Ch.8787. Dwarf Kukum’s Ability

Enhancement is a blacksmith’s unique skill.

A simple and straightforward content that enhances an item’s abilities.

There’s no need to explain enhancement in detail—everyone knows it’s a probability challenge where you attempt to enhance items, and if you fail, the item breaks or becomes damaged, while success yields improved performance.

Enhancement exists in both Farming World and reality.

Yet, the reason why hunters’ enhanced items are rarely seen is due to the risk involved.

To begin with, there aren’t many blacksmiths with enhancement abilities.

Since enhancement only grants experience when successful, it’s difficult to grow the skill even after learning it. Additionally, the probability of having the enhancement skill while also possessing weapon crafting or armor crafting skills isn’t very high, so finding someone who can enhance items is already a significant hurdle.

Even if you find someone, there’s still a problem.

The resources needed for enhancement are mainly divided into three: “Enhancement Stone,” “Support Stone,” and “Protection Stone”—and the prices of these three are prohibitive for casual enhancement.

At least “Enhancement Stones” can be found relatively quickly when exploring dungeons, especially in maps with mines.

Among these three, “Enhancement Stone” listings are comparatively easier to find.

Since you need these stones to make enhancement possible, this could be considered somewhat fortunate.

The problem lies with “Support Stones” that increase enhancement probability,

and “Protection Stones” that prevent item damage when enhancement fails.

These two appear with such low probability that attempting enhancement is generally difficult.

There are brave souls who enhance using only Enhancement Stones, but they face a basic penalty of 1-2 grade drops with a 1-20% probability. Unless you’re insane, no one would waste expensive Enhancement Stones and risk losing their items, even if they’re relatively easy to obtain.

Moreover, even if you gather all these difficult materials and prepare for enhancement, you circle back to the first problem:

Is there a blacksmith who can enhance your item grade?

The enhancement skill grade limits which item grades can be enhanced.

If I want to enhance an A-grade item but the blacksmith’s enhancement skill is B+, I can’t even attempt a +1 enhancement.

That’s why enhanced items are extremely rare among expensive items.

[Corrupted Ring +0 > Corrupted Ring +1 Enhancement Materials Required]

– Enhancement Stone (Heroic): 0/30 (Enhancement Probability 45%)

– Support Stone (Heroic): 0/10 (Enhancement Probability +0%/20%)

– Protection Stone (Heroic): 0/50

Well, it’s not my concern anyway.

“Wow… S-grade enhancement materials are intense.”

For the best item I own, the growth-type [Corrupted Ring], I need a blacksmith with S-grade or higher enhancement skill, and Kukum is an SS+ grade blacksmith.

When I placed the item for enhancement, it showed as possible and displayed the required materials.

It wasn’t easy.

The Enhancement Stones, Support Stones, and Protection Stones aren’t graded F to SS, but rather in 5 grades from Common to Mythic. It’s almost unheard of to need Heroic grade Enhancement Stones from +1 enhancement.

That speaks to how good the item is.

Enhancing the Corrupted Ring didn’t seem easy.

The same went for other items.

Since I’d need to gather at least Common Enhancement Stones for any enhancement, right now I was just checking things out.

Though it might seem pointless to look at cake I can’t eat, the check wasn’t entirely worthless—I got to properly confirm SS+ grade Kukum’s abilities just from this enhancement page.

“A base enhancement probability of 45% is unbelievable.”

And that’s for an S-grade item.

The fact that it reaches 65% with all Support Stones is incredible, even for just a +1 enhancement.

“Kukum, you’re truly extraordinary.”

“Of course.”

To think I summoned such a being for just 3,000 Farm.

Originally, Farming World didn’t have such summons, but if it did, I might have gone to extreme lengths to roll hundreds or thousands of Farm in the late game.

Perhaps if this existed, I could have knocked some sense into those who claim to “graduate” after just completing basic mapping.

Since Kukum hasn’t made any items yet, there was nothing to purchase.

The shop typically fills with equipment that Kukum makes from materials I bring through quests or sell to him.

Or items will be stocked in some other way.

I could check those things when needed, and lastly, there was gem-setting.

