TOP 90

Chapter 90

Automatic Item Production Factory

To put it bluntly—no, it’s not possible.

I asked calmly,
“Why not?”

Keldwick, my guardian, wasn’t the type to refuse me for no reason.

“…Master. Do you think Legendary-grade items are common?”

“I know they’re not.”

Even Unique-grade items were rare treasures for most Hunters.
Legendary-grade?
No need to even mention it.
Even top-tier Hunters treated them as priceless relics.

“But this is Blacksmith, isn’t it?”

“……”

“And you’re the great master craftsman Keldwick.”

“Khmm. W-well, that’s true.”

Keldwick was weak to flattery.

Anyway—

“So there must be at least one Legendary-grade item lying around here, right?”

The best workshop in Korea without a single Legendary item?
I couldn’t believe that.

However—

“…There isn’t one.”

“…What?”

“It’s our sore spot. We don’t have any Legendary-grade items in stock.”

“……”

That… actually made sense.

“…Why’s that?”

“Every now and then—very rarely—a Legendary-grade item is crafted. But what’s the point of us holding onto it? We sell it immediately and use the proceeds to keep the place running.”

“Ah.”

“It’s been a long time since Sookyul managed to make one, you know.”

So even among Legendary items, there were few to begin with, and the handful that did exist had already been sold off to new owners.

Still, one thing didn’t quite make sense.

“Keldwick. You can’t make Legendary-grade items?”

Keldwick was a Dwarf.
Dwarves were famed as master craftsmen.
And Keldwick was of such high standing that he’d survived dimensional collapse itself.

So…

“Surely your skills surpass any human’s—how come you can’t make one?”

Meaning, he should have the ability to craft Legendary items.

“Hey, that’s harsh.”

Keldwick grumbled at my provocation.

“Truth is, I do have the skill.”

“Then what’s the issue?”

“There’s no workshop capable of handling that level of craftsmanship.”

“…Huh?”

What kind of logic was that?

“I mean—sure, I have the technique. But to forge something of that magnitude, I’d need a workshop suited for it. Building one here is nearly impossible.”

Hmm.
So the environment couldn’t keep up with the skill.

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Isn’t it just?”

Keldwick sighed with visible regret.

“If only I had a workshop like the ones our ancestors used…!”

As I listened, something clicked in my head.

A workshop…?
Where had I heard that before?

“Anyway, the reason I asked to analyze that bracelet of yours is along the same line. An item infused with Dwarven technology! Those are extremely rare. If I could find a related gate or dungeon, maybe I could find some clues.”

“A related gate… that might be difficult.”

“Why’s that?”

“It was… a rather special gate. Technically, a dungeon within another dungeon.”

The place where I’d obtained the “Dwarven Draupnir” was part of a trial meant to gain a Dragon’s Power—
A fragment of history, a projection of another time and space.

Trying to deliberately re-enter that would be like trying to catch a falling star.

“Ha! Damn it. I thought I might finally have a chance to restore our Dwarven craft…”

Keldwick looked dejected.

But then—

A fragment of history… that power I gained there…?

My mind drifted to a particular skill.
I opened the “Tenauzes System” to check it.

[Authority: Dragon Lair – Skill, Legendary]

• Your very own home! A tranquil sanctuary!

• Grants access to your Dragon Lair.

• The Dragon Lair is a subspace boasting immense size and versatility!

• Feed it Magic Stones to level it up.

• As it levels up, new functions are unlocked!

  • Lv.1: Automatic Healing Potion Production

  • Lv.2: Automatic Ether Production (Current)

  • Lv.3: Dwarven Workshop (Locked)

  • Lv.4: …

Dragon Lair.

I’d mostly been using it as a giant private space, but apparently it came with a lot of extra functions.

Feeding it Magic Stones increased its level, unlocking new features.

At Lv.1, it automatically produced healing potions—
One a day, so I never had to worry about potions anymore.

At Lv.2, it started producing Ether automatically—
Meaning no more worrying about power for the Mithril Golem, and I could recharge the Dispel Ring I stole from Cobra.

And at Lv.3…

“That’s where I saw it.”

So that’s what had been nagging at me.

“The Dwarven Workshop.”

At my mutter, Keldwick’s head snapped up.

“W-what!? Master, what did you just say…?”

“The Dwarven Workshop. I think I can handle that part.”

“How—how in the world!?”

I briefly explained the “Dragon Lair.”

“W-wait, what kind of absurd thing is that…”

“There’s just one problem.”

“What is it!?”

“I need Magic Stones.”

To unlock the Dwarven Workshop, I’d need Magic Stones.

Even after feeding 500 million won worth of them last time, the Dragon Lair had only reached Lv.2.

“How much more…?”

To raise it to Level 3, I’d probably need…

“About one billion won worth.”

Yeah. At least that much.

“……”

Keldwick fell silent.
But not for long.

“Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Where else? The Magic Stone vault.”

“Oh!”

“Denied!”

“It’s fine!”

“I said, denied!”

“I’m the Guildmaster!”

“Doesn’t mean you can personally use Guild resources like this! Especially Magic Stones!”

We arrived at Blacksmith’s Magic Stone vault.

But getting our hands on any wasn’t so simple.

“Hey! This isn’t personal use—it’s for the guild’s prosperity!”

“Denied. You’ll have to explain exactly what you plan to use them for.”

The vault manager was as strict as they came.

So this was why Magic Stones were considered a national strategic resource—
The same was true at the Geumwa Group, and now here too.

