1.
I hadn’t known this before, but...
Enchant Powder.
In other words, the stuff the Dwarf Company sourced from the market.
The source of the powder they bought in bulk rather than produced themselves.
Those small quantities of powder were all rewards obtained from climbing the Tower, clearing dungeons, or resolving one matter or another.
Basically, it seemed that at present, no one besides the Dwarf Company knew how to make this powder.
Which made sense. Every method of crafting came only from the Heirs of Fire.
The powder released onto the market, the powder Henrik had given me last time, and the powder managed by the Dwarf Company were all...
Blue.
This blue powder, I...
"...am calling crap powder."
That was what I decided to call it.
Something I learned while reading the recipe for Enchant Powder:
Blue powder was what you got when you processed magic crystals in the shittiest way currently known to man.
If you smashed them indiscriminately and crushed them under high heat, the magic crystal’s original blue color remained intact...
And that was precisely what they called...
[Lowest-Grade Enchant Powder]
In other words, crap powder.
The most important step was drying it in sunlight.
If that step was not done properly, it would stay blue like that.
"Tsk, tsk."
I had no idea where they learned that powder-making method, but...
I could say this with certainty: they had it completely wrong.
It looked like they just smashed it hard and roasted it hard, but...
This was not something brute force could solve.
It was an extremely, extremely finicky process.
I put a chunk of magic crystal into a crucible and set it in the furnace.
From here on out, hell began.
The total target amount was twenty kilograms, but I had to do it one chunk at a time.
『Exactly four minutes.』
There was only one temperature specified in the textbook, and I thought it would be difficult since this world had no way to measure temperature...
"...Now."
Just like when I performed thermal shock exfoliation last time.
I could see the timing. Once the huge circle in front of me filled up...
That meant the temperature was right.
If it was too low, the inside would not cook through, but if it was even slightly too high, it would burn up entirely.
And once a magic crystal burned, it could never be used again.
Clack.
Right now.
I took out the magic crystal with tongs.
Then I split it with a hammer.
It seemed like I could just grind it with a machine, but that would not do.
I had to split it along the grain so the interior would not be damaged.
And then came the final step.
I spread the fragments evenly over a laid-out cloth.
Three things mattered here.
The angle of the sunlight, the strength of the wind, and the time.
Exactly from noon until four.
Four hours from the point when the sun stood highest in the sky.
Rustle...
Whenever the wind passed through, the powder stirred.
Whenever sunlight settled over it, the blue hue gradually faded away.
Once enough time had passed... what remained on the cloth was...
Powder as white and fine as snow... something a little like flour...
"Nice."
[High-Grade Enchant Powder]
It was High-Grade Enchant Powder.
Since there were twenty kilograms of it, it took a while. I took breaks whenever I could, and...
After making it frantically for several days,
It was piled up in sacks in one corner of the workshop.
"But this visual is kind of..."
[......]
Inside the workshop.
Sacks filled with white powder stood lined up against the wall.
It had the sort of vibe you would see in a crime movie.
For a moment, I considered taking a sniff through my nose.
[No!]
Yuna stopped me, so I did not.
And so, the first use of the High-Grade Enchant Powder I had made.
Right now.
Trickle...
I scooped up a handful of powder and scattered it over the Ether Circle in front of me—the pretty-looking bracelet.
Rustle...
Dolores stood behind me.
"You can relax."
"The powder... is white."
"Because I made it."
"I-I see."
Ah, this mama would not do.
I had to show her. It seemed like she did not quite believe me.
The scattered powder glowed white as it seeped into the Ether Circle.
Then...
I picked up the Basic Enchant Hammer.
"Try not to be surprised."
"Hm?"
"It might get a little loud."
Clang!
Clangclangclangclang!
I hammered away like crazy.
A +1 enhancement was not particularly difficult...
─────────────────
【Attempting...】
─────────────────
【Enhancement Successful】
─────────────────
[Ether Circle][★★★★☆]
[+0 → +1]
─────────────────
"Whew."
