Chapter 158: Call of the Earth

The Tower raid progressed smoothly.

In particular, the Mining Team and Production Team were far more helpful than I’d expected.

First, the Mining Team.

“Master, mining is complete.”

“Great!”

Not only did they gather the materials given as rewards by the Tower, they also mined materials hidden in various places throughout the Tower.

That alone was impressive enough, but it wasn’t all.

The Mining Team’s combat abilities were also beyond my expectations.

Skinning No. 1 easily peeled the Monster’s hide with its sharp blade.

Spinning Unit No. 1 easily cuts through the joints and silk-like strands of insect-type monsters. 

Logging Unit No. 1’s axe swings were as powerful as the attacks from the Combat Team, and Mining 1’s attacks showed overwhelming prowess against the golems on the 30th floor.

The Production Team was just as valuable.

“Repairs are complete.”

“Alright, let’s move out!”

For my assistants, who had no stamina to recover, repairs by the Production Team were their only means of restoration, not healing.

If I were alone, I’d have to raise the equipment level for dozens of assistants every time I leveled up, and repair their gear after each battle.

Thanks to the Production Team, I could leave all that bothersome work to them.

Because of this, our Tower raid pressed forward at full speed.

“Boom.”

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[You have overcome the 40th floor’s Trial: ‘Trial of the Rune Mine’.]

[Raid Evaluation Grade: SSS]

[‘Rune Ore’ will be granted as a reward.]

[With the conquest of the 40th floor trial, the Tower is weakened.]

By defeating the Rune Golem, I was able to clear the 40th floor trial.

“A golem that uses magic, huh. That really caught me off guard.”

The 40th floor was truly astonishing.

A golem with Rune Script inscribed all over its body.

The runes it bore were identical to the Rune Script inscribed on my equipment by Blaze, which startled me at first, and I was surprised again when it used magic through Rune Script.

When it attacked, the Rune Script would glow, creating a shield around the runes.

If I broke through the shield and attacked, new Rune Script would light up, making its body even tougher.

It could even cover its fists in flame to swing fire punches or freeze the ground.

Fighting while unleashing various types of magic through Rune Script, the Rune Golem truly lived up to the title of ‘Boss Monster’.

Had the Mining Team not worked so hard, it would have been a difficult battle to clear.

[Rune Ore]

Type: Material

Grade: SS

Description: An ore that absorbed the power of the primordial Rune Script when it first appeared; it is the material most suitable for inscribing Rune Script.

“A rune-specialized ore, not bad.”

I know better than anyone the power that Rune Script possesses.

I’ve felt it while crafting items using Rune Script, and again when facing the Rune Golem.

Rune Script can be used for many purposes, but thinking back to the Rune Golem, the most meaningful use is, of course, magic.

If I use it well, maybe I can create a new magician to follow in the footsteps of Combat 4 or Combat 20.

“Might as well make one right now!”

Besides, with my level up, the Soul of the Blacksmith has opened up additional slots.

As always, I decided to create a new assistant here and move on to the next floor.

[Using Production Skill.]

[Please select the item’s type to craft.]

“Staff.”

[Specify the details of the staff.]

[Select the material for the staff.]

Naturally, I used Rune Ore as the material but that alone wasn’t enough.

I needed to add an ‘attribute’ that corresponds to the Rune Script.

I could make an all-purpose magician proficient in every element, but from experience, it’s more effective to focus on one attribute to create a stronger item.

‘Combat 4 is ice, Combat 20 is fire…’

Hunters use all sorts of magic.

Besides the typical four elements, there are special attributes like Light Magic and Dark Magic, and even lower attributes such as Electric Magic, Sound Magic, and Gravity Magic.

Come to think of it, Combat 4 is also a magician of a lower attribute.

Ice Magic is one of the lower attributes derived from Water Magic, which is one of the four main elements.

Even if I make a magician of a lower attribute, I’d still like to eventually make one for each of the four main elements.

For now, I have Comabt 4, which could be considered Water, and Combat 20, who controls Flame.

That leaves two.

Earth and Wind.

Honestly, Wind Magic would be great to synergize with Flame Magic.

“Earth would be better, right?”

In the end, I chose Earth as the attribute.

The reason was simple.

While clearing the 30th floors, I’d gathered a lot of materials related to the earth attribute.

If I’m going to make a good item, I can’t just throw in any attribute material.

I might as well use a proper one.

And I happened to have the perfect material for this.

[Earth Crystal]

Type: Material

Grade: SS

Description: A pure Earth Crystal formed in the deepest part of a mine, absorbing the earth’s veins for eons.

The SS-grade material, Earth Crystal, obtained from the 35th floor’s trial.

This would be enough.

It felt a bit wasteful to use two SS-grade materials, but this was also an experiment.

‘If I can make an L-grade item with a single SS-grade material, what happens if I use two SS-grade materials?’

Maybe I could create an item of a grade even higher than Legendary.

Truthfully, the odds were almost zero.

Should I call it a blacksmith’s intuition?

I didn’t think there was a grade higher than Legendary.

Still, it was something I needed to test at least once, and since I’d gathered SS-grade materials while climbing the Tower, I decided to check it out now.

“Clang!”

