The Master of Strength

‘Strong Smith?’

Myeonghu repeated the words in his mind as he looked up to Tilto. It was a bit strange to call oneself a Legend.

“Ahem”

Tilto also seemed a bit embarrassed by his self flattery, but soon recovered as he continued speaking

“Actually I’m not quite at the legendary stage yet, but I’m sure I will be soon enough. I can forge items at an unbelievable speed. In the time it takes a regular Blacksmith to produce a single item, I can make 10. Basically, I’m able to easily mass produce equipment.

“…!”

“But that’s not all, the most important part is that the quality doesn’t drop and is on par with that of a Royal Blacksmith!”

“Oh, but how is that even possible?”

It was such a strange concept, but he didn’t quite understand why it was he was telling him all this.

“Are you interested in becoming a Strong Smith?”

“…What?”

Following Tilto’s question, a Quest appeared.

<Sub-Class – Tilto’s Secret>

Tilto’s Master was the very first Strong Smith and was well on his way to becoming a Legend as he served in the Royal Palace. However the speed and excellent quality of his work caused the other Blacksmiths to be jealous. Therefore, since he didn’t have an important background and focused only on his craft, before he knew what was going on he had been sacked. Still, Tilto went with him, staying loyal to his master who in turn poured all of his knowledge and experience into grooming him. Later, Tilto passed an examination to join the Palace’s Blacksmiths in order to regain his Master’s face, but ended up being cast out in much the same way. Tilto now holds a grudge and is looking for a capable successor who will enter the palace to put those arrogant bastards in their place. He has decided on you as a successor. Do you accept an apprenticeship under the Strong Smith Tilto and swear to proudly uphold its legacy?

Difficulty: B

Upon acceptance, Sub-Clas – Strong Smith, Tilto’s Teachings 1

If you reject, intimacy with Tilto will decrease sharply.

‘ A Sub-Class…’

Myeonghu was somewhat conflicted. If there hadn’t been any constraints, he would have gladly accepted. However there was this whole conflict with the Royal Blacksmiths and he didn’t really want to get tied up in all that.

‘I’d rather not get involved….’

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to confront the pesky blacksmiths, but rather that he treated this as a game which was supposed to be enjoyable, not one of endless troubles.

“Cutting down those blacksmiths down a peg…I could rest at ease. You too must have your own goals to accomplish, but I still wish I could see that day in my lifetime.”

Was it because he saw that he was hesitating that Tilto spoke out? Regardless, hearing Tilto’s sincere pleading, Myeonghu couldn’t help but give in.

“I will work hard on Master’s behalf in order to give those Blacksmiths a good slap in the face.”

“…!”

Tilto’s face lit up with a beaming smile as messages began to appear.

[Sub-Class – Strong Smith obtained]

[You have learned new skills related to Strong Smiths]

[Strong –  Acquired Weapon Crafting ]

[Dexterity Stat has been created.]

Myeonghu was checking the messages when Tilto spoke to him.

“Thank you”

“It’s nothing, Master.”

“Still, thanks. Oh and….”

Myeonghu looked up and saw that he was still holding the box.

‘Of course, there’s still the reward!’

He had completely forgotten about it, as he now waited eagerly for Tilto to continue.

“Here’s the reward gathering the Claws of the Giant Wolf. Wait here one second I’ll be right back.”

[Quest Complete]

Tilto handed him the box then left the room. While he was away, Myeonghu took the chance to open the box and see what was inside.

“Sweet!”

As expected, it was Agility Pills, but this time there were 7 of them. He didn’t hesitate to consume them all.

[You have consumed an Agility Pill, Agility +10]
[You have consumed an Agility Pill, Agility +10]
[You have consumed an Agility Pill, Agility +10]
[You have consumed an Agility Pill, Agility +10]
[You have consumed an Agility Pill, Agility +10]
[You have consumed an Agility Pill, Agility +10]
[You have consumed an Agility Pill, Agility +10]

Tilto returned holding two boxes.

Thud!

He dropped them on the counter and then opened up the smaller one. He then took out a small blue orb, 10 cm in diameter as he held it out on his palm.

“This is how you use it.”

Tilto then threw the ball towards the floor.

Poof!

Upon coming in contact with the floor, it burst into a cloud of smoke, which quickly dissipated. A large Smithing Workshop appeared out of nowhere. Myeonghu simply stared in amazement at it, while Tilto continued to explain.

“It’s a portable forging room with all the necessary tools like a hammer and others which you might need. It’ll be your personal workshop, and once your done, you can simply press the blue button over there and it’ll transform back into a bead. Try pressing it.”

Poof!

[Magic Orb: You have obtained a portable Blacksmith Workshop]

Myeonghu was still stunned by the whole thing, as he stared at the orb.

“Next…”

Hearing that Tilto was going to continue with more rewards, he quickly stored the blue orb and looked inside the next box.

“…”

Myeonghu was left speechless.

‘W…what are all those?’

The box was filled to the brim with Pills.

They are pills which increase your Strength. Strength is very important for us blacksmiths, the higher it is the faster you can craft a weapon. Of course it doesn’t mean that it’s the only thing we focus on, Dexterity is also important if you want to make an equipment of high quality, but it’s still secondary to Strength. Take it, it’s my gift to you who is now treading the path of a Strong Smith.”

Myeonghu stared at the box full of Pills. There seemed to be at least a hundred, no hundreds of Pills inside.

