Rivyn spent his first few days in the Empire quietly, settling into his routine. After selling his first few mana stones and getting his hands on some gold, he decided to stay at an inn for a few days. His main plan was to find a more permanent residence—a place where he could focus on his crafting and expand his operations beyond blacksmithing into potions, accessories, and skill books. The inn was a temporary solution, but it served its purpose well.
Rivyn didn't have much to pack. Aside from the clothes he had bought and a few personal items, his life was now focused on his craft, and he was itching to get back to it.
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[Main Quest]
[Conditions for Success:]
Achieve F Rank – 20 System Points (Completed)
Create 1 Circle – 20 System Points
Create and sell 10 skill books – 5 System Points
Create and sell 20 accessories – 5 System Points
Create and sell 10 potions – 5 System Points
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[Rivyn - F-rank]
[Level - 70]
[Strength - 170]
[Agility - 135]
[Defense - 125]
[Mana - 100]
[Unallocated Stats - 75]
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Despite the system still registering him as F-rank, Rivyn knew that his stats were well beyond that. His strength, agility, defense, and mana far exceeded what was expected from an F-rank adventurer, but the system's strange logic left him with the same rank. He shrugged it off. It didn't matter for now—his focus was on his crafting.
He arrived at the new place he had secured. It wasn't grand or fancy, but it was spacious. Four large rooms, perfect for what he had in mind. He designated one room for himself, where he would sleep and relax. Another room was for blacksmithing and accessory making, since both required the heat of a forge. The third room was for potion-making, and the final room would be where he worked on creating skill books. Everything had its place.
He had purchased enough materials to last him for three months, costing him three gold coins. It was a heavy expense, but one he didn't mind making. With everything now set up, Rivyn was itching to start. He had a system quest to complete, and the drive to succeed kept him focused.
Crafting Accessories
Rivyn decided to start with crafting accessories. He already had the tools and materials laid out—silver, gold, and various gemstones he had gathered over time. The goal was to make 10 accessories within the day. It was a challenge, but not one he couldn't handle.
He started by melting down the silver and gold, carefully shaping each piece with a hammer and mold. The gemstones he embedded into the pieces required precision. One wrong move, and the entire accessory could lose its magic-enhancing properties. After embedding the gemstones, Rivyn began enchanting each accessory, infusing them with small boosts of magic, such as strength-enhancing rings or mana-boosting amulets.
The process was meticulous, each enchantment requiring a precise flow of mana from his core into the accessory. Despite the difficulty, Rivyn found himself in a rhythm, his increased strength and agility making the task almost second nature. After 12 hours of non-stop work, he finally felt the first wave of fatigue hit him. That was another reminder of his enhanced physical stats—he could work for long stretches without feeling the strain.
The next day, he continued. Another 10 accessories to craft. The rhythm was the same—melting metals, shaping them, embedding gemstones, and enchanting each piece with precise mana flows. His work was consistent, the quality high. By the end of the second day, Rivyn had completed all 20 accessories and placed them neatly in his storage.
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With the accessories completed, Rivyn moved on to brewing potions. This process would take longer. Unlike accessories, where he could work back-to-back, potions required a more delicate approach. The ingredients had to be processed—soaked, ground, mixed, and distilled in precise ways. Some ingredients needed to soak for days, but for now, he decided to focus on the simpler healing potions.
Rivyn gathered the herbs, crystals, and magical powders he had collected. He prepared the vials, carefully mixing two ingredients at a time. The potions required careful attention—boiling the mixtures at just the right temperature, infusing them with small amounts of mana, and stirring constantly. It was a tedious process, and Rivyn found himself multitasking by preparing two potions at once whenever he could.
Even with the multitasking, it took him three days to brew all 10 potions. He stored them in glass vials, each one glowing faintly with the magical energy he had infused into them. The potions weren't particularly potent compared to higher-level alchemists, but they were strong enough to reattach severed limbs if applied quickly enough. He tested their effectiveness by purchasing a captured goblin from a monster captivist, cutting off its arm, and reattaching it using one of the potions. The results were more than satisfactory.
~~~
Crafting skill books was the last, and most difficult, task on Rivyn's list. Unlike accessories or potions, skill books required both magical knowledge and mana. Creating a skill book was more than just writing down instructions—it required a deep understanding of the skill being transcribed and the ability to imbue that knowledge with magic.
Rivyn wasn't worried about his rank affecting the quality of the books, as he knew his mana was on par with at least a B-rank adventurer. However, the process of crafting skill books was intricate. He had purchased a few A-rank skill manuals, and now it was up to him to summarize the most important elements of the skills, ensuring that nothing critical was left out. Leaving out essential information would weaken the skill book's effectiveness, while adding too much or the wrong information could ruin the entire book.
Rivyn spent a full week on this task. His days were long, as he painstakingly transcribed each skill, infusing the pages with mana as he wrote. The magic had to flow smoothly into the ink, turning the book from a simple manual into a usable skill book. By the end of the week, he had created 10 A-rank skill books, each one glowing faintly with the magical energy imbued in its pages.
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After two weeks of intense crafting, Rivyn finally took a step back and looked over his work. Twenty accessories, ten potions, and ten skill books. Each item was of high quality, far surpassing anything he had crafted before. The accessories were enchanted with powerful boosts, the potions were more potent than anything he had made in the past, and the skill books were flawless, A-rank quality.
Rivyn felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him. He had completed the most difficult phase of his system quest. The next step would be selling these items, but that would come in time. For now, he allowed himself a brief moment of pride. He had come a long way from the struggling blacksmith in Velira, barely able to craft a sword.
His increased mana had made all the difference. The potions could now reattach limbs, something he had never dreamed of before. The skill books were top-tier, and the accessories were as good as anything sold by professional enchanters. He smiled to himself as he thought about the next phase of his plan.