Heart of Alloy
By @john1208
In a world protected by elite, System-gifted warriors, Janek Kazimir drew the short straw. His [Lesser Blacksmith] class is a cosmic joke, capable only of mending broken tools, not fighting the chrome-fanged Chimeras that breach the city walls. While his peers earn glory, Janek spends his days cheerfully hammering dents out of practice dummies, an object of pity and ridicule. But when a strange, data-corrupted package arrives containing a shard of unidentifiable alloy, his life changes forever. The system prompt isn't for repair, but for 'Integration.' Experimenting, Janek discovers his true calling: he can't just repair items, he can repair and infinitely upgrade his own body, fusing flesh with steel. He's not a Blacksmith; he's a living forge. As he secretly grows stronger, he clashes with the academy's prodigy, the cold and brilliant Zosia, who sees him as an anomaly to be dissected. When a catastrophic attack cripples the city's defenses, can Janek reveal his impossible power to save everyone, or will his unique existence make him a bigger target than any monster?
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