The sword is indeed perfect. And I never noticed, I could inspect stuff, other than people. When I try to tell the system to probe a chair in my room, it just tells me:

A padded chair

Not very helpful. I already saw that myself.

Could I also inspect monsters? Damn it, I never even tried.

But never mind that, and let's get back to the sword.

The things I see when I inspect it are as follows:

Corrupt Longsword

Grade: Rare

Enhances Strength by 30%

Enhances Agility by 20%

Enhances Dexterity by 20%

Can only be wielded by:

Demons

Now, this looks like a power-up. I wonder how strong the sword of Beorn or Miles was. Could they be beyond the rare grade?

I'd like to go out and fight right now so I can try it, but I need to prepare a bit more.

I still need a convenient bag to carry basic necessities with me.

Then, I also need these necessities, like a waterskin, torches, fire starter, or salt to make the meat taste a bit better. I also need a strap to carry my sword without having to hold it all the time.

Now that I think of it... I don't even have any money! How am I supposed to get those things? Miles is god knows where, and I don't want to ask Beorn. The only other person I know, at least somehow, is Olf. But would he lend any money to me? I don't think so. He doesn't seem to be the person to give money away. Hmm, this is a tight situation.

/How about you earn it? A smith like Olf could use an apprentice for sure. And on top of that, smithing is a sacred occupation, which we dragons take pride in. No one could handle fire better than us./

Apart from his usual bragging, he has a point. It also would benefit me if I knew how to take care of my own equipment. But if I'm around Olf all the time, will I be able to keep my illusion active all the time?

{Don't worry. For the times you are occupied with smithing, I'll take care of the Illusions.}

"Ok, thank you, Zabula."

{No Problem.}

Since there's no point in waiting any longer, I quickly return to Olf. Since I know where to go this time, I reach him a lot faster and don't waste as much time.

As I arrive there, he is currently working bellows to get the fire to the right temperature.

Since he seems to not notice me, I call out to him.

"Uhm, hello Olf, I thought I'd pay you a visit."

'Shhhh'

He only signals me to be quiet and continues to work.

/That man is fully occupied with his work. Whatever he's doing isn't everyday work. I think he's preparing to smith something really special to him./

I understand. I won't disturb him the least bit. I slowly take a few steps back to not distract him and remain completely still. I watch him do his magnificent job. The way he preheats the forge and how he carefully picks up some glittering metal is fully taken in with my eyes.

/Oho! Look at that! That's not any ordinary kind of metal. Take a good look at that sight. What you can see here is mithril in its purest form. In its purest form, it even starts to crystallize, thus the glittering effect. The badge you saw at Miles was the impurest form of mithril./

While paying only slight attention to my dragon companion, I suck up all the things I see into my mind. Now that I see it for myself, I have to say I fully understand why Dorminil called it a sacred profession. It looks beautiful to me. Although I don't know if this is happening because of my and Dorminils emotions mixing, I don't really care. I just want to learn to smith myself.

I watch the whole process of him smithing without taking my eyes off it even once.

From the point of heating the metal until shaping it and till the moments of giving it its finishing touch, I witness it all.

The whole process took about 3 hours. After 2 Hours, my mana ran low, but I didn't care. I simply turned off the illusion and kept watching. After Olf put down the sword, he quietly keeps looking at it. Only after a while, he started talking again, but without raising his face.

'I've seen the look in your eyes. I don't really know what kind of creature you are, but the look in your eyes leaves no doubt. You saw the beautifulness of smithing, and it entangled your heart. But how did you hide those eyes, and why didn't you continue to hide them?'

Still, a bit dazed from watching this act of smithing for three hours, I answer honestly.

"I hide my eyes with Illusion magic, but it consumes my mana. When it was close to running out of mana, I would've fled usually, but this time... This time, I just wanted to watch all of it till the end."

Now he raises his head for the first time and directly looks me in the eyes.

'I can see the honesty in your eyes. I have an extraordinary sense for people, or rather peoples eyes. I first noticed it when I started selling weapons. At that time, dubious people began to show up. That's when I looked people in the eyes for real. At that time, I understood what people meant when they said, eyes are the doors to peoples souls.

And although your eyes are different, I can see there's a soul behind those eyes.

So, why are you here? You didn't come only to tell your secrets to me, or did you?'

The whole time he was talking, I was amazed at how calmly he accepted my eyes. And in between, Dorminil even said he was very skilled, for a human at least.

Did Miles or Beorn tell him about me beforehand? Or why is he this calm?

Is it really all because of his "senses"?

"I... came here to learn to smith. And earn some money."

He looks at me really weird like, I said something wrong. Then He starts laughing heartily. Did I say something stupid? Or is it that he thinks I am joking?

'Oh boy, if it's only that, then why are you making this grim face? I already thought you'd tell me something horrific any moment with that dark face of yours.

