Chapter 10: Books are Precious

Akaro had everything he needed to make his swords but he had a promise to keep first. Melchior and Akaro's contract was now over and he was not obligated to work at the forge. Graduating from apprentice he was now allowed to use the forge at any time he wanted.

He was walking down the east side of the city and reached his destination. Opening the doors of the Alchemy Haven, the same musty smell invaded his nostrils.

“Poison-ssi. I'm here to repay the favor.”

The same gloomy woman entered his line of sight. She looked liked she was moving a little faster than when they first met.

“Welcome... Akaro...”

“So what is the first step?”

“Follow... me...”

Poison led Akaro to the room she just exited. She had a large black cauldron in a corner of the room bubbling a viscous blue liquid, various ingredients on top of a large oak table and a large book.

“Akaro... important to note everything...”

She handed him a book with blank pages.

“To record any recipe's I've made?”

“Yes..”

“First recipe... basic mana potion...”

He took out his enchanted pen and prepared to take notes.

“Inscribe on.”

“Leaf with blue mark...need 10...”

Akaro wrote down the first step.

“Then dry leaves...”

“Wait... just need ten of those plants? No other ingredients?”

Akaro was surprised at the simplicity of the basic mana potion. Then again it only replenished 50 mana.

“You listen... I teach...”

“I'm sorry Poison-ssi.”

Poison had a small smile on her face. She was avoided due to her gloomy look as if she was the ghost in the ring. So her interaction with players was quite minimal. Also most players avoided crafting skills like Alchemy as it is class that requires a lot of work. The moment Akaro had asked her to teach him she felt a bit of joy as she could share her knowledge to someone.

“Dry leaves... take at least... 1 day... in sun”

Poison grabbed some leaves she had dried earlier.

“Then grind them...”

She placed the dried leaves in a mortar and started to pound and grind the leaves.

Akaro watched as he was familiar with that tool as when making ninja pills a mortar was needed as well.

“Boil water...”

She had a beaker set up with water and put the burner underneath the glass and it started to heat up.

“Add mint...”

“Mint?”

“Flavor...”

He had a sweatdrop on his head. Akaro jotted it down regardless.

“Blue leaf... really bland...”

“I understand.”

“Then put powder in...”

Nodding his head, he watched as the powder went in but it was still clear. No change in colour happened at all. After a minute of it boiling he started to see it turn a bluish hue.

“Ten minutes... basic done...”

“Wow that does not take that long to make. I guess that's why it's basic.”

“Yes... good pupil...”

Akaro wrote down the basic formula.

“For better... need 50 leaves...”

“So putting in more increases the potency.”

“For really good... need 100 leaves... 50 clover...”

“Clover as well for the one's that I drank yesterday?”

“Yes...”

Akaro wrote the last comment down. He was able to use the inscribe skill a bit longer now as he had an increase of mana when he added the blacksmith subclass the other day.

“Now... there dry leaves... there clover...”

As Poison pointed to the two locations of the ingredients, Akaro put his book down and started to count.

“Important... exact number... too little turn bad... too much waste...”

'If it isn't exactly like she told me then it would change the effect. Too little made the potency weaker and too much would waste the extra ingredients put in.'

Akaro was getting the hang of understanding Poison's strange way of talking. After acquiring the ingredients he started following her instructions. It took him ten minutes to make one really good mana potion.

“Good job... 19 more...”

Poison watched her young apprentice as he continued to make potion after potion. By his twentieth potion he received a message.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Completed contract with Poison the alchemist.[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Level up: Handicraft (Beginner Lv. 2 28%)

Sword Mastery (+6% ATK)[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have learned how to make various mana potions.

Would you like to add alchemist as a class skill?[/col][/box]

“No.”

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have declined learning the class.[/col][/box]

“Akaro... don't like alchemy..?”

Poison was sad as it seemed like her apprentice declined to learn her art.

“Poison-ssi. I do like alchemy but I do not want the class right now. I'll learn the basics though.”

Lifting her head, she looked at him while he said that. She gave a nod before grabbing the potions.

“Good potions... you talented... come back later... learn class... anytime...”

“If I need to I will definitely come back. I will come back to buy potions from you though. So you will still see me around. Thank you for teaching me.”

“Good boy... go now...”

Bowing at the smiling woman he left towards the restaurant first.

“Young brother. Rai has been a good dog. Rai go with your master.”

