Want to learn? I can't teach you

He wanted a sword forged.

For his pet beast.

His pet beast was a husky.

Master Lin understood every sentence.

But why did they stop making sense when put together?

Was he crazy, or was this newcomer in front of him crazy?

"I mean exactly what I said..."

Lu Ran also knew that giving a husky a sword went against common sense.

It was the sort of idea that seemed to have absolutely no future.

But the thing was, he had Super Beast Mimicry.

Once he successfully developed a reverse application of Super Beast Mimicry and completed Super Beast Mimicry 2.0, he and General Ha would be able to "cultivate together."

Then their swordsmanship experience could grow at lightning speed, and making the concept of a Swordsman Dog a reality would be no problem.

"This sort of commission... is a first for me."

After a silence, Master Lin looked seriously at Lu Ran and confirmed that he wasn't joking.

"I don't recommend messing around like this. It might seem fun and unconventional, but in my experience as a smith, this kind of weapon is completely incompatible with a creature like a dog."

"Unless you can evolve your pet beast into a humanoid form, like a Western Werewolf. But that's still far beyond you."

"Thank you. But I've already made up my mind. Can you forge it?" Lu Ran asked.

This middle-aged fellow was surprisingly nice.

Master Lin paused and considered it for a moment. "Interesting. Looks like you have your own ideas. In that case, I'll only handle the forging, not after-sales support. Don't come looking for me if your dog cuts itself. If you accept that, hand over your materials."

"If all you have is meteoric iron ore, the price is 2,000 Crystal Coins."

"Huh?" Lu Ran blinked. "That expensive?"

He had assumed it would cost a few hundred Crystal Coins at most. After all, he had brought his own material.

Master Lin said, "You only have one piece of meteoric iron ore. How could a single material possibly be enough to forge a weapon?"

"Summon your pet beast. I'll add other high-grade materials based on its attribute and other characteristics."

"The finished product might not rival a rare-quality weapon, but it'll definitely be among the best high-grade ones. Even wielded by a dog, it'll cut through iron like butter and give you a huge advantage in low-level instances."

"All right." Since the information broker had said this place had an excellent reputation, Lu Ran chose to trust Master Lin. It was only 2,000 Crystal Coins. He could afford that.

For General Ha!

"Payment first."

Master Lin tapped the counter and pointed to a spot for a handprint.

Lu Ran transferred the 2,000 Crystal Coins, then took the silvery-white meteoric iron ore out of his backpack and placed it on the counter.

With that, aside from the few thousand Crystal Coins he still had left, Lu Ran had put all the materials and other rewards from the Novice Secret Realm to use.

I'll set aside some of the remaining Crystal Coins for instance runs. With the rest, I'll follow the recommended diet for Wind pet beasts in the Basic Training Manual and buy General Ha food that helps raise its growth level... Lu Ran planned.

"Master Lin, how long will the forging take?" As he asked, Lu Ran summoned General Ha.

A circular summoning formation appeared inside the Forge.

"Awooo~~~" Light flashed, and General Ha surveyed its surroundings with bright, lively eyes. There was no denying that huskies were handsome. They were among the best-looking dogs.

"Hmm..." Master Lin studied General Ha and sank into thought. He had assumed there might be something special about Lu Ran's pet beast, but how was this any different from an ordinary husky?

"Woof." General Ha looked at Master Lin. What are you looking at?

"It's only a high-grade weapon. Find somewhere to sit. I'll finish within an hour. Also, this fellow has the Wind attribute, right?"

"Yes."

With just a glance, Master Lin had identified General Ha's attribute from its characteristics. Wind pet beasts had particularly silky, flowing fur, as though a breeze were always brushing through it.

"Wait here." He picked up the heavy piece of meteoric iron ore, hefted it in his hand, and called into the back room, "Old partner, time to get to work."

"Oh!!!"

Inside the sweltering back room, beside an enormous furnace, a turtle-like creature let out a loud cry. Its shell was dark red all over, while its limbs and head were made entirely of red flames.

