There was a clear similarity between the Red Phoenix Bow that Grid imagined and the one that the White Hammer blacksmiths designed. The bow was white and created powerful flames. It was the decisive moment when Grid was convinced that the main material of the Red Phoenix Bow was the white phosphorus wood.
The white phosphorus wood was hard and comparable to dragon iron. However, it was also lightweight and generated its own powerful flames. It was suitable to use as a material for the Red Phoenix Bow. However, the other blacksmiths of Pangea never thought about using the white phosphorus wood. Very few people expected the material of the Red Phoenix Bow to be white phosphorus wood.
Were they stupid? No. It was just common sense. The white phosphorus tree was something that could never be cut down by a blacksmith. No, it was common sense everywhere in the world. No one would think of making something with the white phosphorus wood.
But Grid did it. He was the only person in the world who could cut down the white phosphorus tree!
“Isn’t that white phosphorus wood?”
“It’s impossible...”
The tens of thousands of spectators watching the stage. All eyes were on the place that was surrounded by pine trees. It was due to the white wood that the new blacksmith from the White Hammer smithy took out. Straight white wood. It looked exactly like the white phosphorus wood. However, people judged that it couldn’t be the white phosphorus wood.
"The white phosphorus tree can’t be cut down, right?”
"That’s right. I heard that it will explode if cut.”
“It’s impossible for it to be the white phosphorus wood. It just looks like white phosphorus wood.”
But was there a tree that resembled the white phosphorus tree in this world? There might be a lot of white trees, but the white phosphorus wood was unique. The white phosphorus wood had no twisted parts at all. As people were feeling confused, someone shouted a negative opinion.
"Those damn White Hammer guys! They can’t get people’s attention with their skills, so they prepared a useless performance!”
On one side of the stage. It was a cry from the Blue Flames section facing the White Hammer section. It was Enoch’s voice. He was sincerely angry. He didn’t like that people were paying attention to the White Hammer smithy instead of the winner of last year’s competition.
The White Hammer smithy was grabbing people’s attention with a performance, not skill. Pulling out fake white phosphorus wood? It was nothing more than an irritating and meaningless act. It was just embarrassing.
Dawhite. The person he once respected most in the world. Enoch had complicated emotions because the White Hammer smithy that Dawhite built had completely lost its honor and was about to fall.
‘Dawhite!’
Why did he pick White as his successor, destroying the White Hammer smithy? All of Dawhite’s achievements were now worthless.
‘It is sad that even the greatest human is obsessed with bloodlines!’
Kwack!
Enoch placed the finest firewood that he had prepared into the furnace. He used a secret technique to cause blue flames to burn in the furnace.
"I’ll show you the most ideal flames in the world!”
Hwaruruk!
Enoch pressed on the bellows and the blue flames flared up. The hot heat made the stage boil and stimulated the crowd.
“Ohh! Huge flames!”
"Indeed, the glow of the blue flames is brilliant!”
The quality of the blue flames was the best in the Cho Kingdom. Even Dawhite acknowledged the blue flames when he was alive. The lowest grade iron ore could be refined like the finest grade iron ore. That’s why these blue flames had the highest rating!
The blazing flames caught the attention of the crowd. The crowd turned away from the White Hammer smithy and the white phosphorus wood. Meanwhile, Grid was also admiring Enoch’s flames.
‘He’s a blacksmith who is good at the bellows.’
It seemed like Enoch had the skills of a craftsman when it came to flames. That’s right. It was just a craftsman. It was far less than a legendary blacksmith. Grid was surprised and disappointed.
‘I thought I would learn something from observing the Blue Flames smithy, just like I did from the White Hammer smithy."
It wasn’t that much.
‘The technique of the White Hammer smithy is special.’
It seemed like the Dawhite who kept being mentioned was an excellent blacksmith. Grid thought this and threw the white phosphorus wood in the furnace.
At that moment.
Peeeeeong!
“...!”
There was a loud explosion from the White Hammer smithy’s furnace. The surprised crowd and blacksmiths turned their attention to the White Hammer area again. Then they were shocked.
"W-What? Those flames?”
"It’s swallowing up the furnace?”
Flames of immense size. The flames rose from the blast furnace and leapt outside, covering the entire blast furnace. Red flames burst into the air, like the surface of the sun. Unlike the people who were astonished, Enoch burst out laughing.
“Puhahaha! A person who doesn’t know how to handle the bellows! The materials can’t be properly refined from such a strong fire! It will just burn everything up... Hak!”
Enoch fell silent for the first time.
Puok.Puok.Puok.
Grid.
The new White Hammer blacksmith was pumping on the handle of the bellows and repeated this movement.
