Edited By: Tyhuko and Edet

Author’s Note:

Hey everyone, I’ve been busy for the past week so the chapter took longer. I try to get 2 chapters out per week but most of the time I can’t sorry.

Tyhuko (Editor) wanted to put in some editor notes of his own, so if you see them, they were his…. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

True Identity

Chapter 12 – The Path Of The Blacksmith

After we were done, the party exited the mine and headed towards Edilath Kingdom.

…

Right after we exited the mine a window appeared in front of me.

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:CartographyNovice110%Description:When you draw maps, cartography will gain experience, And as the level of cartography increases, so will your maps’ quality.

[You created a map of Wildehedge Mine! Due to Wildehedge Mine being a Rank E Difficulty, you will gain these benefits: Fame + 5 Luck + 5 Strength + 10 Wisdom + 10]

Oh sweet, I even gain buffs from creating maps. Cartography is awesome!

…

While we were walking on the road towards Edilath, the 4 I had just met were talking amongst themselves like they had forgotten that I was here. I was basically the 5th wheel in this group but it didn’t really bother me. I was too obsessed looking at my new acquired axe. Just out of curiosity I decided to check out the weapon leaderboards.

“Weapon leaderboards.”

Best weapons in Absolute AuthorityRank 1Soul Rapier [Tier: Grand] (1-Handed Sword)Rank 2Foe Of Chaos [Tier: Grand] (2-Handed Spear)Rank 3Warbringer [Tier: Grand] (2-Handed Axe)Rank 4Promise Of The North [Tier: Grand] (2-Handed Staff)Rank 5Pact Of The Night [Tier: Grand] (1-Handed Dagger)Rank 6Moonlight Cleaver [Tier: Grand] (1-Handed Axe)Rank 7Soul Of The Suffering [Tier: Grand] (1-Handed Staff)Rank 8Fury’s Fist [Tier: Grand] (1-Handed Knuckles)Rank 9Musket Of The Storm [Tier: Grand] (Rifle)Rank 10Silverlight Blade [Tier: Grand] (2-Handed Sword)

There it is, Moonlight Cleaver is 6th on the leaderboards! I've gained something extremely valuable here. Since my axe is 6th place in all of AA, how about just in Edilath.

“Weapon leaderboards in Edilath”

Best Weapons in Edilath KingdomRank 1Warbringer [Tier:Grand] (2-Handed Axe)Rank 2Promise of the North [Tier: Grand] (2-Handed Staff)Rank 3Moonlight Cleaver [Tier: Grand] (1-Handed Axe)Rank 4Whisper Of Trials [Tier: Grand] (Rifle)Rank 5Warblade Of Secrets [Tier: Basic] (2-Handed Sword)Rank 6Bruiser Of The Wicked [Tier; Basic] (1-Handed Knuckles)Rank 7Edge Of Dismay [Tier: Basic] (1-Handed Dagger)Rank 8Claymore Of The Shadows [Tier: Basic] (1-Handed Sword)Rank 9Lance Of Hope [Tier: Grand] (2-Handed Spear)Rank 10Call Of Dismay [Tier: Basic] (1-Handed Staff)

3rd in Edilath! With this weapon I will be able to conquer Edilath and become a top tier player.

After I was done being mesmerized by my epic weapon, the other four decided to talk to me. Looks like they finally realized that I was actually here….

Amber spoke first in a somewhat over-the-top friendly tone.

“Axle, how did you clear the mine by yourself? I mean, clearing it wasn’t that hard for us but we had 4 people. But you were by yourself and you were only level 7.”

“Umm, it was actually really hard at first but after I got used to the dwarfs’ fighting styles, it became easier.”

I purposely left out the fact that I died twice, they don’t need to know about that… “Oh ok, well I’m glad that everything worked out well. We killed that boss after all!”

“Yeah, it’s a good thing that you are a good person I thought you may run away with the drops, haha.” – Ronin laughed awkwardly as he said that

“…”

On a long way back to Edilath, we talked about the game. During our stroll back some foxes tried to ambush us even though we were clearly stronger than them. Seems like the foxes weren’t as sly as they thought they were… The group gave me all the corpses when I said I could process them.

While talking to the other four I learned about few things. Apparently many groups that are competing to start the first guild are having a very hard time. Many of the groups are experiencing an uproar within their midst. A group by the name [DEFIANT] can be a perfect example. There is confusion as to who is actually the leader and who is going to be collecting all the money in order to buy the mansion. Due to the unrest, people within the group are PKing each other. Some of the players have already left [DEFIANT] and started forming their own groups. It’s not just [DEFIANT] though. Many other groups are facing similar problems.

