Endless Extraction in a Game-Like World

Chapter 104: Player 555 Breaks the Global Market! The Origin Light Longsword (Mythical, 2-Star)

Of course, after reaching the Bronze rank, Caelus did not stop there.

It was finally time to forge a mythical weapon for himself.

But before he started, a specific thought crossed his mind. "Will Origin Shards have any effect on the forging process?" Caelus was genuinely curious. It had assisted his class skill evolution immensely, but what would happen if he integrated it into the very foundation of a weapon?

"I will use two. One for a longsword and one for a dagger." Caelus had recently developed a liking for the versatility of the longsword.

However, before he committed the shards, he needed to ensure he could consistently hit the Mythical threshold. While Caelus remained deep in the rhythmic trance of the forge, the internet was spiraling into absolute chaos. A new thread had been pinned to the top of the Origin Network’s global forum.

[Forum: Player 555 is flooding the market. Gear is 500 Credits cheaper than the top guilds and every piece has specialized effects.]

[NoobSlayer27: What the hell?]

[LoreKeeper: Player 555? Isn’t that the guy who soloed the world boss and broke the Space League records?]

[MarketShark: Yes, and he isn’t stopping. He is systematically undercutting every major guild and organization that controls the market.]

[Guild_Scribe: Honestly, I don’t see how he can keep this up. The top guilds have dozens of dedicated blacksmiths working in shifts inside specialized production towns. The Origin Network gives those smiths quests to keep their levels up. One guy can’t compete with a guild factory.]

[Cheapskate007: I don’t care about the politics. 500 credits less for Legendary gear? That’s a steal. I just bought three.]

[BrokeGamer: Sigh. We live in a world where a good sword costs more than a luxury villa.]

[CapitalismWins: Isn’t that how it should be? Lol.]

[AuctionWatcher: Guys, look at the market again. Player 555 just listed a massive batch of Iron III weapons.]

[Guild_Scribe: Iron III? How is his profession rank already that high? And how is he making them so fast?]

[IronBender: An experienced smith takes at least an hour for a single quality piece. What is this speed?]

[LogicBrain: Maybe he’s been hoarding them for weeks and is just dumping his inventory because he’s bored? Think, people.]

[BasicBro: Yeah, that has to be it. There’s no way he’s crafting them in real-time at this rate.]

[TinFoilHat: Unless he knows some kind of hack, it’s physically impossible.]

[Antique_Tom: Everyone, shut up. You’re all wrong. I’m in Fortis City and I just bought one of his Iron III bows. I have the Antique Collector class with the History Appraisal skill. It literally tells you the timeline of an object. It says this bow was forged exactly 45 minutes ago.]

[NoobSlayer27: What???]

[LogicBrain: ....]

The forum went ghost-quiet for a heartbeat. Then, the comment was reposted over 10,000 times in the span of five seconds. The community couldn’t reconcile the data. Created 45 minutes ago? That meant he wasn’t clearing inventory. He was a one-man assembly line.

[TinFoilHat: This is absurd. Is Player 555 really a hacker? How is he bypassing the cooldowns?]

[IronBender: A master takes an hour. An apprentice takes three. This guy is pumping them out like a printing press.]

[BasicBro: A weapon factory? Can you imagine?]

[LoreKeeper: That reminds me. Isn’t there a legendary Blacksmith talent that allows mass production? You can manifest an illusory factory to forge for you.]

[HistoryBuff: There was, but the owner died during the Great Siege. He was the head of the Silver Blacksmith Guild in the Central Plains.]

[Silver_Rep_Gareth: I am the current representative of the Silver Blacksmith Guild. Player 555, if you are reading this, please contact us immediately.]

[TrollMaster: Wrong place to post a job recruitment, buddy.]

[Silver_Rep_Gareth: Then where? Does anyone have his handle?]

[MarketShark: No one has his info except his server mates. Ask them.]

[AuctionWatcher: GUYS! Player 555 just listed a Legendary Bronze I weapon!]

[NoobSlayer27: WTF?!]

[Cheapskate007: NO WAY!]

[LoreKeeper: Someone in Fortis City, buy it now! Use the History Appraisal again!]

[Antique_Tom: I can’t! The price is 25,000 Origin Credits for the longsword. I’m broke.]

[Silver_Rep_Gareth: This is the Silver Blacksmith Guild representative. Check your DMs. I am transferring the 25,000 credits now. Buy it and report back.]

[Antique_Tom: Holy... Okay! Doing it now!]

A few minutes later, the thread hit 10 million views. The ability to forge high-tier gear at this velocity was a strategic threat to the world’s economy. Most top guilds only produced two Legendaries a day and maybe one Mythical a week. Player 555 was treating them like common drops.

[Antique_Tom: Everyone, I have the results. I bought the Bronze I sword and appraised it. It was created exactly 25 minutes ago.]

[IronBender: ....]

[Guild_Scribe: This guy isn’t human.]

[Silver_Rep_Gareth: Silver Blacksmith Guild here. We are officially offering Player 555 a blank check to join our ranks. Name your price.]

