"Grandpa Max! I brought you some business!"
The inside of the smithy that Dawn brought me to had various weapons lined up on shelves and walls. Swords, shields, armor, and even clubs were showcased all over the interior of this shop in an organized manner. I could tell that each of the equipment here was delicately made with interesting designs by a great blacksmith. Most of the weapons on display had Common rarity with a few being Uncommon. The only higher rarity item that I saw was a wand that was on display behind the counter.
Item Name: Max's Elemental Wand (Weapon)
Rarity: Magical
Restrictions: 20 INT, 10 WILL, Elemental Magic-based job
Effects: Magic Attack +10%, MP Cost -10%, Elemental Magic Attack +20%
The wand was made of some dark wooden material and had metal inlaid throughout its surface. Weird looking symbols were engraved on the metal parts and a small transparent gem was placed at the tip of the wand. It was much better compared to my Wooden Wand.
"Don't shout in my store! You'll scare away the customers!"
A booming voice that was much louder than Dawn's came from behind the counter passed a doorway with a curtain blocking my view. A tall, bald, dark skinned man with a large muscular build and stoic expression walked out from behind the curtain.
Name: Max Lv. 3
Job: Expert Blacksmith
Race: Dwarf Demihuman
That's a dwarf?! He's nearly twice the height of Dawn! And there isn't a trace of a beard or any hair for that matter on his head! Put him in a suit and tattoo a barcode on the back of his head and he would look like a dark-skinned hitman! He only looks like he is in his early thirties.
"Oh? It's just you Dawn. What brings you here at this time of day?"
Ah so that's why Dawn calls him Grandpa. The moment he saw her, his face changed to gentle-looking grandpa talking to his granddaughter. Even his loud voice from earlier became soft.
"I brought a friend who wanted to sell some materials to you!" Dawn said as if boasting.
"Hoho. A friend you say. That's a first."
He took a look at me with glowing eyes. He still had that gentle expression on his face but I noticed a slight twitch when he appraised me.
"Hello Sir. My name is Krim Son. I met Dawn out in the forest and we hunted together to get these materials."
"Rim! You're skipping too much! Grandpa Max, here's what happened…"
Dawn proceeded to tell the whole story of what happened from start to finish like an excited granddaughter telling a story to her grandfather. Ah wait. I forgot that she is 16.
"Tsk. Nat has always been too overprotective of you. Let him spend a few days locked up. That'll teach him a lesson." Grandpa Max said. "Ms. Krim. Let me thank you for saving Dawn and apologize on his behalf. I've been watching over these siblings ever since they came to Lam City. I consider them as my own grandchildren."
It feels weird having a stranger older than me apologizing and bowing to me. Back on Earth, this sort of thing rarely happened.
"it's no big deal. If you want to repay me then please buy my stuff."
"I understand. Usually, monster materials are sold to the Adventurers Guild or the Merchant Guild. But I'll make sure to give you a fair price as repayment for Nat's foolishness."
Grandpa Max bought everything from me except for the magic crystals which I kept. He complained a bit at some of the mangled corpses but still bought them in the end. I earned a total of 3 small silvers, 4 large copper, and 7 small copper.
"Grandpa Max! I'm a Hammer User now. Please take me in as your disciple." Dawn was looking at Grandpa Max expectantly.
"*Sigh* Dawn you know that once you choose you're a job, there's no going back right? How could you choose Hammer User when you have much better options in other fields?"
He was probably referring to Dawn's [Fire Magic]. From what I've learned so far, magic users are rare here in Cloud Kingdom. They were highly sought after by the nobles and army. Just by getting a magic-type job you could secure your future. This made me wonder why those two brothers chose to become Adventurers instead.
"It's because I Grandpa Max is the best! I want to be just like you!"
Grandpa Max jolted. He looked like he was just struck with lightning when he heard Dawn's words. Meanwhile Dawn looked over to me and winked while giving me a peace sign.
Clever girl. I almost entered a state similar to Grandpa Max from Dawn's cuteness.
"Hohoho. Is that so?" Grandpa Max said while he patted Dawn's head. "Then there's no helping it. Since you have already chosen your job, I'll make sure to teach you the skills that this Grandpa has honed over his lifetime! Bwahahaha!"
