Chapter 17: Forging Forward

A feast of assorted jokbal, makguksu, bite-sized potato pancakes, rice balls, bossam kimchi, and even fried rice. I added every possible side dish and finished the meal.

Not long ago, ordering delivery once meant surviving on rice with kimchi or ramen with kimchi for an entire week. Now, I’m ordering delivery once or twice a day.

“Phew, I’m stuffed.”

I devoured a large jokbal all by myself, including all the side dishes. Swinging a pickaxe and hammer all day must burn a lot of energy.

Considering how much I move, a single bowl of rice wouldn’t cut it. My daily routine now rivals the physical exertion of a construction worker.

“Time for a quick break?”

I turned on the computer and launched a game for the first time in a while. Before awakening, the game I enjoyed most recently was Last Gate.

Based on the gates and monsters that appear in real life, it’s been the most popular game lately.

After a little over an hour…

“Hmm…”

Something felt off. Not long ago, I’d lose track of time immersed in this game. But now, it wasn’t fun at all—it felt boring. The more I played, the more I thought, I’d rather be swinging my hammer right now.

“Ugh, let’s just decompose.”

I shut off the game and stood in front of the anvil. Gripping the hammer instead of a keyboard finally brought a sense of calm. I decomposed all the ores I’d mined today and only then could I rest comfortably.

***

In South Korea, there’s a ranking system for so-called “hunters,” or Awakened individuals. This isn’t a subjective ranking made for fun—it’s an objective system-assigned ranking based on a hunter’s level, stats, skills, and the grade and number of gates they’ve cleared. Every aspect of a hunter is scored to determine their rank.

Among them, the number three ranked hunter, better known by his alias “Berserker,” was none other than Gangcheol Park.

“Damn it, if it weren’t for my stamina, I’d easily take first place.”

Gangcheol Park emerged from a gate—an A-class gate. For someone who even joins major guilds on S-class gate raids, this might seem unworthy of a ranker’s title. But the catch?

He was the only hunter to come out of that gate. Gangcheol Park had solo-cleared an A-class gate, something only he could do in South Korea.

“Mr. Gangcheol, good work. Here.”

A waiting secretary handed him a wet towel as he exited. Gangcheol wiped the blood dripping from his forehead.

As a Berserker, his class grew stronger the more blood—both his enemies’ and his own—was spilled. Relentless in battle, he always cleared gates alone, true to his style.

“Did you find the item?” he asked, tossing his massive greatsword onto a rack after roughly wiping off the blood.

He didn’t hold high hopes. The “item” a rank-three hunter like him sought wasn’t easy to come by. But…

“We found it.”

“What? Where is it?!”

“It’s listed on the auction house. Would you like to see it now?”

“Show it!”

The secretary’s answer was rare and welcome. Despite blood still dripping from his hair, Gangcheol was eager to see the item. Displayed before him was:

[Ring of Crimson Blood]

An item listed on the auction house.

“A level 10 ring?”

At first, he dismissed it. A level 10 ring, even for accessories, which weren’t heavily affected by level restrictions, was bound to have weaker effects.

But as he checked the item details, Gangcheol was stunned.

“SS? A crafted item?”

“Yes. It’s a ring made by a new blacksmith named Vulcanus.”

As far as Gangcheol knew, no blacksmith in South Korea could craft SS-class equipment. Even globally, SS-class gear was rare. Korea’s top blacksmith, Hodeok Kang, had only crafted a handful of SS-class items.

And yet, this Vulcanus had churned out an SS-class item like it was nothing.

That wasn’t all.

“This… this!”

“It’s the ability you’ve been looking for.”

The ring’s abilities:

Vampirism: Recovers health based on a portion of damage dealt.

Bleed: Worsens enemy bleeding and reduces their healing effects.

Frenzy: Increases attack power against bleeding enemies.

Carnival: Boosts stats as more blood is spilled nearby.

With each ability he read, Gangcheol’s face lit up with awe. And no wonder—

“This is practically made for me!”

Every ability was perfect for his needs, tailored to a Berserker’s playstyle. It was as if the ring was crafted exclusively for him.

With this, he could solo not just A-class gates but S-class ones too. It could propel him past third place, maybe even to second—or first.

“Buy it, no matter what!”

“What’s the maximum bid?”

“No limit, just buy it! Throw in my entire fortune if you have to. If that’s not enough, I’ll take out a loan—just get it!”

“Understood.”

