In the Golden Valley Kingdom, vast jungles and winding river valleys spread across the land, fostering a unique preference for weaponry among the local populace.
This led to a high demand for Short-Handled Weapons like shortswords and daggers, which gradually formed a unique equipment culture.
Here, they had long since transcended their simple function of self-defense. They were both works of art that showcased personal taste and symbols that reflected social status.
The upper class was fond of wrapping their sword hilts in precious animal hides and meticulously adorning them with the feathers of rare birds.
Even ordinary commoners would carve a few auspicious wavy patterns onto their hilts.
But this particular decoration of dense, tight stripes was something Roland had never seen before.
But while he sensed something was off, Roland still couldn't figure out the significance of those lines.
He simply shook his head, tossed charcoal into the furnace, and began to vigorously pump the Bellows.
After a series of CLANGS from his hammer, Roland stared at the hairline cracks covering the cylindrical section of the Dagger, his brow furrowing ever deeper.
'This thing... it's much harder to forge than I imagined...'
"Kid..."
Hawke, who had been observing from the side, walked over at that moment.
Heedless of the residual heat on the rough piece, he picked it right up and examined it closely.
After a moment, the experienced Blacksmith spoke slowly.
"This technique... even I would struggle a bit to forge this. At your current skill level, you'd better not waste your energy."
"Maybe after a few more years of dedicated practice, you'll manage to forge it successfully."
As he spoke, the lunch bell rang right on cue.
Hearing the bell, Hawke waved a hand and turned to leave. The other young apprentices in the Blacksmith Shop also put down their tools and departed.
Only Roland remained behind.
First, he carefully examined every mistake from his recent forging attempt, then he fetched a new metal bar.
Pumping the Bellows, Ore Burning, forging the metal...
Aided by the effects of [Standardized Production], the process went a little more smoothly this time.
However, during the third firing of the rough piece, the familiar cracks once again crept across the metal's surface.
'Failed again...'
Roland shook his head in resignation, rubbing the half-finished piece in his hands as he fell into thought.
'The ordinary tools I've forged before usually only needed one or two firings to take shape, but this Dagger...'
Thinking of the special structure in the middle section, he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
'It has to be fired over a dozen times. With each firing, the difficulty of controlling the heat and timing grows exponentially. Even activating [Concentration] is of little help...'
'Even with the help of [Standardized Production], I'd probably need a dozen attempts to forge it successfully. But the problem is... after three attempts, I'll have to buy the ore out of my own pocket!'
Roland weighed the mere five Silver Coins left in his money pouch, his brow furrowed in thought.
He was extremely reluctant to spend his precious coins on this unless it was absolutely necessary.
After all, he had no source of income right now, but he foresaw many future expenses.
For one thing, there were the medicinal ingredients required for cultivating the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique.
Even though he'd bought a full supply from the apothecary last time, the remaining ingredients were only enough to concoct the Secret Medicine twice.
If the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique's Level cap was Level Three, he would need to go out and spend money on more ingredients.
At this thought, Roland rubbed his temples and gently placed the half-finished piece back on the workbench.
'I'll just have to think this over a bit more...'
'In any case, there are still over two months until Bronson's delivery date. If all else fails, I can just brute-force it with [Standardized Production].'
With that in mind, Roland packed up his tools and headed straight for the mess hall.
After lunch, aside from forging a few finished tools to practice his craft and prepare for his Profession change to Blacksmith, he spent the rest of his time buried in the blueprints, poring over every single forging detail.
Seeing him neglecting his proper duties like this, the disdain in the other young apprentices' eyes grew more apparent. They would occasionally put their heads together, whispering and snickering.
「Five days passed in the blink of an eye.」
In his dorm room, Roland held an Iron Sword, practicing the Lion Swordsmanship one form at a time.
The blade sliced through the air, a sharp, deadly aura surging within the cramped space. All traces of his initial awkwardness as a beginner were gone.
[You have successfully trained Lion Swordsmanship, gaining two Experience Points.]
Drawing his sword back to a resting position, Roland let out a long breath. He summoned his Professional Panel, his gaze falling on the experience bar for Lion Swordsmanship.
'Even with the double experience bonus from the [Preparation for War] Trait...'
He mused, stroking the hilt of his sword.
'...this progress feels a bit slow compared to the surge of over forty experience points I got from killing those dozen-or-so Kobolds.'
'It seems that with the [Theory and Practice] benefit, real combat is a much more efficient way to gain experience than training. And besides that...'
Recalling the strange sensation he'd felt while practicing his swordsmanship these past few days, Roland tapped his fingertips on the sword's hilt, looking thoughtful.
'Ever since I started cultivating the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique, my body seems to have become much more coordinated. Sword Forms that used to be a struggle to perform now flow as smoothly as running water.'
'Looks like the improvements from the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique aren't just reflected in my Power stat...'
Roland flexed his wrists.
'There are also intangible benefits like muscle control and flexibility...'
With this thought, he turned and walked toward the wooden table in the corner.
Neatly laid out on the table was a finely ground, grayish-black powder that gleamed with a metallic luster in the candlelight.
Drawing on his previous experience, Roland added the Silver Dust with practiced ease.
He waited a moment for the grayish-black powder to once again transform into a viscous, silvery liquid. Then, Roland took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come.
Gritting his teeth, he smeared the viscous, silvery liquid all over his body.
A wave of intense pain assaulted him again, but perhaps because he had already cultivated the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique once, the pain was nowhere near as severe as it had been the first time.
[You have successfully cultivated the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique, gaining one Experience Point.]
[You have successfully cultivated the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique...]
[You have successfully cultivated...]
As the golden notifications flashed before his eyes, the viscous, silvery liquid gradually lost its luster, turning back into a grayish-black powder that flaked off and fell to the floor.
"Phew..."
Letting out a long sigh of relief, Roland opened his Professional Panel.
[Name: Roland]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 16]
[Profession: Blacksmith Apprentice, New Recruit, Student]
[Power: 4.5]
[Agility: 2.5]
[Spirit: 1.8]
[Skills: Level Max Ore Burning, Level MAX Bellows, Level Max Forging, Level MAX Basic Swordsmanship, Level 2 General Knowledge (179/200), Level 2 Lion Swordsmanship (19/200), Level 1 Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique (67/100)]
[Traits: Modest Apprentice, Preparation for War, Concentration]
[Extra Benefits: Hundred Refinements Steel, Theory and Practice, Standardized Production]
"My Power only increased by 0.6?"
Roland frowned slightly.
'It seems the effects of the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique diminish with repeated use. However...'
He looked at the other two Attributes, and his eyebrows raised in surprise.
'My Spirit actually increased by 0.1? That's a pleasant surprise.'
After confirming all the changes, he slowly rubbed his palms together, suppressing the excitement welling up inside him as he muttered under his breath.
"Change Profession to Blacksmith!"
[Available Upper-tier Profession: Blacksmith]
[Requirements: Power 4, Agility 2, three Full Level forging-related skills, forge 10/10 weapons of acceptable quality.]
[Do you wish to change your Profession?]
"Confirm Profession change!"