Trilling-trilling-
“Agh…”
Waking to the insistent trill of my alarm, I checked my phone.
‘Ah!’
In that instant, I realized precisely why I had set the alarm and why I needed to be awake at this hour; my drowsiness vanished completely.
“Alright, let’s get to it~”
[⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️X 10 : 23]
Upon reflection, the ticket recharge wasn’t scheduled for the exact hour.
Perhaps someday, once I’ve crafted enough equipment and found myself with some spare time, I could invest an additional fifty minutes to align the recharge with the top of the hour, which would prove more convenient in the long run.
Of course, I couldn’t say how much money I’d need to earn, or rather, how many truly magnificent pieces of equipment I’d have to create before I could consider it ‘enough’ crafting.
In any case, I now had a ten-minute window, yet my sleep had completely dissipated, making a brief ten-minute nap impossible.
But it didn’t matter.
From the outset, I had deliberately woken up at the exact hour, despite knowing I’d have to wait another ten minutes, precisely because there was something I needed to do.
[Daebung-ie… I just made this at the blacksmith’s today. What do you think?] 99+
This was the post I had uploaded just before falling asleep.
I had worried that it might not garner any attention and simply get buried, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
With just over a hundred comments, it was perfectly engaging to read and enjoy.
[Comments]
-StillDiligentToday: Wow… my career high is making a D-rank shield with my senior’s help…
└Stop lurking on the gallery and get to work.
└StillDiligentToday: I already put in my nine-to-nine today?!
-Daebung-ah… won’t you sell that to me…? I believe a diligently crafted piece deserves monetary compensation to truly acknowledge its worth… I will absolutely pay full price for it…
└What a given! LOL. Were you trying to get a C-rank for free?
└No, they said they’re giving it away for free.
└? Seriously LOL.
-I was born into a harmonious family, grew up doing everything I desired from a young age, and by the time I turned twenty, I had become a respectable A-rank Awakener, living a life where I could pursue all my aspirations and……
└This motherf*cker LOL.
└You’ve just lived an incredibly happy life!
└? There was no mention of it only being given to the unfortunate, was there?
-OnlyILevelUp: Hello, my name is Kim Hyeji, a D-rank Rogue Awakener. If I were to receive a C-rank Shortsword, I would meticulously care for and cherish the Shortsword, who is of a higher rank than myself, every single day, making it a family heirloom to be passed down through generations—for a hundred, even two hundred years, from my children to my grandchildren and their descendants……
└Rogues should just shut up and wrap bandages LOL.
└If you’re a D-rank Rogue, go pickpocket in Europe, lol.
└The competition in Europe is fierce these days; for a D-rank, South America is more suitable.
└D-rank daggers are more cost-effective, you idiot. Why covet a C-rank?
└OnlyILevelUp: It’s free anyway.
Hunters had posted lengthy comments, each hoping to capture my attention and receive the equipment.
Among them, the most striking comment, as expected, came from a renowned hunter.
-FireStick: B-rank… you can’t make those?”
└LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
└Fire-buddy… there’s no such thing as a B-rank fire staff…
└[This message has been deleted for violating regulations.]
└To the Crimson Guild Master, damn LOL. Does this bastard want their life ruined?
└Anyway, the Hunter Gallery guarantees anonymity unless they reveal themselves LOL.
└Author: Even if I did make one, wouldn’t I sell it to the Magma Guild?
There wasn’t a single comment that truly made me feel compelled to give the equipment to them.
While I harbored a slight inclination to offer it if someone genuinely moved my heart, I had merely asked for comments, not promised any giveaways.
In any case, the hunter operating under the username FireStick was none other than Chae Yeonhwa, the current Guild Master of Crimson, Korea’s top-ranked guild.
As an S-rank Fire-elementalist, she was considered the strongest hunter in South Korea, yet she seemed to be a frequent target of ridicule in the gallery for still lacking a B-rank weapon.
Naturally, I would be inclined to give her a B-rank fire staff if I acquired one, but there was also an S-rank Awakener in America who would likely pay at least double her price.
Christopher Akamond.
He was an S-rank Awakener from the land of a thousand trillion dollars (TL Note: ‘Cheonjo-guk’ is a Korean slang term referring to the United States, emphasizing its immense wealth and military power.), with an obscene amount of money.