One of the chefs who was watching Rai while he was out called for the shiba inu. In it's mouth he carried bentos and the supplies he needed to keep up his stamina and to feed Rai.

“Master! What are we doing today?”

“Going back to the forge. We need to start making a few gifts first for the people who has helped me during my time here.”

Patting the dog on the head, they both started to walk towards the Rusty Nail.

Genbu was chewing on pieces of the ore that Akaro made earlier and spat out the remains in a different pile.

“Hyung! Look I helped you make better ore.”

Proud of his accomplishment, Genbu was looking for acknowledgement from his self proclaimed older brother.

“Let me check. Identify.”

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mediocre Steel Alloy +

As the impurities of the ore have been removed the quality of steel has also improved to a degree.

Iron Purity 70%

Carbon Content 1.4%

Quality C[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Steel Alloy+

Average alloy which purity has improved making it more flexible.

Iron purity 80%

Carbon Content 0.9%

Quality: B[/col][/box]

Akaro noted that Genbu can increase the quality of the alloy by one rank after using his Metal Chewer ability.

“Genbu you have done well.”

Genbu started to dance. It was more of a shuffle but it still showed his happiness.

“That turtle is a really good for any blacksmith to have. Mind selling him to me?”

Melchior asked as he could already see the dollar signs in the future if he had become the owner of the turtle.

“He's not for sale. I promised him I'll take care of him.”

“Too bad. Well better you then any other blacksmith. As I can always say you are my apprentice. Hahaha. Oh by the way... you should sell your kitchen knives that you finished.”

“Will do. Can I sell them here?”

“Of course. Do you want to go with a different contract this time. I already accepted you as an apprentice... how about becoming a partner?”

Pondering Akaro accepted the notion before a wry smile was plastered on his face.

“Then we split the profits 40/60. Sixty for me and forty for you?”

“Haha my greed has rubbed off on you. As you did majority of the work I do not mind that type of deal. As this is a partnership, do you want to change the name of this forge?”

“Hmm... I think I know a good name for it.”

Akaro looked at Genbu before he wrote up the contract.

'I, Melchior, will acknowledge Akaro as a partner for the Iron Turtle. Any equipment sold here will be split forty to sixty depending on who created the item. Costs for raw materials and maintenance costs will be divided evenly. Akaro and Melchior can access the forge at any time.'

Signing the new contract, Akaro shook his master's hand.

“You are my only official apprentice. So don't give me a bad name.”

Ding.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Received new title.

Graduated Apprentice of Melchior

Fame up by 30

Speech up by 40[/col][/box]

“Well time for me to get back to work. Make sure you sell those damn knives. They've been an eyesore for over a week now.”

Nodding he set up his usual spot and grabbed the 100 kitchen knives and put one of them on display. Akaro needed to sell them but first he needed to know their attributes.

“Identify.”

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Kitchen Knife of Akaro

Durability: 120/120

Damage: 20-50

A knife created by the apprentice of the blacksmith at what was known as the Rusty Nail. Due to the care in forging this knife the durability was quite high and it's so sharp that cutting pumpkins would be easy to do.

Equip:

Cooking Skill effectiveness increased by 25%

Requirement:

No level restrictions.

Required strength 10[/col][/box]

Now that he knew his product how was he going to sell it. Genbu who was at Akaro's feet was pulling his pants.

“Hyung! Carry!”

As if picking up a baby, Akaro lifted his turtle and placed it on his red hair. Although Genbu was heavy, Akaro ignored the weight as he continued to ponder on how to sell the knives.

Genbu stared at Akaro while bending his head so their eyes met.

Akaro than had an epiphany. He could tell a story. He had read about how salesman in the old west would start off spouting out stories to attract customers then he would sell them a miracle cure that was sure to cure all.

Using that knowledge Akaro prepared himself go get into character. He needed to be loud like his master but not obnoxious.

“To all who aspire to be chefs or just want to cook great tasting food for their family come to the Iron Turtle! I have excellent cooking knives that are so sharp it will cut your preparation time in half!”

“Is it really that sharp?”

One of the NPC mothers that heard his message asked.

“Is it really that sharp? Let me tell you a story. This forge use to be known as the Rusty Nail but then the old man Melchior chanced upon a rare turtle he changed the name to Iron Turtle. Why was the turtle rare one may ask? Well he would eat the very ground you are walking on and looked to be a child of a mountain. The legend goes when this turtle chewed on any bad iron it would miraculously turn pure as if it was made from the rare iron sands of the east.”

