I Became an SSS-Grade Time-Transcending Almighty Blacksmith - Chapter 86

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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 86
Chapter 86
Afterward.
I made it home safely.
The association chairman apologized to me again, but honestly, this wasn’t his fault either.
I told him it was fine and sent him on his way.
So I arrived home, but.
instead of lying down in bed right away.
“Forge of Time.”
Rumble.
I stepped straight into the forge.
Then I took out one of the items I’d just obtained from the criminals.
The Seal of Quietude, and checked the effects of its special ability once more.
[ Special Ability: Moment of Quietude ]
Elevates the wearer’s composure, raising the accuracy of attacks and the success rate of skills.
Additionally, concentration increases when using skills.
This was clearly an effect meant for assassination.
It boosted both the precision of assassinations and the success rate of assassination skills.
And when assassination skills were used, it momentarily heightened concentration to further increase the assassination’s chance of success.
However.
“Still, this would be great for me too.”
This wasn’t an ability that applied only to assassins.
It was a perfectly good item for any profession.
And to me, a blacksmith, it looked like an exceptionally powerful ability.
With it, the accuracy of my hammer strikes—which require finesse—and the success rate of my skills would improve.
And my concentration would rise when crafting items as well.
The moment I made up my mind.
‘Repair won’t be necessary.’
I’d been worried that the durability might be worn down from being caught in the explosion.
But the ring must have taken less force in that moment, because its durability hadn’t degraded much at all.
If the durability had been damaged, I would have lacked the materials to repair this ring, so I was lucky.
So I could equip it right away, but.
There was one problem.
If I removed the Ring of Speed I was originally wearing and put on this ring instead.
[ Set Effect: Trinity Set ]
[ Set Effect ]
1. All accessory ability levels increase by one tier.
The Necklace of Magical Power that raised Intelligence, the Bracelet of Spirit that raised Wisdom, and the Ring of Speed that raised Dexterity.
These three accessories, harmonizing together, created this set effect.
Trinity Set.
That effect would be lost.
‘This is a bit disappointing.’
The special ability was good, but was it worth sacrificing the set effect?
That was a bit ambiguous.
This Trinity Set was something I’d crafted with care.
As I hesitated over whether to abandon it like this.
“Let me try.”
I decided to attempt something new.
That attempt was.
[ Using Modification Skill. ]
Modification.
The Seal of Quietude, an item imbued with a special ability.
I would use the Ring of Speed I was wearing as material for it.
And on top of that, I’d add the Ring of Speed’s original material—the Jewel of Swiftness.
After that.
Clang!
I began swinging my hammer.
That’s right.
What I was attempting right now was.
‘Fusion.’
Or fusion.
Literally combining two materials together.
Of course, the primary material is the Seal of Quietude.
By merging the Ring of Speed with it, I can ensure the Trinity Set effect applies even when wearing the Seal of Quietude.
Of course.
Clang!
It’s not easy.
It’s my first attempt at this kind of work, and fusing a new item onto one already bearing special properties demands considerable craftsmanship.
But.
Clang!
That’s precisely what makes it exhilarating.
A new attempt.
A new challenge.
For a blacksmith like me, this is pure dopamine.
Clang!
The Speed Ore and the Ring of Speed melted away, seeping into the Seal of Quietude.
But I can’t stop here.
I have to fully preserve the set composition effect of the Ring of Speed.
Facing that arduous task.
My lips curl upward without thinking.
If this works out as I envision, it’ll prove far more valuable than I imagined.
And so, my hammer falling again and again.
[ You have successfully modified the Seal of Quietude. ]
The modification was complete.
And as if to reward the effort.
[ A Masterpiece has been born. ]
[ A work worthy of bearing your name to the world has been completed, granting you inspiration and raising your abilities. ]
[ Dexterity increases by 3. ]
The Masterpiece notification appeared.
Originally, both the Seal of Quietude and the Ring of Speed were S-Grade items.
The fact that a Masterpiece notification appeared meant that through the modification, the Seal of Quietude had ascended to SS-Grade.
