I Became an SSS-Grade Time-Transcending Almighty Blacksmith - Chapter 70

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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 70
Chapter 70
The broken item I discovered at the Trading Post.
It was none other than.
[ Mountain King’s Tendon Gloves ]
Type : Gloves
Grade : S
Requirement : Level 60 or higher, Strength 120 or higher
Description : Gloves crafted from the tendons of the Ogre Lord who toppled every ogre across an entire mountain range and claimed its peak.
Defense : 317
Ability :
Ogre’s Immense Strength
, Strength Lv 2
This was it.
Mountain King’s Tendon Gloves.
Gloves made from ogre tendon, exactly as the name suggested.
As an S-grade item, it held its own when compared to what I’d crafted.
The attached ability, “Strength Lv 2,” fell far short of the “Strength Lv 5” on the Beast’s Grip Gloves I currently wore.
But the truly important part lay elsewhere.
Namely.
[ Special Ability : Ogre’s Immense Strength ]
Recreates the immense strength of ogres, known as both the symbol and very definition of power.
There it was.
The moment I confirmed it, I bought the item outright without hesitation, despite the high price for something broken.
And for good reason.
“This makes the third.”
It was the third time I’d encountered an item with a special ability attached.
The first was “Pure Lightning,” attached to the SSS-grade arrow “Piercing Lightning” I’d first crafted.
The second was “Faded Blessing,” attached to the association chairman’s gloves, the Faded Saint’s Gloves.
And now, the third.
Mountain King’s Tendon Gloves.
“Ember, what exactly is this special ability?”
I asked, thinking Ember might have an answer.
– An ability without a specified level and marked in bold text.
– It is, quite literally, a “special ability.”
– An ability that possesses effects stronger than ordinary abilities.
– Or a unique ability that carries effects impossible to express through ordinary abilities.
This is what I heard in response.
“So this ‘Ogre’s Immense Strength’ has far better effects than ordinary ‘Strength’?”
– The basic effects would certainly be higher, but the manner of application may differ somewhat.
“How so?”
– Even I cannot discern the detailed effects of every ability.
– You will need to verify the specifics directly yourself.
Though I couldn’t confirm the exact details.
No matter how I thought about it, this “Ogre’s Immense Strength” seemed bound to help me.
After all, I wore the Beast’s Grip Gloves specifically to raise my Strength as a blacksmith.
The problem was the requirement: Level 60 with Strength 120 or higher.
That was a threshold far beyond my current reach.
‘Could I lower the requirement through Modification?’
My blacksmith’s hammer came equipped with “Modification.”
Normally it was a skill used to raise the performance of items by increasing their required level when equipment was crafted at a lower level.
But wouldn’t it be possible to do the reverse—to lower the requirement instead?
With that thought in mind.
“Let me start by repairing it.”
I began the Repair.
As a Level 60 item, it would demand tremendous difficulty, but Level 60 seemed just barely within reach.
[ Using Crafting skill. ]
The problem was.
[ Insufficient materials. ]
Materials.
Is it because they’re Level 60 equipment?
None of the materials I have will work.
Still, I’m not ready to give up.
I opened the Trading Post at once.
[ You have purchased the Tattered Ogre Hide Vest. ]
[ You have purchased the Tough Ogre Tendon Belt. ]
[ You have purchased the Torn Ogre Helmet. ]
…….
I bought every item from the Trading Post related to ogre hide or ogre tendons.
These were not broken pieces, naturally.
They were fairly high Grade, so the cost added up quickly.
‘An investment.’
If things went the way I planned, I’d end up with an extraordinarily good pair of gloves.
Those gloves would boost my Strength significantly.
And they’d be a huge help with Crafting as well.
With that thought, I gathered my purchases.
[ You have successfully decomposed the Tattered Ogre Hide Vest. ]
[ Ogre Hide has been generated. ]
[ You have successfully decomposed the Tough Ogre Tendon Belt. ]
[ Ogre Tendon has been generated. ]
…….
I began Decomposing.
Since I’d bought items related to ogres, the materials I gained from Decomposition were also ogre-related.
Once I had collected them.
[ Materials have been fulfilled. ]
I had met the Repair conditions.
Immediately.
[ Beginning Repair. ]
I activated Repair in earnest.
“This is no joke.”
I couldn’t help but be astonished.
The breadth and thickness of the Points that emerged.
Even at a glance, they were incomparable to the Points I usually worked with.
Even as I swung the hammer.
Bang!
The tremendous durability made the hammer’s recoil sharply apparent.
There was a reason I’d spent all this time repairing items below Level 60.
From Level 60 equipment and beyond, the difficulty jumped dramatically.
But I couldn’t give up on this.
The moment I made this my own item, I could dramatically raise my Level.
Bang!
The Point too hard to break?
That’s fine.
No matter how hard, if I swing the hammer repeatedly at the Point’s center, small cracks will form eventually, and once they do.
If I keep striking precisely at that spot.
Crack.
The crack spreads.
Shatter!
It has no choice but to break.
It will take time, and my stamina and mental fortitude will drain accordingly.
‘It’s doable.’
Not something I’d fail at.
I decided to devote my entire day to these gloves and swung the hammer.
It might take time, but I’m confident in my stamina.
I’m confident in my mental fortitude too.
With that conviction.
Bang!
I kept swinging the hammer.
* * *
The Smithy of Time.
Jang Gang-cheol was not alone in this Smithy.
Right beside Jang Gang-cheol.
Clang!
