Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 446: The Black-and-White Ring (1)

“Then show me the ring.”

Taesan revealed a pair of black-and-white rings.

As Haphran examined the rings, Taesan spoke to him.

“By the way, Kosrun. I met him.”

“Kosrun?”

Haphran’s pupils widened.

“...Where did you meet him?”

“On the 86th floor. He said he made a new contract with a wizard.”

“A new contract?”

Taesan explained to Haphran, and after hearing the story, Haphran calmed himself.

“...So that’s how it is. It certainly wouldn’t have had much meaning for me.”

Haphran couldn't handle equipment with a will of its own. For him, a world of sentient weapons was not particularly appealing.

“Wait.”

Haphran frowned.

“...Then the aura I’ve been feeling since earlier...”

[Hello, Haphran.]

Bardray spoke in the form of a sword.

Haphran closed his mouth.

A moment later, he let out a hollow laugh.

“Hero... Is that how it turned out? I thought the quest was completed, and you had imbued that sword with your power and left.”

[I have become the sword.]

“So Kosrun must be going wild with joy. Hero, are you satisfied with that?”

[Well, for now? At least, I don’t regret it much.]

“Well, that’s good.”

Haphran spoke calmly.

“Congratulations on achieving your wish.”

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

[Thanks. But my situation isn’t that important, right? You have your own task.]

“That’s right.”

Haphran acknowledged and tightly gripped the pair of rings.

“Let’s start right away. Follow me.”

Haphran led Taesan to his destroyed world.

It was completely dead.

The faintest trace of life had disappeared, and it had turned into a massive stone the size of a planet.

“Are we making it here?”

“The equipment I’m making now surpasses my own knowledge. Since I can’t predict how the aftermath will unfold, I thought it best to craft it in this dead world.”

Haphran said as he headed toward an abandoned forge, which appeared to have been set up after the world’s death.

“Let’s organize things. I’m not capable of handling the tools you gave me. But if I were to use you as a tool, that would change the situation.”

Taesan would become Haphran’s hammer and anvil.

An immortal would serve as the blacksmith’s hands and feet. With that, even materials Haphran couldn’t handle would be manageable.

“But tools are the hands and feet of a craftsman. Simply following my orders won’t work. You must become me, and I must become you.”

Haphran took out a pure white orb from his pocket.

“First, let’s synchronize you and me.”

[Refined Core of the World]

[A core forged by the blacksmith, the Refined Core of the World. It has the power to synchronize and connect different life forms.]

“Ah. Excuse me, Hero. Please distance yourself for a moment. I can’t predict what influence someone like you might have.”

[Got it.]

Bardray pulled away from Taesan’s hand and distanced himself.

“...Completely free. Kosrun. I never expected he’d gain the possibility to fulfill his wish.”

Admiring the situation, Haphran spoke seriously.

“Are you ready?”

Taesan nodded. Haphran handled the core of the world.

The white orb expanded and engulfed them.

And Haphran and Taesan synchronized. They began to feel each other’s power and energy.

Haphran’s face trembled.

“Hmmm...”

Taesan was an immortal. Even though Taesan was adjusting, perfect synchronization with Haphran, a mortal, was difficult.

“This is more than I expected. Maybe I wasn’t fully prepared.”

Haphran took out a number of materials from his pocket.

He activated them all at once. In an instant, Haphran’s power surged to an extraordinary level.

Only then did Haphran take a breath, as if the pressure had eased a little.

“Then... we need to take one step further. Let’s connect our minds.”

“Minds?”

Taesan hesitated.

To connect their minds meant that Haphran would look into Taesan’s thoughts.

“I understand your hesitation. But without connecting to that level, crafting the equipment will be difficult.”

“I have no choice, huh. It’s fine.”

There was no reason to refuse now. It was just showing him, and it wasn’t something he felt uncomfortable about.

“Alright. Let’s start.”

Kiiing!

The core of the world that surrounded them amplified further.

They began to connect with each other.

And Taesan saw it.

In a world made of fire itself, a dwarf was hammering alone.

Despite setting himself on fire, he continued to strike the hammer in silence.

That was Haphran’s mindscape.

And just as Taesan saw Haphran’s mindscape, Haphran was also seeing Taesan’s mind.

“...Hmm?”

Haphran’s eyes shook.

He looked as if he had seen something strange, as if he had witnessed something that shouldn’t exist.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing.”

Haphran concealed his confusion and steadied himself.

“Our minds have connected. How does it feel?”

“It’s strange.”

Taesan could feel something about Haphran within himself.

It felt as if the two of them had become one.

“That’s enough. Let’s begin.”

Haphran placed the pair of rings on the anvil.

“These rings are yours. Your self, your power, and your energy will influence them. Remember that.”

Taesan nodded.

“Then, let’s begin. Activate.”

[You have activated the dual bond.]

Crackling sound!

A noise erupted.

The pair of rings on the anvil tried to forcibly become one.

Naturally, resistance broke out. The structure of the rings began to collapse. It was as if they were forcing mismatched puzzle pieces to fit together, unable to accept and breaking apart.

At that moment, Haphran took out more materials.

Whoosh!

