Taeho narrowed his eyes.
There was a reason he had climbed all the way to the top of the Tutorial Tower, even though he didn't need to clear it.
Part of it was his own ambition, but the main goal was to secure a combat-related class so that he could climb the main Tower.
Yet, despite being the very first person to conquer the tutorial, he had ended up with a Blacksmith class again.
As he looked closely at the class name, details he had missed earlier came into view.
Wait. A Blacksmith is a Blacksmith, so what on earth is a War Smith?
The class Taeho had held in his previous life was Blacksmith—a job defined by hammering metal to craft gear.
But what he had just received was War Smith, with the modifier "War" attached to the front.
A single modifier could completely redefine a class's worth, so this difference was not something to overlook lightly.
Could it be… a special class?
Special classes were far rarer than standard classes, requiring unique acquisition conditions.
True to their name, they possessed hidden skills and innate potential.
Feeling a sliver of hope, Taeho pulled up the detailed class information.
War Smith
Origin: A class that began with the champion chosen by Vulcastos, God of all Blacksmiths.
Only one being, recognized in their era as both its greatest commander and its greatest craftsman, can inherit this honorable class.
Crafting, repairing, and destroying weapons on the battlefield itself, a War Smith is the ruler of war and the key to victory.
Rarity: Unique (one-of-a-kind)
"Unique?"
As he read the text, Taeho's eyes widened in surprise.
He knew a class requiring both a master commander and a master craftsman had to be special, but he never expected it to be Unique—a class granted to only a single person in the era.
Unique is top-tier even among special classes. And War Smith is one of them?
Taeho's heart pounded like a heavy hammer striking an anvil.
He had fought so hard to obtain anything other than a Blacksmith class for one simple reason: climbing the Tower demanded combat power.
Otherwise, giving up his hard-earned, maxed-out crafting mastery for an unfamiliar class would have been a total waste.
But he could never have imagined gaining combat prowess while keeping the Blacksmith class whose peak he had already reached.
I secretly hoped I might get a Knight class, but this does not even compare.
A Unique class, sitting at the very top even among special classes!
It was so far beyond his expectations that he almost doubted whether this was real.
As heat rushed to his head from the pure thrill, a notification window popped up.
Class assignment completed.
You can now access your status window and inventory.
The weapons and armor used during the tutorial have been moved to your inventory as well.
"Nice."
Reading the prompt, Taeho opened his inventory immediately.
Stored inside were the armor and hammer he had crafted in the Tutorial Tower.
Back then, I did not have a class, so I could not even inspect the details.
Taeho retrieved the armor and hammer he had poured six months of exhausting effort into crafting, and they materialized before him in the real world.
He lifted the hammer and inspected it.
Limit-Breaker's Hammer
Grade: Elite
Description: A hammer forged in the tutorial using components from Common-grade items. Transcended the limits of its rank through the creator's skill and relentless hammering. Endured repeated polishing and tempering over time, causing durability and attack power to skyrocket.
Passive Effects: 「Self-Repair (Lv. 2)」 「Durability Enhancement (Lv. 3)」 「Lightweight (Lv. 2)」 「Ignore Defense (Lv. 2)」
Active Skill: 「Destructive Strike」
"What in the world?"
Taeho was caught off guard.
An item's grade was evaluated by various factors: materials, crafting skills, and the crafter's willpower.
But crafting with Common materials usually yielded Rare-rank at best.
Even Ari'mir, though Taeho did not know it, had judged that the absolute limit was Uncommon.
And yet, what he had was Elite-rank.
That was just a single tier below Hero-rank, which was awarded for clearing the tutorial.
No wonder none of those monsters could take more than three hits, except the knight in heavy armor. The rank turned out way higher than expected.
Having inspected the item info, Taeho moved on to the armor next.
Forged by blending various materials, the suit of armor cast a subtle, mysterious aura from its mixed coloration.
As he stared quietly at the armor, its item info surfaced just as the hammer's had.
Limit-Breaker's Armor
Grade: Elite
Description: Full-body armor forged from Common-grade items in the tutorial. Transcended the limits of its rank through the creator's skill and relentless hammering. Quenched repeatedly in special coolant over a long period, drastically boosting flexibility and defense.
Passive Effects: 「Flexibility (Lv. 2)」 「Physical Defense (Lv. 3)」 「Magic Defense (Lv. 3)」 「Lightweight (Lv. 3)」
Active Skill: 「Pulse of Steel」
Taeho nodded approvingly.
The armor was Elite-rank, like the hammer, and its passive effects and active skill were just as perfectly balanced.
With gear like this, I have more than enough combat power to start climbing the Tower right away.
Taeho stashed the hammer and armor into his inventory.
Equipment mattered, but there was something he needed to do the moment he got his class.
I need to construct my Qi circuit.
