Overgeared

There was a mountain of work to do. He hadn’t known when Sariel would go berserk, so he rushed through the hell expedition and neglected blacksmithing.

“Sigh.”

It had been two weeks since he was stuck in the smithy. Grid temporarily suspended the production of the Backbone Sword and focused on what could be handled in the short term. He took care of the commission of the members and created or modified items for the messengers. It was a necessary procedure to compensate for their strengths and weaknesses identified in hell.

The Backbone Sword... it wasn’t something that could be made in a few days. Due to the nature of the bone material, the work had to be done as carefully as possible. Metal required being melted in heat several times to harden, then melted again and hardened while being tempered thousands to tens of thousands of times. However, the difficulty was very high because bones burned rather than melted. It was impossible to smelt and temper bones unless their craftsman blacksmithing technique was at master level.

“It seems like it is almost all done.”

He worked hard for half a month. The members’ requests were completed and the messengers’ items were neatly maintained. Grid was about to start production of the Backbone Sword when he suddenly felt uneasy. He didn’t remember making Jishuka’s item? Grid belatedly realized and reviewed the list of commissions but he didn’t find Jishuka’s request on it.

‘Did she not make a request because she was too uncomfortable...?’

Jishuka refused to become Povia’s Successor and started to walk her own archery path. Then she grew explosively, unlike people’s concerns. It wasn’t even unexpected that she won two gold medals in this year’s National Competition. The arrows fired by the Bow Saint were endless and there were many different types of sniping. Thus, no high ranker could respond to her attacks. Eventually, Jishuka returned with the gold medal rewards and placed them in the guild warehouse, but she didn’t leave a request to make something from the rewards. It was noticeable that she was avoiding anything related to Grid.

Grid was bound to be agitated. He was anxious that he would lose her as a colleague. ‘If Jishuka disappears, then I...’

Jishuka was one of the ‘origins’ of Grid. Without the trust and support of Jishuka and the Tzedakah Guild, Grid would’ve lived a completely different life. He could’ve become a second Agnus. The reason Grid loathed Agnus was because he read the potential for himself to be the same as Agnus.

‘...It must be sad and painful..’

Grid was depressed when he thought about the possibility of Jishuka leaving. Just imagining the sense of loss he had never experienced before sent a frightening chill down his spine.

‘First... I will make a new item for you.’

Currently, Jishuka’s armament was the same as Faker’s. He understood, analyzed, and improved Kruger’s pants that were given to Faker in the past and completed a Grid’s cloth armor set. In fact, Grid’s cloth armor set was barely an upgraded version of Kruger’s pants. The performance was better, but it was a result of using ‘enhanced materials’ that increased the ‘conditions of use.’ Grid’s tailoring technique couldn’t even touch Kruger’s toes just yet.

‘Still, there is a good chance this will be an old story.

Due to Dantalion’s Damaged Book, Grid’s Tailoring skill had been upgraded to advanced level 8. He would reach the advanced master level in one year minimum and two years at the most. The rewards gained at that time would be six levels and the opening of the Craftsman Tailoring skill. Then it would be a complete fusion of blacksmithing and tailoring techniques...

Considering that Grid’s blacksmithing technique reached beyond legendary to the myth level after he used Open Potential, Grid’s tailoring technique might only be craftsman level, but it was more likely to display a legendary performance.

‘It is possible to upgrade Jishuka’s equipment with my current skills. Weapons will naturally make things better.’

The Red Phoenix Bow was old. Of course, it was a myth rated weapon so the overall options were excellent enough to be used for the ‘rest of your life,’ but the attack power value was low. This was a story from Grid’s perspective, but in any case, the current Grid was confident of making a bow better than the Red Phoenix Bow.

‘By now, the original version of the Red Phoenix Bow isn’t an overwhelmingly outstanding item. The Red Phoenix Bow transcends the original, but there is a limit to it.’

There were all types of recipes accumulated in Grid’s head. The Overgeared members operating throughout the continent were still acquiring new production recipes at this moment and giving them to Grid.

Grid currently had a total of 192 ‘bow’ recipes. Based on his vast knowledge and experience, it wasn’t difficult for him to make a better bow than the Red Phoenix Bow. If it was impossible with Grid’s power alone, there were ways to get the help of the system by using Item Creation. It was for a colleague who had become a legendary class. No, it wouldn’t be a waste to use Item Creation for Jishuka. The weapon called the bow had a high utilization.

‘If I make it, it will be useful not just for Jishuka, but for people who will grow one day.’

Mercedes could also use it well from now on.

“The new bow’s features...”

Grid decided to temporarily exclude any attributes. The ability to amplify Jishuka’s fire attribute was fully built into the Red Phoenix Bow. Originally, the bow was a weapon less influenced by attributes. It was natural. The bow was just a tool for firing arrows. Attributes could be granted to arrows so it was better in terms of utilization to have no attributes. Looking at the ‘resources’ called the Breaking Evil Arrow that Jishuka obtained as the Bow Saint, the power was reduced due to the influence of the fire energy in the Red Phoenix Bow.

Grid didn’t know if Jishuka had noticed it, but it was better to use ordinary bows than the Red Phoenix Bow when firing poisonous arrows or the Breaking Evil Arrows.

‘Materials that amplify while embracing various attributes are mithril or orichalcum...’