Rune Ore and Earth Crystal.

I tossed in two SS-grade materials and began the crafting process.

This time, there were two main tasks to accomplish.

Extract the pure power of the earth from the Earth Crystal and infuse it into the Rune Ore, then engrave the Earth Rune Script into the Rune Ore.

Using two SS-grade materials, the difficulty level of the production shot up.

The moment I began, the core that appeared felt even harder than adamantium.

But my level had already passed 250 as I climbed the Tower.

Plus, thanks to continually crafting Legendary items, my skills had also improved.

“Clang!”

When I struck it with my hammer, a crack appeared in the hard core.

“Clang!”

Another strike, and the crack widened into a fissure.

“Clang!”

With one more hit, the fissure spread and the core was completely shattered.

It wasn’t just my assistants that grew stronger as I leveled up.

As I gained levels and honed my craft, my blacksmithing skills improved tremendously.

At this rate, maybe even ‘Myth Creation’ would be easier to use than before.

If I get some good materials soon, I should attempt it in earnest.

By now, the color of the White Feather Fan’s plumes should have returned, and with Future Foresight, I can predict my odds of success.

[Crafting complete.]

[You have obtained ‘Call of the Earth’.]

As I was lost in such thoughts, continuing to swing my hammer, the staff was soon completed.

I wondered—what kind of item was born?

Maybe, despite investing two SS-grade materials, I just ended up with an ordinary Legendary staff.

Well, that’s fine.

It’s an experiment I’d have to try eventually.

With some nervousness, I checked the item’s details.

[Call of the Earth]

Type: Staff

Grade: L (Legendary)

Requirement: Level 250 or higher

Description: A staff made by the Hephaestus’s Descendant to create a powerful magician, using Earth Crystal and Rune Ore.

Attack: 6,000

Abilities:

1. Solidification – When casting magic while stationary, casting speed increases greatly.

2. Metal – Adds metallic properties to Earth Magic, making it sturdier and more precise.

3. Earth – Increases the power and range of Earth Magic and reduces mana consumption.

4. Vein Absorption – Absorbs the earth’s energy to recover mana.

5. Earth Rune – Activates the Rune of Earth to generate a ‘Metal Zone’ and greatly enhance Earth Magic.

“Hmm.”

For a staff made with two SS-grade materials, it seemed rather ordinary.

Compared to the required equipment level, its attack was high.

It was slightly stronger than other Legendary staffs, but not dramatically so.

Honestly, it was a bit disappointing.

“Still, I should test it out, right?”

Next, I crafted armor to match the earth magician concept.

Then, I invoked the Soul of the Blacksmith.

Testing an assistant’s power is simple.

[Beginning the 41st floor trial.]

Just like that.

Time to challenge the next trial.

Since I’d conquered the 40th floor, the mining theme should be over.

I wondered what kind of Monster would appear on the next floor as its theme, when suddenly the name of the trial popped up.

[41st Floor: Malignant Vine]

“A plant-type theme, huh?”

Malignant Vine.

Just as the name implied, the terrain of the 41st floor was a lush grassland.

All around, Monsters believed to be Malignant Vines squirmed.

Watching the vines writhe everywhere, it felt as though hundreds of thick snakes were undulating.

Still, I wasn’t rattled.

When I once fought a hidden Boss Monster, I’d encountered a similar Monster.

But one thing did worry me.

“Seems like a poor matchup.”

It was the attribute advantage.

As soon as I mined some Rune Ore shards—lesser versions of Rune Ore—on the 40th floor, I climbed to the 41st to test the new earth magician’s power.

But plant-type Monsters generally have high resistance to Earth Magic.

Combat 20’s Flame attacks would probably work better than Earth Magic.

Still, since I was already here, I decided to test this new power before launching into serious combat.

“Begin. Face them at your full strength.”

“Understood.”

The earth magician stepped forward.

At the same time, it had the other assistants prepare for battle.

If Earth Magic proved ineffective, I’d immediately join the fight myself.

“Rumble.”

The ground around the earth magician began to wither.

Because the earth magician was absorbing the land’s mana.

It should be highly efficient, and since it’s the first spell, its mana should be overflowing—so why absorb so much from the start?

Just as I wondered, the spell was completed.

“Crack, crack, crack.”

The ground where the Monsters grew began to harden but it wasn’t just hardening.

The soil was turning into solid ore.

Stone.

No, the earth was transforming into metal.

“Kiiiiiieeee—!”

The vines above began to scream.

It was natural—their home was turning into cold metal.

Regardless, the spell continued.

The vast space of the 41st floor turned into solid metal ground.

Then, the earth magician lifted its staff and struck the floor.

“Clang—!”

A clear metallic sound rang out.

“Fwoooooosh!!!”

Dozens—no, hundreds—of sharp spikes shot up from the metal earth.

The spikes ruthlessly impaled the writhing vines above.

The vines were more than just ordinary plants; they bled green sap as they lost strength and sagged limply over the metal spikes.

Whoa, this is no joke.

A staff crafted using two SS-grade materials.

While its attack was only a little higher, its abilities turned out to be far more efficient than I’d imagined.

Using two SS-grade materials to make a single Legendary item was by no means a ‘loss’.