The small group of NPCs that have gathered were all curious now.

“That's unbelievable.”

“Why would a turtle eat the ground or metal?”

“Don't they live in the water?”

“I can sense many of you are disbelievers. Lo and behold on top of my head is the very turtle who had provided this miracle.”

Grabbing a piece of dull looking iron ore he placed it on the counter.

“Now watch as I order this turtle to turn this dull looking ore to a much purer form.”

Genbu was lifted up and also placed on the counter. Already understanding his masters intentions he chewed on the ore and spat it out. It shone brightly in the sun and that was all the evidence the people need to be interested.

Akaro who was starting to enjoy telling this tall tale couldn't help but embellish a bit of the truth.

Melchior who was watching his apprentice with a big smile on his face. He knew this boy originally was quite silent when he first arrived at his forge but as the weeks went buy. he started to show similarities with Melchior. Following his example the boy picked up the knack for selling and the value of money.

“As you can see it shines in the sun so brightly that it has to have improved in purity. Now these knives I have only 100 of them. I have apprenticed under the great Melchior and he provided me this forge where these knives were crafted. As you can tell from it's gleam this is a very rare knife. I'm willing to part ways with it for 15 silver. As I have only a limited supply I can sell knives to the first 100 clients in line.”

Ding

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have told a story of Genbu, your pet turtle and his ability to clean the impurities of ore. You have told this story with passion and wonder that the crowd was enticed to hear more and be willing to purchase from you. The people who buy your knives will remember this story and they will retell it to their friends and family.

Iron Turtle fame has increased

Melchior the blacksmith fame has increased

Fame up by 10[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Level up: Storytelling (Beginner Lv. 5 30%)

INT up by 2

WIS up by 2

Speech up by 100

Art up by 30[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Level up: Persuasion (Beginner Lv. 9 34%)[/col][/box]

They all started to crowd around trying to be the first one in line.

'I cannot believe that worked. This Akaro is already different from the real me. Or is it the real me?'

Having no time to dwell on that thought he took out the first knife. The first customer seemed to be a mother with children.

“I would like to purchase one of your knives please.”

As she was showing a blush the greediness that was seeded in his soul began to sprout. It's as if his persona took on the personality of a shrewd businessman.

“For you lovely madame I'll be happy to but alas. This won't do...”

The mature lady looked confused and slightly concerned that she would not be getting one of the rare knives.

He looked at the woman and smiled with a wink.

“For such a lovely lady I cannot just leave this knife as it is. You have a cute daughter so a cute symbol is needed on the knife. Would you like me to personally inscribe our forge's name and a picture of a turtle on the handle? It's only another 5 silver. I'll even let you pick the color.”

Akaro needed to work on his inscribing and illustration skills. He also used charm as it was a woman in front of him. Now that he's been playing the game just over two weeks in real life non-stop, he was beginning to understand that he needed to use his skills more often as the bonuses would just help him in the long run.

The woman blushed as she saw him wink.

“Yes. Please do! My daughter's favourite colour is pink.”

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Level up: Charm (Beginner Lv 3 20%)[/col][/box]

With a charming smile Akaro took out Belthazar's pen and thought pink for the colour. He used inscribe first to write the name, Iron Turtle, on one side of the handle and used illustration to draw a picture of Genbu on the other side.

Ding

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Level up: Inscribe (Beginner Lv. 8 25%)[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Level up: Illustration (Beginner Lv. 4 30%)[/col][/box]

He then got paid 20 silver and Akaro gave the knife to the woman. She showed the picture to her daughter who smiled at him.

“Can I pet the turtle?”

“Of course.”

Genbu who was getting lightly petted by the little girl did his shuffle dance which the crowd all thought was quite cute. It also helped that a majority of the crowd were mothers who had children.

“Next please.”

“I'll pay the 20. I want my turtle in blue!'

One after one, the knives slowly were disappearing. The line only had a bout fifty NPCs and the rest were actually new adventurers. They heard a rumour of a knife that was stronger then the beginner sword was being sold for 15 silver.

Once the last knife was sold he called out.

“I'm sorry everyone but I have run out of stock. But do not fret. Melchior here can make fine weapons and when I'm around I can take orders as well.”

