NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54
Chapter 54: The Blacksmith Elgeni (5)
“Fifty-fifty. I can’t compromise beyond this.”
Elgeni’s expression was resolute.
Seated in front of the contract, Yeonwol couldn’t hide his surprise.
“No, Elgeni, I’m saying you should take all ten parts! You did all the work yourself, and I just added a spoon. Why are you offering me half of the profit?”
“I couldn’t have done this without you. Honestly, even giving you 90% wouldn’t be enough, but since you don’t want that much, I’ve lowered it to fifty-fifty.”
Rapion, who was observing their discussion, chuckled as if entertained.
Given his expertise in drafting contracts and Elgeni’s affiliation with the Sellatan Guild, his supervision was essential.
“Miss Elgeni, why don’t you consider accepting some of Mr. Yeonwol’s terms? Despite appearances, he isn’t entirely indifferent to money. The fact that he’s conceding shows just how remarkable your achievement is and how deserving you are of taking the larger share.”
Rapion sided with Yeonwol, who nodded in agreement.
Honestly, desire for money?
Of course, he had it.
But money itself was ultimately meaningless.
The most important things were power, level, and equipment!
Investing further in Elgeni and helping her refine her skills to exclusively craft his gear would benefit his future self greatly.
In short, Yeonwol giving up the money wasn’t out of pure generosity or selflessness.
It was because he craved the future items that a prosperous and resourceful Elgeni would craft using premium materials and top-tier equipment!
“…This is my final concession. Let’s go seventy-thirty. If I don’t at least give you 30%, I’d feel so uneasy I wouldn’t be able to swing my hammer.”
“T-That would be a problem.”
This time, Rapion broke into a nervous sweat.
It was as if the goose laying golden eggs had declared it wouldn’t lay any eggs anymore.
As Rapion shot Yeonwol a glance, silently urging him to accept, Yeonwol had no choice but to relent.
“Thirty percent, huh? Even with that, I’ll still become ridiculously wealthy.”
It couldn’t even be compared to the meager profits he’d earned from selling low-grade potions.
“Elgeni… In a few years, she’ll be one of the wealthiest blacksmiths in the world.”
With the terms settled at seventy-thirty, Elgeni signed the contract.
She then asked a question, as if something still puzzled her.
“What does it mean by exclusively crafting special equipment?”
“It’s easier to show you.”
Yeonwol stood up and snapped his fingers.
“Come forth, my minions.”
Five mirrors materialized in midair, and from them emerged five undead entities emanating a silvery aura tinged with pale violet.
“…What are you guys doing?”
Their appearances were ridiculous.
Eltis wore a flower crown on his head, and Velinessa was draped in accessories, dressed like a princess attending a ball.
Cooling was clad in savage-looking leather garments, likely a prank by Velinessa given their craftsmanship.
Even Mad had ribbons on his horns and tail.
Only Aldein, the Dark Elf, appeared relatively normal.
“We greet the Master.”
“Fufufu, did you summon us, Master?”
“Our loyalty to the Master is eternal.”
Despite their appearances, Yeonwol only needed to introduce them to Elgeni.
“They’re my summoned creatures.”
“The ones I’ve only heard about in stories! Ah… Incredible. Oh, are you asking me to craft equipment for them?”
“It’s quite challenging. There are very few blacksmith players who specialize in crafting equipment for monsters. If it’s too difficult, you can decline.”
“No?! It sounds like so much fun! Please entrust it to me and no one else!”
Elgeni’s eyes sparkled like stars.
Her curiosity and passion for crafting unique and innovative equipment shone brightly—traits emblematic of a curious teenage girl.
“I could start measuring their sizes and drafting designs right now.”
“No, let’s set priorities first.”
As Yeonwol said this, he looked toward Rapion, who stood up with a pleased smile.
“We’ll be incredibly busy from now on.
Chaotic days lie ahead.”
As expected.
On the eve of Malphi’s Hammer Guild’s launch of the “Magic Whetstone,” Yeonwol and Elgeni revealed the revolutionary [Complete Attribute Imbuement].
They announced that this groundbreaking technique was real and would be available to the public at reasonable prices, monopolizing all the attention that had been on Malphi’s Hammer Guild.
