dirk_grey

Blacksmith vs. the System 222

“Martin, what are you doing,” the first one asked when he arrived, his panic apparent. “You know the risks of pushing yourself —” 

“Shut up and help me, Carl,” my opponent, whose name I had finally learned, shouted in anger, cutting off his argument. Pity, I would have loved to learn the implications of pushing oneself as ascended. While I had equated it to meditation, it was merely a theory, and even an offhand comment could be revolutionary. “The sooner we kill hi...

Blacksmith vs. the System 221

My position from the ruined ambush onward had not been ideal, and I realized things were about to get even worse once I noticed the other ascended warrior was also approaching us. Luckily, he wasn’t as fast as the first ascended, which meant I had some time before I had to deal with the both of them simultaneously just yet. 

It was truly a messy situation. 

For a moment, I considered opening a gate and leaving, but I still didn’t know what those mages could do with a...

Blacksmith vs. the System 220

Facing a giant, complicated spell that was diving down towards our outpost, I didn’t have many options to fight against. So, I simply spammed ranged attacks, for once not holding back the slightest as I let the Blade of Radiant Flame show its full potential.

[-4000 Mana]

[-4000 Mana]

[-4000 Mana] …

“Lucky that it works better than I expected,” I muttered as I watched the giant ball of mana destabilize on the way.

Unfortunately, that was only a temporar...

Blacksmith vs. the System 219

I knew it would be bad even before I stepped into the dungeon, indicated by the pain, but only when I reached the fifth floor, I noticed the full intensity of it. There were two new breaches already, each in opposite directions, while a third one was opening in front of my eyes.

An intense commitment, I realized even as I opened a gate to the main breach. “Rosie, I need you to keep an eye on things outside. There are multiple breaches going on at once,” I explained, opening a gate ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 218

“The situation is not good,” she said the moment I raised a silencing field around us. “Vessalian forces are part of the attack force.”

I nodded. It certainly wasn’t good. “A significant force?” I asked.

“Not particularly, no,” she said. “It’s only one enchanted carriage, and at most, there would be six mages in it. But, this time, they are accompanied by a team of guards.”

“Their effectiveness should be limited without environmental mana,” I r...

Blacksmith vs. the System 217

Not even for a moment did I believe that the two-pronged attack was a coincidence. Naturally, that didn’t mean Drakka and heretics were in alignment. It was likelier that heretics had been observing Drakka forces, and chose to launch their attack at the same time.

Then again, an alliance wouldn’t have been the shock of a lifetime either.

Ultimately, the possible lack of an alliance mattered very little in the short term. Collaboration or not, we still needed to deal with a t...

Blacksmith vs. the System 216

I had been in front of the forge when I felt a familiar stabbing pain, warning me of another intrusion. “Not again,” I growled as I opened a gate. Though, as I took a step, I couldn’t help but think about everything that had happened the last two weeks.

To my surprise, there had been no further attacks, neither from Drakka nor from the heretics, and two weeks had passed smoothly. It was unexpected, especially with our latest revelation about a possible invasion from the other wor...

Guardian's Farm 27

“Where’s Sage?” he asked a while later, looking around.

“He’s patrolling the diseased area. He will alert me if there are more spies prepared to visit the area,” I explained.

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous —” Eli gasped.

I cut him off with a gesture. “No, Sage is smart enough to handle the risks,” I said, confident in my judgment. “You don’t need to worry.”

“But —”

“No. Let’s focus on your training while we wait for him to ...

Guardian's Farm 26

“I’m sorry, I just…” Eli said once he calmed down.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” I said. “I have seen fighters with a decade of experience shatter worse from less. You’re a brave kid, Eli.”

“T-thanks, master —” he started, then paused, suddenly self-conscious.

“Yes, you can still call me that,” I said, recognizing the source of his hesitation. “Nothing has changed there as long as you don’t change your mind.”

Especially sin...

Guardian's Farm 25

When I returned home, Eli was already up, practicing his spear with a surprising intensity, each stab cutting through the air sharply.

It wasn’t that he was lax before. He had been a diligent student, picking up my teachings quickly, making very few mistakes. But, there was a new intensity to his strikes, the kind that marked great fighters from the ordinary ones.

