Chapter 104: Vulcanus’s Quest for Levels

After Vulcanus’s Forge claimed the number one spot in the system rankings.

[Vulcanus’s Forge — Rank 1]

– Dundun!

– Honestly, this is kind of late. ㅋㅋ

– ㅋㅋ Yeah, it should have happened much earlier, but I guess Kang Ho-duk’s level was so high he held the spot for a long time.

– Vulcanus, let’s gooooo!

– Wow, but how long has Vulcanus been around and it’s already number one?

– The speed of leveling up alone is crazy;

– I heard the huge guild and the Hunter Association are all hands on deck to level up Vulcanus.

– Does that even make sense? ㅋㅋ If that were true, Vulcanus’s identity would have been revealed ages ago. ㅋㅋㅋ

The related communities were absolutely buzzing.

[So what’s going to happen to Kang Ho-duk’s Forge now?]

– Will it go dark like a fire goblin?

– I don’t think Kang Ho-duk would do that.

– Now that I look, they’re basically the same. ㅇㅇ Judging by the latest items, it seems like they don’t care at all.

– They’re different from a fire goblin.

– ㅇㅇ How can you compare him to a criminal like a fire goblin? ㅋㅋ

– But don’t you think Kang Ho-duk’s forge’s craftsmanship has gotten even better?

– It really has. The overall grades seem higher now.

– You guys don’t know, but even if they dropped to second place, people who actually use the gear all still use Kang Ho-duk’s.

– I’m using Kang Ho-duk’s gear, and it feels so good I can’t switch.

– Upper comment, what level and price are Kang Ho-duk’s items? That’s a lie. ㄴㄴ

– (Proof pic)

– Bro, respect.

Vulcanus’s Forge had climbed to the top spot.

Everyone knew Vulcanus’s skill was impressive, but until now, Vulcanus hadn’t been able to claim number one.

So everyone thought that unless Vulcanus caught up to Kang Ho-duk’s level, snatching that top spot was impossible.

But before Vulcanus even caught up to Kang Ho-duk’s level, they grabbed the number one spot.

Naturally, the community flared up.

Amidst all this, a reporter desperately tracked down Kang Ho-duk’s forge and finally managed to secure an interview.

– “Master Blacksmith Kang Ho-duk, hello!”

– “Cut to the chase.”

– “You’ve relinquished the number one forge spot, which you’ve held since the First Generation era, to Vulcanus’s Forge. How do you feel about that?”

– “Did you come here just to get on my nerves?”

– “Ah, no, it’s just…”

– “I nodded thinking it was admirable effort, but you’re just an insolent youth.”

From the start, the reporter got harsh criticism.

It was a live broadcast, so there was no chance to edit out the opening segment where things went south.

In the end, the reporter had to grovel to continue the interview.

Of course, real-time chat was filled with people mocking him.

– “S-so, about your current feelings…”

The reporter cautiously asked, wary of setting Kang Ho-duk off again.

Kang Ho-duk looked at him as if displeased, let out a small sigh, then answered.

– “I met him in person.”

– “Huh? Vulcanus the Hunter? I heard he’s very hard to meet!”

– “He’s a young man who respects his elders. Even though I barged in unannounced, he politely bowed his head.”

– “Ah, Vulcanus the Hunter…”

– “And we swung hammers together.”

– “You and Vulcanus the Hunter swung hammers together? H-hey, do you have a recorded video of that?”

– “Say one more nonsense and I’ll stop the interview right now.”

Yikes!

Kang Ho-duk’s temper had softened a lot.

He used to scowl and leave the moment something displeased him.

But now, he was kindly warning the reporter and continuing the interview.

– “S-so, how was it swinging a hammer alongside Vulcanus?”

– “He’s the blacksmith of a new era.”

– “Well…”

– “It’s not just about the flow of time. His skill was exceptional. Definitely something different, something new.”

Who is Kang Ho-duk?

