As we were walking back, Harold turned to me...

"Make sure that you don't leave the guild until I pick you up okay?" Harold beseeched.

"Ha? Why is that?" I questioned.

"Let's just say that over the years, Ariel acquired quite a bit of enemies who wouldn't bat an eye to take hostages if they think they can get some leverage. Now that you have been seen walking with her around town, it isn't safe without protection..." Harold explained.

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! Damn you hero! Why do you always have to ruin everything?! Now I can't even show my face around town by myself anymore?!?! grrrr!

"And I'll be safe in the guild?" I inquired.

"The guild should be fine. The guards there can handle anyone up to Rank C without much issue, and anyone who is Rank B or above wouldn't be crazy enough to even try" Harold replied.

"Why? Are they afraid of the guilds?" I probed.

"Not so much afraid of the guilds themselves, but more so of the guild's response. As you may have noticed, the guilds have a huge ton of money and they also tend to care about their reputation. While what happens outside the guild can't be controlled, if something were to happen inside, the response from the guilds wouldn't be in kind. In the rare few cases where someone was kidnapped or killed inside a guild, the guild's responses have been to issue a Rank S request. Considering that a Rank S adventurer has enough combat power to fight off an entire nation, that isn't something anyone wants hunting them down.

So as long as you remain in the guild, you should be safe" Harold assured.

I see... so a Rank S is that strong ha? Speaking of which...

"By the way, while we were waking around town, why was everyone so terrified of us? It isn't something you'd normally expect from a hero..." I asked.

"Ah, that... Ariel is well-loved around this town... just... not so much in the western district. As you noticed, Ariel has a pretty short switch, and those in the western district have a pretty good affinity for setting it off let's just say... That is not to say that they hate her either, since they owe her their lives. But at the same time, it's gotten to the point where they are afraid that any minor action will set her off on a rampage" Harold explained.

"Does that have something to do with her being called the Hero of Hallion?" I queried.

"It's kind of a long story, let's see... do you know about the war between Avian and the empire?" Harold asked.

"Not really..." I replied.

"Well, about a decade ago, the Hyfa Empire and Avian went to war over Triston kingdom. While Hyfa technically won, the result was devastating for both sides, leading to a ceasefire. After that, both sides pulled out most of their troops from the border and left most of the management of monsters and the like to the guilds. A few years back, a horde numbering thousands attacked Hallion and the surrounding villages. Many villages were wiped off the map as a result. Even Hallion was almost at a point where it couldn't hold out for long.

The Adventurers Guild sent an urgent request to call for Rank A or above adventurers, but none of them would have been able to make it in time. And since the army was also too far away, Hallion was pretty much doomed. It got to the point where the lord of Hallion even begged the neighboring country Teris for assistance. The whole crux of the issue was that the guild was caught completely unaware. Normally, you have the army patrol areas and report any strange activity, but since most of the army was pulled out of the area as part of the ceasefire, the patrols were lacking.

While the Adventurers Guild does give a sizable reward to adventurers for reporting monster activity, it also has the option to conscribe adventurers above Rank D into service in such incidents. Since no one wanted to face a horde of thousands of monsters, many have chosen to flee instead of making a report. By the time the guild got their hands on the information, and was able to confirm what they were dealing with, it was already too late.

Just when everyone thought the city was going to collapse, Ariel who was a Rank B adventurer at the time made a request from the Blacksmithing Guild to offer up their swords. With the cooperation of the Blacksmithing Guild, Ariel deployed her unique skill [Thousand-Blade-Aberth] to its full potential and annihilated the horde almost by herself. Since then, she was hailed as the Hero of Hallion.

After that, the patrols on the Avian side have increased, but even so, the Avian Kingdom refuses to station more troops here. So the fact that Ariel choses to come here often is like a godsend to the people of Hallion" Harold informed.

I see... a typical hero story. Though in my unbiased opinion, if Ariel wasn't here, this town wouldn't have been attacked in the first place! Hmph!

It didn't take long until we finally managed to reach the guild. As we approached the entrance, Harold took something out of his pocket.

"Take this badge, you'll need it" Harold said as he handed it to me.

"What is this?" I inquired.

"This badge proves that you are a commissioned blacksmith, allowing you to avoid many limits and also charge material expenses directly to our tab" Harold explained.

"I see..." I replied.

"Do you have any questions?" Harold asked.

"I don't think so..." I responded.

"Good. So again, I need you to make 50 [Steel Swords] within 3 days. Make sure to be ready to leave at around this time, I'll see you then" Harold said and went on his way.

"Wait a second! Should I make a few magical swords too?" I queried in a hurry.

"Don't bother, there is no sword in existence that can handle Ariel, and anything above steel is simply a waste of time and money. Just focus on making quality [Steel Swords] by the deadline" Harold insisted and waved the back of his hand as he walked off.

"Alright..." I muttered though probably not loud enough for him to hear anymore...

After a few second pause, I proceeded into the smithy to start smithing. I only have a few hours, but I should still be able to make a few swords.

