Whoosh—

Sparks flew from the colossal forge in front of him.

Countless hammers danced through the air above it, a spectacular swarm blanketing the sky.

Woosh—

The scorching heat brushed his cheeks, the sheer intensity clenching his fists involuntarily.

‘So this is the Enhancement Chamber.’

Ha Gangwoo stared ahead, a curious smile curling his lips.

Clang!

Hundreds of Players hammering at anvils.

“Hell yeah!!!”

Some lit up with bright smiles at success.

Clang! CR-R-RUNCH—

“Fuck this enhancement bullshit!!!!”

Others spewed their frustration.

“Master! There are so many items here!”

Mimic spread both arms wide at the anvils and hammers drifting before her eyes.

‘So that’s it.’

Ha Gangwoo lifted his head and watched the hammer drifting through the air like a bird.

So this was the fabled Enhancement Hammer.

Sure enough—Ding—a system window materialized before his eyes.

[The Enhancement System has been unlocked.]

[From now on, strengthen your items through Enhancement.]

[Please select an Enhancement Hammer.]

-Normal

-Gold

-Diamond

-Rainbow Hammer

Ha Gangwoo felt a flicker of interest at the selection window in front of him.

‘It actually showed up.’

According to what he’d researched, a Player performs Enhancement manually.

Pick one of the anvils scattered around the Enhancement Chamber, buy a hammer, then tap the weapon three times, was it?

Simple enough—which meant the bar was low.

In other words, it was a gamble anyone with gold could enjoy.

Thump—thump—

Whether from the heat around him or the madness of the other Players, his heart hammered wildly.

Ha Gangwoo narrowed his eyes at the options.

Four choices glowed before him.

-Normal

-Gold

-Diamond

-Rainbow Hammer

A common merchant tip was to buy a Normal Hammer.

‘Purchasing a Gold Hammer or Diamond Hammer boosted the Enhancement chance, but it was only a probability—reportedly, you barely felt the difference.’

For a test run, a Normal Hammer seemed perfect.

Ding-

[Normal Hammer]

-F: 10,000 Gold

-E: 50,000 Gold

-D: 100,000 Gold

-C: 250,000 Gold

-B: 500,000 Gold

-A: 1,000,000 Gold

-S: 2,000,000 Gold

Once he selected Normal, the grades appeared.

An F-rank hammer enhances an F-rank item.

In other words, the price before him was the Enhancement cost.

The item Ha Gangwoo was about to Enhance now was the B-rank gear from killing Jutrek. No need to deliberate.

Ding-

[You have selected a B-rank Enhancement Hammer.]

[Please choose the durability count.]

[Durability: 1/1]

[Purchase Gold: 500,000 Gold]

Another option appeared.

Each Enhancement attempt consumed one durability.

It was a system that spared you the hassle of buying a new hammer for every try.

‘I’ll just do one for now.’

Players who camped here and Enhanced in bulk maxed their durability to 20/20, but he didn’t need that now.

Ding-

[You have purchased [Normal Enhancement Hammer].]

The moment Gangwoo completed the purchase through the floating system window—

Whir—

One of the countless hammers soaring before the massive furnace shot toward him at blistering speed.

Whirrr— Whirrr—

The hammer stopped in front of his face, humming with a subtle resonance, flaunting its presence.

‘So this is the Enhancement Hammer.’

A bright grin spread across Gangwoo’s face as he reached out and grabbed it.

Ding-

[Enhancement Hammer][Normal]

Rank: B

Durability: 1/1

Description: A hammer crafted for enhancement. Use it to make your items even more powerful.

Effect:

-Consumes 1 durability to enhance an item after striking it three times.

It was a plain hammer—wooden handle, metal head.

But it was a prized possession worth a staggering 500,000 Gold.

‘No probability listed, huh.’

Ha Gangwoo clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Enhancement was all about probability, after all.

He’d hoped for a number like his Attack Stance or Explosive Rounds—some actual probability value. But there was nothing.

Which left only one way to find out: feel it firsthand.

‘First, let’s find an anvil.’

Ha Gangwoo scanned the room, searching for an Enhancement Anvil.

Clang! Clang!

Most anvils were already claimed by players, leaving few empty spots.

