Hyunsoo is a blacksmith by nature.

When he was a kid, when children wrote firefighter, president, or celebrity in the place for “future dream,” he wrote something absurd like crafting armaments with a dragon.

But to young Hyunsoo, that was definitely a dream.

Back then he was seven, and as he grew older, he realized how /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ embarrassing it was.

Still, as the other kids grew up and gradually realized that what they’d written—“celebrity,” “president,” and so on—was actually impossible, they accepted it as a matter of course.

But Hyunsoo gained something different.

A possibility it could be real.

The VR game Ares.

It could fulfill the dream Hyunsoo had carried for a long time.

The funny thing was, as of right now, the only person this was possible for was Hyunsoo.

Recently, Hyunsoo had hunted the Bone Dragon and obtained countless materials.

But among the items the Bone Dragon actually dropped, there weren’t any crafting materials at all.

Monsters dropping materials is random in the first place.

More often, you get them through quests.

In other words, users can hunt Transcendent species and still not obtain artifact materials. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

But Hyunsoo could obtain them even if they didn’t drop.

‘Because I have the Legendary skill Skill Collection.’

And Hyunsoo felt it.

The materials they dropped were connected to their advantages.

The proof was that when he crafted artifacts with dragon bones—the progenitor of magic—magic defense increased, and skill level increased.

So he started thinking about what a demon’s advantage might be.

Hyunsoo got a hint through Graut, and through what Bahala had said about the lesser demon Luxiu.

‘He said he plans to use it on Luxiu once Extinguish Evil hits 70%. Of course, that thing has absurd regeneration, so it won’t be easy, but shaving off 70% will open up the possibility.’

That was what he’d said while explaining why Babylon was needed.

And through that, Hyunsoo noticed information people still didn’t know.

‘Most demons might have cheating-level regeneration. Their blood itself is different from ordinary species.’

So here’s the question.

Artifacts crafted with the materials of dragons—the progenitors of magic—had high magic defense.

Then what if you crafted with demons, whose regeneration is cheating?

‘You can make an artifact with natural recovery that boosts regeneration.’

Dragon materials?

By the current hypothesis, they couldn’t compare to demon materials.

In reality, the lesser demon Luxiu was far stronger than the Bone Dragon, and its level was higher too.

Conviction.

Hyunsoo was convinced that the materials Luxiu had were superior.

He wanted to craft weapon-type gear with those materials—gear that could raise regeneration.

‘Every time you land an attack, the wearer heals.’

Right now, Atlas’s army only had armor crafted from dragon materials.

The advantage if he armed them with weapons crafted from demon materials on top of that.

And in the endless maze battle this time, Hyunsoo had lost fewer than twenty allies.

It was only a tiny number, but as a lord, it was true that his heart hurt.

But demon weapons could compensate for that.

‘Dragon armor, and demon weapons in their hands.’

If that became real, Atlas would have the best army.

Of course, for now, it was only a hypothesis.

“Will you take me on demon hunts too?”

Bahala didn’t speak.

Babylon now instantly deletes 80% of HP.

Bahala had to shave off the remaining 20%.

The problem was that the lesser demon Luxiu was in the level 590 range.

That was a difference of over a hundred even compared to Bahala.

Even that 20% wasn’t easy, honestly.

Right. Hyunsoo was a “variable.”

“I can take you, but there’s a problem.”

Bahala was blunt.

“You’re too weak.”

“......”

“By a lot.”

The only user who could call Hyunsoo weak right now was Bahala.

But by Bahala’s standard—and by a lesser demon’s standard—it was clearly true.

Hyunsoo caught the meaning.

“I’ll make sure I’m not a hindrance. I’ll deal with the stragglers around us.”

Honestly, for Hyunsoo, just confirming what kind of power demon materials had through Luxiu was already a profit.

The inferior version of demons was demonkin.

In the future, he’d gain hope of making self-regeneration artifacts from demonkin that would appear later.

But to Bahala, this was extremely important.

If the variable called Hyunsoo got in the way, the Sword God’s Path could stagnate.

What Hyunsoo was saying now—

‘It’s basically insisting by force...’

Bahala’s thoughts stopped.

‘I was the same.’

Just ten days ago, he’d demanded something even more ridiculous than this.

Because he was desperate.

And Hyunsoo was the one who’d struggled to do this ridiculous thing for him.

A thought suddenly came to him.

If they failed the Luxiu hunt because of the variable called Hyunsoo, would he resent him?

‘I won’t resent him.’

There would be another chance. There was the Babylon he’d made, and there was a blacksmith who turned the impossible into the possible.

“Fine. But you’d better not be a hindrance.”

Hyunsoo’s face flushed.

He didn’t say thank you. It was compensation he had every right to receive.

At the time, he didn’t know.

That Hyunsoo, the variable Bahala thought would cause failure—

would be the one to save him.

*****

“We’ll depart in two weeks. You can prepare until then. I have to move too, to do what I said last.”

After parting with him, Hyunsoo headed straight for the forge.

For some reason, his chest ached.

‘It’s right. A hundred times, a thousand times, it’s right.’

The words that he was too weak. He couldn’t deny them.

Strength was relative by nature.

To ordinary users, Hyunsoo was overwhelmingly strong, and to Hyunsoo, Bahala was overwhelmingly strong.

But the fact of those words—too weak—was something that also set him on fire.

‘Have I ever felt this kind of emotion?’

The Sword King, Spear Heaven.

Even though he’d been friends with both, he’d never felt it.

Why?

Because they were different at their core.

The Sword King and Spear Heaven weren’t targets Hyunsoo could ever catch.

But Bahala was different. He was the same kind of user, and he’d already handed Hyunsoo the #1 spot once.

‘Yeah. It’s healthy competition.’

