Heart of the Furnace

[Job Success, Current Profession: Blacksmith]

[Attribute Bonus Gained: Strength +2, Agility +1]

Before the golden text completely faded, Roland felt a warm current gather in his chest and then surge outward.

The wondrous sensation was like the first sip of hot soup in winter, warmth flowing through his bloodline and gradually seeping into every limb and bone.

"Hah."

Roland let out an involuntary sigh of relief, a flicker of joy in his eyes.

Unlike the attribute increases from his previous job change, the two points of Strength gained from the Blacksmith profession this time were particularly significant, allowing him to genuinely feel the changes in his body.

What surprised him even more was that this strength didn't feel like it was forcefully imposed upon him. Instead, it was as if he had reclaimed something that rightfully belonged to him, naturally integrating into his every movement.

After a brief moment of daze, Roland subconsciously clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking with a crisp sound.

Looking down, he saw that the arm muscles, which previously required him to tense up to become visible, now outlined distinct lines even when his arm hung naturally.

This stark contrast in strength compelled him to extend his right hand and grasp the iron candlestick by his bed.

"Creeak."

With a slight, grating sound, the metal, which usually required both hands to bend even slightly, now deformed subtly under the grip of a single hand.

"This is simply incredible."

"If it were me now facing a mutated Kobold, I reckon I could trade a few blows with pure strength alone. Though it would probably still be hard to kill."

Thinking of the Blood Scale Kobold's tough scales, Roland shook his head helplessly before turning his attention back to the Profession Panel.

[Detected that host has mastered three max-level Forging skills, proceeding with merge.]

A moment later, this line of text quietly changed.

[Merge Complete]

[Skill Learned: Basic Forging Technique, Current Level: Lv.1]

The instant the text fully appeared, Roland felt an unprecedented clarity flood his mind.

Countless forging knowledge flowed rapidly through his mind like a galaxy, then collided to create brilliant sparks in the depths of his consciousness.

The previously scattered and disjointed forging knowledge now perfectly merged, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

The key to every forging action, the grasp of every material's properties, all found their most logical place within the new system.

Roland blinked in surprise, then gently shook his head and reached for the iron sword beside him.

The moment his fingers touched the hilt, a strange sensation surged through him.

It was as if the iron sword had become one with his body.

He could not only clearly perceive every inch of the blade's texture but could even detect the slight imperfections left from its forging.

"Truly magical."

As Roland murmured in awe, the text before his eyes changed once more.

[Trait Gained: Heart of the Furnace]

[Heart of the Furnace: Greatly enhances flame affinity and significantly boosts flame resistance]

"Heart of the Furnace."

He whispered the words, then frowned, lost in thought.

He quickly got dressed and strode outside.

Before long, he stood before the Blacksmith shop.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the other apprentice youths were still asleep. The blacksmith shop was silent.

Roland pushed the door open and efficiently tossed charcoal into the furnace, then skillfully worked the bellows.

With the whooshing sound of the bellows, the furnace fire grew stronger, and the temperature in the blacksmith shop began to rise.

However, unlike usual, the stifling heat that should have been suffocating now felt remarkably refreshing.

Sensing the anomaly, Roland tentatively extended his palm towards the furnace fire.

To his surprise, the intensely scorching flames now brought only a comfortable warmth.

Even more wondrously, as he made contact, he seemed to faintly perceive the fire's emotional fluctuations.

Unfortunately, this perception was like looking through a thick pane of glass.

He could see the scene on the other side, but could never truly reach it, let alone communicate.

"Is this what they call flame affinity?"

A sharp glint flashed in Roland's eyes, his breathing quickening slightly.

In that instant, many thoughts came to him, but he finally just shook his head gently.

"I should focus on what's in front of me first."

With that thought, Roland casually picked up a metal ingot.

Perhaps because of the [Basic Forging Technique], the moment the metal ingot was in his hand, he instinctively perceived its weight and quality.

While placing the metal ingot into the furnace fire to heat it, Roland recalled the details on the blueprint again.

The next moment, his gaze was fixed tightly on the metal ingot gradually turning red in the flames.

In an instant, an unprecedented intuition surged into his heart.

In the past, he needed to rely on the color change of the metal ingot to judge the degree of heating, but with the enhancement of the [Heart of the Furnace], he could now accurately perceive the internal and external heat of the metal ingot through the burning state of the flames.

Therefore, before the metal ingot's color completely changed, he quickly clamped it out with iron tongs.

When the metal ingot landed on the anvil, it was in the most perfect forging state.

Seeing this, Roland dared not hesitate and immediately swung his hammer.

