Chapter 151: Durandal – The Indestructible Blade Forged for the First Son

Every weapon that caught my eye was one that everyone must have heard of at least once.

One of the legends of France.

The sacred sword of Roland, one of the Twelve Peers from the Charlemagne legend.

Durandal.

It was also called the sword that split the rock.

“This might be doable.”

Why did I feel that it was possible?

Of course, it was thanks to the SS-Class Material I had received from France.

Naturally, not every material from France would necessarily be helpful, but this time, the materials I had just received from France were—

[Heavenly Steel]

[Cloth Fragment of the Saint]

They seemed just perfect to use as the ingredients for Durandal.

From the start, this Durandal was said to be a sword bestowed upon Charlemagne by an angel.

So ‘Heavenly Steel’ was a perfect fit, and wasn’t it said that a piece of sacred garment was embedded in the golden hilt of Durandal?

The SS-Class Material, ‘Cloth Fragment of the Saint,’ also seemed just right.

‘Using two SS-Class Materials for a single item is honestly a bit extravagant.’

Still, for the sake of Combat 1, who’s been performing so well until now, I’ll hold myself back!

With that thought, I activated my skill.

Apart from those two materials, I also added other ingredients that seemed to suit Durandal and checked the probability.

[Completion Rate 62%]

[Success Rate 53%]

[Would you like to begin crafting?]

“That’s a bit iffy…”

The probability that appeared was a little disappointing.

A 50-50 chance.

If I failed, I’d end up wasting two SS-Class Materials, so I couldn’t help but hesitate.

Then a good idea occurred to me.

“White Feather Fan!”

Yes.

With the power of the White Feather Fan, I should be able to see whether I would succeed or fail if I crafted at a 53% probability.

With that thought, I took out the White Feather Fan for the first time in a while.

However, among the feathers making up the White Feather Fan, only three had turned white again.

That meant I could only check three possible futures.

I thought the feathers were taking longer to recover their color than expected, but regardless, I immediately tried using the White Feather Fan.

[Crafting Failed]

“Clang—.”

As soon as I used the White Feather Fan, I saw Durandal shatter into pieces with the final strike of the hammer. 

Of course, the two SS-Class Materials used in crafting Durandal, along with the other ingredients, all vanished as well.

If I’d trusted the 53% and just swung the hammer, I would have lost two SS-Class Materials in vain.

“Should I try changing the materials?”

I kept the two SS-Class Materials but changed the proportions of the other materials.

Thanks to that, I managed to raise the success rate slightly.

“Clang—.”

But in the future shown by the White Feather Fan, Durandal still broke apart.

Now, I only had one more chance with the White Feather Fan.

Feeling the tension rise, I decided to thoroughly investigate Durandal one last time.

That’s when I realized—

“Ah, the hilt is supposed to be made of gold, right?”

That was it.

I hurriedly bought a gold-type material at the System Auction House.

The price was considerable, but compared to SS-Class Materials, it was practically nothing.

Given how much I’m earning now, it wasn’t a burden at all.

Adding the gold I had purchased—

[Completion Rate 78%]

[Success Rate 71%]

[Would you like to begin crafting?]

“Ohhh!”

The probability jumped up quite significantly.

Feeling confident, I immediately used the White Feather Fan.

[Crafting Complete.]

[You have obtained ‘Durandal.’]

I saw myself successfully crafting Durandal.

Right away.

“Kang!”

I began crafting Durandal using ‘Myth Creation.’

Having seen the future with the White Feather Fan, my confidence soared.

Maybe because I was using two SS-Class Materials?

The points were sturdier than ever.

Normally, even SS-Class Materials would clearly show the points breaking down each time I swung my hammer.

But now, with every strike, the gold only spread slightly.

It took twice—no, at least three times as long—to break through a single point.

Even so—

“Kang!”

I swung my hammer with vigor.

Hadn’t I already seen the future where I succeeded in crafting?

As long as I kept swinging my hammer, I was certain that I would succeed.