Of course, Bahala wouldn’t feel competition. At least, not in the sense of raw power.

But Hyunsoo made himself a promise.

“I’ll make Bahala feel what I felt within a year.”

One year from now, Bahala would finally feel it fully—and fear it.

That in the world of the unmatched, there was another unmatched existence.

And this wasn’t an empty vow.

The reason Hyunsoo had come back into the forge was about to be revealed.

Bahala wouldn’t have known.

That Hyunsoo, right now, possessed things with Babylon-class potential.

That infinite potential revealed itself.

[Transcendent grade material box]

[Babylon(2)]

[Anium]

[Legend grade. Decent dragon bones]

[Legend grade. Decent dragon wing bones]

[Legend grade...]

He quoted the notification he’d heard while crafting Babylon.

‘It is defined as the greatest restoration.’

Even with just one of these materials, it would be top-tier in Second Ares.

The essence of these things itself was insane.

A Transcendent grade material box.

‘You can obtain a Transcendent grade material in the form you want.’

Just the fact that you obtain the form you want was insane.

Because if that happened, you could obtain what you were best at—

or what you needed most, at the perfect timing—as a Transcendent grade material.

Second.

The 200g of divine ore from Babylon.

‘With just 100g, a consumable was made. With 200g, permanent, the second Transcendence was crafted.’

Even that was the result from mixing it with ordinary materials.

Then you could think like this.

“What if I mix that 200g with the Transcendent grade mineral I want, and make a new mineral?”

Because 200g of divine ore was so extremely scarce, you could dismiss it as Transcendent.

And you could add another Transcendence on top of that.

That’s right.

For the first time since the Twin Dragon Sword, Hyunsoo was going to craft an artifact for himself.

The problem was what he would craft.

Crafting a sword was unnecessary.

‘Making a sword when I already have two Twin Dragon Swords is a waste.’

Then a bow?

‘A bow doesn’t need mineral as its main material. Divine ore can’t be used. Of course, if I made arrowheads out of divine ore, they’d deal absurd damage—but it’s too precious to spend just to be amazing once.’

Hyunsoo’s usage ratio was 90% sword, 10% bow.

His Sword Mastery level was skyrocketing, and since he’d learned swordsmanship, the sword was his main weapon.

What Hyunsoo wanted was something he would use as often as a sword.

“This is hard. An artifact that I can keep while it keeps making me stronger, and lets me chase Bahala.”

An absurd artifact.

But because the materials were absurd, he could make it real.

Then he asked himself a question.

‘I’ll do both—something that makes me stronger right now, and something that lets me keep getting stronger steadily.’

A method that made him strong now and also made his growth faster going forward.

Something flashed through Hyunsoo’s mind.

‘Decided.’

He lit the furnace.

RUMMMBLE—!

The moment he decided what to make, the material from the Transcendent grade box was fixed too.

[Please conceive the material inside the Transcendent grade box.]

“Mineral.”

[The characteristics the mineral must have are required.]

“A mineral with the power to maximize all percentages the wearer possesses.”

[Possible. You obtain a mineral that maximizes percentages from the Transcendent grade box.]

[Transcendent grade. You have obtained a Probability Mineral.]

The Probability Mineral he confirmed was enough to craft a single sword.

He needed a material that would push the Probability Mineral even further.

RUMMMBLE—!

Two Babylons were thrown into the furnace.

[This is refinement and smelting that is superior to before.]

Of course it was.

This was his second time extracting Babylon.

And extracted Babylon was a black mineral.

On the other hand, the Probability Mineral was white.

Hyunsoo melted those two minerals again and began fusing them.

Now that he’d already decided what to make—

‘Rather than using two minerals, it’s better to forge one single, best mineral.’

The two minerals he pulled out of the furnace began combining.

‘Wait for me, Bahala.’

Healthy competition.

If he was chasing Bahala’s back now, then one year from now, he would make Bahala chase his.

At last, in front of Hyunsoo’s eyes, the divine ore 200g and the Probability Mineral combined, and a divine mineral revealed itself.

That mineral looked like good and evil mixed together.

The problem was that everything in Ares was based on probability and skill.

In skill, Hyunsoo combined the two minerals flawlessly.

But probability wasn’t something you controlled.

‘Because of luck, the result could be worse than using the two separately.’

Even so, why Hyunsoo forced it through—

‘That won’t happen.’

He was convinced that even bad luck couldn’t show its teeth when the materials being mixed were this outstanding, and his skill wasn’t lacking.

And this was Hyunsoo’s first mineral fusion in Ares.

And you know what they say?

Usually, your luck is at its best the first time.

[A master craftsman’s outstanding skill has combined two minerals and produced a better result.]

Hyunsoo shuddered.

In other words, it meant he’d succeeded in making the combined result produce better effects than using them separately.

And then the notification he heard.

[It has power whose grade cannot be measured.]

“...?”

Hyunsoo panicked. Grade can’t be measured?

Then he realized.

‘The material I got from the box belongs to mid-tier Transcendent.’

And on top of that—

‘That 200g of divine ore is ultimately a myth-grade mineral.’

If mixing those produced something above Transcendent, what would the notification say?

Of course, if something confirmed beyond that existed, it could be said.

But right now, a grade above this didn’t exist.

In other words—

‘It’s the best mineral that exists.’

Hyunsoo’s hair stood on end.

Then Hyunsoo was stunned for a second time.

[It is a fusion that even a god would admire.]

In just five days, Hyunsoo had made the system say something like this twice.

‘Why does it say “even a god”?’

As mentioned, every notification had a reason.

And this notification contained “god.”

Hyunsoo asked himself.

Why does it go out of its way to say it’s a mineral that even a god would admire?

The reason was revealed immediately.

[Someday, an unknown god may commission you.]