Chapter 6

Translating to English:

1

The day after mining minerals.

Before logging into the game, Yohan checked the current trading sites to see if any of Bartz's items had been listed for sale.

The Red Bone Plate Mail and Flame Sword that Bartz had equipped were items any warrior would covet.

If they had been listed on the current trading sites, they would have been traded immediately.

However, even after searching through the trading lists, the Red Bone Plate Mail and Flame Sword were nowhere to be found. He also searched for items that might have been stored in the magic bag or personal storage, but they didn't appear.

The damn hacker wasn't stupid. They must have insisted on trading in-game or waited for the situation to calm down.

Or, they might have already been taken by someone else and were in use.

'Che, still far from surfacing, huh?'

Maybe they would never surface.

Still, he couldn't give up.

It wasn't because he was attached to the items.

To Yohan, who had left no records of Bartz, the items Bartz had used and collected were like precious legacies.

To think someone had stolen such items!

He vowed to catch the thief, throw them in jail, and make them eat prison food.

Before turning off his computer, Yohan entered the DreamMax homepage and signed up for the new security system provided by the game company.

Since he wasn't the type to play in a capsule room, it didn't matter much to him.

He also set up a double password using his mobile phone. It was a hassle, but he absolutely didn't want to be hacked again.

Zig, who logged into the game immediately, returned to Balden and handed over the minerals he had mined the previous day to the blacksmith NPC, Pabuchi.

"Hmm, well done. These are excellent minerals."

Immediately, a sound effect played, and a message appeared along with a reward.

-Your reputation has increased by 5.

-You have received 300 gold as a reward.

-You have gained 150 experience points.

There were things he received, and things he regretfully lost.

-The Blacksmith Pabuchi's Armor has been reclaimed.

-The Blacksmith Pabuchi's Sword has been reclaimed.

'Che, they take it away like ghosts.'

Fortunately, Pabuchi's bag wasn't reclaimed. Whether it was because Pabuchi had kept it, or because Yohan's items were inside, or if it was a bug, he couldn't tell.

"Zig, do you know what the minerals I asked you to bring are?"

"What? Isn't it iron ore?"

There was no description of what kind of mineral the ore was. Since this was a blacksmith's forge, he had assumed it was a type of iron ore.

"This is called asphaltite."

"Asphaltite?"

"The dwarves use this to process and smelt. They say that if used properly, it can produce large quantities of high-purity iron."

"Really? Do you know how to use it?"

"I don't. During the ten years I worked as a servant in the dwarves' country, I only managed to find out that they use asphaltite. I was even chased out when I was caught."

There is a place in the north called 'Northark,' which is the dwarves' country.

During the Bartz era, Yohan had visited it. It was because you could get good weapons at a low price.

However, this country, located in the northern part of the continent, is cold and the land is barren, making food prices several times higher than elsewhere, which greatly hinders activities.

According to the official homepage's settings, Northark is mentioned as an industrial country of the dwarves, exporting iron and weapons and importing food to survive.

'They wouldn't teach their country's secrets, of course.'

"I returned to my homeland and spent a long time researching the use and processing of asphaltite, but I didn't make much progress."

Pabuchi, who seemed frustrated, looked at the asphaltite and then turned his gaze to Zig.

"Do you know why I told you this story?"

"Since you used me, you're going to tell me the reason, right?"

"Because I admire your perseverance. Seeing you so passionate, I felt you could accomplish something."

'Could it be that a quest to uncover the secret of asphaltite is about to drop?'

Worried that he might have taken on a quest that would take an unknown amount of time before he could even become a blacksmith, Yohan was anxious.

Just as he was worried, Pabuchi spoke.

"Since you performed my errand well, I'll make you a regular employee here from today."

Fortunately, the quest didn't activate as he had feared.

A small fairy with silver wings flew over and asked.

"Of course! Why did I go through all that trouble?"

When Yohan accepted, the fairy sprinkled a silver powder of blessing on him.

It seemed as if a bright light was emanating from his body.

After the fairy congratulated and disappeared, a notification window popped up.

-You have not yet learned [Production Skill] and [Repair Skill]. Learn them as soon as possible.

Yohan hadn't learned production and repair skills due to the Rankel Mountain quest for smelting. He was behind other blacksmith players.

'At least I've gotten past one hurdle.'

Yohan opened his status window to check.

'Sigh, there's still a long way to go.'

Compared to the Bartz era, it felt like a long way, but he had shed his burden.

Bartz was gone. He was now raising a new character as a blacksmith. The reason he played the game was not just for fun, but to catch the annoying hacker and recover Bartz's legacy.

