– “Vulcanus-nim!”
As soon as I reached out, a reply came back.
She must have been eagerly waiting for my message.
Every time this happens, I feel a little sorry.
I even raised her salary several times out of guilt, but honestly, considering everything Nam Bora does for me, it still doesn’t feel like enough.
– “Vulcanus-nim, right now……..”
“Is it Gate Burning that’s happened?”
– “Yes! I’ll report the current situation right away.”
As expected of Nam Bora.
Her report was perfect.
She summed up the situation so neatly and concisely that I could grasp everything at a glance.
Thanks to that, I could instantly see how the Diablo Guild was moving, how the Association was responding, and what the other major guilds were doing.
I could see all the important points at a glance.
However, as the blacksmith of Vulcanus’s Forge before being the master of the Vulcanus Guild, there was something even more important to me than all that.
“Are there any crafting requests?”
I’m a blacksmith.
More than fighting or commanding, what I do best is making items.
To my question, Nam Bora replied as if she’d been waiting for it.
– “I’ll exclude all the support requests from overseas for now.”
“Alright.”
– “There are especially many support requests from Korea, but if we set priorities, the ones from the Hunter Association should come first.”
“Give me the list of mass-production equipment first. I’ll start crafting right away.”
– “Yes!”
Nam Bora quickly contacted the Hunter Association again and brought up the item list.
“Alright, let’s get to work!”
“Yes, Master.”
I requested the Production Team to start making the equipment.
The Production Team immediately began creating mass-production items.
Although the Production Team had blocked monster attacks well inside the Tower, and after battle they repaired the Combat Team’s gear and even did a good job as healers, in the end, they’re exactly what their name suggests—the Production Team.
Rather than fighting monsters in the Tower, they’re at their strongest when making items.
Just like me.
“Bang!”
It was done.
Mass-production items were quickly crafted.
Since the Production Team leveled up alongside me, their skills as blacksmiths had improved as well.
Item production was faster than ever before.
Thanks to that, we could finish the Hunter Association’s first item crafting request in no time.
“Nam Bora, I’ve sent it, so could you check? And please send the next crafting requests right away.”
– “I’ve categorized the next requested items by priority and sent them to you.”
– “I’ll send the completed items directly to the Hunter Association.”
Thanks to working together with Nam Bora, everything moved quickly.
Right now, it was more advantageous to pump out mass-production items than to make a single powerful one to stop Gate Burning, so I also got to work crafting items myself.
Nam Bora had already given her report, but since I wanted to see the situation with my own eyes, I turned on the TV and switched to Hunter News.
As I hammered away, the announcer’s voice rang out through the clanging of steel.
– Currently, Korea’s Hunters are doing their utmost to stop the Third Gate Burning.
– Citizens, please remain hidden in shelters, and if you’re too far from a shelter, don’t risk going outside—just stay hidden at home.
– Currently, while the Gates in Seoul are being cleared rapidly, there’s difficulty defending in the provinces.
– Provincial mid-sized and small guilds are cooperating closely with the Hunter Association to block monsters, but…….
During the Second Gate Burning, both the provinces and Seoul suffered alike.
But this time, the provinces were having an especially hard time.
No, that’s not it.
If I compare it, they’re handling it even better than during the Second Gate Burning.
The problem was, so many Hunters had gathered in Seoul that clearing the Gates there was much faster, so it only seemed slow by comparison.
And a moment later, a new update came through the news.
– Oh, right now!
– Support from the Hunter Association has arrived for Geumgang Guild, a mid-sized guild in Chungcheong Province!
– And the equipment they received is…!
– It’s Vulcanus Equipment!
“So that’s where it went.”
The provinces, where stopping Gate Burning was much more difficult compared to Seoul.
My items were being sent there.
As soon as they received the support gear, the Hunters equipped everything and charged at the monsters.
Maybe their original equipment wasn’t that great, but as soon as they changed into the new gear, their combat strength soared.
– Geumgang Guild is overwhelming the monsters!
– As expected of Vulcanus Equipment!
– Do you see those tough monsters being cut down in one strike?
– Vulcanus has returned, everyone!
The return of Vulcanus.
Before, I’d occasionally make mass-production items and put them up at the Forge, but the quantity was so small that people came up with all sorts of rumors.
Now, with my proper return, those people began to cheer.
“Hmm.”
[Vulcanus is heeere! ]
– Vulcanus! Vulcanus! Vulcanus! Vulcanus!
– Here to stop Gate Burning for us again ᅲᅲ
– Is King-canus here?
– The return of God-canus
– Wow, I was worried since you weren’t active, but you picked up your hammer as soon as Gate Burning started. I’m touched ᅲᅲ
[I live in Chungcheong Province]
– Just saw Geumgang Guild fighting in person
– Vulcanus Equipment is on another level—Geumgang Guild got so strong as soon as they put it on I thought they were Rankers.
