Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  Grid scoffed and said to Enoch. “You’re a crazy dog. Just wait a minute. There’s no need to bother Teacher White. I will smash you myself.”

  “Teacher White?”

  White and Enoch were both surprised. White was stunned while Enoch laughed loudly. This was a jackpot.

  “You’re really crazy! White! You don’t know the topic and actually dare to be a teacher? A person with poor talent teaching someone else? Puhat! Puhahat! Oh, my stomach! If the other blacksmiths hear this, they would be laughing!”

  “Ugh…!”

  White’s face turned red. His skin was dark, making it hard to see, but he didn’t look good. White was really embarrassed. It was because there was nothing wrong with Enoch’s words.

  “…”

  He had spent the past three years as a loser. White lost his self-esteem and couldn’t help bowing his head.

  “Raise your head. Don’t get used to seeing the ground.” Grid stared at White and was reminded of his past self. “Today, the White Hammer smithy that you and your father love will win the competition.”

  Suuk.

  Grid’s finger pointed at White’s heart. White saw the hard calluses on the thick fingers.

  ‘Blacksmith hands?’

  White belatedly realized Grid’s real identity. He felt astonished as Grid confirmed it.

  “You will be the best smithy in Pangea.”

  Today’s victory would be achieved be relying on Grid, but not in the future. White was a person he used Blacksmith’s Affection on. His blacksmith skill level was destined to rise the moment that his affinity reached the maximum.

  ***

  “Enoch is becoming more and more distorted.”

  “It was because he respected Dawhite more than anyone else. He was disappointed when Dawhite chose White as a successor, despite not being able to support the smithy.”

  “Looking at it, the poor person isn’t White, but Enoch. Well, that doesn’t excuse his twisted personality.”

  “Ignore him. Enoch and White aren’t people we have to worry about.”

  Enoch had excellent skills and a twisted personality, while White was born with a unique talent, but was lazy in his youth. From the perspective of the skilled and older leaders of the Black Anvil and Red Tongs smithies, they were both inexperienced.

  “Hrmm, yes. We have to focus on the competition.”

  “Last year, I was careless and lost the title to Enoch.”

  “This year will be our second victory.”

  The Black Anvil and Red Tongs leaders acknowledged each other as opponents. The appearance of the best blacksmiths in Pangea excited the audience.

  “Beoksan! La Hochul! Have a great match this year!”

  “Make the national treasure! Fighting!”

  “The firepower of last year’s Red Phoenix Bow was too weak! This year, make it heat of the fire properly!”

  Waaahhhhhhhh!

  It was a really different atmosphere. The White Hammer smithy was booed and received criticisms, while the Black Anvil and Red Tongs smithies received cheers. White was used to it, but he still felt sick. White bowed to Grid.

  “First of all, I’m ashamed and sorry for being unable to recognize you as a blacksmith. And thank you very much. You helped stop me from doing something I would regret.”

  “There’s no need to thank me…”

  Grid attempted to demonstrate humility, only to suddenly stop. This was the East Continent, not the West Continent. In this place, he was an ordinary person, not a noble or the leader of Overgeared. There was no need to consider his social status. He could act according to his personality. Grid changed what he was going to say.

  “Yes, you should feel deep appreciation.”

  Huhuhut!

  White couldn’t help questioning Grid, “Why? Why are you helping me?”

  Grid’s answer was simple.

  “Of course, it’s for me. I have to stay here in Pangea for the moment. It will be helpful if I can obtain someone’s grace.”

  “…Why did you choose me?”

  “…”

  Grid was embarrassed. Why did Grid come to the White Hammer smithy and help White? There was no reason. He ran into White because the White Hammer smithy was the closest. Then he received the quest and the situation became like this. But White was full of expectations. He was criticized after losing his father, only for Grid to suddenly appear. He wanted to be special for Grid. Until now, he had lived a poor life. But was he actually qualified to be the protagonist of his life? Didn’t the sky drop Grid in front of him?