He was always a proud, stubborn craftsman who believed only his hammering was the best.

And now, Kang Ho-duk had acknowledged Vulcanus’s skill.

This shocked everyone more than just Kang Ho-duk’s forge slipping to second place.

– “Kang Ho-duk recognizes his skill! Truly, that’s Vulcanus the Hunter. So what will you do from now on?”

Everyone was curious about the future of Kang Ho-duk’s forge.

It was true they had dropped to second place, but the gap between second and third in the forge rankings was clear.

Though Kang Ho-duk had lost to Vulcanus, he was still a First Generation blacksmith of outstanding skill.

If such a craftsman retired?

That would be a serious blow to the Korean Hunter World.

Even though Vulcanus was churning out mass-produced items at incredible speed, he couldn’t perfectly fill Kang Ho-duk’s shoes.

– “I’ll catch up.”

– “You mean Vulcanus the Hunter?”

– “Though I can’t follow the new generation’s methods, the old generation has its own ways.”

Fortunately, Kang Ho-duk showed no signs of retirement.

Instead, he was burning with more passion than ever before.

His right hand was clenched as if itching to swing the hammer immediately.

– “Nowadays, young people say if you think you’re late, it’s already too late. But for us old-timers, now is the fastest time.”

Kang Ho-duk will not stop.

Until he catches up to Vulcanus.

Or even if he never catches up, he’ll keep going.

***

Vulcanus’s Forge had reached number one.

As a blacksmith myself, I was genuinely happy.

The moment I confirmed that Vulcanus’s Forge was number one after sending Kang Ho-duk away, I even sent a bonus to the Vulcanus Guild and ordered a bunch of delivery food.

But still.

“Nothing’s changed.”

My life stayed the same.

Making items, selling them.

Sometimes heading down to the mines to check out Zone 4, where I still hadn’t found Haephaestus’s Forge.

Sometimes killing monsters in Zone 5 to relieve stress.

Originally, even if I raised my prices, my forge’s items would sell out anyway, so nothing would change just by reaching number one.

As time passed, one problem arose.

“My level’s not going up.”

My level wasn’t increasing.

Well, it was increasing — just painfully slowly.

Actually, compared to other Hunters, it was an insanely fast pace.

Blacksmiths who can’t fight monsters directly usually find leveling up much harder than other Hunters.

I had already caught up to the levels of my Vulcanus Guild members.

Still, going days without leveling up after usually gaining at least one level daily was maddening.

So I checked Zone 5.

“Combat team, any problems?”

“No, no problems.”

“Really? Is hunting a bit harder, or are monsters slower to kill?”

“Not at all. Actually, the number of monsters is so low it’s hard to carry out your orders.”

“The number of monsters is low?”

“Yes.”

Now that I thought about it, there weren’t many monsters around.

Normally, when entering Zone 5, the area from the entrance down would be teeming with monsters.

It wasn’t just a few fish in water; it was packed.

But not anymore.

Monsters appeared slowly and steadily in the distance, but the sheer volume from before was gone.

I wondered if the number of monsters had actually decreased.

“Combat 4, your turn.”

“Understood.”

At the command, Combat 4 gathered magic with his staff.

“Krakakakak!”

He froze all the monsters just stepping into Zone 5.

Then, as Combat 4 waved his hand, the ice statues shattered like glass.

That’s right.

It wasn’t that the number of monsters had decreased.

Combat 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The four of them had gotten so strong, monsters simply couldn’t survive.

“Has it always been like this?”

“No. It wasn’t this bad before, but under the master’s command, the four of us synchronized and recently cleared all of Zone 5.”

“So since then, every time monsters appear, Combat 4 finishes them?”

“We take turns clearing them. We can’t let our combat senses dull.”

For a moment, I suspected Combat 4 was slacking off, but it was clear that wasn’t the case.

‘No wonder leveling slowed down after the sudden rapid growth.’

