When I was little.
Whenever the teacher asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always answered: a Hunter blacksmith.
In other words, this is a story from back when I didn’t know a damn thing.
“Ugh, fuck.”
Thinking about it now makes me dizzy.
I actually dreamed of making a living off the money those bastards threw at me.
Hunter blacksmiths.
Once, our country had Hunter blacksmiths.
The system was that if an ordinary blacksmith, living an ordinary life, happened to supply goods to a Hunter one day, he simply became a Hunter blacksmith.
There was no qualification exam, and no certification to receive.
But by the mere fact that he supplied goods to Hunters, that blacksmith earned the title of supreme master craftsman.
The enormous profits were just a bonus.
The main customers of Hunter blacksmiths were the early Hunters breaking through the lower floors.
They would go around fully kitted out in arms and armor made from the finest materials.
It was no use even if ranker-class Hunters with plenty of Tower experience tried to stop them, telling them there was no need to buy equipment like that.
They were so drunk on the Hunter hype that they wouldn’t listen to a damn word.
Think of it like a nouveau riche plastering themselves in luxury brands from head to toe.
But once the middle floors of the Tower began to be properly conquered, Hunters no longer sought out blacksmiths.
Because they had realized that weapons made by Earthlings could no longer stand against the enemies of the Tower.
To put it simply, they had hit their expiration date.
A situation where existing weapons had become useless.
Hunters had taken off their armor, but they didn’t want to climb in functional T-shirts either, so after much trial and error, they began farming.
They stripped elves they met in the Tower, stripped mages, even stripped saintesses bare, and ended up using those items themselves.
Surprisingly, it was extremely effective.
A saintess’s thread was sturdier than wrapping yourself in chainmail and plate.
And a bow stolen after smacking an elf kid on the head was more destructive than a double-barrel shotgun.
No one knew why. Science couldn’t explain it.
It only made things more confusing, since our mercenaries saw no effect at all when they stripped goblins and kobolds.
Looking back now, I think the difference was whether they could utilize nodes.
The elves of the Tower knew how to use nodes, while goblins didn’t.
That’s right.
The secret of the Black Tower, which humanity failed to discover even after throwing itself at the Tower for decades.
I ended up grasping it in half a day.
Is this really okay?
Am I ultimately going to bring an end to the worst and most dreadful calamity in human history?
└Metallurgist: What the;; You only listened to one introductory lecture. You do know what “understanding” and “fundamentals” mean, right?
└Metallurgist: And even that, you only watched the parts you wanted to see.
└Python: But I applied it perfectly, didn’t I?
└Metallurgist: Tsk tsk. You’re just retaking the course.
Since I had completed my education perfectly, all that remained was practical application.
My first creation would be a defensive artifact for civilians.
I checked through, one by one, the massive amount of materials the Metallurgist had uploaded to the gallery.
“There are necklaces, bracelet-type artifacts….”
As expected of defensive items, many of them were meant to be worn on the body.
Their designs weren’t too flashy either, which made them seem good for general distribution.
I flipped through the pages and scanned the product list. The farther back I went, the more non-metal items started to appear.
“A grip tok?”
└Metallurgist: That’s the trend these days. A lot of people feel burdened by precious metals.
└Python: A phone case-type artifact… A key ring-type artifact… This crap is the future of magitechnology?
└Metallurgist: Ha, it’s not like you’re going to make them anywayㅡㅡ Just keep scrolling.
If I kept messing around, the Metallurgist seemed liable to get annoyed.
I quickly fled and started reading through the crafting method.
[Disposable Mana Barrier Ring]
- Forms a shield for 3 minutes when the wearer receives fatal damage.
- Can be used multiple times by recharging it with mana, but it must be clearly stated that the creator takes no responsibility for any resulting harm.
A ring?
A ring should be fine.
It requires few materials and is easy to make.
It probably won’t get in the way either, so the wearing rate should be high.
- Recommended Material: Mithril
What the fuck.
Why is mithril showing up right from the start?
What, am I making the One Ring?
Does mithril even exist in the first place?
- If mithril is unavailable, or if the goal is mass distribution, it may be replaced with gold.
Now this was proper for a ring.
Maybe because I’d just seen mithril, gold actually felt welcoming.
It was like discovering English among a bunch of unfamiliar languages.
But thinking about the price of gold, it was still just as burdensome.
The artifact I make has to be something men and women of all ages can use in daily life.
Unfortunately, let’s skip gold too.
- If you hate all of that, just carve some wood and use that.
After passing on mithril and gold, the grade suddenly plummeted.
Wood, huh….
It isn’t a bad material.
