Chapter 3 – The First Forge
Aiden didn't sleep.
The crimson horizon never changed—no sunrise, no night. The world beyond the spires seemed frozen between dusk and ruin. But his body was screaming. Every cut throbbed, every breath burned. He forced himself to stay awake. Monsters didn't rest, so neither could he.
The glowing sigil where the Basic Drop Forge had appeared was still faintly warm under his palm. He knelt beside it, curious.
[Drop Forge: Inactive.][Requirements: 1 Drop Material + 1 Energy Source.]
"Energy source…" he muttered, looking around. The battlefield was littered with the faint ashes of the Shades he'd killed. They shimmered weakly before fading. He didn't have mana crystals like trained Hunters.
But he had Shadow Dust.
He poured a small pile onto the center of the sigil. The moment it touched, the lines glowed brighter.
[Input Accepted.][Processing…][Forge Active.]
A deep hum filled the air. It wasn't mechanical; it was alive, like the heartbeat of something ancient. The dust swirled, melting into threads of blue light that rose around him.
[Available Recipes:]
Crude Weapon Core (Common)
Reinforced Cloth (Common)
Shadow Spark (Uncommon – Requires additional component.)
"Let's try the weapon core," he whispered.
The threads twisted, forming a crude sphere before hardening into a rough metallic shard.
[Crude Weapon Core Created.][Can be attached to physical weapons to add +1 Strength.]
Aiden held it in his palm. It was small, about the size of a coin, but it radiated faint warmth. He stared at the broken spear beside him—the shaft splintered, the head dull and chipped.
He pressed the core against it.
[Combine? Y/N]
He selected yes. The shard melted into the spear, fusing seamlessly. The cracks sealed, and the weapon gleamed faintly.
[Mist-Touched Spear – Reinforced][Attack +5 | Durability: 40/40]
A slow smile crept across his face. For the first time since he'd fallen into this place, something worked in his favor.
He checked his status again.
[Level: 4 | EXP: 25/400][Strength: 4][Agility: 7][Endurance: 3][Perception: 5][Intelligence: 4][Luck: ?][Unique Skill: Drop Maker (Lv.1)][Title: None][Evolution Path: Locked]
Barely an improvement—but the difference in battle could mean life or death.
He turned toward the horizon again. The spires hummed faintly, and beyond them, he could see faint trails of mana leading away—thin rivers of blue light winding toward something distant.
"Maybe a Gate," he said.
The Forge dimmed, its glow fading back into the stone. He knew he'd need more Shadow Dust to use it again. That meant more fighting.
He took a deep breath, grabbed his spear, and started walking.
Hours—or maybe days—passed. There was no sense of time in this realm. Every direction looked the same: cracked ground, black stone, and endless fog.
He killed whenever he had to.
Each Shade was stronger now—faster, tougher. Their claws left deeper wounds, their shrieks more disorienting. But Aiden was learning. He no longer fought blindly; every movement was measured. Every strike, aimed for the head or heart.
He died in his mind a dozen times before each fight ended. But he lived.
And each victory left something behind.
[EXP +50.][Level Up!][Level: 5.][Stat Points +3.]
He placed them all into Strength this time. His arms no longer shook when he swung the spear.
When he reached the edge of the spire field, he found something strange—a boundary of swirling mist that flickered like static. The air inside it shimmered blue.
[Gate Detected: Minor Rift (Level 5–10).][Enter? Y/N]
He hesitated. He wasn't ready. Not really. But he didn't have a choice. Staying meant starving. The Forge required resources, and this dead land had little left to give.
He stepped in.
The world blinked.
When he opened his eyes, he stood in a vast ruin. Broken pillars reached toward the sky, and silver light filtered through cracks above. The mana density here was suffocating.
[Entering Instance: Forgotten Training Ground.]
He moved slowly. The silence here was worse than the howling outside. He could hear only his breathing and the faint hum of energy.
Then the ground shifted.
A humanoid shape crawled from the debris—armor fused into its body, eyes burning red.
[Monster Identified: Fallen Trainee (Lv.6).]
It charged immediately.
Aiden ducked under the first swing, slashing with his spear. Sparks flew as metal scraped against bone. The creature didn't even flinch. Its second attack came faster, its rusted sword carving a line across Aiden's shoulder.
He gritted his teeth and lunged. The spear pierced its chest. It staggered, and he ripped the weapon free, stabbing again.