A moment later, Lu Ran felt the temperature inside the Forge rise several more degrees.

He looked toward the back room, eager to see what pet beast was inside, but unfortunately, he couldn't.

Since he had to wait an hour, Lu Ran wasn't about to sit idle. As he stroked General Ha's fur while it lay beside his legs, his gaze moved to the wall.

Weapons, equipment, and tools hung there without price tags.

He had the basic Eye of Data, so he could still read the information on these low-level, nonliving items.

The basic Eye of Data was a reward only obtainable with a rating of S or higher in the Newbie Trial Secret Realm. That was one of his personal advantages.

[Name]: Redleaf Knife

[Grade]: High

[Description]: A short blade enchanted with the fire attribute. Activating its flames drains the user's stamina.

[Name]: Blacklight Shield

[Grade]: High

[Description]: A shield capable of absorbing elemental damage to a certain extent.

[Name]: Flash Gemstone

[Grade]: High

[Description]: Upon activation, creates an energy barrier lasting one hour. The barrier disappears after taking one attack.

A wide variety of equipment and tools hung on the wall. After spotting several swords, Lu Ran fell into thought.

If the sword forged from meteoric iron ore was for General Ha, shouldn't he get a sword for himself too?

After all, he couldn't bring the Iron-Slashing Sword at home into Infinite City.

He was also quite tempted by single-use defensive items like the Flash Gemstone.

In combat, the Beast Tamer was undoubtedly the biggest weak point. Until he developed a sufficiently powerful physique through Super Beast Mimicry, these single-use defensive items could greatly improve his safety.

Unfortunately... his funds were limited. He probably couldn't afford many.

Forget it. The Divine Deer Pendant would be enough.

Lu Ran continued examining the equipment and tools on the wall. By now, he already understood how resources were graded.

Common, high, rare, exquisite, epic, legendary.

His Divine Deer Pendant belonged to the fifth tier, making it extremely precious. That left him even more curious about the origins of his family heirloom.

When he had time... he could return to Lujia Village, his hometown, and investigate.

It had been a long time since he last went back...

After his grandparents' generation passed away, his parents had rarely kept in touch with anyone there.

Forty-five minutes later.

Master Lin emerged from the forging room.

He held a medium-length, silvery-white sword.

"Your weapon is finished."

"Come inspect it."

Lu Ran stood and looked at the sword Master Lin placed on the counter.

[Name]: Windfall Sword

[Grade]: High

[Description]: A weapon capable of conducting and amplifying Wind energy.

"Your pet beast should know Energy Coating and how to wrap energy around its body, right?" Master Lin asked.

"This sword can conduct and amplify energy."

"When your pet beast holds it, even if it hasn't mastered external Energy Wrapping, it can still wrap energy around this sword. If it has mastered the technique, doing so will be even easier and take less effort."

"Once energy is wrapped around the sword, it'll also amplify the effects of that attribute's energy, increasing its destructive power."

"Meteoric iron ore is one of the finest high-grade resources. In theory, it can conduct and amplify any attribute. But since your pet beast has the Wind attribute, I added some other materials to enhance its Wind conduction and amplification."

"Of course, it retains its ability to conduct other attributes, so your pet beast can keep using it after awakening a second attribute."

"Hmm... with this sword, even if your pet beast is only level 6 or below, it'll have a chance of seriously injuring a level 10 creature of an extraordinary species... For newcomers like you, that's a major boost."

Provided... it could actually use the sword properly.

Hopefully, this wouldn't backfire and leave it injuring itself.

Master Lin eyed the excited husky doubtfully.

"Great sword!" Lu Ran was delighted. He didn't yet know how powerful its effects were, but he was extremely satisfied with its appearance.

Silvery-white from end to end, it gleamed sharply, with patterns like a raging wind. Its coloring matched General Ha perfectly.

"Here." Lu Ran picked up the Windfall Sword Master Lin had set down and bent slightly.

The next moment, General Ha clamped its jaws around the hilt.

