Chapter 69: Echoes of Envy

– So, what kinds of runes are there?

– Lots! So many!

– Which ones, exactly?

– Too many!

– Ugh…

Rune Engraving.

The first test showed its immense potential.

Its applications seemed limitless.

But I knew little about runes, and Spark wasn’t helping.

– Fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, light, darkness—those exist, right?

– Yup!

– Sharpness, durability, lightness?

– Yup!

– What else? Poison, detection, levitation, restoration, absorption?

– Those too!

– Is there anything that doesn’t exist?

– Nope!

– So, what doesn’t exist?

– It exists!

– Argh!

Communication was rough.

Spark’s speech was underdeveloped, forming incomplete sentences.

No matter how, we weren’t connecting.

I’d have to test each rune individually.

Then—

– Is there a space rune?

– Yup!

– Really? A space rune?

– Yup! Super tough rune!

Jackpot.

A space rune could make my ideas reality.

Like this—

– Can you engrave a rune on a wall?

– Together, maybe!

The wall.

Engraving runes on my room’s walls.

Understanding Spark’s “together” comment, I grabbed my hammer and stood before the wall.

I shouted a familiar skill.

– Enhance!

Enhancing a wall was new.

[Using Enhancement Skill.]

The wall was designated as a target.

[Select the part to enhance.]

The entire room.

Not an item, so no level restriction—materials were reinforced instead.

No big materials needed here.

[Enhancement begins.]

Points appeared.

But more importantly—

Whoosh!

Spark’s flames flared.

As instructed, Spark began engraving runes.

Blue flames touched the wall, etching runes.

– You said we do it together, right?

Recalling Spark’s words, I smashed the points.

I thought simple materials meant an easy effect.

Clang!

– Ouch!

The points were insanely tough.

No fancy materials, yet this resistance?

Blue sparks, like runes, burst with each strike.

Spark’s “together” wasn’t a metaphor.

It guided the runes; I had to hammer them in.

Clang!

– I won’t give up!

I didn’t quit.

Harder.

Faster.

As a blacksmith, I just swung.

No matter how tough, points break eventually.

[Progress: 5%…]

Progress crawled.

I thought I was used to slow progress.

But this was extreme.

The points barely cracked.

Good thing I ate earlier.

Clang!

[Progress: 9%…]

Daylight faded to dusk.

The sun set, darkness fell.

Streetlights pushed it back.

Night retreated, dawn broke.

Clang!

[Progress: 71%]

My arms ached.

Hunger gnawed.

I focused harder.

If this worked, my dreams would come true!

Hammering as dusk fell again—

[Enhancement complete.]

Finally done.

A time rune glowed on the wall.

Unreadable, but powerful.

Rustle—

The space expanded.

Not a metaphor—my room grew.

Not game-level expansion, but my small studio became the size of two combined.

– Whoa!

Like a dream.

My cramped room, despite rearranging, always felt small.

The mine entrance, only accessible here, made assistants’ movements awkward.

Even owning the villa, it never felt spacious.

Now it was huge.

– Is it really bigger?

I checked outside.

The next room, the street—unchanged.

The rune’s power.

Like fantasy game spatial expansion.

– Spark, I love you!

– Yup!

I jumped, hugging Spark.

If I expanded the whole villa?

It’d look small but rival an apartment inside.

I could expand the overflowing warehouse.

And secure space for growing assistants.

– Wait, you said there’s a time rune?

– Yup!

– Shall we try it?

Growl—

– Let’s rest first.

Checking the time, 24 hours had passed.

Lost in spatial expansion, I ignored hunger and fatigue.

I ordered food, filling my stomach.

I tossed Spark a snack.

It didn’t need food, but its Yummy! was too cute.

A day later, after a deep sleep—

– Spark, time rune!

– Yup!

[Enhancement begins.]

Whoosh!

Below the space rune, Spark began engraving a time rune.

Points appeared.

As expected, insanely tough.

But they’re just points.

No matter how long, they’d break.

Hammering for a day or two would finish it.

If the time rune worked—

– A room of space and time!

A large room where time flows slower.

One day could feel like two.

Not for constant work—that’d be exhausting.

But engraving time runes in the crafting team’s room could boost efficiency.

Hammering on—

Clang!

[Progress: 1%…]

The point didn’t crack.

Three hours of hammering—

Crack.

A tiny fracture.

[Progress: 2%…]

– Three hours for 1%?

Three hours for 1% meant 300 hours for 100%.

300 ÷ 24 ≈ 12.5 days.

But the point’s resistance suggested even 300 hours wouldn’t suffice.

Hammering without eating or sleeping for 300 hours?

Impossible.

– Can’t do it.

The space rune was tough; the time rune was beyond me.

Disappointing, but still—

– Look at this room!

The expanded space was refreshing.

– The guild’s doing fine.

Auto-hunting, gathering, and crafting ran smoothly.

So—

– Where to expand next?

Time to grow my house.

Clang! Clang!

A pristine blacksmith’s forge.

A modern setup for each fiber.

A familiar figure hammered.

Fire Goblin.

Once a brand leader, now just a blacksmith.

[Crafting complete.]

[Obtained Iron Blade.]

[Iron Blade]

Type: Sword

Grade: S

After practice, he regained his prime skill.

A Rank 2 item.

When he contracted Nam Bora to brand himself.

But now—

– Fire Goblin’s items are nothing. Lol

– Looks like he’s trying, but can’t match Vulcanus’ mass-produced gear.

– And the prices? Delusional. Lol

– Has-been, know your place.

– Vulcanus, level up faster. I wanna ditch Fire Goblin’s gear. T_T

– Argh!

Fire Goblin’s fame plummeted.

High-level Rank 4 gear was rare, so some still sought him.

But the community’s reaction—

People with no level, skill, or funds mocked him.

He knew to ignore it, but couldn’t.

– Vulcanus, Vulcanus, Vulcanus! That low-level blacksmith…

He hammered with resolve.

To prove he didn’t fail—he just hadn’t tried.

With effort, he’d crush Vulcanus and all.

But reality?

Fire Goblin’s brand was worthless.

Attention focused on Vulcanus’ rising gear levels.

His forge, once top-tier, fell below the top 10.

– It’s all his fault.

He gritted his teeth.

Past advice—pricing, branding—vanished from his mind.

– All because of him.

No turning back.

He’d become a washed-up blacksmith.

Unacceptable.

But he couldn’t win with skill.

So what?

– If he’s gone…

If Vulcanus disappeared, Fire Goblin could reclaim his glory.

Unlikely, but conviction filled him.

He made a choice he shouldn’t have.

– Devil Shadow, I request a commission.