‘This isn’t the time to lose your mind.’ Then Braham’s voice entered Grid’s ears. ‘Isn’t the duration of the immortal passive only 5 seconds?’

Gold? No, this time was more valuable than a diamond. Grid needed to actively utilize this limited time.

“Thank you.”

Grid recovered thanks to Braham and immediately took action. He needed to confirm it.

‘First of all.’

Jjejeong! Jjang!

The first thing Grid did was to stab and slash at the damaged white phosphorus tree. It was to check if this damn tree was still hard or would explode after the fragment fell off. It was still hard and there was no explosion.

‘Is it correct to say it’s dead? It won’t explode if I throw them in the fire.’

The white phosphorus tree was just hard. If he assumed that it would burn, there wouldn’t be a problem if it was used as firewood.

‘I don’t understand the reasoning behind using this tree as firewood.’

Was there a special effect?

‘Of course there will be.’

What were the effects?

‘Sooner or later, I will find out. I will experiment.’

Step.

Grid kept constantly moving. He fired Kill at the white phosphorus tree.

Chaaeng!

[The durability of the +9 Failure has decreased by 6.]

[There is a strong pain from your wrist. You are temporarily paralyzed.]

[You have resisted.]

[The immortal state is activated. Health isn’t lost.]

[You were unable to damage the white phosphorus tree.]

"Che, Kill doesn’t have an effect.”

The defensive power of the white phosphorus tree was extraordinary. The fact that he couldn’t inflict damage it with Kill meant it was impossible without a skill that ignored defense.

“Then what about this?

Seokeok!

Grid used Pinnacle this time. Failure moved across the trunk of the white phosphorus tree.

[You have damaged the white phosphorus tree.]

[The bark of the white phosphorus tree has spat out flames!]

Compared to Pinnacle Kill, the attack power of Pinnacle was weak. It didn’t 100% ignore defense. Pinnacle didn’t cause damage to the white phosphorus tree and it didn’t explode after being hit by Pinnacle. Only one fragment dropped.

‘This is better...’

Kurururu!

Flames shot towards Grid from the white phosphorus tree. The heat of the flames distorted the area. The flames that hit Grid were sharp and fierce, like fangs. But Grid was invincible in the immortal state. He didn’t receive any damage from the flames. Amidst the glowing flames, he spoke in a somewhat calm tone.

"I can only use Pinnacle.”

Pinnacle Kill was too powerful. The explosion of the white phosphorus tree dealt damage in a 4m radius. Even Grid found it difficult to cope. On the other hand, the range of the flames that emerged after Pinnacle was limited. He would be able to avoid it using the Slaughterer’s Eye Patch and Quick Movements.

Braham asked, ‘Why don’t you give Magic Missile a try?’

The duration of the immortality ended. After the flames died, Grid retreated from the white phosphorus tree that fell quiet again.

“Doesn’t Magic Missile just penetrate through? Isn’t is inappropriate for logging?”

‘Aim at the branches. Pinnacle can only cut off one branch at a time, so isn’t it faster to use Magic Missile?’

"But the Magic Missile that I shoot is weak.”

It was doubtful if Magic Missile could scratch the white phosphorus tree, no matter the ignore defense effect attached to it.

‘Why don’t you try it instead of whining?’

“Um...”

Grid received Braham’s opinion and fired Magic Missile at the thinnest branch on the white phosphorus tree.

Peng!

"...”

Indeed. Grid’s Magic Missile didn’t even scratch the white phosphorus tree. Grid smacked his lips.

“There really is only Pinnacle.”

The cooldown time of Pinnacle was 2 minutes. It meant he could cut off one branch every 2 minutes.

‘It will take all day to gather enough firewood.’

It was too much time to waste just to obtain 12% experience. It wasn’t as efficient as hunting in the vampire cities. Grid frowned and was troubled for a moment.

‘Should I use Assimilation?’

Braham’s master level Magic Missile could collect the firewood relatively quickly.

‘...But.’

He didn’t want to. It was too much to borrow the strength of a legendary great magician for logging.

‘Borrowing your strength just for this...’

Grid didn’t want to use Assimilation for a reason. He didn’t know what dangers existed in the East Continent, making it too risky to act without his strongest card on hand.

'Grid, can’t I help you? It has been a long time since I got some outside air...’

Braham started to say something but Grid didn’t listen.

“Now!”

Grid confirmed that the cooldown time of Pinnacle had returned and used it again.

