"Great. You did a really good job."
As expected, the reaction of the Dwarves was overwhelming and genuinely thrilled. Given the absence of their warriors, they had only been hoping for minimal mineral collection through risky, thieves' mining efforts. The thought that a Human would single-handedly wipe out the enemy, destroy a Named Monster, and even rescue their comrades they presumed dead had never crossed their minds.
[Unbelievable achievement! You were trusted by the Dwarves.]
[The title 'Dwarf's Friend' has been acquired.]
[You are the first to acquire this title.]
The notifications flashed: [First] [Dwarf's Friend] [Unique]. The title declared: You are the first human being trusted by the Dwarves beyond mere recognition. Recognizing you as a friend, they will do everything they can to help.
[Hold Effect]
– [Crafting] [Repair] [Enhance] can be requested from a Dwarf.
– 5% discount on request fee when requesting through a Dwarf Blacksmith.
"Huh."
Contrary to his expectations, only one title returned after receiving the recognition of the Dwarves. Lokan, who had expected a separate gift instead of the title, was momentarily embarrassed, but upon confirming the title's effects, his expression turned to one of profound surprise.
"Have this already?"
The discount on commission was a minor bonus. While it would make a significant difference in gold later on, it didn't mean much immediately. But the ability to request 'Crafting' was a game-changer. There was a reason why Dwarf-made equipment was so revered. Even when using the exact same materials, a Dwarf craftsman had a high probability of producing higher-grade equipment compared to other races. Even Dwarf players of the same race had to put in enormous effort and goodwill to successfully entrust a high-level production request to a high-skill NPC. Lokan's eyes gleamed as he secured this opportunity that he had anticipated obtaining at least half a year later.
"It can even be strengthened."
Not only that, but the ability to request 'Enhance' was also granted. There were two primary ways to enhance gear in The Lord: one was through a blacksmith, and the second was through an enhancement spell scroll. The former offered a higher chance of success depending on the blacksmith's skill, but due to the high cost of enhancement quests and the extensive intimacy work required to entrust the gear to a skilled blacksmith, it was often easier for players to use enhancement spells. Critically, at this point in the game, the ability to directly request enhancement hadn't even been fully unlocked for most users.
"The pace of entering the tertiary city may be a little faster, but…"
The sound of rolling gold already echoed in Lokan's head. This was guaranteed, massive income.
"It would be a lot more profitable."
Lokan quickly revised his plans. While obtaining the recognition of the Half-Elves and Gnomes was important, he decided there was something far more profitable he needed to do first: the production and enhancement of equipment.
'Even other Dwarves can't easily get Dwarf-made weapons,' he thought.
Although Dwarves were a playable race, it was nearly impossible to find proper Dwarf-made weapons among players. They generally had to make do with equipment labeled as failures or defective products, or rely on low-tier gear obtained as compensation for a simple job change. If Lokan could reliably supply Dwarf-made items to the market, he stood to gain enormous profits.
'What's popular these days?'
He also planned to sell some of the most popular gear. With the competition intensifying due to the arrival of the Level 99 achievers, the appearance of even slightly stronger weapons would ignite a feeding frenzy among the top players.
"Where is the Integrated Auction House?"
Lokan immediately sought out the Integrated Auction House. Up to the secondary cities, players were limited to regional auction houses, but the tertiary city featured an integrated system. This allowed him to view and purchase listings not only from the Crossroads but from all other secondary cities in one place. Conversely, when he listed an item here, it was simultaneously registered in the local auction houses of every secondary city, eliminating the need to travel everywhere.
"First of all, we should start with material farming."
This system allowed Lokan to purchase the materials needed to make a Long Sword, primarily iron ore, at rock-bottom prices without worrying about supply. Although blacksmithing was one of the auxiliary jobs users could register, its utility was still largely unrecognized.
"They're generous. After all, the blacksmith skill is still far away."
The blacksmith skill was often called one of The Lord's three most "evil skills" because it was so difficult to raise the mastery level. A player only began to break even at roughly 50% proficiency and only started making a genuine profit at around 60−70%. It was a demanding, money-eating endeavor. For that reason, the blacksmith skill was mostly used by melee classes for self-repair of iron armor, and no one was properly cultivating it for profit yet. Its true value would only be revealed much later, after a dedicated, persistent blacksmith user successfully produced a Unique-grade weapon.
'From then on, the major guilds would assign a dedicated blacksmith and heavily sponsor them,' he recalled.
For now, materials were abundant. Even if players didn't take up Mining as a secondary job, they could often get material items with a low probability by hunting mine-related monsters. Since these material items sold for a pittance at general stores, many players simply listed them on the auction house to earn a few extra copper coins. Lokan swept them all up.
