Five days later, I gathered the four parts. The hilt. The blade. The pommel. The Guard. It had taken three days creating the rest of the parts. I assembled the sword in one movement, and my hard work paid off. With a blinding light, the awaited notification popped up

Iron Sword

A sword made of quality iron. Blood and sweat have been sacrificed to create this sword.

55-65 Damage

Special effect: Evolution, Sharpness II, Stability I

Rare A good sword is never nameless. What shall your creation be named?

A name popped up in my mind. I hesitated, but what the hell. It's a new world. I laughed and wrote it down.

Excalibur

A single-edged sword made of quality iron. Blood and sweat have been sacrificed to create this sword.

55-65 Damage

Special effect: Evolution, Sharpness II, Stability I

Named bonus: 5% bonus damage

24 strength +

Rare

The sword was beautiful. The sharp blade had been sharpened. The guard was made of thick iron. The hilt was wrapped in dark brown leather. It was comfortable and provided a good grip. The pommel was round and smooth. It was also heavy and would surely do it's work if crushing something very close was required. I equipped the chest plate and helm I had made yesterday.

Iron Helm

A helmet made of quality iron.

6 defense

4 endurance (Bear glyph 33%)

3 strength (Bear glyph 33%)

Uncommon Iron Chestplate

A helmet made of quality iron.

12 defense

4 endurance (Bear glyph 33%)

3 strength (Bear glyph 33%)

Uncommon

I looked pretty badass (not). My endurance was boosted to 22, and my strength sat at 43, which was way higher than any of my other attributes. Almost all my other attributes except for dexterity were, however, still at 10.

"Good work.." Armon commented when I finished, "Before we continue on the path of forging I want you to experience the benefits of good equipment...So go to the eastern forest and fight some monsters.."

"Yes Teach" I exited the forge and made my way back to the center of the capital. I was itching for some action and trying out my weapon was the perfect solution. The adventure guild entered my view of a range. I opened the door and homed in on the clerk.

"Hey" I greeted the middle-aged man and said, "Can I sign up for an adventure?"

The man scanned me, from bottom to toe, and frowned. I looked like a complete beginner due to only having an iron helmet and chest plate as armor.

"Are you sure?" He tried to persuade me, "Being an adventure is a dangerous occupation."

"Yeah" I rolled my eyes. Still, I was a bit thankful, since the man cared for a complete stranger, "I'm sure."

"Alright.." The middle-aged man made a sigh and thought, "He'll probably quit after a few days, most people do that anyways.."

I signed the form and picked up the bronze badge I was given.

Adventure Badge + 1

+ 2 endurance

+ 2 strength

+ 2 agility

+ 2 Wisdom

+ 2 Intelligence

"That's pretty neat.." Flashed through my mind as I left for the eastern gate, " Enchantment should be my next profession, that combined with the inscription skill would raise my equipment to a whole different level."

20 minutes later I saw the towering walls ahead of me. Two men guarded the gate: A short, burly man equipped in armor from top to toe. The other man was tall and thinner than his companion. He was dressed the same way, except for missing a helmet.

"Good morning" I greeted the guards. They looked at me. The burly man only glanced at me before continuing his duty. The lanky man smiled and said, "What brings you here, to the east gate?"

"I just became an adventurer, so I'm going to train on a few monsters in the forest" I replied politely.

"Hmm.." The thin man paused for a second and said, "Alright, be on your way then.."

I walked past the men and stepped outside the capital for the first time. I saw a forest in front of me. Tall trees, dozens of meters high and overgrown grass that reached my hips. The sun rays shined on me as I begun my first adventure into the unknown.

"Oii James, why send him into death..?" The burly man grunted at his companion, "This gate is deserted for a reason.."

"I just felt like it..." The lanky man called James laughed, his eyes sinister, "Why didn't you stop him from entering the mutated forest then, Mr. I am a Saint?"

The burly man snorted and returned to his post, ignoring his guard comrade's sarcastic comment.

I walked on the road. I felt tired. The chest plate weighed a bit more than thought. Just as my thoughts began to wander I heard a sound behind me. Instinct honed from my past kicked in, and I leaped forward in a roll. I rose to my feet and inspected the creature that stood in front of me. A blob of green mass, half my height.

Mutated slime - Level 11

Health: 245

"Isn't that level a bit too high?" I muttered as I readied myself. I gripped my sword with my two hands. I waited for the slime to lounge...Now.

I sidestepped, and strength flowed into my arms as I slashed with Excalibur using the sword technique Armon taught me.

A red 24 appeared above the slime. Only 24? Guess it's resistance to physical damage is rather high. I used the back side of the sword like Armon thought me how to do and hit the slime once more.

- 56

It seems like blunt damage is better.." I smirked and continued fighting. It didn't take more than a few minutes before the blob dissolved into a green liquid.

I brought out a vial and filled it with the slimy goo that covered the ground. I wanted to test later if I could add the slime trait to armor, boosting physical resistance seemed pretty good.

Level up!

Level up!

Level up!

I opened status as dings echoed in my mind.

John Crow

Level 4

Class: Crafting

Age: 24

Attributes:

Strength: 16 (46)

Endurance: 15 (24)

Agility: 12 (10)

Wisdom: 12 (10)

Intelligence: 12 (10)

Unassigned Points: 15

I scanned my status window and added 6 points to endurance and 7 to agility. I wanted to round up the stats a bit. I felt tired after the fight, so endurance was a must. Goddess fortune had been on my side as a slime had appeared and not a speedy creature. So agility was my second option.

I continued down the road. A few more slimes appeared. One at level 9 and another one at 12, pushing me up to level 5. I picked up a few herbs - crafting materials was always useful - at the side of the road as I walked. After a few ones, I didn't have to examine them anymore, as their appearance became familiar to me. I caught a glimpse of blue fruit on a tree deeper in the forest. My gut feeling told me that it was good. Really good. I used my sword and cut through the obstacles and closed in on my target.

Unknown Fruit

A blue fruit with mystical mana powers.

Mythical

I picked the fruit and put in in my bag, feeling excited over my find. I didn't know how good something at mythical was, but the term had been used to describe items of legends at home. Suddenly, heard a deep growl. My hand gripped the sword as I turned around. A brown bear looked at me. It roared in anger as it threw itself paws first at me.

Mutated Brown Bear (young)

Level 24

???

I was taken by surprise and hid behind the thick tree as quick as I could. It shook violently as the bear with twice the size of me rammed into my cover. I didn't have time to think. I slashed the bear with all the force I could muster. My action only seemed to anger it as a red number popped up.¨

- 18

"Fucking hell..." I cursed and got up. I ran as quick as I could. I heard the bear behind me, trashing through everything in pursuit of the thief that took its fruit. I turned around, sidestepped, and swung my sword right into its nose. The pain stopped the bear for a moment. 10 meters away I saw a cave crevice. I ran and lunged forward. I felt a paw hit me in the back. Pain flooded my brain as the force propelled me into the hole.

I laid inside the crevice in shock. Blood flowed from the back. I could hardly move. I felt my power disappearing, and the sounds from outside seemed to dim. My mind felt blurry. I panicked. What to do...I somehow reached out to my backpack. I picked up the mythical fruit I found and put it in my mouth. A fresh and sweet liquid ran down my throat as I devoured the fruit before passing out...