That said, I could understand that it might take some time for me to make Holy-steel swords, but I am pretty sure I could still make at least two of them alongside 48 normal [Steel Swords]. My abilities have increased quite a bit since I last made those 100 swords after all. I don't understand one thing though, what did he mean by no sword can handle Ariel? Sure, I wouldn't be surprised if that monster could smash a steel sword with her bare hands! That said, I wouldn't say that I couldn't make a sword that could withstand her strength, especially if I focus on using the holy power to enhance the sword. It's like he's challenging my dignity as a blacksmith!

Then an ingenious idea hit me! * evil grin *

They are clearly underestimating my skills, so let me show them my true ability! They can't possible imagine that I have the same blacksmithing level as the grandmaster now can they? If I put my all into it, I could make an awesome blade that is worthy of a Rank A adventurer! I can already imagine them all begging on their knees to make them new gear, especially that hateful dogkin who will probably plead for forgiveness! Maybe if he begs with enough sincerity and gives up 20% of his earnings... I might consider it... nyahaha

I can't wait to see their shocked faces!

And I'll of course get a ton of EXP for it as well, getting my combat class in no time!

Now then, "Operation: Diamond in a haystack" start!

During the next 3 days, I began forging the new swords, it goes without saying that most of them hit a quality score of 6 or above. But the most amazing thing was the surprise I had in store!

“Jennifer” the Holy-steel Sword of Perseverance

A Holy-steel sword created by a catkin who set aside her deepest grudges and put her very heart and soul into making a sword to help make her dreams possible. She has put in all her ability and integrity as a blacksmith to make the sword as durable as possible. Her close bond with the creation process and her will to push the limits has granted it a name.

+9 STR +9 DEX +9 AGI +10 VIT +5 INT +5 WIS +237 ATK

[Holy Perseverance] When used, the blade will be surrounded by Holy Power which will absorb the damage taken by the blade

[Passive] Absorb holy power around your surroundings ( 1 Holy Power per hour )

Bonus: +500 Durability

Naming: 25% improvement to all stats (exceeds the limit), durability loss is halved

Holy Power: 190/300

Restrictions:

Minimum Level:

Level 20 - Bonus: +300 Durability (5852/5852)

Level 185 - Bonus: +3700 Durability (9252/9252)

[Made by Shiro]

Durability: 5052/5052 (5552/5552)

Quality 6.3152/10.0000

My pretty Jennifer... Purr~

By sacrificing 25% of its stats, I was able to quadruple the durability. Add in the bonuses, and you get a total of 9252 durability! But that isn't all, due to naming, the durability loss it suffers is decreased by half! That is like having an item with 18504 durability! That means in terms of durability rating, it is comparable to a mithril item with a quality score 7.4! And that is without considering the self-protection ability that I added. With that, I wouldn't be surprised if it could outlast a mithril item with a quality score of 10 even!

I can't wait to see their shocked faces when they see how awesome Jennifer is! hehe

I'm going to give it my all to maintain Jennifer in her pristine condition, and given time, it might take a step up and become a [Famous] sword! I mean, it is in the hands of a hero after all... expecting that much is a given... or maybe... no way... [Legendary]!

"You hear that Jennifer, you'll become a legend! Just you wait! hehe" I giggled.

With this, getting EXP for my [Creationist] job is in the bag! Why I even got a [Creationist] level when I finished making Jennifer! Just 2 more levels until my combat job!

And my benefits did not end just there! For making the 50 swords, I got 24 [PER] from my class quests as well as new quests opened up:

[Creationist] Ingot Creation III

Produce 50 tier 1 ingots with at least a quality score of 9 and/or

50 tier 2 ingots with at least a quality score of 8 and/or

50 tier 3 ingots with at least a quality score of 7 and/or

50 tier 4 ingots with at least a quality score of 6 and/or

50 tier 5 ingots with at least a quality score of 2 and/or

50 tier 6 ingots with at least a quality score of 1.

Type: Continuous 1/10

Status: 4/50

Reward: 6 [PER]

[Creationist] Weapon Creation II

Produce 10 tier 1 weapons with at least a quality score of 8 and/or

10 tier 2 weapons with at least a quality score of 7 and/or

10 tier 3 weapons with at least a quality score of 6 and/or

10 tier 4 weapons with at least a quality score of 4 and/or

10 tier 5 weapons with at least a quality score of 1.

Type: Continuous 8/10

Status: 7/10

Reward: 3 [PER]

There is some bad news though. From now on, unless I get lucky and get an [Iron Ingot] with a quality score of 7, it won't count anymore towards my class quest. That said, steel should still last me for a good bit at this rate.

With my work complete, I make preparations to leave... well I say that, but there isn't much to do other than saying a few goodbyes...

So I am finally leaving this place and starting my new adventure... somehow I feel a bit nervous...

...

After saying my farewells, I stood by the entrance and waited for Harold to pick me up.

It did not take long for me to see Harold heading towards the guild and I ran towards him to meet him mid way.

"Hey, did you get everything done?" Harold asked.

"Of course! Something like this is a piece of cake for me!" I boasted.

"Alright then, let's go" Harold replied.

Right before I left, I took one last final look at the Blacksmithing Guild that has been harboring me for over 2 months... and a complex feeling filled my heart, but this wasn't a feeling that I wasn't already used to... It was the same feeling I got time and time again during my previous life... when we abandoned the houses I grew up in, and ended up moving to a new unknown...

After taking in what may be my last memory of this place, I then took my first step forward on my new adventure...