Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 402: Two Blades (3)

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of hammering echoed throughout the forge.

[+6 Enhancement successful!]

“Stop! This is complete madness!”

“Come on, don’t exaggerate. Keep going.”

[+7 Enhancement successful!]

“For real, please stop now. I’m begging you! Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘Greed brings ruin’?”

“I’ve heard of dwarves who faced ruin because they kept talking back.”

The hammering did not cease.

Not until the desired outcome was achieved.

[+8 Enhancement successful!]

“Huff… Huff… I think I’m going to die from a heart attack. I’m serious, I just felt an arrhythmia. If I keep going, the next one will definitely fail. I swear on my career as a blacksmith!”

“I can assure you that if you quit now, your heart will stop anyway.”

[+9 Enhancement successful!]

Golden notifications continued to appear one after another.

The enhancement, which had started at +1, had now climbed to +9 and was eyeing the infamous +10.

From +10 onward was the realm of impossibility, with success rates dipping below 0.001%.
Even in his prime, Orun had never successfully enhanced an S-grade item to +10. Neither had any other blacksmith from the mid-level zones of the Tower.

After all, no sane person would risk destroying a valuable weapon on such absurd odds.

“Hyung, weren’t you never the gambling type? Wait, I take that back—you totally are, but even you need to calm down.”

“Oppa, let’s stop here. +9 is already enough. Besides, the old man looks exhausted.”

“Haha, you young ones understand this old man’s heart well. To be honest, I’m already beyond tired. I’ll probably be bedridden for a week after this.”

The three voices collectively pleaded with Jinhyuk to stop.

“Hmm, is that so? I was thinking of asking the old man to enhance your equipment too after mine, but if you think it’s too much for him, I guess I’ll cancel that.”

Jinhyuk rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

At that moment.

Shhh….

The air shifted dramatically.

“You… would have him enhance ours as well?”

Lee Taemin and Yoo Yeonhwa’s expressions changed completely.

“I could use a high-tier enhanced weapon. What about you?”

“If I can get a +6 weapon, I wouldn’t care if someone dies.”

The human bald-headed man and the legendary iron-fisted woman from Buldang suddenly reverted to their old cutthroat personalities—remnants of their time in the Tower.

“Heeek!”

The light of hope disappeared from Orun’s eyes.

Now, his only choice was to pray that all enhancements succeeded as he hammered for dear life.

Bang! Clang!

Sparks flew as metal struck metal.

‘The enhancement stones from the event slightly improve the odds, but not by much.’

Though better than ordinary enhancement stones, they weren’t impressive enough for most people to obsess over.

Of course, that’s what the uninformed might think.

The true power of enhancement stones depends entirely on the materials used alongside them.

Jinhyuk’s gaze fell on the blade of the Crimson Lotus.

He had already prepared the “Ink of Actopus,” the “Flame of Blind Devotion,” and the “Final Mistletoe,” among twelve other rare materials, meticulously mixed and applied in precise ratios.

The cost had been steep, but he’d covered it using private funds from Oh Ji-won, so there was no issue.

[+10 Enhancement success rate: 0.00098%]

However, after recalibration: Success rate increased to 87.88%.

Through the [Eye of Predation], the adjusted probabilities were displayed without any obfuscation.

‘Crimson Lotus is worth the investment.’

Unlike Balmung, which required impossible-to-acquire materials at this point in time, Crimson Lotus was manageable with effort.

And it was far easier to handle in combat.

At that moment.

Buzz!

A radiant light burst forth once again.

[You have achieved a remarkable feat!]
[World’s First! S-grade item enhanced to +10!]
[This achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame for one day!]
[You have been awarded 1,000,000 Coins!]

—

*Crimson Lotus (+10)*

– *Rarity:* SSS
– *Attack Power:* 182,500
– *Durability:* 450,000 / 450,000

*Details:*
A dagger forged from the fang of a Red Dragon. It is exceptionally light and durable. Due to its fire attribute, it deals an additional 5,000 fire damage upon a successful attack. Critical hit rate increases by 10%, and both movement and attack speed increase by 20%.

*Special Ability:*
Allows the user to unleash the Red Dragon’s Breath.

—

This… is insane.

The attack power alone had doubled.

Additionally, every bonus option granted by the +10 enhancement was of the highest quality.

‘Critical hit rate, attack speed, movement speed—all of this….’

Even among +10 items, the value varied greatly depending on the attached options. But this weapon had achieved god-tier stats across the board.

‘This must be the result of my monopoly and luck stats.’

It was hard to suppress the overwhelming excitement bubbling up inside.

“All right. Let’s move on to the next person. Old man, you can adjust your pace depending on your condition, aiming for +6 to +7 enhancements from now on.”

Yoo Yeonhwa, Lee Taemin, and others waiting outside—Alice, Chun Yoosung, and Teresa, who were busy sweeping through the imperial market—were all lined up with equipment waiting for enhancement.

“Every single one… without rest?”

“Our company has a bit of a black company culture. There’s always a bit of overtime.”

That said, Jinhyuk ensured their survival rights were guaranteed, so it wasn’t an entirely unfair deal.

“Here, take these while you work.”