Hwaruruk!Hwaruk!
The large flames in the furnace suddenly died down? Enoch and the chiefs of the Black Anvil and Red Tongs smithy all stared with wide eyes.
‘The flames that I thought were impossible to control was calmed in an instant?’
‘It’s ridiculous the way he is handling the bellows. That young man’s hands... Yes, it’s like he has spent his whole life doing this.’
‘Who is that person? Standing in front of the heat that could melt the skin, he doesn’t shrink back and calmly handled the bellows? His skin didn’t even turn red?’
Kurururung!
A loud sound was heard from the White Hammer smithy. It was the sound generated by the rise in temperature of the flames in the furnace.
“G-Great. But isn’t the temperature too high? Won’t you be turned into ashes before he can put the iron in?”
Grid explained to the cautious White.
“It might be dangerous, but this is a necessary process. The white phosphorus wood that is cut is merely hard. It doesn’t produce flames.”
However, the fire attribute in it was still alive. The white phosphorus wood was material that was activated when stimulated by high temperatures. This was the knowledge of a legendary blacksmith that Grid obtained from the system correct effect.
Hwaruruk!
The flames in the furnace emitted a high temperature that made it impossible to stay close to. White and the other White Hammer blacksmiths took one or two steps back, while Grid stepped forward. Then he put the prepared white phosphorus wood into the furnace and accelerated his usage of the bellows.
Puok!Puok!Puok!
The unstoppable air steadily raised the temperature of the blast furnace.
‘It’s impossible!’
The blacksmiths of the Blue Flames smithy started to deny reality. From their point of view, Grid wasn’t a human. He seemed like a great demon surrounded by the flames of hell. In particular, Enoch started to fear Grid.
“Success.”
Grid stopped the bellows and pulled the white phosphorus wood out of the furnace. The white phosphorus wood was much whiter than before. It showed off a beautiful white light. Grid grabbed it with the tongs and placed it on the anvil. Then he pulled out a hammer that only Pagma’s Descendant could use.
Peeeeeong!
The moment that Grid’s hammer struck.
“Hat!”
The chiefs of the Black Anvil and Red Tongs smithy took a breath. Grid’s forging quality. It was better than his handling of the bellows that they saw a while ago!
’That young man...!’
‘Perfect!’
He was far better than Dawhite in his prime. It was enough to make them think about the legendary blacksmith that they’d only heard about.
Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!
Grid continued the forging. He hammered at the white phosphorus wood that was as hard as dragon iron and gradually changed its shape. A notification window popped up in front of the sweating Grid.
[The Legendary Blacksmith’s Patience skill has been activated.]
[Concentration, stamina and defense will rise to the extremes for one hour.]
Usually, the effect would be very welcome. But now Grid was entering a stage where nothing mattered. He was only dedicated to making the Red Phoenix Bow. He added the minotaur horn that he used all the time when making bows for Jishuka. This added elasticity and helped bend the wood into the shape of the bow. It looked exactly like the Red Phoenix Bow design that White saw.
‘In the first place, this is the most developed form of the bow.’
The bow took shape under Grid’s busy fingertips.
‘Okay. This is really good.’
Grid’s satisfaction and confidence rose.
‘In the worst case situation.’
It was no problem if the Red Phoenix Bow was completed with an epic rating. He could use Item Upgrade to make it the unique rating and safely clear the quest. There was a limited number of times he could use Item Upgrade, just like the creation skill, but Grid judged that this quest was worth the investment.
‘I have to raise my affinity with White and Han Seokbong.’
The reason was simple. Han Seokbong would be aware of the information of the other four guardians battle gear, which was in the same category as the Red Phoenix Bow. That’s right. Grid planned to acquire the method to make all of them while he was on the East Continent. Grid judged that the value of the four guardians items would be comparable to divine items. If he could mass produce them, Grid’s army would be invincible.
Meanwhile, Enoch’s body was shaking in the distance.
“How? How does that newcomer have these skills?”
The black-haired man in front of him was better than Dawhite. Enoch didn’t want to acknowledge Grid’s skills, but it was impossible. As a blacksmith, he felt infinite respect for Grid’s skills. It was an instinct that couldn’t be resisted. Then...
[The Red Phoenix Bow has been completed!]
7 hours, 59 minutes and 49 seconds since the start of the competition. Grid finally stopped! The pure white bow with a fluid curve was beautiful enough to capture the attention of everyone present.
“Red Phoenix...Bow!”
The lord. The lord who had been keeping an eye on Grid throughout the competition rose to his feet. He felt the energy of the Red Phoenix from the bow made by Grid.