He did this before anyone else even thought to question the sudden demand. With capital exceeding 300 gold, there was no problem with him sweeping up hundreds of copper-unit material items.
"I want to entrust a production commission."
"Okay, you should! What do you want?"
"A Long Sword, please."
"A Long Sword? Hmm, that's easy. I'll charge you 1 gold and 90 silver for the hard work," the Dwarf blacksmith replied.
There was only one reason why Lokan chose the Long Sword: most users utilized it. It had no distinct features but, conversely, no major weaknesses, leading to over 80% of melee users carrying a sword, with the Long Sword being the most common choice.
"Then fifty pieces, please. I'll pick them up tomorrow."
"Fifty pieces, hmm, I understand. Leave the ingredients there."
The Dwarf who received the quest was surprised by the higher-than-expected quantity but immediately accepted. While making fifty real swords might take several people over a day, this was a game; if you waited one system day, you could receive any number of productions.
"Ah, could you please engrave some letters on the pommel?"
"No problem."
"Then… please write T.K only on products of higher grade or higher."
T.K. was an abbreviation for 'The King'. It was a word to announce the return of the king, but Lokan was also thinking of creating a single, exclusive production brand. Simply making and supplying high-quality weapons was profitable, but creating a recognizable brand would increase the item's perceived value exponentially. He intended to engrave it on higher-rank items for now, then later restrict it only to Magic-rank and above, and eventually only to Rare-rank and above.
'It will take a while before others can submit production quests to the Dwarves,' he knew.
Selling NPC-made items with attached brands was a form of virtual deception, but it didn't matter if no one knew the truth.
'In the meantime, let me do a lot of nonsense, hoo-hoo!'
There were additional, beneficial side effects. Having a recognizable [Crafting] mark on the item would spark a blacksmithing craze among players. In reality, producing that level of item required at least 80% skill mastery, but people would mistakenly believe it was made by a user simply because it was labeled [Crafting]. If that happened, many guilds would waste time and capital focusing on nurturing dedicated blacksmiths, who would prove to be nothing but a financial drain for now. As they poured their capital into this effort, the gap between them and Lokan would widen. Of course, the cost of materials would jump, but Lokan had no intention of flooding the market; he planned to only release a limited quantity, building both the brand and a premium 'limited sale' exclusivity.
"Oh, and I'm going to do some enhancement as well."
Finally, Lokan brought out the items he had prepared. These were popular, high-utility weapon items he intended to enhance by a small, safe margin.
"Put the items you want to enhance here."
Following the Dwarf's instructions, he placed a Long Sword on the anvil, and the Dwarf immediately picked up his hammer.
Taang land land! Flash!
[You have obtained +1 Long Sword of the Gorge (Magic).]
The result was a success! The success rate for the first level of enhancement was 95%, so failure would have been a statistical anomaly. Lokan requested the Dwarf to continue strengthening without changing his expression.
[You have acquired +2 Rift Long Sword (Magic).]
[You have acquired +3 Long Sword of the Gorge (Magic).]
"This time, please stop here."
Enhancement was only requested up to the +3 level. While items were not destroyed until the +5 round, the probability of success dropped significantly from +4 onwards. From +5, a material item called an Enhancement Stone was required, and there was a possibility that the weapon would be destroyed if the enhancement failed. He chose safe enhancement because the weapons were for sale, not for his direct use.
Caang caang caang caang!
Dozens of hammer strikes later, what remained was a pile of enhanced weapons. All these weapons were popular for their options even before enhancement. Now that the enhancement was complete, every guild would be scrambling to acquire them.
"Where can I get some liver?"
Returning to the Integrated Auction House, Lokan first registered one of the items. The purchase price of the base weapon and the cost of the three enhancements totaled roughly 3 gold, but he set the auction starting price at 6 gold and the immediate purchase price at 10 gold.
"OMG."
The item sold instantly. Within a minute of registering it on the auction house, someone immediately purchased it for the buyout price.
"Attack power has increased by 20−30% for Level 90 equipment… Maybe it's natural," he mused.
The weapons he bought had average attack power and weren't initially top-tier in options. However, as the attack power increased by 20−30% after strengthening to +3, the story changed dramatically. Regardless of its original options, the weapon's raw 'knock damage' alone made it a top-notch item.
Normally, users would simply stare longingly at such an item, but the impending Level 99 quests had filled them with dread. For players facing a Level 100 monster with a combination skill at only Level 99, an item with higher attack power felt like a desperately needed lifeline. They were undoubtedly curious about the source, but that was a secondary concern; they had to get their hands on it before their competitors did.
"Then let's see how far it goes, heh heh!"
Three times the price, and an immediate sale. Lokan confirmed the result and registered the following item with a sinister smile.