After crafting the Rabbit Spear.
I immediately began making the next item using the materials obtained from the hunting ground.
“Since the Walking Mushroom's spore has a paralysis ability, a dagger type would be good, right?”
I was the Blacksmith of Final Gate, after all.
As the Awakened's system is similar to the game, I have grasped to what extent an item's characteristics well-suit which job and weapon.
Paralysis is a status effect primarily used by archers or assassins, so...
[ Crafting is complete. ] [ Crafting Evaluation: S ] [ You have obtained the 'Walking Mushroom Spore Dagger'. ]
I chose to make a dagger out of them.
“Slimes have regeneration, evasion, and acid? Hmm. This would be better made into armor. Utilizing evasion rather than regeneration.”
[ Crafting is complete. ] [ Crafting Evaluation: A ] [ You have obtained the 'Squishy Armor'. ]
“Ah, this gets an A-rank. Is it roughly a fifty percent chance?”
I made armor using the 'Squishy Slime Piece'.
Although I called it armor, its appearance was actually closer to a vest.
Since 'Evasion Lv 2' was attached as an ability, it would be good for a job like a rogue to use.
Exploring a monster's material and creating equipment that suits it.
Nothing could be more fun than this.
Especially when an item with the appearance and abilities I had imagined was perfectly created, there was no thrill like it.
“Hehe, this is fun, isn't it?”
What item to make next.
How to use the material next.
That entire process was incredibly fun.
Of course, the items made like that...
[ The Walking Mushroom Spore Dagger has been registered on the Exchange. ] [ The Squishy Armor has been registered on the Exchange. ] …….
Were all registered on the Exchange, and...
[ The 'Walking Mushroom Spore Dagger' has been sold. ] [ The 'Squishy Armor' has been sold. ] …….
All of them were sold out quickly.
I thought I had checked the market price in my own way and listed them at what I considered a fair price.
It felt like they were sold out as soon as I listed them, as if there was a competition.
“Haa, shall I stop here for today?”
Slowly, strength wasn't going into my hands well.
Since I had been swinging the hammer for a few days in my own way, I could tell.
That this was my limit.
“Wow, the efficiency of the 'Forge of Time' really is good.”
All day long.
No, perceptually I felt like I hammered even more than that, but.
When I came out, it had only just passed 9 o'clock.
However, even if time flowed differently, stamina consumption remained the same, so...
GRUUUMBLE-.
My biological clock rang loudly.
I urgently turned on a delivery app and ordered various foods.
My food expenses had increased a lot to the point that it would have been quite burdensome in the past, but it didn't matter.
“Hehe, how much is all this.”
Because there was already over twenty million won piled up in my account.
It was thanks to the items made from monster materials selling at higher prices than I expected.
It was also thanks to being able to make level 3 equipment fitting my level now.
“Phew, I'm full.”
-Thank you for the meal. Mr. Jang Gang-cheol.
After finishing the meal with Ember.
Having finished showering, I lay my body down on the Leaf Bed.
The rustling sound feels good whenever I hear it.
If it were like before, I would have fallen fast asleep immediately, but perhaps because I was used to it now, I was able to do something else.
The me of the past would have been lying on the bed looking at my smartphone, but.
What I was looking at right now wasn't a smartphone.
[ Awakened Community ]
The bulletin board for Awakened.
The Awakened Community.
Lately, reading this once before going to sleep has become a fun activity.
Although there are many nonsense shitposts, there are occasionally helpful talks as well.
It was also fascinating when talk about me occasionally popped up.
For example.
[ Anyone used the Standard series? ] It's being released as level 1 equipment, and this is no joke. It can one-shot most monsters around the same level, and it can withstand almost all monster attacks of that caliber. Thanks to that, the difficulty of level 1 hunting has dropped, so they say these days anyone can easily level up to 2 or 3 as long as they can get their hands on the Standard series.
-Is it that good?
-Back in my day, I risked my life tumbling and rolling with Goblins, hunting for weeks just to barely hit level 2 ㅡㅡ
-Well, back in my day there weren't many Goblin Edges released either lol
-Wow, Awakened these days have it way too easy
[ But what the heck is Steel Hammer? ] Just who is it that they're monopolizing and continuously selling the Standard series all by themselves?
