Time to Forge Some Gear for Myself

The next morning, he was awakened by earth-shaking snores. Turning his head, he saw that Uncle Hanyi had drunk too much and collapsed beside him.

This old man probably spent every Gold Coin he'd saved over the years on treating people to drinks.

It couldn't be helped. Sun Busong had been far too dazzling these past two days. Uncle Hanyi praised him to everyone he met, and whenever he got excited, he insisted on treating people. As a result, the fortress had nearly sold out of alcohol.

After covering the old man with a blanket, Sun Busong walked out of the room.

Everyone he met greeted him warmly. He had become something of a celebrity now.

Suya had not had an easy time these past two days either. Many dwarves had come looking for her, asking her to help guide their younger generation.

What annoyed her most, of course, was the unmarried young dwarves. Like bees drawn to flowers, they hovered around Suya from morning till night, using all kinds of dazzling methods to court her.

"Busong! You're finally up! Hurry and come train with me!"

Before Sun Busong even saw who it was, a force dragged him out of the fortress.

"Suya, I haven't finished today's forging assignment yet. Once Uncle wakes up, he'll definitely scold me."

"I don't care. You're leaving the fortress with me right now. Those guys are too annoying. They're making my head explode."

"Then I still need to finish my forging assignment first!"

"Don't mention forging assignments to me. I'm not a blacksmith. Oh, right—we have a quest to do today."

"Hm?"

This was Sun Busong's first time encountering a quest.

"Didn't your old man tell you?"

"When I woke up, he was still drunk."

"I knew he was unreliable. Once you men get hold of a wine cup, you forget everything."

The matter had started because of him. Thanks to Uncle Hanyi's generosity, there was not much alcohol left in the fortress after the last two days, and the meat had been completely eaten up.

So, the fortress chef had posted a quest last night.

Tough Jerky and Tender Wolf Meat!

Tough Jerky was made from the ribs of small Cliff Boars in the valley, while Tender Wolf Meat came from Shaggy Young Wolves.

Moreover, both beasts were Level 3, just right for Sun Busong to grind Strength Points and Health Points.

"Haha, then what are we waiting for? Let's go do the quest now. I can settle the score from that day while we're at it."

Sun Busong held grudges. Though the scars on his body had already been smoothed away by Suya's healing spell, he still had to take revenge. If he didn't grind out a few hundred Kill Points, how could he make up for being bitten and torn apart that day?

"I knew you were the type to hold grudges, haha. We dwarves always repay our grudges."

Setting aside his forging assignment for the time being, Sun Busong grabbed his sword and followed behind Suya.

The two soon arrived at their destination.

There were plenty of small Cliff Boars here, scattered all over the mountains and plains. Shaggy Young Wolves were much rarer, but that was only natural. If there were more wolves than meat, wouldn't that ruin the ecological balance?

The two worked all day, finally slaughtering every living creature in the area. They collected more than sixty pieces of Tender Wolf Meat alone.

After they returned to the fortress, someone informed Sun Busong that Uncle Hanyi wanted to see him as soon as he got back.

Sun Busong curled his lip and said to Suya, "He probably noticed I didn't finish my forging assignment and wants to punish me!"

Suya smiled happily. "That has nothing to do with me. But since you've been so obedient these past two days, I'll teach you a trick."

"What is it? What is it?" Hearing that she had a solution, Sun Busong shouted excitedly.

"Hehe, when I turned in the quest to the chef just now, I discussed it with him. He agreed that for the next three days, all the alcohol and meat Uncle Hanyi treats people to will be free. However, each person is limited to five bottles of alcohol, while the meat is unlimited!"

"Really? Why is the chef being so generous today?"

"How could he not be? The meat we harvested today is enough for everyone in the fortress to eat for half a year!"

When they arrived at the forge, Uncle Hanyi was sweating all over as he worked hard on a set of Plate Armor.

When he saw Sun Busong, he merely glanced at him before saying, "Take out your Forging Hammer and work with me!"

Of course Sun Busong had to listen to the old man. He took his ten-kilogram Forging Hammer from his Backpack and joined in the forging.

The two had worked together many times already, so there was no need for words.

The Plate Armor soon began to take shape. Although Sun Busong had not truly forged a piece of equipment himself, his Blacksmithing Skill was now Grandmaster Level!

Judging by the size of the Plate Armor, it was undoubtedly made by Uncle Hanyi for him. None of the other dwarves were as lean and tall as he was.

By the time the Plate Armor was completely finished, an hour had passed.

"I promised yesterday that I would give you a set of combat gear. Now, I'm fulfilling that promise."

With that, Uncle Hanyi took another four pieces of equipment from the nearby rack.

Together with the Plate Armor they had just forged, the four pieces were a helmet, gloves, pants, and boots!