  Grid looked at White’s eyes that were shining like lanterns and smiled. It was a smile filled with genuine affection, not falsehood.

  “You are special.”

  What if someone like the current Grid had appeared before his past self? That’s right. Grid projected his past self onto White.

  “Only you are entitled to receive help from me. So I looked for you.”

  “Only… Me…”

  White’s heart started to beat faster. This was an unidentified blacksmith who completed the design of the Red Phoenix Bow in a short amount of time. A special existence that couldn’t be measured. Thus, his self-esteem started to rise again. But there was one part that weighed on his mind.

  Even if the White Hammer smithy won this competition, it wouldn’t be through their skills. White was grateful for the help, but it was meaningless to win through the hands of another person.

  ‘What if I’m not qualified after winning the competition?’

  He would lose even the glory of the past that he wasn’t qualified for.

  “Thank you… I really appreciate it. But… I think it would be better not to receive your help in this competition.”

  Grid grinned at the struggling White and shook his head.

  “Don’t think about complicated things and just accept. Didn’t I say it? You are special. After the competition, you will be qualified to be the winner.”

  ***

  The amount of times it was possible to use the Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation increased by three every time the skill level of the Legendary Blacksmith’s Craftsmanship skill increased. Most skills were mastered at level 10. Therefore, it meant the total number of times Grid could create an item was 30 in total.

  Grid needed to use the Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation skill cautiously. It was clear that if Grid used it carelessly even once, he would regret it for the rest of his life. In other words, Grid used the creation skill on the Red Phoenix Bow after careful consideration.

  ‘I definitely think it’s worth it.’

  Grid lined up with the White Hammer blcaksmiths and listened to the host announce the start of the competition. It was the ultimate joy to see a completed Red Phoenix Bow.

  ‘This is a bow for Jishuka.’

  If he could arm thousands of soldiers with it in the future…

  ‘I will be invincible.’

  Grid looked at the completed Red Phoenix Bow design and pulled out something from his inventory. White wood. The white phosphorus wood.

  “What?”

  The tens of thousands of spectators and hundreds of blacksmiths all felt doubt.

  “G-Grid.”

  Grid quickly attracted the attention of many people. White couldn’t help feeling nervous. However, Grid attracted the attention of countless people since becoming Pagma’s Descendant and was used to it. He didn’t feel nervous at all.

  “Now, I shall begin.”

  Chapter 533

  Chapter 533

  There was a clear similarity between the Red Phoenix Bow that Grid imagined and the one that the White Hammer blacksmiths designed. The bow was white and created powerful flames. It was the decisive moment when Grid was convinced that the main material of the Red Phoenix Bow was the white phosphorus wood.

  The white phosphorus wood was hard and comparable to dragon iron. However, it was also lightweight and generated its own powerful flames. It was suitable to use as a m
aterial for the Red Phoenix Bow. However, the other blacksmiths of Pangea never thought about using the white phosphorus wood. Very few people expected the material of the Red Phoenix Bow to be white phosphorus wood.

  Were they stupid? No. It was just common sense. The white phosphorus tree was something that could never be cut down by a blacksmith. No, it was common sense everywhere in the world. No one would think of making something with the white phosphorus wood.

  But Grid did it. He was the only person in the world who could cut down the white phosphorus tree!

  “Isn’t that white phosphorus wood?”

  “It’s impossible…”

  The tens of thousands of spectators watching the stage. All eyes were on the place that was surrounded by pine trees. It was due to the white wood that the new blacksmith from the White Hammer smithy took out. Straight white wood. It looked exactly like the white phosphorus wood. However, people judged that it couldn’t be the white phosphorus wood.

  “The white phosphorus tree can’t be cut down, right?”

  “That’s right. I heard that it will explode if cut.”

  “It’s impossible for it to be the white phosphorus wood. It just looks like white phosphorus wood.”