---

In a luxury villa within Fortis City, a man sat on a velvet throne with a look of pure venom on his face.

"I need a new Mythical weapon. The last one shattered because of that damned Player 555," Sebastian Harvick hissed, his fingers digging into the armrest. He had already dispatched his Royal Guards to hunt for any lead on this man.

He opened the market to browse the new listings. "Hm? Am I seeing this right? This many Mythicals?"

Sebastian was stunned.

He saw several Magic Staffs at the Iron III level, all of Mythical quality.

"What the hell? It’s cheaper than the standard rate." Sebastian hit the purchase button without a second thought.

However, the instant the transaction cleared, he saw the seller’s tag at the bottom of the receipt. It read: Forged by Player 555 (Region Cluster A1 (ID: 10304)).

Sebastian’s face contorted, turning a dark, bruised shade of purple. The ID matched the very region he had tried to conquer.

"It’s that bastard." Sebastian roared, immediately canceling the order out of sheer spite, losing his processing fee in the process.

"So, he’s a master blacksmith. Good. Very good, Player 555. It’s a pity you ever crossed my path. I am going to make your life a living hell in the domain today."

Thanks to a Mythical Cooldown Reduction Card he had obtained from his family’s treasury, his death penalty had been bypassed. He was ready to enter the domain again. He planned on crushing Caelus before the sun went down.

---

Back in Caelus’s mansion, the rhythmic, thunderous sound of the hammer continued. Drones buzzed in and out of the forge, delivering ores and whisking away finished products. Caelus was locked in. He hadn’t hit a Mythical yet, but he could feel the resonance of the rainbow lights changing.

[Ding!]

[System: You have successfully forged a Battleaxe (Legendary, 2-Star).]

[System: The Domain is assigning it a True Name.]

[System: Name assigned. You have created the Crimson Behemoth Battleaxe (Legendary, 2-Star) (Bronze I).]

[System: You have received +500 Blacksmith EXP.]

[System: You have successfully forged a Recurve Bow (Legendary, 2-Star).]

[System: Name assigned. You have created the Whispering Gale Recurve Bow (Legendary, 2-Star) (Bronze I).]

[System: You have received +500 Blacksmith EXP.]

[System: You have successfully forged a Katana (Legendary, 2-Star).]

[System: Name assigned. You have created the Void Lotus Katana (Legendary, 2-Star) (Bronze I).]

[System: You have received +500 Blacksmith EXP.]

Then, the hammer struck a node of light so bright it blinded him for a second.

[System: You have successfully forged a Halberd (Mythical, 2-Star).]

[System: Name assigned. You have created the Celestial Dragon Halberd (Mythical, 2-Star) (Bronze I).]

[System: You have received +2500 Blacksmith EXP.]

[Blacksmith Rank: Tier 2: Bronze I (20,500/25,000 EXP)]

"Finally, Mythicals." Caelus wiped the sweat from his eyes, a sharp grin on his face.

He decided it was time. He pulled out an unrefined ingot of Bronze I ore and placed a glowing Origin Shard directly on top of it. He began to hammer, but this time, he didn’t just use his physical strength. He channeled the Hollow Inferno through his arms, the black flames licking the metal.

[System: You have successfully forged a Longsword (Mythical, 2-Star).]

[System: The Domain is assigning it a True Name.]

[System: You have received +2500 Blacksmith EXP.]

[Ding! Successful.]

The weapon underwent a violent transformation. It turned fully transparent.

[Item: Origin Light Longsword (Mythical, 2-Star) (Bronze I)]

[Effect: Massively increases Combat Score and Magic Penetration. Possesses a passive Mana Burn effect, destroying a portion of the target’s mana pool with each strike. Additionally, the status effect ’Regression’ is inflicted upon landing three consecutive hits. The opponent’s body will temporarily forget its own strength, instantly stripping away all active defensive buffs and sealing their highest-tier skill for 10 seconds. Using Axiom energy will amplify the power of this weapon by +3.]

"An Axiom energy buff?" Caelus was thrilled. In its dormant state, the Origin Light Longsword looked like a simple blade carved from glass. It had no ornate designs or engravings.

Caelus let his Chaos Axiom energy surge into the hilt.

Whrmm!

The energy flooded the "glass" and the blade instantly reacted. It took on a mesmerizing golden-black hue. An exquisite handle formed, featuring a draconic symbol on the crossguard. The long blade turned a deep obsidian with a shimmering golden sheen along the edge.

[Combat Score: 47.34 -> 62.34]

His power surged violently. The weapon provided a massive 15-point increment: 12 from the base Mythical stats and an additional 3 from the Axiom resonance.

Just then, two major notifications flashed across his retina.

[Day One of Dungeon Master Simulation complete. Results are available.]

[Origin Domain has been opened.]

---

A/N: Caelus’s Status Window is available in Auxiliary section now. Will update it with new talents/skills/traits/combat score/level/Origin Credits gained and if you find anything wrong, don’t forget to tell me.