Translator: CinderTL
In the Golden Valley Kingdom, vast forests and winding river valleys dominate the landscape. This unique terrain has fostered a distinctive preference for weaponry among the locals.
Short-bladed weapons like daggers and short swords are highly favored, gradually shaping a unique equipment culture.
Here, these weapons have transcended mere self-defense tools, becoming both artistic expressions of personal taste and symbols of social status.
The upper class adorns their sword hilts with precious animal hides and meticulously embellishes them with rare bird feathers.
Even commoners etch auspicious wave patterns onto their hilts.
But the dense, intricate striped decoration on this particular dagger was something Roland had never seen before.
Though he sensed something unusual, Roland couldn't decipher the meaning of the lines. He shook his head, tossed charcoal into the furnace, and began vigorously pumping the bellows.
After a series of clanging hammer blows, Roland examined the dagger's cylindrical midsection, now covered in fine cracks. His brow furrowed deeper.
"This thing is proving far more difficult to forge than I anticipated."
"Kid."
Hawk, who had been observing from the side, approached.
He paid no heed to the residual heat on the rough ingot, picking it up directly to examine it closely.
After a moment, the experienced blacksmith spoke slowly.
"This technique... even I would need some effort to forge it. At your current skill level, it's best not to waste your energy."
"Perhaps after several more years of dedicated practice, you might succeed."
As he spoke, the lunch bell rang, right on cue.
Hearing the bell, Hawk waved his hand and turned to leave. The other blacksmith apprentices in the shop also put down their tools and departed.
Only Roland remained behind.
He first meticulously examined every mistake he had made during the forging process. Then, he retrieved a fresh metal ingot.
Bellows pumping, ore smelting, forging into shape...
With the aid of the [Standardized Production] buff, this time the process went slightly smoother than before.
However, during the third smelting of the rough ingot, the familiar cracks once again crawled across the metal's surface.
"Failed again..."
Roland shook his head in resignation, then rubbed the half-finished product in his hand, lost in thought.
"The ordinary tools I forged before usually took only one or two rounds of ore smelting to complete their shaping, but this dagger..."
Thinking of the unique structure in the middle, Roland couldn't help but sigh softly.
"It requires a dozen or more rounds of ore smelting. Each time, the difficulty of controlling the heat and timing increases exponentially. Even with [Focus] activated, the effect is minimal."
"Even with the aid of [Standardized Production], I'll probably need to attempt it a dozen times before I can forge it successfully. But the problem is..."
After three attempts, I'll have to pay for the ore myself!
Roland weighed the remaining five silver coins in his pouch, his brow furrowed.
Unless absolutely necessary, he was reluctant to spend his precious coins on this.
After all, he had no income at the moment, yet many future expenses loomed.
Not to mention the medicinal herbs needed to practice the Mithril Body Tempering Technique.
Even after his last purchase at the herb shop, the remaining materials were only enough to brew two more doses of the secret medicine.
If the Mithril Body Tempering Technique's maximum level was three, he would need to venture out again and spend more coins to buy more herbs.
Thinking of this, Roland rubbed his temples and gently placed the unfinished dagger back on the workbench.
"Let me think about it some more."
"Anyway, we still have over two months until Bronson's deadline. If all else fails, we can force it through with standardized production."
With that thought, Roland put away his tools and headed straight for the mess hall.
After lunch, he spent the afternoon preparing for his blacksmith class change. Under the guise of honing his skills, he forged several finished tools. The rest of the time, he buried himself in blueprints, meticulously scrutinizing every forging detail.
The apprentice blacksmiths in the shop, seeing his lack of focus, grew increasingly contemptuous. They whispered and snickered among themselves, their disdain evident in their eyes.
Time flowed like water, and five days passed in a flash.
In his dormitory, Roland held his iron sword, practicing the Lion Swordsmanship form by form.
The blade sliced through the air, and the sharp killing intent filled the cramped space. The stiffness of his early practice was long gone.
You successfully completed a Lion Swordsmanship training session, gaining 2 experience points.
Sheathing his sword, Roland exhaled deeply and summoned his Job Panel. His gaze fell on the experience bar behind Lion Swordsmanship.
"Even with the Combat Readiness trait doubling my experience gain..." he mused, rubbing the hilt of his sword.
"But compared to the forty-plus experience points I gained from killing a dozen kobolds last time, this progress feels rather slow."
"It seems that under the influence of the Theory and Practice buff, practical combat is a more efficient way to gain experience than training. Besides..."
Recalling the strange sensations he'd experienced during his recent sword practice, Roland tapped his fingers lightly against his sword hilt, lost in thought.
"Ever since I began practicing the Mithril Body Tempering Technique, my body seems to have become much more coordinated. Sword techniques that used to require considerable effort now flow as naturally as clouds and water."
"It seems the Mithril Body Tempering Technique's benefits extend beyond just increasing my strength stat."
Roland stretched his wrist.
"It also enhances muscle control and body flexibility—subtle, yet significant improvements."
With this thought, he turned toward a wooden table in the corner of the room.
Neatly arranged on the table was a finely ground, grayish-black powder that shimmered with a metallic sheen in the candlelight.
Having learned from his previous experience, Roland skillfully mixed Silver Dust into the powder.
After waiting a moment, until the grayish-black powder had transformed back into a viscous silver liquid, Roland took a deep breath, steeling his resolve.
Clenching his teeth, Roland smeared the viscous silver liquid over his entire body.
Intense pain surged through him once more, but because he had already practiced the Mithril Body Tempering Technique once, the agony was far less severe than the first time.
[You have successfully practiced the Mithril Body Tempering Technique once. Gained 1 experience point.]
[You have successfully practiced the Mithril Body Tempering Technique.]
[You have successfully practiced...]
As golden text flashed before his eyes, the viscous silver liquid gradually lost its luster, transforming back into gray-black powder that settled on the ground.
"Huu..."
After exhaling deeply, Roland opened his Job Panel.
[Name: Roland]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 16]
[Classes: Blacksmith Apprentice, Recruit, Adept]
[Strength: 4.5]
[Agility: 2.5]
[Spirit: 1.8]
[Skills: Lv.MAX Ore Smelting, Lv.MAX Bellows Pumping, Lv.MAX Forging, Lv.MAX Basic Swordsmanship, Lv.2 General Knowledge (179/200), Lv.2 Lion Swordsmanship (19/200), Lv.1 Mithril Body Tempering Technique (67/100)]
[Traits: Humble Apprentice, Combat Readiness, Focus]
[Additional Bonuses: Hundred-Refined Steel, Theory and Practice, Standardized Production]
"Strength only increased by 0.6?" Roland frowned slightly. "It seems the Mithril Body Tempering Technique's effectiveness diminishes with repeated use. But..."
He glanced at the other two attributes, raising an eyebrow.
"Spirit actually increased by 0.1? That's a pleasant surprise."
After confirming all the changes, he slowly rubbed his palms, suppressing the surge of excitement within him. He murmured softly, "Class change: Blacksmith!"
[Available High-Tier Class: Blacksmith]
[Requirements: Strength 4, Agility 2, all three forging-related skills at maximum level, forge 10/10 weapons of acceptable quality]
[Confirm Class Change?]
"Confirm!"
(End of the Chapter)
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