TRRRINNGG!
Second Task –
It is now time for the second task, you must make me something unique, something that Theodore has not seen.
As Theodore began to step back one of the participants shouted out, “Are you not going to tell us how we did in the first task? Who is winning?”
“No!” Theodore replied. “You all have qualified for the next round. That is all that matters.”
The dwarf standing next Weed looked stricken and then said, “At least eliminate the elf, he’s a disgrace, I mean he’s an elf and all he made is a knife. How does this qualify as useful?”
Weed stood in shock silently. He didn’t anticipate a participant trying to knock him out. He prayed Theodore would not reconsider. All eyes in the hall were now at Weed. Most had not noticed there was an elf amongst them.
“Vulcan are you trying to advise me?” Theodore asked as he turned beetroot red in color.
“…”
“Or are you implying that I lack the ability to judge rightly?” Weed could have sworn that Theodores face was the most reddish red he had ever seen.
“But the elf..” Vulcan meekly argued back.
“Are you so blinded by race that you can tell the difference between a steak knife and crafting knife?” Theodore shouted back.
“But..”
“Since you want someone to leave so badly you can, Vulcan you are hereby eliminated from the competition.” Theodore said this as he threw a hammer at Vulcan. Vulcan dodged the hammer but he never saw the running high kick coming. Some players laughed at the comical moment; the attention from Weed had been switched back to Vulcan who lay unconscious. However, everyone turned silent as dwarf guards picked up Vulcan and dragged him away. Theodore then grabbed the Sword that Vulcan had made and threw to after him. Some participants gasped as it appeared to be a very high level item, made of almost pure mithril. All the participants had assumed that the elimination had been a joke, the apprentices knew better. Theodore was merciless when it came to selecting apprentices. These were his true colors.
“Is there anyone else who wants to say anything?” Theodore asked in an intimidating manner.
Only the sound of the wind blowing lightly above them greeted Theodore’s questions. Everyone else was too scared to mutter a word. Weed had his hand raised and was even waving it to be given an opportunity to speak. However, Theodore chose to ignore the elf.
“Well then…”
“Wait, I have a question.” Weed said finally.
“Not another stupid one, great it’s the dumb elf too.” muttered Theodore “WHAT?”
Weed was not intimidated and calmly asked, “Can I use this knife for the second task?”
Theodore stroked his beard and looked at the elf. The elves were indeed perceptive.
Finally he laughed and said, “Why not. All of you may feel free to do the same.”
Weed quickly went and took out his new knife. An advantage and he figured he needed every one he could get. Fifteen other participants went forward and picked up their items as well. Of these, twelve participants who had moved forward in unison stared at each other before picking up their respective items. Thor picked up a hammer he forged and Cynbel picked up a pair of tongs. Pallidus picked up a set of small gadgets. Fourteen of the participants had made crafting related items; the fifteenth one had made an oddly shaped sword. It was the female blacksmith who picked up the oddly shaped sword. Nobody noticed these details but Weed. At this point the other blacksmiths shook themselves out of their stupor and began forging something unique.
The forging equipment was the same however the pile or ores had been replaced with a wide variety of jewels and other resources. Players could use wood to make sculptures or use jewels to make trinkets. Alternatively, they could make another sword or shield or weapon which looked unique. Some players picked wood; these players decided they would make a sculpture just like the famous Weed had done in the past. After all, Lee Hyun designed this game, it was obvious that this test was meant for this. Furthermore, why else would they provide wood? It just stood out too much from all the other decorated resources.
Other players went for more fancy materials like jewelry and gold. It was plainly obvious they were aiming to make jewelry. Weed on the other hand was beginning to despair. His artistic sense was zero, if he were to draw a stick people could confuse it for a squashed insect. He could mimic something to the smallest detail, but something original? Lee Jun struggled with originality. He knew he couldn’t make a sculpture he didn’t have the training or the eye for it.
As Weed thought what to make, participants slowly began finishing off the materials one by one. Unlike the last round, no one came to replenish the depleted stock. When Weed finally decided on make the ring for Lisa; he noticed that he didn’t have any metal to use other than the tin and copper. The gold and other precious metals were finished and the only a tiny diamond was left. It was too small to be made into a ring and even if he could make a ring, he doubted he could pass of tin or copper as a suitable mounting. Players had greedily stock piled the items just in case they fall short of what they need. What was left behind was the most useless and unneeded materials. All the material he had could only be molded. Weed was drowned in his thoughts again. Making a tin man was an option but that wasn’t unique since it was really a character from a book. Weed sighed with frustration and cursed his lack of imagination where it was needed most.