The secretary nodded and stepped away. Blood still dripping from his face, Gangcheol grinned, baring his fangs. He imagined wielding his greatsword with the SS-class ring, conquering S-class gates, surpassing the arrogant second and first-ranked hunters, and standing as South Korea’s top hunter.

“Vulcanus, huh?”

The name etched itself vividly in his mind.

***

Soon after, a stir erupted in the auction house’s real-time trending item rankings.

[10th: Ring of Crimson Blood]

The Ring of Crimson Blood had suddenly shot into the top 10. It quickly climbed higher.

[3rd: Ring of Crimson Blood]

It claimed third place. Online, the community was buzzing.

[What’s going on with this?]
It’s already over 100 million won? A level 10 ring? Seriously?

The ring had long surpassed 100 million won and was still climbing. Low-level hunters couldn’t fathom why a level 10 ring was so popular, but…

[The Value of the Ring of Crimson Blood]

Everyone in the know gets it, but accessories aren’t heavily tied to level restrictions. With no attack or defense stats, low-level accessories with strong abilities are highly valued.

The Ring of Crimson Blood is SS-class, and unlike most items with one or two useless abilities, this one’s packed with skills any melee fighter would kill for. Rumor has it the Berserker himself is gunning for it.

-The Berserker? You mean Gangcheol Park? Rank 3?

-Yup, that Gangcheol Park.

-No way, why would a rank 3 care care about a level 10 ring? LOL

-Are you blind? Accessories don’t care about level restrictions.

-Wait, for real…?

Thanks to the explanation, people understood why the ring’s rank was soaring. And then, another item appeared.

[10th: Ring of Red Blood]

-Wait, is that another Vulcanus creation?

-LOL

-Who is Vulcanus? LOL

-Churning out S-class items like a factory. LOL

Another ring, also crafted by Vulcanus, entered the rankings. While not as impressive as the Ring of Crimson Blood, it was still an S-class ring with solid performance, enough to spark a frenzy.

Watching this unfold, Bora Nam smiled.

“The accessories mean Vulcanus took my advice.”

She hadn’t heard from him yet, but this was enough. She’d prove her worth over time. Her goal was to get under Vulcanus’s wing, no matter what.

“Yawn.”

***

My daily routine has become remarkably healthy. Eat, swing the hammer, swing the pickaxe, learn about the hunter world.

Compared to my old monotonous cycle of rice, gaming, rice, gaming, it couldn’t be healthier. Though, admittedly, both lifestyles share the “shut-in” trait.

“Time to get to work.”

Upon waking, I started hammering immediately. I crafted simple weapons and armor, designed to be lightweight and practical for a beginner like me.

I pictured leather armor for mobility, but all I had were ores. The rare Hardwood Stone I’d gotten before was gone too.

Clang, clang!

I flattened the ores as thinly as possible to keep them lightweight, adjusting their size to avoid hindering my movements while escaping or mining.

“This should do it.”

I finished preparing just as the clock struck noon, signaling the cooldown reset for Hephaestus’s Mine. I opened the mine’s entrance instantly.

“Here we go!”

I stepped into the mine. The lighting dimmed, and the flickering torches unique to Hephaestus’s Mine greeted me.

Clank.

“Welcome back!”

The golems greeted me too. This time, I didn’t bother seeking them out. But I didn’t ignore the welcoming committee either. I hunted only the golems in my path as I pressed forward.

As I’d noticed before, this mine’s ores seemed endless. The veins I’d emptied by defeating golems yesterday were full again today. An inexhaustible mine—could this be a true goldmine?

“No regenerating bats, right…?”

I reached the end of a passage and cautiously scouted the boss room where I’d first encountered the Giant Vampire Bat.

I worried it might have respawned like the golems, but thankfully, no bats were in sight. Unfortunately, the Crimson Stone I’d mined here didn’t regenerate like other ores.

Still, no new bats spawning with the Crimson Stone was a relief.

With that thought, I turned to the opposite side of the boss room.

“Phew!”

I steadied my breathing. Before me was a passage—the entrance to Zone 2, unlocked after defeating the Giant Vampire Bat, the boss of Zone 1.

That’s right. Today, I planned to enter Zone 2 of Hephaestus’s Mine.

“Armed with level 10 gear, what could possibly kill me?”

After one-shotting a boss with Thunder Fang, I trusted my crafted items. My current gear would surely protect me.

After a final check of my well-crafted armor—

“Let’s go!”

I took my first step into Zone 2 of the mine.