"Bang bang bang!"

The crisp hammering sound echoed in the blacksmith shop, with heating and forging alternating.

After an unknown amount of time, until the rough embryo's shape gradually perfectly matched the pattern on the blueprint, he let out a long sigh and immersed the red-hot metal in cold water.

"Hiss!"

In the swirling white mist, Roland fished out the formed embryo and polished it carefully in his palm.

Before long, a dagger with a peculiar shape but chillingly sharp gleam appeared before his eyes.

"It's done!"

Before the excited voice even fell, a line of golden text slowly appeared.

[A finished item has been forged, Basic Forging Technique has gained one experience point]

"Uh, it seems the experience acquisition mechanism for Basic Forging Technique is different from other forging skills."

"It's not based on the actions performed, but calculated by the number of finished products. This way..."

Thinking of the experience cap of one hundred points for level one and two hundred points for level two, Roland immediately felt a headache, and the good mood from successfully forging the dagger diminished significantly.

"And the Blacksmith profession didn't resonate with the other three professions. Is it because the other three are basic professions, while the Blacksmith profession is an advanced profession?"

While he was thinking, Hawk's loud voice suddenly came from behind.

"Kid, you're here early! You..."

Turning his head, he saw the burly old blacksmith striding closer, but halfway through his sentence, his gaze suddenly locked onto the dagger in Roland's hand.

"You... you forged this thing?"

Hawk snatched the dagger, his fingertips gently tracing the blade, and the shock in his eyes grew deeper.

"Good heavens..."

After a long while, he let out a long sigh, and when he looked at Roland again, his eyes were as complex as a spilled palette.

Mixed with surprise was a hint of frustration.

"If I hadn't already set the rules..."

Hawk caressed the dagger, his voice low.

"I would really want to take you as my apprentice right now."

Roland's eyes lit up.

"Mister Hawk, you mean..."

"It means your skill is already up to par!"

After glancing at the young man's immature face, Hawk snorted impatiently, and a wave of irritation suddenly surged in his chest.

He had originally thought this child just had good talent.

But the completion of this dagger before him was a level that a blacksmith who had been immersed in forging for many years could achieve.

Hawk couldn't help but recall his own past.

He mastered basic techniques in three months and could forge excellent finished products in half a year.

Now, any blueprint in his hands, after a single glance, he could reproduce with ease.

But this path, he had walked for a full forty years.

And Roland?

In less than three months, he had reached the threshold that took Hawk half a lifetime to attain.

At this rate, surpassing him would likely only be a matter of time.

Thinking of this, Hawk suddenly let out a rough laugh, the furnace fire casting flickering shadows on his calloused face.

He stroked the beard on his chin and remembered what the old dwarf blacksmith, Barrend, had said to him, patting him on the shoulder.

"The true heart of a craftsman lies not in monopolizing skills, but in watching them be passed down like sparks."

In an instant, the frustration that had been building in his chest gradually dissipated, leaving no trace.

"Well done, kid. Get ready for more."

"Alright, Mister Hawk."

Although Roland didn't understand why Hawk's mood had changed so quickly, he keenly sensed the goodwill emanating from the old blacksmith's eyes.

After bowing slightly to Hawk's retreating back, he picked up the file and began to meticulously engrave the intricate lines onto the dagger with focus.

Compared to the forging process, the technical difficulty of carving lines wasn't high, but it was exceptionally demanding of patience and required a significant investment of time.

In order to complete the transaction with Bronson as soon as possible, Roland poured almost all his time into this task.

Aside from the necessary eating and sleeping, his hands were almost constantly in motion.

Even so, it still took nearly twenty days, and he finally finished just before the assessment was due to begin.

"Hoo."

After a long sigh, Roland rubbed his sore neck and looked up at the dim, yellowish sky outside the window.

After slightly stretching his stiff limbs, he carefully wrapped the dagger, which gleamed with a cold light, in a coarse cloth and walked towards the small house from memory.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The crisp knocking sound was exceptionally clear in the silent manor.

Not long after, the wooden door creaked open slowly.

Dim, yellowish light spilled from the gap in the door, outlining Bronson's tall but slightly stooped figure.

His gaunt face was half-hidden in shadow, and only his deep-set eyes flickered with a faint light in the darkness.

Before Roland could speak, Bronson's pupils suddenly contracted, and he preemptively asked in a deep voice.

"What is that thing in your arms?"

This question made Roland frown, and his right hand instinctively went to his chest.

Lying there quietly was the scarlet crystal left behind after the Blood Scale Kobold had burned to ashes.