I Became an SSS-Grade Time-Transcending Almighty Blacksmith - Chapter 124

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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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Episode 124
Episode 124
The Vampire Potion that Kang Hyuk had wanted.
The reason I’d told him it would “probably work out” was simple.
[ Thorny Vampire Grass ]
When I’d gone out gathering materials with El.
Among the materials we’d collected from the hunting grounds, there seemed to be one with “vampirism” in its name.
And.
El didn’t disappoint my expectations.
“I-I’ve finished it!”
“Truly?”
“Yes! It’s the Vampire Potion!”
Not long after I’d requested the Vampire Potion from her.
She’d made it in practically no time at all.
Impressive skill, truly.
Moreover.
“The materials aren’t that rare, so there’s plenty! If it’s just for personal use, I made more than enough!”
“Remarkable.”
“When it comes to alchemy, I’m confident!”
She hadn’t made just a single bottle of the Vampire Potion.
Since the main ingredient—the Thorny Vampire Grass—was available in considerable quantity.
She’d crafted quite a substantial amount of Vampire Potion in one session.
At this volume, I could’ve sold it to others at a premium price.
“Here, Kang Hyuk.”
“Already……!”
“As long as you don’t waste it, you can drink one per Gate without any problems.”
“Thank you!!”
I handed over all the Vampire Potion she’d made to Kang Hyuk.
Selling the Vampire Potion would’ve been profitable.
But it paled in comparison to the value of having a powerful Ranker loyal to me.
Once I distributed the Vampire Potion.
“A Ranker really is different.”
Kang Hyuk began clearing Gates with a fierce momentum.
As befitted someone called a Ranker, the Gates he was conquering operated on an entirely different scale than those Kim Tae-san or Han Hyun-ah tackled.
High-tier Gates like those.
He was clearing them all solo.
An unstoppable momentum, truly.
Extraordinary force.
And watching footage of Kang Hyuk clearing Gates, I began to understand why.
“It’s thanks to the Vampirism.”
Kang Hyuk’s Job was Blood Knight.
A warrior who wielded blood itself, as the name suggested.
He used his own blood, but what made a Blood Knight formidable was the ability to wield an enemy’s blood as well.
Given that.
With his Vampirism enhanced through the Vampire Potion, his combat power surging was only natural.
Especially considering.
“Ah, so that’s the Vampire’s Black Wing.”
The special ability of the Vampire’s Red Cloak I’d crafted—the Vampire’s Black Wing.
Its manifestation was quite striking.
And it was more than just striking.
Kang Hyuk was leveraging the Vampire’s Black Wing to its fullest, displaying tremendous power.
I hadn’t created the item with Kang Hyuk specifically in mind.
But somehow, I’d ended up making an item that was practically his exclusive gear.
“Could you assign Kang Hyuk to Gates with biological-type monsters as much as possible?”
“I’m already doing that. He requested it from the start.”
Of course.
Kang Hyuk understood his own strengths well.
He knew his power was maximized against enemies with blood flowing through them, which explained such a request.
Watching Kang Hyuk like this.
“I want to craft something for him.”
My fingers itched.
Normally, when a new recruit joined the Steel Guild, I’d craft items for them right away.
But Kang Hyuk was different.
There was no help for it.
Kang Hyuk was a Ranker, which meant his level was astronomical.
I simply couldn’t forge equipment to match his tier yet.
The only thing I could make without worrying about level constraints was accessories.
Just accessories.
“Well, I did make those accessories for him.”
[ Blood Eye Binding ]
[ Blood Eye Entanglement ]
[ Blood Eye Tightening ]
Three accessories forged as a set.
All three contained Blood Transfusion Level 2 and Regeneration Level 1, and being a set, they had a set effect to match.
As Blood Transfusion’s level increased and proportional to the blood consumed, attack power rose—that was the bonus.
It was certainly an ability tailor-made for Kang Hyuk.
And yet.
‘Blood Transfusion restores blood, doesn’t it?’
[ Blood Transfusion ]
Rapidly recovers depleted blood.
Health and Vitality are restored in proportion to the blood recovered.
Thinking about it, something felt off.
Just watching this footage alone made it clear that Kang Hyuk’s combat style was fiercely aggressive.
But Blood Transfusion felt decidedly defensive in nature.
The same went for Regeneration, attached to the accessories alongside Blood Transfusion.
Of course, it would help a Blood Knight who constantly burned through blood reserves.
But didn’t Kang Hyuk have Vampirism—an ability far more suited to his current style?
If his health truly ran low, he didn’t need to rely on Blood Transfusion; he could simply drink a Vampire Potion or the like.
The moment that thought struck me.
“All right.”
I decided to forge new accessories for Kang Hyuk.
Vampire accessories—not Blood Transfusion ones.
[ Special Crafting Skill activated. ]
[ Please provide a blueprint for the special craft. ]
I drew up the blueprint immediately.
Though, really, blueprints weren’t difficult.
I could base this on the Blood Eye Series I’d made for Kang Hyuk before.
The crucial part was the materials for the craft itself.
“El, what is this?”
The material that caught my eye was neither the monster materials Serin had gathered, nor the sea creature materials Drake had brought, nor Toran’s ore or Grom’s timber.
It was a material El had sourced.
More specifically, one that looked extraordinary at first glance.
A dark crimson substance with branches twisted in irregular patterns.
It resembled hardened blood vessels tangled together, yet possessed an undeniable, haunting beauty.
When I asked El about it.
“It’s B-Blood Coral!”
“Blood Coral?”
“It’s a named material known to be extraordinarily rare even in the region where I lived!”
“Interesting.”
“It’s a mutation that occurs only in seas where monsters are heavily infested. It grows in areas where blood pools thickly, and once it reaches maturity, it actively extends branches to capture monsters and feeds on their blood as it continues to grow.”
