An SS-grade item. Not just S-grade, but SS-grade! Even scouring the auction house, SS-grade items are incredibly rare.
In fact, items of this caliber are seldom listed publicly—typically, they’re traded privately among those in the know.
“Hahaha!”
Truly, the SSS-grade ability, Hephaestus’s Descendant. It churns out SS-grade items like it’s nothing. I gazed lovingly at the anvil gleaming proudly in the center of my studio.
Its abilities—boosting skill speed, quality, and the level cap of crafted items—were exactly what a blacksmith like me needed.
“Speaking of which, shall I make something right now?”
My hands itched to use it immediately. With the morning sun rising, it was the perfect time to focus. I was low on iron ore, but I grabbed my hammer without hesitation.
“Crafting!”
[Using Crafting Skill.]
[Please select the item type to craft.]
“Dagger!”
For something straightforward, a sword’s the way to go. With limited iron ore, I chose a dagger over a longsword. Mixing in other minerals should make crafting a dagger easy enough.
[Please specify the dagger’s details.]
Until now, I’d kept designs as simple as possible. I didn’t know much about blacksmithing, and I wasn’t fully comfortable with hammering yet, so it was the only way to keep things manageable.
But things were different now. I had more confidence in my hammering, my skills had upgraded, and I had a proper anvil.
Drawing on my gaming knowledge, I envisioned a dagger with a blade that flickered like flames.
[Please select the dagger’s materials.]
“Let’s go luxurious.”
A bit of iron ore. All the mana stones I’d mined. And the fresh, sparkling ruby I’d just obtained.
[Crafting commencing.]
“Let’s do this!”
Clang!
I swung my hammer. The points that appeared were completely different from those for the anvil—thin and delicate, almost fragile. Hitting them precisely was the only way to progress.
Clang!
It would’ve been tough before, but…
Vrrrm—
The anvil hummed, empowering me. The small points grew slightly larger under its influence, and I smiled with satisfaction as I struck them.
[Progress: 61%…]
The mana stones sharpened, the iron ore took shape, and the ruby shattered into powder, adding a subtle red glow to the dagger.
The delicate points drained my mental energy, but my face still held a smile.
This was fun. So incredibly fun. Crafting items with each hammer swing felt insanely satisfying.
[Crafting complete.]
[Obtained ‘Flickering Ember.’]
“Done!”
No forge flames here, but was it the heat radiating from the dagger? My body was drenched in sweat. No matter—I immediately checked the item details.
[Flickering Ember]
Type: Dagger
Grade: SS
Restrictions: Level 10+
Description: A magical dagger crafted from high-purity mana stones, infused with ruby powder to maximize the ruby’s fiery energy.
Attack Power: 100
Abilities:
Mana Blade – Damage dealt is pure magical damage, not physical.
Flicker – Inflicts burns and continuous damage on pierced wounds.
Pierce – Attacks pass through enemies instead of colliding.
Overheat – Once per day, use the unique skill ‘Flickering Inferno.’
Flickering Inferno: Unleashes the weapon’s flames forward, dealing area damage. The weapon becomes unusable for 24 hours afterward.
“Double S!”
An SS-grade weapon. I’d hoped for something good since the anvil boosted quality and stats, but an actual SS-grade weapon? Its abilities were impressive too.
Not only was it a level 10 weapon—higher than my level—but it had the rare attribute attack ability.
Unlike the Kitchen Long Sword’s minor fire damage, this weapon’s entire attack power was converted to fire-based magic damage. Even I could tell this would sell for a fortune.
“This could work…”
I thought of the Giant Vampire Bat in the mine. If I learned its weakness, crafted an SS-grade weapon tailored to it, and attacked, couldn’t even I defeat it?
No matter how tough a boss monster is, hitting its weakness with an SS-grade weapon should make it hard to resist.
Holding the SS-grade dagger Flickering Ember, my confidence surged.
“Should I list this on the auction house?”
It was too good for me to use. Golems were fine with a pickaxe, and this dagger didn’t feel right for fighting the bat.
I hadn’t learned the bat’s weakness yet, but a dagger didn’t suit me. A longer weapon, like a spear, would be better for keeping the bat at bay.
[‘Flickering Ember’ has been listed.]
After listing it, I took a rare break. With limited materials, I decided to wait for Mir Guild’s reply before crafting again.
***
The auction house has various features. Beyond buying and selling, it has a community for discussions and questions. Algorithms recommend items, and trending items are highlighted in real-time.
[Whoa! Isn’t the #1 item right now the one Kang Hyuk used?]
-Heard he listed it after getting something better.
-Better than that?
-Hook me up with a deal too. 😭
-‘The world is unfair.’
-But seriously, that’s a crazy item. How much will it sell for?
The community buzzed with interest, mostly in high-level, high-grade items. Naturally, few cared about low-level gear in a place where all Awakened gather. But then, a level 10 weapon broke into the top 10 trending items.
[What’s that?]
-A level 10 item in the top 10? LOL
-Auction house standards have dropped.
-Just Korea being Korea, lol.
-Did you even check the item? Everyone’s freaking out over it.
-Check what? LOL. Sounds like you’re level 10.
A level 10 item? Anything below level 20 is usually ignored. People mocked it at first, but their jaws dropped when they saw it.
[#9: Flickering Ember]
Not only did it not drop from the rankings, it climbed higher. And the price? It shocked them even more.
[A level 10 item broke ten million won? Is that even possible?]
-No way, even if it’s good, a level 10 item hitting ten mil? LOL
-It’s SS-grade.
-SS-grade or not, it’s level 10. Kinda meh, no?
-Would be if it were another weapon, but its abilities are insane.
People didn’t fully grasp why yet. Those in the know joined the community to explain.
[7 Reasons ‘Flickering Ember’ is Trending]
It’s an SS-grade weapon.
A dagger, so any class can use it temporarily.
Level 10, but its attack power is high enough for level 40+.
And it’s a dagger.
Converts 100% of attack power to magic damage, perfect for warriors who only deal physical damage to carry as a backup.
Pierce effect ignores defenses.
-Wait, seven reasons?
-Damn, those stats are wild. Attack power 100 for a level 10? LOL
-Those abilities are nuts!
Why a level 10 dagger was so popular wasn’t fully explained in the post. Those who understood valued it even more. If it were a longsword, spear, or bow, it wouldn’t be this pricey. It was the dagger’s form, its exceptional attribute attack, and its wide-ranging unique skill that drove its value sky-high.
Then, another piece of info dropped.
-Wait, it’s crafted?
-Crafted? And SS-grade?
-Check the seller’s link—it’s a blacksmith page. Someone named Vulcanus, looks new.
-Kitchen Long Sword? Didn’t we see that yesterday?
-Yeah, for real.
-That’s the same guy?
The weapon wasn’t a monster drop—it was crafted by an Awakened. People didn’t believe it at first, but they couldn’t deny it.
The flame emblem on the dagger’s image symbolized its creator, Vulcanus. And that wasn’t the only reason for their shock.
-A blacksmith made an SS-grade weapon? In Korea? Even Kang Ho-deok can’t do that!
-Crafted items are usually A-grade or lower. Only the best can attempt A-grade, and only someone like Kang Ho-deok, Korea’s top blacksmith, can push past that limit.
An SS-grade item? Unthinkable. But no matter how much they denied it, the creator’s emblem on the dagger was undeniable.
-Is this gonna shake up Korea’s blacksmith rankings?
-Korea? This is world-ranking level!
-Bartender, a shot of national pride!
Drawn to Flickering Ember, people didn’t stop there—they started visiting Vulcanus’s page.