The crowd of people left. Some were happy that they manage to get a knife and others were trying to buy the knives off of the NPCs.

Cooking Queen had come by with two bento's for both him and Melchior. Even though the original contract ended, Gasper kept sending Melchior meals.

“Your son did rather well selling some good cooking knives to the public. He picked up my greedy sales tactics like a proper apprentice.”

Juhee frowned as she did not like how an NPC was beginning to influence her son. “Just tell me he did not lie to the people.”

“He did not lie. He just made it sound more exciting.”

Akaro smiled as both him and Melchior gave each other a wink.

“Aigoo... next your going to tell me you will be writing like abeoji.”

“You don't have to worry about that eomma. Gramps did not tell me to start writing.”

“Good.”

What he didn't tell her that he had started on that path long before Myung-Dae was even a factor.

“Eomma can you take Rai with you. He seems to not like the heat and I'm sure the hyungs would like to play with him.”

“No problem. Rai come with me. Do you want some tasty chicken? I made some earlier and I have a lot of scraps.”

Wagging it's tail Rai barked.

What Akaro heard from his pet was "food!". He smiled at his simple dog.

After they ate lunch Akaro then started going through the improved mediocre steel. He decided to make gifts out of the steel for his older brothers in the restaurant. He made a set of chef knives for all the younger chefs.

With a proper class he was able to make the knives quicker and so much better than the ones he just sold. He also used some of the ore to make a new sign for the forge and gave it to Melchior to hang up.

Genbu already knew his role as being Akaro's blacksmith tool. He wanted to be used for it after all and the more he was relied on the happier he felt. He was also elated to find out the forge was named after him.

Akaro was working quicker and a lot more efficient with his Ancient Bladesmith skills. He wanted to get his weapon smith level much higher before he started working on his katana.

After completing the gifts for the younger chefs which took him a couple of days to complete about eight sets of eight different knives, he started asking Genbu to start spitting out workable clay.

'I need to first make tamahagane steel.'

Akaro wanting a big batch started working the clay Genbu provided. He made a tatara, which was a clay tub furnace smelter that he placed in the forging area. It was quite large but with the amount of steel he wanted it was necessary. After making the tatara he needed to wait for it to harden and dry.

Once the clay tub was dry he started putting coal to start the heating process. This was an important start so he told his mother and Melchior he will be working on this for the next three days with no rest. He couldn't afford to let the heat drop or stop mixing in iron sand and charcoal every ten minutes.

Acquiring the very pure iron sand from Melchior cost him his profits for the next couple of months but that was fine with him. The steel he was making needed only the finest ingredients and the utmost attention.

He began to shovel iron sand and charcoal on top of the opening for the tatara. This was usually done with a lot more people but as it was a game he was able to accomplish this on his own. This continued on for days.

Melchior even closed the shop as he knew Akaro would probably need help while doing this. He helped with shovelling the charcoal after Akaro shovelled in the iron sand. They would both start turning over the mixture from time to time. Being an NPC fatigue hit him regularly as the virtual world was his real world and time was moving at his pace.

On the fourth day Akaro was satisfied with what he has done and only prayed that there will be a lot of steel for him to work with. As he stopped stoking the flames it started to cool enough for him to break the clay tub he made three days ago. Clearing out the debris he and Melchior took out the steel.

To most people they would see giant mass of metal but to Akaro's trained eyes he knew his work succeeded. He saw many layers of steel he can use. He also had a trump card in improving it.

“Genbu. Listen carefully. I will direct you on what to bite off and how to separate it properly. There will be three types of steel we will get out of this if done right.”

“Alright hyung.”

He didn't need to break off the metal as that could mix the steel together. Using Genbu for this job not only increased the quality of the steel but the risk of damaging his work has lessened.

“It's spicy.”

Akaro only shook his head at the turtle's description.

'How can metal be spicy?”

This went on for hours and Akaro would identify each ore piece that Genbu would spit out. He made sure the went to the right pile. The three piles he made had different forms of tamahagane.

"Identify"

Succeeding the first time he inspected each metal alloy.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Tamahagane type Hagane+

Extremely hard steel made using the methods of an ancient tribe in the east. No flexibility.

Iron purity 100%

Carbon Content: 1.0%

Quality: S[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Tamahagane type Kawagane+

A mixture of hard and soft steel using methods of an ancient tribe in the east. Moderate flexibility.