He was easily won over. I'm glad that Dawn could go through with her plans. I feel envious that she is doing all this for her brother though.
"Yay! I'm going to the prison to tell my Big Brother that I became your disciple!" Dawn dashed off without even saying goodbye. My envy towards Nat increased a level.
With Dawn leaving, I was left alone in the smithy with Grandpa Max. To my surprise, his demeanor changed back to being a stoic elder as if the gentle grandpa never existed in the first place.
"So tell me what your true intentions are, Ms. Krim."
Ah this guy must know about Dawn's real race. I'm not surprised. He must have become cautious of me after seeing my status.
"Just call me Rim. To be honest, I just wanted to save a person who looked like they were in trouble. I was also quite surprised when I found out that Dawn was similar to me." I told him. "You don't have to worry though. I just wanted Dawn to introduce me to the Craftsman Association. As you can see, I can't become an Adventurer due to my status. I thought that maybe I can give the association a try like Dawn."
Grandpa Max looked like he was still suspicious of me.
"Do you know where I can get one of those status disguising equipment?"
I asked him in order to change the subject. No matter what I tried, I just couldn't replicate the magic that was on Dawn's equipment.
"Status disguising equipment is extremely hard to find. Even I was shocked when I found out that Dawn had one."
I guess it's not so easy to get those huh. In a world like this that relies a lot on status and the system, having such an item is a trump card itself.
"If you are in need of money… why don't you try the Craftsman Association's bounties." Grandpa Max suggested. "It's not as famous or reliable as the Adventurers Guild. There's no guarantee of payment from the clients either. But based on Dawn's story, you should be quite capable."
"Hmm. Where can I find it?"
"There's a bounty board in the Craftsman Association Branch building down the street next to the Alchemist Guild. It's the three storey building. You won't miss it."
"Got it. Thank you, Grandpa Max. Tell Dawn that I'll see her around."
"I'm not your Grandpa!"
I waved goodbye and left the smithy. Following his instructions, I found the building he was talking about. As I got closer to it, a fragrant smell caused me to look towards the smaller building next to it. It must be the Alchemist Guild building that Grandpa Max mentioned. I was tempted to go inside just by the scent alone. On one hand, my meager amount of cash probably wouldn't be able to buy any potion that's high quality. On the other, I could ask for some information that could lead to helping me restore my body.
As I was debating whether to go in or not, the door to the Alchemist Guild opened and a woman walked out. She was wearing a set of leather armor and had a bow and a quiver of arrows on her. She had long, dark navy blue hair and sharp facial features. The most eye-catching thing was her ears.
Name: Suzuna Lv. 29
Job: Archer
Race: Feline Beastman
She had cat ears on the top of her head. I saw them twitch and move around when the woman turned towards me. We made eye contact. I wanted to greet her but she quickly turned and walked away.
A real-life cat girl… Now, I'm not a furry but… I do understand why they exist. My Dad once brought me to a maid café for lunch, and they were doing a promotion at that time where the maids were wearing different types of animal ears. I was extremely embarrassed while eating there but my Dad said that we should experience all kinds of things once now that he had a stable income. I wonder how he'll react when I tell him I met a cat girl in real life?
Nevertheless, she looked more human than cat. The only things that made her resemble a cat were her ears and eyes. But that's just from an outward appearance. I was curious to know more but sadly, she looked like she was busy.
I continued and entered the Craftsman Association building.
CHAPTER END.
Name: Ruby Sen Lv. 13
Age: 17
Race: Half-Human?
Class: Half-Magical Creature
Job: - Lv. 13
HP: 10 [39%]
MP: 15 [99%]
STR: 10 (+5)
DEF: 10 (+25)
INT: 17
WILL: 15
SPD: 10
<
Assimilate
Mana Manipulation
Physical Resistance
Weaponized Limbs
Foresight
Shapeshift
Mana Absorption
<
Dissolve
Body Enhancement
Mind Enhancement
Mana Release
Sensing
Camouflage
Sculpting
Detonate
Appraisal Analysis
Lesser Heal
Mana Coating
Cloning
<
Tongue Enhancement