Chapter 179: The Alloy from Gomet

Kei pulled the breastplate closer, resting both hands upon the cold metal to feel its texture.

The armor was pieced together from multiple segments, its surface blanketed in a fine layer of dust and long, sprawling scratches. Along the left flank resided a massive dent, its metal edges jaggedly mangled as though something had crushed down upon it with immense force. Even though it had undergone a preliminary wipe-down, dried blood still clung in dark crimson streaks around the damaged zones.

Kei let out a soft sigh.

The individual wearing this armor must have sustained severe injuries.

"Don’t rush into repairing it blindly," Clark instructed, standing close by, his voice deep and steady amidst the hammering ringing throughout the entire room. "First, figure out what it’s forged from. If you don’t understand the composition of the armor, you might weaken the remaining structure and sever its connection to the repaired areas when reinforcing it with a mismatched material."

Kei nodded. Closing his eyes, he focused his senses on the texture beneath his fingertips.

The Craftsman’s analytical faculty gradually unlocked before his eyes. Invisible contours draped over each piece of metal, splitting them apart into distinct strata. Iron, red copper, and an unfamiliar dull-gray metal intertwined, fusing into a unified alloy.

"Can you feel it? It’s Gomet," Clark said. "That metal can only be recovered within a Dungeon; it’s a specialized material. Do you know how to analyze the proportions of the metals making up this alloy?"

"Let me try."

Kei channeled his undivided attention into the metallic layers. Numerical values and distinct characteristics flashed successively across his mind. The ratios of iron, red copper, and Gomet were not uniform across every section of the breastplate; the outer shell was engineered for hardness, whereas the core possessed greater elasticity and pliability designed to absorb blunt-force trauma before it could injure the hunter’s body.

He patiently reviewed each segment of the armor to verify his assumptions, deducting the original alloy formula tailored to each specific anatomical part of the gear.

"Done." Kei opened his eyes. "Iron, red copper, and Gomet. The core possesses a slightly higher proportion of Gomet than the outer shell."

Clark stared at him, an unmistakable trace of astonishment flashing across his features.

"Pretty fast. Do you remember the ratios?"

Kei rattled off the data he had just analyzed. Hearing his response, Clark gave a firm nod, signaling him to fetch the raw materials from the storage racks.

Kei stepped into the small backroom located behind the forge workstation. Metal ingots were stacked neatly along the shelves, flanked by open bins of raw ingredients. Selecting the precise three components required, he carried them back to the forge table.

Gazing down at the materials resting before him, Kei’s heartbeat quickened involuntarily.

He had fabricated no small number of specialized magical items, but he had never personally processed an alloy intended for combat armor. The scent of metal, the radiant heat pouring from the forge, and the relentless pounding of hammers all around him left him feeling a heady mixture of nervous tension and excitement.

This was an entirely unprecedented experience.

Kei peeled off his outer jacket, hanging it from a nearby hook before slipping on the blacksmith’s apron Clark had handed him. The apron ran slightly large, but he swiftly cinched the back straps tight to keep it securely in place.

"Don’t just stare at the color of the flames," Clark instructed from the side. "Feel how each component reacts to thermal exposure. Iron and red copper don’t liquefy at the exact same rate. Gomet demands even closer vigilance; push it too far, and its inherent properties will fundamentally mutate."

"Understood."

Kei fed the materials into the furnace, adjusting the thermal output step by step. Initially, the process proceeded quite smoothly. The iron heated up first, followed closely by the red copper softening until both merged into a roaring torrent of molten metal.

Kei watched with undivided concentration, holding off until the optimal moment before introducing the Gomet.

Yet as he stirred the mixture, a patch of metal abruptly cooled down faster than anticipated. The alloy current lost its uniformity; clumps solidified in certain spots while other areas grew so fluid they threatened to separate entirely.

Kei’s hands froze.

This is bad.

He had misjudged the thermal conductivity rate of the Gomet. If this kept up, the entire batch of alloy would be ruined.

Clark was observing from the side, yet didn’t immediately step in. He wanted to see how Kei planned on handling the crisis.

Kei gritted his teeth slightly, silently channeling E-rank magic.

[Thermal Enhancement].

