LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 59 - Rune Dwarf
Chapter 59: Rune Dwarf
[Required Materials: King’s Token (Bound) x 1, Top-tier Summoning Scroll x 3, High-tier Summoning Scroll x 10, World Tree Leaf x 10]
These are the materials required to craft the ‘Guaranteed Summoning Scroll’ (Grade B).
Baek Jin-woo, upon arriving at the workshop, immediately began crafting.
[Drum roll!]
[Crafting is in progress!]
The success rate was 80%.
Unless he was terribly unlucky, it was almost guaranteed to succeed!
“Please! Please! Please!”
With sweaty palms and clasped hands, he prayed fervently.
Flash!
[Success!]
[Congratulations!]
[You have obtained a ‘Guaranteed Summoning Scroll’ (Grade B)!]
“Yes! Yessss!”
“Whoooaaaahhh!”
Baek Jin-woo roared in triumph.
Finally.
No more heart-pounding anxiety with such blueprints.
Anyway, there were only two EX-class summons of Grade B, and now he could summon both.
“Thank goodness.”
Two attempts at 80% success.
He had been worried but managed to pass through smoothly without any failures.
Before heading to the 30th floor of the Tower of Trials, he would finally get to meet the Rune Dwarf.
Without wasting any time, Baek Jin-woo left the workshop and immediately tore the scroll.
Rip!
[You are using the ‘Guaranteed Summoning Scroll’ (Grade B)!]
[Player ‘Baek Jin-woo’ is selecting a summon!]
*Shhhhhh!*
Among the countless cards displayed, there was only one summon he had in mind.
[‘Rune Dwarf’ (EX-class)]
“Heh, I’ve been waiting for you!”
With excitement, Baek Jin-woo selected the card.
Whirl!
The card spun around before radiating a bright light.
[Player ‘Baek Jin-woo’ has summoned the ‘Rune Dwarf’ (EX-class)!]
“Ugh, uhm? What’s this?”
Step, step.
A stubby dwarf with a white beard waddled out, looking quite adorable.
“Where is this place…? And who are you? How did you summon me?”
The dwarf’s curious eyes darted around as he examined his surroundings.
“Rune-d.”
“…Rune-d? Hmm, that familiar name… Could it be JinuGod?”
“Yes, it’s me. Though, the name here is just Jin-woo.”
Sigh.
This ‘JinuGod’ nonsense.
Hearing it always made him cringe.
“Ho-ho-ho!”
The Rune Dwarf started chuckling softly before breaking into hearty laughter.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Is it really you? Truly?!”
He ran over and clasped Baek Jin-woo’s hands tightly.
“I’ve missed you so much! Ever since I was abruptly isolated, I haven’t swung a hammer even once. I’ve been yearning for the feeling! I always believed it! That one day you’d summon me again…!”
Wow.
Baek Jin-woo had known Rune-d was a bit of a chatterbox.
But hearing him speak aloud added a new dimension to it.
For the record, Rune-d’s time had briefly overlapped with Hun-gyo.
However, he had never met Lamba or Explosion Dragon.
“Let’s check his stats.”
[Summon: Rune Dwarf]
[Race: Dwarf]
[Grade: EX-class (Isolated Status)]
– Isolated due to being a balance-breaking element in specific circumstances.
[Level: 1]
[Stats]
Strength: 1, Intelligence: 1, Stamina: 1, Agility: 1
HP: 1,000, MP: 0
Critical Hit Rate: 20%
Critical Hit Damage: 20%
[Skills]
– Crafting (Lv.1): Creates desired runes with a certain success rate using various materials.
He was the only summon with skill proficiency.
If he diligently trained and learned blacksmithing under Hun-gyo’s guidance, his latent ability ‘Master Crafting’ (Lv.1) would eventually awaken, which was insanely powerful.
It enabled the crafting of all sorts of rare and unique runes.
For reference, back in 「Battle of Summoners」, the Master Crafting skill was nerfed at Lv.3 due to balance concerns.
Ugh!
Thinking about that still made Baek Jin-woo furious.