I already have been looking for someone to take as an apprentice, but nowadays, everyone just wants to kill themselves as mercenaries. But how come you want to be a smith although you already earned gold rank?'

A bit embarrassed, I answer.

"I just don't have any money to get started, and I want to be able to take care of my own equipment. On top of that, I just got really excited when I saw your smithing."

'Well, didn't you know, you get everything you need for equipment from the Guild for free?'

What? Why didn't anyone tell me so far? But I guess now it's too late, now I want to learn smithing for the smithings' sake, not for money.

"Of course I knew, I... just wanted the experience!"

A lie, just to make me seem less dumb.

'Be honest, you had no idea.'

Damn it, he's good.

"Yes, you're right."

He starts nodding as to confirm something.

'You really aren't from here, are you?

I mean, you don't even know the main reason why people want to be mercenaries. Ok, listen here:

Even the low ranks get paid quite well, and as soon as you reach the silver rank, you'll get every basic necessity that you could need for adventuring out for FREE.

These basics include food, and as long as you are here in town, you'll get a place to live in free of charge.'

Wait, something like this exists? Why didn't Miles tell me about it? And where did he disappear to?

I've got so many questions, but Olf isn't the right person for these.

I'd also like to know why I suddenly developed this enthusiasm for smithing. I was never interested in smithing before, although I often saw it being done in Sanctuary.

The only plausible reason for that would be for Dorminil affecting me, but if that changes my interests THAT much, what about other things?

Will I change even more? And will this get worse when I evolve? And what about the fact one of them is a woman? Will I start to like guys?

'Uhm, are you ok?'

I get startled. I guess I was so deep in thought, I forgot Olf was there.

"Ah yes, you are right, I ain't from here, but I don't really want to tell where I come from."

'And I don't really care. Grab that broom over there and start cleaning.'

"Huh?"

'You said you wanted to be my apprentice, now grab that broom over there and start cleaning.'

Now I get why he told me that. So I grab the broom and start cleaning the smithery. The whole floor is covered in tine pieces of metal and metal dust.

Not only from this time smithing, but it seems like there hasn't been cleaned here in a while. It takes some time, about an hour, I guess.

After I finished, I put the broom down and tell Olf so.

He is currently drawing something like a sketch.

Since he doesn't seem to be too concentrated, I ask him a question.

"Why didn't you move the sword you forged before?"

He stops his pencil for a split second but then continues.

'Because it's a failure. I wanted to create a sword with permanently imbued magic in it. The problem is, magic will usually dissipate after only a few weeks, so I want to forge a vessel that can hold it for much longer.

But that sword over there? It won't hold anything. No matter what I try or what materials I use, it just won't work.'

"Then couldn't it be simply impossible?"

/No, he is right, mana-forging is a unique art that many know of, but almost nobody can apply it. Of course, I can!/

[It's not only the lizards that know of this, but every faction also has a few skilled craftsmen who are proficient in that art.]

As Dorminil says this, Olf starts answering as well.

'If it would be just that simple. In large cities, some smiths can do mana-forging. But there are only 5 people who are known to the public.

And not one of them is willing to share their knowledge, even for high prices. Who could blame them? A single piece of their work sells for millions!'

Now I understand the struggle. Having someone do it all the time, like it's nothing, while you are unable to, is definitely frustrating.

But there's nothing I could help him with, at least not now, while I'm weak and inexperienced.

"Then what are you currently doing?"

'I'm just continuing something I started a long time ago. I once was a mercenary as well, and on one of my expeditions,

I stumbled into an old grave. There, I saw a sword as I had never before. I'm trying to redraw it from memory, but... you can see my progress.'

On the drawing board, he's working at, the drawing seems to vaguely resemble a sword. But also seems to be alive. There also are eyes on the drawing and many x-ed out symbols. It looks like it's been done by a maniac.

Because this seems to frustrate him and cloud his mind. I first stow away the sword, where he can't see it and then suggest something to him as a distraction.

"Instead of working on this now, that your inspiration is missing, how about you start teaching me?"

'I guess I could do that.' he absent-mindedly says.

"Dorminil, tell me with what we should start, and give me a reason for it!"

I quickly ask him silently in my thoughts.

/The first thing usually should be how to use the different equipment here, but that's boring, so I would start with the fire. The fire in a forge is the very foundation on which all things are built./

I say thanks and then echo this out to Olf.

"I know I should first dedicate my efforts to learning to use the different pieces of equipment here, but I have an even better idea!"

The fog before his eyes is still there, but it seems to slowly clear up.

"How about you show me how to handle the fire? This is the foundation for all of the smithing, so it seems fitting to start with it!

Of course, I won't be able to master it in a short time, but getting a feeling for it early on, can only prove to be useful!"

As I talk about smithing, and its foundation, he quickly gets more awake, and his eyes regain this faint shimmer from before.