That’s how many people here were busy with enhancement.

As Ha Gangwoo swept his gaze across the area, it landed on one anvil.

‘What’s that?’

A brilliantly shining golden anvil. So eye-catching it was impossible to miss.

And then—

Boom!!!!! A deafening explosion burst from that very golden anvil.

“What the hell?!”

“Fuck! Which idiot’s using a skill here?!”

Instantly, every player working at their anvil turned to stare. Two figures emerged beside the golden anvil.

A silver-haired beauty. A massive longbow slung across her back—so radiant, even from a distance, it shimmered with light.

And beside the beauty—

a muscle-bound man with his torso bare, covered in tattoos. His rough demeanor screamed aggressive personality.

The explosion had come from the muscular man.

“Attention!”

The muscular man bellowed in a voice that cut through the noise.

His lungs were so powerful that even the player hammering Clang! from far away flinched and stared.

“We’re holding a special event today.”

“An event?”

Showing up out of nowhere, talking about an event.

Just as everyone was puzzling over his words—

the muscular man hoisted a massive bow, its form rippling with intense light.

“We’re looking for a player to take this S-Rank +9 weapon—Zidhart—and push it to +10!”

Silence.

Asking someone else to enhance an S-Rank weapon for them? The suddenness of it left everyone bewildered.

But eyes were fixed on them. Whispers broke out as they recognized the pair.

“Zidhart? I’ve heard of that weapon. Ah! The silver-haired beauty and the tattooed guy…”

“I know her. That’s Zenith Elysifer, Guild Leader of the Pairing Guild!”

“Holy shit… First time seeing her in person. She’s gorgeous.”

Famous enough to be recognized by just the name of a weapon or a single feature like tattoos.

Those two were none other than the Guild Leader and Vice Guild Leader of the Pairing Guild.

“You’re looking for someone to enhance Zidhart?”

But the Players hesitated to step forward.

Zidhart—an S-Rank weapon, a +9 Enhancement, the rarest of rare items. A weapon you couldn’t buy even for hundreds of billions of Gold. The only one of its kind in existence.

What would happen if someone broke it while trying to enhance it? What consequences would they face? Fear rooted them in place.

But the Pairing Guild’s Vice Guild Leader, Tom Antonio, seemed to have anticipated this reaction. A meaningful smile curled his lips as he spoke.

“If you fail, you won’t be held accountable. But the one who successfully pushes it to +10—I’ll pay them one billion Gold on the spot.”

“What?!”

“……”

For a brief moment, hundreds of Players chewed on Tom Antonio’s words, letting them sink in.

A chance to enhance a +9 weapon. A one-billion-Gold prize if they succeeded. And no consequences for failure.

This was a risk-free opportunity.

“Me! I’ll do it!!!”

“Fuck off! I’ll do it. I’ve pushed items to +11 before!!!”

Everyone thrust their hands into the air, shouting at the top of their lungs, each insisting they be the one.

A cacophony of chaos. In an instant, the enhancement chamber erupted into deafening noise.

*Shrrk—*

But then, Rank 6 and Guild Leader of the Pairing Guild, Zenith Elysifer, slowly raised her right hand.

It was just a simple gesture, yet *whoosh*—a dense wave of Mana filled the air around her.

“……”

The Players, who had been shouting wildly, fell silent. Fear gripped them from her overwhelming Mana.

Silence returned to the enhancement chamber, and Zenith Elysifer parted her red lips slowly to speak.

At that lively motion, every man who caught sight of her lips unconsciously swallowed dryly.

“Bring me an F-Rank weapon enhanced to +9. I’ll accept only the first ten.”

Short and concise.

Though she spoke in a near whisper, even the Players standing a hundred meters away could hear her beautiful voice clearly.

“Ah.”

They stared at her, mouths agape, minds blank for a moment.

“This anvil’s mine! Back off!”

“What?! You left your spot once—it’s fair game. Not getting out?”

Snapping back to reality, they scrambled into motion.

[You have placed an Enhancement Hammer [Common] into your Inventory.]

The hammer in Ha Gangwoo’s hand vanished with a soft *shrrk—*

‘Interesting.’