“Welcome back to our camp, Rune-d.”
“I’m equally happy to see another side of you! As always, I vow to create runes for you as long as I can swing my hammer. That’s my promise.”
“Thanks.”
Every summon had a kind of desire.
Rune-d’s desire was hammering.
For a Player, it was an incredibly beneficial desire.
“Let’s go. I’ll introduce you to the others.”
“Say hello.”
Back at the penthouse, Baek Jin-woo let Rune-d out.
“He’s a new member. And an elite one at that. You’ve heard about him, haven’t you?”
Baek Jin-woo categorized his EX-class summons as “elites.”
Lamba, Hun-gyo, Explosion Dragon, Dol-dol, Rune-d.
He planned to pour his time, affection, and resources into these five.
The rest?
They’d be raised casually.
“So, you’re the Rune-d I’ve heard so much about? Hi there! Nice to meet you!”
Flap-flap!
Lamba approached with her wings fluttering.
Then she began to sing.
“I’m Lamba, Jin-woo’s wand! A fairy who loves cream buns! Say hi when you see me~ Greet me with a big smile~!”
“Lamba, quiet.”
Hun-gyo, who had been polishing his sword, approached, causing Lamba to pout.
“Hmph.”
“Rune-d, it’s been a while.”
“Oh! Hun-gyo! Good to see you again. Ha-ha-ha!”
Hun-gyo and Rune-d had always gotten along well.
Their shared desire to train and improve their crafts had been a perfect match.
“I’m Explosion Dragon. Nice to meet you.”
“…Hrmph!”
Rune-d beamed at Explosion Dragon and Dol-dol as well.
“Ha-ha-ha! A pleasure to meet you both! Looks like I’ll need to make runes for you too! But first, I’ll need to regain my lost proficiency… Ha-ha-ha! But that’s fine by me! It just means I’ll get to swing my hammer even more!”
Positive thinking.
Or as Baek Jin-woo called it, “Rune-d Thinking.”
However.
Baek Jin-woo couldn’t help but feel slightly exasperated.
After all the effort he had put into leveling Rune-d’s proficiency back then…
He had to do it all over again.
For the record, the crafting skill’s maximum level was 10.
Once it reached 10, it became significantly efficient.
The problem was how absurdly long it took to get there.
“But well…”
When you think about it, the situation is better than before.
Back then, it was a game; now, it’s reality.
And since it’s reality, gathering materials?
It was actually easier.
* * *
“Jin-woo, what’s going on?”
Baek Jin-woo, who had left his house with Dol-dol’s escort, immediately called Yoo Ji-ah.
It was because he needed to discuss something about Rune crafting proficiency.
‘Ah, of course.’
Before that, he also had something to give her.
“First, take this. It’s a gift.”
Baek Jin-woo initiated a trade.
The item was ‘Mind-reading Bird’ (Grade A).
“Huh? What’s this? A hawk?”
“It’s called Mind-reading Bird. I got it as a reward from the Tower of Trials. Try reading the description.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Yoo Ji-ah nodded and took it to read the description.
And then, her pupils widened.
Unbelievable.
A lie detector bird!
And it was rare.
B-grade rares were relatively easy to find, but A-grade rares were truly precious.
The price was whatever the market demanded.
This was because the odds of obtaining one were almost zero.
“You’re giving me something this valuable?”
“I thought it would be more useful for you than for me.”
Her gaze was filled with emotion.
Oh, come on, it’s just a small gift.
I’m going to bring her even better things in the future.
“Don’t be too moved. I’m giving it to you so you’ll work even harder.”
“Oh, haha! Is that so? Guess I’ll be stuck working overtime without a break then?”
“Come on, it’s not that extreme.”
Baek Jin-woo shrugged and brought up another topic.
“The gift is a gift, but I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
“Yes, it’s about Rune crafting. Could you help me promote it?”
* * *
Baek Jin-woo and Yoo Ji-ah discussed for quite some time.
The conclusion they reached?
Commercialize the Rune Dwarf immediately.
The ability of Runed?
It was phenomenal.
