Chapter 140: Dragon Rider’s Grade-L Saddle

Rank 8 Gate, Broken Citadel.  

Thanks to the newly crafted crossbow and arrows working so well, I was able to gain an unusually large amount of experience and reach level 230.  

Because of that, I could now create fifteen combat teams instead of fourteen.  

“Wow, it’s taking quite a bit longer than I thought.”  

Unfortunately, without any SS-rank materials, I couldn’t make any more L-rank equipment.  

Now, the key was to use the overflowing S-rank materials and the sturdy materials mined from the mines to craft appropriate SSS-rank items.  

You might wonder if the crafting time got shorter since it’s no longer L-rank?  

That’s true to some extent, but SSS-rank items definitely don’t get made in a snap.  

And it’s not just about making weapons.  

Since I had to create full armor sets for the bodies of my assistants, at best I could finish only one or two sets a day.  

In other words, making fifteen sets would take roughly ten days.  

And that’s assuming I swing the hammer nonstop.  

“Hua.”  

Swinging the hammer all day long drained my energy.  

It wasn’t like I was making this for someone else.  

Using the soul of a blacksmith to personally craft equipment for my assistants meant I was more meticulous than usual, which caused my mental strength to wear down quickly.  

Still, everyone needs rest.  

Today, too, I ordered a table full of food and turned on the TV.  

A recently purchased 100-inch TV.  

It was so massive it covered one entire wall of my studio, but that just made watching it all the more satisfying.  

Well, the channels I usually watched were mostly related to Hunters anyway.  

– An Rank 8 Gate has appeared in the eastern district of Hwaseong City.  

– Fortunately, the Mir Guild was immediately dispatched and is already progressing with the Gate’s conquest…  

As a result, Korea has been designated a “safe country” by the World Hunter Association, having suffered no damage from Gates or monsters for over 100 days.  

This is attributed to the strengthened combat capabilities of Korean Hunters.  

A more detailed cause is believed to be the rise in combat power among Korean Hunters due to Vulcanus Equipment…  

Currently, Korea is so overwhelmed by the lack of Gates that it’s causing chaos.  

Unlike other countries, Korea’s Hunters are, in my opinion, at least on par with the strongest Hunter nations.  

Other countries have to request support or make trade requests through the Hunter Association to acquire my equipment, but Korean Hunters could buy my equipment anytime as long as they had the money.  

Although my equipment was priced on the higher side, it wasn’t so expensive that Hunters couldn’t get their hands on it if they worked hard.  

And once they obtained it, their combat power surged, leading to better rewards from Gates.  

From the Hunters’ perspective, it was more profitable to take loans just to buy my equipment.  

There was one more thing.  

Nam Bora and I recently launched a new initiative.  

[Vulcanus Forge is recruiting blacksmiths.]

[Through this, Vulcanus Forge announced it will upgrade the level of equipment for users who have purchased Vulcanus Equipment.]

[From now on, if the level of Vulcanus Equipment doesn’t match, users no longer need to sell their used gear and buy new ones; they can receive after-sales service at Vulcanus Forge to raise the level cap.] 

[Of course, a nominal fee applies, but it’s much cheaper than buying new Vulcanus Equipment.] 

Recruiting blacksmiths.  

I had heard that with so many pieces of my equipment selling, other blacksmiths were struggling, so I devised this plan.  

I intended to hire blacksmiths and open opportunities for them.  

It wouldn’t save every blacksmith in Korea, but I wanted to intervene as much as I could.  

By having someone else handle the tedious task of upgrading equipment levels, it was also advantageous for me.  

The only problem was…  

Sales have been steadily dropping.  

“That’s only natural. There’s a lot of equipment out there now.”  

Sales at Vulcanus Forge were dropping.  

There wasn’t any special reason.  

It was simply following market economics.  

Currently, there are fourteen members in the Production Team working hard downstairs.  

The fourteen of them were mass-producing equipment at an incredible pace.  

On top of that, since we offered level limit upgrades, a significant number of Korean Hunters ended up using my equipment.  

Naturally, sales had to decline.  

In response, Nam Bora suggested.  

– “How about seriously expanding globally?”  

“Is that even possible? System sales aren’t available overseas.”  

That was the issue.  

The system was locked to sales in Korea.  

But Nam Bora wasn’t worried about that.  

– “If you just announce it, Hunters from all over the world will fly here by plane, no doubt.” 

– “They’d do anything to buy Vulcanus’s equipment.” 

– “If you just say the word, and if there’s equipment to spare, I’ll start pushing for it right away.”

“Then, shall we do it?”  

So that’s how it went.  

Recently, thanks to all the money I’d accumulated, I was building rest stops in each region for guild members traveling to conquer Gates.  

Also, I was making donations here and there.  

Seriously, I used to be a shut-in gamer, and now I’m the owner of over ten buildings and even giving donations.  

I still can’t quite believe it.  

– “Ah, and by the way…”  

“Are you talking about Douglas?”  

– “Yes.”   

– “He keeps asking when it’ll be done.”

Douglas, the number one ranked Hunter in the United States.  

The last time I accepted a commission from him, he’s been pushing me nonstop about when I could finish his order.  

Since I was busy making equipment for my assistants, I kept postponing it.  