He begins to show me how to arrange the fuel. How to light it on fire and how to control the flame with bellows.

/If you were a bit better with magic, I would have taught you fire magic.

Only when you start using magic from the beginning of the forging process can you create an imbued weapon./

So this is the problem. As far as I have noticed, true magicians are rare in this town. Even most fighters only use mana to strengthen their bodies.

After Olf showed me how to measure the temperature of the fire, he finally seems to be completely renewed.

'Thank you for cheering me up. I knew working on the drawing wouldn't be good for me, but I did it nonetheless. Thank you for pulling me out of that hole.'

"No problem, I just felt like you would need a little help."

'But you still won't be getting around learning the basics.'

Damn it, I thought he forgot about it. I have Dorminil, who probably could explain it to me even better, so I wanted to avoid Olf teaching me that, but I can't get around this, I guess.

Since it is late, after all of that, I leave and wish him a farewell.

At home, I continue training my magic. I get my magic controlling skill to 99%, but that last bit just doesn't want to go up.

A bit frustrated, I fall asleep late at night and wake up quite late the next day.

I hurriedly wash up, get dressed and then set out to Olf.

When I arrive there, I continue getting taught by him.

This becomes my daily routine. And just after 2 weeks, Olf realizes something is wrong. At this time, he lets me try to forge my first piece of equipment.

He told me to smith a dagger since this wouldn't be as much of a waste of materials in the case failed. But he never imagined what was going to really happen. With my dragon eyes, I can directly look into the fine structure of the metal, and with Dorminils experience flowing over into me, I can make progress like crazy.

The look I'm giving off doesn't look like I'm doing this for the first time. Instead, I look like I already have lots of experience.

After I finish my work, I look at my dagger. I can still see small impurities with my eyes, so I am not fully satisfied.

But against my expectation, Olf looks really amazed while examining my dagger.

'You goddamn liar. There is no way this was your first time smithing something.'

Is that thing really that good? How come he is this amazed when I left this many impurities in it?

/You did a brilliant job for a human smith. I don't think he can even see those impurities that you left. Your work is definitely not better than his,

but it isn't far from being as good as his. This isn't a quality a first-timer like you be able to achieve./

Oh, so it's like that.

"You are wrong. This really was my first time. It's just that I have a few unfair advantages. I can't tell you what I mean with that, but trust me, I never lied to you."

He looks at me with strict eyes, only to give up that face and to say:

'I just can't not believe you with that honest eyes of yours.

I'll need some time to recover from that shock.

Here, take that and go out for a few days. You can come back whenever you want.'

He throws a small bag at me that rattles when I move it. There definitely is money in there.

'It's your payment for cleaning here and for the dagger. Take it and do your mercenary stuff.'

I thank him many times because this is much more money than I expected.

After leaving the smithery, I directly head to the guild to acquire all the things I need.

When I get there, I try to hide the bag with money as good as possible, so I don't attract any attention.

Everything seems to work out just fine, and I only have to wait about half an hour for my stuff to be ready.

But just as I thought everything would go smoothly, a muscular man approaches me.

Without a word, he takes a seat opposite of me on the same table.

Then he simply places his ranking badge on the table. He is platinum rank.

He appears to be waiting for me to say something, but because I stay silent, his face distorts in displeasure.

He then leans forward and hisses at me.

'Listen here, you little shit. Most of those cowards back there believe you are strong just because you are friends with some of the strongest people around here,

but I call that bullshit. You probably sneaked your way in by having a reputable family or something like that. If you actually have some guts, then come at me at any time, don't worry, I know of our rank difference, so I will hold back for sure.'

He says while showing the widest and creepiest smile I have ever seen.

That last part was definitely a lie. That guy just wants to get all the money he believes I have from my prestigious family.

In the beginning, I wanted to avoid trouble, but that guy just gets my nerve.

"Where?"

'Oho, you can fight me right in front of the towns gates.'

"No, I meant, where are the people who care for that bullshit?"

[Ouch, that one must've hurt. Don't worry, we'll get you out of this if the situation gets out of hand.]

I can see a blood vessel swelling at the side of this dudes face. He seems really pissed.

Now that it's come to this, I should probably check his stats.

Name: Sven

Level: 24

Race: Human

Class: Brute

Vitality: 79 | Strength: 119 | Agility: 30 | Dexterity: 30 | Intelligence: 4 | Willpower: 6 | Magic: 2

Skills: Basic Sword-mastery, Lions roar

Why can I see his skills? Is it because our levels aren't that far apart?

Basic sword-mastery? What is that? I thought common was the lowest?

[No Basic is the lowest tier, but you somehow skipped it, which not even we can understand.]

Oh, so it's like that. Do you think I can win against that Sven with my skill advantage?

[It should be possible, but it will be a tough fight.]