-First of all, the problem is where they got that.
-Aren't they monopolizing a Gate where the Standard series drops all by themselves?
-Logically that makes sense, but if that's the case, isn't the drop rate ridiculous? How many items are listed per day.
-If they hunt all day long…….
-Still doesn't make sense.
-Or maybe it's on a party or guild level monopolizing one Gate, and one person named Steel Hammer is listing them all.
Things like this.
Mostly, it was content marveling at the Standard series I had listed, so reading the posts naturally made me feel pleased.
However.
“Huh?”
Today, I saw talk about me especially often.
[ Breaking News! Steel Hammer starts selling level 3 equipment! ]
-It's probably just the Standard series again anyway.
-Still, the Standard series has good performance. If it's level 3 equipment, the attack power and defense stats will be high too. Sounds good?
-No, it's not.
-What isn't?
-The things listed this time aren't simply the Standard series.
-Then?
-Wait, I'll attach images and post a thread.
[ List of new items uploaded by Steel Hammer ] (Image attached - Walking Mushroom Spore Dagger) (Image attached – Squishy Armor) …….
-Wow, crazy. What are these?
-The names are cute lol
-What the, almost half of them are S-rank? Look at the attack power and defense despite being level 3 equipment, it's crazy lol
-Wait, there are three abilities?
-What kind of level 3 equipment has three abilities attached?
-That's not all. One of the three abilities is level 2.
-Crazy crazy crazy
-This is level 3 equipment?!
-If I buy one of these, I could use it straight up to level 4?
-Level 4 my foot. Just looking at the attack power, this has higher attack power than a level 6 B-rank weapon.
-It's real. You have to be at least a level 7 B-rank for it to be stronger than that.
-Practically, if you buy one of those, you can just run with that alone up to level 6 or 7.
The equipment I newly listed this time.
It was talk regarding the equipment made using monster materials.
Then again, even I could see the items I made this time were particularly well-made, so.
It's natural for people to marvel.
However.
Posts about me didn't stop there.
[ What the heck is Steel Hammer's true identity? ] It was fascinating enough that they kept listing level 1 Standard series items all by themselves, but now level 3 equipment with monster names included?
[ Wait a minute, isn't Steel Hammer crafting the items themselves? ] Logically it doesn't make sense. To get all those by themselves as monster drops.
-For real, it is suspicious.
[ Seems like Steel Hammer is a crafter type ] Because it hasn't been long since they awakened, they only made level 1 equipment, and now that they've slowly grown, they're making level 3 equipment too.
-Then how did they make equipment with monster names included?
-With monster materials?
-Where do you get monster materials lol
-Don't know, it must be their ability.
-But for it to make sense, this is the only way lol
-Awakened as a Blacksmith and an ability to get materials from monsters? It could be something like that.
-Is it really that?
People were guessing my identity.
And as time passed, the accuracy of the speculation posts was increasing.
As time passed, the people in the Awakened Community seemed certain of the fact that I was a crafter-type Awakened.
How much that certainty had grown, even.
[ Hello, Mr. Steel Hammer. I am Kim Jun-yeong, the Vice Guild Master of the West Sea Guild. ] Hello, Mr. Steel Hammer. I am Kim Jun-yeong, the Vice Guild Master of the West Sea Guild. First, I sincerely congratulate you on awakening as the first Crafter. I believe walking the path of a Crafter alone at a time when it hasn't even been fully revealed by the system must be a very difficult path. Accordingly, our West Sea Guild promises to support you, Mr. Steel Hammer, to the fullest…….
-Isn't the West Sea Guild one of the top five guilds in Korea?
-Who's impersonating the West Sea Guild so fearlessly lol
-No, that's official West Sea Guild. Look at the name and nickname, it's the real Vice Guild Master.
-Oh? It's real.
-Wow, is the West Sea Guild really trying to scout Steel Hammer?
-If this happens, doesn't it prove that Steel Hammer is a crafter-type Awakened?
-For real?
Scouting posts directed at me were even being uploaded to the community.
There were names of various guilds, but among them, seeing the name of the West Sea Guild, I couldn't help but be surprised.
Because the West Sea Guild was a massive guild so large that even I, who was an ordinary person until recently, knew of it.
