Chapter 621: Elvenheim (2)

Firebird.

It was one of Hyunsoo’s unique abilities, allowing him to summon allies no matter where they were.

Hyunsoo’s face twisted as he tried to summon Fortune to overcome this crisis.

[Firebird has failed.]

A prickling sensation ran through him.

It had been a long time since tension like this had seized his entire body.

It was not Vadalla’s Wolf—the average monster before him—that frightened Hyunsoo.

What frightened him were the tens of thousands of beings hidden beyond it.

“GRAAAAH!!!”

Yet as overwhelming fear rooted him in place, Hyunsoo realized something.

He was the holder of the title Supreme.

The only user to defeat Valhalla.

How foolish was it that, until just moments ago, he had allowed himself a defeatist thought like giving up here?

And permanent banishment from Elvenheim was something he could never allow.

“You think I’ll run?!”

Vadalla’s Wolf sprang through the air.

At that instant—

BOOOOM—!!!

[Longing activates!]

[Activation chance: 2%.]

[You attack the enemy with 1,100% damage!]

[Critical Hit!!]

The Throne Sword plunged into the wolf’s throat.

Longing erupted inside its jaws, blowing its body apart and scattering the remains in every direction.

But the notifications made Hyunsoo realize—

[Vadalla’s monsters have begun targeting you.]

The moment he stepped farther inside, the battle would begin.

Several methods flashed through his mind.

What if I ran at full speed and reached the elves?

It was the most sensible idea, but it was nearly impossible.

He could draw the aggro of every monster by sprinting ahead, then find himself isolated.

What if I kill them one at a time?

That was impossible as well.

There was no guarantee the monsters would appear one by one.

Then what?

Lost in thought, Hyunsoo looked at the spot where Vadalla’s Wolf had stood moments ago.

Wait...

Come to think of it, there had been something unusual mixed in with the experience-gain notification.

[The Wolf King title shines.]

The title Wolf King.

Hyunsoo’s eyes widened.

It was the title he had gained in his low-level days, after hunting Ashen Wolves and obtaining the Wolf Egg—the egg that had hatched into Fortune.

I’d forgotten about it...

For one thing, it had been a long time since he last hunted wolves.

More importantly, he had received it at such a low level that he had never considered it worth much attention.

But—

(Wolf King.)

Unique Title.

Grade: S

Special Abilities

· Attack Power and Defense against wolf-type monsters increase by 17%.

· EXP gain from wolf-type monsters increases by 15%.

· You can command wolves at will.

· You can command all wolves in the Wolf Sanctuary.

Though Hyunsoo had obtained Wolf King at a low level, it was an insanely overpowered S-grade title.

No wonder. Longing activated, but I still killed it in one hit...

It even increased his attack power and defense against wolves by 17%.

But—

Even with a 17% increase, beating them won’t be easy.

So Hyunsoo focused on something else.

The line that said he could command wolves at will.

There was no guarantee it would work on Vadalla’s Wolves.

Even though the title said he could command wolves freely, it was not omnipotent.

If it were, I wouldn’t have fought Fenrir before...

Above all, Vadalla’s Wolves had an absurdly high average level.

Still, there was a chance.

Hyunsoo needed to test it, so he ventured a little farther in.

Then—

GRRRR—

GRRRR—

GRAAAWRR—!

Vadalla’s Wolves revealed themselves.

How did he activate the title?

Rather than some specific activation method, it was probably more important to imprint on them what he was.

“I am the Wolf King.”

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

The three wolves flinched at Hyunsoo’s words, then lunged at him like wild dogs, intent on tearing him apart.

“GRAAAARRR—!”

“GRRRR!”

“BARK! BARK, BARK!”

[The Wolf King title commands them to submit, but the targets’ levels are too high.]

[The Wolf King title cannot exert its power.]

“Too bad...”

Hyunsoo took them out one by one, disappointment on his face.

I knew it probably wouldn’t work.

Yet a smile formed on his lips because of the possibility.

If the title alone can’t command wolves, then I just need to create synergy that lets it do so, right?

If one power was insufficient, he could compensate for it with another.

How could he do that?

Through the three things he possessed: God’s custom crafting, inspiration, and materials.

“God’s Forge.”

RUMMMBLE—!

[God’s Forge has been summoned.]

[The moment God’s Forge is used, no power can threaten you.]

[God’s Forge can be maintained for up to one week.]

[It can be used once a month. All stats decrease by 1, and Dexterity decreases by 50.]

God’s Forge was one of his most absurdly overpowered skills.

If monsters and enemies crowded around him, he could hide inside God’s Forge and become absolutely invincible.

In other words—

He could hide inside a forge no one could ever breach.

The downside was losing 1 from every stat and 50 Dexterity.

More than sixty stat points vanished at once.

It hurt, but he had no other choice.

[God’s custom crafting has begun.]

[You may perform custom crafting for any target or for yourself.]

[Through custom crafting, you may add desired effects. Depending on probability, a desired effect can manifest at up to 100%.]

“I’m going to make a sword that creates synergy with my Wolf King title. Something that can maximize the ability to command wolves at will.”

[Wolf Taming will be difficult to apply.]

“Oh. Right. Put simply, it’s Wolf Taming.”

As the notification said, it would not be easy.

