Blacksmith of Magic Swords
Kuruso, the city of Dwarven craftsmen, had become famous because of Weed and was being visited by many players. They were impressed when they saw Kendellev’s restored water sculptures and went around looking at the cool weapons and armor.
“Hah, I could buy it if I had a little more money… Mister Dwarf, can’t you cut the price down a little?”
“Not even one copper.”
Haggling players and Dwarves could easily be found. The goods sold by the Dwarves in Kuruso were extremely expensive, even for accessories. People couldn’t easily decide to buy. For Merchants, accessories were more valuable trade goods than jewels or gold. They could be sold in any village, and they were good since one could receive a higher price by treating the residents well.
There were Dwarves who liked that Kuruso had become a bustling village, but some Dwarves didn’t leave the smithy and were engrossed in their craft.
“Hmmm.”
Fabio sharpened the completed sword on the grindstone.
Raasp raasp
The sword has been sharpened to a keen edge.
Sword Grinding skill activated!
Damage has increased by 41%
The Sword Grinding skill!
It wasn’t a skill only Weed could use, but a technique that could be grasped by any Intermediate Blacksmith. Of course, since Fabio had never learned Tailoring, he didn’t know techniques such as Ironing and Hand Washing.
“It has become quite sharply honed.”
Fabio turned the sword back and forth, trying to find flaws. The blade was slick enough to perfectly reflect the bearded Dwarf’s face!
The most famous player on the Versailles Continent among Blacksmiths was Fabio. His specialty was perceived as armor and shield production, but he was concealing the fact that he actually made swords.
Whenever one of his swords occasionally went out into the world, they created a sensation. They were to the point where people engaged in searches to find the Blacksmith who made the sword.
Weaponry of an entirely different level from the works of ordinary Blacksmiths!
It was normal to acquire weapons through hunting once you reached a certain high level, but the swords made with Fabio’s devotion were enough to incite wars between countless players. Having an excellent blade changed the hunting speed. The obsession for weapons and armor in Royal Road was fearsome.
Fabio made swords and occasionally released them into the world for fun, but he thoroughly hid the fact that they were of his make. He moved so secretly that he could be mistaken for a Blacksmith in retirement.
“The Sword Grinding skill is really quite good.”
Fabio set down the sword, satisfied.
It was only temporary, but the skill raised damage. At Advanced Blacksmithing 8 and Advanced Sword Grinding 6, he could even bring up a sword’s damage by a maximum of 85%. However, the side effects were severe.
“If the sharpness is raised excessively, the sword’s durability falls quickly and it goes bad easily.”
Used conservatively, there was no problem with 40% damage or so.
“A finished sword is truly beautiful.”
Previously an ordinary salary-man in real life, as soon as Royal Road appeared, he had been immediately captivated. There were many professions, but the one that had moved him was Blacksmithing.
One could say that, in the very beginning, Royal Road was chaos. The majority of the players didn’t even know how to fight Rabbits well. The appearance of a single Orc would send them fleeing all the way to the village gates, and instances where scores of players died together were not uncommon.
It was a time when one ordinary longsword brought enormous envy and jealousy.
Fabio decided to choose the Blacksmith.
“It was a good choice.”
He couldn’t leap into the fray of battle, but he didn’t regret his choice. He improved his Blacksmithing skill through concentration after making a decision faster than others.
After becoming the most outstanding Blacksmith in the Dwarven village, there was no end to his work opportunities. As his name spread to the city, customers sought him from afar to entrust work to him.
There was always more demand than supply in the field of Blacksmithing. For the best Blacksmith, there was nothing more to be said. He accumulated money while taking enormous service fees, which he then reinvested into acquiring ores to make armor.
A profession that handled and hammered red-hot iron in front of a blazing furnace! Though it was lonely work, he endured and continued to forge.
With the best materials as a basis, he made contracts with upper tier players and supplied armor to them. As he made appearances on television, his supporters increased enormously. He was an idol figure for beginner Blacksmiths.
It wasn’t publicly known, but Fabio was the true leader of the guild called “Iron Road.” He managed his guild while making them equipment. With more friends than enemies, he even wielded both tangible and intangible influence. Among players of the Dwarven race, there weren’t many who could refuse a single word of his.
“Still, the worth of a Blacksmith is in making good weapons.”
CLANG!
Fabio roughly tossed the sword he had just crafted aside. Swords were piled up like mountains around him.
“This time, again, the sword fell short of my expectations. The ultimate sword that can cut through anything, no matter what it is. I must make a sword befitting of being called the best in the Versailles Continent.”
A Blacksmith’s hidden skill set!
While walking the path of a Blacksmith, Fabio had learned unique techniques.
Mineral Smelting Advanced 3 (25%): A technique where ores made of various materials can be completely refined without impurities for use.
Can be called a technique that forms the basis of a Blacksmith. Must understand the will of fire, air, and metal.
Among Blacksmith’s hidden skills, Mineral Smelting was the very first one he acquired. It was a technique Fabio had learned when he changed his profession to Ironblood Blacksmith.
“Aahh, it makes me shudder even now to think about that process of changing profession.”
In order to change professions as a Blacksmith, he had suffered to death in the smithy. Though he could have gone to the Blacksmith Guild like other players did and made a few weapons or armor to change professions, he did not do so.
Wanting to see it with his own eyes and hammer with his own hands before changing profession, he spent more than a month of his precious time doing chores in the smithy during the initial stages of Royal Road.
The profession changing quest he came to obtain through gruesome process!
“I’ll never be able to forget the ‘Joys, Sorrows, and Tears of a Blacksmith’ quest for the rest of my life.”
In order to change his profession, he had to busily run between several villages with his short and stubby Dwarven legs to successfully complete requests. Then, he had to be formally employed by the smithy to receive the quests at last.
A Blacksmith could fulfil quests not only in the guild, but also in the smithy. He tried making not just one type, but many different kinds of equipment. He accumulated Fame as he completed quests as they came in and also made money. Through such quests, he acquired the Equipment Enhancement skill.
Equipment Enhancement Advanced 1 (16%): The potential of equipment can be drawn out in the hands of a Blacksmith.
Through countless failures, equipment can be modified.
The skill that made Fabio famous!
He learned this skill around the time when he reached Intermediate Blacksmithing.
There was a saying: “Never show all your cards.” If one were to recklessly publicize their full skill on the Versailles Continent, where there were never-ending wars for supremacy, they could easily get dragged into a dispute or lose their life.
Fabio intentionally hid the fact that he could also strengthen swords in addition to armors through Equipment Enhancement. If he had also strengthened swords, he could have made money by the buckets at the time. He made more money in one day than he previously did in one month through armor enhancement alone. Even considering the fact that, besides Merchants, Blacksmiths enjoyed the most lucrative profession, it was an enormous profit.
However, if it was known that Blacksmiths had abilities to that extent, more people would choose to be Blacksmiths.
“My competitors would increase, and they would never let me be.”
Fabio only enhanced armor to a sufficient level. After all, what he wanted was not money, but reaching the peak in his Blacksmithing skills and making the best weapons and armor.
After making money with the Equipment Enhancement skill, he was able to use minerals without limit. He went as far as to purchase the Thor Kingdom’s mithril, iron, and silver ores in bulk.
His Blacksmithing skill reached Advanced.
And a hidden Blacksmithing skill he acquired through quests and his connections!