Still, there’s always a way.

I stepped forward.

“Hello there.”

“…You’re the one who talked our Guildmaster into this, aren’t you?”

The manager glared.

“Well, technically yes.”

Not wrong.
If Keldwick gave me one billion won worth of Magic Stones, I’d open the Dwarven Workshop for him.

(Of course, everything produced there would be mine.)

Since Keldwick was my guardian and would be happy just to craft, I figured it’d be fine.

Anyway—

“I don’t know how you sweet-talked him, but no way. One billion won in Magic Stones? Not happening.”

“Hey! With that, I could finally achieve my life’s dream—”

“Guildmaster, no paperwork, no approval. If there’s an audit later, we’re all done for!”

Keldwick couldn’t sway him.
Maybe he just wasn’t good at bureaucratic stuff—or maybe he was too obsessed with the “Dwarven Workshop.”

So I stepped in again.

“There won’t be a problem.”

“Ha! And who do you think you are—”

“If it leads to the creation of a Legendary-grade item, isn’t one billion won worth of Magic Stones a worthwhile investment?”

You couldn’t just demand things like this—you had to give them a reason.

And “investment in a Legendary-grade item” sounded like a perfect justification.

“That… well, that’s true…”

As expected, the manager wavered.

But then—

“Still, why should I trust you?”

Fair. Trust was an issue.

But that’s where—

“I’ll vouch for him!” said Keldwick. “He’s an outstanding Hunter!”

“Guildmaster… who even is this person?”

“I can’t tell you details—but trust me, it’s fine. It’s fine.”

With Guardian No. 4 backing me, the matter was settled quickly.

“……Understood.”

The manager finally approved the withdrawal.

“Just make sure the paperwork’s clean.”

“Heh heh heh.”

“…Why are you laughing like that?”

“Don’t you know who I am? I’m Gildoik.”

“Please don’t say ominous things like that.”

“I’ll leave the paperwork to you.”

“……”

Keldwick really wasn’t the type to worry about small matters.

The “Dragon Lair” reached Level 3.

“Oooooohhh!!”

Keldwick and I entered together.

Inside, a massive new facility had appeared—
A “Dwarven Workshop” even more intricate and expansive than Han Sookyul’s own forge.

“With this… I can finally do it!!!”

Keldwick roared in excitement.

“Alright then. You can craft here as much as you like.”

“Heh heh heh… Master! I love you!”

“…Let’s keep the words down, please.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Keldwick looked like he might explode from happiness.

“So, how long would it take to make one item?”

“A Legendary one?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I can’t mass-produce them—but with proper materials, maybe a month or two?”

“Hmm.”

Not bad.

“I’ll start with what materials I already have. That should be enough to make a necklace.”

“Perfect.”

And that necklace would be sold to me at a very cheap price.
Fantastic.

“Oh, and since you’ll be working in here for a while, let your guild know in advance.”

The only drawback was that the Dragon Lair was bound to me.
While Keldwick was working inside, he couldn’t handle anything outside.

Especially with me about to enter the Immortal King Gate soon.

“Already done! Hahaha! No one will be looking for me for the next two months.”

Well, that solved that.

It wasn’t unusual for master craftsmen to vanish for months while focused on their craft.

And just like that, my automatic item production factory went into operation.

The next day.

“Line up! Five-star Hunters and below to the left! Six-star and above to the right!”

It was recruitment day for mercenaries to attack the Immortal Gate, held every three months by the Destiny Guild.

We arrived at the site.

“By the way, Prill—shouldn’t you be in class with Seolah?”

【Nope. She’s already mastered the theory stuff. It’s better to get her hands dirty now!】

“Hehe. Only thanks to you, Prill!”

Prill and Yoo Seolah were with me.

After a few days apart—since I’d been helping with Seolah’s “6-star project”—it felt nice to be together again.

Feels comfortable, I thought.
Having people you didn’t have to stay on guard around was surprisingly relaxing.

(Jeon Jiho couldn’t come—he wanted to, but he still couldn’t use Aura Threads or get a 5-star license. And you needed at least that to apply here.)

Anyway—

【Wow, there are so many people!】

“I’ve never seen this many Hunters in one place before.”

The two girls looked around in awe.

“Of course. For 5-star Hunters and above, this is a huge opportunity.”

The “Immortal King Gate” was a special Gate owned by the Destiny Guild—
It didn’t disappear after being cleared, reopening every three months, and the rewards were insanely good.

Since the entry cap was high, the guild recruited mercenaries every time it reopened.

For any Hunter living in Seoul with a 5-star license or higher, this was an event you couldn’t afford to miss.

【Ahh, I get it.】

“Exactly.”

And then—

“Six-star Hunters applying as squad leaders, over here!”

Anyone above six-star could apply as a squad leader.

“I’m heading that way.”

“Okay! See you after you pass!”

“Yeah.”

I moved to the group of about thirty six-star Hunters.

【Wait, but didn’t you already say you passed?】

“I did.”

Technically, if I just talked to Namgoong Myung, I could skip the exam altogether.
But I chose not to.

“I’d rather not take a parachute route.”

【Ahh, got it.】

I figured it’d be better in every way to go through the proper test—
Whether for recognition from others, or to impress Namgoong Myung himself.

Just as I was waiting for the test to begin—

“Hey, kid.”

Someone tapped my shoulder.

I turned to see a Hunter at least two meters tall, with a nasty look on his face.

He smirked arrogantly.

“You’re gonna be my launchpad.”