Weed picked up a bucket full of wood, tin, copper, sand and lead. He then sat down in front of the pile of remaining raw materials and quietly stared at them. The other participants only gave Weed a passing glance. He was the only one who had not begun. Others were melting or chipping away. They could only think of it as the elves luck has finally bottomed out, that’s what you get for not paying attention.
Weed saw Theodore walking over each participant, examining their techniques. With each passing moment, Weed realized he was running out of time… ‘Time… of course!’ Weed thought. He remembered a grandfather clock he had seen when he was very young. It was an ancient relic in the current era but it was very precious to the old man from the school. Weed recollected how he would stare at the bronze pendulum tick tock left to right. ‘Thank goodness for science classes.’ Weed chuckled as he began melting away the tin and copper; combined they made bronze. Weed quickly put the tin and copper together into a smelter and began to mix them. Weed’s actions caught the attention of many participants who didn’t understand what he was up to. They could only conclude that the elf was a genius or crazy.
TRRRINNGG!
Perfect Bronze – due to the high level of blacksmithing and the low level of the materials you have made perfect bronze this metal is stronger and easier to work with than its normal form.
TRRINGG!
You have gained a new skill! – You have acquired the skill alchemist! Master this skill to unravel it’s secrets!
With every pop-up message appearing, Weed was secretly delighted by the progress he was making. But what was deeply troubling him was that some players had already finished their works, he was starting to fall behind. Those who were done put away their pieces and began touring the halls. It was interesting to see what everyone else had made and what techniques did they used. Most players rushed to see either Thor or Cynbel at work. The very best of apprentices who skills were unmatched. Thor was cutting away precious stones with a knife. Many ‘oooos’ and ‘aaaaas’ could be heard from his corner. Cynbel was molding small items out of gold, though smaller than the crowd gathered around Thor; the participants were equally in awe of Cynbel’s molding techniques. The level of detailing his molds imprinted was incomprehensible. “How is he doing that?” players asked one another. It didn’t appear like an in game skill.
The other apprentices too were receiving much attention. Each participant had a favorite apprentice they secretly looked up to and hoped to rival. As time wheeled away slowly, players returned to their furnaces. They had seen all there was to see; some of the pieces that they had made varied, some great and some terrible. Only the apprentices had admirers, a thing of envy for all. Surprisingly, the elf and the female blacksmith caught no one’s attention.
At some point, all the blacksmiths were done and had finished their work; except for Weed and the female blacksmith. They had been glancing at Theodore to see if he would end it since most were done but he was just silently watching the female blacksmith. Her technique was something unique, she used the oddly shaped sword she had as a blacksmithing tool to cut sheets of iron and gold. She tediously worked through all the materials she had, slowly cutting them, shaping them. Her elemental techniques surpassed everyone’s who was participating. Theodore’s interest in her technique was so great, that some players and apprentices such as Thor came to see it for themselves.
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Meanwhile Weed happily worked on his grandfather clock. Thanks to his memory, he was able to sculpt a perfect imitation of the wooden frame of the clock. ‘Looks like the knife is already paying dividends.’ Weed thought to himself, as he added the finishing details to the frame.
He then pulled out molds from the furnace. Though he had already molded the bronze into the gears and cogs, he was tempering them again and again. He wanted it to be sturdy and perfect. Since, he wanted the clock to be strong he concentrated on giving each piece, refining the already perfect bronze, applying earth affinity to sort the balance and density of the cogs. Small changes but just enough to increase the durability of the clock by a small amount. Durability wasn’t the only thing Weed was aiming for, he aimed to ensure it was elementally balanced.
Once the gears, cogs and pendulum were ready and polished. Weed focused his energies on the glass. He first took the lead and grinded it into powder. He took a container and made a single whole in it. He filled the lead powder into the container and placed it into the furnace. Using a pair of bellows he blew air into the hole he made. It was a time consuming process, but once he was finished, Weed pulled out the container and smiled looking at the grey residue. He then mixed sand into the container and sent it back into the furnace. He applied fire elements for the extra heat, while stirring the contents.
TRRRINGG!
You created glass. This glass is special and will even sparkle!
TRRRING!
Alchemist skill level up! – You are now beginner level 2 alchemist!
