I finally arrived at the forge, but for the first time since I started, Jorn was not there. I took the opportunity to look around now that I had time. I picked up some discarded swords in the corner and tried to use the skill Jorn taught me to see the imperfections. But I still could not get it right and felt my eyes welling up, so I stopped.

"Still not yet, Hein," I said to myself.

I put the sword back down. This time my eyes stopped on the corridor leading to the magic forge, intrigued. I walked towards it but quickly realized I could not go further as the temperature rose the more I advanced.

"Jorn said there were some ores that needed high temperatures to melt. It's true I've worked with him at the forge, but I don't recall ever working with magic ore," I thought.

Lost in thought, I was jolted back by a voice behind me.

"Hey, who are you and what are you doing here?"

I turned to see a teen of about fourteen with brown hair and eyes scowling at me. The boy was a head taller than me, wearing black trousers and a brown shirt, with a bag slung over his shoulder. I quickly realized who he was - I had seen him here before. This boy was a senior apprentice at the forge.

"I-I'm Arthur, the new apprentice of Mr. Jorn," I stammered.

"Ah yes, I remember seeing you here. But that doesn't answer my question, does it?" the boy replied. "If I remember correctly, you're just a new apprentice and don't have the right to enter the magic forge."

I knew I had made a mistake, but didn't want to admit the boy was right. I wasn't sure Jorn would take it well, so I tried to lie my way out of the situation.

"Yes, but I didn't intend to enter the magic forge. I was just intrigued by the increasing heat in the corridor," I explained, watching the boy's reaction closely.

The boy relaxed his brows. "Yeah, sure," he said, clearly not believing me.

He didn’t buy my lie, Hein. It didn’t surprise me. Since his first appearance, I already realized he was quite sharp. But at least he didn’t point out my lie.

I realized there was little chance of the boy telling Jorn, so I felt relieved. I watched as the teen walked past me towards the magic forge. I had been about to head to the warehouse where I was sure I wouldn't make another mistake. But at that moment, something came to mind.

I turned around and to my great surprise, saw the boy walking down the scorching corridor with no problem at all. Considering his age, I knew he must have much more training time. So it was normal he could endure the heat, since he already worked in the magic forge.

But how did he do it so easily? He didn't even break a sweat! I hadn't made it a quarter of the way before sweating profusely, feeling like my clothes would burn. The boy had protected not just his body, but his clothes as well.

I didn't know the first thing about protecting myself from such intense heat. Wait a minute - why didn't I know that? I was in a forge, after all. I should have at least considered needing that skill.

I remembered my mother saying she feared molten metal falling on me. And my father had mastered fire magic. Considering the fights, I had seen, and the burns on the beasts from my father's magic, the temperatures he could generate were extremely high. So why hadn't either parent taught me to protect myself from heat?

I thought back to the beginning. I didn't believe my parents had intended to hide something so useful from me. I recalled my mother saying some things should be learned in due time. But in this case, they should have taught me months ago...

I remembered my mother had taught me magic's basics then left me to train and learn on my own, only observing my progress periodically and healing my mistakes. Like with the skill Jorn taught.

Maybe that would be the way from now on - pushing me to learn more independently now that I had the fundamentals. But no, they wouldn't have sent me to Jorn for only that reason.

Of course - they wanted me to learn from myself and others. It was likely their way of nudging me to speak with more people and maybe make some friends.

Having realized this, I turned to the apprentice who was opening the door at the corridor's end. "Senior, please wait!" I called out.

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"Yes?" The teen turned around.

This was my chance to progress further and leave my former life as a shut-in behind for good. "Do you have a minute, senior? I'd like to ask you something about smithing."

"Okay, I have some time before I start work since I wasn't the one meant to turn on the forge today," the teen replied after a moment's thought.

I grasped the implication - someone was already in the magic forge, enduring even higher temperatures. Were they really apprentices? They were supposed to be under fifteen for god’s sake!

The senior apprentice led me to a small room with a round table. Dropping his bag on the table, he said, "First of all, please stop calling me senior. My name is Charles."

I nodded and took out my book, quill and ink, setting them on the table. What I really wanted to know was how Charles protected himself from the heat. But I started with a more roundabout question to get the boy comfortable.

"So Charles, how long have you worked with Mr. Jorn, and how did you become a senior apprentice?"