Thus passed one day.

“Kang!”

And then another.

“Kang!”

I kept swinging my hammer.

The pace was much slower than expected.

Recently, even making a full set of Legendary equipment only took me a day.

Yet, I’d been hammering away at this single piece for over two days now.

At last, the ‘Heavenly Steel’ was taking the form of the blade, and the gold and ‘Cloth Fragment of the Saint’ were becoming the hilt, but—

It was taking way too long.

At this rate, it felt like I might collapse before Durandal was finished.

That’s when I remembered something the two statues had once said.

‘To get straight to the point, it’s not exact.’

The two statues had said that the future seen through the White Feather Fan isn’t exact.

The scenes shown by the White Feather Fan are not true Future Observation, but merely future prediction.

The future seen through the White Feather Fan has a high probability of coming to pass, but it’s not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.

Honestly, that makes sense.

If the White Feather Fan were perfectly accurate, Zhuge Liang wouldn’t have been able to overcome crises just by relying on it.

Zhuge Liang used the White Feather Fan to predict the future precisely because he could change the future he saw.

Which means—

‘There’s a chance I could still fail, right?’

The future where Durandal is completed.

Even that isn’t set in stone.

The moment I realized this, anxiety flooded over me.

What if I ended up losing both SS-Class Materials and failed to craft it after all?

No, before even considering those odds—

This is exhausting.

I was starving, my palms felt like they were splitting open, and my shoulders felt like they might fall off.

Should I just give up on the SS-Class Materials?

Maybe I should just abandon this and make a Legendary Grade item I’m confident in instead?

Such thoughts crept in.

Just as the strength was leaving my hand, which had been swinging the hammer—

“Battle Cry!”

Suddenly, Blaze’s cheer rang out.

So loud it echoed in my ear.

Startled, I turned my head, and it wasn’t just a figure of speech—Blaze was really perched on my shoulder, shouting encouragement directly into my ear.

“Fwoosh!”

The flames Blaze exhaled heated up the points brilliantly.

Breaking through the points became a little bit easier.

I had forgotten.

Every time I crafted an item, Blaze was always right there, assisting me.

The defeat and gloom in my mind cleared up, if only for a moment.

“It’s better to fail from exhaustion than to just give up!”

I can’t quit now.

Leaving everything else aside—wouldn’t it be a waste?

With two SS-Class Materials on the line, giving up just because I’m a little tired doesn’t make sense.

“Kang!”

I swung the hammer once more.

Somehow, the burning sensation in my palms seemed to fade.

My shoulders grew numb and I stopped feeling the pain.

All the distracting thoughts clouding my mind disappeared.

[You have entered a state of selflessness and grasp the essence of a blacksmith. ]

[All abilities are temporarily increased by the effect of ‘Descendant (SSS)’ of Hephaestus’s Descendant.]

[The level limit of crafted items you can create with your Crafting Skill has increased.]

[The level limit of crafted items you can repair with your Repair Skill has increased.]

[The amount and quality of materials obtained by your Dismantling Skill will……]

Ignoring the messages that appeared before my eyes, I continued hammering.

The next day.

By wringing out the last of my strength, I swung the hammer for one final blow.

[Crafting is complete.]

[You have obtained ‘Durandal.’]

I was able to finish Myth Creation.

“It’s done…”

“Thud.”

Without even checking the item’s information, I staggered over to my bed and collapsed as if possessed.

I was starving.

I probably won’t be able to get up for a while.

***

“Grrrrrrrr!”

“My stomach clock is always so honest. Seriously.”

How long did I sleep?

I have no idea.

The moment I came to my senses, my stomach felt like it was stuck to my back, so I quickly opened up a delivery app.

Each time the delivery drivers arrived one after another, I hurriedly accepted the food and gobbled it up.

Come to think of it, I wonder what the delivery drivers think of my house?

My house probably gets more deliveries than any other.

Actually, maybe they like it?

It’s not like I’m ordering small things one at a time.