A concentrated pulse of localized heat threaded into the cooling metal zone, just sufficient to restore it to a workable, blendable state. Immediately afterward, he cast [Adhesion] to bind the components showing signs of separation, forcing them to stabilize together.

Kei exhaled a ragged, silent breath and resumed stirring the molten alloy.

This time, the hue of the alloy steadily harmonized. The metallic current thickened, gleaming with a dark red tinged with gray. He poured it rapidly into the mold, taking meticulous care to prevent air bubbles from forming along the surface.

As the alloy cooled, Kei unlatched the mold and inspected the finished product.

A flat, sturdy bar of metal materialized before his eyes. Although the material quality didn’t quite match the original armor shell, it possessed ample structural integrity to reinforce the damaged sections.

Clark picked up the alloy bar to inspect it, tapping the edge against the table. The sound rang out crisp and solid.

"Well done. For a newcomer, this is a highly commendable outcome."

"Thank you, sir." Kei flushed, bowing his head to accept the praise.

He was thrilled his attempt had succeeded, yet couldn’t shake a lingering sense of guilt.

In truth, that last batch of alloy had come dangerously close to failing. He had been forced to rely on magic to supplement thermal energy and force the components to bind together. Without those two low-rank spells, the entire stock of raw materials would likely have ended up as scrap metal.

Kei glanced down at his hands, then back toward the alloy bar resting upon the table.

Regardless, he had successfully cleared the opening hurdle.

The next step was to transform that bar of alloy into armor fragments that fit snugly over the damaged sector.

Kei placed the strip of metal onto the anvil, his eyes measuring the contours of the gash along the flank of the armor. The mangled edges were uneven; simply cutting a patch of metal and slapping it on top would dig into the wearer’s flesh and concentrate the entire impact force onto a single pressure point.

"Don’t try to patch it with a single massive piece to cover all the damage," Clark instructed. "Break it down into segments, matching them to the natural curve of the armor. That’s how impact force gets dispersed evenly."

Kei nodded, grabbing the alloy bar with his tongs and beginning to heat it back up.

This time, he didn’t rely solely on visual cues. He paid close attention to the malleability of the metal, gauging its transformation straight through the tongs in his grip. The moment the alloy achieved optimal ductility, he transferred it to the anvil and brought his hammer crashing down.

Clang!

The strikes of the hammer echoed across the workshop. Kei delivered rhythmic, measured blows, patiently stretching out the metal bar before slicing it into compact segments. Each individual piece was contoured to mirror the curvature matching the intact sections of the armor. He repeatedly test-fitted them against the breastplate, refining the imperfect fits before resuming shaping operations.

Kei’s hands grew progressively hot. Sweat soaked into his temples, yet his focus never wavered from the work at hand. The metal patches successively filled the void where the bite had torn the armor apart.

"Alright."

Kei dropped the final piece into place, inspecting the seams one last time. There were no gaping fissures, nor any protruding sharp edges. Utilizing specialized tools, he fused the alloy fragments onto the pristine sections of the armor, taking meticulous care to ensure the new metal seamlessly integrated with the original structure.

Clark stood close by observing, chiming in only occasionally to prompt him to adjust a seam or flatten a slightly raised ridge. Kei followed his cues, patiently perfecting every minute detail.

Once the armor plating was fully linked, Kei laid his palm across it. Channeling his Craftsman’s magic, he cast [Defensive Reinforcement] lengthwise along the newly forged alloy segments. A thin veil of mana billowed outward, blanketing the seams before seeping evenly throughout the entirety of the repaired zone.

A faint flash of light flickered briefly before fading away.

Kei tapped lightly against the newly reinforced armor. The acoustic feedback sounded solid and continuous, stripping away any lingering sense of looseness at the joints. He performed one final inspection, confirming that the fragments had bonded tenaciously to the body of the breastplate.

"Done." Kei exhaled a breath of relief, studying the restored piece of gear.

Clark picked it up, pressing down firmly against the reinforced section before nodding in satisfaction.

"You’ve successfully pulled off the repair. Not bad at all."

Kei gazed at the dried blood still staining the armor’s rim, a quiet wave of ease washing over him. At the very least, that hunter would recover a piece of equipment robust enough to safeguard their life upon returning to the frontline.

This time around, he hadn’t merely fabricated an alloy. With his own two hands, he had successfully repaired a combat breastplate.