I Became an SSS-Grade Time-Transcending Almighty Blacksmith - Chapter 118

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 118
Chapter 118
The auction was in full swing.
Since my items were being sold off,
I watched from the back as they went under the hammer.
And yet.
“Wow…….”
The exclamation slipped out unbidden.
My items.
When I’d listed them on the exchange, I’d never imagined they’d fetch such prices.
Special Items or not, they were selling for far more than I’d anticipated.
Only a handful had sold so far, yet I’d already accumulated enough capital to level up the Time Smithy.
“How are you feeling about this, Kang Cheol-mangchi?”
“Better than I expected.”
“I have to say, it’s the same for me. I was worried because your equipment tier seemed lower than most of the participants here, but clearly that concern was baseless.”
The fever in the auction hall was extraordinary.
In fact, several Awakeners who didn’t have enough cash on hand immediately
asked, “Is it possible to pay in Mana Stones instead? I heard Kang Cheol-mangchi prefers to be paid in Mana Stones.”
“Ah, of course! However, we calculate the Mana Stone price according to Korean market rates!”
They were willing to use my Mana Stones like currency on the spot.
Then, shortly after,
“Thank you all! Thanks to everyone’s participation, we’ve successfully concluded Kang Cheol-mangchi’s first auction!”
The auction came to an end.
Honestly, I hadn’t put up that many items.
Fortunately, everyone seemed quite satisfied as they left.
Even the Awakeners who hadn’t purchased a single thing.
“Ha, this turned out even better than expected.”
“To think he actually crafts Special Items.”
“Did you see that? He repaired a broken Special Item! This is revolutionary!”
“You didn’t know, Dayson? In Korea, that’s already been something Kang Cheol-mangchi has been doing.”
“Really?!”
“If we bought up all the broken Special Items…….”
“I hear Kang Cheol-mangchi is already buying them all up.”
“Hmm. Well, of course he wouldn’t let that opportunity slip.”
“Oh! I broke my great sword too—could he fix that as well?!”
“Apparently he’s not at that level yet.”
“Darn, what a shame.”
They seemed satisfied nonetheless.
Especially the Awakeners from overseas.
“For such talent to exist in Korea—what a loss.”
“Who would have thought he possessed this much potential. We absolutely should have recruited him in the past.”
“Steel Guild, wasn’t it? Sign any contract you can to maintain dealings. That way we can at least put in a request later.”
“If this fellow becomes capable of crafting items at our level…… the world will change.”
“Change it will. Heh, it’s exciting to think about.”
They’d come to observe me more than the items themselves.
Well, it didn’t matter.
So long as they recognized my value, they’d recognize the value of my items too.
Which meant I could sell my items for higher prices later.
Or else more lucrative commissions would come my way.
“Kang Cheol-mangchi.”
After the auction hall had been cleared,
“We’re thinking of holding in-person auctions about once a month—would that work for you?”
“Once a month…….”
“Creating enough items to auction off on a regular monthly basis—would that be difficult for you? If it is, we can extend the interval.”
“No, a month is plenty. I’m getting a feel for the rhythm now.”
“A feel for it, you say. That’s something to look forward to.”
I confirmed the next auction date with Lee Seo-yun.
Special Items.
In a month’s time, I could acquire and repair broken Special Items.
And I’d already learned from Serin how to farm Boss Monster materials by conquering Gates.
I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.
Next up.
“Shall we settle the accounts?”
It was an exhilarating moment of reckoning.
The first items had sold for staggering prices.
The Special Items that I’d repaired often required higher wearing levels, so they’d commanded premium prices as well.
And the result.
“Well then, the total sales revenue comes to about this much.”
An astronomical figure appeared before me.
Of course, not all of that would be coming to me directly.
There were expenses incurred for this undertaking, and considerable post-auction costs to account for as well.
But even so.
“My goodness…….”
It was a staggering amount.
I’d thought I could enhance the Time Smithy with this.
But it was far more than that.
Just today’s earnings had reached hundreds of billions.
Even after accounting for all expenses.
I’d still have enough to enhance the Smithy and then enhance it again.
‘And these items weren’t even meant for them to use right away.’
The only weakness of the items I’d created.
Their low equipping requirements.
My level was lower than theirs, so it couldn’t be helped.
Especially today—with no Accessories among the Special Items—they wouldn’t have equipped anything unless it was a particularly good match.
And yet.
Even so, such prices.
What if items suited to their level had appeared?
If they’d pursued more eagerly, wouldn’t the amounts have been truly astronomical?
Well, in any case.
I’d earned far more than expected.
“Kang Cheol-mangchi, about this money…….”
“Could we convert it to Mana Stones?”
“Of course. Most of the people who came today are Awakeners, so they prefer to settle in Mana Stones anyway.”
“I see.”
“I thought as much, so I took payment in Mana Stones as much as possible. I’ll use the remaining funds to purchase Mana Stones at market rates.”
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. Just the incentive you mentioned is already more than fair—more than I deserve. When I think about how much I’m earning these days, isn’t coming to work for you just divine providence?”
“I’m glad you’re satisfied.”
My unique ability.
Now came the turn to enhance the Time Smithy.
After wrapping up, I returned to my quarters.
Though I called it my room, it was as convenient as taking the elevator straight to the building’s top floor.
Some time had passed, after all.
