Clang. Clang. Clang.

The sound of metal against metal filled the room. The heat was unbearable. Heat tolerance was a skill that a blacksmith developed. I imagined a cook would develop it as well, but my Cook job hadn’t even reached level 20 yet, so it looked like something I could only look forward to. Fortunately, even though the heat was uncomfortable, I had high stats and a strong physique after fighting for my life for half a year in dungeons.

Garnet moved as if in a trance. From the moment she grabbed her hammer and stood in front of the anvil, she became impossibly focused. She reminded me of Terra right before she began to craft something. It was a certain gleam in their eye, a level of determination and focus mixed with excitement. They were creating something.

I was never much of a creator. I had dabbled in things before. I had tried writing fan fiction once. I had tried to draw art. I had even dabbled in programming my own video game. In the end, I always gave up those things, never able to get particularly serious about them. Even with college, I was only dabbling, without a clear goal of what I wanted to be. In the end, I just didn’t have a knack for being creative.

However, that didn’t mean I couldn’t support people who could be creative. I may not be the kind of person with the patience to make things myself, but I could always stand by someone’s side and help them. Even if it took days or a week, I was the kind of guy who could support someone as they created something. I didn’t need to know what that something was, or even its importance in the grand scheme of things. I could just feel the excitement in those that care, and I could care that they cared.

So, despite the heat, I stood fast and measured the temperature. Using Fire Control and Temperature Gauge, I was able to manage the temperature as Garnet worked. I could keep the entire fire at one temperature, evenly cooking from every side, or I could keep the furnace at two different temperatures, allowing her to move from one to the other when needed.

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At first, Garnet would manage my movements, telling me what to do and checking after my work, but as the hours passed, her trust in me grew, and my understanding of her sharpened. We started to move like one unit. Not a single breath was wasted on talking. I used Slave Communication once or twice to confirm things, but other than that, I was able to tell what she wanted on body motion alone. A slight nod of her head or a flicker of her eyes was enough for me to understand what was needed next.

The Silvthril stones were tossed into a bowl one at a time and allowed to melt, it was poured out into a sword cast, and then once hardened, the stone was broken away and the hammering began. She finally cooled the stone down in vats of liquid, and after nearly ten hours of work, we were finally done.

We were both sweaty and breathing hard like we had been working out for hours. Garnet glanced at me, and then her cheeks grew flushed.

“We’re done.” She stated the obvious, suddenly looking shy.

I glanced down at the shining blade, which still didn’t have a hilt. “You made this possible.”

Garnet shook her head, her pigtails bouncing back and forth.

“I couldn’t have made this on my own.” She admitted. “It was your help that allowed me to make something like this. My Blacksmith Masters always complained that good help was hard to find. They insisted they could never make their best work until they had the best apprentice working under them. Some of them had hoped I would be that top apprentice, but I failed. I was always too busy looking at what they were doing to concentrate on what I was supposed to be doing. They refused to take me on as an apprentice. Instead, they always called me a junior Blacksmith. They said I didn’t have what it took to be an apprentice. I now understand what they meant. Master, you are a true apprentice.”

She bowed respectfully.

“Uh… thanks?” I felt a little sheepish at that.

{You have been recognized by a Master Blacksmith. You have unlocked the job, Apprentice Blacksmith.}

I already have too many of those. You can shut up, skill system!