Ascension Through Skills

"Then show me the ring."

Taesan revealed a pair of black and white rings.

As Haphran examined them from different angles, Taesan spoke.

"Come to think of it, Koslun. I met him."

"You met Koslun?"

Haphran's pupils widened.

"…Which floor did you meet him on?"

"86th floor. He said he made a new contract with the magician."

"A new contract, you say."

"…So that's how it is. Certainly, it's a place that holds no particular meaning for me."

Haphran couldn't properly handle equipment with its own will. To him, a world of will-imbued weapons held little appeal.

"Wait."

Haphran frowned.

"…Then this presence I've been sensing for a while now is…"

[Hello, Haphran.]

Bardray spoke in the form of a sword.

Haphran fell silent.

After a moment, a dry laugh escaped him.

"Hero… so that's what happened? I thought the previous quest had ended with you bestowing your power upon that sword and leaving."

[I became the sword.]

"Koslun must have gone mad with joy. Hero, are you satisfied with that?"

[Well, more or less? At least for now, I don't particularly regret it.]

"Then that's good enough."

Haphran spoke calmly.

"Congratulations, for achieving your wish."

[Thanks. But my matter isn't what's important, is it? You have something else you're supposed to be doing.]

"That's true."

Haphran agreed. He gripped the pair of rings tightly.

"Then let's start right away. Follow me."

Haphran led Taesan to his ruined world.

It was utterly dead.

Even the faintest trace of life was gone, the planet reduced to a colossal chunk of stone.

"You're making it here?"

"The equipment I'm about to make surpasses my own understanding. I can't predict the aftermath, so I decided it would be best to make it in a dead world."

Saying this, Haphran headed toward a forge standing alone in the desolate land.

It seemed to have been built after the world's death.

"Let's review. I can't handle the tools you've given me. But if I use you as the tool, that's a different story."

Taesan would become Haphran's hammer and anvil.

If an immortal became the hands and feet of a blacksmith, even materials beyond Haphran's reach could be handled with ease.

"But tools are the craftsman's hands and feet. Simply following my words won't do. You must become me, and I must become you."

Haphran pulled out a pure white sphere from his bosom.

"So first, we'll synchronize you and me."

[Refined World Core]

[The Refined World Core in the hands of a blacksmith. Has the power to synchronize different lives.]

"Ah. My apologies, Hero. Please step back for a moment. I can't be sure what effect someone like you might have."

[Got it.]

Bardray slipped from Taesan's hand and moved away.

"…Truly free. Koslun… I didn't expect him to gain the possibility of fulfilling his wish."

Haphran, impressed, spoke seriously.

"Ready?"

Taesan nodded. Haphran handled the world core.

The white sphere expanded, swallowing them both.

And Haphran and Taesan synchronized. They began to sense each other's strength and stature.

Haphran's expression wavered.

"…Ugh."

Taesan was immortal. No matter how much he adjusted, perfect synchronization with the mortal Haphran was difficult.

"It's more than I expected. Perhaps I was underprepared."

Haphran took out numerous materials from his bosom.

He activated them all at once. In an instant, his power and stature rose to a lofty level.

Only then did the strain seem to ease; Haphran caught his breath.

"Now… we must go a step further. We'll connect our mental images."

"Mental images?"

Taesan hesitated.

That meant Haphran would see into Taesan's mind.

"I understand feeling resistance. But unless we connect on that level, creating the equipment will be difficult."

"No choice, then. I don't mind."

There was no reason to refuse at this point. He was merely showing, not revealing anything that would truly bother him.

"Good. Then let's begin."

Kiiiiing!

The world core surrounding them amplified further.

They began to connect to each other.

And Taesan saw it.

In a world made entirely of fire, a lone dwarf hammered away.

Unfazed by the flames consuming him, he continued to strike the hammer in silence.

This was Haphran's mental image.

And just as Taesan saw Haphran's image, Haphran saw Taesan's.

"…Hm?"

Haphran's eyes wavered.

It was as if he had seen something strange—something that shouldn't exist in the world.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing."

Haphran hid his surprise and regained composure.

"The mental images are connected. How does it feel?"

"Strange."

Haphran's presence was felt within him.

It was as if they had become one.

"That's enough. Let's begin."

Haphran placed the pair of rings on the anvil.

"These rings belong to you. Your self, power, and stature will influence them. Keep that in mind."

Taesan nodded.

"Then let's start. Activate it."

[You have activated Two as One.]

Zzzzzzt!

A noise spread.

The pair of rings tried to forcibly become one.

Naturally, resistance erupted. The rings' structure began to collapse. Like mismatched puzzle pieces forced together, they couldn't accept it and began to break apart.

At that moment, Haphran took out a material.

Shraaaa!

