Chapter 195: Golden Spear of Astolfo

SSS-Grade material, Dragon’s Gold.

I thought a lot about what kind of item to make with this. 

The first thing I did was research. 

I scoured the internet to see what kind of equipment existed in myths and legends related to dragons or gold.

[Chrysaor]

“A golden sword, huh? That’s cool.”

It was a golden sword said to have been used by Demeter, the goddess of harvest, during the Gigantomachy.

[Golden Brick]

“Something like this exists too.”

In Chinese legends, the Golden Brick was a treasure said to be made of gold. 

It was a boomerang-like throwing weapon that always hit its target and returned to its owner.

There were others as well: the golden arrow that Apollo, the god of light, was said to have given to the sage Abaris, or the goddess Artemis’s golden bow, Chryselakatos. 

There was Kvernbitr, a legendary sword with a golden hilt; Demeter’s golden scythe, Drepanon; and the golden chainmail of Manannán mac Lir.

There were far more types of items related to gold than I had expected. 

However, they were all a bit awkward for my current situation.

For sword-type weapons, both Combat 1 and the Sword Saint were already wielding EX-Rank weapons.

As for the bow and arrow, Cheon Seung-heon was also already using an EX-Rank weapon. 

While there were members in my guild who could use boomerangs or scythes, none of my immediate party members used them.

After much deliberation, I finally found it.

[Using Crafting Skill.]

[Please select the form of the item to be crafted.]

“Golden Spear.”

[Manifesting ‘Golden Spear’.]

This was the ‘Golden Spear’ known to have been used by Astolfo, the Leopard Knight, who was said to have boasted an exceptionally distinct personality even among the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne.

[Please select the material for the Golden Spear.]

As I put in top-tier materials, including the Dragon’s Gold…

[Satisfaction: 99%]

[Success Probability: 98%]

An unexpectedly high probability appeared. 

It seemed that as my level and proficiency increased, the success probability continued to rise as well.

‘Still, I can’t be careless.’

Even if the failure probability was only two percent, failing meant throwing away SSS-Grade material. 

Therefore, after using the White Feather Fan to properly confirm the success…

[Would you like to begin production?]

“Clang!”

I swung the hammer. 

Naturally, this Golden Spear was a weapon meant for Douglas. 

Since Astolfo, the original owner of the Golden Spear, was one of the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne and was gifted in horsemanship, I thought this Golden Spear would suit Douglas quite well.

“Clang!”

Because I had many items to make, it took quite a long time. 

It felt like I was wasting time by not climbing properly before the third wave, but that wasn’t the case. 

The better the equipment they wore, the faster our climbing speed would actually become. 

Even if we climbed the Tower without proper equipment, we would only end up tackling it in a more difficult and dangerous way before eventually hitting a limit.

It was better to prepare properly like this and then surge up all at once.

“Clang!”

Thinking that, I swung the hammer incessantly. 

Blaze also continued to provide support from the side. 

After working hard and even engraving a Rune Script of Harmony…

[Production is complete.]

[You have obtained the ‘Golden Spear’.]

The cavalry spear that Douglas would use was successfully completed.

[Golden Spear]

Type: Spear

Grade: EX

Restrictions: Level 350 or higher, those recognized by Vulcanus

Description: A magical spear favored by Astolfo, one of the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne.

Attack Power: 10,000

Abilities:

1. Cavalry Spear — When mounted, the weapon’s attack power and abilities are enhanced.

2. Golden Afterimage — Attack power and penetration increase in proportion to movement speed and distance.

3. Great Luck — Inheriting Astolfo’s luck, luck-related stats such as critical hit rate and evasion rate increase significantly.

4. Unhorsing — Infused with magic that guaranteed the unhorsing of anyone it touched, it causes a powerful knockback effect based on damage dealt.

5. Leopard Knight — When exceeding a certain speed, it manifests the form of a golden leopard to inflict even more powerful damage on enemies.

“Nice.”

A cavalry spear-type weapon, exactly what I wanted, was finished. 

I looked forward to seeing how much Douglas’s martial power would increase once I gave him this Golden Spear along with the twelve-piece set.

“Grumble—.”

Judging by the way my stomach was rumbling, it seemed quite a bit of time had passed. 

Since the items were all made and we had to climb the Tower quickly before the third wave started…

“Shall we rest for a bit?”

Eating and sleeping. 

I needed to rest quickly and then climb the Tower immediately. 

Since I couldn’t afford too much downtime, I informed my party members of the Tower Entry time and had a simple meal and some sleep. 

Well, though I called it a simple meal, I ordered enough food to feed a large family.

***

“Did everyone rest well?”

“Of course!”

“I’ve finished all my preparations.”

“We’ve also matched our teamwork and devised various strategies, so our movements won’t get tangled in real combat situations.”

When I entered the Tower, I saw my nine party members. 

Everyone seemed to be in good condition, having practiced and rested well. 

In the meantime, they seemed to have become quite close, as the atmosphere was much better.

Everyone looked ready to start the Trial of Ordeals at any moment, but I began the ‘presentation ceremony’ first.

“Berserker.”

“Thank you.”

Starting with the Berserker, I presented the L-Rank set items I had made to the Spirit Emperor, the Lightning Caster, and the Saintess.

