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Chapter 23: Forge That Doesn’t Cry (1)

...And his temper is fiery too.

Picking up the hammer that had fallen to the ground, Kai scratched his head and said, "Are you Solid, the blacksmith of this place, by any chance?"

"That\'s right. The throwing of the hammer.... Hmph! My mistake." As if not used to apologizing, the old man finished his apology, half shouting angrily. "Well, seeing you\'re here, you must want something, but sorry, I\'ve closed shop," the old man stated firmly, leaving no room for rebuttal.

But Kai was not one to back down so easily.

There must be a reason.

According to the bulletin board, this blacksmith was still operating normally just a week ago. That meant something had happened to the old man within the last week.

I need to find out what that is.

Noticing a problem with an NPC, empathizing with them, and drawing out a quest were skills any experienced player of MID Online should possess.

Facing the bad-tempered old man, Kai smiled and handed back the hammer, saying, "I\'ve heard great things about your skills, and that you even directly supply the Rashion royal family."

"I don\'t like flattery." Solid retorted bluntly but his face was filled with pride.

The best way to bridge the gap with someone was indeed showering them with compliments!

But this alone is not enough.

Kai needed to find a way to further draw Solid\'s favor. He looked around the blacksmith intently to find that method.

"What are you looking around for? Anyway, I\'m not in business anymore, so get lost." Solid issued a clear order to leave, looking at Kai strangely.

Just as Kai became anxious, something caught his eye like a ray of salvation.

That\'s it!

A small decoration hung on the wall of the blacksmith\'s corner. It was a sun-carved ornament, meaning Solid was a follower of the Church of Solaris!

Kai\'s face brightened immediately and he used his Friendly Brother skill.

"Hm?"

Solid had looked like he was going to chase Kai away at any moment, but suddenly, his expression slightly softened.

Seeing this, Kai unknowingly clenched his fist.

Yes, it\'s working!

On the other hand, Solid appeared confused by his own change of emotions. After all, forcibly inducing a sense of friendliness was a rather delicate matter.

Before Solid\'s mood worsened again, Kai quickly said, "Solid, sir, could you please explain what has happened to you? There\'s a saying, isn\'t there? Joy shared is doubled, and sorrow shared is halved."

Kai kept smiling warmly as he spoke. There was a saying that one couldn’t spit on a smiling face.

Solid pondered for a moment but eventually shook his head. "I don\'t trust adventurers, and how could I trust you, a stranger, with my troubles?"

"Though I may be an adventurer as you said, I am a devout follower of the teachings of the Solaris God, Helik. Wouldn\'t you feel a bit better just by sharing your worries with me?"

At Kai\'s mention of being a cleric of the Church of Solaris, Solid looked at him from head to toe.

"...You\'re a cleric of the Church of Solaris?"

"Yes. Sacred Flare."

A bright light imbued with holy power rose and illuminated the dust-covered workbench.

"...Hmph. You seem to be promising among adventurers. I suppose it wouldn\'t hurt to talk for a bit." Solid\'s expression remained blunt, but he turned and moved farther into the blacksmith. "What are you waiting for? Come along."

"Right! Coming!"

Kai followed him with sparkling eyes.

***

"Find a spot to sit down as you like."

Solid, perhaps having drunk too much, staggered and collapsed onto a sofa.

Kai pulled over a nearby chair and sat down, looking around the workshop.

...It\'s cold.

Usually, upon entering a workshop, the first feeling one would get would be that it is hot. The heat from a furnace that ran twenty-four hours non-stop was usually too much for an ordinary person to handle. However, the furnace here was as quiet as if it were dead. The furnace that would have fiercely spat out flames was enjoying a rare rest, having ceased its activity.

Solid shook his liquor bottle, and after realizing the bottle was empty, he carelessly threw it to the ground and closed his eyes, looking as if he would fall asleep at any moment.

No!

If he fell asleep now, Kai would have to wait helplessly until he woke up. Feeling anxious, Kai quickly used the Sunlight\'s Warmth skill.

[The skill, Sunlight’s Warmth, has been used.]

[Target\'s Stamina restored.]

[Target\'s hangover condition has ended.]

