"Alas, the existence of magic items is simply unbelievable. And this is a goblin den, of all places." The Female Mage, who had just been off to one side, cheerfully throwing up until she had nearly vomited her guts out, heard Lin Yun's words and immediately turned her head. She had even forgotten to wipe the suspicious liquid from the corners of her mouth. Hurrying over to Lin Yun, she stared at the iron glove.
Under normal circumstances, Lin Yun would probably have caught a whiff of that suspicious smell by now. With his keen sense of smell, he might even have joined her in throwing up to show his respect. Fortunately, the smell of blood was stronger than the suspicious odor, and Lin Yun could at least tolerate that.
The Female Mage snatched the iron glove from Lin Yun's hand. He didn't stop her. She held it and examined it curiously, but unfortunately, she hadn't brought her Spellbook. She couldn't even cast Detect Magic, let alone Identify. In fact, Identify was the simplest option; it would tell her exactly what the iron glove did.
Lin Yun could cast Identify. Apart from artifacts, he should have been able to identify what kind of magic item it was. But... he had used up all his Spell Slots for the day, so he could only cast Identify through Ritual Casting. Yes, Identify was one of the spells that could be cast as a ritual.
However, that required Lin Yun to spend ten minutes focusing on the spell, unlike Detect Magic. Besides, he already had a rough idea of what the magic item was.
Why?
Because the dice had already told him. Uh, well.
"D20+2+2=21, identification successful."
Although casting Identify was quick and straightforward, he could also use ordinary investigation and knowledge. As soon as he picked up the item, the dice appeared in Lin Yun's mind, followed by a mass of information about blacksmithing gloves and some knowledge of magic.
Well, to sum up all that information in his mind, the gloves were made for blacksmiths, but unlike ordinary blacksmithing gloves, these had been enchanted.
The blacksmith's gloves protected the wearer's hands, allowing them to work safely in high heat without hindering their craft. Well, only the hands were protected. Anything beyond that didn't count...
In short, the gloves granted a little Fire Resistance to the wearer's hands—so little that it didn't even show up in the stats. In theory, an ordinary forge's flames couldn't burn the gloves or hurt the hands inside. More or less.
Wearing the gloves also granted a +5 bonus while smithing.
That might sound like a rather useless effect, but it was actually a huge boon for players focused on crafting, especially those who were blacksmiths. In terms of stats, a +5 bonus could practically raise an item by a whole tier.
Combined with Lin Yun's Clan Craftsman ability to reduce the DC, that meant that, in theory, if Lin Yun rolled a natural 20 and had good materials, he could forge the... core of an artifact. After all, this was a world of magic.
An artifact wasn't just about being sharp and durable. It also needed enchantments, and as for Lin Yun's enchanting abilities... well, let's talk about something else.
Lin Yun would have loved to dabble in enchanting, but unfortunately, it was divided into an entirely separate series of feats: Brew Potion, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Create Staff, Create Wondrous Item, and Forge Ring—a total of five feats.
As an aside, Lin Yun's earlier studies in alchemy and herbalism only let him make ordinary potions. Magic potions could have entirely different effects. They really felt as though magic had been poured into the potion itself.
Although Lin Yun was a Clan Craftsman, he could only forge ordinary weapons. At most, they could be a little sharper and more durable.
In game terms, he could force his way into making nonmagical +1, +2, or +3 equipment.
Of course, Lin Yun knew that even the simplest +1 mundane item wasn't easy to make. It required special materials. Magic weapons, on the other hand, only needed to be enchanted, so they didn't require as many materials—though enchanting itself still required materials.
In short, Dungeons & Dragons' crafting system was incredibly complicated, but it was also a great way to show off.
Of course, one shouldn't assume that making an artifact was that simple. Lin Yun didn't know how the DM of this world made those judgments, but if he were the DM, he'd set the DC to repair ordinary equipment at 10, and the DC to repair magic equipment at 15, 20, or 25, depending on its level. Crafting equipment would start at DC 15, then jump to 25, 30, and 35.
Ordinary equipment and enhanced mundane equipment were on completely different levels, so naturally, the latter was much harder to make. And if he really wanted to forge the core of an artifact, Lin Yun reckoned he'd need a Smithing check of at least 40. Anything less was probably impossible.
