“A dwarf?” Ats murmured, still processing the t figure before him.

  Baldric let out a hearty ugh, clearly uanding the unspokeion.

  “Ha ha ha! My Lord, is this your first time meeting a dwarf?”

  “Actually, yes,” Ats admitted.

  “Well, I’m guessing it’s also the first time anyone’s seen a dwarf as rge as me, eh? Ha ha!”

  “You’ve definitely cimed the title est’—at least until Milo transforms into his rage form,” Ats said with a smirk.

  “Oh, a giant here? Sounds like I’ve got myself an arm-wrestling partner already. Ha ha ha!”

  “Not a giant, just a wandering magi,” Ats corrected with a smirk.

  The dwarf turo address the crowd, giving a slight bow as he sed the group.

  “Hello, everyone!” he called out before his gaze shifted to the Elite Subordinates. “Ah, I see a lot of capable individuals here. Hahaha, very good!”

  He strode toward the troops, his eyes nding on Garen, who sat he front. Baldric’s expression grew serious as he examihe soldiers’ equipment.

  “Well now,” he said. “I see they’re still wearing armor ihan-ideal dition. I’ll start w to upgrade everyone’s defense and attack capabilities.”

  He turned back to Ats with a grin. “That is, of course, if the materials are ready, My Lord.”

  “We have some materials,” Ats replied, “but I’m not sure if it’ll be enough for you. We’ll have to either buy more or mine for them.”

  “If we locate a volid, I think most of what we need be sourced from there.”

  Ats nodded. “We’ve got a favorite isnd we visit often for hunting and training. Hopefully, that’ll cover it.”

  “Ha ha ha! Perfect. I love it!” Baldric excimed, g his massive hands together. “I’ll work my ass off to upgrade everyone! I’ll fe the sturdiest armor and the most devastating ons you’ve ever seen!”

  Baldric’s booming ughter filled the air as he mingled effortlessly with the others, his hearty energy making him seem like he’d been part of the group for years.

  “Oh, this armor is impressive! Did you sughter a dragon to get this scale material?” Baldric asked, gesturing toward Karian’s armor set.

  “Yes,” Karian replied. “I decapitated a fire dragon and ate its eye. But the best part of the dragon isn’t its eyes—it’s… well… you know, that part from the reproductive area.”

  “Whoa! Ha ha ha! You’ve got some refiaste, my friend!” Baldric roared, clearly amused.

  Ats sighed, ping the bridge of his the ued turn in versation.

  Still, he couldn’t deny this pull was an absolute jackpot. While he’d been hoping for a mage, getting a capable bcksmith—one as eid skilled as Baldric—was a rare stroke of lubsp;

  Curious about his full potential, Ats brought up Baldric’s status s to i his abilities.

  [Name: Baldric Moltenbeard]

  [Level: 52]

  [Strength: 290 | Agility: 67 | Intelligence: 49 | stitution: 99 | Stamina: 121]

  [Job: Craftsman]

  Ats’ eyes immediately caught at his massive Strength stat—perfectly fitting for a bcksmith. The talents listed alongside it were equally impressive, all tailored to enhance his craftsmanship and bat utility.

  [Runefe Mastery (A) - Eternal Fme Bond (SS) - Molten Resilience (A) - Overheat Surge (B) - Inspirational Craftsman (B) - Braided Fme Glow (B) - Living Anvil (A)]

  [Runefe Mastery: Grants the ability to inscribe powerful runes onto equipment, imbuing them with elemental properties.]

  [Eternal Fme Bond: The fmes of the fe never extinguish and be summoned as a fragment to aid in battle or crafting.]

  His gaze lingered oalent in particur: Eternal Fme Bond.

  “Iing… Could this be tied to some kind of unique power source? Is that why his form is so massive?”

  [Molten Resilienaturally absorbs heat, providing immunity to fire damage and allowing the body to temporarily harden like molten rock.]

  [Overheat Surge: Enhances speed and strength temporarily when in close proximity to intense heat sources.]

  [Inspirational Craftsman: Stories of legendary craftsmanship boost morale and inspire allies to greater effort aermination.]

  [Braided Fme Glow: The braided beard glows brighter as anger intensifies, refleg heighteional states.]

  [Living Anvil : Exceptional resistao blunt force makes it incredibly difficult to be knocked down or staggered.]

  Then came the others: Molten Resilience, Overheat Surge, Living Anvil. Each sounded more incredible tha.

  “Molten Resilience probably makes him iough,” he mused.

  Not only could Baldric excel as a master bcksmith, but his talents also made him an excellent didate for the frontlines. Overheat Surge especially caught his attention, it suggested that Baldric could hold his own in battle, deliveriating power boosts when needed.

  Incredible. Absolutely incredible!

  Ats decided to the Gacha Pull session for the night, feeling satisfied with the exceptional results. While he still had 50 Standard Tickets left, the excitement of opening them could wait.

  [Standard Banner Summary:

  Total tickets used: 150

  Total Rank-A pulls: 45

  Total Rank-S pulls: 2

  guaranteed Rank-A in 10 pulls

  guaranteed Rank-S in 50 pulls]

  For now, his attention shifted to a more pressing matter… There was something important he o discuss with Baldric.

  Ats led Baldrid Edrik to the bcksmith workshop. The air inside was still hot, carrying the lingering st of smelted metal and burned coal from the day’s f.

  He pulled out the Soulbinding Armor Set and pced it ourdy work table in front of Baldric.

  “Oh, ho ho ho… iing… very iing,” Baldric said, his enthusiasm palpable as he leaned in for a closer look.

  “To have something like this at su early phase… Ats, this is araordinary find!”

  Ats had already asked Baldric to address him by name, and the dwarf plied without hesitation.

  Ats stepped back slightly and activated his Nightfall Sentinel Armor Set. The sleek, pitch-bck armor materialized ing him, glowing faintly with streams of vibrant blue energy c through its design, illuminating the dim workshop.

  Baldric’s grin widened. “Oh, nice. Very his armor adjusts its form and abilities based on the user. A brilliant piece of craftsmanship!”

  “There are three sets,” Ats expined. “Two are already in use.”

  “Ah, I see, I see. And the grade… It’s not bad either. Epic, huh? A solid foundation to build upon!”

  Edrik chimed in then. “Baldric, if we were to find or craft higher-grade armor sets iure, would it be possible to exge these for them? Or adapt them somehow?”

  Baldric rubbed his thoughtfully. “I’ll look into it,” he said with a firm nod. “It might take some experimenting, but nothing’s impossible when it es t and upgrading. Leave that to me.”

  Ats nodded, pleased with the exge.

  He took out the Codex of A Remedies and carefully brought it close to the Soulbinding Armor Set.

  A system prompt appeared immediately:

  [Activating the Codex of A Remedies.]

  [Deg in progress…]

  [0%]

  […]

  [53%]

  The progress bar moved slower than he had hoped, testing his patienbsp;

  Ats felt his heartbeat qui, nervous that some unforeseen errht disrupt the process. Losing the ce to decode this rare item would be devastating—it wasn’t every day you pulled something like this from the Gacha.

  [98%]

  He held his breath, tension coiling in his chest as the final moments stretched out.

  [100%]

  [Deg plete.]

  [Printing material and craftihod onto the scroll…]

  Ats watched as text and diagrams etched themselves smoothly onto the scroll’s surface, line by lihe intricate details of the blueprint for the Soulbinding Armor Set came into view, every piece of informatioed with precise crity.

  When the process was plete, he held up the scroll, his face breaking into a wide smile.

  ***

  (Author’s Note:)

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