“How many more rods will it be this week?” Linn asked as one of her regular customers walked in. This man had a habit of coming in every week to forge his own tools. He’d either buy new materials or utilize the shards of his destroyed weapons. More often than not, he was using broken iron rods to make newer ones. It was a repetitive process, especially because the weapons he made were fragile.

“None. I’m feeling lucky today.” Rex said as he walked past Linn. He moved into the back room where the forge was held. Linn followed out of curiosity. Rex had never made anything aside from rods, balls, and marbles. This was the first time he’d shown interest in something other than rudimentary objects. His growth was on full display as Rex took his bag of iron objects and dumped them into the crucible.

“Wow. You’re finally growing up. It’s about time you make a real weapon. Time to ditch all those iron sticks of yours.” Linn replied with a slight chuckle. The scene almost brought a tear to her eye. The idiotic boy that initially came in with a confounding request was growing at long last. He was well on his way to becoming a full-fledged apprentice. Rex was already talented at making the items he desired. He just needed to focus that skill on something higher than simple sticks.

“Not all of them. I’ll keep this one as a memento. Can’t forget about you once I’m big and famous, right?” Rex said with a grin. The two had gotten familiar with each other over the time spent in the forge. They initially clashed, but their banter was now on a familial level. Rex could sense the pride from his teacher. He knew there were high expectations yet didn’t know if he could live up to them. Rods and balls were all he made because they were easy. Genesis couldn't ruin something already so pathetic.

“Nice try. You’ll be making nails for the rest of your life if you don’t take blacksmithing seriously.” Linn responded. She could see the doubt in her student’s demeanor. Her words were meant to both tease and inspire Rex. He was a man of action. Taunts and challenges were the best way to drive him. Linn didn’t know it, but her words sparked something within him. It was a skill dubbed [Irresponsible].

Rex shrugged and threw in his last rod, disregarding the memento he intended to keep. It was time to fully move on. The era of swords was about to commence. Then, the era of firearms, but that came whenever he remembered how they worked. Linn approached the furnace, and the two readied themselves for the forging process. One retrieved the molten metal and poured it into a cast. The other grabbed its cooled form with cast iron tongs and shaped it on the anvil. Finally, the weapon was held against a grindstone to develop the weapon’s edge. Every motion felt natural. Even without his skill, Rex knew what to do. He and Linn stepped back from their finished weapon. After enough time passed, a familiar noise went off in Rex’s mind when the weapon reached a manageable level of heat. He grabbed the hilt of his blade and watched as it glowed. Genesis sent a message, though not without technical difficulties.

“ERROR. COOPERATION BETWEEN TWO SEPARATE SKILLS FROM THE SAME SKILL TREE HAS UNLOCKED A SUPERIOR SKILL FOR BOTH PARTIES. SKILL [GREATER FORGE] ACTIVATED. NOW CONSTRUCTING WEAPON.”

Rex could feel his energy being sapped. He’d never felt this sensation before. It was exhilarating. The skill was finally using his natural resources because it was creating something worthwhile. The weight shifted in his hand as the system finished its construction. The sword was now about the length of his arm. Its blade was narrow as if all the material compressed. The leather grip was replaced with a golden frame that extended from the guard to protect his hand. The cross-guard was morphed to look like angelic wings, and an impressive gem was fixated on the pommel. Altogether, it was an outstanding rapier in both looks and stats.

“[BLESSED BLADE] CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE.”

“Whoa! I didn’t think you had it in you, kid.” Linn said. She honestly couldn’t say anything more. She’d never forged such a weapon herself. She’d never seen a light like that, which changed the weapon into something completely different. Everything was new to her yet somehow familiar. It all suddenly clicked in her mind like she was supposed to know all of this.

“Yeah…me neither…” Rex responded, equally dumbfounded. He handed the blade to Linn for closer inspection. It was undoubtedly a magnificent weapon. Some would even hang the blade up for decoration. Linn was beyond impressed. She could feel a fire ignite within her. Her eagerness to forge another weapon knew no bounds.

“Here, it’s all yours. Be proud of yourself. It’s not every day you make an amazing weapon like this. I bet it'll serve you well on your adventures.” Linn said. She held out the sword to its rightful owner. He was a bit hesitant, which was odd. Anyone would be over the moon for such a success.

Rex took the sword. Its elegance was plain to see. Its strength was beyond measure. This surpassed every expectation he had. Rex wasn’t sure how to respond. He knew a celebration was in order. A solid cheer was needed, but that couldn’t be done. Not with this weapon. Not at this time. Despite the relatively light weight, Rex couldn't grip his new weapon. It slipped out of his hands, exactly as he expected it to.

The sword clattered against the stone ground. Linn’s expression immediately shifted to one of panic. She knelt down to pick up the sword. A lecture immediately began about the proper treatment of blades, especially ones as amazing as this one. Unfortunately, her words fell on deaf ears. Rex was too busy feeling defeated. He knew what was wrong but didn’t have the energy to say it. Genesis, however, wasted no time rubbing salt into his wounds.

“NOTICE. ITEMS HIGHER THAN A PARTICIPANT’S LEVEL CANNOT BE EQUIPPED.”