'I need to learn production and repair skills first. I also need to increase my smelting rank.'

There was a lot to do.

As if to remind him of that, Pabuchi's shout hit Zig's eardrums.

"What are you standing there for? Follow me quickly, we have a mountain of work to do."

"Yes, sir! I understand!"

This was the real start of his life as a blacksmith. He didn't know how hard it would be, but he was determined not to give up.

Thinking of the annoying hacker, he couldn't just stand around.

"Now that you're a regular blacksmith, I'll teach you production and repair skills."

Saying that, Pabuchi handed Yohan a thick book.

"I'll teach you production skills first. But before you start hammering, you need to read the book."

'A Beginner's Guide to Blacksmithing?'

The skill book contained explanations of production skills and design diagrams of farming tools and weapons that a beginner blacksmith could make.

After Yohan finished reading the book and closed it, Pabuchi approached and handed him tongs and a hammer.

"Did you finish reading? Then let's try making something."

Yohan took the tongs and hammer and went to the anvil. The materials, such as iron ingots and other scraps, were already piled up.

'What should I make first?'

After some thought, Yohan decided to start with a kitchen knife, the easiest item.

He heated the iron ingot, shaped it on the anvil, and made a slot for the handle. After forming it, he firmly attached the wooden handle and sharpened the blade on a whetstone.

As he completed the kitchen knife, a sound effect played, and a notification window appeared.

"Heh! You finally learned it."

Pabuchi, who had been watching Yohan's delighted expression, snatched the kitchen knife he had made and struck it on the anvil.

Clang!

With a sharp sound, the kitchen knife broke in two. Pabuchi didn't stop there; he pulled out the handle of the broken knife.

'Is this old man crazy?'

Feeling frustrated, Yohan took the broken knife and handle from Pabuchi, who said,

"Try to fix it."

"What?"

"Fix it. If you can make it, you should also know how to repair it."

'Ah! That's right.'

Pabuchi hadn't broken the knife on purpose. He had done it to teach Yohan the repair skill.

"Tip? Metal comes back to life in the fire. Don't think it's too difficult. Just think of making what's missing and connecting what's broken. That's the repair skill."

Following Pabuchi's advice, Yohan heated the broken blade pieces in the forge, joined them to form a single piece, and reattached the missing handle, then sharpened the blade again.

Now Yohan had learned all three basic skills of a blacksmith.

The only thing left was to improve his skill levels by accumulating skill experience.

2

There are three ways to practice production skills.

The first is to gather materials and tools yourself and practice.

The second is to receive materials from users who want good weapons and accumulate skill experience by making them.

The third is to work at a blacksmith's forge and improve your skill experience.

The first method is usually used by blacksmiths who have some capital and a high level, while the second is used by blacksmiths in guilds.

New blacksmith players who are low in rank and level usually get hired at a blacksmith's forge and improve their experience by producing items.

Zig was also gaining experience through the third method.

-You have made a sickle.

You have gained 30 skill experience points.

"Heh, this isn't too difficult, is it?"

Having learned production and repair skills, Yohan now participated in production work as a proud member of the blacksmith's forge.

The first task Yohan was given was to make 30 sickles.

Making a sickle was as simple as making a kitchen knife. He heated the iron ingot in the forge, hammered it into shape, attached a wooden handle, and finally sharpened the blade on a whetstone.

The failure rate was low, so Yohan was able to submit 30 sickles without any shortage.

"I have made 30 sickles."

When Yohan presented the sickles, Pabuchi examined them and frowned.

"Hmm, I doubt these will cut wheat. I'll let it slide this time, but if you bring me something like this again, you won't get paid."

'Damn, he still nitpicks even when I do a good job.'

Although he had earned money and experience, Pabuchi's harsh words lingered.

To continue improving his skill experience, Yohan took on the task of making 25 hoes.

After a while, he submitted the completed hoes.

"What? Is this a hoe? It looks perfect for cleaning my nostrils."

"Ha ha ha!"

The users who had come to submit their production items, like Zig, chuckled and laughed at Pabuchi's comment.

Zig's face turned red. To him, his items and those of other users looked no different in quality.

Yet Pabuchi singled him out for criticism.

Other users were rarely scolded, and he wondered if it was due to a bad match. However, this kept happening.

Even if he made them with his toes, he could do better, the handle was loose, and even an orc wouldn't use it...

His skill experience was increasing, but the constant ridicule was frustrating.

"Argh! Damn old man! Why do you pick on me?"

