Skeleton Master Chapter 007
Finally, I reached level 15.
After finishing hunting bears and returning to the kingdom, Moo-hyeok first stopped by the general store.
The middle-aged woman running the store greeted him with a smile.
"Welcome."
"Hello."
"Is there anything you need?"
"I'd like to sell some items."
"Let's take a look."
Moo-hyeok poured out everything he had gathered from hunting from his inventory.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up at the sight of the items covering the table.
"Let's see..."
She began to examine and calculate the value of each item.
"Wolf claws are 3 silver each..."
Wolf claws, giant bear hide, giant bear teeth, giant bear gallbladder, and so on.
There were many types and quantities, so it took quite some time.
"Whew, it all adds up to 6 gold and 78 silver."
"I'll sell them."
"Thank you."
She paid him the money.
After receiving the payment, he left the general store and headed straight for the Black Mage Guild.
After entering, he went up to the third floor to check the skills he could learn.
[Bone Assembly]
[Corpse Dismantling]
There were two.
"I'll learn both."
"Alright. That'll be 2 gold."
He paid the price and received the books.
The moment he opened them.
[You have learned Bone Assembly.]
[You have learned Corpse Dismantling.]
He acquired the skills.
Moo-hyeok left the building and headed for the blacksmith's.
His purpose was to learn crafting and gain special stats.
Of course, he also planned to make and sell swords to raise basic funds.
Only Moo-hyeok knew.
That the higher the strength stat, the better options are created.
That usage restrictions are applied as the crafting skill increases.
It was from level 4.
To put it simply, if the strength stat is exceptionally high when the crafting skill reaches level 3?
It means that items with excellent options and no usage restrictions are created.
Such items are traded at very high prices.
He planned to use that money as capital to acquire the necessary armor.
"Excuse me."
An old man who looked like a blacksmith came out and asked Moo-hyeok with a grumpy expression.
"What do you want?"
"I was wondering if you might be short-handed?"
"Short-handed? Always am."
Despite his still indifferent attitude, Moo-hyeok smiled.
Level 15 is when you can learn crafting and repair at the blacksmith's.
What's needed is to approach the blacksmith with a strength stat of 8 or higher and continue the conversation using the keyword about being short-handed.
"I'd like to help."
"Our work?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, have you swung a hammer before?"
"It's my first time. But I'll learn diligently."
The old blacksmith contemplates.
Even under his scrutinizing gaze, Moo-hyeok waited calmly.
He already knew what choice the old man would make.
"You look strong enough. Alright, I'll give you a chance."
At the same time, a quest appeared.
[Blacksmith's Test]
[Craft an iron sword (0/1)]
[Success: Acquire 'Weapon Crafting' skill]
[Failure: No retry possible]
[Do you accept the quest?]
Of course, it was a yes.
There was a definite reason why he had to learn the crafting skill.
"Thank you."
"Follow me."
He followed him into the building.
It seemed the workshop was inside. The sound of hammering began to be heard faintly.
It grew louder as they approached the iron door in the distance.
Clang, clang!
Upon reaching the door, the old man lifted and dropped the handle. A soft sound spread widely.
He repeated lifting and dropping it two more times.
Only then did the old man stop. After a brief wait, the iron door began to open.
As the rough sound of metal spread, the interior was revealed.
At the same time, the hot air that peeked out touched Moo-hyeok's skin.
"Hmm..."
It was hotter than expected.
Moo-hyeok quickly moved his steps when he noticed the old man had already entered the workshop.
Clang! Bang!
The sound of hammering echoes from all around.
The blacksmiths were completely absorbed in their work, and the one guiding the old man appeared to be a young apprentice.
The young man kept glancing nervously at the old man.
It was obvious to anyone watching that he found the old man intimidating.
"Go and get back to work."
"Ah, yes!"
The old man, having dismissed the apprentice, stopped walking.
He was behind one of the blacksmiths.
