Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1278: Weʼve come so far

As the two bickered about who would get the Archwolf, which they had not even bought yet, Seth looked at the eggs with a hint of petty glee. Even if they didnʼt count the pets from the lucky draw, they had witnessed the three highest-grade beasts that were feared and revered for their power.

Yet, not even one of them came close to Sethʼs attribute values. Of course, he knew more than anyone that Attributes may look pretty, but what truly mattered were your stats and multipliers. Although he had managed to raise his attribute to and incredible level, it was just him coping with the fact that he had crappy multipliers.

His classes granted him unique skills, powers and opportunities, but they severely lacked when it came to the multipliers that improved his stats. Seth had worked hard to use the skills granted to him, to make up for this drawback using items.

He was confident he could beat any of these beasts in their fully grown form. Not because he had way higher attributes, but because the results of his unique skills and hard work grinding day and night were mind-crushingly overpowered.

If multipliers were talent, then it filled Seth with petty glee, that he could confidently crush it with the results of his hard work.

“Seth!” Fin turned to him with teary eyes, looking for support.

“The rules of dibs are holy and indubitable,” the blacksmith stated with a chuckle, teasing the fairy brute. Finʼs face turned into a sour, little grimace, as she pulled up her snot.

“Fine, but I get free choice of any of the other three,” she decided to go for the small victory. Or maybe it was the bigger play and she was betting on the fourth egg.

“Alright, then Fin gets free choice on any of the other three. Edgar, how about you show us the fourth option? Judging by the look on your face it only gets better,” Seth turned to the clerk, after giving his verdict. He also wanted to see what Fin may be betting on.

The clerk nodded. He took the wolf egg from the device and placed it back in the box. The last egg was the one that looked like hardened lava. Had Seth seen it around Delta, he would have thought it was just a rugged volcanic rock.
But once the rock was placed on the device and the magic crystal placed in the groove, the device sprang to life. Unlike before, the screen grew in width and height to accommodate the picture of the beast it tried to display.

“Is it a hippo? No, a buffalo?” Seth thought to himself, as he couldn’t make out what it resembled, despite looking kind of familiar. Maybe it was best to call it a mix of a buffalo and a hippopotamus. It had the body of the latter, but more muscular and defined with a gray skin that gave off a metallic sheen

Its head resembled that of a water buffalo with huge, crescent horns reaching to the sky like black scimitars. Although the head looked like a buffalo’s, the head-body-ratio was that of a hippo. Judging by the size of the screen, the Mountain King from earlier would barely reach its belly.

The blacksmith didn’t quite know what to think of the beast, but his jaw dropped when he actually read its status.

Highest-grade, Epic+ Knight

Durability: 5 350 000

Mana: 12300

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Strength:505

Dexterity:10

Agility: 50

Intelligence:202

Willpower:443

Endurance:662

Luck:83

Phys. Defense: 45 000

Mag. Defense: 25 000

Ability: Minor Gravity Control, Telekinesis

Trait: Minor Earthly Body, Glutton

Skills: Subspace Stomach, Earthquake, Aura of the Ruler, Shield of the Ruler, Earth Magic, Telepathy, Tectonic Charge

Behemothlings are distant descendants of the mythical Behemoth, living in herds of two or three members. They feed on all plant matter, leaving only barren land in their wake. They are known to migrate between worlds, when food becomes scarce.

Their disposition is benign, they can communicate and be reasoned with. >

“ A Behemoth…ling?” Seth couldn’t help but wonder out loud. Seth had heard stories about the mythical beast and ruler of the land during his journey with Fin, but this was his first time seeing anything that actually confirmed its existence.

“Whoah, I will take that one!” Fin immediately called out, her eyes beaming like search lights. The tiny fairy laid claim to the gargantuan beast available.

“Wha-Wait a minute-“ Mina tried to say something but Fin hushed her, putting her finger on her lips.

“You called dibs on the wolf; I take the big hippo!” the brute said, chuckling in joy.

“Hmm, what is the catch?” the blacksmith asked the clerk. The Behemothling was to good to not have been sold. Even if the price was high, this was a beast technically halfway to legendary status with above epic stats. If there was no catch, why would anyone even sell it?

“There is indeed a little caveat I am forced to inform you about in the spirit of fair business. Although it is not unusual for high and highest-grade beasts to need special resources and care to grow, the Behemothling is special in its own way.

It’s not about the rarity or cost of the resources needed, but the sheer quantity. A Behemothling is a strict herbivore, they don’t care what they eat as long as it is plant matter. You have read the description, correct?

Even a young Behemothling can turn a whole stretch of land barren before adulthood. Whole forests will be gone in days. Adults can lay waste to whole countries, A herd can raze a world and leave it covered in shit.

Nobody has the kind of money or resources to maintain this beast,” Edgar explained the problem the behemoth posed. Whoever hatched it had to feed it ungodly amounts of food. Even someone owning huge lands, would see their property quickly turned into a wasteland.

“That wonʼt be a problem. None. At. All.”

The moment the blacksmith heard about this drawback, he knew that the time for his revenge had come. Maybe it was wrong to call it revenge, it was weird to get back on a forest, but he had a complicated past with it. The embers of petty resentment had never cooled.

For some reason the others were looking at him weirdly. Did he smile awkwardly? He signaled to Mina and Fin to get closer so Edgar couldnʼt hear him. After all, not everything about the No Manʼs Land outside of Minas Mar was public knowledge.

“We will just have it graze on the southern forests. Those weeds will grow back anyway. Maybe even faster than it can eat them. It might actually be a great help to Alisonʼs team down there,” Seth shared his idea. The two made faces as if they just solved a riddle, but he didnʼt think his idea was that much of a revelation.

After sharing his plan, they turned back to Edgar. The clerk had already placed the Behemothling egg back in the box. It was time for the man to come clean and tell them the prize. Seth was ready to hear some horrendous numbers.

Although they took a lot of initial investment and care, once fully grown these beasts were theoretically just a step or two below a legendary item, which could not be bought even if one had the money. The blacksmith had over 7000 gold on his person and was ready to pay a pretty penny to make the girls happy.

“Fine then, if you insist,” Edgar said as if he was calling a bluff. “ The Lower Roc is 375 Gold, the Mountain King is 500 Gold, the Archwolf and the Behemothling are 1000 Gold each,” the clerk named their prices one by one. Seth stared at him. Fin and Mina were also frozen.

“Well, I knew this would happen, but you at least deserved a look after your big purchase,” Edgar said. Feeling confirmed in his beliefs, he closed the box and tried to return it to the room in the back.

“Hey, where are you going with my purchase?!” the bard exclaimed befuddled, seeing the Clerk run off with his articles. “I was just stunned that it was cheaper than expected.” Edgar stopped in his tracks, slowly turning around.

“Are you serious?” he asked flabbergasted.

“We already came this far, I just have one question. If I pay it all in cash right now, do you think you could add a second exemplar of every beast we drew at the gacha on top at a discount?” Mr.Moneybags asked to see if he could get some freebies.