When it fell, he collapsed beside it, chest heaving.
[Kill Confirmed.][EXP +80.][New Drop Available.]
He reached out. Three orbs appeared.
Rusted Sword (Common)
Trainee's Armor Fragment (Uncommon)
Memory Shard (Rare – Locked)
He selected the armor fragment. It dissolved into light, wrapping around his body.
[Partial Armor Acquired – Defense +2.]
It wasn't much, but the faint metallic shimmer covering his chest felt like security.
He stood up again, forcing his tired legs to move. The ruins stretched endlessly. Every few steps, another monster rose.
He fought.
He fell.
He fought again.
The spear broke twice, and he reforged it using the Forge, patching it with drops and dust. He crafted small items—bits of armor, crude charms, improvised bandages made from enchanted cloth.
Slowly, the Drop Maker started to respond faster.
[Skill Progress +12%.][Passive Feature Unlocked: Drop Memory.][You can now store one previous loot configuration for future use.]
He didn't fully understand it, but he sensed potential. If he could record drops, maybe he could create combinations later.
He tried immediately—saving the formula for Shadow Dust + Weapon Core. The system accepted it.
[Configuration Saved.]
It was a small victory, but it made him grin despite the blood drying on his hands.
After hours of fighting, his EXP bar filled again.
[Level Up.][Level: 6.][Stat Points +3.]
He added one to Endurance, one to Agility, one to Strength. Balanced. His movements felt smoother now—stronger.
But as he pushed deeper into the ruins, he noticed something strange. The walls began to pulse faintly, like veins. The air thickened.
At the center of the structure stood a massive gate of bone and steel. Symbols burned across its surface.
[Boss Room Detected.][Warning: Leaving instance now will erase all unclaimed drops.]
He swallowed hard. He had no potions, no backup, no safety net. But if he could kill whatever waited inside, he might gain enough to evolve the Drop Maker.
He pushed the gate open.
Inside stood a figure of pure darkness. It wasn't human, though it had a human shape. Dozens of eyes blinked across its body, each glowing blue.
[Guardian of the First Gate – Lv.10.]
The moment Aiden stepped in, the doors slammed shut behind him.
The Guardian moved without sound. A single strike from its arm shattered a nearby pillar. Aiden barely rolled aside. The shockwave threw him off balance.
His spear flew from his hand.
He scrambled to his feet, dodging again. Every hit could kill him.
He forced his mind calm. Panic wouldn't save him.
He waited.
When the Guardian's next swing came, he ducked low, kicked off the ground, and drove the spear upward through its abdomen.
The creature howled. Blue fire spilled from the wound.
[Critical Hit!]
He didn't stop. He tore the weapon free and struck again, again, again, until his arms felt like they'd rip apart. The Guardian collapsed, its body breaking into shards of light.
He dropped to his knees.
[Boss Defeated.][EXP +600.][Level Up x2.][Level: 8.][Special Drop Available.][Evolution Trigger Detected.]
He blinked at the messages, half in disbelief. The air vibrated. The shards of the Guardian floated toward him, merging into a single sphere.
[Choose Reward:]
Guardian Core (Epic – Locked)
Shadow Mantle (Rare)
Unknown Data Fragment (???)
He didn't hesitate this time.
[Unknown Data Fragment Selected.]
Light flooded his vision.
[Drop Maker Skill Evolving…][New Feature Unlocked: Drop Fusion.][You can now merge compatible drops to create higher-grade materials.]
Aiden fell back, gasping. His body trembled. The rush of energy left him dizzy.
He opened the system window, staring at the new description:
[Drop Maker (Lv.2)]
Allows generation of loot from defeated entities.
Can record and fuse drops.
Drop rarity influenced by performance and Luck stat.
Current Evolution Path: Stable.
He exhaled slowly, letting the noise of the dying ruin fade around him.
For the first time since his Awakening, he wasn't just surviving. He was building something.
He looked at his reflection in the fractured spear blade. Blood, dirt, and exhaustion painted his face, but his eyes burned steady.
He'd been thrown into hell with nothing. No class, no backing, no guide. But he had something better now—his own path.
And he would keep climbing, no matter how long it took.
Because somewhere out there, the others were leveling in safety—believing he was gone.
They'd see him again.
When the worlds collided, they'd see what he'd become.
The Drop Maker.