He reached out for the box full of Strength Pills.

[You have obtained 500 Strength Pills.]

“…”

It held a ridiculous 500 of them. Myeonghu then quickly proceed to examine the properties.

<Strength Pill [Rare]> [Bound]
Restrictions: None
+10 Strength upon consumption.

“…”

What was there to say. If he were to consume all 500 of them his Strength would jump up an impressive 5,000. But the issue was that it wasn’t even taking into account his Origin of Strength passive.

“I guess you’ve never made weapon before, right?”

“No, never.”

After staring blankly at the Strength Pills for some time, he then focused his attention back on Tilto as he stored them in his inventory.

“Creating a weapon is simple enough, just open up the Smithing Workshop and do like this. Here, try make an Steel sword..

✿ Tilto’s Teachings 1
You are now Tilto’s successor, and he would like for you to learn how to make Steel Swords. Craft an Steel Sword and show him your work!
[Steel Sword: 0/1]
Difficulty: E
Reward: 5kg of Steel, Tilto’s Teachings 2

Tilto handed him the necessary raw material to craft the Steel Sword. Myeonghu then took out the blue ball from his inventory and tossed it on the ground.

Poof!

As soon as the Smithing Workshop appeared, Myeonghu stepped inside and found the skill screen, selecting ‘Strong – Weapon Crafting’.

<Strong – Weapon Crafting>

Level: 1
Proficiency: 0%

Creates Weapons

Keep the Weapon Crafting window open through the process.

The explanation was rather straightforward. It sounded easy enough, so Myeonghu just opened the Weapon Crafting window to have a look.

‘So many….’

In the Crafting page he could see a bunch of different equipment options available. No doubt he had received access to Tilto’s designs now that he was his successor.

‘There it is!’

He selected the Steel Sword design. In fact all the other ones were grayed out, no doubt because he didn’t have the necessary material. The Steel Sword was the only design which appeared in blue, but there was the number 2 in the bottom right. This must have meant that Tilto have given him twice the required materials.

‘Is it in case of failure?’

He could only guess as to why he had given him more than was necessary. Myeonghu then selected the Steel Sword design and clicked Craft. The Steel ingots which he had received from Tilto instantly appeared on the anvil along with a hammer beside it.

[Grab the Hammer]

The game system seemed to help him step by step.

[Strike the highlighted area]

A part of the Steel ingot began to shine as if to say, ‘hit me here!’

Tong!

Myeonghu swung down the hammer, resulting in a loud sound.

[You have successfully crafted an Steel Sword]

“What?”

Seeing the message announcing his success, he couldn’t help but scratch his head, dumbfounded. Looking down at the anvil he saw that the ingot had been replaced by an Steel Sword.

‘Was it supposed to be so easy?’

He had just struck it once, and it was done. There was no smelting of the ores or complex forging techniques. It was completely different to what he had known about the Blacksmith profession.

He the looked back at the Steel sword on the anvil, picking it up as he walked out and handed it over to Tilto.

“Here is the Steel Sword which you asked me to forge.”

“…Ah.”

[Quest Complete]

Tilto received the sword and took a look.

“What?”

He then began to examine it more closely, twisting it around to ensure he investigated every part of it. Upon finishing, he looked up to Myeonghu with a shocked expression.

“Have you really never forged one before?”

“Yes, why?”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah…”

Tilto simply stared at him with his mouth agape.

“The Steel Sword you’ve made is incredible. It’s almost on the same level as my own work. How can someone like you with hardly any Dexterity even achieve such a thing… if on top of that you were to consume the pills I have you….”

“…!?”

Hearing Tilto’s praise, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat embarrassed, in truth he didn’t feel like he had accomplished much. Tilto then handed Myeonghu some more Steel ingots.

“Here, now make some Steel Armor.”

✿ Tilto’s Teachings 2
You are now Tilto’s successor, and he would like for you to learn how to make Steel Armor. Craft an Steel Armor and show him your work!
[Steel Armor: 0/1]
Difficulty: E
Reward: 5kg of Steel, Tilto’s Teachings 3

“Ok, sure.”

He accepted the ingots and then returned to the Blacksmithing forging window, selecting the Steel Armor design. The necessary material immediately appeared on the anvil, and Myeonghu simply struck down with his hammer on the shiny section.

[You have successfully forged Steel Armor]

He had once again succeeded on the first try. Tilto simply stared at him as if seeing a monster, as Myeonghu handed it over to him for inspection.

“Fuuu…”

Tilto let out a sigh as he glanced over the Armor. He then handed Myeonghu some more materials.

“This time….”

His teachings continued as he instructed Myeonghu to forge several items.

“We’re done, I have nothing left to teach, you’ve already successfully forged several different types of equipment.”

“Ha ha…”

Myeonghu could only stare back and let out an awkward chuckle. Tilto sighed once more and then continued speaking.

“If you were to consume the pills I’ve given you, you’d already be able to give those Royal Blacksmiths a good slap in the face. Still, it’s best to be well prepared, so come back to see me when you gain more experience with the Weapon Crafting process.”

“Okay, I understand!”

Myeonghu smiled to his teacher as he left the shop, opening up his inventory. From inside he retrieved the Token of Arang.

“Time to go there.”

After examining it, he placed the token back in his inventory. At which point he couldn’t help but stare at the countless Strength Pills he had in his possession, bringing a smile on his face.