[Strange Magic Power Stone]

[Rating: Myth

Type: Consumable

Can increase the rating of the target item to the same rating as the stone.

Weight: 1]

‘It is fortunate.’

Gru, Naeun, Hangyeol, Harang, and Garam—Grid held the Strange Magic Power Stone that had grown with the death of five yangbans and was relieved. Thanks to the myth rating of the White Tiger Gaiters, the need to consume the stone had disappeared.

‘I’m a little less nervous now.’

After a long period of work and pleasant sweating, Grid’s mind became lighter. His body and spirit that had been exhausted by the ongoing battle with the yangbans had finally regained the sense of everyday life. Yes, this was normal. The last few weeks had been unusually difficult.

Calm down. Enjoy things.

Again and again, Grid smiled brightly.

“I will make you all stronger than you are now.” Grid approached the sacred creatures favorably. It was an act that stemmed from a deep liking.

Kyeongja, Tosun, Blue Tiger, and the toothless tigers...

All of them were friends he didn’t hate. They were great beings and comrades he would fight together with in the future. Grid guessed that the battle of the Twelve Zodiacs was starting now.

‘Blue Tiger is a descendant of the white tiger.’

It was important to note that two of the Twelve Zodiacs were descendants of the Four Gods other than the red phoenix. The gods that the Twelve Zodiacs served weren't just the red phoenix, it was all of the Four Gods. In the old days, the Twelve Zodiacs would’ve been scattered all over the north, east, south, and west. However, once all of the Four Gods were sealed, they gathered and hid here. They might be locked up by the Hwan Kingdom.

Ttang! Ttang!

Grid started making a trident. He had interacted with the water clan people for a long time and made quite a few tridents. Therefore, he had pretty good production methods. He also had experience in fighting and winning against Kyeongja. He knew her combat style and could infer what type of weapon she needed. It wasn’t information given by a specific skill or stat. It was the power of experience and knowledge that Grid had accumulated.

‘Kelov’s Trident should be good.’

Kelov's Trident was somewhat strange because the end of the spear was bent It was designed to pull the target but was sometimes used as a support to create variables in combat. Kyeongja had a habit of pointing her tail at the ground. She used her fearsome tail as a substitute for her legs and to overcome the limitations of her short legs.

‘If she can support herself with her weapon as well as her tail, she’ll have a stronger fighting style.’

The cloak would undoubtedly be Lantier’s Cloak. Since Kyeongja enjoyed land-base combat, the armor that could be equipped was limited to a helmet and cloak. Thus, it was necessary to maximize the defense.

‘Humans are the best, at least in terms of items.’

Grid thanked the human body that could move freely when covered with armor and once again focused on his work.

The flames of the white phosphorus wood hadn’t disappeared after smelting the White Tiger’s Breath and Greed. Black iron was melted in it and became the unique rated Kelov’s Trident. The legendary rated Lantier’s Cloak was successfully made by tanning and cutting the Fury Minotaur’s Leather and Chameleon Lord’s Leather.

‘Wait.’

Grid was about to make the Cone Helmet when he stopped.

‘Is this okay?’

The helmet called the Cone Helmet had excellent defense. As long as the precondition of ‘black iron trained for several days and nights’ was met, it showed a high defense even if Belial's Leather wasn’t mixed in. There was just a fatal problem—the appearance was rubbish. It became a joke because it made the wearer look silly and gave room for a ‘pathetic vilification.’

This was why the Cone Helmet was a degraded item. The rating of an item was usually fixed or was capable of growth but the Cone Helmet had the side effect of the rating dropping. It was just because of the appearance.

‘...It does seem like it.’

Grid paused in trimming the tip of the helmet and frowned. He could put the crown on the helmet thanks to the First King title but it was different for Kyeongja. If she wore this on her head then he was afraid people would take her for a fool. There was even a possibility that the faith toward her would be weakened.

‘Even if it is a bit lacking in defense, I need to give the right helmet... I think Kyeongja likes a crown so I’ll make a crown.’

The crown had a lot of additional stats in exchange for low defense. It wasn’t bad as the next best thing.

It happened when Grid’s troubles were deepening...

Kyeongja stood next to Grid and watched his work with shining eyes. “Cool...! The crown is cool! The sharp points remind me of my dead husband’s teeth! I want to wear it quickly!”

“......” It was a heart-breaking sentiment.

Grid once again accelerated his work. He spent nine hours trying to complete the spear, helmet, and cloak before the cooldown of Open Potential ended. It was a leap forward compared to the days when he took more than one day to create unique or higher rated items. It was thanks to Duke of Fire. The passive skill Fire of Willpower that doubled his working speed made it feasible.

