After that, I immediately logged into the auction house and created my own page. I pondered how to design it, but…
The auction house was overflowing with pages created by production-class Awakened, each showcasing their names. Among them, I visited the page of Korea’s top blacksmith, Kang Ho-deok.
These pages typically used pseudonyms, but Kang Ho-deok, the number one blacksmith, boldly used his real name and was famous for taking orders under it.
“Hmm, this is a bit…”
After browsing, I shook my head. For the page of Korea’s top blacksmith, it was surprisingly tacky. It seemed Kang Ho-deok preferred taking orders in person rather than through the system, likely due to his age.
Next, I checked out the page of the second-ranked blacksmith, “Fire Goblin.” Their page was impeccably organized, detailing order options, a portfolio of crafted items, and their masterpieces—all neatly arranged.
“This is it.”
I modeled my page after Fire Goblin’s, though I avoided copying it outright to steer clear of potential copyright issues. I used their structure as a foundation but added my own flair.
As someone who’d played all sorts of games, I had a knack for aesthetics. In no time, I had a page up and running, finishing it off by listing the Kitchen Long Sword I sold today.
“But this isn’t enough.”
The Kitchen Long Sword was impressive, even to me. But a single item wouldn’t attract many orders. Plus, all my crafted weapons were limited to level 1 gear, weren’t they? To make my page thrive, I needed to create more items.
And another thing…
“The name…”
The most critical part. It was a tough decision, but a name came to me quickly.
[Vulcanus]
Vulcanus. The reason was simple. My ability was called Hephaestus’s Descendant (SSS), so I chose Vulcanus, another name for Hephaestus.
“Should I reply to Mir Guild?”
I could’ve ignored them, but they were the first to recognize my worth. Even if I declined their scout offer, it felt right to respond.
To avoid revealing my identity, I used the system instead of my phone. Since my nickname was visible in the auction message, I sent a reply quickly.
The message was straightforward: a polite refusal, stating I had no plans to join a guild and wanted to operate independently through my page.
Not even ten minutes after sending it, Mir Guild replied.
-We understand your decision, Vulcanus-nim.
-It’s unfortunate we can’t work together, but Mir Guild’s doors are always open.
-Additionally, in hopes of maintaining a friendly relationship, we’ve placed our first commission on your page.
-If it’s alright, we’d be grateful if you accepted our first request.
“First commission?”
I’d worried they might take offense to my rejection, but true to their major guild status, they responded graciously. A commission, no less! Curious, I checked the commission section of my page.
As mentioned, the previously empty section now had its first request.
[Equipment Repair Request]
“So they’re short on blacksmiths, and it’s a repair job.”
The request was from Mir Guild’s newbie team, asking for simple repairs on low-level members’ gear. It was an easy task with a decent payout, so I accepted it immediately.
Vrrrm—
The equipment appeared before me. As per the request, it was all level 1 gear. But then…
“What’s this?”
One piece of armor stood out like a diamond in the rough. When I picked it up, it was clearly a cut above the rest.
[General’s Heavy Armor Top]
[General’s Heavy Armor Bottom]
A majestic heavy armor set, befitting the name “General.” Thinking it might just be cosmetic, I checked the item details.
[General’s Heavy Armor Top]
Type: Armor
Grade: A
Restrictions: Level 100+, Strength 100+, Vitality 100+
Description: A heavy armor top imbued with the majesty of a great general.
It wasn’t just for show. This was A-grade equipment, wearable only at level 100 or higher. Why would they send this to me?
“They want me to repair this?”
Having accepted the commission, I had no choice but to fix it.
“Did they decline?”
“Yes. It’s a bit disappointing, but there’s no helping it. If scouting’s off the table, we’ll just have to build rapport through commissions,” said Saebom Lee, Mir Guild’s representative.
“So you sent them equipment for repair.”
“It’s work we needed done anyway, and it’s good to build ties with a promising blacksmith, right?”
