โTeam Leader, raidโs done.โ
โGood work, everyone. After lunch, weโll head to the next Gate.โ
โNice!โ
Team 1 of Vulcanus Guild.
Led by Park Sang-hyun, they were now outside the city in a remote area.
The reason: Gate raids.
City Gates were heavily contested, but thanks to the Hunter Association partnership, Vulcanus Guild secured all outer-region Gates.
Other teams were assigned to different areas, diving into raids.
The deal benefited both the guild and the Association, clearing neglected Gatesโa win-win.
Despite the relentless raid schedule, not one Team 1 member complained.
โTeam Leader, whatโs for lunch?โ
โAnything you want?โ
โThis areaโs famous for beefโฆโ
โLetโs go!โ
โWoohoo!โ
First, welfare.
Vulcanus Guild was renowned for high salaries and great benefits.
My crafted gear was a given, and welfare cards let them choose meals freely.
The guild masterโs rule: eat what you want, no limits.
Price didnโt matterโthey ate to their heartsโ content.
Even so, tough raids could spark complaints.
โRank 5 Gates feel doable, donโt they?โ
โHonestly, I think we could handle Rank 4.โ
โRight? With this gear, Rank 4 might be possible.โ
โHey, donโt jinx it. Levels are rising fast, so be patient.โ
โTrue, weโre almost Level 40. Then we tackle Rank 4, right?โ
โYep, canโt wait.โ
No signs of discontent.
Rank 5 Gates didnโt even feel tough.
The reason: my gear.
Most monster attacks barely scratched them, so their confidence was natural.
โDonโt get cocky. Next Gate raidโs up.โ
Park Sang-hyun led as Team Leader, but he shared their sentiment.
With this gear, anything seemed possible.
Proofโ
Roar!
Rank 6 Gateโs Lizardmen.
These so-called โlizard humansโ fell miserably to his attacks.
Another battle ended.
Catching his breath, Park Sang-hyun wiped blood from his claws, lost in thought.
Could I have done this without Vulcanus Guild?
He shook his head.
No way.
Without Vulcanus, itโd be impossible.
Quality weapons wouldโve been hard to get, and growth this fast? Unthinkable.
Even in a major guild.
Boom.
Soon after.
The Rank 6 Gateโs boss monster fell.
[Level Up.]
โTeam Leader, congrats!โ
โFinally Level 40!โ
Level 40 achieved.
Incredible growth speed.
Thanks to gear EXP boosts and the Associationโs Gate assignments.
Multiple factors enabled this rapid climb.
Butโ
The gearโs effectiveness is dropping.
A tinge of regret.
My gear was still great, but it was Level 1 gear.
As levels rose, it went from phenomenal to merely good.
Rank 5 Gates would be tough to dominate like this.
With that thought, he headed to guild headquarters.
โNew shared gear from the Guild Master. Level 40 restriction, check and collect.โ
New gear distributed.
Park Sang-hyunโs eyes sparkled.
Heโd just hit Level 40.
He felt good, but not as ecstatic as when he got his exclusive claws.
Just decent gear for his level?
Then he checked it and was stunned.
โExclusive gearโฆ?โ
Not his imagination.
Every piece was tailored for him.
Unlike previous gear boosting useless stats like wisdom, this focused on agility and speedโexactly what he needed.
โOhโฆ wow.โ
Too overwhelmed to speak.
At that moment, Park Sang-hyun and others receiving exclusive gear pledged loyalty to Vulcanus Guild.
The team members watchingโ
โNot just weapons, but all gear customized? By Vulcanusโฆ?โ
Their ambition to rise in rank burned brighter.
โThis should do it.โ
[Vulcanusโ Rookie Armor]
Type: Armor
Grade: SS
Restriction: Level 1+, Hunter Association Member
Description: Armor crafted by Hephaestusโ descendant for his soldiers, modified for the Association.
Defense: 100
Abilities:
- Rookie โ All stats increase by 5.
- Growth โ EXP gain rate increases by 20%.
