impossible.

“Shall we begin, master?”

“Of course.”

Kaaang! Kaaang!

The hammer struck the ground.

Iron ingots were lined up on the floor.

[Completion: 1%]

The weapon-making had begun.

—

Ki Soyul was an assassin.

An assassin must be quiet, and light.

They must specialize in concealment.

‘Light, light yet extremely fast and sharp.’

That meant the metal couldn’t be condensed.

It had to be drawn thin and sharp.

The weight had to be minimized.

Kaaang! Kaaang!

The ingots began to take shape.

[Completion: 14%]

That shape clearly reflected the image in my mind.

A cold, austere dagger.

Forging was truly an art.

Depending on the image in mind, the weapon’s efficiency and design changed.

‘Hmm.’

It was good.

Very good.

But too light.

So light it felt like it would shatter against a stronger opponent.

That meant it had no value as a weapon.

Kaaang! Kaaang!

I was conflicted.

‘Hahaha. Master, why worry about such things!’

Kaaang! Kaaang!

‘A weapon is like a pervert!’

‘Pervert?’

‘The more it’s struck, the stronger it becomes! Don’t think, just keep hammering!’

‘Ohh!’

Kaaang! Kaaang!

‘You might wonder, until when? But for blacksmiths like us, there is no such question. Until either my arm breaks or the weapon breaks, we hammer on with unwavering spirit!’

‘That’s… kind of cool?’

‘We call that infusing a weapon with the “soul!”’

‘Alright, let’s put everything into it.’

[Completion: 40%]

Grrrkk!

When hungry, I chewed on a chocolate bar.

Closing my eyes, I munched away.

Fatigue?

There was none.

The Supreme Azure Mind Method dispelled exhaustion, and the hammer’s heat electrified my nerves.

Kaaang! Kaaang!

Feeling Dmir’s strikes, I kept picturing Ki Soyul.

Her piercing eyes and firm muscles.

Her sharp, fierce presence.

I poured the energy I’d felt from her into the dagger.

Chill.

The dagger exuded a frigid aura.

‘Right. However she’s portrayed, an assassin is a killing machine in the end.’

A weapon must match its role.

Cruelty and ruthlessness.

I tried to infuse those qualities as well.

[Completion: 60%]

How many days had passed?

People began to gather outside the workshop.

“So this is the famous Dmir’s Workshop?”

“Excuse me! Is the master here?”

“They say he no longer sells at the auction house. Can I order directly?”

Word of mouth had spread.

But they all left empty-handed.

The lady next door and other merchants shook their heads.

“Ah, just go. The owner’s in there but won’t come out. Hear that? The clang, clang of hammering.”

“Don’t even mention it. That young man is so extreme… It’s been a whole week, and he’s still hammering nonstop.”

“Well, hammer sounds are common in GoTo Mall, but that lad is on another level. Doesn’t he ever sleep? I knew he wasn’t just any youth, but still…”

All were amazed.

One mother even dragged her child here, nagging that effort like this was what it took to achieve something.

TV producers came for coverage but also left with nothing.

[Completion: 80%]

“Khheuhh…”

Now, boiling groans escaped my lips.

This was harder than what I’d forged in the Dwarf lands.

Though it wasn’t even my hammer striking, my arms felt like they were tearing apart.

At some point, I couldn’t tell if I was Dmir or if Dmir was me.

That’s how deep my immersion had gone.

[Completion: 99%]

‘A bit disappointing.’

Everything was complete.

But what left me wanting was the material.

‘If only my skill level were a bit higher.’

If only I could have used mithril or adamantium—those legendary metals I possessed, though absent from Earth.

Then I could have made this into a true limited edition of Dmir’s Workshop.

Kaaang! Kaaang!

‘Still.’

Wasn’t this the first of its kind?

Antiques are prized not for performance but for rarity.

Who knew?

This first dagger I’d forged on Earth might one day sell for dozens of times more than future weapons.

Yes. It wasn’t the best, but I had given my best.

Let’s finish it.

[Completion: 100%]

[Congratulations!]

[The weapon has been infused with “soul.”]

“Huff, huff!”

Rough breaths spilled out.

Sweat poured down my forehead, my whole body drenched in cold sweat.

The Supreme Azure Mind Method-dispelled fatigue now all rushed back at once.

“Master.”

Thunk!

Dmir set down his bone hammer, his eyes glowing with fervor.

“It was an honor. To achieve such a result with this body… I feel like I’ve wasted my years as a blacksmith.”

“……You did well.”

I looked down at the dagger with a moved expression.

An elegant weapon, sleek and polished black.

It felt like gazing at a child born from my pain.

[The weapon’s grade has been elevated!]

[You have acquired ‘Dagger for an Assassin’ (Rank S).]

“Ahh.”

I couldn’t help but exclaim.

As expected.

A satisfying rank.

The second S-rank weapon I had crafted.

But unlike before, this time I had elevated a B-rank blueprint into S-rank!

[Item: Dagger for an Assassin]
[Rank: S]
[Type: Dagger]
[Description: A weapon forged by the legendary blacksmith Dmir and his master, inspired by an assassin. Its performance transcends design thanks to extraordinary focus and passion.]
[Effect 1: Agility +50]
[Effect 2: Attack speed +200%]
[Effect 3: After stealth, first strike deals +500% damage]
[Effect 4: Ice magic resistance +30%]

“……Insane.”

The performance was insane.

Unlike the last weapon, there was no racial restriction, and yet it boasted such power.

So this was the difference between Bone Meat and Dmir?

No wonder legends were legends.

‘Especially Effect 3.’

+500% damage on the first strike out of stealth.

Just imagining Ki Soyul using it, I could see her satisfaction.

‘I really am something else.’

Normally, I was calculating by nature.

But the thought of giving this as a gift filled me with pride and joy.

Now I understood why Dwarves loved forging weapons to give away.

That desire for their best work to be used by the best.

It was craftsmanship.

“Haha, master!”

Dmir too beamed with delight.

“All that hammering now feels like nothing! My skills are surging!”

[‘Dmir’s status has been adjusted.’]
[Proficiency +3]
[Proficiency +2]
[Skill: Intermediate Item Crafting (Lv.6) +1 level]
[Proficiency +6]
……
[Proficiency +3]
[Proficiency +5]
[All stats +3!]

Dmir’s skill levels had risen again.

Now level 7.

Just three more and he’d reach the “advanced” stage.

An incredible pace.

‘Good.’

The weapon was complete.

Now it was time to meet the one I’d gift it to—so I thought, when suddenly.

“This is the workshop that’s been all the rage lately. Do you take commissions?”

A familiar woman’s voice called from outside.

An unnoticed presence, as though she had appeared out of nowhere.

Ah, Ki Soyul.

Of course, this woman could never live like an ordinary person.

The long-unseen Rank 379.

The Shadow Empress had arrived.