Slowly opening his eyes, Lucas gradually came to his senses while wrapped in his cozy bed. The faint light coming in through the window showed that it was still early, and he couldn't think of a reason to open the shop early since all the repair orders were canceled. As Lucas debated whether to sleep in, his eyes caught sight of the book stack on the dresser. His eyes widened as he started to remember the high elven book and his path. Curiosity driving the sleep from his body, Lucas decided to rise and start researching the book stack.
Getting his feet under him and stretching his arms, Lucas headed over to the dresser. The top book was "Starting as a Novice Blacksmith", which he had acquired yesterday. Lucas eagerly reached for the book and opened the cover. The fine handwritten print on the first page shocked him, until he remembered that printing presses didn't exist here. Curious about what he would find, Lucas started to read the first line before the rumbling of his stomach stopped him.
Lucas set down the book with a deep sigh. Every time he tried to read the book, it seemed something always stopped him. Last night, it was the lack of light. Today, a growing sense of hunger and a sudden urge to use the bathroom downstairs. Taking a breath, Lucas decided to resolve all the issues once and for all so he could read in peace.
First, he headed for the bathroom for a complete refresh, including a fresh change of clothes. Second, it was time for his standard breakfast of rice. He made a mental note to order more rice since he had emptied his bag. Finally, Lucas brought the book down to the shop and cranked open all the windows. He left the door shut to prevent customer distractions today, as all repair orders were already previously canceled. With everything taken care of and his day free, Lucas settled upon his stool and opened his book.
As he focused on the first lines, the writing style seemed to speak to him. The words were carefully chosen and written with attention to detail. He could almost see a large, muscular blacksmith in traditional work clothes, his strong arms bending over a small table, meticulously crafting each word with his calloused hands. The blacksmith was as careful in his word choice as he was in keeping any dirt from his work clothes from staining the page.
Losing himself in his vision as he read the book's opening paragraphs, Lucas suddenly found himself seated on a stone bench in a large room. His body seemed to be frozen in place, but he somehow knew that there were several rows of benches in front of him and behind him, all full of knowledge seekers like himself. Before he could question this feeling further, a large man took his place on the stage. From his clothes and the hammer dangling from his belt, Lucas knew this was a blacksmith of some kind.
When the mystery blacksmith reached the center of the stage, the crowd went silent. Then, the blacksmith began to speak.
"Foraging Matter's welcomes all new blacksmiths to the path. A path unlike any other, for this path is yours and yours alone. No man, no woman, no beast, no anything can walk another's path. Even us, the ones who guide, can't do more than offer advice. We can tell you of others' choices or our own. We can show you many skills or knowledge that we have gained. However, you still must walk your own path."
"There is one thing I want to make clear to each of you. Your path must start with you. You need to walk it. You need to expend energy learning it, have sleepless nights wondering, and countless days of soreness following your path. No one is saying the path is easy. We only say it is worth it."
"While everyone's path is different, we have some common traits among us. The following are the results of our research. However, nothing learned is ever perfect. There is always more to be learned or discovered. Best of luck to all who join us on this path."
As soon as the man stopped speaking, Lucas found himself back on the stool in his shop again. Looking around, he noticed that nothing had changed as if time hadn't passed. Lucas almost believed that he was fabricating the whole thing, except for the fact that part of the book letters were glowing. As Lucas watched, the glow slowly faded. Leaning forward, Lucas glanced at the lines that had been glowing and was shocked. The lines were exactly the same as the talk given by the blacksmith during his vision.
Curiosity taking the place of his earlier dismay, Lucas decided to focus on the beginning of the page again, while intentionally thinking of the blacksmith giving his speech. There was a slight whirling sensation before Lucas found himself seated on the stone bench again, listening to the speech opening for the second time. This time, Lucas focused on visualizing himself being seated in the shop while the speech was taking place. Almost instantly, the scene of the blacksmith faded mid-sentence, and he was back sitting on his stool.
Taking a glance at the book, he realized the opportunity before him. While he didn't understand why the book could give him these visions, Lucas could easily recognize the benefits of being able to see and hear the information rather than just reading it. With a slight grin, Lucas began to focus on the next page and was once again transported.
