Chapter 76

Clang! Clang!

“Huff, huff!”

Clang! Clang!

“Haah, hah!”

The second floor of the workshop was filled with two kinds of sounds.

The pounding of a hammer.

And my heavy breathing.

‘This is seriously no joke.’

This production was on a completely different level from the last one.

Maybe because it was my first time working with Mithril, Dmir was completely focused, and so was I.

‘Jang Daewoong is bold. He’s like Zhang Fei standing on the Changban Bridge.’

One of the Three Kingdoms’ bravest warriors, possessing both courage and valor.

I pictured Zhang Yide in my mind—brandishing his serpent spear, roaring before tens of thousands of soldiers.

Dmir shouted.

“Excellent! So, your world also has men as gallant as their masters!”

The forming gauntlet brimmed with heroic energy.

Clang!

Dmir imbued the Mithril with ‘soul’ through his hammer.

Would you call this coating?

A mysterious energy from the hammer melted and fused into the Mithril.

Clang! Clang!

Each strike burst golden sparks into the air.

Every time sparks flew, the Mithril spread smooth and even.

Did Dmir even realize?

That this very process would make any normal production-type Hunter faint from shock?

Dmir swung his hammer like he was in a trance.

“Ho! Yide, was it? Truly, a man of supreme valor! Even if it’s a weapon for a madman, it still deserves a spoonful of bravery!”

Dmir grinned.

“Oh, another one this time?”

Then, after I pictured another warrior, he gasped again.

“This one’s also from that Changban place, isn’t he? Ah, master! The man who fought countless soldiers while holding a child—what was his name again?”

“Hmm, in our world, he’s known as Zhao Zilong.”

As I thought of warriors befitting a Berserker, my mind drifted back to the Three Kingdoms comics I read as a kid.

Whether they were real or fictional didn’t matter.

The glory of those two generals was burned deep into my memory. That feeling alone was enough.

“Incredible, master! The spirit in these two warriors’ sweat reminds me of when Eldrin and I faced that colossal dragon together!”

“That’s true.”

Clang! Clang!

Dmir began shouting rhythmically like a farmer singing while harvesting crops.

I simply echoed back like I was cheering him on—‘Nice!’ or ‘Keep it up!’

Clang! Clang!

“Good! Now if we mix in the essence of ten of the world’s most insane weapons… yes, we’ll create the most valiant weapon ever made for a madman!”

[Item: Fist of the Colossus]
[Grade: A]
[Type: Blueprint]
[Description: A blueprint for crafting the ‘Fist of the Colossus.’]
[Effect 1: Enables the crafting of ‘Fist of the Colossus.’]
[Effect 2: Requires 200 Iron Ingots, 20 Silver Ingots, and 2 Mithril.]
[Effect 3: Due to its complexity, it boasts superior performance.]

The Fist of the Colossus.

I wondered what kind of form it would take once it was reborn through our hands.

“Master!”

Dmir slammed down his hammer with vigor.

“What?”

“Just a little more! We’re almost done!”

[Completion: 98%]

The floating status window showed 98%.

Yeah, he was right.

It was almost finished.

After a grueling effort long enough to breathe in the dawn air fourteen times—

At last, the grand journey was nearing its end.

Clang! Clang!

I poured even more focus into Dmir, channeling my thoughts into the work.

With purest intent, I operated the Supreme Azure Mind Method.

“Master!”

“What now?”

“This weapon will not be called the Fist of the Colossus!”

“Then what?”

“The Fist of the Great Soldier God!”

“The Fist of the… what?”

I froze.

I’d been pouring my soul into it, and now—what?

The Fist of the Great Soldier God? The Fist of a Giant Idiot?

What the hell.

How did this suddenly turn into a comedy?

“I don’t know why, master! But as we reached the final stage, the name engraved itself! Ha! The Fist of the Great Soldier God—what a mad name!”

Thud.

Dmir stopped hammering.

Because I’d stopped channeling my thoughts.

“Master? Why did you stop?”

“Wait, is this for real?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…”

Cold sweat ran down my face.

The limited-edition VIP weapon from Dmir’s Workshop… was going to be called the Fist of the Great Soldier God?

Even setting aside Dmir’s reputation—

Would the Berserker who paid 30 billion just sit quietly after seeing that name?

‘No way.’

This was the same Jang Daewoong who smashed the Ohsung Group’s building just because they tried to have me killed.

He might destroy the entire workshop the moment he sees the name.

“Man, we made a crazy weapon, and even the name’s gone insane…”

“It’s too late, master. You can’t undo two weeks of work!”

Clang! Clang!

Dmir resumed hammering with renewed fervor.

[Completion: 99%]

“We’re almost there, master!”

“Yeah…”

At this point, there was no stopping.

I couldn’t just keep making weapons forever.

Let’s finish it and see how it performs.

[Completion: 100%]
[Congratulations!]
[The crafted weapon has been imbued with ‘Soul.’]

“Haah! Haah!”

As tension released, a rush of breath escaped me.

Thump, thump, thump!

My heart pounded wildly.

It felt like I’d run a marathon and was on the verge of passing out.

I slumped to the floor, leaned back against the wall, and closed my eyes.

Dmir approached.

“Master.”

“Good work, Dmir.”

“You too, master. Here.”

Swoosh.

With eyes full of excitement and pride, Dmir handed me the gauntlet.

“This is our masterpiece.”

“……”

Ah…

It was moving.

Goosebumps ran all over me.

Honestly, who cared if it was called the Fist of the Great Soldier God or the Fist of the Giant Idiot?

