Chapter 4: Monsters

*SPLAT*

"EEEK!"

"Why are you shrieking like a girl?!"

And as just as I brought the survivor back to the border, I had the paramedics check on him. They were part of the dispatched military reinforcement, which were at awe along with the rest of the soldiers, when they saw the monster corpses that I brought for harvesting materials.

Although a bit late, the Hunter Association's dispatched hunters have arrived. So I, along with other hunters and the military, fought back the monsters successfully.

I got to Lvl. 17 in a short span of time... Might I say that it was worth the trouble. And the materials I got from those monsters had good quality, so I thought that I should find a good blacksmith to help me forge them into a weapon. "It would be too unusual to kill all those monsters without even a single weapon", is what I thought.

And apparently, my [Authority] levelled up too, it allowed me to see the more details, like skills of hunters and monsters, the skills, activation method, and other details of several weapons, and the effects and other details of artifacts and accessories. So I'm relieved to be able to check on other's capabilities before I engage them in combat.

And so, I went to a blacksmith that X directed me to, his shop is secluded in an alley, and had an old-fashioned look on the outside. But X insists that the blacksmith here is very capable.

*TINGINING*

"Uhm, is there anyone here?"

I stand corrected, this blacksmith is a true master, I can see that the quality of the materials used for these weapons, armors, and accessories are excellent. And the skills and effects they have are exceptionally useful, well not for me right now but probably in the future.

"Who's there?!"

"Ah, I'm a customer."

An old man showed up, by the look of his titles, he's the blacksmith I'm looking for. His name is Go Bokcheol, Lvl. 45, Title: Blacksmith of the Void... Perfect, I'm so lucky today.

"Eh? A customer? How'd you find this place? I don't think I've met you before..."

"I'm Seok Jinwoo, my sources informed me that you are an exceptional blacksmith. So I am here to ask for your help in forging a weapon for me..."

I hope he would understand, it's critical that I get a weapon before I register as an official hunter.

"Hmph, what's in it for me? And I don't do business with strangers I haven't met before. You don't even know who I am-"

"Please, Go Bokcheol-nim, I just need weapon before I register."

I understand his point, it's better to be safe than sorry. I guess I'll have to explain everything to him.

"How did you know my name? Did my brother send you here?"

He has a brother? I wonder who it is...

"Ah, no, but I am a First Gen who just got out after 5 years. I'll also provide the materials so you don't have to worry."

Workspace is truly useful, I can store as many corpses and items as I want. I'll have X organize them all.

"Hmm, you do seem reliable. Okay, let's see those materials you have."

"[Workspace]"

*SWOOSH*

I'll just it all here... It's a good thing that I harvested all the useful materials, I sold the rest to the military for their research.

"Let's see what we have he-"

Does he have a skill similar to [Appraisal]?

"T-This is...!"

"Oh, that's aHelldog's fang. There's a bunch of them, so no need to worry..."

"Where did you get this?! This is valuable!"

The Helldog's fang is a very valuable material for forging, but I don't think it has to be that exaggerated.

"They are hard to get, that's why they're expensive materials! Just where did you-"

"I took it from the Helldogs I just killed."

Are Helldogs that ferocious?

"Hic-"

"Ah! Bokcheol-nim! Are you okay?!"

He fainted.

In the end, I had him forge a sword for me using all the materials I brought. He said he wanted to try out a new design, but I have a feeling that it will turn out fine.

Now that it's settled, I'll need to find more materials for the rest of my equipment, I'll augment them so they would have enhanced effects. But I guess that'll have to wait until I become a hunter.

A few days later, Bokcheol-nim finished my sword, I called it Hell's Fang, since it's made from a real fang. It had the skills [Piercing Slash], [Whirlwind Spin], and [Destructive Path]. I'll enhance them to consume less mana, deal more damage, and have wider ranges.

"Thank you very much, Bokcheol-nim. I'll pay the respective amount-"

"Forget about the money. Let's have a deal."

Hmm? A deal? Sounds interesting...

"When you register as a hunter, I'll buy the forging materials from you, and the next items you request me to forge will be 40% less the original price. Deal?"

Hmm... A good offer, but I have a better idea...

"It sounds good, but I'll add something to it... I'll give you the materials for free, and I'll even augment the ones you'll request, but everything I request to forge will be free. How about that?"

This is a good opportunity for me, if I can qet as much equipment as I want, then fighting monsters would be a breeze.

"Augment? Do you mean mana enhancement? I'll have to see that first, to make sure what you said is credible."

"I understand."

He truly is a cautious one.

"Hoo... I'll start now..."

Augmentation is an item enhancing technique taught to me by X. It requires a lot of mana, so not many can do it consecutively, plus not anyone can augment that easily, it requires proper training, and a good environment. During the times I was in my workspace, that boss monster was emitting a lot of mana so it was the perfect place for augmenting, not that I would wish to go back there.

First, pour mana into the sword's sections, first the innermost or the base section called the 'fang', which is made of mythril, iron, and an ogre's core, then the middle or magic section called the 'blade', which is made of mythril and mana stones, then the sharp section called the 'bite', which was designed by Bokcheol-nim using the Helldog's fang, mana stones, and orc's blood.

Then, distribute the mana to specify the enhancement. And finally, a blood compact.

*SWOOSH*

"Hoo! It's done! The mana consumption should be reduced down to half, the damage is tripled, [Piercing Slash] is now [Shockwave Strike], [Whirlwind Spin] is now [Tornado Spin], and [Destructive Path] is now [Hellfire Destruction]. How is it, Bokcheol... -nim?"

Ahh, he fainted...

After Bokcheol-nim woke up, I told him what happened, and demonstrated the enhancement. He also accepted my offer, so that's another step in my journey to the top. I have a good feeling that things will get easier from here on out... or will it?