Chapter 8

While searching for a blacksmith, I sent a message to Tomogara. It said that if you practice intensively at the martial arts dojo, your Boost will be optimized.

By now, they must have formed a party and left from the second town to head further ahead, so it will probably take a while for a reply. I head towards the fountain park. As usual, it was crowded with new players. For beginners, I decided not to equip weapons in town to avoid standing out, which wouldn’t be good.

"Cheaper! Want to buy some potions?"

A potion vendor with a spread-out cloth calls out to me.

"How much are they?"

"Beginner potions are 200 Grows each. If you bring your own materials, a bundle of herbs will get you one for 100 Grows!"

Hmm, that’s pretty cheap. When I bought from a shop, it was 300 Grows, so this is a good deal for a vendor.

"By the way, where can I get the herbs?"

"They grow in the western grasslands. There are also some in the northern forest, but there are more in the southern forest. The areas beyond the forests haven’t been unlocked yet, so most people head north, but the southern forest might be better for gathering."

I see, I’ve been focusing on the north. There’s also a forest to the south. I’ve been to the western grasslands and the northern forest, but there are still many places I haven’t visited. It might be good to go there for leveling up as well.

"Thank you."

As I turn to leave,

"Wait! Aren’t you going to buy any?"

The vendor player clings to me. Indeed, just browsing isn’t very nice.

"Sorry, I need to make a weapon."

"Then why don’t you ask our crafters’ group? I can introduce you."

She said. In exchange for the introduction, she asked if I could help gather potion materials when I go hunting.

I don’t really want to stand out, but I’ve heard it’s good to have connections with crafting professions. So, I might as well agree.

"Alright, I’ll keep it in mind when I go to the field."

"Yay! I’m Rayla, what’s your name?"

"Roh..."

Should I say my name so easily? I hesitated for a moment but decided to trust her. However, she seems like the type who might talk too much.

"Not the type to stand out? Don’t worry, crafters are pretty serious about that kind of thing!"

"I’m relieved. I’m Laurent. I just thought, don’t names usually appear above our heads?"

The player killers I saw had their names displayed.

"Only Yellow and Red names are displayed by default."

That’s a relief. I’ve heard that regular players have Blue names.

"By the way, Laurent... I’ve heard that name before."

"You’ve been reading the bulletin board, huh?"

"Yeah, sure. It’s interesting, but the rule is not to dig too deep into crafting professions, so don’t worry."

Rayla smiled. She packed up her vendor items and started walking, gesturing for me to follow.

We walked out of the fountain park and through the town until we saw the blacksmith. When she called out, a bald, muscular man appeared from the back of the shop.

"I’m introducing you to the blacksmith, Gaston. And this robed person is Laurent."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you."

Gaston gave me a hard look, then greeted me without a bow. Seeing him covered in sweat, the blacksmith must be very hot inside.

"So, what do you need?"

"I’d like to have a greatsword and a thrusting sword made."

"Do you have any specific preferences?"

I pause. Since I use the weight to my advantage when I teleport with a raised weapon, I want it to be as heavy as possible.

"The greatsword should be as heavy as I can equip, and the thrusting sword should be as sharp as possible."

Rapiers are recommended for thrusting weapons, but I don’t want any fancy designs; I just want to use it to finish off enemies.

"Leave the design to me. It can be as simple as possible."

"Hmm, our tastes align. Weapons are not for show."

Gaston, for some reason, became more talkative. His rough expression seemed to have a glint of enthusiasm in his eyes.

"I’ll choose a base greatsword, and we’ll decide on a comfortable weight."

The key is the heaviest weight I can teleport with using [Aport]. If I can’t lift it, I’ll have to give up.

Also, I need to consider the price. In fact, that’s the most important factor.

In the end, only the cheapest one was feasible. In two ways.

【Ordinary Greatsword】 3000 Grows

Heavy but with considerable destructive power.

More for crushing than cutting.

• Attack 20

• Defense Lv1

• Durability Lv1

• Durability 100/100

I sold all the materials I had, but it was still out of reach. It has some defense and durability, and the longsword has an attack of 10, so this is about double. However, it’s harder to handle.

"Can I put it on the ground for a moment?"

"What’s this about? Fine."

I need to test if I can teleport it with [Aport]. For now, increasing the weight is more important than precision or distance.

"Aport! ...Ugh."

It was heavy, and I stumbled, but being able to teleport it is a good sign. However, carrying it around all the time will be a bit of a challenge. Greatswords are typically carried on the back. Considering this, maybe it’s better to have two thrusting weapons. But the attack power is hard to give up.

"That’s the [Aport] skill, huh?"

"Hmm, that’s rare."

Both of them commented. They didn’t ask where I got it. If they did, I wouldn’t tell them, as I can’t ignore the situation where a lot of players are swarming the old man.

"I see, that’s why it’s heavy."

"What do you mean?"

Rayla responded to Gaston’s mutter.

"You teleport it above your head and then swing it down, right?"

"That’s right, but carrying it is the issue."

"You need a skill to enhance your physical abilities."

That’s a good point. Since I have [Boost], I might as well use it. Rayla, who had been watching me, said "impressive" a bit late.

"Then I’ll place the center of gravity at the tip. I can only make rapiers for thrusting weapons, but is that okay?"

"That’s fine."

It’s still early in the game. The fact that Gaston can make advanced weapons like greatswords and longswords suggests he’s very experienced.

"Please wait a moment. Would you like to add me as a friend?"

"Me too?"

This way, my friend list increased to include Tomogara, Gaston, and Rayla. I thanked them and decided to head to the field with a longsword in hand.

The cooking shop can wait. Actually, I gave all my materials to Rayla and received some beginner potions in return. I don’t have any meat left to eat. Before that, I need to buy something from the item shop...

---

Player Name: Laurent

Class: Apprentice Mage Lv5

Reputation: 20

Remaining Skill Points: 0

◇ Skill Tree

【Slash】

• Power Lv7/10

• Consumption Lv1/10

• Proficiency Lv1/10

• Speed Lv1/10

【Boost (Optimized, Black Belt)】

• Effect Lv3/10

• Consumption Lv3/5

• Proficiency Lv3/5

【Aport】

• Precision Lv2/10

• Distance Lv2/10

• Weight Lv6/10

• Casting Lv1/1

【Throw】

• Precision Lv1/3

• Distance Lv1/3

【Grab】

• Power Lv1/3

• Duration Lv1/3

◇ Equipment

Weapon

【Longsword】

Equipped

【Beginner’s Robe】

【Beginner’s Outfit (Full Body)】

【Black Belt】

---

Thank you for reading!