Eager to verify, I checked the item information.
[ Seal of Quietude ]
Form: Ring
Grade: S
Restrictions: —
Description: A ring forged from cold obsidian that stills the wearer’s breath and trembling, elevating them to a state of extreme focus in the moment of assassination.
Abilities:
Moment of Quietude
, Concentration Lv 1, Dexterity Lv 2
“Hah.”
The Dexterity Lv 2 that the Ring of Speed once held.
That ability transferred cleanly over.
Though admittedly, the original Concentration Lv 2 on the Seal of Quietude was downgraded to Concentration Lv 1.
But the special ability remained intact.
Yet that’s not the crucial question.
What truly matters is whether the Trinity Set effect applies when wearing the Seal of Quietude.
With nervous anticipation, I slip on the Seal of Quietude.
Fortunately.
[ The Trinity Set effect is now active. ]
[ Set Effect ]
1. The ability level of all accessories increases by one tier.
“It worked!”
The Trinity Set effect activated.
The Seal of Quietude now counts as one of the Trinity pieces.
This means I retain the set effect while gaining the special ability Moment of Quietude.
The Concentration Lv 1 is just a bonus.
“Shall I test it?”
Having acquired a new special ability.
To grow accustomed to it, I decided to put it to use right away.
There was no need to hunt for items at the Exchange to repair.
Among the items I’d recovered from the Dark Night Society, there were plenty I could fix with my current skill level.
The moment I pulled out the items.
[ Using Repair Skill. ]
I got straight to work.
Fortunately, unless an item was extraordinarily rare, I had enough materials on hand to handle the repairs.
Once everything was ready.
Clang!
I swung the hammer.
Honestly, the initial sensation wasn’t all that different from what I was used to.
That made sense—the Dexterity Lv 2 from the Ring of Speed I already wore, plus the Trinity Set effect, had transferred over intact.
The Focus Lv 1 seemed to be doing something, but truthfully, it wasn’t a dramatic difference I could feel.
Then.
Hum—
Especially when a delicate point came into focus.
Clang!
“Ah!”
That was when I felt the effect of the special ability called Moment of Quietude kick in.
My accuracy when striking the small focal points had jumped noticeably.
It felt like my hammer strikes themselves had become more refined.
But that wasn’t all.
As I swung the hammer, I could feel it striking even larger points more precisely at their centers than ever before.
It wasn’t delivering the overwhelming raw power I felt from the Grip of Mountain King.
But it was definitely shaping my precision work in a tangible way.
Because of that.
[ Repair complete. ]
I was able to finish repairs even more perfectly.
As the quality of my repairs improved, the attack and defense stats of the finished items increased ever so slightly.
And then.
[ Repair complete. ]
[ Repair Rating: S ]
“What?”
I was turning Grade A items into Grade S items.
Ability levels embedded in items were rising.
These things were happening regularly.
I could feel my skill as a blacksmith climbing steadily.
This was the effect of special abilities at work.
I found myself thinking I needed to acquire more items with special abilities that could help me.
And that I had to push my skills higher so I could craft even more items imbued with special abilities.
Once I’d finished repairing the items, I listed them on the Exchange right away.
Though I hadn’t made them myself, they were items used by the Dark Night Society’s elite operatives, so.
[ ‘Shadow Dagger’ has been sold. ]
[ ‘Night Mist Hat’ has been sold. ]
[ ‘Soundless Shoes’ have been sold. ]
…….
The items sold fast.
And since they were all high-tier pieces, the selling prices were quite handsome.
After I finished repairing the items.
“Not bad at all.”
The new ring.
I took a brief rest, marveling at the Seal of Quietude.
And I opened up the Awakeners’ community to check on things.
[ Heard the Association caught the Dark Night Society? ]
I only heard rumors about it, not sure if it’s true
– Isn’t the Dark Night Society like a major crime syndicate worldwide?
– Yeah
– But why did they come to Korea?
– Beats me, that’s why I posted
[ Heard the Dark Night Society tried to kidnap Kang Cheol-mangchi ]
– For real??
