Chapter 80: Forged for Greatness

The Qualification for the Climb.  

In other words, I had obtained the qualification to enter the Tower.  

Along with that, the Tower’s gate had opened.  

“I’m not going in.”  

“…What?”  

“Isn’t it dangerous if I go in there? What exactly am I supposed to do once inside?”  

“Well, obviously you have to pass the trials on each floor…”  

“What kind of trials? Fighting monsters and stuff like that?”  

“Y-Yeah, that’s right. It’s the most common way to test the challenger’s qualification…”  

“See, I’m a blacksmith. What am I supposed to do in there? Fight with a hammer? Ugh, just the thought of it makes me hate it.”  

I had no intention of going inside.  

Isn’t that obvious?  

Why would I enter such a dangerous place?  

I had no qualms about wandering around the familiar Mines inside, but entering the Tower was on a whole different level.  

The main reason I didn’t leave my home in the first place was safety.  

It wasn’t for mining or for the dawn of the world or whatever; I had zero intention of voluntarily entering the Tower and fighting monsters.  

“You’re not forced to enter just because you have the qualification, right?”  

“Hmm, no, you’re not forced.”  

“Are you really not going in?”  

“Of course not. Why would I go in?”  

“Hmm, I see. That’s understandable.”  

“Honestly, demanding a blacksmith to climb is too harsh…”  

“Regrettable, but there’s nothing we can do.”  

The two Statues nodded with a hint of regret.  

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like they intended to force me to climb the Tower.  

“Still, I expect you to keep your promise. Your subordinate… hmm, what should I call them?”  

“Combat 1.”  

“That’s a strange name. Well then, I’ll personally teach Combat 1 swordsmanship.”  

“Combat 1, did you hear that? Go and learn well.”  

“What about my existing tasks?”  

“Just do those little by little whenever you have time.”  

“Understood.”  

“What were the existing tasks again?”  

“Oh, Combat 1’s task was to hunt monsters here.”  

“Oh, I see. Don’t worry about that. The most important thing in teaching is practical experience, so most of the training will be spent hunting monsters while honing your skills.”  

“Thank you.”  

The Sword Statue kept its promise.  

It took Combat 1 as its disciple and immediately began teaching swordsmanship.  

The form of the sword, how to handle it, and so on.  

After teaching the basic swordsmanship, it made Combat 1 hunt monsters based on that.  

Once familiar, new sword techniques were taught, and Combat 1 hunted monsters using those.  

It was a far more efficient method than expected.  

However—  

“Ahem, can you make more subordinates? Ones who use spears.”  

“Hmm, right now I’m at the limit. I’ll make more as soon as I have space.”  

“Please hurry. I’ll make sure they teach much better than that Sword Statue. Honestly, I’m confident in my teaching skills.”  

The Spear Statue looked disappointed.  

I shared that disappointment.  

Both Statues were large and had high base stats, plus they were veterans with long experience based on excellent martial skills.  

To receive instruction from them was a tremendous opportunity.  

But the number of subordinates I could create with the Soul of the Blacksmith was already full.  

‘Need to hit level 90 first.’  

It was a skill limit, and this was something I couldn’t avoid.  

My current level was 85.  

[Level increased.]  

“Huh?”  

But I noticed something strange.  

I opened the Status Window to allocate stat points after seeing the level-up message.  

The level shown was—  

“89?”  

It was 89.  

How could that be?  

Thinking about it, the answer was obvious.  

‘A lot of time has passed.’  

I had spent a good amount of time repairing the Gatekeeper’s Blue-Green Sword and Gatekeeper’s Teal Spear.  

Meanwhile, the Mining Team kept defeating the golems in the Mines.  

Combat 1 and Combat 2, who had left the two Statues, were consistently battling monsters nearby.  

So it made sense that my level had risen in the meantime.  

‘Should reach 90 soon.’  

Combat 1, who learned swordsmanship from the Sword Statue, was now killing monsters at a much faster rate than before.  

Since it took quite a while to craft items, if I started making a new subordinate now, I’d likely hit level 90 just in time.  

Even if not, it would be good to prepare one in advance since I’d have to make it anyway.  

“Hm, it looks like it’ll happen sooner than expected, so let’s at least start shaping it.”  

“Oh!”  

Now that it was decided—  

I resolved to create Combat 3 immediately.  

As the Spear Statue wished, this new subordinate would wield a spear as their main weapon.  

Naturally, the first thing to make was a spear.  

[Using crafting skill.]  

[Please select the form of the item to craft.]  

“Spear.”  

[Please specify the detailed form of the spear.]  

The detailed form of the spear.  

What should I choose?  

Of course, it wasn’t my first time making a spear.  

I had once made an electric attribute spear to hunt giant bats and had also crafted mass-produced spears to sell at the Auction House.  

But this time, I couldn’t make it casually.  

This weapon would be used by my precious subordinate and would essentially become their body.  

After a moment’s thought, I asked the Spear Statue.  

“Is there a particular spear style you want your disciple to have?”  

The spear I was making now would be the weapon of my precious subordinate, but it was also the weapon of the Spear Statue’s disciple.  

So naturally, it was most appropriate to ask the Spear Statue.  

