Chapter 141 The Flawed Fusion

Alex opened his smithing perk tree.

• Steel Smithing = Can create steel armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much.
• Dwarven Smithing = Can create Dwarven armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much.
• Orcish Smithing = Can create Orcish armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much.

Perk Points: 7 → 4

The forge roared with heat, waves of shimmering air rising from the blazing coals as sparks danced with every strike. The rhythmic clang of Alex’s hammer rang out sharp, steady, relentless as it slammed into the glowing Dwarven metal ingot again and again. Each blow sent vibrations up his arms, his muscles tightening under the strain, sweat trailing down his temples and jaw.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He adjusted his grip, exhaling slowly through his nose as he lifted the hammer once more, his eyes narrowed in focus. The golden hue of the heated metal reflected in his gaze, flickering like fire within his irises.

“Good…” he muttered under his breath, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his lips as he observed the metal taking shape. “I’ll try making a half ring using Dwarven metal ingots… and orichalcum.”

He paused for a brief moment, rolling his shoulder as a dull ache crept in from the repeated motion. His brows furrowed slightly, his expression turning thoughtful.

“My smithing is still only level 50…” he continued, voice quieter now, more contemplative. “If it still can’t be enchanted using those materials…”

He lifted the hammer again, bringing it down with renewed force CLANG!

“…then I’ll just push it higher.”

Another strike harder this time, sparks bursting outward.

“I’ll raise my smithing further… and try working with ebony…” His lips curled faintly, a hint of ambition flashing across his face. “Or even dragon armor.”

After several more precise strikes, Alex finally set the hammer down with a controlled exhale, his chest rising and falling steadily. He picked up the newly formed half-ring with a pair of tongs, turning it slightly under the light to inspect the smoothness of its curve.

“…Not bad.”

Without wasting time, he moved away from the forge, his boots echoing softly against the stone floor as he approached the enchanting table. The air around it felt different cooler, heavier, filled with a faint, almost eerie hum of arcane energy.

Alex placed the half-ring carefully onto the table, his fingers lingering for a moment as if sensing the faint pulse within the metal. His expression grew serious, the earlier confidence replaced by focused intent.

“Alright…”

He extended his hand over the ring, his fingers slowly curling as mana gathered, faint wisps of energy spiraling around his palm. The glow of the enchantment circle beneath the item intensified, casting shifting patterns of light across his face.

“Let’s see what happens…”

With a steady breath, Alex began enchanting the half-ring made from Dwarven metal ingot and orichalcum, after that “Alright… time to combine them.”

Just as he was about to proceed, Alex’s hand froze midair, his fingers hovering inches above the item. His brows slowly drew together, and his eyes widened slightly as realization struck him.

He blinked once, then let his hand fall to his side.

“Ah… right. Smithing enchanted items requires level 60.”

For a moment, he just stood there in silence, staring at the half-finished work as if hoping the requirement would somehow change on its own. Then his shoulders sagged, and he dragged a hand down his face.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me…”

A long, exhausted sigh escaped his lips, his breath heavy as he tilted his head back slightly, eyes closing for a brief moment.

“Alright…” he muttered, straightening up again, though reluctance was clear in his expression. “Time to grind again… and raise my smithing.”

Not long after, Alex made his way out toward a nearby mining area one he knew was relatively safe. The air was cooler there, the sound of distant pickaxes echoing faintly through the rocky terrain. After a brief conversation, the mine’s owner gave him permission to gather what he needed.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Alex didn’t waste any time.

With a pickaxe in hand, he stepped deeper into the mine, the dim light casting long shadows along the walls. He raised the tool over his shoulder and brought it down

Clang!

Each strike chipped away at the iron veins embedded in the rock. Dust scattered into the air with every hit, and small fragments broke loose, clattering to the ground. His movements became rhythmic, almost mechanical swing, strike, pull back, repeat.

Hours passed like that.

By the time he emerged, his inventory was filled with iron ore.

Standing just outside the mine, Alex lifted his hand, focusing his mana.

“Transmute…”

A faint glow enveloped the iron ore as the spell activated. The dull gray metal shimmered, its color gradually shifting.

Iron… to silver… then to gold.

Alex watched closely, his eyes reflecting the changing hues.

“Good… it’s working.”

Back at the forge, the now-golden ore was smelted into ingots, each one taking shape under intense heat. Without pausing, Alex moved straight into crafting.

Gold rings.

One after another.

The repetitive process continued forge, shape, cool, repeat. His hands moved with increasing familiarity, his strikes more precise, his timing more refined. Sweat built up along his skin, his breathing steady but slightly heavier from the continuous effort.

This cycle continued for days.

Day one…two…three…

The routine barely changed mine, transmute, smelt, craft.