It was my creation—my hard-earned, blood-soaked child.

[Weapon grade has been increased!]
[You have obtained the ‘Fist of the Great Soldier God’ (Grade: S).]

“All right, Fist of the Great Soldier God. Show me what you can do.”

I carefully received the gauntlet Dmir handed over.

My second official S-grade weapon, crafted through an A-grade blueprint and pure suffering.

[Item: Fist of the Great Soldier God]
[Grade: S]
[Type: Gauntlet]
[Description: A weapon crafted by the legendary blacksmith Dmir and his master while completely out of their minds! Inheriting the essence of both ‘Valor’ and ‘Madness,’ this gauntlet boasts truly insane power.]
[Effect 1: Strength +100.]
[Effect 2: Attack speed +200%.]
[Effect 3: When sanity is lost, damage increases by 300%.]
[Effect 4: Upon activation, the gauntlet temporarily enlarges.]

“This is…”

I stared blankly at its stats.

Ridiculous.

Despite the absurd name, the performance was incredible.

‘Effect 1’ and ‘Effect 2’ were standard S-grade traits—but massively enhanced.

“Number 3…”

That one was truly insane.

A threefold power boost when sanity was lost?

Just imagining the Berserker three times stronger…

‘Terrifying.’

It would synergize perfectly with his Berserker Mode, or maybe even other insanity-type magic.

Still, I wasn’t sure he’d like it.

And then there was—

“What’s Effect 4 supposed to be?”

I muttered, and Dmir nodded thoughtfully.

“Hm. It seems that effect came from the name itself.”

“…Huh?”

“Exactly. The Fist of the Great Soldier God! A god of mighty soldiers, right? Of course, the fist must grow huge.”

“Really?”

“Well, it’s a bit odd that it’s a god of soldiers, not a god of giants…”

“Pfft, whatever. I give up.”

I shook my head.

Still, it was fascinating.

What kind of system just… makes things up like this?

“Don’t worry too much, master. A weapon never betrays the effort put into it. It’ll perform just as well as the sweat we poured into it.”

“You’re right.”

“Yes, that is the faith of a craftsman! More importantly, behold my growth, master.”

[‘Dmir’s’ status has been adjusted.]
[Proficiency +4.]
[Proficiency +3.]
[Proficiency +4.]
…
[Proficiency +6.]
[Proficiency +7.]
[Skill ‘Advanced Item Crafting’ (Lv.1) has increased by 1.]
[All stats +2.]

“Ohh.”

Just like before, Dmir’s proficiency rose by a lot.

Still, even after crafting an S-grade weapon, his skill level only increased by one.

It showed how hard it was to grow at the advanced level.

And the higher it got, the slower it would climb.

“Anyway, good job. Let’s take a break from S-grade weapons for a while.”

Fatigue crashed over me.

I’d leave the Berserker’s review for later.

For now, I just wanted to lie down and sleep.

—

“Hah! Amazing! Little brother! This is incredible!”

Jang Daewoong was thrilled.

Even more than I expected.

Clack!

He put on the gauntlet, swung it around, and ran his calloused fingers over it.

“The fit is perfect. I love the design and the name! Worth every bit of 30 billion!”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. The mix of blue and red tones is totally my style, and it works perfectly with my skills. Especially Effect 4… damn, it’s crazy. Even I got chills! Hahaha!”

“Effect 4, huh?”

I wondered what kind of skill he had that made him react that way—but I didn’t ask.

Asking a ranker about his skills would be rude.

Still, I found one thing… odd.

‘He likes the name too?’

The Fist of the Great Soldier God?

Well, that was a relief.

As long as the VIP client was happy, that’s all that mattered.

“You can disclose or hide the weapon’s info as you please. However, the 30-billion bid price may be announced publicly—would that be fine?”

“Of course! I’ll even leave a review once I test it out! Hahaha!”

He flexed his muscular arms, laughing heartily.

So intimidating when he’s smashing buildings… yet off-duty, he’s like a friendly big brother.

‘Still…’

A strange warmth filled my chest.

‘I feel good.’

Knowing someone liked my creation—cherished it, even—filled me with pride and wonder.

With a soft smile, I bowed to him.

“Thank you for using Dmir’s Workshop, Berserker.”

“Haha, sure thing, little brother. Got plans for Weapon No. 3?”

“Well… I’ll make an announcement when I’m ready to try again.”

I couldn’t just keep forging forever.

After being recommended by five rankers, it was time to speed up my own growth too.

“Good. You’ll need that. The Dungeon Maker’s event is coming up soon.”

Jang Daewoong grinned.

Step, step.

Then someone came up the stairs from the first floor.

“Oh, Berserker! You’re here! Nice to see you, and you too, Skeleton Lord!”

Rank 509—Black Sword, Lee Seonah.

“Oh? What brings the Black Sword here?”

“Ha, am I not allowed?”

“No, no, that’s not it. Hahaha. Anyway, we’ll all meet again in two weeks, right? You didn’t forget about that Mirage girl’s event, did you?”

Ah.

The nickname of the Rank 5 Dungeon Maker, Delilah.

Mirage.

It was said that anyone who passed her biannual event would rise to the rankers.

I clenched my fists.

‘That day’s almost here.’

The entry requirement was being an A-rank Hunter.

Since I was currently B-rank, that meant I had two weeks to ascend.

“That’s why I’m here, Skeleton Lord!”

Lee Seonah smiled brightly at me.

“How about joining our Black Sword Squad to challenge an A-rank dungeon? Of course, we’ll finish within two weeks! The conditions will be entirely up to you!”