Iron Purity 100%

Carbon Content: 1.0%

Quality: S[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Tamahagane type Shigane+

A very soft steel using methods of an ancient tribe in the east. Extremely flexible.

Iron Purity: 100%

Carbon Content: 1.0%

Quality: S[/col][/box]

The amount of steel he procured was easily enough to make 100 katana if he wanted to but he only need to make four in total. He was going to also make another set of chef knives for his mother and for Gasper.

His skill as a swordsmith would be tested the moment he started working with the steel. He needed to be fast and accurate in order for him to fold the katana correctly. For this to be accomplished he first made the knives he was going give us as gifts to his mother and Gasper. Because of the quality of the ore his weapon smith skill would rise quite a bit even if he was just making knives.

After making the sixteenth knife that was part of his mother's set of eight he called out his Ancient Bladesmith skill window. As he had been ignoring pop ups during this whole process.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ancient Bladesmith

Repair (Intermediate Lv. 1 40%): Enables you to repair weapons and armors. Beyond Lv. 5, you can forge new weapons and gears.

No loss in durability when repairing

Consumes 50 mana

Smelting (Intermediate Lv 2. 20%): Enables you to draw out the raw material out of various items and compound it to a solid form of raw material for use in a forge.

Weapon Sharpening (Intermediate Lv. 2 23%): Enables the user to sharpen blade weapons using traditional methods.

Increases Attack power of the weapon by 24%

Requires a whetstone

Wood Carver (Beginner Lv 8. 10%): Enables the user to manipulate wood using the proper corresponding tool.

Handicraft (Beginner Lv. 7 10%): Enhances crafting skills and has extra effects to certain combat skills

Sword Mastery increased by (+21% ATK)

Weapon Break (Beginner Lv. 1 0%): Enables the user to decrease a weapons durability in combat.

Can decrease the durability by 2

Consumes 300 mana

Deconstruction (Beginner Lv. 1 0%): Enables the user to completely deconstruct equipment to its rawest form.

2.5% chance to succeed

Consumes 500 mana

Weapon Modification (Beginner Lv. 1 0%)Enables the user to adjust weapons to either increase durability, add special affects, or to completely change the shape.

2.5% chance to succeed

Consumes 500 mana

Weapon Smith (Intermediate Lv. 1 15%): Enables the user to smith any type of weapon.

30% Damage increased

30% Durability increased[/col][/box]

Akaro's main focus was his Weapon Smith skill. It had reached intermediate thanks to the sixteen chef knives he just completed.

Normally that would be a big deal in the game but because Akaro has not used the internet to post videos or actually showed his skill to anyone other than his mother he was left alone. Also his level was a measly level 13. He did not feel the need to brag about the skills he has or obtained. For the most part players just thought he was a blacksmith.

It was now time to work on the first katana. Grabbing a piece of parchment he inscribed a Shinto prayer on the piece of paper. Then grabbing a good handful of Shigane pieces, put them in a pile carried by a steel spatula he made earlier after making the knives. Then drenching the parchment with a mixture of ash and wet clay from Genbu he started heating the metal.

Once it was hot enough to work with he hammered it with his new mythril hammer. He made a long and thick rectangular piece which then set aside to cool. He repeated this step three times for the Shigane as this was going to be the core of his katana.

As the Shigane were cooling he started a similar process with the Kawagane but the main difference was he did this eight times instead of four. He also made them slightly thinner as these were going to be connected on each side of the core. Heating up the core he would hammer the Kawagane and Shigane together.

The last step was the most tedious as it dealt with folding. Preparing the Hagane he needed to be quick as this was harder ore and heating it up constantly would make it slightly weaker. Also as this was the outside of the blade he needed to fold it continuously before fusing it with the core. He had to do this with the Hagane sixteen times. As he needed enough steel to cover the core completely on all sides. Thicker steel for the blade portion and thinner pieces to protect the core but still be able to be flexible enough to block blows without too much of a vibration.

This whole process if done right took him another two days. To set up all the pieces and to fuse all the metal together before making the shape of the katana.

During this process both Genbu and Melchior watched Akaro work like a machine set on automatic until he was forced to eat to keep up his stamina.

'The amount of work he did in the last few weeks does not even amount to what he has done in the last few days.'

His diligence was from years of discipline and pride in his work. Most players would not spend this much time on forging a sword. Myung-Ki was also not a typical teen who focused on socializing amongst peers but would rather spend it with family, training, or reading a book. His newest hobby, Royal Road, allowed him to do all three.