The effects of his latest misfortune, no doubt, were driving him to be stronger so that he didn’t suffer anythin...

Announcement - 1 day delay

Hi guys,

Due to a little problem with editing pipeline, the updates will be delayed a day.

My apologies. Last couple months has been rough for me.

Blacksmith vs. the System 215

Once I finished talking to Rosie, she left to scout the perimeter, while I focused on forging, determined to replenish our ammunition reserves before another attack from Drakka arrived. Yet, even as the monsters around my workshop lost themselves in a frenzy, signaling the arrival of the darkness, there was no movement from them.

“Maybe it’s time to focus on the gates and renewable mana,” I said to myself as I felt the dungeon operate once more. As much as I didn’t want to pile...

Blacksmith vs. the System 214

“So, I heard you took Jennifer under your wing. Any particular reason?” I asked as we walked through the portal, arriving at the fourth floor. “Her skill?”

“It helps, as her skill could be very useful scouting if we manage to get some relevant perks,” she said. “But, it’s more about her attitude. She’s too much of a fighter to waste time discussing the nature of mana.”

It was an exaggeration, as Jessica certainly had valuable contributions to the process, but...

Blacksmith vs. the System 213

“I expected more,” I growled even as I parried his first attack. It was impressive, on that there was no doubt … but not enough to justify the reputation of the ascended.

“And I expected less,” he growled back as he attacked me again and again, his attacks strong enough to push me back, showing absolute dominance in terms of sheer power. His Strength was clearly higher.

Which made the subtle sense of panic spreading through him a surprise. From his perspective, he shou...

Blacksmith vs. the System 212

“Everything ready?” I asked as I raised a spyglass high, positioned at the walls of the town that lay at the direct approach vector of the enemy forces. Rosie and Liam were with me, while Harold handled the infantry below. Terry stayed near the gate, tasked with the evacuation through the gate if proved necessary.

“Yes, sir. We can begin bombardment upon your signal,” Liam said.

“Wait ten seconds, then start with the ordinary shells,” I ordered, my attention firmly o...

Blacksmith vs. the System 211

Once I appeared, I wasn’t surprised to see Rosie, Harold, Terry, and Liam gathered together, each representing one critical role. While they talked, the rest of the army was moving around them rapidly, showing hints of panic already as they were darting toward the underground shelters.

I didn’t blame them. I would have loved to panic alongside them, but it was not a luxury I could afford at the moment.

“Sir Arthur is here. We will win,” shouted several voices the moment ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 210

“… Terry certainly had a point when he claimed the process was too risky,” I said and looked at the cumbersome device in front of me, its seals buckled open after the latest explosion.

I had spent an hour of my time building several versions of Liam’s device, as I was quick to realize the benefits of the initial versions weren’t high enough to make it worthwhile, which, combined with its explosive potential, made Terry’s rejection justified.

However, once I increased...

Blacksmith vs. the System 209

“Professor, good news!” Terry greeted me happily the moment I arrived.

“Oh, really,” I said and looked around, watching as about a hundred workers moved around rapidly, building some kind of complicated system of dials and containers. The operation was being led by Liam, who had truly distinguished himself from the rest of the smithing apprentices. “Before we start, I met with Rebecca’s new team.”

“Ah, yes,” he said, looking hesitant. “Since you said I can sh...

Blacksmith vs. the System 208

“Success … kind of,” I declared as I looked at the blade in my hand, one that shattered the moment I swung it against a random rock.

I didn’t care about it. The value of that sword wasn’t in its quality, but in the process of its forging. It used a mixture of insect shells and lizard claws as the base, combined with a solid base of iron.

My first successful attempt at using two different concepts to imitate Radiant Flame.

It was not a complete process. No, the p...

Blacksmith vs. the System 207

“It was too much to hope for, right?” I muttered as I looked at the pile of swords in front of me, each representing a different mixture of dungeon material and Wisdom-forging.

None of them came close to being satisfactory. No matter how much I pulled, neither decay nor flame material came close to supporting Radiant Flame efficiently.

“Maybe it would have been better if I failed spectacularly,” I said as I examined the results of my tinkering, enhancing the method of �...

