The plan to create mounts using the Soul of the Blacksmith skill.
The reason this idea came about was, of course, Douglas.
‘So fast.’
In the footage of Douglas, he soared through the sky at an incredible speed.
Not long ago, Combat 9, modeled after the Shadow King, was also fast, but it couldn’t compare to Douglas.
The speed of a cavalryman.
It was on a level no human could hope to catch.
‘The Tower… it’s vast.’
The inside of the Tower was immense.
Spacious enough for cavalrymen to run freely.
As such, the presence of cavalry would undoubtedly be a great help to the Combat Team.
With cavalry, they could lure enemies, disperse their focus, or target archers and mages from behind.
Or they could charge boldly into the enemy’s core.
It was a surefire way to increase the ‘variety of strategies’ both Statues had talked about.
The problem was how to create a mount.
‘A dragon… that would be difficult.’
Charlie, the dragon Douglas rode.
Impressive, but too complicated to recreate.
Even if it was equipment for a dragon, you couldn’t put armor on the wings.
And my own Soul of the Blacksmith skill required making armor to manifest it—something nearly impossible with dragons.
After some thought, I decided to follow the conventional path and make a horse-shaped mount.
That was the sensible choice.
‘There’s plenty of info on horse armor, or barding.’
A quick internet search showed various forms of barding, enough to create a convincing mount.
[Using crafting skill.]
[Please select the form of the item to be created.]
“Horseshoes.”
[Please specify the detailed form of the horseshoes.]
There was no need to agonize over this.
From the information I found online, I selected the form best suited for the Soul of the Blacksmith skill.
The armor would have to cover the entire body to stand and move as my assistant, so instead of a barding focused mainly on the torso and head, I chose one that included the legs.
[Please select the material of the horseshoes.]
Here was the real challenge.
What material would I use?
“I just happen to have the perfect one.”
I smiled and pulled out the SS-class material I had received as a reward for crafting equipment for Douglas.
[Scale Dragon Scales.]
SS-class material: Scale Dragon Scales.
Douglas had said that Rank 9 Gates appearing in the United States tended to have many dragon-type monsters.
The material from the Horn Dragon, which I had used for Douglas’s equipment, and now these Scale Dragon scales confirmed it.
Douglas’s awakened ability, Dragon Knight, was proof that monster types and traits vary from country to country.
Anyway, I put the fresh Scale Dragon scales to use as the material.
“Bang!”
I swung the hammer.
Horse armor—it was a fresh challenge.
The shape and size of the armor, the joints, everything was distinct from anything I had made before.
‘Horse armor… just thinking about it sounds awesome.’
I imagined my creation standing up through the Soul of the Blacksmith skill, carrying Combat 10, formed as a cavalryman, racing across the battlefield.
Although it would cost one assistant slot, a cavalryman was worth at least two assistants’ worth of work.
“Bang!”
Imagining the cavalryman’s figure made the crafting flow better.
The hammering felt light and the sparks flew beautifully.
With the help of Balze, I inscribed the rune of Harmony.
There were other powerful runes, but since these two would fight together, the rune of Harmony was the most fitting.
“Bang!”
Horse armor wasn’t just a single item.
Like human armor, it was divided into parts.
Starting with the chamfron, the helmet covering the horse’s head, then the neck armor, breastplate, body armor, and croup covering the hindquarters.
I paid special attention to the legs to allow freedom of movement.
[Crafting completed.]
[‘Dragon Scale Neck Armor’ acquired.]
The neck armor was completed.
[Crafting completed.]
[‘Dragon Scale Breastplate’ acquired.]
[Crafting completed.]
[‘Dragon Scale Body Armor’ acquired.]
The breastplate and body armor came next.
The horse armor was gradually taking shape.
Just one Tower Shield made my room feel cramped.
Making horse armor filled my room completely.
Using SS-grade materials and crafting a new type of item, it took almost an entire day.
[Crafting completed.]
[‘Dragon Scale Croup Armor’ acquired.]
The barding set was complete.
Unfortunately, not every piece could be made at Legendary Grade, but the chamfron and body armor—the most important parts—were Legendary Grade.
Even though it was armor, making two L-grade items for a single assistant was a first.
Checking the chamfron, the one I had most carefully crafted:
Dragon Scale Chamfron
Type: Helmet
Grade: L (Legendary)
Requirement: Level 230+
Description: A cavalry helmet crafted with Scale Dragon scales by the Hephaestus’s Descendant to create the ultimate mount.