For Nam Bora to bring it up first means he’s pretty relentless.  

I half considered not making it for him at all.  

But then…  

‘He promised SS-rank materials as a reward, right?’  

Thinking about the reward made me tempted.  

If I could get SS-rank materials and make equipment, I could add another combat team equipped with L-rank gear.  

“Okay, I’ll start now. Did you get Douglas’s info?”  

– “Of course.” 

– “I’ll send it right now.”

– “Ah, and he said this is classified information of national security level from the U.S., so I must never leak it to anyone.”  

All of it.  

“There’s no one I’d tell.”  

I wouldn’t recklessly post on communities.  

And I had no one to talk to about this anyway.  

With that thought, I opened the file Nam Bora sent.  

Elvin Douglas  

Age 31, Height 187cm, Weight 103kg, Waist circumference…  

At first, it contained Elvin Douglas’s physical data.  

Since it also included his stats, it seemed I could decide the equipment size and strength based on this.  

But the real issue was what came next.  

Class: Dragon Knight  

Passive Skill: Riding — While mounted, all stats and skill performance increase.  

Main Skill: Lance Charging — A powerful strike proportional to the charging distance and speed.  

“Dragon Knight?”  

What kind of class was that?  

Curious, I opened the attached video.  

-Krrrroooo!  

Douglas was shown riding a dragon.  

Wyvern?  

No, unlike a wyvern, which has wings instead of front legs, this dragon had fully spread wings and separate front legs.  

So it was definitely a dragon.  

It wasn’t a massive dragon—just big enough to fit Douglas’s body perfectly.  

Seeing the dragon, it seemed fitting for a Dragon Knight to have the ability to summon dragons.  

“So there really is a class like this.”  

A class that fights while riding a dragon.  

It was a type of profession not commonly seen in Korea, so it piqued my interest.  

Maybe I could create my assistants in that form, too.  

“The main point is the lance and the saddle, right?”  

Lance.  

Different from the spear I made for Combat 3.  

A cavalry spear.  

A lance used for charging on horseback.  

It featured a large conical shape with a heavy guard at the tip.  

And, fitting for a Dragon Knight, there was a saddle for mounting the dragon.  

Materials…  

“They sent SS-rank materials as the components.”  

[Horn of the Horn Dragon]  

A rank 9 monster, the Horn Dragon.  

That was the monster’s horn.  

I had planned to make just some decent SSS-rank equipment and hand it over, but sending SS-rank materials changed things.  

I was conflicted.  

‘Should I make it L-rank?’  

Not to brag, but with my current skills, I could definitely make L-rank equipment with this.  

Still, I worried.  

Among Korea’s rankers, including Cheongryong, those who received my L-rank equipment were trustworthy or ones I could control somehow.  

But Douglas?  

He was someone I couldn’t control no matter what he did after the Tower appeared.  

I felt uneasy about carelessly giving such equipment to someone like him.  

‘But does the U.S. even know I can make L-rank equipment with SS-rank materials?’  

Come to think of it, the U.S. conditions requested SSS-rank exclusive equipment, and they said they’d offer much bigger rewards if I made L-rank gear.  

So it didn’t matter much if I just made SSS-rank equipment.  

Moreover…  

[Horn Dragon’s Hide]  

Materials for armor and saddle were also all SS-rank.  

And the quantity was ample.  

‘This is huge.’  

Maybe it was a precaution against failure?  

It felt like they gave me all the hides they had.  

Such a large amount of SS-rank materials must be extremely hard to come by even in the U.S.  

Well, first things first.  

“Let’s make the saddle first.”  

I had to start with an item that wouldn’t be too burdensome.  

And since it was a saddle, even if I made it L-rank, it didn’t seem too risky.  

Besides, even for a saddle, making it L-rank would earn me the corresponding reward.  

[Using Crafting Skill.]  

I could make a saddle comfortably.  

[Please select the item’s form.]  

“Saddle.”  

[Please set the saddle’s detailed form.]  

Not knowing what the saddle looked like, I searched the internet.  

Then, considering Douglas and the dragon’s size, I decided on the dimensions.  

[Please select the saddle’s material.]  

I added several materials I had, including the Horn Dragon’s hide.  

“Bang!”

I imagined it.  

Riding on the dragon’s back, flying in the sky.  

Sitting on the saddle, feeling the cool breeze as I bonded with the dragon.  

Thinking that made me a little envious.  

I wanted to experience that at least once.  

Well, right now, I was barely stepping outside my apartment.  

“Bang!”

Maybe because of that image, the saddle was shaping up naturally.  

As if it were made to fit exactly on the dragon’s back like in the video I just saw.  

Every scale on the dragon matched perfectly.  

Even if the dragon flapped its wings, moved its neck, or twisted its tail, it wouldn’t get in the way.  

Soft and natural.  

Swinging the hammer instinctively like that…  

[Crafting complete.]  

[“Dragon Rider” acquired.]  

As befits a dragon saddle, I completed a large, intricate saddle.  

Since I made it quickly and wasn’t stubbornly trying to craft an L-rank item like before, I casually checked the item info.  

“Huh?”  

The item description of Dragon Rider proudly showed that it was an L-rank item.