This light feeling.
Not bad.
"...You really enchanted four-star unique equipment."
Behind me, Dolores let out a breath as she kneaded my shoulders.
But...
That was not what mattered right now.
‘What’s different?’
I could not tell what exactly differed between the blue magic crap powder and the High-Grade Powder in front of me that looked like imitation cocaine.
The feeling of hammering was the same.
I had polished it exactly as I always did, too.
Maybe it would feel different at higher enhancement levels...
I tilted my head.
And because I could not stand unanswered questions...
"Dolores, from now on..."
"Yes."
"Even if you talk to me..."
"Hm?"
I smiled while gripping the hammer.
"I might not hear you."
When I concentrated, I did not hear very well.
How much time passed like that?
+1, +2, +5.
Honestly, this range was boring.
The odds were high, and my hands did not even hurt.
Clang, clang.
+8.
+9.
From this point on, the enhancement success-rate numbers gradually began to catch my eye.
Before I knew it, I was at +14.
─────────────────
[Polishing Total]
[Astonishing] [96]
[Excellent] [0]
[Normal] [0]
[Poor] [0]
[Terrible] [0]
─────────────────
As soon as I hit +14, every single result was Astonishing.
In high spirits, I checked the enhancement odds.
─────────────────
[Success Rate: 10%]
[Failure Rate: 81%]
─────────────────
"What?"
Hey, why were the odds this low when everything was perfect?
I jolted to my feet in surprise.
Then...
─────────────────
[Calculating Destruction Rate...]
─────────────────
[Base Destruction Rate for +14 → +15] [9%]
─────────────────
[Excellent: 0] [Normal: 0] [Poor: 0] [Terrible: 0]
[Astonishing Bonus] [9% → 5%]
─────────────────
[High-Grade Enchant Powder Bonus]
[5% → 0%]
─────────────────
The number changed twice.
From nine to five, then from five to zero.
─────────────────
[Final Success Rate: 14%]
[Failure Rate: 86%]
[Destruction Rate: 0%]
─────────────────
So those were the final odds.
Since I had done well—since my skill was reflected in an all-perfect result—it seemed the reduced destruction chance had been converted into success chance.
Meanwhile, the Enchant Powder bonus appeared to have been converted into the failure chance.
"...Wow, what the hell."
Was this what four-star unique equipment was like?
The enhancement odds were on an entirely different level, and it caught me off guard.
【Attempting...】
─────────────────
[+14 → +15][Success!]
─────────────────
【Enhancement Successful】
─────────────────
[Ether Circle][★★★★☆]
[+14 → +15]
─────────────────
Thankfully, I broke through the ten percent chance in one go, but...
Even though the Apprentice Blacksmith’s Warming Gloves last time had been unique gloves, their chance of reaching +15 had been over fifty percent.
But compared to then, the success chance was drastically lower.
There was also the destruction rate staring me in the face.
And on top of that, the High-Grade Enchant Powder’s super save.
So this was the purpose of that white powder.
If I had not gotten an all-perfect result, there would have been a chance of destruction.
I was the sort of person who had grown sick of probability-based games, so I knew exactly how terrifying destruction chances could be.
"...My heart’s pounding."
But...
[...It’s scary when you say that with a smile.]
Unfortunately,
I was the sort of person who enjoyed this kind of thrill.
What? The equipment might explode if I failed to get all-perfect results?
I know, asshole.
Then I just had to use good powder and get all-perfect results.
Without hesitation, I immediately challenged +16.
And the result was...
─────────────────
[Polishing Total]
[Astonishing] [102]
[Excellent] [0]
[Normal] [0]
[Poor] [0]
[Terrible] [0]
─────────────────
"Say my name..."
"L-Lionel...?"
As I raised both hands toward the sky and muttered, Dolores cautiously called out to me from behind.
Because my heart was pounding over the destruction chance, I could actually concentrate better.
The difficulty had become far greater, of course.
Still, people really did need a knife held to their backs sometimes.
