The Strategy of a Winner in Life Begins!...

On Floor 48 of Aincrad, Lindarth...

In a corner of Lindarth stood a small house. Beside it was a pond, and next to the pond was a slowly turning waterwheel...

This was a weapon shop, and a fairly famous one at that. Normally, it was hard to tell how many customers it had, but higher-level players—or players who knew of its existence—would often come here. They knew exactly how capable the owner of this weapon shop, situated on the neither-high-nor-low Floor 48, truly was...

Inside the shop, in a back room, a tall girl with short pink hair stood beside a forge. Holding a hammer, she repeatedly raised and brought it down, her expression utterly focused. On the anvil lay a piece of glowing-hot metal. Under the hammer's blows, it continually changed shape, faintly spreading outward as though it were gradually being formed...

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!..."

Clear, rhythmic strikes echoed through the tiny room like a beautiful song. Though there was little variation between the notes, they possessed an unusual texture. Even someone who understood music would likely be immersed in this monotonous yet beautiful rhythm... Before long, the metal glowing with scorching light was gradually drawn out beneath the hammer—longer, longer, and longer. Then, a long strip of iron with a sharp shape appeared on the anvil. It was not hard to guess what it was: a sword!

Seeing the change in the metal, the hammer-wielding girl's eyes lit up with delight, yet her expression remained calm. Her movements did not change in the slightest as she continued striking the sword-shaped iron strip in perfect rhythm, refining its shape and smoothing its edges. One could imagine that once this sword was finished, it would undoubtedly be a masterpiece!

Unfortunately, it was as though heaven had deliberately chosen to