There was now four katanas that are ready for the hardening process.

“Genbu. I need a lot of clay again.”

“Yes hyung.”

To harden the steel it need to be heated to set temperature before soaked in cool water. Akaro had propped up the first katana on two pieces of wood that held it for him as he used a brush to cover the katana in a layer of clay. This would protect the blade once it was cooled. Once the katana was covered in clay he would then mix in some ash and charcoal powder into the clay, he then made another clay line separating the sharp edge and the covering the back of the blade. This will help curve the blade as the back of the blade would cool much slower then the blade portion which was covered only once with just clay. The design of his ash-clay line looked like as if the blades were kissed by flickering flames. That's how his hamon or blade design would look like once the sword has hardened.

After applying the clay on all the swords he asked Melchior if he can cover the windows and the doors to prevent any excess light to come in. This step was crucial as he had to heat up the blade once more to begin the hardening method but he needed to take it out at the right colour once the steel was heated. The colour when he took out the blade was a bright red as if looking at the sun during sunset. He cooled it with water and watched as the natural curve developed. The blade portion hardened first while the back of the blade curved due to still having more clay which slowed the cooling down slightly. Each blade was done exactly the same way.

The rough sharpening was the next step. He used whetstones as Genbu's underbelly was very fine and it would be easy for him to sharpen them too well. He had to wait to use Genbu for sharpening once the sword was ready for the final sharpening. He had roughly sharpen it to inspect to see if there was any mistakes made during this whole process. As an artisan of the sword, he would hate to show the world an imperfect blade.

During this whole process Cooking Queen would watch from a distance as she was worried he would overwork himself. As in the game it was close to a week but it was about a day as he missed both breakfast and lunch and she was worried he would starve. She knew not to bother him though as the seriousness of his face spelled out interrupt me and die.

***

Serenity had finally returned to the game after being quite busy with her real life schedule. She wanted to find out what happened after she left and she had a long conversation with Madame Orchid.

She was told by the half-dwarf that she found a replacement for the female model and that it was Akaro who had found her. Due to his assistance Orchid had made a gift for him a set of leather armour and a scarf. Serenity's thanked her master as she was given the quest to deliver it to Akaro.

As she walked towards old man Melchior's forge she was surprised that it had a change of name and that his sign looked a lot more modern. She saw an older beauty in a cheongsam or chinese outfit and an adorable dog beside her. They were both watching the same thing.

“Excuse me, is Akaro here?”

“Ssh. Do not bother him right now. He's really focused. Who are you?”

Juhee asked the shorter girl who had a cute face and hair cut.

Bowing Serenity replied to the older woman.

“I'm Serenity of Spool and Thread. I'm here to deliver Madame Orchid's gift for his help during the clothing reveal.”

“You can leave it with me. I'll give it to him once he's done.”

'I'm not going to let you ruin my chance on seeing him.'

“It is my quest so I need to see it through.”

“Sure your 'quest'. I'm pretty sure you here to just try to get your hands on my son.”

'Oh no... this is his mom!'

“I'm sorry if I seem to be rude Akaro's mother. But we are friends and I have not seen him as my work prohibited me to play for a while.”

Juhee sighed as she pet Rai on the head.

“You can wait here with me. He's not done yet.”

***

The young man in question was now working on creating a saya or scabbard for the blades. The two swords he set aside as gifts, was made to look more traditional with a hilt and using rope like fabric with the wooden handle. He needed to trace the blade on the wooden pieces he was going to use for the scabbard portion. After tracing the outline using a sharp chisel he planed the inside portion of the trace he just made. He needed to make it tight enough for it to stay still but spacious enough for the person to draw the blade. Once that was done he glued the two pieces of wood together and wrapped a rope like fabric around the wood to keep tightly together. He did this for all four swords. The only difference were the ones he was taking for his own use. There was no hand guard and the saya and handle met flawlessly.

As he had to wait he wiped sweat of his brow. He had lost his chest piece due to it losing durability while worked closely with the heat. So when he walked outside for some fresh air he was greeted with whistles from women passing by, a scowling mother and a blushing friend.

Rai fortunately broke the awkwardness by launching himself towards his master who he had not seen for a while.

Getting licked on the face, Genbu, who slowly walked by found it's way to Rai's head. He then latched himself to the familiar position.