Blacksmith vs. the System 206

Once the parameters of my experiment were clear, I opened a portal to the fourth floor. Terry was working with Logan, while Jennifer was somewhat ahead of them, shaping various plants into living weapons against the endless horde of insects, her face showing an unfamiliar smile.

“Impressive development,” I said as I moved closer to them, alerting Terry and Logan of my presence.

“Professor,” Logan greeted happily. “I have a new class. Warrior of the Woods.”

“E...

Blacksmith vs. the System 205

I couldn’t help but wish for a more plentiful experimental chest as I examined the only two types of materials I had in abundance: the shells containing the concept of corrosion and decay, and claws that still radiated the unique warmth aura even when separated from the lizards.

“Not an easy problem,” I decided, not sure where to start from. While Radiant Fire wasn’t exactly flame-natured despite its name, there was no questioning that the relationship it shared with flames was...

Blacksmith vs. the System 204

The crackle of flames and the smell of melting metal was a true source of comfort after the day I had, which was not only marked with diplomatic disaster, alongside a silent yet no less important decision to spread all the information I collected freely, in a way I couldn’t restrict, all topped with a near-disaster in the dungeon, borne from my own oversight.

Not exactly a candidate for the best day ever, but standing in front of an open flame with my skin dry, finally free to focus ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 203

[Meditation of Decay (Mythic) - 151]

After the monumental yet impulsive decision to spread everything I discovered about the System freely, I returned to my task of absorbing the remaining tainted energy, deciding that maximizing mana reserves was important in case of an immediate attack.

I planned to continue despite the sun disappearing at the horizon, marking the arrival of the night. There were many things that scared me, but the increased monster aggression was not one of th...

Guardian's Farm 24

Once I pulled the boar to a small alcove to hide my tracks as much as possible, I continued exploring. While all signs pointed that the disease was not in the same league as the Blight, that hardly meant that it was harmless. Add in the conspiracy, and continuing was my only option.

I ventured deeper. Soon, I didn’t need to carefully smell the source, or cut through the bark to measure the intensity of the disease. The trees started to show signs of the disease openly, rotten bark, d...

Guardian's Farm 23

 Sage greeted us with a sharp growl when we returned to the farm after a long trek, showing his frustration. “Sorry, buddy. The situation required a delicate touch,” I said as I patted him even as I carried an unconscious Eli. To his credit, the kid had managed to keep pace almost until the end, until exhaustion got too much.

I was still glad that the guards’ lack of training had allowed me to retreat smoothly merely by copying some of the tricks from my adventuring days. I ...

Guardian's Farm 22

When the consciousness returned, Eli expected to encounter the edge of a blade once more, just like how it did several other times when he fainted in the hands of his torturers. Every time, they punished him for fainting before they continued to ask their questions. Did he mention the location of the diseased patch to anyone else, who he was working for…

And, who taught him his spear technique.

Eli kept his eyes closed, praying that they wouldn’t notice that he was awake. Not...

Blacksmith vs. the System 202

Despite the urgency to work on my newly acquired piercing ability, I didn’t immediately go back to my workshop after my talk with Rebecca, instead paying a brief visit to every floor of the dungeon to check the mana situation on all of them — the fifth was the only other floor that had some mana, but not as dense as the third — after which I went outside, and started absorbing the tainted energy from all around the mountain.

It was still an important task from my to-do list, so I...

Blacksmith vs. the System 201

As much as I wanted to start working on the new piercing weapons immediately, I had a pit stop before doing so. I teleported to the third floor, ready to pick another batch of decay trees for the fifth floor before I started to work on it.

Only to pause in shock. “Why the hell does the dungeon floor have environmental mana?” I muttered. It wasn’t much, barely at the level it could be detected freely without using an instrument. More importantly, it was not just pure mana, it was ...

Blacksmith vs. the System 200

“So, what do we do?” Rosie asked while we watched the Asterian party disappear on the horizon, leaving us in a bind. “I would have suggested evacuation, but…”

“I can’t leave, not with my bond with the dungeon,” I said. I sighed. “Ironically, not much has changed. Our entire plan is based on defending the town against another attack. We are just going to reinforce our area to the best of our abilities, and hope that Asterion’s involvement provides some kind of passiv...