Then it took a few steps back.

Master Lin watched with a curious expression.

"Woof." General Ha's gaze immediately sharpened. An astonishing surge of air rose from its body, followed by stream after stream of wind, shading from white into sky blue, rapidly winding from the hilt up around the blade!

Boom!

In an instant, the Windfall Sword radiated dazzling light. Amid its buzzing hum, the originally weak airflow seemed on the verge of swelling into a terrifying hurricane!

It danced across the blade like a storm.

"Stop!"

Master Lin's eyelid twitched. Remembering huskies' reputation for wrecking houses, he stopped General Ha before it could unleash even more power.

"It really works well. It only injected a small amount of energy, yet the sword amplified it this much," Lu Ran said. Those 2,000 Crystal Coins felt well spent!

"Your pet beast has actually mastered external Energy Wrapping..." Master Lin was even more surprised by General Ha's control over its energy. Although the Windfall Sword conducted energy exceptionally well, he could tell that the husky itself was also highly skilled.

This husky... wasn't even level 10 yet, was it?

Generally speaking, very few pet beasts below level 10 could master an advanced technique like external Energy Wrapping.

"Yes, it's pretty quick on the uptake." Lu Ran smiled.

"We're very satisfied with this sword."

"Good to hear." Master Lin nodded, observing how freely General Ha could unleash and withdraw its power.

This dog... certainly looked the part with a sword in its mouth. It must have practiced for a long time.

Could it really fight with a sword in its jaws?

Surely not.

He looked at Lu Ran. This fellow might be more than an ordinary newcomer.

An ordinary newcomer couldn't train a husky like this, much less produce meteoric iron ore and 2,000 Crystal Coins!

Forget it. Whoever he was, it had nothing to do with Master Lin.

"All right. If there's nothing else, I'll let you see yourself out," Master Lin said, stretching.

"Wait, Master Lin. How many Crystal Coins does that cost?" Lu Ran pointed at the wall.

[Name]: Wind-Slaying Sword

[Grade]: High

[Description]: A sword enchanted with Wind energy. Activating its wind blades drains the user's stamina.

"Oh? This one's for you, then?" Master Lin asked.

Weapons with built-in enchantments, like the Redleaf Knife and Wind-Slaying Sword, were actually meant for Beast Tamers to defend themselves or use in particular secret realms.

Some secret realms contained large numbers of Ice creatures. With a Redleaf Knife enchanted with fire energy, even a Beast Tamer with little physical strength could inflict tremendous damage on low-level creatures.

They were quite useful for beginners.

"The Wind-Slaying Sword is 1,500 Crystal Coins," Master Lin said after a casual glance.

"I'll take it." Lu Ran gritted his teeth.

"All right. Transfer the money, then," Master Lin said.

Soon, Lu Ran completed another transaction. Afterward, he casually asked, "Master Lin, where did you learn your forging skills?"

Beside him, General Ha looked up at Lu Ran.

Was Boss Lu planning to forge swords for it himself in the future?

It loved that idea.

"What, you want to learn?" Master Lin glanced at Lu Ran too. Since Lu Ran had spent quite a bit today, he offered a little more explanation. "My circumstances were unusual, so they wouldn't work for you. I learned my forging skills in a Breakthrough Secret Realm."

"I don't know whether that was bad luck or good luck..."

"Ninety percent of Breakthrough Secret Realms test a Beast Tamer's combat ability, but I somehow ran into a bizarre breakthrough task. The Beast Tamers who entered had to personally forge a piece of equipment suitable for their own pet beast, and it even had a grade requirement... Who studies that stuff apart from crafting-focused Beast Tamers?" Master Lin grumbled.

"Luckily, I'm a damn genius. I managed to butter up a master smith inside the secret realm, and he taught me a few tricks. That time... out of all the Beast Tamers who entered, I was the only one who cleared it. If you want to learn, isn't the Alliance setting up some Beast Taming University? There'll definitely be someone teaching it there."