But custom crafting was a kind of creation. It let him strip away every unnecessary effect and build in the one he wanted—one of the few authorities possessed by the God of Blacksmiths.

[You abandon various effects, including Attack Power, and focus on an ability that synergizes with the Wolf King title to tame wolves.]

[Depending on various factors, the effect can be applied at up to 100%.]

[Materials required to craft the artifact are displayed. Siren’s Mineral, Charm Stone, Monarch Stone...]

Now, the most important problem remained.

Just as I thought...

He needed minerals that possessed the relevant effects.

Just because whispers are unavailable here doesn’t mean I can’t buy anything.

Hyunsoo opened the auction house through his hologram.

The minerals displayed above were his highest priority.

The most appealing one was Monarch Stone.

Monarch Stone.

A fabled mineral that drastically increased charisma.

It was said to have belonged to a king. Based on the system’s guidance—

It likely amplified charisma exponentially and forced targets into submission.

But—

[No results found.]

He searched for it, but it was not listed in the auction house.

It was disappointing, but there was nothing he could do.

Hyunsoo turned his attention to the next mineral.

Siren’s Mineral.

As its name suggested, it could imbue an item with the power to charm a target.

But—

[No results found.]

“...”

Hyunsoo’s lips went dry.

Even with inspiration and certainty, he was helpless without materials.

Next, he searched for Charm Stone.

It was a mineral that could charm a target with every attack. It was only a second-best option, but he had no choice.

Yet when he searched for it—

[No results found.]

Hyunsoo was overwhelmed by disappointment.

If it did not exist, he could not make it.

An effect could only manifest if the mineral itself possessed the relevant function.

And even God’s custom crafting did not show every possible material.

I need to find something with a similar effect.

Most of the materials God’s custom crafting had displayed were extraordinarily high grade.

Monarch Stone was Transcendent.

Siren’s Mineral was Legendary.

Charm Stone was Legendary as well.

So Hyunsoo began searching, one by one, for lower-grade minerals with similar effects.

It was not easy.

Then, roughly two hours later—

“Found it...!!!”

Hyunsoo let out a cry of triumph.

*****

Lee Changhoon.

A twenty-four-year-old Korean blacksmith user.

After turning on his computer and connecting to the auction house, he looked at the Epic-grade Condelo’s Mineral he had acquired a year ago and sighed.

When he had first obtained the mineral, Lee Changhoon had felt as though he had gained the whole world.

For an ordinary user, obtaining an Epic-grade mineral was extremely rare. He had been certain he had hit the jackpot for the first time in his life.

But despite its Epic grade, Condelo’s Mineral would not sell.

He had lowered the price repeatedly, but it made no difference.

With a sigh, he clicked on Condelo’s Mineral.

CLICK—

(Condelo’s Mineral.)

Grade: Epic.

Restriction: Blacksmith Level 500 or higher.

Difficulty: Highest.

Special Abilities

· It is Condelo’s Mineral.

Description: A Condelo’s Mineral whose use is unknown.

It was exactly as the description said.

No one knew what Condelo’s Mineral was actually used for.

Even other blacksmiths would stare at it and ask, “What the hell is this supposed to be used for...?”

Its purpose was unclear, and no other blacksmiths knew either.

That was why it had become such a burden.

Its current price was only around 400,000 won.

A pathetic price for an Epic-grade material.

Then—

BZZZT—

A call came through the auction house’s private relay number.

Hoping against hope, Changhoon answered it at once.

“Hello? I’d like to buy your mineral.”

Changhoon was confused.

“Can’t you just win the auction?”

“That would take too long.”

“Ah...”

“Can you sell it to me directly?”

Changhoon frowned.

“But, as you can see, it’s a pretty vague material. Do you know what it’s used for?”

“...”

The other person went silent, then replied.

“It appears to be a mineral used exclusively for combinations.”

“What? A combination-only mineral?”

He had never heard of such a thing.

“Yes. The information doesn’t seem to have been fully released yet, but it’s a combination-type mineral used by mixing it with other minerals. Its exact use probably isn’t listed because the relevant update hasn’t happened yet.”

“...?”

Strangely, that made sense.

“Also, its level requirement is 500 or higher. The problem is that almost no blacksmiths have reached level 500 yet. In other words, this combination mineral is already on the market, but it’s still too early for it to have much value.”

Changhoon still thought it was only a hypothesis.

Yet he was amazed that something he had considered such a burden was necessary to someone else.

So—

“I’ll give you a 50% discount. But after you use it, could you show me what you make?”

“...All right.”

The call ended.

Changhoon immediately changed the auction house listing from Auction to Direct Sale.

[Condelo’s Mineral has been sold.]

For some reason, Changhoon felt happy.

He had sold it that morning. That evening, while eating in his studio apartment, he realized something odd.

Come to think of it...

The buyer knew that only a blacksmith Level 500 or higher could craft with it. So why had they bought it?

And—

It was only a hypothesis, but the reasoning was sharp.

Most of all—

That voice...

It had sounded familiar.

There was one blacksmith Changhoon loved and respected above all others. In truth, that blacksmith was the reason he had started playing Ares in the first place.

Startled, Changhoon hurriedly logged back onto his computer.

Once it booted, he found a message waiting in the courtyard of his forge.