– Real talk, bro
– That was close, way too close
– If it’d been the Dark Night Society, we’d actually be in trouble
– So the Awakeners’ Association protected Kang Cheol-mangchi?
– Kang Cheol-mangchi almost got sold overseas
– Scary stuff
[ You guys seeing the gear that just hit the Exchange? ]
Don’t the items going up right now smell a little rotten?
Most of it’s assassin-class exclusive gear, and the level brackets line up too.
Looks exactly like the kind of equipment the Dark Night Society would’ve been sitting on.
– Right though
– I just bought one, but something feels off about it
– Wait, Kang Cheol-mangchi listed these?
– The legendary Kang Cheol-mangchi?!
– Heard he almost got kidnapped, so I guess they stripped him bare of gear and turned him into just plain Cheol-mangchi lol
– Yeah looks like that’s what happened lol
Because I’d listed the Dark Night Society’s items on the Exchange.
Posts related to me and the Dark Night Society were showing up on the Awakener community boards.
I usually don’t comment much.
But what happened to me this time was honestly quite a dangerous situation.
And since a post was about me.
– ㅠㅠ
I left a comment.
And immediately after.
– Are you okay, Kang Cheol-mangchi?!
– Oh wow it’s real
– Kang Cheol-mangchi showed up lol
– Wow I think this is the first time I’ve seen Kang Cheol-mangchi comment lol
– You replied to my post — this is the greatest honor my family could receive ㅠㅠㅠ
– Are you doing okay?!
– I love you Kang Cheol-mangchi!!
– Cheol, could you check your messages please ㅠㅠ
– Is “Cheol” a nickname lol
– “Cheol” is cute lol
The replies poured in rapidly.
Well, that’s enough from the community boards.
I went ahead and habitually checked my messages.
I haven’t been taking many commissions lately, but someone might request a repair on an item imbued with special abilities, so it was worth checking.
In the message box I opened.
[ This is Kim Jun-yeong, Vice Guild Master of the Seo-hae Guild. ]
First, I offer my condolences to Kang Cheol-mangchi for the shocking attack you suffered.
As you’ve experienced firsthand, your safety has become so elevated that even the Awakeners’ Association finds it difficult to protect you.
With that in mind, we at the Seo-hae Guild reach out once more, driven by our desire to safeguard you.
Should Kang Cheol-mangchi join the Seo-hae Guild, we would mobilize every resource at our disposal to protect you.
[ Are you doing alright, Kang Cheol-mangchi? ]
Upon hearing this news, I couldn’t help but be shocked.
To actually attempt the kidnapping of Kang Cheol-mangchi!
We at the Han-gang Guild are outraged, and we are currently raiding the Dark Night Society’s headquarters to root out their very foundation immediately.
Kang Cheol-mangchi, wouldn’t you consider the Han-gang Guild once more?
You don’t necessarily need to join our guild.
We simply wish to forge a contract with the Han-gang Guild, so that we may protect you through this arrangement!
…….
My message box was flooded with messages from the major guilds — messages that had been quiet since I’d joined the Association.
The letters were long, but the message was simple.
You must have been terrified from the attack, so come join our guild.
We’ll use all our strength to protect you.
That’s what they all said.
Just as they claimed.
Having been attacked like this, I did think I needed to come up with some kind of solution.
‘But not like this.’
I’m still reluctant about joining a major guild.
I want to live making items however I choose.
But I need a way to protect myself on my own terms.
As I thought it through,
the idea came to me: why not create my own guild?
It was the first thing that occurred to me.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.
No matter how I looked at it, this was the best path forward.
Well, I’ll think about that more carefully later.
Right now, that’s not what matters.
What matters right now is this:
[ Fur of Fire Rat, Flame-Resistant Cloak ]
Form : Cloak
Grade : SS
Requirement : Level 60 or higher
Description : A cloak made from the hide of the Fire Rat, a creature said to dwell within the flames of volcanoes.
Ability :
Protection of the Fire Rat
This.
I plan to repair this item and modify it into
“It’s about time I changed my apron.”
my new apron.

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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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