In a situation where I have to handcraft everything myself, wood is the most suitable for increasing production. It’d also be good for supplying them cheaply.
“Still, it doesn’t exactly grab me.”
After all, I can’t ignore public sentiment.
If you say wooden ring… it feels a little lame.
It has that vibe of a poor young couple going on a workshop date to make one.
There will definitely be someone who doesn’t wear it, trying to look cool, and then gets shot to death.
- Hey, do you want to die?
……Don’t tell me she’s watching?
└Python: Are you perhaps observing me in secret?
└Python: Creepily.
└Metallurgist: lol You saw that, huh?
└Metallurgist: You’re so obvious. I had a feeling you’d react like that.
└Metallurgist: If nothing else works, dark iron is fine too.
What’s dark iron? I’ve never heard that name before.
└Metallurgist: (Photo)
└Metallurgist: It looks like this. You might not have this either, though.
The photo the Metallurgist sent was of a metal with a somewhat dark sheen.
Despite the unfamiliar name, it was something I knew all too well.
That’s kobold scrap metal.
└Metallurgist: Why do you call it that?
└Python: It’s something the kobolds living on the lower floors of the Tower carry around. Its performance is so bad people won’t take it even if you give it to them.
└Metallurgist: That’s because you people don’t know how to use it.
The Metallurgist gave me explanations this way and that.
To summarize, its mana conductivity was high, making it suitable for crafting simple artifacts.
By our standards, it had the drawback of being useless for high-grade Hunters, but that much was acceptable.
If what she said was true, then among all the options so far, it was the most reasonable choice.
‘Everything’s good except for the fact that there’s no supply.’
Just in case, I searched for kobold scrap metal on marketplace sites, but as expected, there were no listings.
An item anyone could easily obtain on the lower floors, yet had zero industrial value. A miraculous metal that didn’t even fetch scrap prices, and even old ladies collecting recyclables passed over it. An unclassifiable something that should not be placed with metals when sorting recycling.
Maybe the arrogant mindset was thinking I’d be able to buy and sell this secondhand in the first place.
‘Do I have to get it myself?’
I turned my head toward the direction where the Tower stood.
The Black Tower….
It would be unreasonable to gather manpower just for some kobold scrap metal. No mercenary would make time just to split a tiny amount of mana stones.
In the end, I’d have to climb alone.
From the 10th floor onward, a platoon had to be deployed, and after the 15th floor, a company-sized unit had to enter the Black Tower.
But single-digit-level dungeons could be conquered even by several well-trained civilians.
And the 1st floor. It was a dungeon where attention-seeking guys sometimes filmed themselves attempting hard-mode solo runs and uploaded the videos.
In other words, it was a level an ordinary person could handle alone.
‘Yeah, I should be able to clear at least easy difficulty by myself.’
No matter how much of a noncombatant I was, I had led mercenaries up to the 20th floor.
I’d even managed to kill a troll in the heat of the moment.
I had unlocked combat skills in my own way too.
Warhammer Mastery, Physical Enhancement, and Mental Enhancement passives.
I couldn’t breathe fire or shoot lightning like other people, but an Awakener was still an Awakener.
Let’s go up.
The moment I decided, I began packing.
I prepared plenty of bags to carry mana stones and kobold scrap metal.
I also took a pistol.
It would be nice to use a warhammer, but I couldn’t suddenly use a weapon I’d never even held before.
Today, I’d play it safe and just collect scrap metal. I’d practice with a war hammer and use it later.
After stuffing bottled water and energy bars into my bag as well, I opened the gallery.
[Call me the Kobold Pickaxe Thief.]
Author: Python
Those kobold bastards were illegally occupying my precious dark iron.
You shouldn’t have done that.
I’m going to the Tower.
└Ahh, you’ve done it, Python…!
└Metallurgist: Why is a blacksmith going hunting? You could’ve just asked me for some.
└└Python: Nah, it’s not like I can get it through trades every time. At some point, I had to start procuring it from the Tower.
└└Metallurgist: Still, do you really have to…. Are you any good at fighting?
└└Python: I’m the vice-captain of a mercenary corps. And I’m going in on easy since it’s for farming, so it’s fine.
└Imperial Hammer: A blacksmith is not someone who only swings a hammer. He must also be a capable merchant. I recommend finding a reliable supplier.
Comments quickly appeared right after I posted.
The reactions were half and half.
Half advised me that going out to secure materials myself wasn’t efficient.
I agreed with that opinion. But dark iron was an item with an absolutely insufficient supply. I had to become my own supplier.
And the other half….
They were just excited because someone was going to fight.
└Northern Station Exit 3: O-Ohh…! You knew how to fight too?
