Meanwhile, Lin Fan, the man everyone missed, had returned to the village.
"That was really hard to find. No quest is ever simple."
Lin Fan sat in a chair in the blacksmith shop, pondering. After experiencing so many quests, he understood that none of them were easy. Even when he actively searched, the results often turned out to be false leads.
As he was thinking about this…
A village woman approached, carrying an iron pot. "Lin Fan, my pot has a hole. Do you have any new ones?"
She was clearly looking to replace her old pot.
"Yes, I do, but your pot can be repaired. There's no need to buy a new one," Lin Fan said.
"Really?"
"Absolutely. My repair skills are quite good now. I guarantee it'll be as good as new."
She clearly wanted a new pot, but he insisted on repairing the old one.
Doing business like this, he'd never get rich.
However, Lin Fan enjoyed this kind of work.
He picked up the old pot and began to repair it. His blacksmithing skills had improved significantly compared to before. I really do have a talent for blacksmithing, he thought.
As long as I keep working at it…
I can raise this hobby to the same level as farming.
It's a good thing I keep finding new hobbies, otherwise this monotonous life would be so boring.
The villagers all enjoyed the sound of Lin Fan's hammering.
He was truly diligent.
It had become a unique sound in the village. None of the villagers could have imagined that such a skilled individual lived among them.
The sky gradually darkened.
After working at the forge, Lin Fan felt a little hungry. He was about to go home and prepare a small meal, but the taste of monster meat lingered in his mind. He really wanted to eat that delicious meat again.
No sooner said than done.
He packed up his things and prepared to hunt for monsters.
A young man needs to eat plenty of meat to grow strong.
It was difficult to find monsters around the village. He wondered if the monster he encountered before had been a rejected suitor, exiled from its group, who came to this remote place to rule and act tyrannically.
It seemed quite plausible.
Therefore, Lin Fan went to the forest far from the village.
There, he sensed the aura of a monster. The aura wasn't exactly evil, but it radiated a brutal force.
In the forest…
Lin Fan saw a monster. It wasn't very large, only about half the height of a man. It looked like a rabbit, with white fur, and seemed quite cute. But that cuteness only applied to its face. Considering its large body, it was actually quite imposing.
It looked rather frightening.
He didn't recognize what kind of monster it was. In his own words, he could call it a "rabbit monster."
The rabbit monster was lying on the ground eating grass. With each bite, it devoured a large patch. The lush green area quickly became barren due to its voracious appetite.
What a strong appetite!
It really could eat.
"Hey!" Lin Fan landed and greeted the rabbit monster. Hearing the noise, the rabbit monster turned its head. Its red eyes lit up when it saw Lin Fan.
It saw meat.
The rabbit monster, tired of its vegetarian diet, went completely crazy at the sight of meat. It desperately rushed towards Lin Fan, its intention clear: to devour him.
Seeing the rabbit monster charging, Lin Fan appeared somewhat helpless.
"How unfriendly."
He reached out to grab the rabbit monster. Seeing this, the rabbit monster sneered. You want to catch me? It seems you know nothing of my speed, you fool…
By the river…
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Lin Fan skinned the rabbit monster, washed it clean in the river, then hoisted the carcass over his shoulder and flew back towards the village.
While skinning it, he noticed a magic core in the rabbit monster's head. He almost threw it away, but he could sense a faint power within the core.
He pondered, My blacksmithing has progressed quite a bit. Perhaps I can use this magic core to forge a weapon.
The thought excited him.
If someone knowledgeable about monsters had seen this, they would have exclaimed, "Isn't that a seven-star monster, the Swift Rabbit? Its speed is incredible, and its claws are extremely sharp. It can tear you to shreds before you can react!"
It was a tricky and troublesome monster, no weaker than some eight-star monsters.
Back in the village…
Lin Fan kept some of the meat for himself and chopped the rest into several portions, which he sent to the village chief. Good things should be shared. The village chief had given him some meat last time.
This was what he called a sharing village.
Lin Fan's cooking was excellent. The aroma alone was appetizing. He wished Old Zhang were around so he could also taste the delicious meat.
After eating his fill…
He lay down on the bed to rest.
Gradually…
He heard sounds. At this time, everyone in the village should have been asleep, but if he listened carefully, he could hear some muffled rhythmic noises.
Like someone pounding something.
"Such hardworking villagers, working so late at night. They are truly role models for me to learn from," Lin Fan sighed, then turned off the light and went to sleep.