"I started here when I was around seven, like most apprentices," Charles said. "It took me about five years to reach senior status. I began with basic chores and learning about the different ores. After that, I started helping maintain the forge fire. That's when I began learning how to spot flaws in items and ores."

He went on, "The next step was observing the process for forging small items. Then finally, a senior apprentice taught me techniques for using the hammer and anvil properly - where to strike, how hard, when to reheat the metal, that sort of thing."

I realized it would take at least five years to reach Charles' level, and the teen wasn't even finished with his training. My goal wasn't to become a blacksmith, but an adventurer. That also took time to achieve. I would only spend five years here, using the remaining three to train with weapons. My parents might not approve, but I would at least ask to train during the last few years.

I took notes about the timeline and steps to finish my apprenticeship. Since Charles was more experienced, I thought he could help with the skill Jorn had taught me. I should really take time to name that skill.

"Actually, I'm having some trouble identifying flaws in ore and weapons," I admitted. "Mr. Jorn taught me how, but I haven't gotten the hang of it yet."

"Don't feel bad that you haven't mastered it yet," Charles reassured me. "It took me years to really get the hang of flaw identification using Senior Jorn's methods. His techniques are good, but also difficult."

He went on, "I still can't find flaws in most ores myself - I'm more comfortable assessing finished weapons. Things like the metal's colour, the balance of a blade, its hardness, the sound it makes when you strike it - those are the factors I look for in determining weapon flaws."

What the f*ck is he talking about? I had been asking about the specific skill, not these basics. Perhaps Charles was unwilling to help...or maybe he did not know of the skill at all. I tested this theory.

"Did you learn any other methods beyond these?"

Charles smiled. "Another method? I barely had time to learn these. When could I possibly find time for more?"

This confirmed my suspicion that Jorn had not taught the others that skill, nor had he taught me these common methods. While it was strange, I understood given how long it took to master them. The skill was a real shortcut, but I should still learn the standard techniques for when I lacked mana.

"Charles, if it's not too much trouble, could you explain more of this after work today? It would really help me."

"Hmm...maybe tomorrow. I have plans today," Charles replied.

"Thank you, that would help a lot," I said.

Now that Charles was relaxed, I could finally ask what I really wanted to know. "You didn't explain earlier how you knew you were ready to become a senior apprentice."

"Ah, yes. It's no secret - you have to be a competent blacksmith and able to make non-magical items. Then you need to access the magic forge yourself."

This was my opening. "Honestly, I don't see the connection between blacksmithing and withstanding that intense heat. I'm not sure a regular blacksmith could manage it."

"True, the difference is regular blacksmiths don't increase their resistance."

I pondered how one could increase elemental resistance. I knew I could reinforce my body with mana, but little else. "How does one increase that resistance then?"

Charles looked at me quizzically. "You have an affinity with fire, right?"

Unsure if I should reveal that, I hesitated.

"Don't worry, all of Jorn's apprentices need fire affinity - it's a prerequisite. I assume you've at least started conjuring flames?"

I nodded.

"Did the heat from those flames bother you at all?" Charles asked.

Now that he mentioned it, I realized it was odd I didn't feel anything creating fire or stoking the forge.

"Your body naturally adapts to your affinity over time," Charles explained. "So you'll have some inherent resistance to heat now. You'll find you barely sweat in sunlight or feel warm near a bonfire. But that doesn't make you immune to fire. If you don't increase your resistance, you won't withstand the temperatures that melt metal. You should train both your fire magic and your resistance, or your own flames could burn you."

I was shocked to learn my own fire could harm me if I surpassed my current resistance. This was invaluable knowledge, but it also meant I had another thing to focus on.

"So how do I increase my resistance?" I asked again.

"You should infuse or reinforce your body with fire mana," Charles advised. "I assume you're reinforcing yourself with 'neutral' mana now, which temporarily boosts your strength and to a smaller degree over time. But doing the same with fire mana also raises your resistance. Though like with neutral mana, it will take time and training before you can withstand the magic forge."

Charles stood, grabbing his bag. "I think I've given you all you wanted. I expect you'll return the favour someday."

So Charles had seen through me from the start, I realized. But at least now I had the information I needed and could start training. First I wrote down everything in my book so I wouldn't forget. Then I headed to the warehouse to finally get some work done.