Chapter 149: Fiend’s Fin and the Depths of Speed

“Really?”

“Yes. Taiwan was the first to accept the conditions, and then France followed. I think more countries will jump on board soon.”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at Nam Bora’s words.

Adding the “Vulcanus Mark” as an item usage restriction.

It’s not like I’d revoke my recognition without a good reason, but for those receiving the items, there was no way this could be a good thing.

After all, I could suddenly withdraw my recognition at any moment, making the items unusable.

I wrote a supplementary explanation, but honestly, I thought it would be hard for countries to accept this condition.

I figured maybe no one would agree.

That’s why I made the condition.

I never expected two countries to accept my proposal so quickly.

“So, the reward is one SS-Class Material, right?”

“No, two.”

“Recently, since Vulcanus hasn’t been responding to calls, every country’s been raising their trade offers. I’m not sure if you meant to, but thanks to that, Vulcanus’s value has skyrocketed.”

“So going forward…….”

“Hand over an SS-Class Material, get a Legendary piece of equipment, and the standard payment will be two SS-Class Materials plus the extra cost.”

“Wow!” A gasp slipped out.

Just making an item for the United States and getting one SS-Class Material was a big deal.

Now, making a single set gets me two SS-Class Materials.

Considering the value of SS-Class Materials, there’s no better deal than this.

If I can keep gathering these SS-Class Materials…

‘I could outfit all my assistants with Legendary gear, couldn’t I?’

A Combat Team armed entirely with Legendary equipment was within reach.

Well, first I’ll have to make new gear for the new Combat Team members as my level goes up.

“So I just have to start with Taiwan, right?”

“Yes. I’ll send you the request documents right away.”

Taiwan.

I remember.

They’d requested support from me before, and I made equipment and sent it myself, and thanks to that, I heard on the news that they’d stopped the Second Gate Burning.

Afterwards, Taiwan declared itself an ally of Korea and has been building a good relationship with us.

That must be one of the reasons they accepted the offer this time too.

‘If I remember, Taiwan deals with ocean-type monsters most of the time, right?’

I saw it on the news as well.

Gate outbreaks appear on land in Taiwan too, but most of the time, Gates spawn in the nearby seas.

Because of that, the Gates and monster types that appear are mostly oceanic.

Naturally, Taiwanese Hunters have evolved to fight oceanic monsters.

In fact, most of the weapons I provided back then were spears.

So, did they request spears again this time?

Curious, I looked through the documents Taiwan sent.

– Taiwan’s top-ranked Hunter, Peng Yuyan

– 29 years old, 174cm tall, 75kg, waist circumference…

– Class: Current Patrolman

– Passive Skill, Underwater Breathing: Ability to breathe underwater. Also increases swimming speed, ignores water resistance, and more passive abilities related to underwater activity.

– Main Skill, Whirlpool: Creates a whirlpool with high-speed underwater movement to trap and attack enemies.

“Interesting.”

Current Patrolman.

That’s a class I’ve never heard before.

Most ocean-type Hunters attack enemies from the shore or on boats, but this Hunter is a true underwater specialist.

No wonder he’s been able to reach the top spot in Taiwan.

“All the materials are ocean-type monsters too.”

From the start, Taiwan provided three materials.

They must’ve believed I’d make Legendary equipment, so they sent three SS-Class Materials at once.

I suppose they want me to pick the most suitable materials for the item I’ll make.

Wondering what kind of item to create, I looked over the three materials.

[Luoxayu’s Fin]

[Longhaigui’s Orb]

[Jinsu’i’s Molt]

They all seem to be from oceanic monsters.

But all the names are unfamiliar.

I checked to see what they were.

[Luoxayu’s Fin]

Type: Material

Grade: SS

Description: The black fin of Luoxayu, a gigantic monster with the traits of a legendary fiend, who swallows enemies in the abyssal depths.

“Is this like Korea’s Nine-tailed Fox or Imugi, a unique Taiwanese monster?”

Even with the description, I can’t really picture it.

Just like Korea has monsters like the Nine-tailed Fox, Imugi, and Colossal Ogre.

Japan has its own Yokai monsters.

And the United States is overflowing with dragon types.

These must be unique monsters of Taiwan.

Fortunately, Taiwan sent detailed info, so it was easy to figure out the characteristics of the materials.

“This could be fun.”

– Taiwanese monster stats.

– Top ranker info.

– Material traits.

Looking over all these, I instantly got ideas for what to make.

[Activating crafting skill.]

I started crafting right away.

No need to waste time.

As expected, I used—

[Luoxayu’s Fin]

That one.

Given Peng Yuyan’s traits as Taiwan’s oceanic ranker, who needs to move fast underwater, using this fin seemed the most fitting.

I added a few more suitable materials.

“Kang!”

And started crafting immediately.

From making so many items, I’ve realized that the more complete the SS-Class Material, the better it is for making Legendary items.

To get an L-Grade item, you have to use the strongest and most vital part of the material.

Not always, but mostly that’s been the case.

So I poured as much of Luoxayu’s Fin’s power as I could into the key part.