- Volcano โ Slightly increases defense; all stats rise with prolonged combat.
- Vulcanusโ Member โ Enhances abilities when wearing Vulcanus-named gear.
All guild members hit Level 40.
Gear was replaced, and old sets were collected for the Association.
Using my Repair skill, I swapped Vulcanusโ emblem for the Associationโs and changed restrictions to Association members.
Repairs were quick, and I delivered the modified gear.
- Thank you.
- The Hunter Association looks forward to a close relationship with Vulcanus-nimโฆ
- May Vulcanus Guildโs future shineโฆ
A gratitude message arrived with payment and pleasantries.
The appraised price wasnโt thrilling, but as part of the deal, it wasnโt bad.
Selling over a hundred gear sets brought in a fortune anyway.
โAt least Iโm not in the red.โ
Guild maintenance was costly.
But my earnings?
Maintaining the guild building, paying salaries, and covering welfare didnโt dent my growing wealth.
I considered expanding the guild.
โNah, why bother?โ
No reason or resources for that.
After checking my funds, I filled up on delivery food and started work.
Future-proofing with shared gear, handling commissions.
A mountain of tasks.
While hammering awayโ
[Level Up.]
[Ability โHephaestusโ Descendant (SSS)โ activates.]
[New skill โUpgradeโ created.]
A level-up and a new skill.
Leveling up just sitting in my studio.
The joy of passive hunting.
I kept hammering, feeling great.
Buzzโ
A reaction from the mine entrance.
The time limit was up.
As usual, Miner 1, Spinner 1, Lumberjack 1, and Tanner 1 were ejected.
โGood workโhuh?โ
Normally, theyโd greet me confidently.
But nowโ
โMasterโฆ?โ
Clank.
They were battered.
Work clothes torn, the iron pickaxeโs head shattered, leaving just the handle.
The axe had a broken blade, the tanning knife dulled.
Theyโd never returned injured.
What happened?
โYou guys okay? Did a boss monster show up? Whyโre you like this?โ
A boss would make sense.
But something was off.
If a boss appeared in Zone 1, why were assistants from other zones hurt?
They only worked their zones, and a boss wouldnโt roam freely.
โItโsโฆ golems.โ
Miner 1, in better shape, spoke.
But the reason was odd.
Golems?
Werenโt golems the mineโs โsmall fryโ?
Especially Zone 1โs, the weakest.
Yet all four assistants were beaten by them.
โRepair first.โ
Their state was dire.
Iโd never repaired assistants, but theyโre equipment animated by my Blacksmithโs Soul, right?
It should work.
Activating the skill, points appeared on Miner 1.
Clang, clang, clang!
Frantic hammering.
[Repair of Miner 1 complete.]
Thankfully, Miner 1 recovered.
I pressed him.
โWhat was that about? Golems suddenly got stronger?โ
โYes.โ
He nodded at my pointed question.
Suddenly stronger? Whatโs that mean?
Thankfully, he continued.
โThey got stronger. Bigger, tougher.โ
โSuddenly?โ
โYes.โ
โExplain.โ
โTheir size grew 1.5 times. Width doubled, making them sturdier, stronger.โ
Zone 1 golems were my size or smaller.
More like ore dolls than golems.
Now twice as big?
And strong enough to overpower my assistants?
The others echoed this.
โMuch faster, sharper. A fiber whip broke my blade.โ
โTheir gear and skills were stronger; my attacks didnโt work.โ
โTheir attacks were too sharp. Their hide was so tough my knife couldnโt cut.โ
The golems got stronger.
Confirmed.
But why?
A theory emerged.
My rapid level-ups.
Like games, my level spike mightโve triggered a balance adjustment.
Since monsters appeared, this world felt game-like.
โIโll have to check myself.โ
No answers from pondering.
I needed to enter the mine and see this anomaly.
But fighting stronger golems was daunting.
Zone 1 golems had high defense, tough to chip away with ranged attacks.
Soโ
โLetโs upgrade first.โ
Time to use Upgrade.