└Didn’t Buy a Shield: I can give you an intensive course on dual swordsmanship. Just make me a pair of swords as payment.
└BlackMageSobSob: I’m looking forward to it, darling. Could you mark the dimensional coordinates for me? I’ll send a familiar to watch.
└Smile: One who makes weapons must naturally know how to wield them as well.
└Smile: What is your weapon?
└└Python: A gun.
└└Smile: Whaaaat!!!!! It’s already ridiculous enough for a blacksmith to run around with a blade instead of a hammer, but what? A guuun? You, come over here and sit down.
Smile suddenly started acting like an old fossil.
Apparently, it wasn’t “Smile^^” but “You smiling?”
He seemed like the type who’d be exhausting to get involved with. I should ignore him and go about my business.
└Smile: Hurry! Don’t grumble!
He isn’t really watching me, right?
I quietly returned and knelt beside Smile.
└Smile: A blacksmith, you see, must live as though he eats his meals with a hammer.
└└Python: No, I don’t even have a war hammer in the first place. I can’t take the one I use for forging.
└└Smile: Tsk tsk, listen to that excuse…. Take this.
└└Smile: You know the trade condition, yes? You must send something appropriate!
Along with Smile’s comment, a cluster of light rose up. The signal for an exchange trade.
I don’t really have anything to give.
I rummaged through my pocket and tossed in an energy bar. The light cluster then disappeared.
└Smile: I thought you might send me something good, but a scrap of a snack? Tch…!
└Smile: In any case, it is a beginner’s warhammer. It’s light too, so even modern youngsters who only shoot guns should be able to use it comfortably.
└└Python: You sure sent me something incredible;; I’ll use it well.
The war hammers actually used in our history had long shafts and small hammerheads. That was how one could handle a heavy weapon with ease.
But the hammer Smile gave me had a design you’d only see in movies.
A short shaft and a fucking huge head.
Wasn’t this the kind of weapon only a dwarf or a Norse god could use?
“Hup-cha—!”
I picked up the hammer with one hand.
I felt its hefty weight.
He said it was light, but as expected, that was total bullshit.
Thinking of the weight of the forging hammer Professor Eponine gave me, this was definitely a cheap piece of junk.
I need to get used to the weight, so I’ll carry it around, but in the Tower, I’ll just shoot my gun.
More importantly, how am I supposed to carry this around?
We may live in an era where everyone wears a pistol at their side.
But openly carrying a sword or sledgehammer in the street is a different matter.
The former is for self-defense, but the latter makes it look like you’re on your way to kill someone.
It would also make me look like one of those ignorant Hunter bastards.
In reality, even people who kill others just use guns when they do it, but separate from that, there’s a psychological resistance that comes from something you’re not used to.
As I was worrying for quite a while, Yoi-yoi left a comment.
└Yoi-yoi: If a cheap beginner warhammer is anything, it’s heavy, not light, yoi! Don’t try to farm favor while dumping dead stock, yoi!
└Yoi-yoi: That old fossil definitely sent an insanely heavy hammer, yoi! I’ll send you a pouch with a weight-reduction effect, yoi!
└└Dagger Lord: As expected, Yopyeong’s love for his juniors lol
└└Yoi-yoi: I don’t love everyone, yoi!
└└Dagger Lord: (awkward silence)
What Yoi-yoi gave me was a pouch that looked, at a glance, like a soccer cleat bag.
When I untied the string and put the warhammer inside, the perceived weight really did drop to about a third at that very moment.
Unlike Smile, it seemed Yoi-yoi wasn’t the type to lie.
Yoi-yoi didn’t stop there and continued taking care of me.
└Yoi-yoi: Make sure you check carefully that you haven’t forgotten anything before you go, yoi!
└└Python: I told you, it’s just the 1st floor on easy difficulty.
└└Yoi-yoi: It’s exactly at times like this that nightmare difficulty opens as some hidden special feature, yoi.
└└Dagger Lord: For real lol It’s obvious, right?
└└Python: Hey…! Why would you say something so ominous…!
Nightmare difficulty?
Contrary to the comment I posted while making a fuss, inwardly I snorted.
There was no way something like that would happen.
Over the past thirty-odd years, countless Hunters had climbed the Tower, but there had never been a single testimony of anyone experiencing a stage higher than hard difficulty.
Even if such a thing existed, it wouldn’t be a problem.
I just wouldn’t choose it.
***
[One-person challenge.]
[You have selected the 1st floor.]
[A difficulty will be recommended based on the climber’s average potential.]
[Haiseon’s recommended difficulty is Nightmare.]
[Nightmare difficulty has been automatically selected.]
Oh, don’t give me that bullshit.