  But was there a tree that resembled the white phosphorus tree in this world? There might be a lot of white trees, but the white phosphorus wood was unique. The white phosphorus wood had no twisted parts at all. As people were feeling confused, someone shouted a negative opinion.

  “Those damn White Hammer guys! They can’t get people’s attention with their skills, so they prepared a useless performance!”

  On one side of the stage. It was a cry from the Blue Flames section facing the White Hammer section. It was Enoch’s voice. He was sincerely angry. He didn’t like that people were paying attention to the White Hammer smithy instead of the winner of last year’s competition.

  The White Hammer smithy was grabbing people’s attention with a performance, not skill. Pulling out fake white phosphorus wood? It was nothing more than an irritating and meaningless act. It was just embarrassing.

  Dawhite. The person he once respected most in the world. Enoch had complicated emotions because the White Hammer smithy that Dawhite built had completely lost its honor and was about to fall.

  ‘Dawhite!’

  Why did he pick White as his successor, destroying the White Hammer smithy? All of Dawhite’s achievements were now worthless.

  ‘It is sad that even the greatest human is obsessed with bloodlines!’

  Kwack!

  Enoch placed the finest firewood that he had prepared into the furnace. He used a secret technique to cause blue flames to burn in the furnace.

  “I’ll show you the most ideal flames in the world!”

  Hwaruruk!

  Enoch pressed on the bellows and the blue flames flared up. The hot heat made the stage boil and stimulated the crowd.

  “Ohh! Huge flames!”

  “Indeed, the glow of the blue flames is brilliant!”

  The quality of the blue flames was the best in the Cho Kingdom. Even Dawhite acknowledged the blue flames when he was alive. The lowest grade iron ore could be refined like the finest grade iron ore. That’s why these blue flames had the highest rating!

  The blazing flames caught the attention of the crowd. The crowd turned away from the White Hammer smithy and the white phosphorus wood. Meanwhile, Grid was also admiring Enoch’s flames.

  ‘He’s a blacksmith who is good at the bellows.’

  It seemed like Enoch had the skills of a craftsman when it came to flames. That’s right. It was just a craftsman. It was far less than a legendary blacksmith. Grid was surprised and disappointed.

  ‘I thought I would learn something from observing the Blue Flames smithy, just like I did from the White Hammer smithy.”

  It wasn’t that much.

  ‘The technique of the White Hammer smithy is special.’

  It seemed like the Dawhite who kept being mentioned was an excellent blacksmith. Grid thought this and threw the white phosphorus wood in the furnace.

  At that moment.

  Peeeeeong!

  “…!”

  There was a loud explosion from the White Hammer smithy’s furnace. The surprised crowd and blacksmiths turned their attention to the White Hammer area again. Then they were shocked.

  “W-What? Those flames?”

  “It’s swallowing up the furnace?”

  Flames of immense size. The flames rose from the blast furnace and leapt outside, covering the entire blast furnace. Red flames burst into the air, like the surface of the sun. Unlike the people who were astonished, Enoch burst out laughing.

  “Puhahaha! A person who doesn’t know how to handle the bellows! The materials can’t be properly refined from such a strong fire! It will just burn everything up… Hak!”

  Enoch fell silent for the first time.

  Puok. Puok. Puok.

  Grid.

  The new White Hammer blacksmith was pumping on the handle of the bellows and repeated this movement.

  Hwaruruk! Hwaruk!

  The large flames in the furnace suddenly died down? Enoch and the chiefs of the Black Anvil and Red Tongs smithy all stared with wide eyes.

  ‘The flames that I thought were impossible to control was calmed in an instant?’

  ‘It’s ridiculous the way he is handling the bellows. That young man’s hands… Yes, it’s like he has spent his whole life doing this.’

  ‘Who is that person? Standing in front of the heat that could melt the skin, he doesn’t shrink back and calmly handled the bellows? His skin didn’t even turn red?’

  Kurururung!

  A loud sound was heard from the White Hammer smithy. It was the sound generated by the rise in temperature of the flames in the furnace.

