Crafting

The people in the store fell silent as they heard Lucius's response. "You are rich, why don't you help us out?" a young man asked, looking at the goblin sword in his hand. It seemed he had made a poor choice when picking his starting weapon.

"You realize that coins are bound to you? Being rich, I have put my life in more life-and-death situations than you can understand," Lucius deadpanned, looking at the man. The man fell silent, realizing the truth of Lucius's words. He then asked if he could swap the goblin sword for a healing totem item.

"Yes," Lucius agreed, taking the holy symbol and handing the man the sword. The man thanked him gratefully, feeling as if Lucius had saved his life. For Lucius, it was a good deal since he didn't yet understand how the magic staffs and holy symbols, and it presented an opportunity to gain something useful.

Storing the hammer away, Lucius heard another voice asking about a trade. The man pointed at a hammer, and after a moment of thought, Lucius asked, "What items do you have?"

The man took out several items and placed them on the counter as if offering them for exchange. As Lucius inspected the items, he noticed that most of them were of little value, except for one item that caught his attention: a peculiar fish that he had never seen before.

Lucius pointed at the fish and proposed a trade, "This if you tell me where you got it from."

The man readily agreed, seeming happy with the trade. "Sure," he replied, "if you head out the Southern gate and travel for about 8 hours, you will reach a massive ocean or lake. I'm not exactly sure which one it is, but it's a vast body of water."

''Oh? Southern gate, hmm,'' Lucius murmured as he accepted the low-value item from the man, deeming the information about the Southern gate worth the trade.

"Thank you," the man said, about to leave, but then hesitated for a moment before pointing at one of the swords on display. "There is something else I know, but I would also want a sword in exchange," he requested.

"Sure, if it's worth it, I'll let you have the sword," Lucius agreed, curious about what valuable information the man might have.

The man took a deep breath and revealed, "A group of around 10,000 humans left the Northern gate yesterday."

Lucius listened intently as the man continued with the valuable information. "Only 130 came back alive, and they were heavily injured," the man revealed, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. He looked at Lucius, clearly expecting something in return for his valuable intel.

Lucius handed over the sword as agreed, encouraging the man to continue sharing the rest of the information. "From what I know, they ran into a big army of goblins, and one of the survivors, a friend of mine, managed to see information on one of the goblins," the man explained, getting closer to Lucius as he whispered, "[Goblin Chief LvL9]."

With the valuable information he had obtained, Lucius felt that the trade he made with the man was more than worth it.

As he looked around at the others who were merely browsing the empty store, Lucius decided to close up for the day. He locked the door, and the system teleported them outside, back to the familiar streets of the city.

Heading to the crafting area, Lucius decided he would try to use the new skill he had learned. He walked past his comrades, who were lazily sitting around and talking and arrived in front of the smelter. Peering into it, he saw a fire burning with extreme heat, ready to melt materials.

Selecting the first sword from the pile, he tossed it inside the smelter. A small flame ignited on the metal, and within seconds, it started to melt, transforming into a lava-like liquid that collected in the crucible. Lucius knew that this process would normally take more time and effort, but he suspected it had something to do with the enhanced smelter.

The crucible, resembling a pot, was used to gather metals or other substances that were heated to very high temperatures. Seeing the molten metal in the crucible at an extremely high temperature, Lucius used a ladle-like tool to carefully scoop it up and pour it into moulding blocks to create steel.

Now came the crucial part where he would need to use the skill. Up to this point, he had refrained from activating the skill as it involved simple tasks of moving items around. However, for shaping the metal into a sword, he required the skill's guidance. He activated 'Steelwork Forge,' feeling a surge of mana travelling through his body, providing him with precise instructions in his mind. The system prompt:

"Steelwork Forge" depending on the user's materials, knowledge, and experience, helps to craft basic to higher-tier gear. The result will vary accordingly. It is particularly useful for crafting basic weapons.

Picking up a pair of tongs, he carefully carried the metal and started reheating it again. The skill was transferring information on what to do and when to do it, guiding him through the process. As the metal turned red-hot, he carried it over to the anvil, following the steps just like the goblin had done.

Taking the goblin hammer in hand, he began hammering the metal with a resounding "ding, ding" sound. Lucius felt great joy in the rhythmic process. Slowly, the shape of the metal was transforming into a more sword-like design. Continuing to hammer, he turned it to the side and shaped it to his desired form.

As the group gathered in a circle, they watched with curiosity as Lucius crafted the sword. The sound of hammering and the sight of the glowing metal held their attention. Kevin couldn't contain his amazement and broke the silence, "Wow, it really looks like a sword!" He sounded genuinely impressed, not expecting Lucius to pull it off so skillfully, even with the assistance of the skill.

With the main shape of the sword and its metal handle now fixed, Lucius rushed it to be quenched in water, not answering Kevin, creating a burst of steam. Taking the sword out of the water, he noticed it was still dull on the edges and proceeded to sharpen it. As he worked on the blade, his mana began to deplete, steadily going down faster.

Using a grinding wheel, he carefully sharpened the edges until they were keen enough. Setting the finished sword aside, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction and pride in his creation.

Walking over to the leather wolf pelts, he started cutting them using the leather tools. With skilful hands, he crafted a handle for the sword and then proceeded to tie it securely around the hilt, giving the sword a fresh and new appearance.

Looking at the sword from afar, Lucius felt a sense of satisfaction. The sword he had crafted was just as good as the one he uses, and he had made it from scraps, which marked a significant improvement for those using trial weapons or poorly made goblin swords.

However, he started to feel a bit sick, and upon checking the system panel, he noticed that he had only 30/100 mana remaining. Crafting the sword had depleted a total of 70 mana, and he wasn't sure about the speed of its recovery. Seating himself and taking a sip of water, he began to ponder his next steps.

While he could continue crafting swords to gain resources, his primary plan was to create armour that would provide better protection for himself and others, particularly safeguarding vital areas. He intended to explore deeper into the unknown and prepared accordingly for whatever lay ahead.