Threads of collapse traced through the air. Thanks to their connected minds, Taesan immediately realized what Haphran wanted. He moved the threads, tightly wrapping them around the rings.

Then, he tightened them.

The collapsing rings were forced to maintain their form by the collapse threads.

Haphran immediately took out the next material. It was the Token of Struggle. As the token shattered, the intense power contained within it began to spread.

Taesan focused his will, directing the power into the rings.

Boom!

The rings, now infused with immense power, responded. They surged to an even higher level, and the resistance between them began to gradually diminish.

Finally, the essence of the world.

Everything in the world was contained in it, and it covered the pair of rings.

Crack!

It sealed, pulled up, and enveloped. The rings slowly began to accept each other.

Then Haphran raised his hammer.

Clang!

The sound of hammering echoed. Haphran did not stop. He raised his hammer again and struck down.

Clang!

He focused all his mind and power. He raised his hammer again.

Clang!

The hammering sounded as though he was sacrificing himself.

But even so, it wasn’t enough.

The rings resisted, emitting waves. Haphran’s full force came down on them, but there was no significant effect.

Then Taesan responded.

Boom!

He unleashed his own power and energy, pressing down on the rings. The divine and black were mixed, crushing the rings’ resistance.

“You are my equipment.”

Those rings were his possession.

And possessions had to follow their master’s will.

He pressed down on the rings with his will. The resistance of the rings slowly weakened.

Soon, the rings yielded and began to accept him.

The hammer was raised. The sound of iron clashing with metal rang out, and the rings fused.

Boom!

The black and white spread everywhere.

Within it was an intense power capable of destroying and collapsing everything.

Taesan spread his arms. A magical barrier surrounded Haphran.

Boom!

The barrier, struck by the force, shook violently but held firm.

The aftershock settled.

“...Thank you. I almost died making this equipment.”

Haphran muttered with a face covered in sweat.

“Doing it here was the right choice.”

The ruined world had become desolate due to the concentration of power. If they had done this in the labyrinth, his forge would have shattered.

And on the anvil, there was a single ring.

The ring swirled with black and white, like a yin-yang symbol.

“Truly... you did it.”

Haphran chuckled. He hadn’t imagined that such a level of equipment would be achieved.

The materials that went into that one ring alone were the Light of the Origin, the Source of the Apostles, Dragon’s Claw, the Ember of the Spirit King, the Essence of the World, Threads of Collapse, and the Token of Struggle.

Seven materials in total.

Each one could have created a top-tier piece of equipment.

And all of it had been used for just this one ring. Haphran looked at it with hopeful eyes.

“That is yours. Take a look.”

Taesan took the ring. It did not resist and allowed Taesan’s touch.

[The Black-and-White Ring, Blended with Majesty and Perfection]

[Strength +10%]

[Agility +10%]

[Intelligence +10%]

[Attack Power +2500]

[Defense +500]

[Numerous materials have been mixed together, becoming a complete whole. The twin rings that were separately made have fused and acquired a complete self. You have perfectly tamed this ring.]

[This ring is in harmony with you. It perfectly assists your every action.]

[This ring is a part of you. It can wield the power you possess to protect you and attack your enemies.]

[This ring has a will. If you wish, you can awaken its will.]

[The awakened will grows each time it defeats an enemy, enhancing the ring's abilities.]

***

[Oh.]

Bardray involuntarily let out a sound.

[What kind of ring is this?]

Bardray had already anticipated that the ring’s performance would be on a completely different level compared to anything he had seen before. Just considering the materials used, it was easy to tell that much.

But this was beyond even Bardray’s imagination.

The increases to strength, agility, and intelligence were 10% each.

Even though there was a 5% increase from the set effect, it was still an unbelievably high number.

With just that stat increase alone, Bardray thought it would be worth it.

But that wasn’t all.

The attack power was a staggering 2500.

It was on par with Bardray himself. This couldn’t simply be attributed to a single ring’s attack power.

Though the defense of 500 seemed relatively small due to the high attack power, it was still an amount that an ordinary ring could not possess.

[What is this? How the hell did you make this?]

“I didn’t make it. To put it simply, it’s almost as if Taesan made it himself.”

But even as Haphran spoke those words, there was a strong sense of pride and exhilaration on his face.

“Can I check it out too?”

Taesan handed the ring over to him. The ring, as if displeased, let out a faint power, but it didn’t resist much.

“Ooooh....”

Haphran let out a gasp as he examined the ring.

His eyes shone with an undeniable joy.

“I... I made this kind of equipment...”

“Does this mean your wish has been fulfilled?”

What Haphran had always wanted was to create equipment that no one else could—something completely unique to him.

“No. I’m still lacking.”

But Haphran denied it. His eyes held a strong desire.

“I can create even more superior equipment, something that no one can match. And with you... It’s not impossible.”

Haphran smiled broadly.

“Let’s keep getting along well, adventurer.”

“Yeah.”

Having the full support of such an outstanding blacksmith would only benefit him.

Taesan examined the ring once more. It wasn’t just the basic stats; the ring had special effects as well.

To verify those effects, it seemed he would need to awaken the ring’s will.

“The ring’s will, huh?”

Taesan gently caressed the ring. As his power and energy seeped into it, the slumbering will within the ring began to awaken.