I Became an SSS-Grade Time-Transcending Almighty Blacksmith - Chapter 40

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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 40
Chapter 40
Before crafting the arrows according to Shin Gung’s request.
First.
[ This is a Steel Hammer. ]
I asked Shin Gung for more detailed information about the situation.
Why exactly he needed arrows with abilities like High-Speed Arrow or Instant Death.
What bow he was using.
What his skills were generally like.
For Shin Gung, it could have felt like sensitive information to share.
“Oh, that was quick.”
His reply came faster than I’d expected.
To deepen my understanding of Shin Gung, I searched his name on NewTube, and that’s when I realized why he’d answered so promptly.
“He’s incredibly famous.”
So this is what a Ranker looks like?
NewTube was filled with videos of Shin Gung.
They covered everything I’d asked him about.
The reasons he needed High-Speed Arrow and Instant Death, the type of bow he used, his skills and combat techniques—it was all there.
As Korea’s most renowned archer, most information about him was already public.
Thanks to that.
“Hmm……”
Much like with Yeom Je.
I was able to rapidly deepen my understanding of him.
“Is this what it’ll feel like when Se Rin’s level goes up?”
What was an archer’s role in monster hunting?
Compared to swordsmen, archers dealt less damage, and compared to mages, despite being ranged attackers, they still dealt less damage.
An archer’s true role was disruption and exploiting weak points.
I could understand it immediately by recalling Se Rin’s combat style.
Constantly targeting enemies, making them so frustrated that they were forced to expose their weak points.
Then, the moment a weakness appeared, quickly firing arrows at it.
That was an archer’s role.
And the crucial ability needed in those critical moments was precisely High-Speed Arrow.
“High-level monsters have such fast reflexes.”
Monsters on an entirely different level from the Goblin Warriors in my Hunting Grounds.
Even if I aimed carefully at their weak points and fired, they’d block with their reflexes.
Without the High-Speed Arrow ability, hitting even an exploited weak point was nearly impossible.
And then.
“That’s why he needs Instant Death.”
The reason Shin Gung had requested Instant Death.
Since archers targeted only vital points from the start, they had more opportunities than anyone else to strike lethal weak points even at the final moment.
Archers were fast and could attack from range.
But because their damage was relatively low, even precise attacks on weak points wouldn’t bring down a foe in one strike—that was the archer’s limitation.
With Instant Death, this weakness could be overcome.
As I watched Shin Gung’s videos.
“I am not at that level, Master.”
“Oh, Se Rin? When did you arrive?”
“When I was active in the Mountain Range, I could have faced monsters of that caliber alone.”
“Really?”
“What reason would I have to lie to you, Master?”
Se Rin’s voice suddenly came from behind me.
I was startled, but truthfully, I was glad.
“Se Rin, I’ve received a commission and need to make these arrows. Would you help me?”
“If I can be of service, I will assist in any way I can.”
With Se Rin’s help, I was able to deepen my understanding of Shin Gung even faster.
Because of that.
[ I will use the Special Crafting skill. ]
[ Please provide a design for the special item. ]
I began the special crafting immediately.
For the design, I followed Se Rin’s guidance.
I constructed it to match Shin Gung’s bow size and to maximize the arrows’ speed.
[ Blueprint Design Complete ]
Next came the selection process.
[ Please select the ability to guide. ]
I didn’t forget to set the High-Speed Arrow using the Guidance function.
Then came the material selection—the crucial moment.
This was where everything hinged.
The first material I chose was, of course.
[ Sunpung Wood ]
This.
Setting aside common low-grade magical stones, it was a rare timber discovered first in the forest.
According to Grom’s explanation, it was “light wood with excellent elasticity,” and it seemed perfect for making arrows.
Rather than craft them one by one, since I was making arrows, I wanted to produce them in generous quantity.
So I selected Sunpung Wood abundantly.
And I’d already thought ahead about the next material as well.
[ Gale Wolf Fang ]
After felling the Giant Bear,
a new monster began appearing in the Hunting Grounds—the fangs of the Gale Wolf.
True to its name, the Gale Wolf was a creature that boasted swift movement, so it seemed to pair well with the High-Speed Arrow ability.
Moreover, since Gale Wolves appeared in packs, I could gather materials abundantly.
The third ingredient was.
[ Wind Bird Feather ]
This one.
The very same feather I’d used before when crafting arrows.
Though the Wind Bird itself wasn’t particularly numerous in the Hunting Grounds, their population had grown since the zone expanded.
Thanks to that, I could secure far more feathers.
After all, it was these feathers that gave the arrows I made last time the High-Speed Arrow ability.
So this felt like the perfect choice for these materials.
After selecting my materials that way,
[ Beginning production. ]
Production commenced at once.
Though I regretted the loss of the Geoung’s Strength buff, my stats had risen considerably lately from equipment, potions, and crafting Masterworks.
The quantity was large, but crafting arrows was something I could handle.
Clang!
It wasn’t particularly difficult.
Still, the sheer volume of arrows meant the work took considerable time.
Points seemed to accumulate dramatically, didn’t they?
But that was fine.
I had confidence in my Health stat.
Clang!
I kept swinging the hammer.
Each time, the stacked piles of Sunpung Wood were cut into long shafts,
and then Wind Bird Feathers formed the fletching,
while carefully worked Gale Wolf Fangs were fitted as arrowheads.
[ Production is complete. ]
[ Production Rating: S ]
[ Acquired Gale Wind Arrow. ]
I’d successfully finished the bundle of arrows.
