I reincarnated as one of the Three Stooges in a fantasy world.

Chapter 14

Creation of the Fiery Heart Ring

"I'm going to buy 3 magical recovery stones."

The shopkeeper took them from the shelf and brought them over.

"That'll be 30 silver coins or 3 gold coins."

Enrico took the stones and, with some difficulty, handed over 1 gold coin and 20 silver coins, then left the store.

'I didn't expect Enrico's family to send so little money, so I had to borrow from Serenya.'

[She really seemed eager to help.]

An image of Serenya with her hand over her mouth saying, "Hohoho, your family is trash—let me help you."

Enrico smiled. 'Well, she has changed a lot.'

Then he bought a magic resistance ring from a vendor who seemed like a decent guy and gave him a discount, so he bought it immediately.

He visited a few more shops, purchasing additional items. After that, he headed to the depths of the Astrong Academy laboratory. Amidst flasks, scrolls, and metallic fragments, Enrico prepared for the challenge ahead.

"Alright, let's begin. First up..."

Magical Recovery Stone

A small clear gem with blue filaments inside. When embedded into a magical artifact, it allows the user to slowly recover mana. It's compatible with any affinity, but its true nature changes according to the first user. In Enrico's case, after use, the gem would evolve into a "Fiery Recovery Stone," channeling fire energy specifically.

"Second..."

Magical Resistance Core

Forged from steel scraps, magic, and Obelium stone dust, this core is dense and black, made for weapons facing powerful magic. Once polished and reduced, it becomes the perfect base for a ring with passive magic resistance.

"Third..."

Magical Inlay Tool

Similar to an arcane scalpel, used to channel mana into the traces of an artifact during creation. The blade glows with a faint purple aura and is extremely precise, but any error results in energy loss and process failure.

"And lastly..."

Instant Magic Circle Scroll

An enchanted scroll that, when activated, creates a magical circle designed to automatically fuse with materials at its center. This circle reacts to the creator's mana and becomes unstable if poorly calibrated. It isn't very useful in battle unless prepared for days.

"Everything's ready... now."

Enrico wiped sweat from his forehead, holding the raw silver ring, still dull. Beside it, the recovery stone, resistance core, and magic circle scroll waited. He connected the three with a thread of mana from his fingertip.

One hour later...

He placed the stone at the ring's center, activated the inlay tool and... the magic circle exploded in smoke. The ring cracked. The energy flowed incorrectly.

"Damn... I used too much mana. Second attempt."

Another hour passed.

This time Enrico lowered the intensity, but now the resistance core rejected fusion with the ring. The metal edge trembled, cracked, and fell apart.

"Not again... maybe I added the core too early. Third attempt."

This time he reversed the order—fused the core to the ring first, then applied the magic circle. But the recovery stone crystallized too quickly, and the explosion sent him flying. Enrico screamed on the floor, coughing smoke. Everything was burnt, melted, unrecognizable.

"Shit, shit!"

After an hour of frustration, he was standing again. He gathered the scorched remnants, trying to salvage something from the process.

Combining fragments, he fused again, welding the pieces with moderate fire magic. The energy held... for three seconds. The unstable aura knocked him down, and the ring broke into two halves.

"Why?! Why does it always break?!"

He decided to simplify the design. A narrower magic circle, a slow fusion between the core and silver. The ring lasted longer... but when inserting the recovery stone, it shattered like glass under pressure.

"AAAAAAARGH! DAMN IT!"

[I didn't think it would be this hard.]

"Honestly, this should take days, but I need this urgently for the dungeon."

'And to make it worse, I'm out of money.'

He dropped to his knees, fingers trembling. But as he stared at the ashes... he saw something. A thread of mana floating around the fragments.

"These remnants... still have structure..."

Without thinking, Enrico reacted. He poured some of his fire mana into the air, heating the fragments with controlled heat. Slowly, they started to melt together. The resistance core fused with the ring flawlessly.

When he placed the recovery stone in the center, it glowed—and for the first time, it accepted.

With trembling hands, he activated the magic circle scroll. The design shone above the ring and descended as energy onto the object.

[Congratulations... I guess.]

"You were hoping I'd stay frustrated longer, weren't you?"

[Tsk.]

Enrico kept a poker face and looked at the ring.

[Fiery Heart Ring – Created!]

• Fire Recovery (Level 1): Slowly recovers fire mana with increased efficiency.

• Adds a percentage depending on the Circle for 5 minutes.

• Core Harmonization: The ring adjusts to the user's mana, improving gradually with consistent use.

• Can only be used once per day.

• Only the user can wear it, unless temporarily permitted to another.

Enrico stared at the gem pulsing on his finger. The red glow vibrated in sync with his heartbeat.

"I... did it. I still have a lot to learn... but this is a start."

With a smile, Enrico clenched his fist, feeling the ring's gentle warmth on his skin, finally calming down.

Sure, it's not perfect, but once I get a Nartheis core with a fire attribute from a Ranvil-class, I can improve it. But that'll only be possible in the future.

[How did you come up with that ring? Was it in the original story?]

"No. It came from my own head after gathering information since I got here."

[Tsk... why do you have to be smart.]

Enrico ignored the system and tried to wear the ring but realized—it didn't fit because it was a little too small.

"That damn vendor."

[Hahaha... don't blame him. It was obvious something was off. Haha! You're smart and dumb at the same time.]

"You'll see. That trick won't work on me twice. Next time, I'll be the one doing the tricking."

Enrico gave a devilish grin, planning his revenge.

"Anyway, I can still use it—and I just need to lose a little weight. Thanks to you, that's already happening."

[Hearing you say that gives me regret now.]

Enrico smiled at the system.

---

After that, he trained on the last day and asked Tolen about the fire magic he used in his eyes, deciding he should name it.

That night, Enrico dressed in all black and left a letter in Professor Virelle's room.

After more training, he went to sleep with only six hours left. Four hours later, already prepared, Enrico went to class.

"Hello, students."

Professor Borem entered the room.

"Today, we'll do something different."

The students looked confused.

"We're going into a dungeon for a real combat test."

As the classroom exploded in chatter, Enrico remembered the type of Nartheis they would face—zombie types—or at least, that's what it should be. He didn't know how the difficulty would change.

Walking outside, they saw the students from the upper classes heading in the opposite direction, with Elaris flashing a smile at Enrico.

Kai raised his hand. "What about the lower-ranked classes?"

"Their levels are too low to enter dungeons."

Kai nodded and fastened his sword belt. Behind him, Valença trembled a little. 'I can't let this get to me, calm down.'

"Hmph... this is nothing for a noble like me."

"Right."

"Exactly."

Enrico applauded, encouraging the three, who puffed their chests with pride.

Tolen arrived shortly after with Cris, rank 91, just behind.

"You all seem excited."

Cris waved to Enrico.

Professor Borem raised his voice. "Listen up, class. Inside is a complete battlefield, so don't let your guard down. I'll be giving you watches synced to your mana. If something goes wrong, activate it and I'll step in to eliminate the boss. So stay calm."

"Yes, sir!"

The portal opened. Kai went in first, followed by Serenya, Caelan, Elian, and then Enrico.

'Time for the second arc to begin.'

They all entered, and the portal flickered for a second.

[Zombie Labyrinth Arc – Evolved, Begin.]