Saebom Lee didn’t press Seojun despite her disappointment. Having been in the Awakened world for a while, she knew pushing too hard could backfire. Instead, small commissions would foster goodwill, increasing the chances of Seojun joining later—or at least turning to Mir Guild if his identity was exposed and he needed protection.
“Vulcanus-nim has accepted the commission. All the armor needing repairs has been sent as requested.”
“Good work.”
This was a solid start, Saebom thought with a smile as she prepared to leave. But as she reached for her equipment, she tilted her head.
“Huh? Where’s my armor?”
“What armor are you talking about?”
“My armor. I took it off with the newbie team’s gear after leading them.”
“…What?”
The staff member panicked, bowing deeply. “I-I’m so sorry!” they stammered, bending at a ninety-degree angle.
Saebom’s mind raced with a bad feeling. “No, it can’t be… right?”
It couldn’t be. Surely not. But as always, “surely not” catches people off guard.
“I thought it was all newbie team gear and sent it for repair! I’m so sorry! I’ll contact Vulcanus-nim right away!”
It was true. They’d sent her armor along with the newbie team’s gear—to a level 1 blacksmith, no less. Saebom, who’d stayed calm even when her scout offer was rejected, shouted urgently.
“Contact them now! That armor’s critical! Without it, I can’t join the scheduled raid!”
She stammered, issuing orders frantically. And no wonder—though she worked in administration, she was also an active gate-clearing knight, a front-line Awakened. Her armor was vital.
And the General’s Heavy Armor? It was an A-grade piece custom-ordered from Kang Ho-deok, Korea’s top blacksmith, using rare materials and a hefty fee.
If a level 1 blacksmith failed to repair it? Failure was almost guaranteed—no level 1 could handle level 100 armor. At best, its performance would degrade; at worst…
“That armor cannot be ruined!”
But despite her pleas, the staff’s response was grim.
“Vulcanus-nim… isn’t answering.”
An A-grade, level 100 armor. They’d meant to send newbie gear for repair, so why was this included? I didn’t understand, but a job’s a job.
“Let’s warm up with the others first and tackle this last.”
I closed the system window and got to work.
Clang, clang, clang!
Was it because my level and stats had increased? My hammer swings were faster, and my enhanced strength struck the points harder.
[Repair of ‘Valiant Arming Sword’ complete.]
[Successful repair enhances the Valiant Arming Sword’s attack power.]
Maybe because the item was already high-grade, its grade didn’t increase, unlike when I repaired old pickaxes. Still, boosting attack power was good enough. The commission was for repairs, not enhancements, so I didn’t dwell on it and kept hammering.
[Repair of ‘Horned Boar Leather Armor’ complete.]
[Successful repair enhances the Horned Boar Leather Armor’s defense.]
Repairing armor increased its defense. I’d worried my skills wouldn’t work on leather, but they applied to any “weapon” or “armor,” regardless of material. The repair method was the same: hit the points.
There were differences, though. Cloth gear had small, fast-moving points, requiring quick, precise strikes. Plate armor had larger, thicker points, demanding full-force swings.
[Repair of ‘Beholder’s Forked Spear’ complete.]
[Successful repair enhances the Beholder’s Forked Spear’s attack power.]
“So this is how the other gear works.”
Repairing gave me a better eye for items. Seeing them in person felt different from browsing auction house images.
I could distinguish between monster-dropped and crafted items and even estimate their grades just by looking. I even started noticing flaws.
“This part’s a bit shoddy.”
Despite knowing nothing about repairs initially, my SSS-class ability was instilling blacksmithing knowledge in me. Curious, I hammered a flaw’s point, and…
[Repair of ‘Bent Oldwood Staff’ complete.]
[Successful repair enhances the Bent Oldwood Staff’s magic attack power.]
[Successful repair upgrades the Bent Oldwood Staff’s grade.]
Even a high-grade item’s rank increased through repair. I wondered if I should charge more for this as I kept hammering, soon finishing most of the gear. Only two items remained:
[General’s Heavy Armor Top]
[General’s Heavy Armor Bottom]
“Hands warmed up, let’s do this.”
The standout pieces, radiating presence among the pile, were finally ready for repair.
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