Well, production success was a given anyway.
What mattered was the item’s ability.
Without the High-Speed Arrow attached, there was no point.
With considerable anticipation, I checked the information.
[ Gale Wind Arrow ]
Form: Arrow
Grade: S
Requirement: Level 11 or higher
Description: High-Speed Arrow crafted using the fangs of a Gale Wolf, Sunpung Wood, and Wind Bird Feathers—designed purely to achieve exceptional velocity.
Attack Power: 76
Ability: High-Speed Arrow Lv 4
“Nice!”
A cry of triumph escaped me.
I had created an arrow specialized in High-Speed Arrows exactly as I’d wanted.
If I hadn’t used the Guidance function, other minor abilities would have attached themselves as well.
Because I’d matched the materials precisely and used the Guidance function, I’d created an arrow focused entirely on the High-Speed Arrow ability.
Moreover, I now had a whole stack of High-Speed Arrow Level 4 arrows.
With so many of them, I felt deeply satisfied.
Next.
[ Using the Special Crafting skill. ]
[ Please provide a design blueprint for the special craft item. ]
Today’s main project.
I began crafting an arrow with the Instant Death ability attached.
“Se Rin, could you help me with this?”
“Of course, Master.”
Not all arrows look the same.
This arrow looked quite different from the Gale Wind Arrow.
Naturally.
The Gale Wind Arrow had been made with only speed in mind, designed to fly fast so I could attach the High-Speed Arrow ability.
This arrow, however, I was crafting with the Instant Death ability in mind.
Fortunately, I had the previous Instant Death arrow I’d made.
Thanks to referencing the Iron Scorpion and Se Rin’s advice, I was able to finish the design quickly.
[ Please select the ability to guide. ]
Through Guidance, I’d selected the Instant Death ability.
Next came material selection.
First, I decided on the Black Scorpion Tail as the arrowhead material.
After all, this material had been the crucial reason the Instant Death ability had attached itself when I’d crafted the Iron Scorpion arrow.
For the arrow feathers.
[ Tomb Raven Feather ]
I decided to use this.
The Tomb Raven.
Though a weak monster, it was the only feathered monster that possessed the death attribute.
For the arrow shaft.
[ Skeleton Bone ]
I decided to use this.
The Skeleton.
Isn’t it a monster where the very name conjures “death”?
Even in my own judgment, it was a perfect combination.
However, including the Black Scorpion, all of these materials were rare resources difficult to obtain even in my Hunting Grounds.
I could only make a single arrow.
So with the mindset of focusing entirely on this one.
Clang!
I swung the hammer.
Certainly, my previous work had used many materials to create many arrows, so it had taken a long time.
This time was different.
Creating only a single arrow, yet the difficulty of the work felt intense.
Especially.
Clang!
The dark Point now emerging.
This Point, from which eerie smoke drifted each time I struck it, was proving quite stubborn.
Unlike other Points, it felt viscous, somehow.
Because of that, more force had to go into my arm.
Clang!
Even so, I had no thought of giving up.
Each time I swung the hammer steadily, the arrow continued to take shape.
The arrow shaft, processed from Skeleton Bone.
The arrow feathers, crafted from Tomb Raven Feather.
The arrowhead, made from Black Scorpion Tail.
The moment all these components came together and the dark Point’s unique, viscous black aura soaked fully into the arrow.
[ Crafting is complete. ]
[ Craft Evaluation: SS ]
[ You have obtained ‘Death Sentence’. ]
I had finished the crafting.
SS-Rank.
And the name itself pleased me as well.
[ A Masterwork has been born. ]
[ A masterwork worthy of bearing your name to the world has been completed, and through it you gain inspiration, raising your stats. ]
[ Agility increases by 3. ]
A finished product complete enough to warrant a masterwork designation.
To grant it the Instant Death ability, I’d drawn upon the essence of death itself to the fullest.
The arrow seemed woven from death itself, rippling with a viscous death aura.
But in the end, the Instant Death ability had to be embedded within it.
With tension building in my chest, I checked the item information.
[ Death Sentence ]
Form: Arrow
Rank: SS
Requirement: Level 11 or higher
Description: An arrow of death, the Death Sentence—crafted by drawing upon death’s aura to its absolute limit, designed to guide enemies toward their demise.
Attack Power: 90
Ability: Instant Death Lv. 5
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
The Instant Death ability had attached itself, just as I’d hoped.
Since I’d wanted only the Instant Death to take hold, only that single ability had manifested—nothing else.
But that level was extraordinary.
Even the Gale Wind Arrow’s High-Speed Arrow at Level 4 was impressive.
Yet here was Instant Death, a rare ability, attached at level five.
The Instant Death ability is an arrow where each level increase raises the instant-death probability in proportion to the enemy’s remaining health.
So with a level-five arrow, certainly even with limited attack power, it would deliver formidable performance.
Its capabilities were truly something to behold.
“……It’s an arrow so perfect it’s enviable, Master.”
Even Se Rin found herself coveting it.
“I’ll craft one for you later, Se Rin. Something even better.”
“That’s not necessary. I prefer this Iron Scorpion more.”
In any case, the commission was complete.
Since this was a commission from Shin Gung, I recalled the reward being quite substantial.
[ Steel Hammer here. The arrow crafting you commissioned has been completed. ]
I transmitted the arrows I’d crafted to Shin Gung.
Not long after,
“……Huh?”
Much like with Yeom Je,
an additional payment on top of the base commission fee—one that made my eyes go wide—deposited into my account.

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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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