If a major guild owned it, they would hoard it for themselves and never let it out.
However?
Baek Jin-woo didn’t have a guild.
Under the management support of 「YooBaek」, he was a solo player.
“Proficiency. Of course, I can build it up on my own. But that would take way too long.”
In 「Battle of Summoners」, it had taken about two years to max out its crafting proficiency.
Even back then, it was only possible because he had grinded massive amounts of materials.
“Rather than doing it alone, I need help from other players.”
“Listening to you, Jin-woo, that definitely sounds like a better idea.”
Yoo Ji-ah nodded in agreement.
“However, we can’t make it look like we’re doing it for our own needs. We need to proceed by receiving fair compensation.”
“Compensation?”
“Since the failure rate is high right now, how about offering it for free if it fails, but asking for a summoning scroll if it succeeds? Naturally, the client will cover all the materials for the crafting.”
The success rate of crafting a Rune at Level 1 was abysmal.
Less than 0.1%, if he recalled correctly.
However?
It still had undeniable value.
It allowed you to create the Rune you wanted with the exact options you desired.
“A summoning scroll?”
“Yes, one advanced summoning scroll per success.”
Since the value of an advanced summoning scroll was about 3 million won, he would effectively be charging 3 million won for each successful Rune creation.
‘Hoo.’
If properly commercialized, it could be a massive profit.
‘I’d earn proficiency while making money, and the clients would get their desired Runes at a price. Win-win.’
On top of that.
It was time to start stockpiling advanced summoning scrolls.
There were still five EX-grade summons remaining.
[Small Giant (C-Grade)]
[Dampir (C-Grade)]
[Aso (A-Grade)]
[Demon Cat (A-Grade)]
[Dragon of Destruction (S-Grade)]
Currently, the highest-ranked summoning scroll available in the market is the High-Grade Summoning Scroll.
Supreme or Ultimate Summoning Scrolls are not only priceless but also unavailable for purchase.
The summoning probabilities for a High-Grade Summoning Scroll are as follows:
[D-Grade: 94%]
[C-Grade: 5%]
[B-Grade: 1%]
Baek Jin-woo was determined to rip through High-Grade Summoning Scrolls like a madman to obtain the Small Giant and the Dampir.
If he could acquire just those two, he could build the best tanking lineup possible for himself.
These summons were essential for conquering the Tower of Trials more easily in the future.
‘Of course, an extraordinary amount of luck would be necessary to pull it off….’
But wouldn’t it happen eventually if he kept at it?
In the past, it had been utterly out of the question, but now, a faint glimmer of hope was visible.
And if he managed to earn even more summoning scrolls through Rune Dwarf?
That hope would grow significantly larger.
“That sounds like a good plan.”
“For now, revealing the existence of Rune Dwarf to other countries seems a bit premature, so why don’t we start by collaborating with major domestic guilds under a confidentiality agreement?”
Oh, oh.
As expected of Yoo Ji-ah.
She was right.
Revealing too much information, like with the gang incident, could lead to unnecessary dangers.
If he wanted to live openly without secrets in this world?
At the very least, his entire lineup of EX-Grade summons needed to be fully enhanced with the Graduation Runes.
He’d also have to unlock all their latent abilities.
By then, wouldn’t he even be able to meet Rachel without hesitation?
No, at that point, he felt like he could stand proudly even if the whole world were against him.
“Let’s do that.”
“Yes, I’ll reach out to White Tiger, Arirang, and Sun and Moon Guilds.”
“Oh, and please include Carpe Diem as well.”
Ki Jae-hyuk and Kang Ji-ho.
Baek Jin-woo had a personal fondness for those two.
They seemed like the type who’d follow him loyally, calling him “Hyung, Hyung!” and doing whatever he asked without complaint.
Yes.
If he had something good, he should share it with them.
After all, he had already decided to take them in as his disciples.
“Got it! Your wish is my command!”
Yoo Ji-ah saluted adorably in a lively voice.
She seemed to be imitating Hun-gyo.
Baek Jin-woo chuckled at the sight.
Good.
Everything felt like it was falling into place, step by step.