Chapter 134 Silverlake Gleam
Seeing the System prompt, Eric smiled slightly.
After crafting over four hundred high-quality Whetstones of Precision, he'd finally reached the rank of intermediate forging apprentice. Nonetheless, the journey ahead was arduous; achieving the rank of senior apprentice necessitated the accumulation of an additional 3,000 proficiency points, a task not to be accomplishedyet easily within a brief period.
He glanced at his experience bar. Level 9, 94%. Just a sliver away from level 10. With a bit more effort, he'd break through.
Every ten levels in Divine Realms: Legends brought a significant power spike. Reaching level 10 meant unlocking the city, a whole new world of opportunities. Players could access resources unavailable in towns, embark on more lucrative quests, and even get their hands on cheap Bronze Equipment if they were lucky. Portals to high-level monster zones would open up, allowing for faster travel and access to tougher challenges.
But more importantly, reaching the city marked the true beginning of Divine Realms: Legends.
Players from dozens, even hundreds of towns would converge, creating a melting pot of ambition and competition. Each city housed hundreds of thousands of players, and Silvervale City, the fifth largest in Eldoria, boasted over a million. Guilds would solidify their power, and the fight for resources would intensify, a far cry from the current lull.
Resources in virtual worlds were finite. The best spots, the most lucrative opportunities, were limited, while the number of players was vast. To thrive, to climb the ranks, you had to fight. Without strength, you were destined to be left behind.
Smaller guilds found it challenging to thrive within the city's confines, with solo players facing even greater difficulties. The most coveted resources and optimal leveling locations were invariably secured by the more prominent guilds, consigning the remainder to compete over meager remnants.
Reaching the city early was an advantage, but it was only the first step. Entering the city with an edge, that was the key.
Take Shadowwing Citadel, for example. Ordinary players might visit as tourists, wasting precious time. But for high-ranking members of powerful guilds, it was a gold mine. They could trade for rare items, items unavailable elsewhere, and use them to propel their guilds to even greater heights.
Right now, Eric was the highest-level player in Silvervale City. It would take others at least two to three days to catch up. He intended to use that time wisely, to widen the gap, to ensure Aether Wing Studios had a place at the table when the real game began.
"Runeforged Steel... What a prize," Eric murmured, pulling a block of blue metal from his backpack. It pulsed with magical energy, a treasure coveted by blacksmiths.
In his past life, players had fought tooth and nail for a single piece of Runeforged Steel. Even those who managed to acquire it treated it like a sacred relic, using it only for the most critical crafts.
And here he was, with ten.
Runeforged Steel, an Adamantite-grade consumable, increased the success rate of forging equipment below level 50 by 10%. But its true value lay in its ability to enhance the quality of the crafted item, potentially elevating it to Adamantite grade.
It was leagues above Hundredfold Steel, in both effect and rarity.
"With this, my chances of crafting Silver Dawnrift just went up considerably."
He'd already gathered all the necessary materials from the auction house. Combined with his previous acquisitions, he had enough for 16 attempts at crafting Silver Dawnrift. Each Silver Dawnrift cost over 37 silver to craft, a small fortune that would take an elite team five or six Adversity-level dungeons to earn.
That was why he'd chosen to reach intermediate apprentice before attempting the craft.
Eric pulled up the Silver Dawnrift design and initiated the learning process. It was time to forge his first blade.
Without Frost Azure Flame, his success rate was a paltry 32%. With Frost Azure Flame, it climbed to 42%. And with Runeforged Steel... 52%. An intermediate apprentice with a 50% success rate at crafting Mithril-grade weapons? Even master blacksmiths would balk at such a claim.
A beginner master blacksmith had a 30% success rate with Mithril Equipment. 50% was grandmaster territory.
After carefully memorizing the crafting instructions, Eric began refining the materials.
He started with Sagestone for high-purity refinement, then melted the materials using Frost Azure Flame. His control over the flame was absolute, ensuring a perfect fusion.
But he didn't reach for the Runeforged Steel just yet.
The first attempt was about familiarization, about getting a feel for the process. With only ten pieces of Runeforged Steel, each worth a small fortune, wasting them was not an option. Other blacksmiths would be driven to fits of apoplectic rage if they saw him squandering such a valuable resource.
Using Runeforged Steel on a level 10 Mithril Weapon? Madness.
Subsequently, after a ten-minute interval, the substances were completely liquefied. Content, Eric then transferred the molten alloy to the anvil and retrieved his Runeforged Hammer.
Sparks showered the forge as the rhythmic clang of hammer on metal filled the air.
Each strike was precise, calculated. One wrong move could ruin the entire craft.
After hundreds of strikes, Eric was drenched in sweat, but a sense of accomplishment washed over him. He initiated the generation process.
The red-hot metal began to cool, taking the shape of a silver-white longsword.
He held his breath and checked the results.
Five agonizing seconds passed.
System: [Silver Dawnrift forging failed.]
He quickly checked the item's stats. A level 10 Dark Iron Weapon. A failure, yes, but not a disappointment. The theoretical success rate was 42%, but this was his first attempt at crafting Silver Dawnrift. The actual success rate was far lower. Succeeding on the first try would have been a miracle.
Instead of dwelling on the failure, Eric began to analyze the process.
He hadn't led ShadowForge Studios from a third-rate guild to a top-tier second-rate guild by being a natural talent. He'd done it by learning from his mistakes.
While others chased success, Eric embraced failure.
After ten minutes of careful review, he was ready for another attempt.
Twenty minutes later, another failure. Another Dark Iron Weapon. But the stats were slightly better this time.
He continued forging, attempt after attempt, each failure costing him a small fortune.
By the sixth attempt, he'd burned through over 2 gold.
But he was ready.
He added the Runeforged Steel to the mix.
Melting, hammering, shaping.
He initiated the generation process.
This time, a soft blue light enveloped the weapon. When it faded, a delicate longsword, etched with intricate runes and pulsing with faint magical energy, lay on the anvil. This was no ordinary blade.
Excitement surged through Eric. He'd not only succeeded, but he'd also achieved something extraordinary.
"Let's see what we have here," he muttered, his fingers hovering over the identify button.
Ten excruciatingly long seconds later, the System delivered its verdict.
System: [Runeforged Steel effect triggered, quality increased by one level.]
System: [Obsidian Iron Insignia effect triggered, attributes enhanced.]
System: [Successfully forged Silverlake Gleam, increasing forging proficiency by 3 points, gaining 10,000 experience points.]
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