'So you want it to be like that? Fine! I'll make your time as a mercenary, pure hell. And if I get a chance, you're dead.'

With that, he slams the table in half and leaves the way he came from.

Why did I already have a feeling, something like that will happen?

Simply because Sanctuary also had such thugs, but I never really ran into them because I was uninteresting to them.

I order a coffee and drink it calmly while waiting for my equipment to be delivered.

After some while, it gets to me. I check if everything I had ordered is there, and then I leave.

After getting my sword from my hotel room, I directly set off to go out of town. I've been waiting for this way too long.

By the way, all this time, since getting my equipment, I was being trailed by someone. He is probably related to that Sven guy.

When I was nearing the front gate, I already could hear the tumult that seems to be taking place in front of my exit.

It doesn't take long until I figure out who is causing the tumult. That Sven guy seems to have been waiting for me. He also appears to be quite famous, so many people gathered there to see him.

I see no point in trying to avoid him, so I just walk at him straight forward.

He just looks at me with an arrogant facial expression, like he has no one to fear on this planet.

Just to get him provoked a bit more, I start taunting him.

"If you want to lose that badly, then hurry up and get out of town. I don't have all day."

His facial expression instantly drops, and all his fans around him look at me like I'm an idiot.

Some people are following Sven. They also seem to be mercenaries.

When I check their stats, it reveals that they are very low-level.

One of these guys steps in front of me and starts talking with a disgusting accent which makes him nearly non-understandable

'Oy, if you wanna fight ma boss, you first have to go through meh.'

He already has his weapon drawn, so he seems ready to fight.

When he swings his club at me, I simply take a step to the side and keep walking past him.

"If you want to fight me, call your dogs back. I don't like hurting animals."

Slowly but surely, he seems to be losing his last bit of self-control.

'Get back here. He's mine. Don't you fucking dare hurting my prey.'

"I achieved both my goals with that taunt. He is even more pissed, and that guy stopped bothering me."

After we both silently walked out of the town, we get ready to fight.

Out here, there are no regulations, and murder only gets sightly punished if you are of a high rank. People simply don't want to offend high ranking mercenaries.

My opponent draws his ultra-great-sword from his back and starts walking towards me.

I draw my weapon and take a standard stance.

I focus all my mind on his movements.

As soon as he gets within 5 meters of me, he suddenly takes a huge step forward and swings down his sword at me.

I take a step left and slightly divert his attack to my right.

I let the side of my sword slide along the side of his sword and use this to build up even more momentum. Like a spring, my sword then shoots off and hurtles towards his upper body.

But he isn't a platinum-rank for nothing and quickly tilts his body away when my sword approaches him.

But he isn't faster than me, and my sword manages to leave a long but not deep cut across his chest.

Amazed, he takes a few steps back and touches the point where I hit him.

It seems he can't believe I simply cut through steel armour like it's nothing.

This is partly because of the rare-rank sword but mainly because I learned how to infuse my blade with mana when my sword-mastery skill went up.

Now that my opponent knows how dangerous my attacks are, he doesn't charge at me. Instead, he slowly circles around me.

But I won't leave this opportunity to him. I wanted to test something I learned last week for quite some time.

I was learning how to forge, and forging is directly bound to control flames, so I started to try and control flames with my mana.

First, I had no luck, and it didn't seem to work.

But then, it suddenly dawned on me like a switch being flipped inside my head, at that time, I achieved two things at once.

Not only did I get the common fire magic skill, but also, that last missing percentage fell into its place.

So I throw a fireball at him and run right behind it at him. He seems to be startled for a moment but quickly decides to dodge. But he stepped right into my trap.

If he had blocked it with his giant sword, this wouldn't have worked.

But now, just as my fireball was about to fly by, it suddenly makes a turn in mid-air. Sven has no time to react and gets directly knocked to the floor by the fireball.

I take that chance and quickly kick his sword out of his hands. Then I stab my sword right through his right hand, with which he was reaching after the greatsword.

He screams loudly and then goes limp.

"I guess this is my win, so I'll be taking that."

I stoop down to pick his wallet.

With that, I proceed to just walk away from town into the caves.

Behind me are at least a hundred people looking at me, not being able to believe what they just saw.

And with this rich harvest, I set out.

Name: Civitas

Race: [Error]

HP: 390/390 | MP:34/60

Class: none

Level: 11

XP: 455/1100

Vitality: 39 | Strength: 39 | Agility: 35 | Dexterity: 35 | Intelligence: 10 | Willpower: 10 | Magic: 6

Available Stat Points: 0

Passive Skills:

Uncommon Sword-mastery (3%),

Dragon's eye,

Uncommon Magic Controlling Skill(4%),

Common Illusion Image Skill (74%),

Common Fire Magic Skill (31%)

Active Abilities: none

Innate Talent: [Error]

Evolution Progress: 6.955/10.000 XP