It was said that a dwarf’s obsession transcended death—the saying wasn’t an exaggeration at all, but instead grounded in reality. The dwarves’ life expectancy was only three times that of humans, but there were some dwarves who lived longer than elves. It was because they couldn’t die until they completed their work... it was a case of surviving and exceeding the limits of life.

‘...They forget to die while making items.’

They wouldn’t have ordinary personalities. Grid had learned about the personalities of the dwarves through Ke.

‘I need to prepare my heart.’

Many things might happen to cause his blood to boil but he had to be patient. Interacting with the dwarves was one of his long dreamed about goals.

Clack! Clack clack clack!

The heat of the volcanic zone quickly reduced the health of the Overgeared Skeletons. Once they melted and disappeared, Gird stopped trying to summon Noe and Randy and looked around. Lava was flowing from the crater like a tsunami. It continued to swell on the mountain with a high slope. Noe and Randy wouldn’t be able to endure here long and would be recalled.

‘I wanted to level up the kids but it will be hard.’

The average level of monsters in the volcanic zone was 360. The elite monsters were only level 400. It was much lower compared to the average level of monsters on the final ridge of the Chaos Mountains. Grid had reached level 415 after fighting against Berserk King Beleth and raiding Eccentric Duke Saleos, so he didn’t feel anything special about the volcano’s monsters.

However, it was different for the Overgeared Skeletons, Randy, and Noe. For them, the monsters here were good prey. It was unfortunate that the land was dominated by a high heat and wasn’t a suitable hunting ground for them.

‘Well, this is better.’

He should focus on his original purpose. The reason he came here was to meet the dwarves, not to level up the kids. Grid ignored the monsters and ran at full speed. The heat of the volcanic zone didn’t threaten him since he was a legendary blacksmith. Shunpo had a higher probability of activating than before, so while some rankers would’ve taken half a day, Grid arrived at the top of the mountain in just 30 minutes. The panoramic view of a huge crater spread out in front of his eyes.

“Sigh.”

He let out a sigh of admiration at the city located in the crater. It was a small city that was enough for 10,000 households to live in. Most importantly, there were no signs of lava anywhere in the city. It meant that the waves of lava constantly flowing from the ridge didn’t come from this crater but was caused by some type of magical phenomenon. Was it a type of barrier?

‘There is a reason why people can’t easily enter it.’

Talima’s disconnection from the world wasn’t just due to Trauka’s existence. The dwarves did it themselves. Grid realized this as he jumped from the top of the mountain. The surrounding landscape quickly changed and the view of Talima instantly appeared in front of him. Just before falling to the ground, Grid opened the dragon wings and landed lightly.

Talima—the city that was any blacksmith’s dream, unfolded before his eyes.

Ttang! Ttang! Ttang!

"...?"

Grid savored the smell of iron that appeared from the moment he entered the city and stopped walking as he cocked his ears. The hammering from a shabby smithy grabbed his attention.

‘A craftsman?’

Someone who would be treated as a VIP in any kingdom was working alone in this shabby smithy? The intrigued Grid stopped as he was trying to open the smithy door.

Ttang! Ttang! Ttang!

Then he heard the sound of another blacksmith craftsman hammering from the smithy next door.

‘Are they rivals?

The reason they were working in such a poor environment despite being craftsmen was because the competition against the blacksmith next door wasn’t over yet...

‘Is this the obsession of the dwarves? Well, I would be the same.’

Grid listened to the hammering and nodded in a convinced manner as he created the plot of a movie. Then he started doubting his ears. It was because he could hear the hammering of craftsman level blacksmiths from the smithy next door and then the one after that.

“...Crazy.”

There was no blacksmith in the world who didn’t know how special Talima was and how talented the dwarf race was. Every blacksmith had fantasies about Talima and the dwarves. Grid was naturally the same. He had expected to see many craftsmen when he came to Talima.

However, it was in the dwarf castle, not this shabby smithy. ‘Is the entire city full of craftsmen?’ Grid glanced at the dwarf castle standing tall in the center of the city and focused on the sound in his surroundings again.

This was the entrance of the city. There were 20 smithies placed together and hammering could be heard from seven of them. Additionally, the hammering of advanced and intermediate blacksmiths were heard from 13 smithies.

‘They aren’t all craftsmen...’

This was normal. Advanced blacksmithing could be achieved using dexterity and experience. Dwarves were gifted with innate dexterity and any of them could reach advanced blacksmithing. However, a craftsman was a realm that could only be achieved by making a few masterpieces. They were legendary rated items.

Unlike Grid, who became a legend by reading a book and had a relatively high probability of producing legendary items, advanced blacksmiths had a probability that was close to 0%. Therefore, they required high luck and creativity to grow to the craftsman level.

‘In retrospect, it is really...’

He felt sorry for the other blacksmiths for his existence itself. Grid was reminded of the Overgeared Kingdom’s blacksmiths who were dreaming of being craftsmen even at this moment and smiled bitterly. He approached the smithy he identified first and stood by the window. The scenery of the small smithy was revealed through the wide open window—a dwarf was pounding steel on an anvil in front of the furnace that showed traces of time, the burning desire in his eyes no stranger to Grid.