Both mithril and orichalcum were wonderful metals, but they weren’t sufficient to be materials for a myth rated weapon. Grid determined it was better to invest in adamantium. Adamantium was a metal from Asgard and it contained the advantages of all the minerals on the ground. Of course, the level was low compared with the divine stone produced by Hexetia, but Hexetia was now in prison and he was a long way from gaining the divine stone.

Grid was thinking, but he didn’t stop moving his hands. He adjusted his firepower in the furnace and heated up Obora’s spine. He took it out at the right time and tried to forge weld it. Smelting and strengthening bones was near impossible in common sense, but Satisfy was less affected by common sense. Moreover, the techniques of a legend completely overturned common sense.

[Your dexterity has increased by 1.]

“Oh?”

The higher the skill lower and the higher the total amount of stats, the lower the chances of a stat being increased due to production. It was a device designed to prevent the infinite rise in stats for non-combat classes. For Grid who felt that the stats gain from the Tailoring skill was gradually decreasing, the rise of just one point in dexterity was precious.

‘It is a difficult task to forge weld the bones, so the stat-related penalty is relieved?’

The forge welding was a neat success. It was also at a great level compared to a fortnight ago. It seemed he had increased his overall senses by delaying things for half a month.

‘It is good the way things are going.’

Grid judged that based on the difficulty of the Backbone Sword, it would be rated higher than legendary. He might have to consume ‘Item Upgrade’ which would increase the target item’s rating to the maximum legendary rating. However, Grid had a hunch that things would be good.

At this time, Peak Sword visited the smithy. Grid was in a good mood and was able to concentrate on listening to the story of Guseha and the Heart of the Frost Queen. Then he embraced it in a positive manner.

***

[The player ‘Shift’ has transferred the Heart Of the Frost Queen.]

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you, Grid. I can rest assured thanks to you.”

The deal was successful. The Heart of the Frost Queen—the directionality might be bizarre, but it was a high value item, so it was damage resistant. It would be a legendary rated elixir if a rating had to be assigned to it, so it was natural to have damage protection. Wouldn’t it be funny if a legendary elixir couldn’t be taken because it was damaged? The main content of the transaction was that Grid would keep it until Guseha found out how to destroy it.

There were only a few conditions attached.

First, Guseha would unconditionally accept the requests from any Overgeared members to create a skin. Second, if Grid lost the Heart of the Frost Queen, then Guseha wouldn’t hold him accountable. However, Grid had to disclose the situation where he lost the item to Guseha in a video and Guseha had to be convinced. Third, if Grid found out how to use the Heart of the Frost Queen properly, then Guseha would sell the Heart of the Frost Queen to Grid. At that time, Grid must pay a reasonable amount.

They were so favorable to Grid that it might seem to be an unfair contract at first glance, but Guseha had no complaints. The Heart of the Frost Queen was no different from a time bomb.

Guseha was the one who turned the bomb over to Grid. The dangers that Guseha originally would’ve experienced would be aimed at Grid in the future. Instead of asking for a separate reward, Grid only asked for a reward within the range that Guseha would accept which were requests to make skins. Additionally, it wouldn’t be done for free. It was decided that all the materials required to make the skins would be provided by the Overgeared members.

What about the possibility of Grid losing the Heart of the Frost Queen? Guseha naturally had to accept it. It was as Peak Sword said—Grid wasn’t invincible.

Finally, the condition of ‘If Grid finds out how to use the Heart of the Frost Queen properly, then Guseha will sell it to Grid’ was welcome from Guseha’s standpoint. Who wouldn’t be happy to be given money and have his troubles solved by having the heart being used up?

“Guseha... you are the same as when I see you on TV.”

The reason why Guseha could maintain his top position for 20 years wasn’t just due to his beautiful appearance and ability. It was also because he had done countless good deeds. Sometimes when he saw articles or interviews with Guseha, Grid thought he was a person with strong beliefs and this was actually the case.

If Grid had been in Guseha’s position, then he would’ve returned the bomb while blaming the prince of Hemilton. It was only natural to ask for reasonable reparations. No, maybe he would take advantage of it to make a deal with the guys who wanted this item.

Meanwhile, the moment the Heart of the Frost Queen became his, Guseha tried to take responsibility until the end. He kept his faith rather than taking the easy way or coveting wealth by making a deal with the wicked. Grid thought that the reason why Satisfy had prospered so far was due to the efforts of these great people.

“I really admire you,” Grid confessed with a smile and Guseha’s ears turned slightly red.

“If I had experienced this in real life, then I would’ve given it up immediately. I’m just trying hard because this is Satisfy. What admiration? I am embarrassed.”

“It is in reality and in Satisfy.”

“......?”

“If you are threatened again in the future, please rely on us.”

‘Hah.’

The Overgeared Guild—as the leader of the world’s leading organization, Grid’s pride was enormous. It would be rather difficult without pride because most of the Overgeared members, who had splendid talents, were active in many fields in reality.

Guseha faced Grid and felt all the anxiety in his heart being washed away. “These words alone are reassuring and delightful. I will also try to help Grid and the Overgeared Guild in my own way.”

Guseha left with these sincere departing words. Judging by Peak Sword and Lauel rushing out, it seemed he would have a lot of work to do in the meantime.

The left behind Grid smiled happily. He was glad to have gotten to know a good person.

‘Faker and Lauel will investigate those looking for the heart... first of all, I’ll check if it is possible to modify it.’

Grid briefly laid down the hammer and started to study the Heart of the Frost Queen.