Threads of Collapse formed in the air. Thanks to their linked mental images, Taesan instantly understood what Haphran wanted. He moved the threads to tightly wrap around the rings.

Then he constricted them.

The collapsing rings were forced to maintain their shape by the Threads of Collapse.

Haphran immediately took out the next material—Proof of Struggle. The proof shattered, and the dense power inside tried to scatter in all directions.

Taesan wielded his will to focus that power onto the rings.

Kugugugung!

The empowered rings responded. Rising to an even higher level, their mutual resistance began to fade.

And finally, the Essence of the World.

Containing all that the world held, it enveloped the pair of rings.

Creak.

They were bound, elevated, and covered.

The rings began to accept each other.

Haphran picked up his hammer.

Kaaaang!

The sound of hammering rang out. Haphran didn't stop. He raised the hammer and struck again.

Kaaaang!

He focused all his mind and ability. Again, the hammer fell.

Kaaaang!

Hammering as if offering himself up.

Yet it was still not enough.

The rings released waves as if resisting. Even as Haphran struck with all his strength, the results were limited.

Then Taesan joined in.

Kugugugung!

He burst forth with his power and stature to press down on the rings. Mixing divinity and blackness, he crushed their resistance.

"You're my equipment."

The rings were his property.

And property followed the will of its owner.

He pressed them down with his will. Their resistance weakened.

At last, the rings surrendered and began to accept him.

The hammer rose. With the sound of metal striking metal, the rings fused.

Kwoooong!

Black and white spread in all directions.

Within them was a fierce power to collapse and destroy everything.

Taesan spread his arms. A magical barrier wrapped around Haphran.

Kwoooong!

The barrier shook violently against the power but held firm without cracking.

The shockwave subsided.

"…Thanks. I almost died making the equipment."

Haphran muttered, his face drenched in sweat.

"Making it here was the right choice."

The ruined world was further devastated by the concentrated power. Had they done this in the labyrinth, his workshop would have been destroyed.

And on the anvil lay a single ring.

Black and white swirled upon it like a yin-yang.

"You really… did it."

Haphran chuckled. Even he hadn't imagined creating something of this level.

Just the materials used for that one ring were: Light of Origin, Apostle's Core, Dragon's Claw, Spirit King's Ember, Essence of the World, Threads of Collapse, Proof of Struggle.

Seven in total.

Each one alone was enough to make a high-grade piece of equipment.

And all of them were used solely for this one ring. Haphran looked at it with eager eyes.

"That's yours. Check it."

Taesan picked up the ring. It didn't resist and allowed his touch.

[Black and White Dyed in Loftiness and Perfection]

[Strength +10%]

[Agility +10%]

[Intelligence +10%]

[Attack Power +2500]

[Defense +500]

[Countless materials fused into a perfect whole. Twin creations made separately have merged to form a complete self. You have perfectly tamed this ring.]

[This ring is synchronized with you. It perfectly supports all your actions.]

[This ring is a part of you. It can wield your own power to protect you and attack your enemies.]

[This ring has a will. If you desire, you can awaken it.]

[An awakened will grows with each enemy defeated, enhancing the ring's abilities.]

* * *

[Ohh.]

Bardray let out a sound involuntarily.

[What kind of ring is this?]

He had expected it, of course—that the ring's performance would be on a completely different level. Just considering the materials used made that much obvious.

But this exceeded Bardray's imagination.

Strength, Agility, and Intelligence stats increased by 10%.

Even if the set bonus had already given 5%, this was still an absurdly high figure.

That single stat boost alone would have satisfied Bardray.

But it didn't end there.

Its attack power was a staggering 2500.

On par with Bardray himself. For a single ring to hold such attack power was unheard of.

And while overshadowed by the attack power, the 500 defense was also far beyond what a normal ring could have.

[How? How did you even make this?]

"I didn't make it. If you think about it, it's no different from Taesan making it himself."

Yet Haphran's face carried deep pride and joy.

"Mind if I take a look too?"

Taesan handed the ring to him. The ring spread a faint wave of displeasure but didn't strongly resist.

"Oooooh…"

Haphran let out an admiring sound as he examined it.

His eyes shone with undisguised joy.

"I… I actually made something like this…"

"Then can we say your wish has been fulfilled?"

What Haphran desired was to make a piece of equipment that no one else could create—his own unique work.

"No. I'm still lacking."

Haphran denied it, his eyes burning with strong ambition.

"I can make something even greater, something no one can approach. And with you… it's not impossible."

Haphran smiled deeply.

"Let's continue working well together, adventurer."

"Sure."

The full support of a great blacksmith was nothing bad for him either.

Taesan examined the ring. It held not only simple stats but also special effects.

To confirm them, it seemed he would need to awaken the ring's will.

"The ring's will, huh."

Taesan stroked the ring. As his power and stature seeped into it, the will sleeping within began to awaken.