I Became an SSS-Grade Time-Transcending Almighty Blacksmith - Chapter 89

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

Chapter 89
Chapter 89
An arrow crafted with the SSS-Grade item ‘Piercing Lightning’ in mind.
Given that, I’d hoped for another SSS-Grade arrow to be created.
[ Crafting Evaluation: SS ]
[ You have obtained ‘Piercing Flame’. ]
But the result fell short—SS-Grade instead.
I’d failed to craft an SSS-Grade item.
“So it’s not that easy, then.”
Disappointed, I checked the item information.
[ Piercing Flame ]
Form: Arrow
Grade: SS
Restriction: —
Description: A flame arrow forged by blacksmith Jang Gang-cheol from pure flame compressed to its utmost limit.
Ability:
Pure Flame
It was indeed an SS-Grade item.
What differed from before was that this time there was no usage restriction listed, and the item description felt more sparse compared to the previous one.
The Piercing Lightning seemed to have absorbed the urgent emotion I felt when crafting it.
But this time, I sensed nothing of the sort.
Still.
“At least it has the special ability.”
Just as the Piercing Lightning had gained the special ability ‘Pure Lightning’,
this arrow too possessed the special ability ‘Pure Flame’.
Even if not quite as potent as the Piercing Lightning, this arrow would surely carry considerable power.
Though I’d failed this time, I decided to try once more just in case.
[ Using Special Crafting Skill. ]
I resolved to craft another arrow.
This time, though, using an Ice Stone.
Clang!
The hammer swung without fail.
The method was identical.
I shattered the Ice Stone’s surface and compressed the pure cold within it to the maximum.
As I did, a desolate chill wafted toward me, and sharp ice shards ricocheted in my direction, but—
‘Fortunately, the protection works on ice too.’
Fire Rat’s Protection blocked both the cold and every ice fragment.
Since Huo Huan was a volcanic fire rat, I’d worried whether it would only guard against flame.
Yet exactly as the special ability description indicated, while it offered supreme resistance to fire, it proved equally effective against other forms of attack.
Thanks to that, I could swing the hammer safely.
Even the bitter cold I warded off through the effect of Temperature Control Lv 2.
[ Crafting complete. ]
[ Crafting Evaluation: SS ]
[ You have obtained ‘Piercing Ice’. ]
I’d successfully completed the item.
Unfortunately, this too came out as SS-Grade.
Still, I decided to be satisfied with having produced two special-ability items in succession.
However—
‘The efficiency is rather poor.’
How many elemental stones had I spent to craft just this one arrow?
And the result was merely a single-use item.
Even with a special ability embedded, this was too disappointing an outcome.
It seemed like something I shouldn’t make any more of, unless the situation was truly exceptional.
With that thought—
“What should I do with these?”
Two arrows I’d already crafted lay before me.
Piercing Flame and Piercing Ice.
Serin could use them, certainly, but there were no particularly strong enemies at the moment that would warrant drawing on these arrows.
Considerable time still remained before the boss monster of the third zone would appear.
I considered whether to tell Serin to carry them, just in case—
‘Not an urgent matter, though.’
Even if I gave these arrows to Serin now, I couldn’t begin to guess when she’d have occasion to use them.
And what I need right now, urgently, is money.
Money to enhance the Forge of Time.
The moment I thought that,
“Ah.”
someone’s name came to mind.
“Should I ask him?”
[ This is Jang Gang-cheol. ]
I sent him a message right away,
and not long after,
[ I’ll purchase them! ]
I received a swift reply.
* * *
Shin-gung — the Divine Archer, Gung Si-hyun.
He was riding a recent wave of success.
The reason was simple.
Whoosh—!
Arrows.
Archers had always struggled to procure good arrows.
Shin-gung was no exception.
But recently, thanks to Jang Gang-cheol, he’d been able to continuously stock arrows fitted with High-Speed Arrow Lv 4.
And the effect was astounding.
“Truly worthy of the Divine Archer!”
“At this point, those aren’t arrows—they’re bullets or lasers! The speed is incredible.”
“Ha, if those arrows had come at me, I don’t think I’d have even seen them before taking a hit.”
His arrows pierced through monsters with unbelievable speed.
The attack power was somewhat low, but that was easily compensated for through technique and skill.
And so Shin-gung’s reputation climbed steadily.
Moreover.
[ Gale Wind Arrow ]
Type : Arrow
Grade : S
Requirement : Level 31 or higher
Description : A high-speed arrow crafted solely to achieve velocity, made from the fangs of a Gale Wolf, Smooth Wind Wood, and feathers of a Wind Bird.
Attack Power : 174
Ability : High-Speed Arrow Lv 4
As Jang Gang-cheol grew,
so too did the level requirements of the arrows Shin-gung received rise,
and with that, the attack power increased.
Compared to when he’d first received them, the arrows’ damage had more than doubled.
Still, relative to Shin-gung’s level, they remained somewhat weak.
But if Jang Gang-cheol continued to grow and crafted arrows with even higher attack power,
then Shin-gung’s own attack power would surely rise accordingly.
The price he paid Jang Gang-cheol for regular arrow shipments no longer felt like an expense at all.
Then,
[ This is Jang Gang-cheol. ]
a message came from Jang Gang-cheol.
He was already buying arrows regularly,
and Jang Gang-cheol rarely reached out separately, so he wondered what the occasion was.
“Arrows?”
The message contained item descriptions.
Piercing Flame and Piercing Ice.
And as he read those item descriptions,
“Special abilities…!”
he couldn’t help but gasp when he saw the special ability listed at the end.
Though they were single-use, these arrows could deliver devastatingly powerful elemental attacks.
And moreover, these seemed to operate on a fundamentally different principle from mere attack power.