It seemed to be quite a remarkable material.
Moreover—a coral that fed on monster blood to grow.
Wouldn’t anyone agree this could manifest a superior Vampirism ability?
“Would it be all right if I used this?”
I asked El for permission.
“O-of course! Not only this, you can use all the materials I’ve gathered however you like!”
El granted permission eagerly.
Thanks to that.
[ Beginning crafting. ]
I was able to start work right away.
I had to forge three accessories, so I decided to start with the ring.
The approach was straightforward.
I would work the way I always had with special items.
Using only this material—the Blood Coral branch.
My goal was to draw out every ounce of power it possessed.
Clang!
But then.
Processing the Blood Coral branch turned out to be surprisingly difficult.
Perhaps because it was coral rather than ore?
Each time I brought the hammer down, it didn’t feel like I was shaping it—only breaking it apart.
Strike even slightly too hard and fissures would spread through it, threatening to ruin the material entirely.
So.
Clang.
I drained the strength from my arm.
I reduced the force of each strike, a deliberate shift from my usual rhythm.
Instead, I swung faster, more precisely, more methodically.
In tiny increments.
Clang.
Little by little.
Clang.
I shaped the Blood Coral branch into the form of a ring.
The care required meant the work stretched far longer than I’d anticipated.
And as I labored.
[ The blacksmith’s fervent desire has awakened the Time Smithy. ]
[ The Time Smithy’s temporal deceleration effect has intensified. ]
Even my own unique skill had responded.
So I continued, slowing time, striking with infinite patience until at last.
[ Crafting complete. ]
[ Crafting evaluation: SS ]
[ Obtained: Blood Coral Ring. ]
[ A masterpiece has been born. ]
[ A masterpiece worthy of announcing your name to the world has been completed, granting you inspiration and raising your stats. ]
[ Strength increased by 1. ]
[ Health increased by 2. ]
The item was complete.
And as a masterpiece, no less.
What mattered most was the item’s abilities.
[ Blood Coral Ring ]
Form: Ring
Grade: SS
Restriction: Blood Knight Kang Hyuk, Steel Guild member only
Description: A Blood Coral Ring forged by drawing out the full power of blood coral that grew in the depths of the ocean, feeding on the blood of monsters.
Abilities:
Blood Coral Pulsation
, Vampirism Lv 2
“Excellent.”
Perfect.
The Vampirism Lv 2 I’d been aiming for was there, along with a special ability to boot.
[ Special Ability: Blood Coral Pulsation ]
The blood coral branch drinks in the blood of all sea creatures.
Separate from Vampirism, the Blood Coral Ring draws in blood from its surroundings.
As blood charge accumulates, the efficiency of skills utilizing blood increases.
Stored blood can be consumed to restore Health or Vitality.
The special ability pleased me as well.
It seemed perfectly suited to Kang Hyuk.
And next.
[ Crafting complete. ]
[ Crafting evaluation: SS ]
[ Obtained: Blood Coral Necklace. ]
[ Obtained: Blood Coral Bracelet. ]
I crafted a necklace and bracelet as well.
Unfortunately, the bracelet and ring didn’t gain special abilities.
But instead.
[ You have created the Blood Coral Set. ]
[ Set Effect has been applied to the Blood Coral Set. ]
[ Set Effect ]
1. The blood-charging effect of the special ability ‘
Blood Coral Pulsation
‘ now applies to the necklace and bracelet as well.
The set effect was quite favorable.
After all, it was an effect that enhanced the efficiency of the most important special ability.
Even though only the ring bore a special ability, with this set effect, it would surely deliver more than that in return.
‘So Kang Hyuk now has two special abilities?’
My other assistants each had only one piece of equipment with a special ability.
And Kang Hyuk already had two.
I found myself wondering what was going on.
Well, to be fair, the Vampire’s Red Cloak that Kang Hyuk possessed was something he’d purchased personally, so it ought to be counted separately.
‘Ah, there’s Serin too.’
Come to think of it, Serin also had two pieces of equipment imbued with special abilities.
Of course, since she couldn’t use her paired daggers and bow simultaneously, it was much the same as having one.
Anyway.
“Seo-yoon, could you call Kang Hyuk when he returns from the Gate?”
“Of course.”
I summoned Kang Hyuk at once.
Not long afterward.
“You called for me!”
Kang Hyuk burst through the door with characteristic vigor.
Having just finished clearing a Gate, his armor still bore the vivid marks of blood.
To him, I said:
“A welcoming gift for joining the Steel Guild.”
A necklace, a bracelet, and a ring.
I extended three pieces of jewelry toward him.
“Accessories? But Kang Cheol-mangchi has already made some for me.”
“These are better. Of course, if you find them worse than what you already have, you don’t have to wear them. But I think these will be far superior.”
Kang Hyuk hesitated before taking them.
I understood the reluctance.
He likely believed the Blood Transfusion ability on his current accessories suited him perfectly.
He worried that switching to different jewelry would diminish his combat strength.
But I was confident.
I placed the accessories into Kang Hyuk’s hesitant hands.
Even as he wavered, Kang Hyuk checked the item information.
“Vampirism?! I’ve never heard of Vampirism appearing on anything but weapons — let alone on other accessory slots!”
Just as I’d anticipated.
His eyes widened with genuine delight.
He understood it too.
While Blood Transfusion was excellent, this Vampirism accessory would unleash far greater power for him now.
And there was one more thing.
“A special item!”
The Blood Coral Ring.
Upon confirming the special ability attached to Blood Coral Pulsation, Kang Hyuk’s face transformed.
“Thank you! Kang Cheol-mangchi! I pledge this body and soul to you, eternal loyalty!!”
He suddenly swore an earnest oath of devotion to me.

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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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