Morning.
Lin Fan was blacksmithing as usual.
The village chief approached from afar, his face flushed and full of energy. "Lin Fan, what kind of meat did you send over last night? It was truly delicious!"
"Rabbit meat, it's very tasty," Lin Fan replied.
After receiving the meat, the village chief had shared it with the others. It was just in time for dinner, and everyone thought adding a meat dish would be nice. They ate it with relish.
But afterwards…
It was best not to talk about it.
The village chief looked suspicious. Was it really rabbit meat?
Something felt off.
It had a potent effect.
He had felt it last night. At his age, such things were supposed to be a thing of the past. But who could have imagined that he would feel it again? This made the village chief feel rather awkward.
He hadn't originally intended to ask.
But the other villagers came to him, asking what kind of meat it was. For them, it was like regaining their youthful vigor, making them roar with energy. They woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and not tired at all.
"Can you get more?" the village chief asked.
Lin Fan said, "I don't know. I just happened to come across it."
"Alright."
The village chief left, leaning on his cane. He was now full of energy and had to go chat with his old friends.
Lin Fan shook his head, not giving it much thought, and began to forge his weapon.
He prepared the sword mold, then took the Swift Rabbit's magic core and threw it in, hammering it together with the mold.
However, to Lin Fan's surprise, the magic core seemed about to shatter, its energy dissipating and threatening to cause a terrible explosion.
"This won't do."
Lin Fan contained the magic core's power, forcibly fusing it with the sword mold, then swung his hammer and began to strike.
With each blow, the magic core's energy fused a little more with the mold.
If a master blacksmith from a large city had seen this, they would have cried out, "You're courting death! Magic core energy is extremely unstable! Forcibly hammering it like that will definitely cause an explosion!"
The consequences would be unimaginable.
Did he even understand blacksmithing?
If not, don't mess around, it could kill you.
The energy released when a magic core went berserk was terrifying, and this was the energy of a seven-star magic core. Even a great mage might not be able to withstand it.
Even for a seven-star magic core…
The difference between a stable and berserk state was significant.
"Heh, still restless, huh?" Lin Fan sensed the explosive energy within the magic core and smiled. With a little pressure, it could be managed. It wasn't that troublesome.
After an unknown amount of time…
The final hammer blow fell.
The magic core had vanished, all its energy absorbed into the sword mold.
"Forging complete."
Lin Fan lifted the forged sword. It wasn't as large as those greatswords; it was more suited for a woman. With a light swing, the blade vibrated at a high frequency, causing ripples in the air.
Although it was a light swing, it was incredibly fast.
"Hmm, not bad," Lin Fan was satisfied. This speed was like a snail's pace to him, but to the people here, it was incredibly fast.
He thought that the forged weapon needed a name. After some thought, he had an idea.
He etched a name onto the blade with his fingertip.
"Very Fast Sword!"
Looking at the perfect weapon, Lin Fan smiled with satisfaction. He returned to the blacksmith shop and hung the sword on the wall. This was the first weapon he had forged, a symbol, and it had to be displayed in a prominent place.
If this weapon were shown to the outside world, it would definitely cause a huge sensation.
It completely defied conventional theory.
Some weapons had grooves carved into the blade, inscribed with runes, and a magic core placed inside. The runes would absorb the magic core's power, achieving a kind of enchantment.
Nothing like this had ever been seen before.
Lin Fan admired the sword hanging on the wall with his arms crossed, a proud smile on his face. This initial success proved that he truly had a talent for blacksmithing.
No further proof was needed.
The finished product was right there.
He lay down in his chair to rest, looking at the sky. The unpolluted blue sky and white clouds were truly beautiful.
Half a month passed like this.
One morning…
Lin Fan got up and placed his tools outside. He saw a dirty child squatting outside the forge, looking like a refugee.
"Hello, little one," Lin Fan greeted.
The child looked at Lin Fan but didn't speak, keeping its head down and shrinking back cautiously.
Strange!
Lin Fan found the child's behavior odd.
"Can't you speak? Are you mute?"
The child glanced at Lin Fan.
Lin Fan pondered, "Is something wrong with your ears? Are you deaf?"
He spoke gently, as these words could be taken the wrong way if spoken in a normal tone.
The child glanced at Lin Fan again.
These few glances left Lin Fan puzzled.
Something felt wrong.