Chapter 45: The Mask of the Shadow King

Reaching Level 30 upgraded my Blacksmith’s Soul.

Its effect:

[Blacksmith’s Soul]

Infuses crafted equipment with the Blacksmith’s Soul, creating Hephaestus’ assistants. You can possess an assistant’s body for a limited time (currently 30 minutes).

Possession.

I could inhabit an assistant’s body.

At first, I wasn’t sure how to use it, but it seemed incredibly useful.

When fighting boss monsters, possessing an assistant would let me fight or scout safely.

It’d also be handy for unavoidable outings.

Testing it once—

Phew.

No agoraphobia flared up.

This would work.

With that, I created the Vulcanus Guild’s “Guild Master.”

[Crafting is complete.]

[‘Vulcanus’ Ceremonial Armor’ has been obtained.]

[Crafting is complete.]

[‘Vulcanus’ Ceremonial Helmet’ has been obtained.]

It didn’t need top performance.

It just had to look impressive and dignified.

That’s what I aimed for.

I wasn’t after stellar stats, but making it stylish required effort.

I etched patterns with extra care and chose materials for color.

The result:

[Vulcanus’ Ceremonial Armor]

Type: Armor

Grade: SSS

Restriction: Hephaestus’ Descendant

Description: Crafted with great effort by Hephaestus’ descendant to exude a commander’s dignity.

Defense: 300

Abilities:

1. Dignity – Increases control. Instills strong will in Vulcanus Guild members or those with high affinity.
   
2. Command – Boosts all stats of nearby Vulcanus Guild members and emits a buff aura that resists status ailments.
   
3. Embrace – Reduces damage taken by Vulcanus Guild members.
   
4. Master of Vulcanus – Enhances the performance of equipment bearing the ‘Vulcanus’ name nearby.
   

It turned out incredible.

“Triple S-grade?”

I only aimed for a cool ceremonial item, but my focus produced something extraordinary.

Well, whatever.

That wasn’t the point.

What came next mattered.

[The Blacksmith’s Soul is named ‘Guildmaster 1’.]

Clank.

The armor stood.

It looked like it could handle Level 300 with ease, a stunning set.

The ceremonial sword at its waist, low in lethality, looked powerful and elegant.

This would let me attend the guild’s opening ceremony.

And now—

[Possessed the body of ‘Guildmaster 1’.]

[Time limit: 30 minutes]

I possessed Guildmaster 1, pre-placed in the guild building.

Watching the ceremony via livestream, timing my entrance was easy.

As I possessed it, the curtains parted, revealing the vast auditorium.

Seeing the crowd, agoraphobia threatened, but—

“It’s fine.”

This wasn’t my real body.

My real body was safe in my studio.

This place couldn’t affect me.

It was just… like a game.

Like in games, where crowds didn’t trigger my fears, this was the same.

Clank.

I calmly surveyed the room and stepped toward the podium.

Sword Saint, Han Yu-ra.

Berserker, Park Kang-jeol.

Heavenly Bow, Cheon Seung-heon.

Blue Dragon, Lee Ga-eul.

Those I’d worked with sat at the front, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

They wouldn’t see the real me, but so what?

Clank.

I reached the podium.

Nam Bora had prepared my speech.

I just had to recite it.

Like chatting in a game.

“I am Vulcanus.”

That day, Vulcanus’ name spread across Korea’s media.

[Vulcanus Appears at Official Event]

At today’s Vulcanus Guild opening ceremony, defying expectations, Vulcanus himself appeared, causing a massive stir.

Clad in signature black-and-red armor…

[Doubts Over Vulcanus’ Authenticity]

Claims arose that the Vulcanus who appeared wasn’t the real one, sparking debate.

Even so, the awe for Vulcanus remained.

His commanding presence rivaled rankers, raising questions about how a blacksmith could exude such aura if genuine.

As expected, post-ceremony, the internet buzzed about me.

Not just Hunter news, but mainstream media too.

“Authenticity doubts? Those in the know get it.”

Doubts?

That’s just noise from the clueless.

The rankers at the front knew I wasn’t real the moment I appeared.

“Stunning debut, congrats! You looked epic.”

“Good thing it went smoothly.”

“Authenticity doubts? Those in the know get it.”

Doubts?

Just noise from the clueless.

The rankers knew instantly I wasn’t real.

“Stunning debut, congrats! You looked epic.”

“Good thing it went smoothly.”

Who’d come to the ceremony and left a request?

They couldn’t be ordinary.

Curious, I opened the system.

Checking Nam Bora’s message:

[Vulcanus-nim, hello!]

[Finally checking my request!]

[This is my 99th try—please accept this one!]

A lively greeting from the start.

Even through text, I felt an outgoing energy that instinctively repelled me.

Ninety-nine times?

She’d sent 99 requests?

One more, and it’d be 100.

Who was this enthusiastic?

The sender’s identity was beyond imagination.

[Oh, I should introduce myself!]

[My 99th introduction, but here goes!]

[A once-in-a-generation rookie, ranked 5th!]

[Supernova!]

[Flower of Darkness!]

[I’m An So-hee, dubbed Shadow King!]

“Shadow King?”

No way I wouldn’t know.

Amid the top 2-4 rankers’ three-way battle, she was constantly mentioned.

Rank 5, Shadow King.

She even briefly overtook Blue Dragon for 4th.

Though my orb for another widened the gap, locking her at 5th.

“But this is Shadow King’s personality?”

It didn’t match the Shadow King I knew.

The public saw her as a stoic assassin.

But her messages felt like a cheerful pickpocket.

The message continued:

[I was climbing ranks at a crazy pace!]

[Then those three got insanely strong, fighting their three-way battle, ignoring me.]

[Rank 1’s untouchable.]

[Turns out, they all got SSS-grade gear from you!]

I flinched.

From her perspective, she was climbing fast until my gear stalled her at 5th.

Fair to feel frustrated.

[But you ignored my requests!]

[I’ve got plenty of money!]

[Name your price, just make my gear!]

[Pleeease!]

The long message was mostly whining.

Honestly, I felt no guilt or responsibility for her rank stall.

“Should I take it?”

Not bad.

The commission fee was hefty, and it’s the rank 5 Shadow King.

As Vulcanus Guild’s master, building ties with top rankers couldn’t hurt.

I might need their favors later.

Plus, accepting her request would mean crafting gear for all top 5 rankers.

In a game, I’d get a “Top 5 Rankers Collection Achieved” message.

“Let’s do it.”

Nodding, I decided to accept.

If Shadow King got stronger, it might spark a four-way rank battle, but that’s not my problem.

It could even bring rankers back for more gear.

No reason to refuse.

[Accepted Shadow King An So-hee’s commission.]

As if watching the system, her thank-you came instantly.

Ignoring her overwhelming energy, I sent a list of required details.

Experience taught me that understanding the client was key for ranker gear.

Soon after, Shadow King sent excessively detailed info.

Her requested item:

[Make me an awesome, world-class mask!]

“A mask?”

A completely combat-irrelevant, bizarre request.