Sam turned around and started walking towards George’s shop. The others split off, and went back into the city, not having been there for some time. Unlike with Sam, they could freely walk the streets without anyone stopping to stare. Of course, that was because they were far weaker than him, but it was better to think of the positives than the negatives.
Sam took in the new developments in the city as he strode down the street, impressed with all that had happened in his absences. Construction that would have taken weeks or months in the old world could be done in hours or even minutes in this new one. The Metropolis Core was an incredible invention, and this city would have been nothing more than a wooden palisade surrounding a few huts if not for it.
This area of the city was slowly morphing into a business district, and Sam saw that a few other smiths had set up shop. None of them were as famous, or as good as George, and the lines outside them were subsequently limited to a few people or even none in one case, but it was heartening to see that many people in his faction wished to become crafters. It was not a glamorous life, certainly not compared to fighting, but it was an essential one.
There were other shops set up, such as restaurants, apothecaries, and even what looked like an alchemist’s shop. Some of the technology on Earth had most definitely taken a downturn, but because of the existence of magic, it was even more efficient than before. Now rather than waiting months for a broken bone to heal, one could simply use a healing crystal. Most of the civilians did not care too much about leveling up past what they needed for their craft, and as a result they did not mind the essence corruption of using such things.
As Sam rounded the corner of George’s shop, he could already tell that he would be in for a long wait. Nobody recognized him in his battered armor, likely thinking that he was some monster hunter in hard times, and Sam was perfectly fine with that. This time he waited his turn, only regretting the decision mildly.
Thirty minutes later, he was standing in front of the shop. It was good for him, and the town in general, that George was able to work so fast, otherwise he would have been there for hours. As he entered, George looked up.
“Greetings, adventurer. I must say, that armor is looking extremely battered. Are you here to have it repaired, or perhaps to even replace it entirely? If your credits are good, so are my skills.”
George immediately began with some mundane sales patter, causing Sam to smile. The man was finally standing up for himself. Sam pulled off his dented helmet, and George frowned.
“Sam? What sort of monster was able to dent that armor? It was the strongest suit that I had ever seen.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. All I know now is that there are some forces best left alone on this planet. Until I am quite a bit stronger, that is,” Sam replied, as he started to take the rest of his armor off. Laying it on the anvil, Sam stepped backwards. “What can you do for this?” He continued.
George eyed up the armor with a critical eye, started to run his fingers along the dents. As he did so, he muttered to himself, so softly that Sam couldn't hear it. A few minutes later, the smith came out of his trance and looked up at Sam.
“You’ve been pretty lucky. The armor may have been dented, but there was no major structural damage. The worst case scenario would have been if metal had been lost, but that did not happen. There’s only some superficial denting, and a bit of warping. Nothing I can’t fix,” George explained as he started to pull out a hammer.
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He separated the pieces, starting with the breastplate of the suit. George turned it onto its back, and began to hammer the dents back into shape. His hammer glowed faintly as he did so, and Sam was able to pick out a strange pattern forming in the metal. It was as if the metal was melting slightly and then reforming into the correct shape. Sam started to feel a strange connection to the armor as George hammered on it, a connection to his new Dao. Sam ignored it, but as the feeling grew stronger, he unconsciously started to channel his Dao energy. A stream of pearlescent Dao energy from his Dao of Resolve coursed out of his hand and into the armor. It sunk into the metal, and Geroge paused. He was in the middle of his work however, and the energy was not causing any damage to the armor, so he continued.
A few minutes later, the breastplate was back in mint condition, and George put it aside. The entire thing gleamed like a diamond now, and had a profound aura of resolve coming off it. Sam had just infused his Dao into the armor. George turned to him, with an incredulous look on his face.
“I thought you weren’t a crafter, Sam. How the hell did you do that? The armor is in even better condition than it was before.”
Sam shrugged.
“Honestly? I have no idea. It was something to do with my Dao. How about we try with the other pieces?”
Sam’s Dao energy reserves, at least for the Dao of Resolve specifically, were running a bit over two thirds full, and he was sure that he could finish the rest of the armor.
About half an hour later, the two men were standing over an opalescent masterwork of burnished metal. As Sam sent one last stream of Dao energy into the armor, completing it, he felt a click within him as something changed. A notification surfaced, and Sam opened it.
You have unlocked a profession!
Dao Smith:Unique
Your proficiency for the Dao, as well as your Dao heritage, have fused together into a new crafting discipline. Working in tandem with a qualified smith, you may imbue any armor with Dao energy. Such skills exist elsewhere, but your far outstrips them in efficiency and scope. Keep this knowledge close to your chest, for if people would kill for your Dao Pedagogy skill, they would do far worse for this one. You may also follow the path of smithing, if you so choose, as to conceal this talent.
Current Proficiency:Novice Stage 1
Secondary Proficiency:Novice Stage 0
Sam closed the notification, with a smile on his face. George looked at him askance, and he explained everything. Well, everything except for the Dao heritage bit. He undersold the profession quite a bit, but when he explained that he was now able to learn smithing, George grinned.
“You’re slowly becoming less of a meathead fighter now. l tell you what, if you come over here after hours, I’ll personally teach you smithing. At a price, of course.” George picked up this suit of armor, and handed it to Sam. “Oh, you also owe me for that. That will be ten thousand credits.”
The man was charging a fair bit for the armor, but it wasn't exorbitant by any means. Sam handed over the credits, and analyzed his new armor, excited to see the changes.
Superior Lightning Mithril Chainmail Half-Plate of Resolve
F-Rank Armor
The peak of mortal crafting, this armor is made out of mundane materials that have had every last drop of potential squeezed out of them by a masterful smith. It provides superb protection against slashing attacks, with good protection against other attacks of the same rank. It is enchanted with basic System granted enhancements, which include various utility features such as auto cleaning and equipping. It has been upgraded with a lightning aspected beast aspect, as well as a bar of mithril. The beast aspect has given the armor added durability, as well as a weak retributive function. The mithril has increased the durability of the armor beyond its previous limits. Imbued with the Dao energy of a Dao Smith, this armor has transcended its previous limitations. It is now empowered by the Dao of Resolve, increasing its basic attributes by a large amount as well as enhancing the innate armor skill.
Armor Skill:Superior Bolster
Upon use, the wearer will gain significant power for the span of three minutes, after which they will take an amount of damage equal to one twentieth of their health bar.
Armor Quality:Fine