"What do you think?"
Moo-hyeok silently observed the work.
After placing the iron on the anvil and hammering it a few times, it miraculously began to take the shape of a sword.
This would have been impossible in reality.
It would take at least two months to make a single sword.
And the process is not easy. You have to melt the iron to remove impurities and continue hammering for dozens of days.
But this is a game.
It's impossible to invest that much time just for one sword.
That's why the sword was being made so quickly, visible to the naked eye.
"It's amazing."
"Hehe, you have a good eye."
He was genuinely impressed.
The old man seemed to have read his sincerity.
"Follow me."
The place where he stopped again was in front of an empty anvil.
The old man took his position and placed a piece of iron on the anvil. Then he picked up the hammer standing next to it.
"I'll only teach you once, so pay attention."
"Yes."
The old man's work began.
Moo-hyeok widened his eyes to not miss a single detail.
Seeing his sparkling eyes, the old man smiled gently and explained.
"This is a hammer specifically for crafting. When you start hammering with this, you'll see the grain of the iron. You need to hit that grain accurately and strongly to create a good item. The more times you miss the grain, the lower the quality will be, so be careful of that too."
"So strength and dexterity are important, I see."
"Oh ho, your brain works quite well."
Moo-hyeok chuckled.
It was very basic information, after all.
But it's not enough.
To get a better reward, he needs to move the old man's heart.
That way, he'll concentrate more than before, and that's how a better weapon will be born.
The systematic elements gained from seeing that weapon will act as a plus and turn into an advantage.
It would be an additional increase in the dexterity stat.
But this old man was too picky.
What should he do in this situation?
While he was pondering, the old man's hammering was coming to an end.
Clang!
The iron dented and changed shape.
The shape of the sword had already appeared. After hammering for 3 more minutes, a proper blade was created along with a flash of light.
The old man looked at the sword with satisfaction, then took out a rough-grained stone from below and started sharpening the blade. Afterward, he connected the sword with the handle placed in the box next to him.
Only after completing the work to ensure the handle wouldn't come off did he hand it to Moo-hyeok.
"How is it?"
Moo-hyeok checked the status of the sword.
[Shining Iron Sword]
Attack Power 55
Strength +4
Agility +3
Durability 90/90
Usage Restriction: Strength 35, Vitality 20
The attack power is as high as 55 and it even increases stats.
Those numbers were quite high as well. Although the usage restriction was Strength 35 and Vitality 20, it was worth enduring to that extent.
"It's incredible..."
"Hoho, is that so?"
The old man stepped back from his position.
"Now, try making one. I don't expect that level from you. But you should at least be able to make an ordinary iron sword."
"I understand. But, um..."
"What is it?"
"I couldn't find weapons like this in shops. Are they not for sale?"
"Heh, we don't sell these weapons to outsiders."
"Why not?"
"Because they're not qualified yet."
"Is that the only reason?"
"Of course not. Right now, we're busy just supplying to the kingdom's knighthood."
Moo-hyeok nodded.
It means they might sell them when the level gets higher.
Of course, by then, the skills of blacksmith users will have improved even more.
After organizing his thoughts, Moo-hyeok took his position.
He placed a blunt iron ingot on the anvil and gripped the hammer.
"Phew..."
He took a deep breath.
That's when it happened.
[Applied as 'Temporary Blacksmith'.]
[Acquired 'Ordinary Reward'.]
['Special Stat (Dexterity)' is generated.]
As the messages appeared, a smile spread across Moo-hyeok's face.
It was thanks to the generation of the dexterity stat.
This was the main purpose of learning the crafting skill.
The special stat, dexterity.
This not only helps with crafting but also greatly affects the bone assembly skill he learned today.
This information would only be revealed after quite some time had passed since Illusion opened, but Moo-hyeok was already reaping all those benefits from the start.
But his eyes weren't smiling.
Because he felt regret.
If only he had moved the old man's heart more.