In the store room of the Hammered Glory, Lucas continued reading and gaining visions page by page. As time slowly passed, minutes turned into hours. The feeble light that had been coming in the windows gradually gained in brightness as morning became afternoon. Lucas would probably have continued enjoying his book until sunset if it weren't for his rumbling stomach. Growls began to turn into small gripping pains, forcing Lucas to place the book back on the counter.
As Lucas rose from his stool, rubbing his abdomen, he noticed a light red-tinged icon on the edge of his vision. The second he focused on it, it faded, and a new red-tinged system window opened in front of him.
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Lucas closed the window and checked his status. His intelligence had increased from seventeen to eighteen. With another thought, Lucas closed his status.
While this stat increase may seem small to many, it was enough to rock Lucas's world. He had previously thought that you had to level up to gain new stats or to wear equipment with added stats, like in a video game. However, he was once again shown that this was no game like he remembered. Having his stats increase in the system status through hard work meant that the status window didn't determine his status. Rather, it reported it in numerical values or displayed the stats using numbers. With this realization, he understood that he could increase all his stats through hard work and effort, without having to worry about leveling up.
This train of thought was abruptly halted by a growling stomach and stomach pain. Lucas chuckled as he was reminded of why he had stopped reading and grabbed his purse. His stomach clearly knew he had skipped lunch and was not interested in waiting for the standard dinner time. He only hoped that the Drunken Squirrel would have something ready a little earlier than normal.
On arriving at the tavern, Lucas paused after entering. Compared to normal, neither John nor Amber seemed to be present. As he considered grabbing a bite elsewhere, John exited the kitchen with a wet bucket of rags. Seeing Lucas, he offered his normal tavernkeeper smile and wave.
"Lucas, welcome! Come on in. I was just about to tidy up the tables before supper. It's unusual to see you here at this time of day. How's everything going?"
Lucas settled into his customary seat at the bar but turned to face John as he continued his table-cleaning duties. "Good afternoon, John. I'm doing alright. I got engrossed in my studies and lost track of time, so I ended up skipping lunch. I thought I'd throw myself at your mercy and see if you happen to have anything ready this early."
John chuckled. "Hahaha, don't let Amber hear you say that. I handed over control of the kitchen to her capable hands a while ago. Let me check with her if she has something for you."
John poked his head inside the kitchen, and Lucas could almost hear a muffled conversation. After a brief moment, John closed the door and strolled down the bar to where Lucas was seated.
"Good news, Lucas. Amber already has the first pot of dinner done. She just needs to whip up the rolls real quick, and you'll be all set," John explained. "Sounds goods." Lucas replied.
"By the way, how's taking over the smithy work going for you? Have you finished sorting out your master's orders and started accepting orders of your own?" John asked, leaning on the counter with a small smile.
"Most of the customers who had placed orders with my master have already canceled," Lucas replied calmly. "As for my own orders, I'm still in the process of practicing before I start taking custom orders. Why do you ask?"
John glanced back at the kitchen door before leaning forward and lowering his voice. "Amber's birthday is coming up soon, and I need to find her a present. I noticed that her knife is beyond repair, not worth sharpening anymore. I was hoping I could place an order with you to have a new knife made. I don't need one fit for battle, just a well-designed one for her to use in the kitchen."
Lucas glanced at the closed door, ensuring their conversation remained private. "I haven't made a knife yet, but I don't mind giving it a try. I can't guarantee the outcome, though."
John smiled. "We still have a little over a month. I'll bring it up again when we get closer. If all else fails, I can ask Lauren for the latest design of a blanket. It's just an idea I think she'll love."
"I'll see what I can come up with," Lucas answered. John nodded and returned to his work on the tables.
The kitchen door swung open, revealing Amber balancing a tray loaded with food. With practiced ease, she made her way towards Lucas's seat and began unloading the tray.
"Good afternoon, Lucas. You lucked out today with the special being ready early," Amber commented with a smile.
"Good afternoon, Lady Amber. I am grateful for your mercy upon this poor soul," Lucas replied, rising from his seat and offering an exaggerated bow.