Basically, the “leaders” of the groups can’t control their people and are quickly losing their authority. The only group that looks stable at the moment is [The Brotherhood]. They are led by a fierce leader, his name is Ares. Ares is currently the best player in Edilath and it is said that he uses his power to kill anyone that stands in his way. Therefore everyone in [The Brotherhood] has agreed that he is definitely the leader and no one has dared to disagree. Because of their stability, superiority, and leadership many people want to join [The Brotherhood]. Even Ronin’s group seems inclined to join them in the future.

…

After just over an hour we finally reached Edilath. I looked at my inventory again, I already gathered 525 pelts from the corpses I skinned in the mine. I also had many more corpses that needed to be skinned from the walk back here.

“Alright, cya Axle. It was fun! Let’s party up again some other time!”

“Definitely, bye….”

Are you happy now Haley? It seems that even I can make some friends.

We added each other to our friend’s list and went our separate ways. I sprinted towards the stall with the merchant named Francis in it. Like before Francis was busily selling his goods to some people. I didn’t notice before but Francis is probably the most popular merchant in the market place. Francis’s face showed an excited smile when he saw me running towards him.

“Welcome back Axle! Did you get the pelts?”

“Yes, I got all the pelts.”

I took the pelts out of my inventory and handed Francis 500 pelts. After I handed Francis the pelts, he looked satisfied.

“Thank god! Thank you Axle, I will be able to make a huge profit when I turn this into armor. As reward I will teach you a skill that is worth more than gold.”

[Quest Complete!]

Completed Quest: The Animal HuntDifficulty:ERewards:Fame + 10 Luck + 10Description: The merchant Francis has asked you to do a favor for him, in return he will teach you a skill worth more than gold

Yes, I just completed my first quest…. Now give me my rewards!

A light glowed around me and I leveled up to level 10.

“Stats”

Title: Livin' On The EdgeName:AxleLevel:10Class:WarriorHealth:153 / 153Mana:160 / 160Stamina:156 / 156Attack:95-97Magic Attack:50Defense:81Movement Speed:98Fame:25

…

Francis told me to take out an item that wasn’t identified yet. I took out my axe.

“Obtaining this skill isn’t easy, it takes perseverance and tons of concentration. Are you ready to learn it?”

“ Yes!”

“Close your eyes and concentrate. Feel the item, become one with the item, be the item…. When you feel that you are ready say identify.

I concentrated hard with all my might and when I was ready….

“Identify”

[Failure]

“Identify”

[Failure]

“You will get lots of failures, but if you keep doing it, at some point you will be able to identify it.”

I sat there for a long time trying to identify the axe, Francis tried to correct what I was doing wrong.

….

2 hours later

“Identify”

Moonlight Cleaver [Tier: Grand]Type:1-Handed AxeDurability:150 / 150Stats:Attack: 30-40Requirements:Level 7, Strength at least 75

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:IdentifyNovice110%Description:You have struggled for a long time but didn’t give up. This skill will allow you to identify items. As you level this skill up, you will be able to identify higher Tiers of equipment.

I did it! I had beads of sweat running down my body from 2 hours of hard work. But it was all worth it!

“This skill is hard to attain but once you have it, it’s easy to use. It is hard to learn this skill because only those who have mastered it, can teach it to others. And lucky for you, I just mastered it a couple of days ago and it so happened that I wanted to try it out.”

So, are you saying that I’m just someone you randomly chosen…. I identified all of my equipment that weren’t identified yet.

“Thank you very much! Oh Francis, I created this map of the mine and I was wondering if there was an easier way to copy these to other pieces of paper rather than just doing it by hand. ”

“Haha, you continuously exceed my expectation! Hand over the map to me.”

I handed the map to Francis and he copied it to some sort of template.

“How many copies do you want?”

“100 maybe…wait how much would that cost?”

“Hmm, normally I would charge 4 gold but for you, I’ll charge 2 gold. Is that alright?”

Looking at my 2 gold and 40 copper in my pocket, I unwillingly handed over my 2 gold.

“Alright, it’s done. But before I hand these over to you Axle, I have a proposition for you.”

“What is this proposition?”

“Let me keep 50 of these and I’ll sell them to other adventurers and we’ll split the profits. I get 40% and you get 60%. What do you think?”

I think I can sell these copies for around 10 silver each and but selling 100 copies by myself might be hard.