“Happy Noum~”
Clang!
“Joyful Noum~”
Clang!
“Excited Noum~”
A small dwarf.
Rather, Noum was swinging a wooden hammer.
Each time he struck, various items took shape with remarkable speed.
Watching this, Noum hummed to himself.
And with good reason.
“Working Noum~”
Noum was delighted.
Mimicking his master’s hammer strikes, receiving his master’s praise, and creating items—that’s what brought him joy.
Well, it had been the same in life, certainly.
But now it was far more enjoyable than it had ever been.
And with good reason.
Right beside him.
“Tasty Noum~”
Caramels and various jellies.
White chocolate and candies.
A snack box filled with an assortment of treats sat within easy reach.
This was a snack box that Jang Gang-cheol had prepared for Noum, who loved sweets.
In his past service, he could eat such treats perhaps once a week, once a month at best.
But Jang Gang-cheol provided such sweets whenever he wished.
For a dwarf who loved sweet treats, this place was nothing short of paradise.
Because of that.
“Sweet Noum~”
Clang!
Noum swung his hammer with renewed vigor.
His master.
He hammered away with earnest effort, determined not to disappoint Jang Gang-cheol’s expectations.
Then.
Clang!
At the sound of metal ringing beside him, Noum turned his head.
And there, as expected, was his master, Jang Gang-cheol.
The item before Jang Gang-cheol was the same as before.
The Mountain King’s Tendon Gloves.
Being an item of such a high tier that it didn’t suit Jang Gang-cheol, even striking it dozens of times barely chipped away a single point.
Yet still.
Clang!
Jang Gang-cheol did not relent.
One would think he’d be growing tired by now.
Without a single tremor in his swing, he drove the hammer down true into the heart of each point.
Such incredible skill and stamina, and above all, willpower.
What struck Noum most was the concentration Jang Gang-cheol displayed—lost in what seemed like a trance, oblivious to everything around him—a level of focus that defied even Noum’s imagination.
Most remarkable of all.
Shff.
Jang Gang-cheol’s smile.
Though he must surely be exhausted.
His arms must ache as if they might tear.
After maintaining such concentration for hours, his head must pound as if it might split.
Yet Jang Gang-cheol never lost his smile.
The repetitive, tedious hammering.
The grueling, painful hammering seemed to bring him such profound joy.
Sweat poured down his forehead like rain, yet the smile never faded.
Watching him like this.
“Noum!”
Noum smiled as well.
His unique skill: Imitation.
It wasn’t merely copying actions.
True imitation meant reproducing the owner’s habits, mannerisms, and even facial expressions with perfect fidelity.
Which meant.
Mimicking Jang Gang-cheol, Noum’s smile grew even brighter.
“Working even harder now, this Noum!”
Clang!
He began swinging the hammer again.
Of course, with a sweet strawberry-milk lollipop wedged between his teeth.
* * *
I couldn’t say how much time had passed.
My shoulders felt ready to dislocate from all the hammer swings.
My muscles twisted as if they might tear, and my palms stung as though the skin had been scraped raw.
Yet without stopping, I continued swinging the hammer, and the result was.
Ding!
The final point, holding firm like my last fortress, shattered.
[ Repair complete. ]
I finished the repair.
The durability was now fully restored, and the gloves were wearable.
Unfortunately, my skill wasn’t sufficient to increase the defense or abilities any further.
But wasn’t it something that they hadn’t degraded any worse?
With the repair finished, my work was far from over.
No—this is where the real work begins.
[ Using Modification skill. ]
Equip requirement: Level 60, Strength 120 or higher.
I was far from meeting that.
So I had to lower the equip requirement to a level I could manage right now.
That’s what the Modification skill was for.
Normally, raising equip level through modification sometimes required additional materials.
‘But not this time.’
This time I wasn’t trying to raise the equip level—I was lowering it instead.
Fortunately, no additional materials were needed.
Yet still.
I added material to the gloves.
What it was, exactly.
[ Stone of Strength ]
A rare ore found on the Mine’s first floor.
The very same ore that had been the essential material for the Beast’s Grip Gloves I was currently wearing.
A Stone of Strength.
The reason was simple.
The ‘Ogre’s Immense Strength’ attached to these gloves was certainly an excellent special ability.
‘But at Level 2, it’s not enough!’
The ability standing alongside it.
‘Strength Level 2’—that was disappointing.
My current gloves had ‘Strength Level 5’ attached, so wouldn’t it be a shame to trade down to ‘Strength Level 2’, no matter how fine the special ability was?
So to increase the Strength level, I used the Stone of Strength.
And immediately.
Clang!
I began swinging the hammer.
With each blow, the Stone of Strength fractured, crumbling into finer pieces.
The powdered Stone of Strength seeped into the gloves, and a crimson glow began to bloom across them.
Clang!
‘This is harder than I thought.’
The modification work.
Since it was lowering the equip requirement, I’d assumed it would be easier.
But it wasn’t.
Lowering the equip restriction alone would be one thing, but while doing so I had to preserve the gloves’ abilities as much as possible.
And on top of that, I had to absorb the Stone of Strength into them.
So the difficulty felt comparable to the repair work itself.
Still refusing to give up, I swung the hammer again and again.
The Stone of Strength I’d added was finally absorbed completely into the gloves.
[ ‘Mountain King’s Tendon Gloves’ has been modified. ]
[ ‘Mountain King’s Grip’ has been acquired. ]
At last, I finished modifying the gloves.

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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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