I order a bunch all at once—wouldn’t they call this a ‘sweet call’ rather than a ‘crappy call’ in delivery lingo?

They can deliver to multiple restaurants at once and complete several deliveries together.

***

“Phew, finally feeling a bit full.”

“I’m full!”

“Right?”

I fed Blaze plenty of his favorite meats as well, since he worked hard.

Finally, I could relax.

Counting both crafting and resting time, I’d spent four days.

All that for just one item.

I managed to succeed this time, but I still don’t think I’m at the level where I can freely use Myth Creation.

“Anyway, let’s check it out.”

The White Feather Fan was more of a trial run.

Durandal was the first weapon I’d truly crafted using the Myth Creation skill.

Heavenly Steel and Cloth Fragment of the Saint.

With two SS-Class Materials used, even its appearance was extraordinary.

The sword radiated a sacred and noble aura, as if it were truly recreating the legend of Durandal being bestowed by an angel.

The hilt glittered golden as if it were made of silver, and the brilliant white glow made it even more beautiful.

The blade looked sharper and more steadfast than any I had forged before.

Nodding with satisfaction at its appearance, I checked the item information.

[Durandal]

Type: Sword

Grade: EX

Requirement: Level 235 or higher, recognized by Vulcanus

Description: The sword bestowed by an angel to Emperor Charlemagne, used by Roland, the leader of Charlemagne’s Twelve Peers—the sword that split the rock, Durandal.

Attack Power: 8,000

Abilities:

1. Immortal – No matter the situation, durability does not decrease.

2. Celestial – Adds holy attribute damage to attacks. When sword energy is unleashed, ‘Celestial Sword Aura’ manifests, greatly increasing attack power.

3. Indomitable – Each time the sword takes a hit, attack power increases proportionally.

4. Valor – Imbues the user with the hero’s strength, increasing all stats, attack power, cutting power, and critical rate.

5. Blessing – When blocking enemy attacks with Durandal, blocks damage equal to Durandal’s current attack power as defense.

“Eight thousand attack power?”

First off, the attack power stunned me.

The ‘Blood Sea Devourer’ I made for Kang-Cheol Park, a two-handed sword with a level 300 requirement, boasted 7,000 attack power.

But this was set to level 235 for my assistant, and it still had an attack power of eight thousand.

Even higher than that massive Blood Sea Devourer.

If Durandal’s level requirement was raised to 300, wouldn’t the attack power reach ten thousand?

What’s truly amazing are Durandal’s abilities.

“Immortal, huh.”

Every piece of equipment loses durability with use.

That goes for my own gear too.

Since I’m a blacksmith, I repair my assistants’ and guildmates’ items, and with the high quality, the durability loss isn’t so bad.

But others have to constantly manage their durability.

But with Immortal as an ability?

You could swing the weapon without worrying about durability at all.

No need to be careful when attacking tough monsters like golems out of fear the blade might get dulled.

No worries when facing weapons like ‘Sword Breaker’ that erode durability, or enemies made of acid.

This ability suited Durandal’s legend perfectly.

“The other abilities are no joke either.”

Attacks gain holy attribute and ‘Celestial Sword Aura’ through Celestial.

Attack power rises each time the sword takes a hit through Indomitable, fitting for the Immortal ability.

Every single one of Durandal’s powers was a gem.

“He’ll love it, right?”

I could just picture Combat 1 cheering with Durandal in hand.

Even if his intelligence had increased, I doubted he’d actually jump around in joy like I imagined.

Just a stiff, “Thank you,” would be enough.

I almost called Combat 1 right away to hand over the sword, but I changed my mind.

Since I was at it, I might as well craft Legendary items for all the other assistants, too.

I’ll add a new combat team member now that I have more spots as my level rises.

When I bestow the equipment, I’ll head back into the tower again.

This time, I’ll call up both the crafting and mining teams.

For real, this time.

“Man, things are busy! So busy!”

Despite saying I was busy, my expression as I finished Durandal was brighter than ever.