“Such brilliant advertising, Mr. Yeonwol. I’m genuinely impressed.”
Rapion expressed his admiration sincerely.
Delivering a subpar technique to Malphi’s Hammer Guild, forcing them to amass debt to advertise it globally, and then immediately unveiling a superior technique to overshadow them entirely—it was a masterstroke.
“Brilliant but terrifying.”
With this, a person’s life was completely ruined.
The fall of a competitor in business was commonplace, and Rapion seemed unaffected.
But Yeonwol felt differently.
If the other party had been an innocent entrepreneur, he would never have done this.
“Provide your technology for the good of humanity? A tempting proposal.”
“But surely you don’t expect me to give away my technology for nothing!”
“What I want? Among what you have, only one thing could possibly compare to the value of my advanced technology.”
“The beauty of Song Yeon-Ju, whose radiance outshone even the stars and drove demons to surrender their hearts.”
“If that woman stripped off all her equipment, crawled to me, and pledged obedience, then perhaps I would bless your pathetic city with my technology for one year.”
Yeonwol clenched his fists tightly.
At the time, Song Yeon-Ju had been willing to sacrifice herself to save the city for a year, but her comrades vehemently opposed it, causing the negotiations to fail.
After that, Blackhammer fell to the invasion of the demon beasts.
“My technology? I will never surrender it to anyone! Never…!”
Even in his final moments, Lamalphio clung to his technology, refusing to share it for free.
Ultimately, the last hope of reviving humanity’s civilization was lost.
Lamalphio.
A name Yeonwol hated with all his being.
Simply killing him wasn’t punishment enough.
Thus, Yeonwol gave him a fate worse than death.
For someone who had dreamed of becoming a tycoon through wealth, living an entire life buried in debt was a hell far worse than dying.
“From now on, Elgeni… she’ll likely be busy working with Rapion. There might not be time to request exclusive equipment.”
Still, there was some progress.
Before officially starting the Attribute Imbuement business, Elgeni crafted a simple staff for Velinessa.
A 160-level rare-grade staff crafted using the “Flame Mana Stone” collected during the hunt at the Crimson Tower.
Although it was inferior to what Velinessa had used in her lifetime, it was sufficient as a temporary replacement.
“The materials were excellent, so it turned out to be quite high-grade for something made in a rush!”
Creating a rare-grade item in a rush was a level of talent that defied belief.
Even blacksmiths over level 200 struggled to produce rare-grade equipment.
“Thank you. I’ll be counting on you in the future as well.”
“Yes! Anytime!”
Elgeni’s face brightened with happiness.
Standing beside Rapion, she took a photo for the guild’s homepage.
Cleaned up, neatly dressed, and wearing no glasses, her appearance was stunning—so much so that Yeonwol was momentarily taken aback.
Though he had always known her base features were pretty, given her usually messy state in the past and future, seeing her polished up to this extent was almost unreal.
“If only she kept herself like this regularly… but I’m sure she’ll revert to her usual self after the photo shoot.”
Claiming makeup and adornment to be troublesome, she would soon return to hammering away, covered in sweat and grime.
Yeonwol found the hardworking, sweat-drenched Elgeni even more beautiful.
People always looked their best when dedicated to their craft.
Meanwhile, as the story of Yeonwol and Elgeni’s groundbreaking discovery spread through the community, chatter about Yeonwol reignited.
[Author: So, when’s Yeonwol’s next video going up?]
[User12: Seriously, we know he developed an amazing skill, but why hasn’t he uploaded the last hunting video yet?]
The excitement over Yeonwol’s solo clear of the level-180 boss had waned after a few days, but curiosity lingered among those who wanted to analyze his play or were fans of his.
With his name stirring the community again, interest in his video reignited.
[User6: He’s always like this.]
[User14: He always uploads late.]
[User19: And it’s not like his videos have crazy editing or anything.]
Some criticized him, accusing him of intentionally delaying uploads to attract attention.
[Author: He probably just enjoys the spotlight now.]
└[User8: Or maybe he used some kind of exploit to hunt and doesn’t want to show it?]
└[User11: Here we go again with the accusations.]
└[User8: I’m not saying it’s illegal software, but it could’ve been something like the shield-piercing bug from last time—something unfair.]