  “G-Great. But isn’t the temperature too high? Won’t you be turned into ashes before he can put the iron in?”

  Grid explained to the cautious White.

  “It might be dangerous, but this is a necessary process. The white phosphorus wood that is cut is merely hard. It doesn’t produce flames.”

  However, the fire attribute in it was still alive. The white phosphorus wood was material that was activated when stimulated by high temperatures. This was the knowledge of a legendary blacksmith that Grid obtained from the system correct effect.

  Hwaruruk!

  The flames in the furnace emitted a high temperature that made it impossible to stay close to. White and the other White Hammer blacksmiths took one or two steps back, while Grid stepped forward. Then he put the prepared white phosphorus wood into the furnace and accelerated his usage of the bellows.

  Puok! Puok! Puok!

  The unstoppable air steadily raised the temperature of the blast furnace.

  ‘It’s impossible!’

  The blacksmiths of the Blue Flames smithy started to deny reality. From their point of view, Grid wasn’t a human. He seemed like a great demon surrounded by the flames of hell. In particular, Enoch started to fear Grid.

  “Success.”

  Grid stopped the bellows and pulled the white phosphorus wood out of the furnace. The white phosphorus wood was much whiter than before. It showed off a beautiful white light. Grid grabbed it with the tongs and placed it on the anvil. Then he pulled out a hammer that only Pagma’s Descendant could use.

  Peeeeeong!

  The moment that Grid’s hammer struck.

  “Hat!”

  The chiefs of the Black Anvil and Red Tongs smithy took a breath. Grid’s forging quality. It was better than his handling of the bellows that they saw a while ago!

  ‘That young man…!’

  ‘Perfect!’

  He was far better than Dawhite in his prime. It was enough to make them think about the legendary blacksmith that they’d only heard about.

  Ttang! Ttang! Ttang!

  Grid continued the forging. He hammered at the white phosphorus wood that was as hard as dragon iron and gradually ch
anged its shape. A notification window popped up in front of the sweating Grid.

  [The Legendary Blacksmith’s Patience skill has been activated.]

  [Concentration, stamina and defense will rise to the extremes for one hour.]

  Usually, the effect would be very welcome. But now Grid was entering a stage where nothing mattered. He was only dedicated to making the Red Phoenix Bow. He added the minotaur horn that he used all the time when making bows for Jishuka. This added elasticity and helped bend the wood into the shape of the bow. It looked exactly like the Red Phoenix Bow design that White saw.

  ‘In the first place, this is the most developed form of the bow.’

  The bow took shape under Grid’s busy fingertips.

  ‘Okay. This is really good.’

  Grid’s satisfaction and confidence rose.

  ‘In the worst case situation.’

  It was no problem if the Red Phoenix Bow was completed with an epic rating. He could use Item Upgrade to make it the unique rating and safely clear the quest. There was a limited number of times he could use Item Upgrade, just like the creation skill, but Grid judged that this quest was worth the investment.

  ‘I have to raise my affinity with White and Han Seokbong.’

  The reason was simple. Han Seokbong would be aware of the information of the other four guardians battle gear, which was in the same category as the Red Phoenix Bow. That’s right. Grid planned to acquire the method to make all of them while he was on the East Continent. Grid judged that the value of the four guardians items would be comparable to divine items. If he could mass produce them, Grid’s army would be invincible.

  Meanwhile, Enoch’s body was shaking in the distance.

  “How? How does that newcomer have these skills?”

  The black-haired man in front of him was better than Dawhite. Enoch didn’t want to acknowledge Grid’s skills, but it was impossible. As a blacksmith, he felt infinite respect for Grid’s skills. It was an instinct that couldn’t be resisted. Then…

  [The Red Phoenix Bow has been completed!]

  7 hours, 59 minutes and 49 seconds since the start of the competition. Grid finally stopped! The pure white bow with a fluid curve was beautiful enough to capture the attention of everyone present.