The timing matched perfectly.

My recent struggles with leveling weren’t for no reason.

Zone 5’s monster population was limited, and the killing speed was just too fast.

Just to be sure, I asked the two Statues.

“As I said before, those monsters are just leftover overflow from the tower.”

“Is there no other way to hunt?”

“Simple. Enter the tower. If you climb the tower, you can defeat many more powerful monsters! I can open the gate for you right now…”

“No, no, I’m not climbing the tower! Is there another way?”

“Hmm, not completely impossible.”

“Oh? What is it? You mentioned seasoned chicken before.”

“Seasoned chicken! You brought it!”

“Seasoned chicken?! That many! Thank you!”

“It’s seasoned chicken. So what’s the method?”

The two Statues once said they wanted seasoned chicken.

I had plenty of money for that, so I brought twenty orders of ten each.

Even so, the huge Statues would eat it all in an instant, but it was enough as payment for answers.

As soon as I handed over the chicken, one Statue shoved a piece into its mouth, then answered with a satisfied face.

“If the tower becomes unstable, more monsters will overflow.”

“Wait, didn’t you say the last tower instability caused the Second Gate Burning?”

“Gate Burning? I don’t know what that’s called in your world, but yes, disaster after disaster is accurate.”

“No, not that. Any other way?”

“There’s none.”

“Really?”

“I swear on this seasoned chicken.”

A vow on seasoned chicken.

It sounded ridiculous, but there was no reason to doubt it.

That meant experience gains would continue to be slow.

‘Just a bit more level.’

I felt a pang of regret.

If I could just level up a little more, I could make 300-level items.

Currently, the top-ranked Hunters including Sword Saints were all past level 300.

300-level was known as a major threshold, but due to the recent Gate Burning, not only Vulcanus Guild members but other Hunters’ levels had also generally risen.

So it was only natural that the rankers’ levels went up too.

Still, I had hoped to craft weapons and armor for rankers once I hit 300.

It was frustrating to slow down now.

“Alright, got it.”

“Since there are fewer monsters, the apprentices will have more time for training!”

“Apprentices?”

“Of course! They’re all our apprentices, and excellent ones at that.”

“Combat 1 and 3, sure, but Combat 2 uses a bow, and Combat 4 uses magic.”

“Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘All rivers flow to the sea’? All paths eventually lead to one.”

“Even if we don’t know the details of archery, we understand the archer’s role in battle and where to aim.”

“Magic is the same. We may not know the nuances, but we know when and how to use spells to defeat enemies and help allies.”

“Hmm, I see. I’ll bring more seasoned chicken next time, so keep it up.”

“Please do!”

“Lately, our joy in life is just teaching and seasoned chicken!”

“Yep yep.”

With that, I left the mines.

Leveling up.

Even with limited monster spawns in Zone 5, it’s ultimately a battle against time.

Monsters keep coming, so my level will rise slowly but steadily.

‘Still, I want to catch up quickly.’

Meanwhile, the rankers won’t be idle.

Their levels will keep climbing.

Rankers past level 300 can’t level up quickly, but I, following behind, felt the pressure.

At that moment, a series of events flashed through my mind.

・Kyarararararaak!!

During the Second Gate Burning, a Manticore appeared in front of the Vulcanus Guild building.

At that time, I possessed Guildmaster 1 and shot crossbow bolts to stop them.

And because I helped defeat the Manticore boss monsters, including the regular ones, a level-up reward came.

So even while inhabiting Guildmaster 1’s body, I could gain levels.

“So if I clear gates using Guildmaster 1’s body, I can gain experience too?”

Even if I stayed still in my own body, just by possessing Guildmaster 1 and fighting, I could level up.

If so, wouldn’t it be faster to occasionally possess Guildmaster 1 and clear gates with guildmates than just wait around?

As soon as the thought struck, I contacted Nam Bora.

“Nam Bora.”

– Yes, Vulcanus?