But could a Smithing check really get that high? Well, setting aside the Forging Master Gloves he'd found today, there was actually a spell that could improve one's smithing ability. It was called Blessing of the Craftsman. It didn't just boost smithing; it enhanced every kind of crafting skill. Equipment could help, too.
For instance, an enchanted smithing hammer, a powerful forge, and even a feat that boosted smithing ability. So, technically, getting one's smithing ability above 40 wasn't impossible. But there was no point thinking about that in the near future. Even if he could get his skill that high, he'd still need materials capable of withstanding the process.
"This is... mmm, I see. Ah, this isn't much use to us." The Female Mage examined the iron glove from every angle. She seemed to have reached a conclusion much like Lin Yun's after his check, but the difference was that Lin Yun had directly dug the information out of his character sheet's brain after passing the check.
The Female Mage, on the other hand, reached her conclusion by carefully studying the patterns on the glove, the enchanting materials, and even the craftsmanship itself. The two methods were fundamentally different. Hers required a truly deep store of knowledge. One had to admit, she knew her stuff.
"Ah, what do you mean?" The young warrior knew that, according to the Adventurers' code, loot should be divided according to contribution and need, and that discovering it also counted as a contribution. But Lin Yun had done almost all the work, so the young warrior was pretty sure the iron glove belonged to him. After all, only the two burly men among them would want it. The Female Mage and the Goddess Priestess were out of the question, and the Female Fighter... well, judging by the circumstances, she probably wouldn't want it either.
Looks were what mattered, especially when some much greater assets were involved.
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a pair of Forging Master Gloves. Human hands are fragile. Compared with the Dwarves, the Children of Stone born from rock, they're incredibly delicate. Some of the more skilled Dwarf blacksmiths can even reach into lava with their bare hands to retrieve things, but humans can't. That's why some human blacksmiths asked mages to make gloves like these.
"In theory, anyone with these gloves can reach into lava and retrieve things with their bare hands, just like a Dwarf master. That's why they're called Forging Master Gloves. I've read about them in books, so I know they exist. They're practically useless in combat, so they're not much use to us." The Female Mage instinctively pushed up her glasses, looking rather pleased with herself. But as she raised her hand, she accidentally touched the corner of her mouth. A wet sensation drew her attention to... the suspicious liquid there.
"Eek!" With an unbearably cute squeal, the Female Mage threw the Forging Master Gloves at Lin Yun and turned her back to them, trying to pretend nothing had happened.
"Oh, right. Sir Silent is a blacksmith, isn't he? Then these Forging Master Gloves should go to him." Watching the Female Mage's attempt to pretend nothing had happened, the young warrior had briefly felt tempted to tease her. She was usually so aloof, looking down on everyone—especially him—with an expression that seemed to say, "Oh, cannon fodder."
But his beastlike instincts told him that if he dared tease the Female Mage while her nerves were on the verge of snapping, he'd probably be dead by this time next year. So he quickly changed the subject.
"That's right. If Sir Silent hadn't repaired my chainmail, I would've been hurt today." Though she'd been frightened into backing away by Lin Yun's killing spree earlier, the airheaded girl seemed to have gotten somewhat "used to it." Remembering the chainmail reminded her of the goblin with the dagger, who'd made sure to show off the chainmail's usefulness even as he died. She thanked Lin Yun...
"Mm, thank you very much." Lin Yun nodded as if this were only natural and accepted the iron glove. Of course, he couldn't put it on just yet. He'd confirmed that it wasn't cursed, but... it was so filthy, all black and grimy.
This wasn't because Lin Yun didn't understand how to behave around people. That was simply Silent's nature. His gentleness and silence came from his pride. He wouldn't pocket the spoils for himself because he didn't think he needed to.
He was a great noble. He accepted what others gave him because he considered it the tribute he was owed. Naturally, he had protected his people, so his people should serve him—even if he might have to pay for it with his life.
To earn a reward from the DM, Lin Yun had racked his brains trying to imagine what this noble named Silent was like. In the end, he'd come up with the oldest, most primitive, and most glorious image of nobility.
Well, at least to Lin Yun, that was how a true noble should behave—not like some miserly landowner, or a thug who murdered, robbed, and abused women.
Where did the nobility come from? The earliest nobles had earned their rank through war, fighting desperately for their country, their king, and even their people, carving a path through the wilderness and expanding their territory.
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