Amber's cheeks lightly flushed as she responded, "Just so you know, I can't do this every day. I don't want others to become jealous and complain."
Lucas reclaimed his seat, winking and smiling. "Your secret is safe with me."
Amber laughed and returned to the kitchen. Lucas began savoring another magnificent culinary experience, courtesy of Amber's cooking. He took his time, relishing the tranquility of the tavern, interrupted only by the sounds of John cleaning. After finishing his meal, he left payment on the bar and made his way back to the blacksmith shop.
On his way back to the shop, Lucas pondered the information he had absorbed during his morning reading session. Two key points stood out to him—the ranking system and the corresponding responsibilities within each rank.
The ranking system described in the book was far more intricate than the apprentice, master, and expert system commonly used in Blackrock. Firstly, the introductory rank was not labeled as an apprentice. Instead, new blacksmiths were referred to as novices.
Novice blacksmiths were portrayed as novice explorers. They were encouraged to undertake basic tasks, familiarize themselves with the tools and materials used in blacksmithing, and navigate their way around the forge. The book emphasized that novices only engaged in actual blacksmithing tasks when they were striving to advance to the next rank. To progress beyond the novice stage, young blacksmiths were expected to discover the heart of the forge, comprehend the blacksmith's eye, and understand the rhythm of the hammer's beat. However, the book merely hinted that novices would recognize these aspects when they encountered them.
Following the novice rank, the next stage was apprentice. Contrary to what Lucas had witnessed in Blackrock, the book explained that apprentices did not necessarily require a master. Instead, being an apprentice simply indicated that the blacksmith had surpassed the "explorer" phase and was now practicing the practical skills of a blacksmith. The book did not specify the exact task or achievement required to progress beyond the apprentice rank; it simply stated that the journeyman rank was the third stage, indicating that the blacksmith was now fully committed to following the path of blacksmithing.
Upon reaching the shop, Lucas made the decision to finish reading the remaining pages of the "Starting as a Novice Blacksmith" book since he only had a few pages left. Reclaiming his spot on the stool in the shop, he opened the book to the last page he had read and immersed himself in its contents. Lost in the visions within the book, Lucas lost track of time as he eagerly devoured the final pages.
When he finally completed the book, he gently set it back on the counter and glanced at the remaining daylight. Once again, the book had captivated him for longer than he had intended, and evening was fast approaching. However, his curiosity had been piqued. Despite having lived in Hammered Glory for almost a week now, Lucas realized that he had yet to visit the shop's forge even once.
Exiting the shop through the rear, Lucas found himself in the backyard. The pile of clothes emitting a sour smell still sat stacked against the side of the house, while two separate piles of materials—coal and high-quality iron ore—had been placed near the gate of the fence. Lucas recalled that he had ordered these materials at his master's request not long ago which explained their height. Apart from the well situated in the center of the yard, the only remaining structure was a long stone bricked structure, its interior not yet known to Lucas.
The stone structure stood before Lucas, its black hue contrasting with the wooden roof. A wooden door, reinforced with an iron bar, faced the shop. Curiosity compelled Lucas to approach the door, where he noticed a simple knob at its edge. Twisting the knob, he entered the forge and found himself in a dimly lit room.
The first thing that struck Lucas was a familiar foul odor. Casting his gaze around, he discovered several loose wine bottles and stacks of boxes filled with old, unsealed bottles. It appeared that his master had been hiding the empty bottles here. Realizing that the room would need to be cleared if he wanted to explore it thoroughly, given the abundance of loose bottles and boxes, Lucas shifted his attention to the rest of the forge.
From the doorway, Lucas could see a large stone hearth at the center of the room, covered in gray dust and small remnants of coal. In the corners near the roof's edge, he noticed large crystal-like rocks encased in metal bands. Several tools were scattered across a worktable, and various sizes of anvils occupied a corner of the room.
Straining his eyes to perceive more in the darkness, Lucas suddenly became aware that the darkness was spreading. Glancing behind him, he realized that the sun was beginning to set, signaling the end of his exploration for the day. Exiting the forge, he ensured the door was securely closed before making his way back to the shop. Lucas had discovered his next task, one to be tackled tomorrow.