“Everyone, let’s get something to eat!”
First things first—time for a meal.
“Yes, Master.”
In an instant, Serin rose from my shadow and emerged into view.
During the auction.
She’d stayed hidden in my shadow, steadily watching over me.
“All wrapped up well, little one?”
“Cheep! Meat!”
“Noum was working hard the whole time!”
“Haaah…….”
The other assistants hadn’t been resting either.
While I watched the auction.
They’d been working diligently in their respective areas.
For my hardworking assistants.
“I’ve prepared something expensive for today!”
“Something expensive?”
“Ta-da!”
“……King Crab?”
“Not just any crab—King Crab. I ordered plenty, so eat as much as you want!”
I’d ordered King Crab.
Since we were all hearty eaters, I got the largest size available—one per person.
But even that didn’t seem like it would be enough, so I ordered extra.
“Ooh!”
Delivery service had come such a long way these days.
It arrived as generously as if we’d gone to the restaurant ourselves.
There was the star of the show—King Crab, of course—along with fried fish, fried shrimp, various raw fish and steamed clams.
Countless side dishes came with it, too many to count.
Fortunately, it seemed to suit everyone’s taste.
“Something this big—isn’t it a monster? Yet the meat’s delicious.”
“It’s not a monster. Just expensive.”
“So tender…….”
“It’s good, right?”
Crack! Snap, crunch.
“Mmm, delicious!”
“Grom, you’re not supposed to eat the shell…….”
“The shell’s delicious too!”
Everyone was eating far better than expected.
Though the meal was expensive enough that this single dinner cost several million won.
But what did it matter?
Just from what I’d earned at the auction house today, I made hundreds of billions.
And that was all thanks to my assistants’ hard work, so this was more than affordable.
“Expensive food really is delicious.”
I’d barely managed to eat a regular crab before.
And now here I was, devouring an A-rank King Crab all by myself.
Honestly, when I make money, most of the time I’m not sure what to do with it—but spending it on delicious things like this? That’s when I feel truly alive.
Everything was cleaned and prepared, and the shell even came stuffed with fried rice, making it incredibly convenient to eat.
Around the time I was finishing up the meal.
– Kang Cheol-mangchi.
I received a message from Lee Seo-yun.
– I’ve converted all today’s earnings into Mana Stones and sent them over. Please confirm receipt.
“Thank you so much!”
How long had it been since I’d given her the assignment?
And she hadn’t even eaten yet.
I never expected she’d finish everything this quickly.
Lee Seo-yun never stops feeling like she’s worth every bonus I give her.
When I checked the message, an enormous shipment of Mana Stones had arrived.
Given that.
‘Should I get started?’
I stood up from my seat, holding the vast quantity of Mana Stones,
ready to begin enhancing the Time Smithy.
* * *
Currently, there are five elements in my smithy that I can level up.
Let me check those levels.
[ Blacksmith’s Hammer Lv 6 ]
[ Time Smithy Lv 5 ]
[ Blacksmith’s Summoning Platform Lv 5 ]
[ Blacksmith’s Anvil Lv 4 ]
[ Blacksmith’s Bag Lv 4 ]
That’s the extent of it.
The hammer is the element with the highest level.
The reason is simple.
Since I’m a blacksmith, the hammer has always been the core.
You think leveling it doesn’t have a noticeable effect?
Hardly.
The difference is enormous.
The higher the equipment I craft, the greater the difficulty—that’s just how it works.
The reason I haven’t fully realized this until now is.
No, rather—the reason I find this easy is precisely because I’ve steadily leveled the Blacksmith’s Hammer.
Though my own skill has improved too, of course.
‘Originally I’d planned to focus on the hammer and the summoning platform, distributing the other elements moderately.’
But recently.
I had a reason to completely change my enhancement strategy.
That reason was Awakening Stones.
Since the levels I can raise with Awakening Stones are inevitably limited in scope,
it stands to reason that I should leave the low-level elements as they are, and use Mana Stones to raise the high-level elements instead.
After all, when using Mana Stones, the amount consumed is the same whether an element’s level is low or high.
Therefore.
The element I’m enhancing this time is.
[ Will you raise the level of ‘Blacksmith’s Hammer Lv 6’? ]
[ Y / N ]
The hammer.
The Blacksmith’s Hammer already has the highest level among all the elements in my smithy.
But still, enhancing the hammer always yields reliable gains.
I nodded.
Whoosh—
A full six superior Mana Stones and five high-grade Mana Stones.
Five mid-grade Mana Stones and countless smaller ones all vanished at once.
[ Blacksmith’s Hammer has become Lv 7. ]
[ 1. Crafting Lv 7 ]
[ 2. Repair Lv 7 ]
[ 3. Disassembly Lv 7 ]
[ 4. Special Crafting Lv 7 ]
[ 5. Modification Lv 7 ]
The hammer’s level had risen.
A hammer at level seven.
Since it’s a tool I carry with me always,
I was already eager to see just how much better a level-seven hammer would be.
However, the enhancement work wasn’t finished yet.
The next enhancement would require some 131 billion Mana Stones.
But thanks to this auction, I’d managed to gather that much all at once.
In that sense,
the next element I would level was, once again,
[ Will you raise the level of ‘Blacksmith’s Summoning Platform Lv 5’? ]
[ Y / N ]
the summoning platform.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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