"Thank you, Uncle Hanyi." Seeing the sweat covering the old man, Sun Busong thanked him sincerely.

If Uncle Hanyi had not taken care of him all these years, he would have died long ago from the heart failure caused by excessive fright.

Moreover, in order to take care of him, Uncle Hanyi had pulled many strings to get him accepted into the Dwarf race.

P.S.: But Sun Busong would never thank him for this!

"It's fine, my child. As long as you make something of yourself, this old man doesn't mind working a little harder. You must study and train diligently, become a professional, and avenge my poor junior brother and his wife!"

"Don't worry, Uncle Hanyi. I'll definitely become a professional—and I'll become a hero too!"

"Hahahaha, I knew my judgment couldn't be wrong." Tears welled up in Uncle Hanyi's cloudy eyes when he heard Sun Busong's words.

"Your talent lies in combat, so you won't need to come every day to complete forging tasks anymore. I've already spoken with Suya and asked her to devote herself fully to training you. You're a warrior, not a blacksmith. My craft and your father's craft will be passed on to others, so they won't be lost."

Although Uncle Hanyi said that, Sun Busong could not miss the loneliness in his eyes. He immediately interrupted the old man.

"Uncle Hanyi! What are you saying? Even if I become a hero someday, can't a hero have a hobby and a side profession? Forging is my hobby, and I'll definitely keep at it. Please don't say things like that again. Of course, it'd be even better if I had a few junior apprentices. When you take on apprentices in the future, tell them that their senior apprentice brother is a great warrior—and also a master forger!"

A golden gleam flashed in the old man's eyes. His voice trembled as he said, "Really? You'll really continue learning the craft that your father and I practiced?"

Sun Busong gave Uncle Hanyi a firm look. "No exaggeration! Once I reach Level 10, I'll definitely forge a full set of green equipment for you to see!"

Late at night, the second floor of Anweimar Fortress was brightly lit. More than a dozen old dwarves laughed uproariously while pouring ale down their throats like their lives depended on it!

"What a sin!!!"

After hearing Sun Busong's words, the old man's tears immediately fell. He hugged Sun Busong and wailed for a long while. Once he had cried himself tired, Sun Busong thought he was going to rest, but instead—

"Come on, my old friends! I'm happy today! Every expense is on me, Leibraide Hanyi! We won't go home until we're drunk!"

Health Points: 2470! Strength Value: 26 (+6 free attribute points). Stamina: 12. (There hadn't been any attribute increase at Level 3!) Kill Points: (30/100)

After waking up, Sun Busong opened his door and immediately saw more than a dozen drunks sprawled across the ground.

"Ah!"

He arrived at the forging room and put on all five pieces of equipment.

Uncle Hanyi's craftsmanship truly lived up to its reputation. Every piece fit perfectly, and they all looked exceptionally imposing.

Inferior Copper Outerwear: Item Level 7, Chest, Plate Armor, 103 Armor, Required Level 2.

Inferior Copper Helmet: Item Level 7, Chest, Plate Armor, 103 Armor, Required Level 2.

Inferior Refined Armor Shorts: Item Level 9, Legs, Plate Armor, 113 Armor, Required Level 4.

Inferior Refined Armor Gloves: Item Level 9, Hands, Plate Armor, 113 Armor, Required Level 4.

Inferior Refined Armor Boots: Item Level 9, Feet, Plate Armor, 113 Armor, Required Level 4.

The five pieces of equipment gave Sun Busong a total of 545 Armor!

He had now become a high-defense, high-health main tank.

After leaving, he met up with Suya. Even she could not stop praising the set of equipment when she saw it.

Their target today was a rather special monster in Cold Ridge Valley: Level 4 Frostmane Troll Recruits!

"Big Sister Suya, why are there Troll race recruits in our dwarven recruit training camp?"

When Sun Busong saw the targets they were supposed to hunt today, he suddenly felt restless.

He had killed plenty of Horde Side players while gaming before, but now that he had transmigrated and was facing these living recruits from the opposing side, he could not bring himself to attack.

"It's perfectly normal for there to be Troll race recruits. We captured them. Throughout Cold Ridge Valley, aside from one special type of Elemental Monster, they are the final training and challenge for recruits like you."

Sun Busong's gaze swept over the troll recruits, and the shock in his eyes was beyond words. War was this cruel.

Suya seemed to see through his thoughts. She gently patted his shoulder, then said to him in a soft voice, "Whether it's the Horde or the Alliance, recruits like you must undergo this test. Those who fail it will never advance to become soldiers. If you don't dare act now—whether out of fear, mercy, reluctance, or sympathy—then in the end, you can only be a civilian!"

Sun Busong's hand trembled slightly as he asked Suya in a shaking voice, "Do I have to kill them?"