"Huh? I suddenly feel sobered up." After shaking his head a couple of times, Solid finally began to say, "It must have been about a week ago. A kid came to my workshop. A funny guy claiming to be a blacksmith. He didn\'t even look like he had the strength to swing a hammer, and he didn\'t smell like he had been near a fire for long, a novice adventurer."

An adventurer... then, is he like me, a player?

Kai tilted his head but nodded for now.

As Solid spoke, he seemed to recall an unpleasant memory because he frowned as he continued, "But that presumptuous fellow challenged me to a competition."

"...A competition?" Kai tilted his head some more.

It would make sense for knights to duel, but blacksmiths?

Solid waved his hand dismissively as he added an explanation, "It wasn’t really a competition. It was more like a game where we\'d each use the same furnace and materials to make a weapon. I\'ve done it a few times with other blacksmiths when I was younger. Of course, I haven\'t done it since my reputation and that of my peers grew with age."

"So, you accepted the challenge?"

"I\'d have to be mad to accept such a thing." Solid looked at Kai with disdain. "The challenger was an unknown adventurer blacksmith. On the other hand, I’m.... It\'s embarrassing to say this myself, but I am a renowned blacksmith who supplies the kingdom\'s knights with equipment. There was no reason for me to accept such a pointless challenge that would waste my time and gain me nothing."

To Kai, Solid\'s reasoning sounded logical. But if the duel never took place, why was Solid in such a spiritless state?

Kai’s curiosity was soon addressed.

"When I expressed my refusal, the kid silently drew the sword he had with him."

"He didn’t threaten you with the sword, did he?"

"If he had threatened me in such a manner, I wouldn\'t have accepted the duel even if the sword was put to my throat. However...."

Solid looked into space as if he could see something in front of him, his eyes unfocused.

"It was truly a beautiful sword. Even I, who have swung a hammer all my life, might not be able to create such a thing. Beautiful yet not losing the essence of a sword.... It seemed to elevate the sword to the realm of art."

Solid\'s expression was ecstatic, but it soon shattered into pieces.

"I pressed him, asking where the sword came from, who the blacksmith was that made it."

"No way."

"It seems you\'ve guessed it. Right, the kid claimed he made the sword himself."

My goodness! A player made a weapon that even impressed an NPC blacksmith?

Is that even possible?

Kai quickly went through his memory, but even the skills of Moru, the top-ranked blacksmith player, were not to that level. The items Moru made often appeared in screenshots on the community, so Kai could be certain of that.

"I told him not to joke, not to insult the maker of the sword, but the kid insisted to the end that he had made it himself."

"So, you took on the challenge."

"Right. I agreed to the challenge on the condition that if I won, he would tell me who made the sword."

After saying so, Solid got up from his seat and walked toward one side of the wall. He rummaged through the items on a shelf and came back to Kai with two swords in hand.

"Take a look."

"...."

Instinctively realizing these were the results of the competition, Kai looked at the two swords with a serious expression. One had an elegant handle and blade with wave patterns, appearing luxurious, while the other sword was crude. Without any decoration or pattern, it was just a sword.

Let\'s look at them first.

Kai read the information of the more luxurious-looking sword first.

[Wavy Longsword]

Grade: Rare

Attack Power: 103-124

+10 Strength

+5 Agility

+2 Stamina

*This blade has a sharp effect. Damage from slashing attacks +10%.

The blade is engraved with wave patterns, enhancing its artistic value.

Requirements: Level 60+ Strength: 110+

Durability: 100/100

"Wow...!" Kai exclaimed in amazement after checking the sword\'s abilities.

Could this be the sword made by that blacksmith player?

From Solid\'s story, it was clear he felt defeated and was plunged into self-doubt after losing the challenge.

With a sword like this, I can understand why.

It was a Rare grade sword. Furthermore, with the sharpness effect applied, it was a tremendous sword that any swordsman would covet.

Regrettably... I can\'t deny it. This is a clear victory for the opponent.

As Kai came to this conclusion, Solid said, "That\'s the sword I made."

"...!" Kai looked at Solid in shock.

With a bitter expression, Solid gestured with his chin toward the plain sword that was lying beside his. "Take a look at that one."

Kai hurriedly set down Solid\'s sword and picked up the crude one.