“The energy of the tiger is soaring!”

How long had it been? Old equipment that had been gifted by humans a long time ago. In place of those who had lost their seasons, the newly armed rat queen cheered with red cheeks. Her eyes were so shiny that she could fire lasers.

“Myong! Myong! Myong! Hooray, Her Majesty!”

“Myong! Myong! Myong! Hooray, human friend!”

The rat queen’s servants stomped their feet and shouted. Their cheers for Grid and the rat queen were loud but the birds in the forest didn’t leave. Rather, they chirped together to form a chorus. It was a glimpse of the nature-friendly nature of the spirits.

[Affinity with ‘Kyeongja of the Twelve Zodiacs’ has increased by 50.]

[The subordinates who follow Kyeongja have become your allies.]

[All the rats in the world will come to know your name.]

Then the spear stabbed by Kyeongja caused a stir in the atmosphere. It was an admirable blow in all aspects of speed and power. It seemed superior to Garam’s spear.

‘This is one of the Twelve Zodiacs...’

They were classified as half-gods but they were born from true faith, unlike the yangbans. Since they were animals, their instincts were stronger than their sense of reason and there were many physical shortcomings, but they still looked great in Grid’s eyes. Grid wanted to be companions with the Twelve Zodiacs. He wanted to use their strength to overcome the challenges of the East Continent that still remained. Grid frankly expressed this wish, “It is a gift so we can fight together in the future. Help me. I want to resurrect the remaining Four Gods.”

It would’ve been much more effective to add the words ‘for the peace of the world.’ However, Grid didn’t add anything. The reason for Grid’s attempt to revive the remaining Four Gods included private intentions for personal gain.

Kyeongja hugged Grid again and again. “Good human... You just have to ask and I will do it.”

[Affinity with ‘Kyeongja of the Twelve Zodiacs’ has increased by 20.]

[You have built a full alliance with Kyeongja of the Twelve Zodiacs.]

[Even the rats in the sewers will help you and the Overgeared Kingdom.]

...

..

!!

[★ The plague that was supposed to break out in some small villages of the Overgeared Kingdom have disappeared. ★]

[★ Rats who live in the Overgeared Kingdom have started to care about cleanliness. ★]

“...!”

The result was more than expected. He became a true companion to Kyeongja and the rat race itself entered an alliance with the Overgeared Kingdom. Some might laugh at the thought of being allies with rats but Grid thought differently. The plague that could’ve happened disappeared with the cooperation of the rats. If he used it in reverse, he could cause plagues in other kingdoms.

‘Still, there will be a price to pay.’

Grid summoned Overgeared Corn to increase his stamina recovery and pulled out hard bread and lukewarm water to relieve his hunger. The Open Potential skill can now be used again so he planned to make the shoulder guards immediately. The material was naturally Greed and the White Tiger’s Breath.

Tosun stared as Grid once again ignited the furnace and asked, “God of Virtue, why don’t you join the breaths of different attributes together?”

It was a good idea. If he joined two breaths into one then one item would have two attributes. Of course, Grid had tried it. However—

“No, the auras of the breath aren’t harmonious and conflict with each other.”

The different attributes of the breaths collided with each other but this wasn’t the real problem. The fundamental problem was that the melting point of the breaths was different. Even if Grid attempted to create two different temperatures in the furnace, it was impossible to fuse two breaths together.

‘...No.’

It was impossible at the time when he was a ‘human’ blacksmith. What if he was a blacksmith comparable to a god for a while?

Grid had wondered why humans had two nipples. He was reminded that human beings were modeled after a god so the appearance of the gods and humans was the same.

The blacksmith god, Hexetia, was also human in appearance. He had two nipples. Each of the nipples ignited flames of different colors. The left nipple had a blue fire while the right nipple had a red fire. They were flames with a different temperature.

'Nipples... Two... Different temperature flames...’

The puzzle pieces joined together in Grid’s head.

‘If I also light up my nipples... Bullshit.’

It was wrong. Grid shook his head and cleared his mind.

‘The skill that is comparable to a god, dexterity, the skill effects, and two different flames...’

There was no reason to place flames on his nipples. He could do it in the furnace. He could light two furnaces at the same time and use the bellows at the same time.

‘It is worth the challenge.’

The bottom line was that Grid started to create one more portable furnace. His face and body were quickly covered with sweat but he was smiling. On the other hand, the expressions of the Twelve Zodiacs and the tigers were stiff. It was because Grid’s state seemed strange as he kept repeating ‘nipples’ to himself.

“Aheung. Maybe it is estrus.”

The male tigers understood.