Ha Gangwoo smiled, an amused glint in his eyes, as he watched the two Players beside the golden anvil.

‘The Pairing Guild Leader, Zenith Elysifer.’

Ha Gangwoo remembered hearing her name before. Rank 6. A woman rumored to be an item collector.

‘Strong.’

Ha Gangwoo could feel the presence of both of them.

Zenith Elysifer, Rank 6, aside. The man beside her also possessed an abnormal amount of Mana.

Even just watching from this distance made the hairs all over his body stand on end.

Clang! Clang!

The harsh ring of metal echoed around Ha Gangwoo.

‘One billion Gold.’

Enhancement was the same probability no matter who did it. And yet, one billion Gold for a success. Something about it nagged at him.

‘Should I try once?’

There was no reason not to.

He’d been curious anyway how the Luck stat affected Enhancement. This was the perfect opportunity.

‘…’

But there was a problem.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Every anvil in the place had been snatched up. But it didn’t matter.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve got that.’

Because there was the one he’d bought for personal use.

“Hey, kid! You gonna move or what?!”

But right then—

“It’s Master’s!!!”

“Back off!!!”

Mimic had planted herself firmly on one anvil, claiming it.

‘Not bad.’

Strictly speaking, he didn’t need the anvil’s function, but he’d been curious about the effects of the ones in the Enhancement Chamber.

Ha Gangwoo silently stepped up behind Mimic.

“Master!”

The moment she saw him, Mimic lunged into his arms.

“…”

The man watching them scowled, then slowly lifted his gaze to Ha Gangwoo. The instant their eyes met—

“Huh?!”

He flinched as if he’d seen a ghost.

‘That bastard!’

Ha Gangwoo didn’t remember the man, but the man knew his face.

The main DPS of the party that almost got wiped trying to clear Jutrek. Ikeda Gondo.

Ikeda Gondo bit his lip, glaring at Ha Gangwoo.

He’d already wasted potions and time thanks to that lunatic party leader.

And on top of that, hadn’t Ha Gangwoo snatched every last piece of Jutrek’s loot? He couldn’t let this anvil go too.

“Hey, you. This anvil is mine. Move aside.”

Ikeda Gondo twisted his face into a fierce scowl.

But Ha Gangwoo didn’t even acknowledge him. He just walked straight toward Ikeda Gondo.

“What?! You…you wanna go?!”

In that instant, Ikeda Gondo saw the look in Ha Gangwoo’s eyes and stumbled backward.

The Player who’d perfectly resisted Jutrek’s lethal poison. The one who’d soloed a massive Boss.

One simple gesture from him might mean death.

Just as Ikeda Gondo was frozen in fear—

Ha Gangwoo silently reached out and placed his hand on Ikeda Gondo’s shoulder.

A light, simple motion—

“Fuck!”

Gondo spat out the curse and abruptly dodged aside.

“What the?”

Ha Gangwoo watched Gondo’s retreating back, suddenly fleeing.

He’d wanted that anvil so badly, and now he was just running off. It made no sense.

‘What a waste.’

Ha Gangwoo had no use for this anvil.

[Enhancement Anvil]

Grade: F

Description: An ordinary anvil meant for enhancement.

Effect

– Increases enhancement chance by 1%.

He’d already checked the anvil’s status window, and planned to take the Gold and be done cleanly with it.

But to give up so easily…

Just as Ha Gangwoo was lamenting.

“Hey! If you’re not enhancing, move aside!”

A new buyer had appeared.

“Honestly, there’s no thief worse than this.”

[You have acquired 100,000 Gold.]

After collecting a spot fee from the man, Ha Gangwoo moved to an empty space. It was a fairly quiet spot compared to others packed with anvils.

Ha Gangwoo turned and looked at Mimic. She was following him well this time, not straying off.

When Ha Gangwoo looked at her, Mimic broke into a wide grin and rushed into his arms.

For an instant, a pressure that made him groan struck his abdomen.

“Good job.”

Ha Gangwoo praised her, stroking her head.

The anvil in the enhancement chamber. He hadn’t particularly needed it, but he appreciated her action of getting it for him.

At that moment, a system window appeared.

[Mimic’s loyalty has increased.]

“Ehehehe. Did I do well?”