Jinhyuk handed over bottles with green skull-shaped labels.

—

*“Power-Up Stamina Elixir” (x10)*

– *Rarity:* D
– *Effect:* Increases fatigue recovery speed by 50%.
Even when pushed to the brink of death from overwork, your hands will continue to function.

—

“T-thank you…”

“Don’t mention it. I’ve got plenty, so just let me know if you need more. I also stocked up on plenty of fried dumplings for you to snack on and keep your energy up.”

Honestly, for a so-called black company, this wasn’t a bad arrangement.

There were places where they’d only feed you watery gruel and work you to the bone.

Now, onto the next task….

Jinhyuk moved over to Lee Taemin and Yoo Yeonhwa.

“Yeonhwa.”

“Yes, oppa?”

“When you get to the 29th floor, it’s crucial to establish a foothold before anyone else. I’ve already given Yoosung instructions, so work together and hold out until I arrive.”

Players who had obtained passage permits between the Empire and the Martial World were starting to emerge one after another.

The toughest barriers had already been cleared by Jinhyuk’s efforts, allowing others to access the middle floors more easily.

And on the 29th floor, they would inevitably face each other.

In the vast ocean, where naval battles would serve as the primary stage.

“You’re not coming with us, oppa?”

“There are a few places I need to visit before heading to the 29th floor. Don’t worry—I’ll get there before it’s too late.”

First, he had to visit the shrine on the 27th floor.

A hidden place where the Demons had once connected with the Demon Kings.

There was something he needed to do there.

‘I’ve already copied their abilities, so everything here has been wrapped up nicely.’

This climb through the 20th floors with the trio allowed him to copy the unique abilities, “Supreme Taekwondo” and “Mechanical Overlord.”

With that, his brief vacation came to an end.

It was time to resume his journey toward the Tower’s peak.

—

The 44th floor of the Tower had a unique structure compared to other floors.

It was divided between two major forces from the upper layers: *Eden* and *the Demon Realm.*

The border between them ran through the floor, resulting in constant friction. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the 44th floor was in a perpetual state of war.

Currently, deep within the Demon Realm, Guntafer was resting after finishing a battle.

In the grand banquet hall littered with corpses, Guntafer downed goblets of red wine.

“A foolish insect dared to raid my fortress. And they placed their faith in this pathetic excuse of a subordinate?”

With a kick, Guntafer sent a severed head rolling across the floor.

It belonged to one of *Berial’s* subordinates.

At that moment:

“All intruders within the fortress have been eliminated.”

A succubus with two pairs of horns entered the banquet hall.

Her long blue hair cascaded down her back, and her beauty marked her as a high-ranking noble.

“And Berial?”

“We searched everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. It seems he only sent his subordinates.”

“So, he doesn’t even have the guts to act personally? Makes sense. He’s probably too preoccupied with the pressure mounting against him.”

The long and arduous competition for dominance within the Demon Realm was gradually taking shape.

The disparity in power and forces between factions was becoming increasingly evident.

“However, Berial’s recent behavior is odd. He keeps venturing to the lower floors, investing excessively in the process….”

Recently, he had even sacrificed his fortress and forest.

All supposedly in the name of assisting a single player.

“Kang Jinhyuk… yes, I’m aware. He’s obsessively fixated on that human.”

“Does he believe that person is the hidden card to turn the tides?”

“He does possess abilities capable of creating variables. Indeed… if Berial teams up with him, things could get troublesome.”

Guntafer pressed his thumb against his temple.

“And… there’s one more piece of news I need to report.”

“Speak.”

“The remaining demons from before claim they have an urgent request to make at the shrine.”

At the succubus’s words, a deep crease formed on Guntafer’s forehead.

“These worms were granted access to the middle floors of the Tower, yet they couldn’t even fulfill their responsibilities. And now they have the gall to make requests? Did you not tear them apart for uttering such nonsense?”

“I intended to, but something they mentioned caught my attention.”

The succubus hurriedly added her explanation.

“They reported strange activity at the shrine. They claimed to have seen light emanating from the gate connected to the Demon Realm.”

“That’s impossible. That gate is sealed behind multiple layers of bindings.”

The gate had been sealed with restrictions imposed by five Demon Kings.

Unlocking those seals was impossible through conventional means.

Unless someone had gathered all the necessary special items….

“Could it be?”

A tremor rippled through Guntafer’s eyes.

Though unlikely, if Berial had managed to collect the materials to unseal the gate and planned to bring Kang Jinhyuk into the Demon Realm…

Then Berial’s desperate descent to the lower floors suddenly made sense.

“It’s worth verifying this information.”

“Y-yes, my lord.”

“Good. Make direct contact with those demons. If there’s indeed an anomaly with the gate, set a trap and bury them all there.”

Berial lacked the resources to move to the lower floors right now.

In contrast, Guntafer had no shortage of subordinates to dispatch below.

“Understood.”

The succubus immediately departed to carry out her orders.

“Kahaha! Everything is aligning in my favor!”

That pitiful hope Berial clung to, believing it to be a turning point, would soon be crushed.

And so, the banquet hall filled with Guntafer’s maniacal laughter.