Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

He smiled in glee when he realized what had happened and saw his wizard spear in all its glory. The pointy staff had already become legendary, and Seth was not even done with it!

One more Step was missing: The soul.

It had cost him six big souls to repair the massive soul of Chrysopras. After repairing and refining it had gained a sentience and part of the stone giant memories. It was a shame, that he had to damage it to this extent, which made it impossible for it to regain its original ego.

However, he counted on that destructive will to make up for this. From what AlZalsar had told him about the books from Master Mountain, people like him used special materials like meteoric iron for weapons to nurture something a soul or even an ego within them.

He hoped that it could act as a catalyst for the weapon to gain an ego, once he infused the soul.

before that came the enchantments. After forging the soul into the shape of the spear he used a special ink he had bought in demon city to inscribe it. The ink had a rare rating and an earth attribute.

The poem he chose to inscribe was called "Sandstorm" of the Demon Dar'Ude. It complimented the powers of earth and desert that already radiated from within the spear staff.

Striking the iron while it's hot, Seth finished the inscription on the soul and infused it into the legendary spear. As the spear was swallowed by the bubble formed from the waters of Styx, thin sparks flashed across the tip's blades and along the shaft as the tear-shaped core gained a permanent golden glow.

The sparks left strings of dark pattern that connected the black tip to the shaft and chain pattern.

<Ding! A synergy has further strengthened "XXXXX".>

It was a shame that he could not appraise the spear, yet. His <Blacksmith's Eyes> missed a level to check legendary items. He would need to hit the dungeon and level some more skill points to get to lv. 7, which now cost 9 SP.

However, when he checked his status to see how many levels he would need, he saw that he actually had 13 SP! Then he remembered the notifications. In his euphoria, he had not really paid attention back then.

Whatever, it meant he could bring his appraisal skill to level 7! He excitedly tested his skill on the staff and promptly saw its stats. His jaw was almost dislocated when it fell open.

< Giant's Meteor Rod

Legendary, Ego

Damage:3000

Mag. Damage: 2500

Durability: 5555

1. + 60% Earth Affinity

2. +150% to the effect of all Earth-Attribute Skills

3. Mana costs are halved.

4. Spell Damage is tripled.

5. Passive Skill: Desert Magic

6. +20% additional Curse Damage to Earth-Attribute Skills

7. Passive Skill: Pirithous Bind

8. Passive Skill: Sandstorm

9. Active Skill: Desert Storm

The terrifying hybrid of a spear and a wizard staff. Made by the hands of Craftsman Smith while borrowing the power of divine blessings. Many divine and demonic powers intermingle, creating a chaotic weapon of destruction, even able to deal damage to the opponent's soul.

Usage Requirement: Skill: Earth Magic, Skill: Earth Affinity or higher, Blessing of Seth>

<Passive Skill: Desert Magic, No cost.

Allows the wielder to learn Desert spells, a Compound Magic of Earth, Wind, and Fire. >

< Passive Skill: Pirithous' Bind No Cost, 5sec Cool down.

"Stay right there."

Hits with a single-target attack have a 50% chance to cast Pirithous' Punishment on the target. They will be bound to the earth until they managed to overpower the binding force. The binding force is based on the strength of the wielder. >

< Passive Skill: Sandstorm

"In every nook and cranny."

The Spear will recite the Sandstorm in battle and summon a sandstorm to cloud enemy vision. It has weak item breaking and damage over time effects. >

<Active Skill: Desert Storm No Cost, 30min Cool Down,

Summons a haboob that hits a wide area, blinding enemies and dealing damage to targets and items. Targets have a 20% chance to be hit by Pirithous' Punishment>

Seth was unable to take his eyes off the item. He felt it again, this feeling of disbelief that it was really him who had created something like this. The name was a little ambiguous, but it wasn't s if Seth disliked it.

The skills by themself were already quite powerful but added with the other effects like additional curse damage, even the simple Sandstorm could deal damage that was difficult to resist.

Using <Telepathy>, he tried communicating with the Ego, but it still felt rudimentary, and was unable to answer coherently. Seth did not worry; he was sure it would grow once it ordered the stone giant's memories and gains its own experience.

He lost track of how long he just sat there, staring at his spear and stroking the rod, when he suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice call out to him.

"Tower Master?"

Seth looked up in shock and took some time to recognize who had come to his door.

"Is that...Karina?"

It was the Dryad.

"Can I enter?"

"Oh, sure, come in." the dryad entered and sat down at the work table beside him.

"What brought you here? Weren't you with Pip and them?"

"The children are asleep," she answered with a smile. "I couldn't help but wander around. All I've known was my tree and the forest. I saw light and got curious."

"i understand. Do you want me to guide you through the tower?"

"Ah! No, I didn't want to disturb the Tower Master. You seemed...busy." she blushed a little.

"Oh, don't worry about it. And you can just call me Seth."

"Then... Could I ask a question, Seth?" she asked, Seth only nodded and signaled her to keep going.

"Is it really, okay? Reviving my tree, giving me a new lease on life. Letting me spend time with my children. And all you want in return is to take care of your herb garden?"

"I mean, I also might come by to get wood for staffs, you know."

"Still! It seems so little to repay you. Especially since you also prevented me from corruption."

This was giving Seth a hard time. He really didn't do it to get anything specific in return this time. He could do something good for the children he took a liking to and gain a strong ally. It was more interesting than using her souls to make yet another weapon.

He scratched his head.

"Oh, I know. How about you teach more people in Minas Mar about that nature magic?"

"Will that..."

She was nice to a fault.

"Please don't ask me if that is okay. In my opinion, taking care of the children and the herbs would already be more than enough. Just take your time, spend it with Pip and the others. It's really enough for now."

"...Okay." she finally agreed with a warm smile that could melt a man's heart.

"I will take my leave then." she bowed and left again.

Seth wiped away his sweat and fell back on his seat. Why did he have to meet so many complicated people today?

Despite the stress, the sight of his new staff on the table immediately made him feel better. With this in his hand, it was time to really start practicing earth magic. Now that he had made such a huge advancement in his research, he would have more time in the future to improve his combat skills.

In the following weeks, he split his time between crafting items, researching golems, practicing music, and improving his combat skills.

Although he had <Weapon Mastery>, he had always trained with a sword before. Once Monique's team returned from their dungeon dive, he asked the spear demon for some organized classes in handling the spear.

Practicing and sparring with her, also helped him a lot in adapting to the < Lame One's Walk>, the movement skill he had gained from the blacksmith god.

Monique enjoyed an easy time beating him up. Despite the passive improvements from his soul armaments, he could barely keep up with the professional vanguard. They only used practice equipment so the worst that happened was some man bruises and bumps.

This reaffirmed his choice to stay in the rear guard. He might be able to put on airs against ordinary people using his advantage in equipment, but in the end, he severely lacked close combat skills.

Other classes had many active and passive skills that would boost their output, Seth on the other hand could only rely on his superior equipment to make up for the lacking skills.

If Seth and Monique fought in full gear, he could probably beat her, or others like her. But why would he fight someone else's strength with his weakness?

He was a little better in terms of magic since he had all the right affinities. But compared to a specialized mage class he still needed something like the Desert Thorn to keep up.

Good thing he had declared himself a Bard for the evaluation and all of these were just insurance. He would love to just stay in the back and play music, while everyone else would take care of the fighting.