Defense: 2,500
Abilities:
1. Dragon’s Blessing – Generates a shield based on movement speed.
2. Dragon’s Charge – Deals damage to enemies proportional to movement speed upon collision.
3. Dragon’s Sight – Broadens and sharpens detection of enemy movement, increasing evasion rate.
4. Dragon Scales – Inflicts additional damage based on movement speed when brushing against or colliding with enemies.
5. Dragon’s Roar – Upon collision, activates Dragon Pierce, causing area fear and stagger proportional to damage.
“Heh heh heh.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at how incredible the item description was.
Not just the helmet.
Alongside the L-grade body armor, the neck, breastplate, and croup armor were all SSS-grade.
All boasted the optimal stats I had hoped for.
Though I had no weapon in hand, the chamfron’s ability to deal damage based on movement speed was a game-changer.
This was strong enough that even if the cavalryman ran wild without a rider, it would be powerful.
If only it could stand up on its own.
“Please!”
Hoping the Soul of the Blacksmith skill would take effect on the barding, I activated the skill.
[Soul of the Blacksmith is rising.]
“Oh!”
The barding began to rise.
It staggered like a newborn foal, but once it stood, it looked sturdy enough not to fall from any shock.
[Please name the Soul of the Blacksmith.]
“Combat 11!”
[The Soul of the Blacksmith has been named ‘Combat 11’.]
The barding—Combat 11—stood fully upright.
Then it bowed its head toward me, showing its obedience.
The plan to make a mount by turning barding into a Soul of the Blacksmith was a success.
“Combat 10, get on!”
The problem was confirming the strength of No. 10 and No. 11.
“Thud.”
My small, precious one-room felt far too cramped.
I scratched my head as I looked at Combat 10, bent over awkwardly while riding on Combat 11, and took them to the Mines.
“Go, 10 and 11! Run!”
***
As soon as we arrived at Zone 5 of the Mines, I tested their strength.
Luckily, or unluckily, the number of monsters had increased significantly recently, so I could properly assess Combat 10 and Combat 11—the cavalrymen.
“Hiiiiing!”
Combat 11 galloped like a real horse, kicking off the ground with power.
Monsters tried to block their path, but—
“Boom!”
The cavalry’s attack was spectacular.
Monsters pierced by the lance held horizontally by Combat 10 didn’t just get impaled; they burst apart unable to withstand the impact.
The offensive power was truly immense.
And Combat 11 strength was just as impressive.
“Crash!”
Monsters tried to bunch up to stop No. 11’s movement, but it bulldozed, crushed, and trampled over them, pressing steadily forward.
Couldn’t this have been done by making two separate Combat Teams instead of wasting an assistant slot on a mount?
I had thought so too, but watching their performance wiped that thought away completely.
Two assistants working together wasn’t 1 + 1 = 2.
The combination of No. 10 and No. 11 was easily worth 3 or 4.
And I wasn’t the only one amazed.
“Oh, impressive!”
“Is this a new assistant?”
“A cavalryman, what a novel idea.”
“I never thought Seojun could even make a mount with his ability.”
“This will greatly increase our strategic options. Excellent decision.”
The two Statues were equally impressed by the cavalry’s speed and overwhelming breakthrough power.
A speed no other assistants could match.
A force strong enough to add a whole new dimension to the ‘variety of strategies’ they had emphasized repeatedly.
“So when will we start assaulting the Tower?”
“Not good. If you delay endlessly and the Tower suddenly appears in reality, Seojun, you’ll be in trouble if you let your guard down.”
“I’m already putting everything else on hold to focus here, so don’t worry.”
I lightly brushed off the Statue’s warning.
There was no way to go any faster now.
And the time was almost up.
“Preparation will be finished soon.”
I had already made up to No. 11.
Only four left.
That would be finished quickly.
At first, I worried over what forms the assistants should take, but now I had so many ideas that deciding which to make first was the real dilemma.
I already had a rough idea for the assistants up to No. 19, so I could create them easily.
“Can you look after Combat 11 for me?”
“Of course!”
“We’ll train them properly.”
“Though time is short, it’s enough to teach basic formations.”
“Even just teaching basic formations will make battle much easier.”
I entrusted the two Statues with not only Comabt 10 and 11 but all the Combat Team members I’d created so far.
After that, I focused on my work to complete the Combat Team in my room.
And exactly three days later—
[Soul of the Blacksmith is rising.]
[Please name the Soul of the Blacksmith.]
[Soul of the Blacksmith has been named ‘Combat 19’.]
I had finished creating the last member of the Combat Team, Combat 19.
“It’s overrrr!”
After sending the entire Combat Team to the Statues, I drifted into a deep sleep to prepare for climbing the Tower.