"You must! And you must wipe out all hundred of them. If you don't kill them now, how will you kill enemies on the battlefield in the future?"

He had to kill, but he did not actually need to kill a hundred people. That was a demand Suya had imposed on Sun Busong. If he wanted to become a Silver Elite Level professional, how could he grow without being ruthless?

Sun Busong glanced at the sword in his hand, then at Suya. Her eyes were full of encouragement and expectation.

He looked back at the troll recruits. They had not yet realized what was about to happen. They were still wandering about aimlessly, and some even grabbed nearby small animals and tore them apart to eat them alive.

Sun Busong's cheek twitched at the sight.

"One gives 2 Health Points! One is worth 2 Slaughter Value! Kill!"

In the end, he raised his sword and charged forward.

Although these troll recruits were also Level 4, they had no weapons or armor and had received no deliberate training. Compared with Sun Busong, they were not even as strong as Level 3 Shaggy Young Wolves.

Three days later!

"I accepted a quest to go to Strong Alcohol Village in Dun Morogh to purchase supplies. You're already Level 6, and there are no monsters here that can stand against you anymore. And you actually killed every single monster in Cold Ridge Valley by yourself! Are you insane? Do you know how many people have come looking for Uncle Hanyi and me these past few days? The other recruits don't even have training opponents anymore. How are they supposed to level up?"

"Oh, Big Sister Suya, the monsters will respawn by the day after tomorrow at the latest. They don't need to come trouble me, do they? They just want to trick Uncle Hanyi into buying them drinks. I saw through them ages ago."

Sun Busong had a blade of grass between his lips and sat casually atop a stone block as he chatted with Suya.

Leveling up had become somewhat difficult for him now. To reach Level 10, he had to do quests. Killing monsters no longer gave him much experience, and more importantly, he had no way to increase his Health Points or Slaughter Value!

"So, do you want to come with me or not?"

"I don't want to. I accepted some quests too. These days, I've been helping my old man forge equipment."

"You? Forging equipment? Hahaha." Suya clutched her plump belly and laughed so hard she nearly lost her breath.

"Don't underestimate me. As long as there are enough materials, I can even make blue-quality gear for you!"

"Tch! I don't believe you." Although Suya's Old Man was also a master blacksmith, she had no talent in that area and disliked the heat in the forge, so she still didn't know that Sun Busong could forge equipment.

"How about this? Bring back the materials, and I'll forge the equipment for you. But you'll need to bring double the materials as my labor fee. If the forging fails, I'll compensate you in full!"

His forging work hadn't stopped these past few days. Even Uncle Hanyi had marveled at his learning ability, though it was all an act. He was a Grandmaster Level blacksmith.

In order to reach level ten as quickly as possible, he had taken on dozens of forging commissions in a row over the past two days. Those jobs gave a fair amount of experience, and he also earned some silver coins.

After forging three more pieces of equipment, he would reach level seven.

"You said it. We dwarves never lie or go back on our word."

"Don't worry. I swear it in the name of Leibraide Busong!"

After Suya left, Sun Busong returned to the forge. Over the past few days, he had honed the fundamentals to perfection, not inferior to Uncle Hanyi in the slightest. What he lacked was practical experience; in theory, he had long surpassed this era.

Bronze Heavy Sword: Item Level 11. One-handed. One-handed Sword. 6–10 Damage. Speed 2.6 (Damage Per Second 3.07). Required Level 6.

This was the weapon Sun Busong had forged for himself, and it was the only one.

There was no helping it. The other scarce materials were tightly controlled. He had only managed to gather enough for this one by secretly skimming materials from the equipment he forged for others.

He had already set his sights on a set of equipment: the Ironforge Refined Armor Set, five pieces ranging from level 11 to level 13. Once he completed his tasks, he would begin crafting it.

Among those pieces, only the malachite and tigerseye were difficult to obtain. The rest of the materials were all available here. He hadn't been bluffing Suya—he truly had his eye on a level 30 blue-quality staff, the Staff of the Law Enforcer.

Suya happened to be able to equip it. It could also be considered his thanks for her care over the past few days. Of course, the crafting materials had to include malachite and tigerseye—the more, the better.

After completing another task, Sun Busong directly selected level up!

A flash of light passed, and he reached level seven!

Health Points: 5074! Strength Value: 39 (+13 Free Attribute Points). Endurance: 14. Kill Points (26/100)

Slaughter had also reached level seven. +7 Strength. +7 Agility. +7 Endurance.

His overall attributes were: Strength 46. Agility 7. Endurance 21.

(Agility was not displayed on the character panel. It would only appear after he advanced to a class. Intelligence and Spirit would only appear at Elite and Silver Elite ranks.)

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