The next morning, Dan couldn't even sleep well thinking about the possibilities that he could do. Even Natalie was astonished by the fact that he fell into such a deep contemplation. He didn't even eat his breakfast and just rushed out of the mansion towards the blacksmith shop where he got the lump of iron.
Knocking on its doors, Dan found the indifferent old man looking as cold as ever, walking towards him, he revealed a slight smile and said, "Old man, I completed the task that you asked me to do," taking the iron from his pocket, Dan placed it on the table and the old man's attention turned on the iron.
His eyes flashed in fascination upon realizing that the Iron looked different from before. Yesterday, it looked shiny but now, it looked dark and dense. Holding the fist-sized iron in his palms. He closed his eyes and focused his senses towards the iron.
Dan calmly crossed his arms together with an indifferent expression on his face. When the old man's eyes opened, it momentarily shone in a light of excitement which didn't escape Dan's perception. But when he placed the iron on the table. The old man spoke in a cool tone, "Pretty average at best, even though you managed to pass the apprentice examination for your first time, I hope you don't get carried away and brag..." He thought and Dan inwardly smirked.
Among the myriad occupations under the heavens, crafting or smithing was something that belonged near the apex. After all, a good armor could possibly save your life and a good weapon could mean the difference between life and death.
Dan knew that the old man was taking precautions and was testing his attitude; if Dan was an arrogant young master who took advantage of his position as an apprentice blacksmith, he would immediately refuse admission and send him home.
'However, to think that he would assess the iron that the Sub-System crafted as an average one...' On the outside, Dan revealed an excited and relieved expression. Scratching his head, he said in an uncertain tone, "Well, I was quite embarrassed bringing this iron to you, after all, I don't have much experience and I only managed to make it fist-sized after ten minutes..."
When Dan spoke the first part of his sentence, the old man nodded in satisfaction but when he heard the latter part, he almost choked in his saliva, 'Ten minutes?! Even I would take an hour to temper an iron to this extent! Are you kidding me?' His experience in dealing with people as a merchant surfaced and he scanned Dan's expression, looking for deceit.
But when he realized that he looked nonchalant and as casual as ever, the old man sighed in his heart, defeated. Towards this monster of an apprentice that suddenly arrived; he didn't know what to feel nor to say...
"It's fine, you're accepted, however, let me see you temper an Iron first..." The old man smirked and opened the back door of the establishment. Dan revealed an awkward smile and said, "Ermm, sir, I just finished making that yesterday and my arms are still aching..."
The old man turned at him with a stern glare, "Take that ointment and rub it on your skin!" He pointed at a shelf where a jade bottle filled with a green liquid could be seen. Dan couldn't do anything other than to obey and he obediently rubbed the ointment on his 'aching' arm.
Dan knitted his eyebrows. He realized that the ointment that he applied not only relieved pain but also increased the muscle's power and endurance. Scanning with the System, he was astonished when he found the real identity of the ointment that he just carelessly used.
[Name: Nature's Dew]
[Effects: Purifies, Tempers, Heals all sorts of wounds under the heavens, a rare find under the heavens and could only be stumbled upon by luck.]
[Hidden Effect: If you manage to find a bathtub full of this liquid, if you take a bath on it, you will reemerge as a Spirit Tempering Realm Cultivator.]
'What in the actual...' Dan hissed, just the effects of the ointments alone indicated its preciousness, yet the old man just displayed it on the shelf like it was some kind of a common commodity.
"Hey, what are you doing there? Come in!" The old man threw a fierce glare enough that his white hair stood on its end, Dan returned the bottle on the shelf and followed suit.
Inside the room, Dan could see a furnace and a hammer, the old man placed a lump of iron in the fire using a thong. Soon, the lump of iron looked fiery and hot as the old man placed on an anvil.
"Come, temper this iron, fifty times." The old man crossed his arms together, a small smile lifted on his face. He still didn't believe that it was Dan who tempered the iron that he brought. And to make clear sense of everything, he planned on having him temper an Iron on the spot.
'Let's see how you can trick me this time...' He inwardly thought as Dan approached the furnace. When he held the hammer, the old man shook his head and found that his movements looked simple and lacked the innate gracefulness that blacksmiths had when they work.
However, as soon as Dan slammed his hammer down, the atmosphere that surrounded him changed. The old man's eyes widened when he saw that Dan's right arm bulged and under ten seconds, he tempered the iron for twenty-times.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Consecutive striking sounds of metal clashing against metal echoed inside the room. The old man threw his previous mockery to Dan and stared at him with a light of admiration and worship. 'Fucking hell, if someone like this guy becomes an apprentice, then what am I? A mere carpenter?!' He inwardly cursed Dan for his pretentiousness that he applied for an apprentice position even though his skills were this high.
Indeed, under ten minutes, Dan completed his work and the Iron that looked shiny from before now looked dense and jet-black. The old man held it in his palms and found that it was void of impurities. His figure trembled in shock and he couldn't help but cry his eyes out.
Dan's expression flickered in shock when he realized that the old man was sobbing. Supporting him with his hands, he said, "Hey, old man, what's wrong with you?" Dan took him away from the hot room back to the reception where he made him sit on a chair.
The old man finally calmed down, and he spoke in a deep tone, "Back when I was still at the peak of Smithing, I could achieve the same results that you did but double the time that you took."
Hearing his words, Dan awkwardly scratched his cheeks, 'I knew it, I should've turned off the System Assist function...' Since everything was already done, he could only sigh in his heart.
"Ever since my father died, my only companion in life was my hammer and my pursuit in life is to create an armor and a weapon set that could be considered as the strongest among the strongest..."
"However, after that tragic time, I failed and could only hide inside this small Empire, masquerading as a small merchant of weapons and as the Elder of the Blacksmith Association..."
'Small Empire?' Dan's eyebrows knitted, 'And he's also an Elder of the Blacksmith Association?'
"Yeah, that's right, I am an Elder of the Blacksmith Association, but since almost all of the Elders have their own disciples that they nurtured for the future, I was eventually exiled and could only return when I find a disciple."
"Back then, I told them that how could I easily pass on my techniques towards these people that didn't have the skills to deserve it?" The old man's eyes flashed in a complicated light, lifting his head, he stared into Dan's eyes and said,
"But now, I found you, as a person who possesses such a skill in smithing, and with such a young age like that? How could I let you go now? Not only will I proclaim you as my direct disciple, I will nurture you and make sure that you'll definitely stand at the top!" The old man's expression reddened in excitement, standing up, he looked down at Dan before saying in a clear and powerful voice.
"Young man, will you be my disciple?"
His words echoed throughout the room, but Dan only revealed a slight smile in return before dropping a bombshell.
"Nah, I don't want to become someone's disciple nor a follower. How about this, you become my disciple and I will help you reclaim what is rightfully yours."
The old man's figure froze and he chocked in his own saliva.