Perhaps they hadn’t expected their equipment to be made so quickly, as they all looked quite surprised.

“This is amazing.”

“So these are the items made by Vulcanus that Korea was so proud of…”

“To think L-Rank items actually existed!”

“I like it.”

As soon as they received the equipment, they swapped it with what they were originally wearing. 

And finally, it was Douglas’s turn. 

I handed the equipment to him as he looked on expectantly for the L-Rank set items.

I was about to give him the equipment for his summon as well, but he wasn’t summoning it, probably not imagining that I would have made gear for his summon too.

“Summon your dragon as well.”

“Pardon? Why the dragon…?”

I pulled out the dragon’s equipment for the puzzled Douglas. 

Douglas’s eyes widened in shock. 

The other party members were equally surprised.

“Thank you! Master Vulcanus! I will give you my full loyalty!”

Douglas bowed to me several times and summoned his dragon. 

The equipment I had made was fitted onto the dragon, which looked confused after just being summoned.

Once all the equipment was equipped, I asked about the set effect out of curiosity.

“My goodness!”

“What’s the effect?”

“Mine and my summon’s stats have been added together!”

“If they were added…”

“It literally means our stats were combined! My stats and the summon’s stats merged, nearly doubling our power! It means we’re being treated as one!”

A set item effect that shares stats by becoming one with the dragon. 

It seemed to manifest in that way. 

For example, if Douglas and the summon previously had separate stats of 10 and 10, the set effect now treated them as a single entity with a stat of 20.

It was obvious without even looking that he had become that much stronger. 

As expected, it was a good idea to make the summon’s equipment and strengthen the set effect. 

It was an even better effect than I had anticipated.

“That’s great. And this is your new weapon.”

“T-this! This is an EX-Rank item!”

I ignored Douglas, who was admiring the Golden Spear as if he were possessed, and spoke to the others who hadn’t received EX-Rank items yet.

“Every time I get SSS-Grade materials, I’ll make equipment for each of you, so please wait a bit.”

“I will do that.”

“Yes!”

“Thank you!”

“May the blessing of God be with you.”

There was no need to feel disappointed. 

As we stopped the Monster Waves and climbed the Tower, SSS-Grade materials would continue to appear. 

Each time, I could make a new EX-Rank item for them. 

Given the rarity, it might be impossible to arm everyone from head to toe in EX-Rank items, but even giving them one each would cause their combat power to skyrocket.

Now then, since all the equipment had been distributed…

“Let’s begin the trial.”

It was time to climb the Tower.

[Beginning the trial of Floor 86.]

[Floor 86: Master of the Storm]

***

The trial of Floor 86 began. 

The content of the trial was similar to what we had seen before. 

Just like the name of the trial, Master of the Storm, it was time for a wind-attribute dragon to appear.

However, there was a slight change.

“From now on, it’s a real dragon. Everyone, please be careful.”

Unlike the Wing Dragon on Floor 81 or the Poison Dragon on Floor 82, which were subspecies, a true dragon was appearing. 

Among them was one of the four representative elemental dragons—a White Dragon that controlled the wind.

The field of Floor 86 was atop a massive cliff. 

The entire area was composed of the high, open sky.

“Roaaaaar—!”

The White Dragon, descending from beneath the clouds, let out a massive roar. 

Immediately, Cheon Seung-heon drew his bowstring, and Cheongryong and the Lightning Caster prepared their magic simultaneously.

However, there was someone who stepped forward before them.

-Swoosh—!

The Dragon Knight, Elvin Douglas. 

He soared into the air. 

He had already boasted flight skills fast enough to elicit admiration, but now…

‘Just how fast is he…?’

He was even faster than before. 

He moved at a speed so great that a sonic boom erupted from where he started. 

When the buffs from Cheongryong and the Saintess were added, his speed increased even further.

A golden flash erupted around Douglas as he soared in a straight line, gaining speed. 

The golden flash transformed into the shape of a golden leopard just before touching the White Dragon’s body…

“Boom—!!”

An immense sound of impact erupted as soon as he collided with the White Dragon. 

Even at a glance, it was clear that the damage wasn’t ordinary.

The White Dragon groaned and was pushed far back.

Taking this opportunity, Cheon Seung-heon’s arrow was fired, and Cheongryong created heavy rain and headwinds to lower the White Dragon’s altitude. 

At that moment…

“Rumble—!!!!”

The lightning created by the Lightning Caster struck the White Dragon’s body. 

The White Dragon could not withstand the massive shock and fell to the ground.

My party members, including the Sword Saint who had been waiting for this moment, and my soldiers rushed in simultaneously to attack the White Dragon.

-Slash! 

-Slash!

The White Dragon was strong.

Although it had fallen to the ground because it couldn’t deal with the sudden attack, its scales were hard, and its wind magic was superior to that of Cheongryong or the Lightning Caster here.

However…

Thud!*

Excalibur forced its way between the White Dragon’s hard scales.

*Whoosh!*

The wind the dragon raised to resist was neutralized by the joint magic of Cheongryong and the Lightning Caster. In that state, the attacks continued.

There were minor exchanges of offense and defense, but the dragon could not withstand my party, which was armed with L-Rank equipment and wielded EX-Rank weapons.

*Thump.*

Finally, it collapsed at the hands of Vulcanus’s party.