Level 1 Blacksmith

Chapter 21: Level-One Blacksmith

As hammer after hammer fell, Verek, watching from the side, kept nodding. Santis and Molai nodded as well. By this point, as long as Dole made no mistakes, the sword was already finished. The kid's basic hammering technique was quite good too, even though he had only been at it for a month.

Too fast.

By the eighth forging, Dole's forehead was covered in sweat, but his gaze remained firm and his expression steady.

Seeing this, Verek and the other two level-two blacksmiths all breathed a sigh of relief. The kid had secured his position as a level-one blacksmith. He only needed to take the blacksmith certification exam before he could officially start work with credentials.

When Dole drew out the iron sword and plunged it into ice water to quench it, applause broke out around him.

"Congratulations!"

"Dole, you're the most gifted child I've ever seen."

"Dole, you've only been here a month and a half, yet you've already surpassed what took me half a year. That's just unfair. When next month's wages come in, you're buying us drinks." This came from a level-one blacksmith.

"Exactly, exactly. Drinks, drinks!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

They all knew Dole came from the slums and did not have much money to begin with. They were only joking around.

Dole wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face covered in black grime. He did not mind it at all, and said with high spirits, "No problem, no problem. That's assuming I get paid first."

"Haha!"

Just then, a voice came from nearby. "You will, you will. Come sign a contract with me next."

Boss Harley's voice came from outside.

Hearing Boss Harley's voice, the blacksmiths all started laughing. "Boss Ha, you've really found a treasure. Dole became a level-one blacksmith in just one month. He has hopes of reaching level three in the future."

Molai's distinctive voice immediately drew agreement from everyone around him.

"Exactly. Boss Ha should treat us," Santis joked as well.

Even Harley's usually stern face showed an expression now. His gaze toward Dole softened slightly as he said, "A treat is a must, but not now. All right, it's time for lunch. There's work to do this afternoon."

"We've been waiting for those words, Boss. Everyone, let's eat."

Dole scratched his head and looked at Supervisor Harley, somewhat at a loss.

Harley beckoned to him.

Seeing that Dole still was not moving, Verek kicked him and said, "Hurry up and go."

Only then did Dole seem to wake from a dream and walk toward Harley.

There were no twists or turns in the contract-signing process. From then on, Dole was a member of Old Ke Smithy. His base monthly pay was seven silver coins, until he advanced to a level-two blacksmith. Of all the goods produced in between, Dole could take a ten percent share. Though it was low, that was the market rate. His monthly income had leaped from nothing to ten Mafa silver coins, and Dole was dumbfounded on the spot.

Seven silver coins meant seven hundred Mafa copper coins. A few months ago, that would have been an enormous fortune—no, an astronomical sum.

By the time Dole came out, his steps were floating.

It was too surreal.

He felt that blacksmithing was not difficult at all. As long as he put in a little effort, he could forge well. He had simply never expected to escape poverty in such a short time.

It was far too unexpected.

Harley put away the contract and came out behind Dole. Seeing Dole so absent-minded, Harley felt somewhat moved as well. Over the years, he had met all kinds of people, but Dole was more genuine than most. This youth from the slums was truly astonishingly talented.

He patted Dole on the shoulder and said, "Don't stand there in a daze. A level-one blacksmith is only the starting point. Only when you reach level three or above can you be considered truly part of this trade. Don't be fooled by how many people there are in this smithy—we're only considered beginners in the blacksmithing industry as a whole."

Dole was no longer the rookie he had been before. Hearing this, his heart immediately grew heavy.

That was right. After becoming a level-one blacksmith, he would need to become a level-two blacksmith. After that, he would still need to save money to buy a battle qi technique. Twenty gold coins were not so easy to save up.

Only by cultivating battle qi would he have a chance to enter the ranks of level-three blacksmiths. Only level-three blacksmiths were respected, just like the treasure that anchored Old Ke Smithy—the master who never showed his face, did nothing all year, and still received dividends of dozens of gold coins.

That was the weight of a level-three blacksmith. If he could reach level three, perhaps he would have enough resources for wizardry. Perhaps he could make a run for it too.

At that thought, his floating footsteps steadied once more. He nodded at Supervisor Harley and said seriously, "I'll study hard."

Supervisor Harley patted him on the shoulder. "Good. That's the spirit. Study well, at the very least, so you can live up to the wages I pay you each month." With that, he laughed heartily and left.

When Dole came out from the back and entered the dining hall, all the blacksmiths stood and saluted him.

Dole was moved. Following the etiquette recorded in The Legend of Naluye, he returned a bow to everyone.

These people all had families, yet their hearts were simple and free of crooked intentions. He sincerely wanted to stay here forever.

Seeing Dole's neither-fish-nor-fowl salute, Harley wanted to laugh, but did not. After all, Dole had come from the slums and knew nothing.

Because Dole had only just become a level-one blacksmith and his foundation was still unstable, he was not assigned his own forge that afternoon. Instead, he continued following Verek and learning. Of course, Supervisor Harley had said that if necessary, he could use any unused forge nearby.

Even so, Dole felt brimming with energy. His life had finally gotten back on the right track.

They quickly finished eating, and everyone came out from the back laughing and chatting. In front of their forge, Dole and Verek spotted a figure dressed in black. Dole took a look and keenly sensed that this black-clad person was the battle swordsman from last time.

Verek noticed him as well and stepped forward to ask about it.

The man in black looked at Dole and noticed the changes in him, finding them somewhat strange. This kid had good talent. How long had it been? He had already trained up a body full of muscle.

He merely looked without speaking, then took out his battle sword and handed it to Verek.

Verek accepted it with some confusion. When he saw the battle sword, he was startled. It was covered in scars—nicks of every kind and fine cracks. This guy's opponent must have been quite powerful.

The man in black said little. He took out a small black bundle from behind his back and slowly untied it.

Verek and Dole's gazes were involuntarily drawn to the bundle. As it opened, the item inside was revealed.

The two of them blinked.

"Black Refined Copper—a material with exceptionally high hardness and toughness. It's a third-grade material, and quite valuable." Verek explained it to Dole, then looked at the man in black. "Are you intending to fuse the Black Refined Copper into it, sir?"

The man in black nodded. "Yes. Can you do it?"

Verek nodded. "Yes. Please wait a moment."

At that point, Dole knew what he needed to do: tend the fire and prepare the various tools.

Dole was already a first-grade blacksmith, so after fusing the materials, the forging process was completed through the two of them working together—one hammer each, perfectly in sync.

The man in black watched from the side, somewhat stunned. How long had this kid been here? He could already coordinate with a second-grade blacksmith. And that strength of his... there was something to it. Normally, unless one had a warrior's inheritance, it was difficult to raise one's abilities so much in such a short time. It required medicine, large amounts of meat, and the support of training methods.

Could this little fellow possess some kind of talent?

If he had the talent to become a warrior, wasn't staying here simply a waste? How much could a blacksmith earn in a year?