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[Enhancement Attempt: +6]
The Blessed Enhancement Stone broke into light and entered the helmet.
Cold energy spread across the anvil.
The helmet began to glow.
Then the light suddenly became unstable.
A notification appeared.
[Enhancement Failed.]
Alan didn't react much.
"That's expected," he said calmly.
Because he used a Blessed Enhancement Stone, the enhancement level didn't decrease.
The helmet was still +5.
The blacksmith watching nearby sighed in relief.
Normal enhancement failure could reduce the level, but blessed stones prevented that.
Alan picked up another stone.
"Again."
He activated the enhancement.
[Enhancement Attempt: +6]
The stone dissolved into light again.
The glow this time was much stronger.
Cold air spread across the room and frost formed on the walls.
Then—
Ding!
[Enhancement Successful.]
and then
[Enhancement Failed.]
[Enhancement Failed.]
[Enhancement Failed.]
[Enhancement Failed.]
It was four failures in a row but on fifth try something unexpected happened.
[Enhancement Successful]
[+9 Frostlight Orc King Helmet]
The light finally faded.
The helmet on the anvil now released a much stronger frost aura than before.
Alan looked at the window.
He had jumped from +6 directly to +9.
Blessed Enhancement Stones could increase enhancement by +1 to +3, but getting +3 or even +2 was extremely rare.
Alan smiled slightly.
"Looks like I got lucky."
Alan then stopped there and began working on enhancing the other pieces.
Since he did a lot of solo boss raids, he had a large number of Blessed Enhancement Stones.
Because of that, he continued enhancing the rest of the equipment until all of them reached +9.
Soon the enhancement process was finished.
All five pieces of the Frostlight Orc King Set were now +9.
The helmet, armor, gauntlets, greaves, and cape were placed on the table together.
Cold air slowly filled the smithy.
A blue hazy glow appeared around the armor pieces. It was the visual cosmetic effect of +9 enhancement.
Alan nodded and then left the smithy after leaving some gold coins on the anvil.
"That's for letting me work here," he said.
The blacksmith shook his head slightly.
"It was my pleasure," he replied.
Alan smiled and left the smithy.
"Not only is my set enhanced, but my stats have also increased by +125 for making the legendary set," Alan murmured to himself.
"And the set is now 45% more powerful," Alan said with a smile as he stretched. "Now it's time to meet the Red Knights."
– You are also a Legendary Blacksmith?
Suddenly, Madra asked.
Alan nodded.
"I started by learning from someone named Albantino. He was a master blacksmith, and later I became a Battlesmith after reaching the legendary grade."
– You are much better than I thought you would be.
"I don't know," Alan said with a small shrug. "I just like a good fight."
Madra laughed.
– Hahaha, of course. One needs something to enjoy in life.
Madra's voice became quiet again as Alan smiled.
– Now, I want to see you fight.
"You will," Alan replied as he walked toward the Red Knight camp.
There were over thirty Red Knights standing there.
They were lined up in formation.
In the center stood Mercedes.
When Alan approached, she looked at him.
"You are here," she said.
Alan glanced around at the knights.
"I see a lot of them."
Mercedes looked at him calmly.
"Yes. These are the Red Knights who you will challenge before challenging me." she said.
Alan looked at the knights standing behind her. All of them wore red armor and carried heavy weapons. Their presence alone showed that they were elite knights of the Empire.
Alan raised an eyebrow.
"So I have to defeat them first?"
Mercedes nodded.
"Yes. If you want to fight me, you must first prove that you are worthy."
Some of the Red Knights looked at Alan with interest.
One of them stepped forward.
He was tall and heavily built, carrying a large two-handed sword.
"Commander, let me go first," he said.
"No. We will go from the 30th to the 1st," Mercedes said.
The knight who had stepped forward earlier moved back, and the 30th Red Knight stepped forward instead.
"I doubt he can even defeat me," the young-looking knight said mockingly.
Some of the other knights laughed.
Only the ones who had already seen Alan's power remained silent and simply watched him.
Alan didn't mind their ignorance.
He stepped forward and activated the Frostlight Orc King Transformation.
Cold energy spread from his body.
His muscles expanded slightly, and his presence became much heavier.
"Come then," Alan said calmly.
The 30th Red Knight looked at him and laughed even more.
"An orc, huh? It seems you want to embarrass yourself even more," he said.
Alan looked at him quietly.
"…I once heard that the Red Knights were the ones who made the Saharan Empire great. Yet now I clearly see how far you have fallen," Alan said.
The 30th Red Knight's face turned angry.
"You—"
Before he could finish—
Alan suddenly moved.
In an instant, he appeared in front of the knight.
He grabbed him by the head and lifted him off the ground like he weighed nothing.
The knight struggled, but Alan's grip didn't move.
Then Alan swung his arm.
The knight was thrown away like a toy and crashed into the ground several meters away.
Silence fell across the camp.
Alan looked at the fallen knight calmly.
"Next," he said.
Now the other Red Knights became tense after seeing how easily the 30th Red Knight had been defeated.
The fallen knight groaned as he struggled to stand.
His helmet was broken, and his sword had fallen far away.
The surrounding Red Knights looked at him in shock.
"That… was one move," someone whispered.
Mercedes remained silent.
Her eyes stayed on Alan.
Another Red Knight stepped forward.
This one looked older and more serious.
"I am the 29th Red Knight," he said.
Unlike the previous knight, he didn't mock Alan.
He had clearly understood the difference in strength.
He raised his sword carefully.
"I will not underestimate you."
Alan nodded slightly.
"That's better."
The knight rushed forward.
His sword moved fast, aiming directly at Alan's chest.