They were arrows he could make full use of, even at his current level.
Furthermore.
‘That place!’
The moment I read that item description.
A Gate came to mind in Shin-gung’s thoughts.
A jungle-type Gate recently discovered in the south, the Thorn Vine Colony.
A major guild had failed to conquer it, and the Awakener Association was searching for Awakeners willing to tackle it.
It seemed perfectly suited for that place.
With that thought, Shin-gung purchased arrows from Jang Gang-cheol.
Not long after.
“Shin-gung, are you ready?”
“Of course.”
Shin-gung set out to conquer the Thorn Vine Colony.
The two arrows purchased from Jang Gang-cheol were already in his quiver.
* * *
After creating the Piercing Flame and Piercing Ice.
I began working with items I hadn’t attempted until now.
Materials with excessively potent elemental properties or those related to Status Abnormalities.
Normally, I would blend such materials with other ingredients to dilute their power.
But not anymore.
[ Using Special Crafting Skill. ]
The venom sacs of Killer Bee and the deadly toxin gland of Green Poison Snake.
Along with the wood of the Toxic Thorn Tree that Grom had brought.
I gathered them all together and began crafting an item.
[ Beginning crafting. ]
The Point that emerged was.
“It’s dark.”
A deeper purple than ever before.
A color that looked unmistakably ominous at first glance.
But that wasn’t all—thick, viscous purple liquid seemed to be dripping down around the Point itself.
In the past, this would have been a Point that made me shudder even to strike it.
But I was no longer who I once was.
I had the Fire Rat Fur Cloth, modified into an apron, to protect me.
Clang!
As I brought the hammer down.
Sure enough.
Splurt!
Venom sprayed out in all directions from the Point.
Naturally, a fair amount came pouring toward me.
Sizzle—
The effect of Fire Rat’s Protection exceeded my expectations.
It didn’t just block flame and cold—it shielded me from every drop of that thick, clinging venom.
Thanks to that, I could swing the hammer freely without worrying about the poison.
And as a result.
[ Crafting complete. ]
[ Crafting Evaluation: SS-Grade ]
[ Obtained ‘Venom Stinger’. ]
From the very start, I had successfully crafted an SS-Grade item.
Of course, it seemed to be on the lower end of performance for SS-Grade items.
But the fact that an SS-Grade item had been created without much effort held deep significance.
When I checked the item description.
[ Venom Stinger ]
Form: Spear
Grade: SS
Requirement: Level 31 or higher
Description: A poison spear crafted from materials with potent toxicity—the venom sacs of Killer Bee, the deadly gland of the poison snake, the wood of the Toxic Thorn Tree, and more—that inflicts Poison on enemies merely by grazing them.
Attack Power: 193
Abilities: Poison Lv 5, Penetration Lv 3, First Strike Lv 2, Sharpness Lv 1
A better spear than I’d expected had been created.
At this level, it should fetch quite a high price at the Trading Post.
And so.
[ Using Special Crafting Skill. ]
I began crafting a wider variety of items.
Specifically, those that had been difficult to make before—items where threatening effects erupted violently during the crafting process.
Each time, Fire Rat’s Protection shielded me from every hazardous effect.
And thanks to that protection, I could swing the hammer safely.
[ Crafting complete. ]
[ Crafting evaluation: S-Grade ]
[ You have obtained ‘Curse Fang’. ]
[ You have obtained ‘Frigidly Frozen Bow’. ]
[ You have obtained ‘Decay Great Sword’. ]
…….
I was able to produce all manner of items.
Until now, it had always frustrated me that those materials never fully expressed their true properties.
Now I could finally shed that regret entirely.
Especially since such items were too dangerous for Grom to handle, I spared no materials and crafted freely.
And, naturally enough.
[ ‘Venom Stinger’ has been sold. ]
[ ‘Curse Fang’ has been sold. ]
[ ‘Frigidly Frozen Bow’ has been sold. ]
…….
Every single item sold at the Trading Post for impressive prices.
I’d wondered—but the Trading Post’s response exceeded all expectations.
[ Kang Cheol-mangchi has unleashed poison upon the Trading Post! ]
Seriously.
Look at this—Venom Stinger, and it’s got Poison Lv 5 on it.
Once you use this, your hunting efficiency just goes absolutely insane.
(Video attached)
You seeing this?
Go into a Gate, jab the monsters once each and just run—they’re all poisoned and gasping for breath.
Land the finishing blow and ☆★LEVEL UP★☆ achieved
It’s ridiculously easy lol
– What even is that lol
– I’ve seen poison sorcerers hunt like that sometimes, but seeing a spear master do it with raw weapon power is wild lol
– Honestly this seems way more efficient. Poison sorcerers are slow so they can’t even apply poison and escape
– Yeah seems specifically optimized for solo hunts
– For real Kang Cheol-mangchi has released the poison lol
[ What are all these new listings? ]
Venom Stinger, Curse Fang, Decay Great Sword—what exactly are you making right now, Kang Cheol-mangchi lol
– Did you suddenly get a taste for this kind of thing lol
– But all these items have crazy good efficiency;
– I’m level 50 and I bought one. Using it purely for applying status abnormalities regardless of raw attack power—it works great
– Oh wow, I didn’t think of that
[ Kang Cheol-mangchi, I want to hunt with deadly poison too ]
Please make more Venom Stingers please please please please please I’m begging you ㅠㅠㅠ
– Me too please please please
Awakeners at every level cheered, of course.
Even high-level Awakeners were purchasing my items to apply status abnormalities to enemies.
And the final flourish came, as it happened, from none other than.
[ Shin-gung conquers the unclaimed Gate ‘Thorn Vine Colony’ ]
The ranker who had purchased two arrows from me.
Shin-gung’s video.

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