‘It is a desire I’ve seen through Khan.’

Was he dreaming of becoming a legend? A strange blacksmith whose name was unknown. Nevertheless, Grid cheered for him.

‘Please become a legend.’

The birth of a new legend was entirely possible. Khan had already proved that there could be more than one of the same legend. Grid wanted more legendary blacksmiths to be born. He gradually let go of the desire to monopolize this special status. The weight on his shoulders was too great. He was fighting for world peace to protect his loved ones and he needed someone to take his spot as blacksmith—a person who could make and repair items for his colleagues.

‘I am the happiest when making an item but I have no spare time.’

One day, after finishing all his work, he would retire and would like to have a small smithy like this, hammering on steel all day. Grid moved to the center of the city with this small wish.

However, there were still no people on the streets. All the dwarves had their own smithy. They were immersed in making items. He occasionally saw dwarves putting their newly made items on stands before returning to their own smithy again. There were no outsiders and no customers, so the stands were overflowing with items. However, they didn’t seem to care at all. Machines operating all over the city were farming, producing, and distributing food on their behalf. They would never starve to death, so they weren’t interested in money.

“7 million gold?”

...No, they seemed to care a lot about money. The price of this epic item was at an unconscionable level.

“This is too much money.”

Items made in less than an hour using common steel had a price tag of 7 million gold. Grid clicked his tongue as the dwarf left and turned his attention to the other stands. There were no special items. Most of those on display were epic rated and cost a minimum of 5 million. Products that cost 10 million were also noticeable. 10 million gold was equivalent to 12 billion won.

‘No pushovers would fall for this price.’

Disappointment appeared on Grid’s face as he looked at the products on display. The price range was too conscienceless and the quality of the item itself wasn’t good. Most of the epic rated items were of medium quality and the unique items rarely seen were inferior ones.

‘I heard that the roadside stalls of Talima display unique items.’

The rumors were true but they didn’t meet his expectations. His fantasies about Talima were about to be broken.

Further exploration would just be a waste of time. It would be better to go straight to the dwarf castle to greet the king and ask for a lesson on egos. Grid made this decision and placed his hand on the stall to leave. He roughly held old gauntlets that were lying under loose armor.

“Huh?”

[This item has a hidden function!]

After arriving in Talima, Grid had used his appraisal skills more than 300 times. Finally, he found a special item for the first time. Grid was filled with some anticipation as he confirmed the updated information of the gauntlets.

[Gauntlets Longing for a Hunt]

[Rating: Unique

Durability: 5/203 Defense: 108

* Accuracy will increase by 5%.

* Attack speed increased by 10%.

Gauntlets with the ego of a hunter.

It maximizes the wearer’s hunting efficiency.

* The characteristics of the ego increases PvE hit rate by 20% and the probability of attacking the weakness in PvE by 10%.

Conditions of Use: Level 200 or more.]

“Wow.”

It was a really good item. It increased the attack hit rate against monsters by 20%. It also increased the probability of hitting weaknesses so monsters with a higher level than the wearer could be more easily hunted. The low level limit was also very helpful for players just starting the game.

‘This has a purchase value of around 10 million gold?’

There were many rich people in the world. Billions of won were spent in Satisfy, the world’s leading cultural and economic market. Countless people invested hundreds of billions of won. The price of an item wasn’t important for a low level player who started the game late but had sufficient funds. They could buy items to improve their hunting efficiency.

“...?”

Why place such a good item in a corner? It was so dusty that he almost passed by without seeing it.

Grid cocked his head and doubted his eyes. The price attached to the gauntlets was only 100,000 gold.

‘I-I have to buy this!’

It was a bargain if he sold it. He could gain 100 times the profit. It was like finding a home shopping ad that said three 100,000 won pants would be sold for 29,999 won if bought within five minutes. Grid ran excitedly into the smithy.

[You have entered a smithy.]

[’Pagma's Successor’ class effect is activated. Blacksmith NPCs who have at least mastered the Advanced Blacksmith’s Craftsmanship will recognize you and worship you.]

Grid shouted, “Owner!”

“What?”

“This! I’ll buy this!”

Since they had been neglected for many years, they were exposed to the wind and only had 5 durability left. He had to buy it and repair it first. There were many things that could become rusty and useless after a bit more delay. The impatient Grid pulled out 100,000 gold. The grumpy dwarf who approached the cashier had bright eyes at the sight.

“Hoh? You know the value of this? It has been 100 years since I’ve had a proper customer... Eh?”

The blacksmithing hammer held in the dwarf’s hand fell to the ground. Tut. For a blacksmith, the hammer was a sacred tool, yet this dwarf dropped it so easily. It happened as Grid was clicking his tongue...

“P-Pagma's Successor!”

The dwarf stretched out long fingers that didn’t match his short figure and shouted at Grid with a disbelieving expression. It was extremely loud, like a steam train. The shockwave it created was huge.

“What? Pagma?”

“Pagma is back?”

“Where is that bastard who is worse than a dog?!”

Dwarves from all over the area surrounded Grid.

Grid’s expression crumpled like a piece of paper. ‘Who else did Pagma hit in the back of the head here?’