Chapter 76: A Race for Pride and Power

What would be needed for the repairs?  

Skill is important, yes, but the most crucial factor is the materials.  

Materials necessary for the repairs.  

A few chips or minor cracks wouldn’t matter, but what about the current state of the weapons held by the two Statues?  

The black blade was not only dented, but broken into irregular shapes.  

The spear had lost its blade entirely, leaving only the shaft—and even that was damaged.  

At this rate, repairs were impossible.  

Materials for repairs were essential.  

The problem was that I didn’t know exactly what that distinctive teal-colored material was.  

‘They said it’s somewhere around the Tower.’  

That was what the two Statues had told me beforehand.  

They didn’t know the material’s name either, but they said it could be mined from around the Tower.  

So I said,  “Mining Team! Are you ready?”  

I gathered the Mining Team.  

I said “gathered” because the team was no longer just one.  

“Yes.”  

“We’re ready.”  

I had already reached level 85.  

Since the Soul of the Blacksmith allowed me to create one assistant every 5 levels, I could now command a total of seventeen assistants.  

Four in the Mining Team.  

Four in the Production Team.  

Two in the Combat Team.  

One Guildmaster.  

That made eleven assistants under my command.  

With some breathing room, I immediately added new members.  

“Mining 2!”  

“Yes.”  

“Have you gotten used to mining yet?”  

“Thanks to you, Senpai, I’ve picked it up quickly.”  

I added assistants to the Mining Team one by one, and from that, Mining 2 was born.  

I left his training to Mining 1, who seemed to be taking it very seriously, which looked good.  

“Production Team, are you ready too?”  

“Yes.”  

“Just give the orders.”  

Same for the Production Team.  

Production 3 and Decomposition 3 had been added to the expanded workshop.  

Since the Mining Team had increased, it was natural that the Production Team’s numbers were supplemented as well.  

With four in mining and two in production, I now had the maximum of seventeen assistants.  

And now,  I had gathered both the Mining and Production Teams to repair the Statues’ weapons.  

“Let’s go!”  

“Yes.”  

With everyone, we entered the mine.  

Including me, there were nine of us, so we tried to split up for the ride.  

“We’re ready.”  

The Production Team naturally hung on the outside of the cart.  

Even Production 1 and Decomposition 1, who could be considered seniors, were inside the cart, while the relatively new 2 and 3 hung on the outside.  

Apparently, they remembered when the Production Team had to cling to the cart during the dragon raid.  

‘Who taught the seniors to ride on top?’  

That culture had somehow taken root even though no one had taught it.  

Anyway, with several assistants hanging off the cart like that, it was able to move somehow.  

Then Mining 1 and 2, familiar with operating the device, took control, and the cart swiftly rolled forward.  

Along the way, we greeted the new Mining 2s of Zones 2, 3, and 4.  

Finally, we arrived at Zone 5.  

“Move out!”  

“Yes.”  

The assistants jumped down the cliff.  

This time, I also descended the cliff.  

Since I had to repair the Statues’ weapons, it seemed I would have to swing the hammer myself.  

As soon as we got down,  

“Clack.”

The Production Team skillfully raised their Shields.  

The shield I had made for them during the dragon raid—the Fireproof Shield.  

The newly added Production 3 and Decomposition 3 held not shields but hammers.  

Not the usual crafting or dismantling hammers, but two-handed battle hammers.  

That is, Battle Hammers.  

The Mining Team, too, raised heavy, sharp Pickaxes.  

“Advance!”  

At my command, the Production Team pushed forward with their Shields.  

They blocked incoming monsters and attacks, and immediately the Pickaxes and Hammers smashed down on the monsters’ heads.  

Crack!  

Of course, the seasoned 1 and 2 teams coordinated well, but even the newly joined 3s followed surprisingly well.  

More than just fighting, they were carefully maintaining formation to protect me.  

Meanwhile, I wasn’t idling either.  

[Arrow of Explosion]  

Fwahhh!  

I loaded the newly made arrows onto the Crossbow and fired forward.  

The clustered monsters were caught in the blast and violently scattered.  

Though their individual combat power was weaker compared to Combat 1 and 2, isn’t it said that numbers are power?  

With eight assistants and my support fire, we steadily advanced to the location where the Tower was found.  

“There it is!”  

Soon, the Tower’s entrance came into view.  

“Kraaaah!”  

The number of monsters only grew.  

Not just more in number, but stronger ones appeared intermittently.  

[Arrow of Ice]  

Crack!  

Those monsters were frozen with Ice Arrows.  

We pressed on toward the Tower as quickly as possible.  

Suddenly, monsters swarmed from behind, and all around us became covered with enemies.  

Just as I thought this might become dangerous a sudden voice came:

“You’re late.”  

“We’ve been waiting.”  

With a grand voice,  Swoosh.  

Thud.  

In the distance came sounds of cutting and piercing.  

Then.  

“Kukwakwakwang—!!!  “

The monsters around me exploded and were crushed.  

The sword energy emanating from the teal-colored sword and spear struck the monsters.  

The monsters were cleared in an instant.  

Thanks to that, we easily reached the Tower’s entrance.  

“Is that your true form? You look weaker than the dolls.”  

“Of course. I’m a blacksmith. There’s no need for a blacksmith to be strong.”  

“That’s true.”  

“Therefore, we replaced your trial with ‘repairs.'”  

“And Combat 1 and 2?”  

“As you see, they’re here.”  

The two Statues shifted their bodies slightly.  

One assistant was hanging from each of their waists.  

Combat 1 hung from the Sword Statue’s waist, and Combat 2 from the Spear Statue’s waist.  

