Chapter 57: Master-Level Blacksmithing Mastery

[Prompt: Sublimating the "Tier 2 Supply Box" requires 1,500 Specialized Crystals. Confirm sublimation of the "Tier 2 Supply Box" to a "Tier 4 Supply Box"?]

Huh?
Is this span a bit too abrupt?
Whatever, it doesn't matter. It wasn't entirely unexpected; the crystals were prepared precisely for this.
"Confirm."

The Tier 2 supply box decomposed, and the Tier 4 supply box reassembled.
Unlike the brilliant golden light of the Tier 5 supply box, the Tier 4 supply box radiated a warm, orange-yellow glow.
With this, supply boxes from Tier 1 to Tier 5 were all recorded in Lu Ming’s experience.
Categorized by color, from lowest to highest, they were: white, blue, purple, orange, and gold.

"Appraise."
The necessary procedures must never be omitted. In many cases, fatal mistakes stem from conventional thinking.

[Tier 4 Supply Box] (Special Item)
Category: Container
Description: Contains one Advanced Mastery Selection Book.
...

Very well, it was still the original item, only upgraded from Primary to Advanced.
Pressing the orange-red button, the box lid retracted and folded.
The core slowly rose, displaying a blue skill book.

[Advanced Mastery Selection Book] (Special Item)
Category: Skill Book
Description: Upon use, you may choose one mastery skill from options such as [Advanced Parenting & Nanny], [Advanced Driving Techniques], [Advanced Tailoring & Sewing], [Advanced Culinary Arts], [Advanced Gardening], [Advanced Blacksmithing], etc.
...

A selection book rather than direct acquisition—another bold idea arose in Lu Ming’s mind.
If a supply box can be sublimated, and the selection book can be sublimated, can the single skill obtained be sublimated once more?
Thought into action, practice brings truth!

"Ultimate Sublimation!"
[Please select...]
"Tier 2!"

[Prompt: Sublimating the "Advanced Mastery Selection Book" requires 2,000 Specialized Crystals. Confirm consuming 2,000 "Specialized Crystals" to sublimate the "Advanced Mastery Selection Book" into a "Master-Level Mastery Skill Selection Book"?]

Master-Level?
Damn it, that sounds pretty intense.
However, the consumption of Specialized Crystals is a bit outrageous.
Advanced mastery belongs to C-grade skills.
With a Tier 2 sublimation, master-level should belong to A-grade skills.
If going from C to A is a concentrated sublimation of a single skill, the cost at most would be 1,000, and 500 is entirely possible normally.

Being this expensive, it is likely because the mastery selection book serves as the parent body for all mastery skills, making its preciousness much higher.
It's a bit pricey. What if after sublimation, the chosen blacksmithing mastery cannot be further sublimated? He would suffer a heavy loss of 1,000 to 1,500 Specialized Crystals.
Is this... not worth it?

After a moment of silence, Lu Ming shook his head inwardly.
Perspective, his perspective was too narrow.
Come to think of it, even if it fails, he would only lose about 1,000 crystals.
Killing 500 sickle-owl larvae or a primary hunting warrior would earn them back.
But once successful, he would obtain a mastery prototype capable of surpassing S-grade in the future.
From a long-term benefit perspective, this isn't just a huge profit—it's of infinite value!

"Confirm!"
Swish!
The blue Advanced Mastery Selection Book decomposed and dissolved.
The purple Master-Level Mastery Selection Book particles were recast.

[Prompt: "Master-Level Mastery Skill Selection Book" detected. Use it immediately?]
"Yes."
[Prompt: Please select the mastery skill to acquire.]

With a rustle, the book dissolved into a single page interface.
Knives, spears, swords, halberds, axes, hooks, forks; footwork, firearms, pharmacology, medical science, mechanical architecture, education, technology, and so on—hundreds of mastery categories were listed in total.
With such capacity, calling it a mastery encyclopedia is by no means an exaggeration.
Unfortunately, this encyclopedia only had a table of contents.
Clicking on each mastery skill, the expanded description only had a single summarized sentence: Acquire this technology upon learning.
This completely cut off any thoughts of reading and analysis.