When I get gems to make accessories, I no longer need to ask my dad’s friend—I can entrust them to Kukum.

Of course, since Kukum charges a fee in Farm, I can’t just bring anything, but for truly good items like the Glass Stone Ring, having Kukum craft them could result in much better quality.

“Alright, Kukum. Let’s get along well from now on.”

“Rift Master, I wish you good fortune. And if you happen to find a mine nearby, would you bring me some ore? I should start my work.”

[Sub Quest]

[Blacksmith-Kukum]

[Kukum, the summoned blacksmith, has requested ore supplies for his forge work.]

[Collect 500 Copper Ore (D+)]

[Reward: 1,000 Farm, ‘Furnace’ Recipe, 5 Farming Ability Points]

After neatly finishing with a sub-quest, Kukum entered his rather large smithy.

“Still modest. I hope the Rift Master expands the smithy soon.”

Though I thought the smithy was quite large, Kukum’s comment seemed directed at me.

“…Raising a dwarf isn’t easy.”

Still, I started off well.

I was lucky too.

With the Goddess’s Blessing triggering, I thought that if things continued this way, there shouldn’t be major issues setting up the village NPCs.

I had about 20,000 Farm left.

If the Goddess’s Blessing triggered just twice more within 40 tries, I might end up with three Mythic grade NPCs!

I indulged in this happy fantasy for a moment.

Of course, I knew it was a foolish dream.

Even with the Goddess’s Blessing, if it produced a Mythic grade every time, the game’s difficulty would have decreased long ago.

I’d be fortunate if the Goddess’s Blessing gave me even a Legendary grade.

I headed straight for the seed shop.

The seed shop doesn’t just sell seeds—it’s usually called a crop shop.

It’s a store run by a farming NPC that deals in seeds, harvested crops, fertilizers, and so on.

Like the smithy, it’s one of the most frequently used shops by users, so in a way, maybe the SS+ grade NPC should have appeared here.

“Sigh…”

Originally, I planned to save Farm to summon each village NPC one by one, but after drawing Kukum, my thinking changed.

“I’m all in on this.”

I did need to buy recovery herb seeds when opening the seed shop.

That was the plan.

But I decided to postpone that for now.

With the ogre blood I had, potion delivery would be fine, and recovery herbs weren’t that important.

If I use everything and don’t get what I want, I just won’t summon anyone for now.

“Legendary minimum. Nothing less.”

Village NPCs are nice to have.

They sell various sundries and furniture.

The tavern sells beer and meat, the fish shop sells fish.

No matter how many necessities I bring from reality, there’s a quality-of-life difference between having a village and not.

Though life isn’t impossible without them.

I got greedy.

I wanted to fill this village with NPCs of at least Legendary grade or higher.

“Let’s go.”

Like a gambling addict in front of a pachinko machine, I pressed [Draw Again].

First try. Second try. Third try.

The expectation deep in my heart diminished bit by bit.

Along with my disappearing 500 Farm each time.

Well, I’m only human.

I know it won’t appear, but as the cards spin with their colorful hues, I can’t help but focus on the yellow and red colors I desire.

“Oh… oh! Legendary! Legendaryyy!”

But I keep seeing white…

I keep seeing green…

On the seventh try, when a Heroic appeared, I hesitated briefly.

“It’s only 40 tries… not yet…”

The mind of a fickle person is filled with fear about wasting 20,000 Farm on the ground as a free player, even though I’d set a clear standard of Legendary.

If it weren’t for Kukum, I might have compromised.

I hold on and continue.

It’s still profitable.

Even if I use it all, it’s worth it…

I repeat this mantra and pray.

“Please, Goddess’s Blessing. Please, Goddess’s Blessing.”

The spinning card.

On the eighth try, still no sign of the Goddess’s Blessing.

I see something purplish—another Heroic, I think.

I raise my finger to wait for the next draw.

But the color changes.

“Huh?”

Yellow.

The yellow that instantly consumed the purple is accompanied by the familiar red ink as the card’s rotation speed decreases.

“No way. That’s impossible.”

Despite my denial of reality.

The red-tinged card revealed itself to me once more.