Mimic peeked her head up from his embrace and smiled brightly.

‘So even just praise raises it.’

Perhaps because her loyalty had been increasing since he acquired Link II, Mimic’s clinginess had been getting worse. But in the end, it wasn’t a bad thing.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A powerful reverberation carried across the hundreds of anvils nearby.

All of them struggling for the event. Ha Gangwoo too needed to start quickly.

Ha Gangwoo waved his arm back and forth, a faint smile on his face.

“Well then, shall we start right away?”

First, he needed to procure the necessary materials.

He needed two items in total.

One F-grade item and one F-grade Enhancement Hammer.

Ding-

[You have purchased a Worn Dagger.]

A single Worn Dagger popped into view before Ha Gangwoo.

[Worn Dagger]

Grade: F

Durability: 9/9

Attack Power: 5

Strength: +4

Description: A worn dagger. The blade is rusty and not suitable for cutting anything.

‘This is total junk.’

Ha Gangwoo looked at the paltry dagger and curled the corner of his mouth slightly.

It felt like yesterday when his heart pounded with excitement as Antero gave him the Training Gloves,

but he’d grown so much that items like this now seemed utterly mediocre to him.

Creeeeak—

Ha Gangwoo unconsciously clenched the dagger tightly, his expression hardening.

‘Now for the hammer.’

He raised his head and looked at the hammers floating in the air like dragonflies.

‘Enhancement Hammers.’

Ding-

[Please select an Enhancement Hammer.]

– Normal

– Gold

– Diamond

– Rainbow Hammer

As expected, a system window appeared once again.

The item he was about to enhance was F-Rank. No need to hesitate — his hands moved on their own.

[You have paid 20,000 Gold.]

Whoooosh—

As the purchase went through, one of the hammers drifting in the air flew toward Ha Gangwoo.

He grabbed it without a second thought.

Ding—

[Enhancement Hammer][Common]

Grade: F

Durability: 20/20

Description: A hammer made for enhancement. Use it to make your items even stronger.

Effect:

– Consume 1 durability to enhance an item by striking it three times.

The handle felt worn and shabby, yet it settled into his grip naturally.

This hammer — countless players had held it before. A strange feeling stirred in him.

Now, only one thing remained.

Ha Gangwoo knelt down and met Mimic’s eyes.

She looked at him and broke into a wide smile.

“Master! I’m hungry!”

He’d just fed her Gold, and already she was hungry again.

[1,000 Gold retrieved from Inventory.]

Ha Gangwoo pressed the Gold into Mimic’s hand as he spoke.

“Bring out the item.”

“Yes, Master! Which one should I get?”

Thump— thump—

Who would’ve thought that item would be used this way.

Clang! Clang!

“Nice! Already at +5!”

A player, drunk on frenzy.

Clang! Crunch—

“What the hell — it broke at +4?!?!”

A player, seething with rage.

The heat of competition around him made his heart race.

A grin spreading across his face, Ha Gangwoo named the item he’d bought back then.

The tool he’d purchased when he bought Mimic — meant for repairs.

“The anvil and the hammer.”

At his words, Mimic’s small mouth began to open wide.

Thud! A massive anvil struck the floor.

The anvil and hammer he’d never even gotten around to using — never properly checked their effects.

When Ha Gangwoo finally read the effects, he couldn’t help but be stunned.

Anvil[E]

Grade: ???

Description: An anvil released to commemorate Enhancement Day! It’s imbued with fierce power, making hammering even more enjoyable.

Effect

– Increases enhancement success rate by 10%.

– Increases repair success rate by 80%.

– Grants the Destruction Prevention effect.

– Grants the Great Success effect.

*Great Success: Enhancement and repair values are applied at 2x.

*Destruction Prevention: Weapons up to +10 enhancement level will not be destroyed.

Anvil[E] Exclusive Hammer

Grade: ???

Durability: ∞/∞

Description: A hammer released to commemorate Enhancement Day. It’s imbued with fierce power and can repair any bladed weapon.

Effect

– On striking a weapon, there is a 10% chance to restore 2 durability.

‘That’s straight-up broken.’

The Anvil[E] from the DLC shop. An unexpectedly overpowered item.