"Select Blacksmithing Mastery!"
To be honest, his heart fluctuated slightly when he saw medical science and pharmacology.
After all, medical science can save lives, and pharmacology, aside from solving health issues, most likely provides combat support.
Such as restoring stamina, amplifying strength, increasing speed, expanding endurance, stimulating the spirit, extracting poisons, and crafting venoms.
Especially crafting venoms, paired with ranged weapons—in the current situation where the medical system has collapsed and there is no antidote, that is a death warrant; whoever touches it dies!
Alas, Lu Ming is a steadfast, loyal man.
Since he said he would choose blacksmithing mastery, he would definitely choose blacksmithing mastery.
He must absolutely not let the alien materials in his spatial pouch go to waste... ah no, he must absolutely not let his persona collapse.
Other masteries can be learned later; anyway, he wants them all, not a single one can escape.

[Congratulations on acquiring the A-grade skill "Master-Level Blacksmithing Mastery". Learn immediately?]
"No!"
There was still one step left unfinished.
"Ultimate Sublimation!"

[...]
"(￣△￣；) This... No way, right?"
His heart skipped a beat with a crunch, bringing a bad premonition.
Unreconciled, Lu Ming chanted again: "Ultimate Sublimation!"
[Prompt: This item has already undergone sublimation and cannot be continued.]

What the hell!!
He was about to angrily complain! But then he couldn't help but notice Chuxue in his arms.
His anger subsided significantly; he couldn't lose his composure over a thousand-odd Specialized Crystals.
Inhale, exhale, try again.
Very well, perfectly adjusted.

Holding that Master-Level Blacksmithing Mastery book, Lu Ming found the answer through practice.
Designating a selective skill book is equivalent to covering all similar skills; it is a collective body where if one thrives, all thrive.
Using sublimation on a collective body is equivalent to using sublimation on all the individuals it contains.
On the other hand, random skill books seem to have quality ranges as their target of sublimation, with the focus falling on the "range".
Therefore, the skill books obtained randomly after sublimation can still be upgraded in quality once more.

Having sorted out the definition, Lu Ming's displeasure mostly vanished.
Actually, this venture capital had to be made sooner or later. If not this time, it would be the next, and perhaps because of a higher grade, the loss would have been even greater.
Straightening his mindset, Lu Ming proceeded with the learning operation again.

[Prompt: Confirm learning "Master-Level Blacksmithing Mastery"?]
"Confirm."

Just as Lu Ming selected his mastery, in an abandoned building in the outer ring of the Starlight District, Kim Jeong-hyeok, covered in blood and dragging a steel-grade samurai sword, sat on a pile of three or four corpses. He coldly looked down at a South Korean man sprawled on the ground and calmly said: "Seong-hyeon, considering we grew up together and are close friends, I can let you leave last words."

Song Seong-hyeon stared with bloodshot eyes and said in a hoarse voice: "Kim Jeong-hyeok... you will... definitely... meet your... retribution..."
Slash!
Halfway through the word "retribution", that sharp samurai sword pierced directly into the back of his head. The blade twisted, killing him instantly.

"These last words weren't good, I'll pretend you didn't say them. But the power provided by you and this group of compatriots, I will engrave in my heart forever. I promise you, I will carry this gift from my dear compatriots and ascend to the pinnacle of this world! The achievements that the Greater South Korea failed to achieve on the Blue Planet, I, Kim Jeong-hyeok, will achieve right here! Harvest!"
Whoosh!
The corpses all over the ground decomposed and dissipated. Kim Jeong-hyeok's expression finally shifted from cold calmness to excited frenzy!

Staring at the Specialized Crystals inside his spatial pouch, Kim Jeong-hyeok grinned: "Just a thousand more, only a thousand more Specialized Crystals, and I can advance to an Advanced Hunting Warrior! By then, while hunting dream-moth larvae, I'll wait for Cho In-jun from the Pinghu District and my foolish younger brother to return fully loaded, so I can kill them and instantly advance to the Limit Warrior rank!"

"From then on, in this brand-new world, I, Kim Jeong-hyeok, am the king! I, Kim Jeong-hyeok, am the emperor! Awesome! Hahaha! Too awesome! This is the paradise I've always wanted! This is the world worthy of Kim Jeong-hyeok's survival!"
...