“Akaro-ssi. Here wear these clothes.”

Serenity with a blushing face gave the package to Akaro. She saw him shirtless once before so she did not faint this time.

“Akaro go inside and change before I hit you.”

“Yes eomma.”

Akaro left and came back out with a new look. His leather armour matched his training gear perfectly. Each pocket counted as extra inventory as he soon came to find out. It was made of hard deer leather and it was dyed a dark red colour that could match his hair. It had black contrast with the sleeve and neck portion which looked like a thin turtleneck. The scarf was his favourite item. It was made to cover half his face with a black spandex like material that stayed on his face. The scarf would start from black in the middle before fading to a crimson red at the end. The clothing showed that it was made by a master.

“Inspect armour”

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Chest of the Red shadow

Leather chest armour created by the master tailor of Spool and Thread. Following the sketches of a ninja it was dyed to match the ninja's preference.

Defence: 50

Durability: 400

Inventory increased by 20 slots

Stealth increased by 30%

Requirement:

AGI 100

Level 55[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Pants of the Red Shadow

Leather leg armour created by the master tailor of Spool and Thread. Following the sketches of a ninja it was dyed to match the ninja's preference.

Defence: 30

Durability: 350

Inventory increased by 20 slots

Stealth increased by 30%

AGI increased by 25%

Requirement:

AGI 120

Level 50[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Scarf of the Red Shadow

A silk scarf that hides the users face. The tailor of Spool and Thread made it to prevent any unwanted attention.

Defence: 20

Durability: 500

Stealth increased by 30%

Requirement:

AGI 70

Level 50[/col][/box]

Akaro was happy that the blacksmith class allowed him to wear armour and weapons that were above his current level. He took the limits though as guidelines on what is the best level to use said equipment.

He was literally the strongest character under level 15 in the game. He could probably take on a level 50 with little to no problems. He did not understand that due to his experience in real life, the game was having a hard time to continue to restrict him as what Akaro was doing was not normal for most gamers to do.

Walking back outside in full gear he looked quite mysterious and menacing.

“Wow that looks really good on you. It's as if you could assassinate anyone with it.”

Serenity was the first to comment.

“Master looks cool.”

“SO COOL HYUNG!”

“This does actually suit you and your personality more.”

Akaro smiled behind the scarf.

“Can you please send my thanks to Madame Orchid and tell her that the clothing is amazing? Nothing less from a master tailor.”

“I sure she'll be happy to hear that. Are you doing anything now?”

'Tsk. This girl is already on the offensive.'

“Son. Mother is worried about you. Can you log out and eat now and then just log back in after? I'm sure they will be dry once you come back online.”

“I'm sorry Serenity. My eomma is right. I haven't eaten anything in real life yet. I will see you later.”

“Yeah no problem. I'll be around from time to time. Promise me a date okay?”

“Sure.”

Akaro logged off.

“Eomma why did she want a sweet fruit?”

Juhee looked at her son with a bit of shame.

'Poor girl.'

***

After a quick meal he logged back in and just like his mother said the saya were now dry enough for him to carve and sand.

Once they were all smooth he varnished all of them with an onyx colour. He then checked to make sure the scabbard and the blade did not stick together. He then grabbed Genbu.

“Time for the last polish. Your belly skin is quite fine and perfect for sharpening. Thank you for all of your help.”

“No problem hyung.”

He sharpened all the blades with Genbu for the final time. Putting them back all in their scabbards he took the one he was going to gift to Melchior.

Using the illustration skill and Belthazar's pen he designed the scabbard with hammers, anvils and gold pieces. On the blade itself he inscribe a short haiku.

'Hammer thy Spirit

Grasp your Soul's Prosperity

Bring to life your work'

Ding

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created an incredible weapon.

Will you give it a name?[/col][/box]

“Melchior's Spirit”

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created a masterpiece of a weapon. Due to your discipline you have surpassed your intermediate skill.[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Melchior's Spirit

Durability 1000/1000

Damage: 150-250

Created to reflect the apprentice's affection towards his master. The intricate design on the scabbard and poem on the blade help boost it's attractiveness as an art piece.