Yohan vented his stress by hammering the heated iron. However, he hammered so hard that the anvil cracked. And then...

-Clunk! You have failed to make an axe.

Failure is the mother of success! You have gained 3 skill experience points.

The polite message in the notification window irritated Yohan.

Moreover, the thought of not being able to meet the number of axes to be delivered due to the damage was even more frustrating. If he didn't meet the production quota, his pay and experience would decrease.

"Ha ha, are you leveling up your production skill?"

"Ah, you must be... "

A person came to Yohan, who was filled with frustration.

It was a user named Kaph, who had given him advice while working together in the early stages. He had a bad match with Pabuchi but had a higher skill rank than Yohan, having changed his profession earlier.

He hadn't been seen for a while, probably because he had already leveled up all the experience he could at the blacksmith's forge. What had brought him back to the forge?

"Zig, you're also getting scolded by Pabuchi, I see."

"You mean you were also... ?"

"Yes, he always nitpicked when I brought him items. It got better later, though."

"Why?"

A character with a bad match, like himself, and who had been criticized while leveling up production skills, but later stopped being criticized. Yohan couldn't help but be curious about the secret.

"Probably because I started thinking about making things better, not just completing the task."

"Huh, why bother making them better if they're not going to be used anyway?"

Yohan knew it was better to make better items.

If he made items with better durability and performance than those sold in stores, he would get more skill experience and could sell them to other users.

However, the items made for blacksmith training were not for sale and couldn't be taken out, so there was no need to make them well. As long as he succeeded enough to get full pay and experience, it was fine.

Moreover, trying to make them better would take a lot of time, which was inefficient for earning money and experience.

Besides, just because he wanted to make them better didn't mean he would always succeed.

Too much of a good thing can be bad.

Sometimes, trying too hard could result in items of even lower quality than those sold in stores.

"Even so, making better items will make Pabuchi happy."

"So, should I make them better to hear less criticism, or ignore it to quickly earn money and experience? That's what you're saying?"

"It's not just about criticism; it's about encouraging you to do better."

Is that really the case?

Deciding to try making better items, Yohan put in more time and effort.

-You have made an axe. It looks good and sturdy.

You have gained 65 skill experience points.

-You have made an axe. It looks somewhat lacking in effort.

You have gained 25 skill experience points.

-Clunk! You have failed to make an axe due to excessive force.

Despite his efforts, some were well-made, some were poorly made, and some were outright failures.

Yohan submitted 24 completed axes to Pabuchi.

Pabuchi examined the axes he had made and said briefly,

"They're getting better. Try to put more effort into making them."

Although he didn't receive full pay and experience, he got a slightly better evaluation from the picky old man.

However, it wasn't a complete "well done."

Even after putting in more effort several times after talking with Kaph, Pabuchi's comments remained the same.

"Getting better," or "Try to do better," but no praise at all.

"Damn, this picky old man! I'll make something amazing just to spite him."

Yohan gave up on quickly earning experience and money. He wanted to make the old man shut up out of spite.

So he took on tasks with fewer items and put in more time and effort. As a result, he managed to meet the production quota with high-quality items once.

Pabuchi then said,

"Now you're finally getting the hang of it. A craftsman should be able to do this much."

It wasn't the reaction Yohan had hoped for.

He had expected something like "excellent" or "you're a proper craftsman now," but he thought his skills had improved a lot.

Now he was getting frustrated.

"Damn, what do I have to do to get a compliment?"

-Your production skill has reached rank 7.

Your patience has increased by 1.

Your craftsmanship has increased by 2.

While grumbling, his production skill had leveled up. It seemed he had accumulated that much skill experience without checking.

'Damn! Should I just give up on blacksmithing?'

But he had his pride and was determined to hear a compliment no matter what. Yohan dismissed the floating notification window and continued his work, hammering and sharpening the blade on the whetstone.

'Hmm? What's this?'

Yohan noticed something strange while examining the blade of a short sword.

Faint lines were barely visible on the sharp blade. They were so subtle that he wouldn't have noticed them without a close look.

'I don't remember seeing these before.'

Why were these lines there?

Although he didn't know the reason, one thing was clear: he hadn't drawn or created them.

'Maybe the others too?'

He took out an item that had been rated as high-quality earlier and compared it. There were also faint lines on the blade, but they were more regular and had a consistent pattern.

'What about the others?'

"Sir! This is mine!"

Yohan examined the blade of an axe made by a user next to him. Sure enough, there were faint lines, but they were irregular and inconsistent.

'Do the lines appear more regularly on better