That was how survival instinct came out.
So, what would the odds be for +15 to +16...
─────────────────
[※ Enchant Hammer Level Insufficient]
[This tool cannot handle this equipment’s grade and enhancement level.]
[Success rate will be greatly reduced.]
─────────────────
What?
One percent?
Had I seen that wrong?
I rubbed my eyes at the unbelievable number.
─────────────────
[Success Rate: 1%]
[Failure Rate: 85%]
─────────────────
[Calculating Destruction Rate...]
─────────────────
[Base Destruction Rate for +15 → +16] [14%]
─────────────────
[Excellent: 0] [Normal: 0] [Poor: 0] [Terrible: 0]
[Astonishing Bonus] [14% → 8%]
─────────────────
[High-Grade Enchant Powder Bonus]
[8% → 0%]
─────────────────
Thankfully, there was no destruction chance this time either, but...
─────────────────
[Final Success Rate: 1%]
[Failure Rate: 99%]
[Destruction Rate: 0%]
─────────────────
With not a single bit added to the success rate...
─────────────────
【Enhancement Failed】
─────────────────
Of course, the enchantment failed.
The moment the enchantment ended, I began reviewing it.
The enhancement odds had come out very, very, very low.
And the system clearly pointed out the reason to me.
I did not have to look far.
‘Your hammer sucks, doesn’t it?’
Slowly, I lowered my head and looked at what I held in my hand.
The Basic Enchant Hammer.
The hammer I had bought from Uncle Henrik’s shop.
Its star rating was one star.
It was impressive that I had gotten this much use out of it.
Enchanting depended on equipment too... I had never felt it was lacking because if I just got all-perfect results, it would work eventually.
"...Lionel."
"Yes."
"Just... how far have you enhanced it now? What level is it?"
Dolores had only been watching beside me, after all.
Since she did not have an appraisal tool, she could not have known exactly what enhancement level it was at.
"It’s +15 now."
"What?!"
Her eyes widened as she flinched in shock.
But that was not what mattered right now.
"Could you give me just one hour?"
"Y-Yes, of course. Uh, good luck..."
Kim Yujin.
If I kept pushing with all Astonishing results,
What was the expected number of attempts for that enhancement again?
[At one percent, with no destruction chance.]
[About one hundred attempts.]
It was actually a very simple calculation, but I just wanted to ask.
This was only an expected value.
Even after all one hundred attempts, there was about a thirty-six percent chance that I would end with nothing but failures.
And so, I...
[Number of +15 → +16 Enhancement Attempts]
[301]
Was a truly, ridiculously unlucky guy.
"Ah. Fuck, seriously..."
After hammering 201 more times than the expected value...
─────────────────
【Enhancement Successful】
─────────────────
[Ether Circle][★★★★☆]
[+15 → +16]
─────────────────
I finally reached +16 on the Ether Circle.
[Wow, you’re in the bottom five percent, big brother.]
"...Should I get a taste of +17?"
I could not let this injustice end like that.
So, in hopes of regressing toward the mean, I cautiously attempted +17, but...
"W-Wait, what’s wrong with the Circle?!"
After breaking through a difficulty more vicious than anything I had ever seen...
─────────────────
[Final Success Rate: 0.1%]
[Failure Rate: 99.9%]
[Destruction Rate: 0%]
─────────────────
Despite successfully getting all-perfect results,
Before the 0.1% chance placed in front of me...
"Heh heh."
So that was the system telling me not to do it.
I raised both hands in surrender.
And decided to sell the Ether Circle.
"Dolores, this is +16..."
"You worked hard, Lionel..."
Startled, I found myself held in Dolores’s arms as she tightly hugged my face to her chest.
"...Ah."
An Enchant Hammer.
I needed to make one right away.
That was what I thought.
Oh, but...
"Ah, wait a moment."
I should check its potential.
Because I could see everything.
If it was mediocre, I would sell it...
But if it was good...
I planned to give it to Ruby.
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