The Spear Statue pondered briefly and nodded in response.  

“There are countless types of spears, but they all ultimately originated from the basic spear .”  

“So you want me to make the basic form of a spear?”  

“That would be best. I have trained in various spear types like Glaive, Mao , and Ji , but I always come back to the basic spear .”  

Hearing the explanation, I nodded as well.  

Though he spoke formally, what the Spear Statue meant was simple:  

‘Make it similar to the one I have.’  

The spear he held—  

In other words, the disciple would wield a spear similar in form to the one I had repaired for the Spear Statue.  

That made things easier.  

No need to look it up online; the model spear was right in front of me.  

And it was impressively large.  

‘Spearhead should be basic, or maybe with a small hook-like projection.’  

The Spear Statue’s spear had a sharp blade like a typical spearhead.  

However, underneath the spearhead on both sides, there were short protruding hooks called ‘Hooks.’  

Their main role was to hook the opponent’s weapon during combat and pull it.  

Of course, I hadn’t known this from the start.  

I found out while researching as a blacksmith.  

‘Length about 1.5 times the height.’  

My subordinates stood roughly 1.8 to 2 meters tall.  

So the spear should be around 3 meters long.  

There was a small spear blade called ‘Spear Butt ‘ underneath, and I set the weight considering the difference between the spear I repaired and the Spear Statue’s weapon.  

Referring to the Spear Statue’s spear, I quickly finished specifying the spear’s details.  

[Please select the material of the spear.]  

Now came the important part.  

‘Material, huh…’  

I hadn’t planned to make Combat 3 immediately, so I hadn’t brought any special materials.  

I wondered if I should leave the Mines and buy some materials.  

“If you’re worrying about materials…”  

The Spear Statue handed me something from his waist.  

It was a stone.  

A dark gray stone, very old, with a rough surface, covered with countless scratches and cracks.  

Here and there were pale brown and green spots, probably moss that had grown and dried over a long time.  

And I immediately recognized what kind of material it was.  

“Could you use this?”  

“That’s part of the Spear Statue’s body.”  

“Though worn and rusted, it is a part of a body honored with dignity, so I think it would be a fine material.”  

A part of the Spear Statue.  

In fact, it was one of the rewards the two Statues had offered me earlier, each wanting to be repaired first.  

I looked at it for a moment and nodded.  

The Spear Statue’s wistful gaze moved my heart… and above all—  

[Remains of the Spear Statue]  

Form: Ore  

Grade: S  

Description: A part of the Spear Statue, the gatekeeper spear that has guarded the Tower’s gate for an eternity. Although worn and rusted, it still retains noble dignity.  

‘This should be more than enough.’  

The grade of this ore was an S-rank.  

Equivalent to Adamantium.  

Besides, the Spear Statue had offered this material with his disciple in mind, so there was no shortage.  

“Understood.”  

I nodded and used all of the dark gray ore.  

I could also use this for making armor next.  

The weight was a bit much, so I’d add the Rune of Weight Reduction.  

Also, the materials I used didn’t end there.  

‘It’s a waste, but when else would I use it?’  

A teal-colored ore glowing faintly.  

The last ore left after repairing the Spear Statue’s spear.  

I placed a small but precious amount of Cheonjeoseok into the material slot.  

Though the quantity was small, it would be enough to make the spear blade.  

I also added some other ores gathered by the Mining Team while mining Cheonjeoseok with their Pickaxes.  

Plus a few rare materials that the Spear Statue had acquired while guarding the Tower’s gate.  

Honestly, it was a lavish selection of materials just with these.  

As soon as I finished setting the materials—  

[Crafting started.]  

“Bang!” 

I swung the hammer again.  

Since the spear would be heavier due to being made with the Statue’s remains, I infused the shaft with the Rune of Weight Reduction.  

On the spear blade made of Cheonjeoseok, I engraved the Rune of Sharpness.  

Normally, putting multiple Runes on a single piece of equipment puts stress on it, but this spear used S-rank Statue remains and SS-rank Cheonjeoseok as materials.  

‘Weight Reduction’ and ‘Sharpness’ are not too heavy Runes, so it should hold up fine.  

“Bang!”  

I struck the hammer.  

‘This is going to take longer than I thought.’  

I realized after the first strike.  

This crafting wouldn’t be easy.  

Which made sense.  

The ores I used included Cheonjeoseok, a higher-grade ore than even Adamantium.  

Plus that part of the Statue’s body which had some kind of ‘dignity’ I didn’t fully understand.  

If hammering was easy, that would be stranger.  

It might not be as hard as when I repaired the two Statues’ weapons, but it was close.  

Still—  

“Bang!”  

I swung the hammer again.  

A sharp recoil ran through my palm.  

If this had been before I repaired the Statues’ weapons, I might not have been able to manage, but now I could.  

My stats and skill efficiency had improved system-wise after repairing those weapons.  

More than that, I had learned a lot.  

“Bang!”  

“This is doable.”  

Crafting an item with Cheonjeoseok.  

I struck the hammer repeatedly, eager to see what kind of spear would be made.  

And after a while—  

[Crafting complete.]  

[‘Pinnacle of the Earth’ acquired.]  

At last, I had finished the spear.