Seokeok!

Hwaruruk!

Flames were fired the moment a branch was cut off. Grid borrowed the power of the Slaughterer’s Eye Patch and read the path. The problem was that the speed of the flames was too fast.

‘Shit.’

Grid knew that he couldn’t completely avoid it and escaped using Quick Movements.

“Phew...”

Grid picked up the branch of the white phosphorus tree. He gritted his teeth. A legendary blacksmith and duke of a kingdom was struggling to cut firewood. It was enough to make his tears flow down.

“Damn, this quest is completely twisted. That damn White person... Eh? Wait.”

Grid suddenly had an idea.

“The White Hammer smithies used an iron hammer for iron and a mithril hammer for mithril?"

Something came to mind.

‘Diamond.’

A diamond was needed to process a diamond. There were many things in the world that could destroy a diamond, but only a diamond could cut another diamond.

‘Maybe the white phosphorus tree...’

It had a property that made it hard to destroy. What if the white phosphorus tree was similar to a diamond? Grid reached this idea and didn’t hesitate. He gathered the scattered pieces of the white phosphorus tree and started to observe them with the perspective of a blacksmith.

‘Forging and tempering them is possible. But refining? Isn’t a process necessary?’

Grid thought about it. He dreamed of a bigger growth and focused without becoming nervous. Then after a while.

“...Okay, I will try it once.”

Grid smiled and entered the ‘axe’ category of his list of production methods. The pattern he pulled out was the Woodcutting Axe.

[Woodcutting Axe]

Rating: Normal ~ Legendary

An axe optimized for cutting trees.

It is an axe that any woodcutter dreams of having.

Conditions of Use: Woodcutter Level 100 or more. Beginner Woodcutting Technique level 7.

It was a matter of pride now. As a legendary blacksmith, he couldn’t be beaten by firewood. Grid burned with motivation as he took out a portable furnace. Then Braham advised,

‘No matter what you do, try summoning the Overgeared Skeletons as often as you can.’

“Why those guys?”

‘By observing you, they may learn new skills or magic.’

Grid was startled.

"Eh? The skeletons have learning abilities?”

Then wasn’t a necromancer a true scam? Braham explained to Grid.

‘No, common skeletons aren’t capable of learning. But the Overgeared Skeletons have intelligence. They are recognized as a unique entity and can be summoned again after being destroyed. They are like death knights and lich.’

"Their intelligence is in the single digits...”

'Well, you should try it. Maybe they can learn low level magic or skills.’

"Hrmm... Yes, it isn’t very difficult to follow your words. The Overgeared Skeletons might be trash, but I can use them depending on the situation if they acquire skills.”

Grid had overlooked one thing. Braham considered most of the abilities in the world as inferior.

***

"Shit! This won’t work! I need a stronger fire!”

The White Hammer Smithy. White and his nine blacksmiths were irritated. Pangea’s lord held a blacksmithing competition every year. It was the goal of the White Hammer Smithy to win the competition and supply the battle gear of the army for one year, but reality wasn’t so kind. The battle gear created by the White Hammer Smithy was somewhat lacking compared to the level of the other large smithies.

"Looking at the status of the final product, the championship has disappeared this year...”

"We haven’t won the competition for five years since Master died...”

The mentor of the White Hammer blacksmiths was White’s father, Dawhite. The White Hammer smithy had gone downhill since he died five years ago. There were people who said that the White Hammer smithy had lost their qualifications to be one of the four great smithies.

This was despite White’s efforts.

White trembled.

‘It’s all my fault. I didn’t listen to Father’s words and neglected the bellows.’

White believed that forging was what created the quality. As the successor of the White Hammer smithy, he focused on the hammer and tended to neglect the bellows. In his youth, he didn’t realize that the difference of only 1 degree in the temperature of the flame could create a significant difference with the performance of the item.

"The flames... If I can make them hotter...”

White and the blacksmiths bowed their heads. Then an unfamiliar voice was heard.

“I have come to deliver firewood.”

"Firewood?"

All the blacksmiths apart from White felt confused.

"Didn’t we already acquire the firewood at dawn today? Then what is this delivery?”

In the first place, the black-haired young man who said he came to delivery firewood was unfamiliar. He wasn’t one of the usual woodcutters they traded with. As the blacksmiths were looking at the young man...

“Firewood... You brought it?”

White was more flustered than when his wife was having an affair.