Considering the potential earnings, I felt an undeniable pull to sell exclusively to hunters from the land of a thousand trillion dollars, yet a surge of national pride made me wonder if I shouldn’t prioritize selling to a Korean.
Lost in these delightful deliberations, I suddenly startled and checked the time; it was 2:08 AM.
In just two minutes, I would be able to craft six pieces of equipment consecutively.
Snapping back from my reverie to reality, I realized I had been fretting over the land of a thousand trillion dollars and the Crimson Guild, despite not even having crafted a B-rank item yet.
However, in just three minutes, the narrative would shift dramatically.
All six consecutive crafts I was about to attempt would be invested in B-rank items.
Having pulled two C-rank items in a single go just five hours prior, I found myself no longer content with mere C-rank equipment.
“I absolutely must achieve B-rank.”
One minute before all five equipment crafting tickets were fully recharged.
I preemptively tapped [Craft Equipment] and waited.
—
[E-rank Equipment – 100%]
[D-rank Equipment – 50%]
[C-rank Equipment – 25%]
[B-rank Equipment – 12%]
[A-rank Equipment – 6%]
[S-rank Equipment – 3%] 🔒
[?-rank Equipment – ?%] 🔒
—
The item I was about to gamble on—no, to craft—was B-rank equipment.
The probability was a mere 12%.
In other words, the logic that six attempts at a 25% C-rank probability would yield a 150% chance of success would here translate to a 72% chance of failure.
Therefore, to introduce a slight shift in perspective, when I had previously attempted C-rank six times, I had succeeded in crafting two items.
This meant it should be viewed as an independent trial, where ‘the outcome of previous attempts does not influence subsequent results.’
And naturally, that was indeed the case.
Which meant!
That pulling 12% six times in a row didn’t mean a 72% chance of failure!
It meant a 12% chance could appear six consecutive times!
[⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️X 00 : 02]
“Le-e-et’s go-o-o-o-o-o!!!”
Today, I would craft six B-rank weapons…
No, I would craft at least one, becoming a unicorn among blacksmiths!
With my eyes tightly shut, I repeatedly tapped the location of [Craft 5+1 Times].
Surely, six lines of messages would appear before me, proclaiming, ‘『OOO(B)』Crafting Successful!’
After all, I was the first EX-rank Awakener among the ten billion people worldwide, a man blessed with maximum luck who had awakened as a blacksmith.
“I’m looking now?!”
“Really checking now?!!”
‘It was successful, so go ahead and check.’
For a moment, I had the illusion of hearing the tutorial ‘noona’s’ (TL Note: ‘Noona’ is a Korean term used by a male to address an older sister or an older female friend/acquaintance.) voice in my head, and seizing the opportunity, I opened my eyes.
[Equipment Crafting Failed!]
[Equipment Crafting Failed!]
…
[Equipment Crafting Failed!]
“Ah…”
“Ah…”
[X X X X X 58 : 58]
Was this actually real?
Honestly, while 12% was indeed a low probability, I had still tried six times…
There was only one way to shake off this foul mood.
First, I reset my alarm for 7 AM, five hours later, and then immediately accessed the Hunter Gallery.
****
[No E-rankers lurking in the gallery at this hour, right?]
[Finally done with settlement, heading home…]
[Oh) B-rank Longbow, sound of the bowstring twanging]
[Honestly, I think even E-rank mages should just get a job at a blacksmith’s…]
[Wounded yet vigorous today!]
[Gonna post something gross in 1 minute-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e]
[└ The idiot above me, an E-rank warrior-buddy with a hopeless life]
Here, too, posts fitting the early morning hours were being regenerated, much like any other ordinary online community.
Among them, what caught my eye was a peculiar post, the only one that seemed normal—or rather, possessed a brightness bordering on madness.
—
[Wounded yet vigorous today!]
Author: OnlyILevelUp
Daily Gate Runs Miracle Run Day 1 Success!
I’m definitely going to save up money to buy a C-rank weapon!
[Comments]: 0
—
Upon closer inspection, it was Kim Hyeji…? The friend who had commented on my post before I went to sleep.
The friend who, despite being a D-rank Rogue, dared to covet my C-rank Shortsword.
What’s more, her reason was simply that it was free.
And the fact that she called it a