By the fourth day, his movements had become almost instinctive. His body no longer hesitated, no longer wasted motion. Even his expression had shifted, the earlier frustration replaced by quiet determination.

Then came the fifth day.

As Alex completed another batch of gold rings, a familiar sensation surged through him a subtle yet unmistakable shift, like something within him had expanded.

He paused.

His hand tightened slightly around the hammer as new understanding flowed into his mind clearer techniques, sharper precision, deeper knowledge of materials and structure.

“…There it is.”

A faint smile formed on his lips, his eyes glinting with satisfaction.

Smithing: 50 → 60

Main Level: 47 → 48

Perk Points: 4 → 5

Alex exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders as if shedding the weight of the past few days.

“Finally…” he murmured, a quiet sense of accomplishment settling in his chest.

“Alright… I’ve got plenty of gold rings in my inventory. I’ll sell them later. For now, it’s time to unlock the Arcane Smithing perk.”

He opened his system.

Smithing 60

Arcane Smithing = Magical weapons and armor can now be improved.

Then Alex was suddenly flooded with knowledge of smithing, as if it had been forcefully etched into his mind.

“Brr… I’m not used to this… these visions, and the way my body is adapting to all this new knowledge being poured into my head…”

He rubbed his temple, trying to steady himself.

“But it’s different from the game. I now understand the ins and outs of Dwarven metal ingots and how to forge them… but the downside is, I still don’t know how to create Dwarven automatons. I don’t know their blueprints.”

He paused for a moment, thinking.

“It’s different for swords, armor, and other basic equipment I can understand those just fine.”

He exhaled slowly.

“You could say this ability only enhances smithing… but not engineering…? Yeah… that’s pretty strange, but I guess I can’t complain about it.”

A faint spark of curiosity flickered in his eyes.

“But… if I ever get my hands on a blueprint for Dwarven constructs… maybe I’d be able to understand it too.”

Alex scratched his head.

“And for Arcane Smithing… the system gave me this knowledge that the forging has to be done carefully, so the soul inside the item doesn’t suffer.”

His expression turned uneasy, a hint of guilt crossing his face.

“Or rather… when we forge and improve enchanted items, it’s like we’re tormenting the soul within them without letting it die. The soul slowly regenerates… only for us to ‘forge’ it again.”

He fell silent for a moment, disturbed by the thought.

“When you really think about it… that’s pretty cruel. And I’m only realizing it now…”

His expression grew serious.

“I need to be careful. If I die… I don’t want someone to soul trap me and leave me trapped inside a Black Soul Gem.”

Just imagining it sent a chill down his spine.

Then he went to the enchanting table in his house and enchanted two halves of a ring one made from Dwarven metal ingot, and the other from orichalcum ingot.

• Half ring (Dwarven metal ingot): Fortify Health (increases Health by 30 points)
• Half ring (Orichalcum ingot): Fortify Destruction (reduces Destruction mana cost by 5%)

After that, he brought both halves to the forge and combined them.

“Yeah… after unlocking the perk point, my body feels like I’ve done this thousands of times.”

Alex carefully finished the process, and the two halves finally fused into a single ring.

He swallowed nervously.

“Alright… let’s see if it breaks… shatters… or something worse.”

He waited… and waited, anticipating some kind of side effect from merging two enchanted items.

A few minutes passed, but nothing happened.

“Hm… still no reaction. Alright, let’s try wearing it.”

Alex slipped the ring onto his finger.

“I just hope this thing doesn’t suddenly explode while I’m wearing it…”

But after a few moments, there were still no side effects.

Alex’s eyes lit up.

“…Did it work?”

Alex then checked the item’s status.

“Let’s see… will the effects stack, or what?”

Using the system’s power, he examined the ring and his eyes widened in shock.

“What!?”

The effects had indeed merged… but the downside was that both of them had decreased drastically.

“What happened…? Why did the effects drop so much…?”

Ring (Half Orichalcum & Half Dwarven Metal Ingot):

• Fortify Health(increases Health by 5 points)
• Fortify Destruction(reduces Destruction mana cost by 1%)

“You’ve got to be kidding me… I thought I could make something overpowered, but this is just a waste…”

Alex’s expression turned gloomy.

“Is it because the soul inside the item weakened so much when I merged them into one? And maybe… when they were combined, the soul couldn’t regenerate?”

He scratched his head, frustrated.

“Then why doesn’t dual enchanting reduce the effects, even though it also has two enchantments…? Hmm… this is really confusing.”

He thought hard, trying to find an answer but nothing came.

In the end, he let out a tired sigh.

“Maybe this isn’t something I can figure out right now… I just hope that someday, I’ll have a breakthrough and find a solution to this problem.”