– Over ᄂᄂ
– It’s not an exaggeration, it’s really no joke
– Right now, Geumgang Guild is blocking monsters from entering the shelter
– Please help us too, Vulcanus-nim ᅲᅲ Pleaseeeᅲᅲ
– What are you doing here, Vulcanus wouldn’t be wasting time reading this, right? Contact the Hunter Association
Even those sheltering reacted passionately.
The next batches of mass-production items I made were also sent to the provinces that struggled to stop monsters, not Seoul.
Gyeongsang Province, Jeolla Province, Jeju Island, and so on.
Each time my equipment arrived as support, it was obvious that they found it much easier to block monsters.
‘They’re handling it well, aren’t they?’
Things are going well.
In fact, according to Nam Bora, the Hunter Association had rated the disaster level of the Third Gate Burning as even higher than the Second.
But Korean Hunters had grown stronger than the disaster level itself.
With my support added in, casualties visibly dropped.
Well, not that there were no casualties at all.
Gates were still opening everywhere, and every time that happened, the damage crept up little by little.
In that situation, an idea popped into my head.
“Should I send the Combat Team too?”
Climbing the Tower, my level had risen to rival the members of the Vulcanus Guild.
And now, the number of my Combat Team was tremendous.
Each member of my Combat Team was powerful enough to make me proud.
Besides, my Combat Team had all climbed as high as the 62nd floor of the Tower.
They might not be Rankers, but I was confident they matched the ordinary members of the big guilds.
No, with Durandal in the hands of Combat 1, and with Combat 3 personally trained as a direct disciple by the Statue of the Spearsmith, they could go toe to toe with Rankers.
It felt wasteful to keep such a force on standby.
“But I can’t just send them out from my house.”
Imagine dozens of Combat Team members marching out of my place, all in full plate like a living armor army.
Anyone would find it suspicious if that happened in an ordinary villa.
But there was a trick.
The method I used before to move Guild master 1 into the Vulcanus Guild.
Transferring them through the System.
“Combat Team, assemble! No, it’s cramped here, so come out one at a time!”
Using the Guild System, I could send items to my guild members.
Even though my assistants had far surpassed the level of mere equipment, the System still recognized them as ‘items.’
So I could transfer them to the guild using the Guild System.
“Nam Bora.”
– “Yes? Was there any missing information?”
“No, not that. I’m sending you some reinforcements.”
– “Reinforcements?”
“I’ll send them right now, and there’s quite a lot, so could you go somewhere spacious, like the Guild Hall?”
– “Alright, understood.”
The moment Nam Bora arrived at the Guild Hall, I sent her the items—
No, I began transferring the Combat Team.
“Clack.”
Starting with Combat 1, my assistants started moving into the Vulcanus Guild.
Nam Bora quickly realized what my assistants were.
– “You said last time there was Guild master 1, right? Guess that wasn’t the only one.”
“That’s right.”
– “But even so, this is an incredible number…….”
Even the Combat Team alone numbered in the dozens.
On top of that, I sent the entire Mining Team as well.
Climbing the Tower taught me, even the Mining Team never showed weakness in battle.
Depending on the type of monster, sometimes they were even stronger than the Combat Team.
The Mining Team excelled against Golems and Gargoyles made of stone or ore.
The Weaving Team was powerful against ghosts or Silk Spiders—enemies with low defense and high agility.
The Lumberjack Team was strong against plant-type monsters, and the Skinning Team was especially effective against beast-type monsters made of bone and leather, which were the most common type.
“You see the weapons they’re holding? If you deploy them according to the situation, they’ll be as strong as Rankers, so make good use of them. I’ve already told them to follow your orders, Nam Bora-, so they’ll listen well.”
– “They’re that strong?”
– “Hmm, alright, got it.”
– “Since you said they’re treated as items, instead of having them move on their own, I’ll send them to support our guild members’ battles according to the situation.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea.”
That was the second advantage of my assistants.
Just as I’d sent them to Nam Bora at the guild, she could send them directly to the frontlines beside any guild member in combat.
That way, my assistants could become active even faster.
“I don’t need to possess them, right?”
Like I said, I’m a blacksmith.
Rather than possessing my assistants to fight, it’s much more helpful for me to swing my hammer in my workshop.
Thinking that, I swung my hammer even more vigorously.
I left all mass-production item crafting to the Production Team, and focused on making core items needed by the key members.
L-Rank items took a long time, so I couldn’t make them quickly, but SSS-Grade Items could be produced relatively fast.
Recently I’d been mass-producing L-Rank Items, but SSS-Grade Items had been known as the top grade before L-Rank appeared.
[Using Crafting Skill.]
“Bang!”
Swinging my hammer with force.
I hammered away for a long time.
– Breaking news!
– Mysterious Hunters appearing beside Vulcanus Guild members are showing astonishing performances!
Before long, I could hear the news of my Combat Team’s achievements.
I couldn’t help but smile with joy.
It was the official debut of my assistants in public.