Cook and Blacksmith

"So..."

"Let me guess—you ran into the Red Tide Corpse Queen and a bunch of her underlings while gathering herbs, then killed them all?"

North of the Pumpkin Field, Dorothy stood with her hands on her hips, one eyebrow slightly raised.

Roger smiled, directing the two Guards from the patrol squad to carry his spoils home before explaining:

"I only wanted to test my strength."

Dorothy gave a noncommittal snort.

But she did not dwell on it. "I already knew you were strong, but I still never expected you to kill those monsters single-handedly."

"That really is surprising."

"But it is good too. It gives us greater confidence in taking down the Corpse Demon."

Roger nodded lightly.

"Then I'll leave the recruitment notice and the Lord's Manor paperwork to you."

"I still have a few things to take care of..."

The girl instantly became wary. "You are not planning to send me away again and deal with the Corpse Demon alone, are you?"

Roger laughed. "I am not that arrogant."

"Once you are done with the Lord's Manor paperwork, you can find me at Miller's place. If I am not there, I will most likely be at Amure's General Store, or at my own home."

"Besides, taking down the Corpse Demon is not something that can be done in a day or two, right?"

Dorothy hesitantly rose onto her toes. She had wanted to say something more, but Roger left as soon as he finished speaking, giving her no chance to pester him.

"What a rude guy!"

Dorothy was slightly annoyed.

Only after Roger's figure had completely disappeared did the Blonde Girl dressed as a Cook beside her ask eagerly, "Dorothy, aren't you curious?"

"Curious about what?" Dorothy asked back.

"Roger! I always thought he was an Adventurer with little skill. Every time the Lord's Manor organized a monster hunt, he would hide away! How did he suddenly become so powerful?"

The Blonde Girl tugged at the hem of her black-and-white skirt and analyzed seriously, "Do you think someone else killed the Red Tide Corpse Queen, but Roger just happened to pick up the credit?"

"Or maybe he made a deal with a devil in exchange for great power?"

Dorothy gently pinched the Cook's rosy cheek.

"What are you thinking, Talia?"

"I have never doubted Roger's strength."

"Kane once told me something—"

She paused, seemingly recalling the details, before continuing:

"He said, 'You cannot judge people by appearances. Above all, never mistake someone's low profile for cowardice.'"

"He was talking about Roger."

The young Cook looked enlightened.

"So that is how it is?"

"Oh my, I always thought he was just a weirdo with an unusual fetish for frogs!"

Seeing her silly expression, Dorothy could not help grabbing both of Talia's cheeks.

"You are the weirdo!"

"You are clearly the lord's daughter. Why are you dressed up like a Cook?"

"Ow, ow, ow..."

Talia's eyes glistened with tears. "I am only learning how to cook."

"After all, I am getting married soon..."

Dorothy froze for a moment, her mood darkening. "That is true."

"Gem City is so far away!"

After crossing a cobblestone path, Roger arrived at the crossroads in the center of Tongma Town.

Most of the street-facing shops on either side bore old, weathered signs.

One shop had a narrow storefront and dim lighting, with a wooden sign carved with a hammer and sword hanging outside.

Before Roger even stepped inside, a blast of hot air hit him in the face.

Inside the building,

The smell of tung oil mingled with metal, while clattering and pounding rang out without pause.

Two Apprentices were straining to work the bellows.

A tall, muscular yet graceful Half-Elf man swung an enormous Iron Hammer, forging a sharp blade with blow after blow.

Roger said nothing and simply waited quietly to one side.

Half an hour later, the Half-Elf man finally set down his work and waved for the two Apprentices to rest.

The Apprentices hurried away as though they had been pardoned.

"I guessed you would come today."

The Half-Elf elegantly wiped the sweat from his face.

"At least three people came by this morning to tell me that you killed the Red Tide Corpse Queen."

"What a fuss over nothing."

"As an Adventurer with a Class Legacy, what is so remarkable about killing an elite monster that has not even reached the Second Ring?"

Roger chuckled. "Everything I asked for is ready, right?"

"Of course." The Half-Elf casually tossed the towel into a basin of water. "Come with me. It is in the Warehouse."

With that, he led Roger into the back room.

This man was Miller, the best Blacksmith in Tongma Town.

At first, Roger had found it difficult to associate a tall, graceful Half-Elf with the concept of a Master Blacksmith.

But after witnessing Miller personally forge an Exotic Weapon, Roger immediately realized—this was the man he had been looking for!

The Hidden Hero had its own exclusive weapons!

Within the Hidden Hero class template, different stages corresponded to weapons of different qualities.

And Roger had the blueprints for all of them.

What he needed to consider was how to gather the materials required to forge those weapons, and whether the Blacksmiths of this world could meet the demanding requirements for crafting Hidden Hero weapons.

As for materials, that went without saying. Nearly half of his savings from the past ten years had gone into them.

As for the craftsman, Roger had only brought the blueprints to Miller in the hope of getting lucky.

Fortunately, Miller was an oddity among Blacksmiths. He had spent years enthusiastically forging all kinds of Exotic Weapons and possessed extensive experience in that field.

The moment he saw the blueprints, Miller could not walk away.

He became convinced that Roger was an Adventurer with a Class Legacy, unlike most of the Adventurers who came from the Northern Plateau.

Because of that, not only was he willing to forge Hidden Hero-exclusive weapons for Roger free of charge, he also offered discounts every time the weapons needed maintenance.

Over time, the two became fairly good friends.

Two months ago, Miller had informed Roger that the weapons were nearly complete.

Roger had never gone to inspect them.

That was also part of charging up.

A divine weapon slew demons and monsters.

He wanted to save his new weapon's first kill for the monster that had plagued Tongma Town for so long.

The Corpse Demon.

Inside the dry Warehouse.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Miller brought out three boxes. When he opened them, the straw inside spilled out, faintly revealing their true forms.

The three weapons corresponded to the Hidden Hero's three weapon specializations.

Each specialized weapon corresponded to a set of Hidden Hero Secret Techniques.

Roger ran his hand over each weapon in turn as the Qi Divination Technique quietly activated—

"Red Moon (Blade)"

"Rating: S+"

"Sharpness 9, Durability 6, Weight 5, Balance 7"

"Special Skill: Eye Cut"

"Eye Cut: Doubles the consumption of stamina and physical strength to coat the blade in Blade Intent, greatly enhancing the power of techniques and adding an armor-piercing effect."

"Restriction: Once per day."

Besides this Crimson Moon Blade, with its long, slender body and thin edge,

The other two Hidden Hero-exclusive weapons were: "Green Cicada (Sword)" and "Purple Wisp (Bow)."