└[User23: Do you seriously think the shield-piercing method was unfair?]
└[User8: I’m not saying that. I’m just saying there might have been an exploit…]
A heated debate erupted over why Yeonwol hadn’t uploaded the video.
Whenever his hunting methods were brought up, some would latch onto the topic and start divisive arguments.
“So… people are still really curious about Yeonwol.”
Journalist Camels.
He was a player with the unique hidden class “Covert War Correspondent.”
Interestingly, his skills and stats were tied to “Fame” and “Community.”
The more views his articles received—whether praised or criticized—the more experience he gained.
Having always excelled at sensationalized reporting, he’d been a journalist since the early days of Elthera World, skyrocketing his level despite minimal combat abilities.
Now he was level 240, though his combat power was under 100.
However, his skills were formidable.
[Covert Paparazzi]
When activated, this skill erased his presence entirely, rendering him nearly invisible.
Even top-ranked players at level 300 struggled to notice him.
[Caldiv Guild Ranker Albizieri and Al Hive Guild Master’s Secret Date? What’s going on between these rival guilds?]
[50-Billion Scammer Eltuber Valve Spotted at a Hunting Ground!]
[Price Manipulation by the Elite? Why Fairy Dust Prices Are Soaring!]
[Exclusive: Easy Guide to Obtaining a Hidden Class! Revealed by Holy Spirit Guild!]
Camels traveled everywhere, secretly filming rankers and notable players.
Anything remotely interesting became sensational news to draw attention.
“There’s so much hot news lately; it’s hard to choose.”
Yeonwol’s exploits.
Elgeni’s Attribute Imbuement.
The Hidden Class Killer on the loose.
The community was buzzing with activity.
“Among them, the Hidden Class Killer is especially intriguing.”
Over ten rankers with Hidden Classes had fallen victim to this killer.
Those attacked reportedly lost as many as nine levels, suffered massive stat reductions, and even had skills stolen.
Worse, these attacks occurred in designated safe zones within cities, leaving victims terrified.
As a result, Hidden Class players now formed squads of three or more when moving through major cities.
Although some users mocked them out of jealousy, the situation was severe enough to warrant coverage.
However, gathering information on the Hidden Class Killer proved nearly impossible.
Camels managed over 1,000 messenger chats and 360 group chats, yet couldn’t trace the killer’s movements.
“Even with my network, I can’t track them. It’s humbling, but I’ll let it go cleanly.”
Normally, he’d pursue the story to the end.
But with the high-profile Yeonwol right in front of him, there was no need.
“With my resources, I can definitely track Yeonwol!”
Yeonwol’s last known activity was defeating the boss of the Crimson Tower.
It was likely he received a Dark Elf quest afterward, passing through Elron City.
Based on his route, Camels narrowed it down to three nearby cities.
Cross-referencing community screenshots, he pinpointed a likely location.
“Bingo. Malphi’s Hammer Guild operates here, too. There must’ve been some connection.”
Confident, Camels grabbed his camera and stood up.
“Everyone’s curious about Yeonwol’s latest activity… As a journalist, I can’t ignore this.”
Delivering the truth to the people—even with “a bit of exaggeration”—was Camels’ mission.
“Wait for me, Yeonwol. I’m coming to uncover your truth!”
While Camels was determined to report on Yeonwol, someone else was also searching for him.
The Hidden Class Killer.
Rudrick.
A thief of skills who murdered countless rankers and stole their rare abilities.
Thanks to a unique skill in his class, he could deduce Yeonwol’s location.
“I wonder… What kind of skillset does Yeonwol have, something that everyone’s dying to know?”
To Rudrick, Yeonwol was a feast.
With skyrocketing fame and rumors of a high-ranking Hidden Class, Yeonwol was the perfect target.
If Rudrick could steal Yeonwol’s core skills and ruin him, the world’s reaction would be exhilarating.
Imagining the chaos, a shiver of excitement ran through Rudrick’s spine.
“Ah…”
Staring into space with glazed eyes, he pictured the moment his dagger pierced Yeonwol’s heart.
He couldn’t suppress his thrill.
[Target “Yeonwol” successfully tracked.]
When the system revealed Yeonwol’s location, Rudrick’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Found you, Yeonwol.”