None of the blacksmiths paid attention to Weed. They were more interested in the female blacksmith who had stolen Theodores attention. The other blacksmiths couldn’t help but watch. No one had ever seen someone work multiple affinities at once and on top of that they had no idea why or what she was doing. Only Pallidus and Cynbel watched Weed as he worked. They were very impressed with the elf’s ingenuity. Few could have thought this far with the limited resources. Most might have given up, but Weed could solve any problem. Was the elf really a child?
The female blacksmith finished the item and placed it on the display. She had made a shield. A very common looking shield. The other players didn’t understand why Theodore took such an interest in the female blacksmith but the shield was not unique, maybe uniquely made but as an item it was not unique.
Theodore then turned his attention to the last participant, Weed – the elf. The only sound that filled the halls was the gentle tap of Weed’s hammer on the bronze. Making sure that he had all the gears right took Weed a fairly long time and he was worried about the time limit. Still no one had said anything and at this point he had decided that he wanted to finish the piece right, not fast. Weed finally finished all of the bronze pieces and went to look at the glass he had made. It appeared as a large block, which worried him but that was what the knife was for after all. He quickly cut out the sides, base and the top of the clock.
The other blacksmiths were getting impatient, this competition was taking forever. Furthermore, it seemed like Theodore was intentionally waiting for the last two participants to finish. It was almost like he was giving them extra time. They were further irritated since they had hurried their own work to meet the moody deadline of Theodore. The blacksmiths wanted to voice their impatience but were afraid to say anything to Theodore. They didn’t want to end up like Vulcan and thus decided to just stand there watch Weed finish his piece.
Slowly and carefully Weed put the pieces together until it was a fully completed clock, when finished he placed it on the second task spot on the table.
TRRIINNG!!
Fine Piece: You completed a very durable clock!
Gears of Time – Durability 1700/1700
Surprisingly durable! This grandfather clock has been made in a glass and wood case; showing the world the gears as time passes by. On the hour a clear bell chimes out but no bell can be seen on the clock. It does not need to be rewound.
If placed in a craftsmen’s workshop then the time to complete a piece is reduced by 10%. It also grants the crafter greater patience improving production quality and making it easier to deal with customers.
Restrictions: Must be craftsmen to benefit from the clock and inside a crafting house.
The effect does not overlap with other items.
Number of Fine Pieces Created:1
TRRRING!!!
As the builder of the clock you receive the skill slow time.
Slow Time
You have learned the skill slow time…
You may slow time by 1/5 its normal speed for yourself when blacksmithing. This will last for 5 minutes. During this time you may move normally. As you level this skill you may affect time for a longer period or slow it further.
Restrictions: Mana Conversion: 0.2, Stamina: 1000. Additionally consumes 100 stamina per minute.
TRRING!
Dwarvish Blacksmithing Profession leveled up! – Beginner Level 5.
Weed smiled away! It was his first fine piece, it took forever to make but the effort was well worth it. All the apprentices and some of the higher level dwarves could forge fine pieces and better items but would they be able to do it at level FF/13? Unlikely. The requirements of the skill were beyond his reach, but its potential excited him.
Nobody else could see the messages Weed saw, so they couldn’t understand why Weed was smiling. Was the clock really all that special? It looked very ordinary. But none of these participants realized that Weed had neither glass nor bronze to make the clock to begin with. Only those who had witnessed the creation in the making could understand the efforts that went into making this.
“With that I conclude this round.” Theodore said as he raised his hand.
Everyone went back into their positions.
“It was fairly simple this time.” Theodore chuckled. “How useful was the sword you made? Brothmoire?” Theodore asked a very short dwarf.
“…”
“Those who didn’t use their items from the last round are hereby disqualified. I clearly stated you must make something useful. Yet none of you used the items you forged. The fifteen who did use their respective items have passed on to the next round.”
“Common!”
“Are you serious?”
There were a lot of complaints and protests.
“I wasted 12 hours on this! How ridiculous is that!”
“SILENCE!”
The deafening roar shut everyone into silence.
“My rules, don’t like them, then leave.”
Nobody protested after that; there were dwarf guards moving in the shadows. Disqualification was better than imprisonment. One by one, the players were escorted back out from the way they came.
“Well then, you fifteen!” Theodore said happily. “You must make something Beautiful!”
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Authors Note:
1. Edit by Knaivvs.
2. A special thanks to Twelve for co authoring this chapter and many more to come. I will be posting a lot more about this. :) Thanks mate, these chapters couldn't have happened without you.
3. This is not the V3C10, I planned, originally, I hoped this would be C8, but as I wrote it just became more and more....and V3C10...went on to become V4C2...at the very least.
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Connect to Royal Road – Elementarem Vim next Chapter?YesNo
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