The two seemed about to say something, opening their mouths with “Master…” but the Statues turned quickly, so I couldn’t hear them.  

“First, let’s mine the materials. We just have to mine around here, right?”  

“Yes…. Probably.”  

“Probably?”  

“We are warriors. We don’t know the details of weapon materials.”  

“If the materials don’t come out, I’m not responsible for failing to repair the weapon.”  

“Ugh…”  

“Mining Team, move out!”  

“Yes.”  

For now, mining.  

With Mining 1 and 2, I headed toward the side wall of the Tower.  

The uniquely glossy black wall of Zone 5.  

I was going to leave it all to the Mining Team, but I picked up a Pickaxe to warm up myself.  

Then I swung it hard.  

“Clang! ” 

“Wow, this is really solid.”  

“It has to be.”  

“This is the Tower’s support.”  

“It supports the Tower, so its strength matches that of the Mythical Era.”  

“Now is not the time to brag about that. We can’t fix the weapon without materials!”  

“That’s on you, Challenger…”  

“Trial or no, you want to welcome me with bare hands, don’t you?”  

“No…”  

“Oh, right. You two should just break it yourselves. I’ll drive stakes for you, so just throw a punch. That would make it much easier to find materials.”  

“We are the Tower’s bound Gatekeepers. We cannot break the Tower or its foundation. Nor should we.”  

Maybe it was because I had solid insurance.  

The Statues’ words didn’t scare me as before.  

Thanks to that, I could respond casually and even gain a slight upper hand in conversation.  

I wondered if borrowing their strength would break the wall quickly, but that seemed impossible.  

I had no choice.  

“Clang!”  

The Mining Team and I resumed swinging our Pickaxes.  

Though the wall was tough, each strike dug a little deeper.  

Feeling a thrill, I looked around.  

“Hey, Mining Team! As I kept hitting, I realized if you strike at this angle, it works better… huh?”  

“What did you say?”  

“Ah, nothing.”  

I watched the hardworking Mining Team.  

Although we had all been swinging Pickaxes for the same amount of time, the wall Mining 1 had mined looked twice as deep as mine.  

Even Mining 2, less experienced than 1, had dug deeper than me.  

‘How can they mine so well?’  

It made sense, though.  

Since entrusting the mine to the assistants, I had focused solely on production.  

Since then, I’d hardly held a Pickaxe properly.  

But the Mining Team?  

They went into the mines every day, swinging Pickaxes nonstop.  

Naturally, they became specialists.  

‘Still, I’m the owner—I can’t lose!’  

Just in case, I activated the Legacy of Hephaestus.  

In lower zones, this ability allowed me to see the location of ore veins.  

But—  

‘Ugh…’  

Not here.  

The entire Tower wall was shrouded in a pale glow.  

Like interference jamming my signals, my ability was completely useless.  

That meant I had to settle this with honest Pickaxe work.  

‘But I can’t suddenly improve my Pickaxe skill.’  

There was only one solution.  

If your skills weren’t enough, rely on your gear.  

[Using Improvement Skill.]  

As I thought this, I quietly stepped back and lifted a hammer in a corner.  

“Blaze, ‘Mining’!”  

“Mining?”  

“Don’t have it? Then, um… Strike!”  

“Okay! Strike!”  

As Blaze blew the Rune Script of Strike into the hammer  

[Improvement commencing.]  

“Clang!”  

I swung the hammer to engrave Rune Scripts onto my Pickaxe.  

That wasn’t all.  

I carved the Strike Rune onto the Pickaxe head, and the Lightweight Rune near the handle.  

There were many ways to use Lightweight, but I chose the safest: making it feel lighter to the user.  

After a moment,  my Pickaxe now bore two Rune Scripts. 

[Improvement completed.]  

This wasn’t the best method, really.  

Experiments showed that applying two or more Runes often damaged items quickly, lowering durability.  

But was durability a problem now?  

What I needed most was faster mining speed than the Mining Team.  

Nothing else mattered.  

So it was a matter of pride!  

“Are you here?”  

“Oh, you’ve been working a lot? Still nothing?”  

“Yes. Not yet.”  

“Good.”  

“Huh?”  

“No, never mind. Let me try again.”  

Just from swinging the hammer a bit, the Mining Team’s progress had noticeably improved.  

They had already dug deep enough for a person to fit inside.  

I joined in.  

Clack!  

My Pickaxe, which had only scraped the surface before, dug in from the start.  

‘Dug in’ is relative, since the wall was so tough the Pickaxe only sank slightly.  

But still, it was something.  

Compared to before when the Pickaxe kept bouncing off, barely scratching the surface, this was an improvement.  

And the speed had increased too.  

Strike and Lightweight.  

The power of two Rune Scripts.  

‘I’m winning!’

I kept swinging my Pickaxe, comparing myself with Mining 1 and 2 on either side.  

Maybe reading my mind, Blaze on my shoulder cheered, “You can do it!” and shot flames at the wall.  

That made mining much easier.  

Blaze’s flames didn’t just assist crafting—they boosted all production skills.  

Mining was a production skill, so Blaze’s fire helped.  

Speed quickened.  

Though the Pickaxe trembled under the strain of two Rune Scripts, I swung with all my might.  

The wall I had dug was already deep enough for ten people to enter comfortably.  

Suddenly,  “Rumble—.”  

One side of the wall collapsed.  

“Aaah! It’s out!”  

A vein of teal-colored ore was revealed.  

“Rumble—.”  

Right beside Mining 1, the wall also crumbled, revealing more teal ore.  

It was a close call, but I got there first.  

My pride soared to the heavens.  

Isn’t this what it means to be the ‘master’?