Master Blacksmith

Abel redecorated the greatsword's hilt and guard with several ordinary gems, concealing the sapphire inside that supplied the greatsword with magical power. He polished the guard again, added curved ornamental strips, and replaced the greatsword's scabbard with one inlaid with tiny gems. The sword had transformed from an ordinary Hundred Refinements Greatsword into a deluxe Ice Magic Hundred Refinements Greatsword.

The explosion a few days ago had made Abel give up on crafting the Word of Power, Ancient's Oath. His defenses were currently insufficient; if another explosion occurred during the process, he would be in an extremely dangerous situation.

Time passed quickly. Three months went by, and Abel's days were full and satisfying. He had accumulated twelve Hundred Refinements Greatswords, including one deluxe Fire Magic Hundred Refinements Greatsword and two deluxe Ice Magic Hundred Refinements Greatswords. He had also crafted five Hundred Refinements Shields from Hundred Refinements Blanks. The shields had been prepared in advance for crafting the Word of Power, Ancient's Oath.

The weather warmed, and it was already April. That morning, the people at the Blacksmith Shop had begun working.

"Abel, come with me to the Blacksmith Guild's Harvest City branch today." Master Bentham spoke to Abel, who had just forged another Hundred Refinements Blank and was recovering his strength.

"What are we going to the Blacksmith Guild in Harvest City for?" Abel asked, looking at Master Bentham in confusion.

Master Bentham said excitedly, "After you crafted the Magic Greatsword, I applied to the Blacksmith Guild for my master assessment. The Blacksmith Guild sent word yesterday that the assessment would be held today."

"Congratulations, Master!" Abel knew that although Master Bentham was called a master blacksmith, that was merely a local form of address. Being able to craft Hundred Refinements Blanks was only the basic requirement for becoming a master. One also needed mastery of a specialized skill to truly become a master blacksmith certified by the Blacksmith Guild. In other words, Master Bentham was only a prospective master.

"Why are you congratulating me? I applied for you." Master Bentham patted Abel's head, his face filled with satisfaction. He continued, "I spent my entire life working on magical weapons. Although I couldn't craft magical weapons and therefore couldn't become a true master, you can already become a master blacksmith because you can craft magical weapons."

Abel was not particularly interested in becoming a master blacksmith. However, when he thought about how a master's identity would give him more opportunities to come into contact with runes if he wanted to learn more of them, and considering Master Bentham's strong recommendation, he agreed. "I'll get ready, and then we can leave."

Abel carried nine ordinary Hundred Refinements Greatswords and one deluxe Fire Magic Hundred Refinements Greatsword from his private workshop to Master Bentham's carriage. Abel planned to put two of the greatswords up for sale in his own Harry Weapon Shop, while the other seven and the deluxe Fire Magic Hundred Refinements Greatsword would be sent to the Edmund Auction House. If all the greatswords were sold through the Harry Weapon Shop, they would cause some disruption to the local prices of Hundred Refinements weapons and arouse suspicion from the other weapon shops. That would make it very disadvantageous for the weapon shop he had just obtained from Lord Joel to establish itself in Harvest City. The advantage of sending them to the Edmund Auction House was that it had branches throughout the duchy, allowing it to dispose of the seven greatswords with ease. The deluxe Fire Magic Hundred Refinements Greatsword would be auctioned by the Edmund Auction House to obtain the greatest possible profit.

Once again, they traveled toward Harvest City by carriage, enduring another bumpy journey. Abel had already made up his mind: once he returned, he would find a way to produce a carriage equipped with a shock-absorption system. A little after ten in the morning, the carriage arrived at the Harvest City branch of the Blacksmith Guild, located in the central district of Harvest City.

The Blacksmith Guild was a cross-racial organization on the continent. It had been jointly founded three thousand years ago by several human and dwarf Blacksmith Grandmasters. Over the many years that followed, even orc blacksmiths joined the organization, eventually forming the Blacksmith Guild as it existed today. The guild's functions were to assess blacksmiths, issue badges corresponding to their professional ranks, and protect blacksmiths across the continent who had joined the Blacksmith Guild.

As Master Bentham led Abel into the guild hall, a bearded dwarf walked over. This was the first time Abel had seen a dwarf, and he still restrained himself from staring.

"Bentham, old friend. The guild notified me as soon as it received your application. I'll be presiding over this assessment." The dwarf spread his arms, while Master Bentham bent down and embraced him.

After releasing the dwarf, Master Bentham laughed loudly. "I didn't expect the guild to have you preside over the assessment. Do you remember when we studied under Teacher Robin? So many years have passed, yet you still look so young."

Abel stared speechlessly at the dwarf's face, covered in a thick beard. He truly could not see where the youth Master Bentham spoke of was.

"This is my disciple, Abel Harry." Master Bentham pointed to Abel standing to the side and introduced him to the dwarf.