And what I created was—

[Crafting complete.]

[You have obtained ‘Fiend’s Fin’.]

This fin—

No, they were swim fins.

There were webbed flippers, but on land, the webbing folds up so they’re just regular shoes—a true all-purpose item.

Why shoes instead of a weapon?

Simple.

[Fiend’s Fin]

Type: Shoes

Grade: L

Restriction: Level 300+, Vulcanus Mark

Description: Swim fins made for Taiwan’s ranker, Peng Yuyan, crafted from Luoxayu’s Fin by the Hephaestus’s Descendant.

Defense: 5,000

Abilities:

1. Fin – Movement speed increases near water or underwater.

2. Shadow Swim – While moving in the sea, blends with the shadows of waves to avoid detection.

3. Abyssal Charge – When attacking from outside enemy perception, attack power rises in proportion to movement speed.

4. Abyssal Blur – While merged with the wave shadows, has a chance to ignore enemy attacks.

5. Luoxayu’s Rampage – Briefly, movement speed in water rises dramatically.

It was all about speed.

Most of the abilities Peng Yuyan listed were focused on speed in the water.

Weapons matter, but for him, speed is everything.

That’s why, if I was going to make Legendary gear, shoes seemed best.

Thanks to using Luoxayu’s Fin, all the other items fit too.

[You have equipped all six pieces of the ‘Fiend of the Deep’ set.]

[‘Fiend of the Deep’ set effect activated.]

Effect: Fiend of the Deep set

The deeper you go underwater, the higher your movement speed.

Greatly increases evasion in water.

There’s even a set effect.

If I make him a custom weapon, too…

“Done!”

I was able to finish Taiwan’s request.

I don’t know if they’ll be satisfied, but this should be plenty.

With this…

“Hehe, what should I make next?”

The SS-Class Materials I got from Taiwan.

Longhaigui’s Orb and Jinsu’i’s Molt.

Plus the leftover Luoxayu’s Fin from the crafting.

All these SS-Class Materials are mine now.

Add the ones I’ll get from fulfilling France’s request, and that’ll make a total of six new SS-Class Materials.

“While I’m at it, let’s finish France’s too!”

“Clang!”

I swung my hammer in earnest.

***

Taiwan’s top Hunter, Peng Yuyan.

He’d recently been eyeing Douglas, America’s number one Hunter, with envy.

‘Vulcanus Equipment…’

During the Second Gate Burning, Taiwan received equipment support from Korea.

Peng Yuyan was using SSS-grade equipment from that aid.

But the Vulcanus Equipment he wore was now far beneath his current level.

Even so, Peng Yuyan couldn’t part with it.

Mass-produced or not, nothing else ever matched its quality.

But recently…

America’s Douglas got a special piece of Vulcanus Equipment.

A grade beyond even the SSS-Grade, which wasn’t widely known yet.

An L-Grade saddle, a Legendary.

‘If only I had L-Grade gear, too…’

Douglas achieved incredible synergy with his summoned dragon thanks to the saddle.

Especially, his speed increased so much that he could cross America’s vast skies in a flash.

Peng Yuyan was envious of that speed.

‘If I could move like that, I wouldn’t be limited to my own area—I could handle every sea Gate across Taiwan.’

Taiwan gets an especially large number of oceanic Gates.

They take boats out to tackle Gates, but those that open too deep or near the borders are hard to manage.

That was mostly Peng Yuyan’s job.

His agility made him the best fit.

But even a Hunter with superhuman powers has limits.

No matter how fast he was, he couldn’t cover all the seas around Taiwan alone.

That’s why he envied Douglas.

“Peng Yuyan, it’s finally here.”

“This is—!”

“Yeah, it’s custom Vulcanus Equipment. And this.”

The Vulcanus gear he’d dreamed of in his sleep had arrived.

Made by Vulcanus just for him.

And—

“Legendary grade!”

Shoes, not a weapon, but Legendary grade.

He was a bit disappointed they weren’t a weapon, but for him, this boost to movement speed was more valuable than any weapon.

“Why don’t you test them out on a Gate Raid? There’s just been a Rank 8 Gate open in the West Sea.”

“I’ll go right away!”

Peng Yuyan immediately donned the equipment and dove into the ocean.

He kicked off, swimming as usual—

“…!!”

‘Zero to a hundred, they call it?’

‘Time to accelerate from standstill to 100 kilometers per hour.’

The speed was insane.

In an instant, he reached his top speed.

And that wasn’t all.

“KWA-AAANG—!”

His top speed was nearly double his usual.

Normally, increased speed would mean more water resistance, but thanks to the helmet’s water resistance reduction ability, there was no drag at all.

And as his speed increased, his attack power soared as well.

“FWOOSH!”

He pierced through countless monsters as soon as he entered the Gate he whipped up a fierce whirlpool, sweeping the monsters aside.

“KWA-AAANG!!”

Tremendous power.

That day, Peng Yuyan became a devout fan of Vulcanus Equipment.

Taiwan gained the ability to independently manage all its Gates and monsters, earning it the title of the world’s top underwater Hunter nation.