My aim wasn’t great.
How often had I shot a ballista at an enemy?
But whether the ballista had an accuracy boost or not, the arrow flew straight at the wyvern.
The wyvern, unprepared for the sudden attack, couldn’t react properly.
Thwack.
“KREEEEE!”
The arrow pierced the membrane of its left wing.
I’d aimed for its body, but this was better.
It would weaken its flight.
“More, Ember! No, let’s load together!”
“Yes!”
I reloaded the ballista with Disassembler 1.
Another arrow flew at the wyvern, still reeling from the wing hit.
Thwack.
Another hit.
Its struggle to fly with a pierced left wing helped.
“KREEEEE!”
The wyvern, enraged, tried to pull out the iron arrow from its wing.
But with more arrows flying, it gave up and charged toward me.
Its flight was unsteady from the embedded arrows, but it kept coming.
“Argh! Shoot, shoot!”
Load, fire.
Load, fire.
I fired the ballista relentlessly to survive.
The distance closed as the wyvern, bristling with arrows like a porcupine, approached.
When I could see its scales clearly—
Thwack.
The ballista’s arrow pierced its heart.
“KREEE…”
The wyvern crashed.
It took over ten arrows to finally take it down.
Honestly, this was incredible.
A mid-20s-level blacksmith soloing a Red Wyvern.
[Level increased.]
[Level increased.]
[Level increased.]
[Level increased.]
Four levels in an instant.
I was stunned by the rapid leveling, but my pounding heart left no room for joy.
At least I survived, I thought.
“KREEEEE!”
Another wyvern, seeing its kin’s death, looked my way.
I prayed it wasn’t, but it roared and flew toward me.
“Arrow!”
“I’ll make more.”
“No, give me one!”
“None left.”
I turned to see we were out of arrows.
Disassembler 1 started making arrows when I began the ballista.
Producing over ten in that time was impressive.
But now what?
No options.
Even if I crafted arrows now, the wyvern would arrive first.
Sure enough—
The wyvern, cautious, kept its distance and—
“KREEEEE!”
Unleashed its breath.
A scorching flame, worthy of a Red Dragon, surged toward me.
Then—
Whoosh.
Ember, on my shoulder, unleashed its flames.
Roar!
The wyvern’s breath clashed head-on with Ember’s flames.
A tense standoff.
Only then did I recall Ember’s second ability as Hephaestus’ Flame.
“It illuminates the surroundings and protects Hephaestus’ descendant with the spirit of fire.”
Never triggered due to lack of danger, it activated now.
But Ember’s flames visibly weakened over time.
It couldn’t fully block the attack.
As I tried to craft arrows in the gap—
Thwack.
A sharp sound, and the breath stopped.
As Ember’s exhausted flames ceased, I locked eyes with a wyvern falling, an arrow in its neck.
“Poison arrow?”
The arrow looked familiar.
Its poison matched the quiver I made for Cheongung.
Looking up, atop the tallest building, the Red Wyverns’ boss—
Crash!
“ROOOOAR!”
The Twin-Headed Wyvern roared, one head severed.
“ROOOOAR!”
“I’ll handle the Twin-Headed Wyvern. Changcheon Guild, take the wyverns on the outskirts. Mir Guild, provide support magic around the Gate.”
Swordmaster Han Yura’s blade flashed.
Dawn and Twilight.
Each time her blade left the scabbard, Dawn gleamed, severing wyvern necks.
Then—
Rumble.
Dark clouds gathered above the Gate.
A downpour followed.
The problem? The raindrops—
Thwack.
Pierce! Pierce!
“KREEEEE!”
Were like sharp bullets.
Wyverns’ wing membranes were torn, and they plummeted.
Mir Guild’s master.
Cheongryong, Lee Ga-eul’s attack.
With a recent SSS-grade orb, his magic slaughtered SS-grade Red Wyverns.
“No worries about the outskirts. Changcheon Guild’s got it covered.”
Changcheon Guild was mostly archers.
Their mages often imbued attacks with elements.
Long-range specialists, perfect for wyverns.
Normally, elite defenders took the front, but not now.
Just snipe the wyverns on the outskirts.
Cheongung’s archers could down wyverns before their claws reached.
“KREEEEE!”
The unprecedented Gate Break was being contained.
SS-grade monsters.
Notoriously ferocious Red Wyverns.
To handle this, the Hunter Association called Han Yura, Mir Guild, and Changcheon Guild.
“Damage is worse than expected.”
“No such damage in years.”
They knew Gate occurrences were rising.
Gate Breaks, too, with higher-grade monsters.
They thought it was manageable.
Citizens thought so, too.
But now—
Hunters and citizens realized.
Gates and monsters had reached an unmanageable level.
“The Association will handle cleanup. Thanks to both guilds for their support.”
“It’s our duty.”
“Good thing it’s contained.”
The massive Gate Break was barely subdued.
Han Yura sighed, scanning the area.
An SS-grade Red Wyvern Gate Break.
If such Gates kept occurring…
If an S-grade monster Gate Break happened…
Or worse, an SSS-grade monster appeared…
Could Hunters stop it?
Pondering, something caught her eye.
“A giant arrow?”
An ordinary wyvern corpse.
But it had massive arrows, like from a ballista.
Yet, it took over a dozen to kill, suggesting insufficient power.
She felt a twinge of curiosity.
“Does Changcheon Guild have a Hunter like this?”
They handled the outskirts.
Mostly archers, so maybe one could do this.
Thinking so, Han Yura left.
Unaware that Jung Seo-jun, Vulcanus, was right above.
After the Gate Break was subdued.
I leaned against the ballista, catching my breath.
“Haa…”
It wasn’t my first time facing monsters.
I fought Golems daily in the Mine, even bosses like the Giant Vampire Bat or Giant Wolf Spider.
In a way, this felt like facing the spider.
Shooting arrows before the enemy arrived.
Similar situations.
But—
“I almost died.”
The overwhelming pressure was different.
The image of that massive wyvern charging my house still chilled me.
Without Ember’s help at the last moment…
My agoraphobia would’ve trapped me, leaving me a sitting duck.
“I need a plan.”
After buying the house…
I thought my life was set, but reality differed.
I’m a blacksmith.
When monsters invade, I’m defenseless.
“Contact Mir Guild?”
I recalled stories of blacksmiths joining guilds for protection.
Mir Guild could protect me.
But would it work?
Requesting their aid and revealing myself would thrust me into the Hunter world.
Past news showed rival guilds targeting blacksmiths to weaken competitors.
A blacksmith’s safest path is hiding their identity.
That’s best.
“Fortify the house?”
Another thought.
Make my walls impenetrable to monsters.
Install ballistas or arrows at every window.
Have assistants operate them to fend off monsters.
“Haa, no. That’s not advertising I’m here.”
I shook my head.
A villa armed with ballistas and cannons?
Suspicious as hell.
This time, everyone hid with windows closed, so I wasn’t noticed, but fortifying and fighting monsters would expose me.
What then?
How to fend off monsters without revealing myself?
Pondering, an idea struck.
“…Guild.”
Why only think of joining one?
Why not make my own?
“Use the Vulcanus name, keep my identity hidden.”
Vulcanus Guild.
A guild I control could handle crises.
Creating one requires much, but I had two things ready.
“Money and equipment.”
Piles of money with nowhere to spend.
And equipment for guild members.
That’s the minimum.
But is it possible?
Could a shut-in blacksmith like me run a guild?
It was daunting, but to survive, I had to.
“Let’s make a guild.”
Thus, the Vulcanus Guild was born.