However, while reading those posts.
I was able to confirm one puzzling piece of information.
-Since Mr. Steel Hammer has not checked his direct messages, I would like to express my apologies for unavoidably posting in the Awakened Community…….
“Direct messages?”
What did this mean?
Direct messages?
The moment I voiced the word "direct messages" in question.
[ Direct Message Inbox ]
-I am Kim Jun-yeong, the Vice Guild Master of the West Sea Guild.
-We are the Heaven Guild.
-Mr. Steel Hammer! I beg of you!
-Do you by any chance accept commissions?
-Could you please make one set of armor and sell it separately ㅠㅠㅠ
-Why is it straight to level 3! Are you not making level 2 equipment! Please ㅠㅠ
“The system had a function like this too?”
Various direct messages filled my vision.
The pages went past ten and still couldn't display them all.
It seemed the number of messages in the inbox exceeded at least several hundred.
When I flipped to the very back page, the earliest messages were from a few days ago.
-Do you perhaps have a Standard Crossbow? If you also have bolts, I would like to purchase them together.
-Do you have any armor ㅠㅠㅠ
-Where did you get this?
-Please tell me which monster dropped this.
A few days ago.
That is, when I had just awakened and started listing items.
From then until now, countless direct messages had arrived.
Since I was unaware of the direct message function itself, I unintentionally ended up ignoring all the messages.
At first, it was mostly people asking out of curiosity where I got the items, but.
-Are you perhaps a Blacksmith?
-If you are capable of crafting weapons, may I ask you for a commission?
-If you have awakened as a crafter-type Awakened…….
As time passed, the number of people suspecting that I might be a Blacksmith increased.
And the momentous present time.
-I am Kim Jun-yeong, the Vice Guild Master of the West Sea Guild.
-We are the Heaven Guild.
-I am Kim Do-yun, Section Chief of the Awakened Association. Please contact me when you check this message. …….
Direct messages had arrived from various guilds, of course, and even from the Awakened Association.
Among them, the West Sea Guild, when I didn't reply to their direct message, seemed to have posted to the community just in case.
“The West Sea Guild, huh…….”
It wasn't just the West Sea Guild.
The Han River Guild, one of the top five guilds in Korea.
In other words, two of the top five guilds contacted me first.
Even though circumstantially they had only guessed that I was a crafter-type Awakened, and it hadn't been clearly proven yet.
“Hmm…….”
I deliberated.
Because the top five guilds were places recently receiving more spotlight than major corporations.
It's famous that once you enter, you receive a good salary and treatment better than any guild or major corporation.
If you enter at a low level, you can grow quickly and safely to a high level with the guild's support as well.
If it were the past, I would have been thrilled and contacted them immediately.
“Is there really a need?”
Let's think about it.
I am not a combat-type Awakened.
What kind of support could someone like me receive by entering a top five guild?
“I can just hunt in my exclusive hunting ground.”
I might have been tempted if it was before the hunting ground opened.
Since I am a Blacksmith, if the guild members of a top five guild helped me hunt, it would have been quite helpful.
However, the present me has the 'Blacksmith's Hunting Ground'.
Meaning I can continue to hunt safely inside the protective walls.
Above all.
“If I join a guild, they'll take a commission, right?”
A commission that I don't have to pay right now.
Even if I receive a large salary, thinking that they will impose a commission on my item trades, which will become even more expensive as I continue to grow, it might actually be a loss.
Furthermore, if I join a guild, it's obvious they'll bother me by asking me to make or repair equipment for the guild members.
Thinking that way, the thought of joining a guild vanished, but.
“Should I just listen to what benefits they offer?”
Just in case.
To the three most prominent scouting direct messages.
The West Sea Guild and the Han River Guild, known as part of the top five guilds.
And after sending a brief reply to the Awakened Association.
[ Forge of Time Lv 3 ]
After being absorbed in crafting for a long time in the forge.
“Ugh, I'm tired. Ember, I'm going to sleep.”
-Sleep well.
-Mr. Jang Gang-cheol.
I fell into a deep sleep.
And at that time.
“A r-reply has arrived!” “Is that true!!”
The three places I sent messages to.
An uproar began in the West Sea Guild, the Han River Guild, and the Awakened Association.