Master Bentham turned to Abel and said, "This is Master Thorin Oakenshield, my junior fellow disciple."

Master Thorin Oakenshield jumped up and shouted in protest, "Senior fellow disciple!"

"When we studied together, I was a young man while you were still a child. Of course I'm your senior fellow disciple." Master Bentham raised his eyebrows and looked smugly at Master Thorin Oakenshield.

"Oh? Even then, I was older than you, even though I was a child!" Master Thorin Oakenshield waved his fists and roared.

Abel finally understood the argument between them. Dwarves had very long lifespans, generally reaching five hundred years, while ordinary humans lived only a hundred. That was why they had such a dispute.

Seeing that they could not settle the matter for the moment, Master Thorin Oakenshield turned and carefully sized Abel up. "This is the disciple you applied to have assessed as a master? He's far too young! You used your only chance in your life to apply for a master assessment on him?"

His several consecutive questions showed that Master Thorin Oakenshield distrusted Abel because of his extreme youth. Every blacksmithing skill had to be honed over time.

"I'm almost sixty, and my strength is already fading from my body. I no longer have the ability to become a master in this life. I thought I would never have the chance to use this qualification, but..." Master Bentham looked at Abel proudly and continued, "Ever since Abel began learning from me, he has created miracle after miracle and gained the abilities of a master. That's why I came here."

"All right. You've made your decision, so let's begin." Master Thorin Oakenshield led the two of them into the inner room. Three mirrors were mounted on the walls, with a blacksmith's workbench in the center, fully equipped with tools. A furnace burning with flames stood to the side.

Master Thorin Oakenshield took out six rubies and placed them into a recess in the wall. The surfaces of the mirrors rippled, revealing three figures: one dwarf and two humans.

Master Bentham bowed to the three people in the mirrors. "Greetings, Masters. Sorry for taking up your time."

Seeing Abel's astonished expression, Master Thorin Oakenshield explained the process of applying for a master assessment. A master blacksmith had five chances in his lifetime to apply for a master-level assessment, while an advanced blacksmith had only one. Once the application was approved, one master would be present, while three other masters would remotely monitor and assess the process through a magic array.

This magic array could transmit images but not sound. It had been created by an array master of the elves.

"Let's begin." After explaining everything, Master Thorin Oakenshield spoke to Abel.

Abel said nothing. He first bowed to Master Thorin Oakenshield, then bowed to the three masters in the mirrors.

All the materials on the workbench were of excellent quality. Abel picked up a piece of refined iron from the workbench and tossed it into the furnace. After a while, he took it out and began hammering it repeatedly. With his skilled technique and incredible speed, he reached eighty refinements in just over two hours. Next came the hammering from eighty to one hundred refinements.

As he used his mental power, the hammering speed from eighty to one hundred refinements was even faster than before. Master Thorin Oakenshield's gaze had already changed. The ability to skillfully use mental power while hammering was rare even among masters. Most masters relied on experience to hammer materials from eighty to one hundred refinements.

The one hundred refinements were completed quickly. After resting for a moment, Abel began forging the greatsword he was best at making. Time passed quickly, and the greatsword had already taken shape. Abel did not stop, however. He used a chisel to cut a socket into the guard.

This action made Master Thorin Oakenshield's eyes flicker. He could not help turning toward Master Bentham, his eyes filled with questions. Master Bentham nodded at him, confirming his guess.

Master Thorin Oakenshield knew about the project Master Bentham had spent his entire life researching. Although Master Bentham himself had no chance of crafting it, it seemed that his disciple had fulfilled his wish.

When Abel took out the Rune Brush, Master Thorin Oakenshield became certain of his guess. A magical weapon—a high-end master-level weapon—was an exceptionally precious type of master-level weapon.

As he watched Abel completely absorbed in the process of inscribing the runes, the three masters in the mirrors also realized what weapon he intended to craft and could not help paying even closer attention.

The final inlaying of the sapphire and guidance of mental power went smoothly. An Ice Magic Greatsword was complete. Although the greatsword had not been decorated, it was already exceptionally excellent in the eyes of these masters—good enough to pass the master blacksmith assessment.

Master Thorin Oakenshield turned to the three figures in the mirrors. After the three masters nodded one after another to indicate their approval, Master Thorin Oakenshield took a badge from his robes and said solemnly to Abel, "Congratulations, Master Abel Harry. Congratulations on becoming the thirty-sixth master blacksmith of the Blacksmith Guild."

After speaking, Master Thorin Oakenshield pinned the badge to Abel's chest and stepped forward to embrace him. Abel imitated Master Bentham from earlier and bent down to return Master Thorin Oakenshield's embrace. This embrace showed that Master Thorin Oakenshield now treated Abel as an equal.

The three masters in the mirrors also bowed to Abel. After Abel returned the bow, the images in the mirrors disappeared.