Equip:

+20% ATK Damage

+20% ATK Speed

+20% Luck

Requirement:

Level 200

STR 200+

VIT 150+

DEX 100+[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]STR up by 3

VIT up by 3

DEX up by 3

Speech up by 100

Art up by 100

Level up: Weapon Smith (Intermediate Lv. 3 48%)

Level up: Weapon Sharpening (Intermediate LV 3. 70%)

Level up: Wood Carving (Intermediate Lv 1 30%)

Level up: Inscribe (Beginner Lv 9 10%)

Level up: Illustration (Beginner Lv. 5 0%)[/col][/box]

Akaro wasn't done there. He grabbed the blades he made for his personal use.

“Inscribe.”

He wrote down the kanji for the sword he will use with his right hand. It read 'Yusuke' with the kanji for the direction right. On his other katana, he wrote 'Sasuke' (TN: Not Naruto) with the kanji for the direction left. Only other Japanese people would be able to read what was inscribed as it would not mean the same thing in any other language that uses these same characters.

Ding

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Due to having been made the exactly the same way you have created a new class of weapon. You have created dual sword weapons.

What will you name them?[/col][/box]

“Yusuke of the Right and Sasuke of the Left.”

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Yusuke of the Right and Sasuke of the Left.

Durability 1000/1000

Damage 100-200

Twin ancient blades of the east that cannot be used separately. Each designated for the hand it was named after. The flame like design on blades edge increased its beauty as even enemies would have to stop and stare at the dangerous weapon.

Equip:

+30% ATK Damage for Dual weapons

+30% ATK Speed for Dual weapons

AGI 50

Requirement:

Level 110

STR 70+

VIT 70+

DEX 50+

Must have Dual Sword Mastery skill[/col][/box]

Akaro was really happy with the two swords. Even though he did not make them as fancy as Melchior's gift, he did not mind as they were to be used for actual combat. When he equipped the two blades in the designated slot just above the joint where the spine and hip met behind his back. They fit snugly behind him and it felt like they were meant to be there.

The last blade he will finish at a later time. Akaro then took Melchior's Spirit and gave it to his master.

“This is an extremely powerful weapon. Are you sure you want to give it to me? I just may sell it one day.”

“This is for all that you have taught me.”

“I didn't teach you anything about being a blacksmith.”

“But you taught me the value of money.”

“Of course. An idiot like you would have sold all your hard work for peanuts if I didn't drill it in your head that us blacksmiths don't do charity work.”

Bowing to his master, Akaro called Genbu and Rai.

“Master where are we going?”

“To get some food and hand out some gifts to the people who have been providing us food.”

Upon hearing food Rai's tail wagged furiously.

The trio went to the Hunters delight and was greeted like he would normally be.

“Haha. So it's true about the dog who wears a turtle as a hat.”

Gasper was laughing at the two pets. He then looked at the leather package Akaro was holding.

“Here is a gift as a thank you for all your help and generosity.”

Akaro handed over the most expensive looking chef knife set to both his mother and Gasper.

“These are quite beautiful. Thank you my son. I will cherish them. Item window.”

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Iron Turtle Chef Knives Deluxe

Durability: 1000/1000

Damage: 50-90

Various knives with various purposes. A must have for any master chefs.

Equip:

Cooking skills 75% more effective

AGI up by 20

DEX up by 30

Requirements:

No level requirements

AGI at 50

DEX at 50[/col][/box]

“It seems to say that you have learned a proper skill there. These knives will cut my cooking time in half... no even more so. It was a good thing I helped you with Melchior. I feel bad that the other chefs won't have these as well. They look rather expensive.”

“I did not forget my older brothers.”

Akaro handed the slightly weaker versions to the young chefs.

“With this I can open my own restaurant.”

“I could never afford my own set of knives.”

“Yeah. We got these for free. Look!”

“I have the same one, you idiot.”

The camaraderie of the restaurant was like another home to him. They closed the restaurant as they were all happy and wanted to celebrate. They all drank beer until it was early in the morning.

Walking with Rai and Genbu they headed towards a neglected location.

'I need to clean up the library. Probably all dusty as it has been about two months.'

Opening the door to the Library of Rosenheim he received a message.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Special Event: The reign of the Rat King and Spider Queen

DUNGEON: You are the very first player to discover Ruined Library of Rosenheim

Reward: Fame +100.

Every day for one week, double EXP and double item drops. The rarest items will drop from killing the first monster of each type. Subsequent kills will drop common items.[/col][/box]

Upon entering he looked through the door.

'NOOOOOOOOOO! MY BOOOOOOOKS!'

End Volume 1.

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