Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Even though he expected something big, this spear was disgustingly strong. So strong, that he didn't mind the name, which was an obvious call out by the system.

The stabbing damage had not increased a lot, but now it was 550% with a base damage of 2900, compared to 1100 before. Compared to the Fang of Decay, Tatzel's Sacrifice also had the blessing of Wind, Armor Piercing, and Vepar's Festering.

Vepar's Festering was a stronger version of the Decay effect, also dealing additional damage to vital, but most of all, guaranteeing death even with small wounds. On top of that, Vepar's Festering needed high-tier healing magic to be purified.

The Item breaking effect was a welcome surprise. What this meant was that the spear would deal between 5-15% of its base damage directly to an item's durability every time it came in touch with it. Seth could only guess that it came about by the mix of Iapetos the Piercer and Armor Piercing.

Taking Monique's fighting style into account, it meant, that she could break an opponent's sword and shield, simply by blocking it so often its durability gave out. This worked well with the Blessing of Wind which was most likely the effect carried over from the original <Gale Silver>. It increases the Attack Speed by 75% and the movement speed by 25%.

A great addition to the original design was also the two skills that came from the soul.

<Brilliance of Fervor> was a passive skill that improved the wielder's damage and defense by 50% in a duel and by another 20% for every additional enemy up to a limit of 150%. This meant Monique would reach her peak by fighting 6 people at once.

<Outbreak of Fervor> was the continuation of its passive counterpart. The current buff from <Brilliance of Fervor> would be doubled for 3 minutes, after which both skills would go on a 30-minute cooldown.

And finally, there was

<Active Skill: Iapeto's Stab, No Cost, 40 minutes cooldown.

A quick stab that will ignore all defenses and deal 250% to the target.

+25% Armor Breaking

+150% Chance to cause a massive bleeding>

The skill alone was already good, but in interaction with the other effects, this skill had the potential to insta-kill at least any humanoid opponent. This made him understand the last word in the description. Nobody wanted to be pierced by a weapon, and if someone happened to want to be pierced by this spear... it would be the last weapon to ever pierce them.

Seth was satisfied with his work, but even more, satisfied made him the jump on proficiency in his skills experienced when he finished it. 4,35 times the proficiency gained by creating a legendary weapon, had made his <Blacksmith> and <Enchantment> skills jump up by a whole 9%!

If his math was correct it meant he should be able to reach the master level within a mere 10 to 11 legendary items. Nothing easier than that! He was about to throw the spear in agitation. He felt like vomiting at the thought that a legendary item would originally only give him less than 2% on lv.9 of the Craftsman tier. And this was only <Blacksmith> and <Enchantment> he would also need another 11 legendary accessories to reach master with <Goldsmith>...

No wonder it was mostly races like elves and dwarfs known for their masters in crafting. It would take centuries for someone without cheats, talent, or luck to become a master. The number of epic items one would have to make to become a master was unearthly.

The blacksmith suddenly understood the frustration Nädel must have felt. The Tailor was already not young anymore when he reached the craftsman tier. Seth and the blacksmiths still had it good. Although epic materials were expensive, they were available in general.

Tailors on the other hand had a hard time just finding materials to make something rare-rated, not to mention epic or relic-rated materials. Just how much must the man have suffered to grind all the way to craftsman?

Seth decided to make Neco Boos produce a bunch of his magic silks to send to Nädel. If he resisted, Seth would just use it as punishment for him revealing his name on the leaderboards right from the start. Some ancient and celestial bronze from Puffles would hurt either...

If one took into account what legendary item entailed, it was ludicrous that he would have needed over 30 for the next level. 11 was already a number, that would make any normal person choke, and he actually needed 22 if he wanted <Goldsmith> and <Blacksmith> to reach the master level. Maybe he was the freak for even being able to and planning to make dozens of legendary items in a row?

This time he hadn't managed to make the spear in a single day, but that didn't mean he could do that with all the items. There was no way he could make a legendary item every day, even he needed breaks... At this rate, there was no way he could finish an item for everyone. He could only try and persevere and make the most important ones. Looking at the spear in his hands gave him hope that there wouldn't be too much of a difference whether he made them now or after reaching the master rank. It was already late, but Seth was sure Monique was still training. With a smile, he set off to deliver the first item to make Minas Mar supreme.

…

"Oh, Monique~" Seth called out when he found her in the training rooms.

She looked up from her weights in surprise.

"Seth? What's going on? It's not time for your training."

"No, it isn't. It's time to make items. I came to take a look at your spear."

He originally came to give her Tatzel's Sacrifice, but he had a sudden idea for a prank.

"M-my spear? Okay, but why?" she asked confused, as the spear appeared in her hands.

"I came to get it,"

"Why would you need my baby?" she asked disconcerted, quickly hugging the spear to her chest.

"Say, Monique. Have you ever heard of the ship of Theseus?"

"What? No. Why?"

"...Doesn't matter. I need your old spear so that it can be reborn as a better version of itself."

"You are going to break my baby! Never!" she made a quick step back.

"Monique, this is only for your best. You will get it back in a much better shape. Don't you want a legendary spear? I just need the head for your new spear."

He made a step forward, prompting Monique to take even more distance.

It would have been great if he had been able to persuade her in a calm manner to the point that she handed him the spear.

"No! Not at this price! The weapon is a martial artist's soul! I will never give it to you!" she cried.

"Okay, okay, calm down Monique. I won't take it away from you. I didn't know it meant this much to you."

Seth stopped joking when he realized that his prank had gone a little too far. There were literal tears at the corner of Monique's eyes, as she struggled between her desire to get a new weapon and her attachment to her current one.

"I just wanted to play a prank on you, I have already finished your new spear," he calmed her down.

"Are you honest?" she asked vigilantly.

Seth brought out Tatzel's Sacrifice to show his sincerity. He never knew this side of Monique, who always appeared strong and confident. Seeing her react like this was unexpected. She was still sniffling, as she took the new spear from him.

"Why would you do something like this?" she pouted.

"I kind of thought you would be even happier after knowing that you could have both spears. I didn't expect you to be this attached to the Fang of Decay. I'm sorry," he tried to explain himself awkwardly.

"I'm also sorry. I may have overreacted a little. It's just... this was the first weapon that allowed me to follow my path again. It is also the first item you gave him, so I would like to cherish it."

Seth was genuinely moved by Monique's words at that moment. It may have been the first time he realized that his items were not just a means to an end. They truly changed some people's lives for the better.

"I'm glad you think like that."