Qi circuit.
Just as the name implied, it was the essential pathway required to manipulate Qi—the transcendent energy found only within the Tower.
And Qi was the true foundation of power for all Awakeners.
A mage's mana, a warrior's aura, and a priest's divine power all ultimately derived from this mysterious energy.
To construct a Qi circuit, you normally have to enter the Tower.
Since Qi was obtainable nowhere else, most Awakeners headed straight inside the moment they obtained a class.
But instead of stepping into the Tower, Taeho pulled out an item from his inventory.
Not me.
What materialized in his hand was a core.
And not just any ordinary core—it was a Transcendent-grade core filled to the brim with Ari'mir's Qi.
Taeho focused his mind on the core resting in his palm.
Having acquired a class, he began sensing Qi, which had been invisible to him before.
Feeling Ari'mir's Qi in full for the first time, Taeho flinched.
So this is the power of an administrator. It's even crazier than I thought.
The Qi sealed inside the core was like a blazing sun.
And this was not an exaggeration.
The condensed power and sheer volume made the comparison fitting.
Taeho searched his memories for something comparable.
Arkanus. The Dragon Lord's breath is probably the only thing that comes close.
A staggering mass of Qi.
Unleashing even a fraction of this energy would easily trigger an explosion rivaling a nuclear blast.
Cold sweat dripped down Taeho's forehead.
Yet despite sweating from tension, his lips curled into the widest grin he had ever worn.
If I build my Qi circuit with this…
The size and durability of a vessel were heavily dictated by the quality of Qi absorbed during the initial formation.
In other words, forming a Qi circuit was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But channeling energy of this magnitude into a frail human body would inflict excruciating pain.
Taeho's hesitation was deep, but brief.
This is my first and last chance. No way I am backing down from this.
He sat down cross-legged.
Holding the core with both hands above his lap, he focused all his concentration on Ari'mir's Qi.
At first, nothing happened.
But as time ticked by, subtle shifts began to occur.
Sss.
Following Taeho's will, the Qi stored inside the core trickled outward.
Though the movement was painstakingly slow, he did not rush.
Like a devoted seeker in deep training or a blacksmith hammering red-hot iron, he pushed through grueling trial and error to guide the Qi.
Immersed so deeply he lost all track of time, making endless attempts, until—
Crack!
"!!!"
Ari'mir's Qi burst forth from the core and burrowed into his palms.
Searing agony—like being struck by lightning and burned alive at once—racked his body, but Taeho gritted his teeth.
I cannot make a sound! The Qi will destabilize! I have to endure until it is finished!
Blood trickled from his lips.
He had bitten his tongue to stay conscious against pain so intense he nearly blacked out.
All the while, Ari'mir's lava-like Qi kept flowing into his body.
Hold on. I can endure this.
Taeho repeated the words like a mantra.
His brain screamed at him to stop under the overwhelming agony.
Yet, clamping onto his consciousness with transcendent willpower, Taeho continued drawing in the Qi.
But despite his will, the human body did not magically grow stronger through grit alone.
Unable to withstand Ari'mir's power, his physical frame gradually began breaking down.
Unaware of this, Taeho continued to endure the pain through sheer determination.
But his collapsing body inexplicably began restoring itself.
What is this? The pain is easing up. No, power is actually returning to my body. Did my body adapt to the pain?
As the pain subsided, Taeho grew puzzled.
While his body was indeed adapting, the cause was completely different from what he assumed.
Sssss—
Instead of breaking down, his body was actively restoring itself—all thanks to the core coolant he had chugged like water during his six months in the tutorial.
The liquid he had consumed over six months had accumulated inside him bit by bit, even as it was being digested, drastically boosting his internal heat resistance against Qi.
As a result, he was absorbing Ari'mir's Qi not just into a circuit, but into his entire body.
Of course, Taeho neither knew this nor expected it in the slightest.
Crack, snap!
Crunch—!
As Qi permeated every fiber, his bones realigned, and his muscles tore and regenerated continuously.
His blood purified as it circulated, and his brain's key pathways grew exponentially stronger.
He felt as though his body were floating into the air, his mind expanding as if a cosmos were unfolding within his head.
Qi circuit constructed.
The notification popping up before his eyes snapped Taeho out of his trance.
Following the prompt that appeared earlier, other message windows popped up one after another.
You have absorbed Qi that far exceeds normal limits.
Your physical body has evolved by taking in overwhelming Qi.
Achievement unlocked: 'Total Rebirth'!
Acquired Qi Circuit (Lv. 7).
"Total Rebirth? The complete overhaul of body and bone that only a tiny handful of warrior Awakeners have ever achieved? And the Qi circuit is already level seven?"
As he stared at the system windows, Taeho's eyes flared wide, lit with disbelief.
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