“Alright, let’s do 50% each and we have a deal. Also, if you need make more copies because you only have 50, make more and charge it from my profits.”

“Haha, Axle I gave you a better deal before why not take the 60-40 ratio?”

Editor’s notes: Yeah, Axle, Weed wouldn’t be proud ;-;

“Just in case we do business in the future, and why are you suddenly calling me Axle when you were calling me young adventurer before?”

I might be poor but I’m not stingy. If I treat Francis better now, our intimacy will grow and he’ll charge me less for the goods in the future.

“Haha, well, now that we are business partners, I shall call you Axle. For others, they will still be called young adventurers.”

Are all merchants this sly and greedy? Francis and I said our goodbyes and I ran towards the blacksmith workshop.

“Welcome back young adventurer, did you finish the quest?”

“Yes I did.”

“Oh, you must be a really worthy one to complete the quest, I even gave you a pickaxe tha… *cough* nevermind, good job.”

“…”

Even though he didn’t finish his sentence, I knew what he was going to say. Fuck you Ferron. I held my tongue because if I were to say what was actually was on my mind. Well, I’ll just leave that to your imagination….

[Quest Complete!]

Completed Quest: Path of the Blacksmith[Part 1]Difficulty:ERewards:Fame + 10 Luck + 10Description: Ferron’s respect for you has grown, intimacy with Ferron has increased.

I gained a lot of experience from finishing the quest, I’m almost level 11. If I keep on leveling like this, I’ll make up for my 2 deaths in no time!

“Alright, now it’s time for the next step, choose the weapon you want to make.”

I thought long and hard about this. I was trying to think what weapon would go with my 1-handed axe the best. The axe has a higher chance of critical strikes, it also deteriorates armor quicker with greater impacts. But it doesn’t have much range to it, in order to hit the enemy you have to be up close. After thinking hard, I found that the sword would definitely be the best choice because it has a longer range, it’s more versatile, and parry rates are much higher.

“1-Handed Sword.”

“Alright let’s get to work!”

Quest: Path of the Blacksmith [Part 2]Difficulty:FDescription: Ferron will now teach you how to make weapons.Requirements:The weapon you make must at least be of the Basic TierFailure:Respect and intimacy with Ferron will decrease. Fame will decrease.

Woah, this is the first time a quest has given me a penalty if I fail. I had better complete this quest.

I melted the iron ore in the furnace and poured it into a mold. Letting it cool to temper it a little, I reheated it again and then hammered it like my life depended on it. I repeated these steps until I made my desired sword. I wrapped the handle with leather straps and the sword’s hilt was complete.

[You created a 1-handed sword, name your weapon]

Oh Shit, I get to name the weapons I make! I better name it something cool! Thinking carefully, I finally said.

“Call Of Hope”

Call Of Hope [Tier: Basic]Type:1-Handed SwordDurability:125 / 125Stats:Attack: 20-30Requirements:Level 5, Strength at least 60Description: This weapon was made by an amateur blacksmith. Due to his hard work, the sword is well made.Creator:Axle

[You made a Basic Tier weapon. Blacksmithing proficiency has increased.]

Completed Quest: Path of the Blacksmith[Part 2]Difficulty:FRewards:Fame + 5 Luck + 5Description: You have met Ferron’s expectations. Ferron’s respect for you has grown, intimacy with Ferron has increased.

Haha, this was definitely the best choice. A weapon to attack when I’m farther away and a weapon to attack when I’m up close. I equipped Call Of Hope as my secondary weapon replacing the crude sword.

Editor’s notes: Huh? How is a one-handed sword better than the second one-handed axe? Olaf and vikings dare to disagree!

Profession Name:Profession Rank:Profession Level:Profession Experience:BlacksmithNovice130%Description:Blacksmithery is an occupation that reaps great rewards. As you make more items your blacksmithing efficiency will increase. When your blacksmithing reaches intermediate level you can ask your blacksmith teacher to teach you new techniques that will make your creations even better.

[Warning: There will be a system announcement of your achievements, do you want to show your name or remain anonymous?]

I don’t want to be targeted by others….

“Remain anonymous.”

…

Author’s Note:

Alright there have been some complaints (sorry I don’t know what to call them other than complaints) that I don’t release chapters fast enough. In a perfect world, I’ll release 2 chapters per week but unfortunately, most of the time it’s not a prefect world…. (I’m pretty proud of what I just said there lol). I’ll try to get 2 chapters out per week but please understand that there is a long process to each chapter I write. I created a page that tells you how I write my chapters -> Chapter Creation.

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