CHAPTER 3: APPRENTICESHIP DAYS

Four days passed when I finally gained the stats needed to have my apprenticeship in the blacksmith. So, in total I already played this game for 20 in game days, equally 5 real world days. It wasn’t a great experience since it just a daily repeat of working, reading in library & training. I even couldn’t leave the town yet, so no adventure yet. But it was still an enjoyable experience since I could have my lost left arm and enjoying a different kind of life.

In those days, I learned few skills and added some stats too. The skills I learned were sword mastery, cooking, & reading. While the stats added were fighting spirit & sustenance.

At my 21st in game day, I walked my way to the blacksmith firstly in the morning. The road I took wasn’t crowded since it just a few minutes ago the sun rising. Only few people was sighted and I guessed that those people were player like me.

Arriving at the blacksmith, I saw that it was already opened for business. There was already smoke out from the chimney and the boy who I met few days ago was already behind the counter.

“Hello boy, can I meet with Mr. Black?” I greeted him and asked if I could meet with the old smile, of course I also shown a smile on my face to the boy.

Seeing me, the boy looked unpleased and frowned. After that, he said, “Wait a minute.” The young boy was walking inside to call the old smith.

Looking closely at the boy, I finally realized that he’s a small dwarf not a human boy. He is slightly thinner than a normal dwarf from my imagination moreover the fact that I never met any dwarf before made me unable to quickly realize that simple fact.

Few minutes passed and finally the two were out and met me. “Oh, you’re back already. Are you finally qualified now young one?” Mr. Black asked me.

“Of course sir, you can see it yourself,” I said those words with a confident tone and then said, “Show my status window.”

The status window popped out and was visible to both the old smith and the young boy.

Status WindowNameLiangAlignmentNeutralProfessionNoneTitleNoneLevel2Fame3Health400+60Mana330Strength24+16Agility24+16Vitality24+16Sustenance8+16Fighting Spirit6+16Wisdom16+16Intelligence17+16Luck0+16Leadership0+16Attack11Defense0Magic Resistance (All)20 %

* Free stat points: 5

A little bit explanation about my stats, as you all know that the quite amount of increases in my stat points were because of all the training in the training hall and all the books I read in the library. To increase just this much stats was a hazardous work and I was almost bored to death if only I didn't have many historical book in the library to read.

In my opinion, the amount of stats increases in intelligent and wisdom were not fair with the amount of books I read. I already read more than 50 books and it just increased 6 stats in wisdom and 7 stats in intelligent. For your information, the increase in intelligent and wisdom were one stat for intelligent after finishing my first book and another one for wisdom after finishing my second. The next stat increased for intelligent after reading another two books and another stats for wisdom after the next two books read. Well, I guess you already understand from those explanation that the books needed was increasing one by one for the next stat increases.

I didn’t know how other people managed to complete the training in the training hall and I didn’t know if I would manage to do the same. But since it was a required preparation to become a great paladin, and a good preparation is a must for me.

Back to the story, just after the two read my stats window, the boy suddenly shouted as he was shocked with what he read, “How come your stats so high when your level just two?”

“Don’t shout Michael, you make my ear hurt idiot.” The old smith angrily gave the boy a sharp glare and then said to me, “Hmmm…. As I thought, you trained in the training hall.”

“Yes I’m,” I smiled to them and then asked, “So… can I become your apprentice sir?”

But before the old smith was able to answer me, the boy Michael suddenly shouted to interrupt, “I never knew that hitting scarecrow can increases my stats.” He then faced the smith and then said, “How come you never tell me that when your requirement for apprenticeship is to increase my stats first?”

The old smith was filled with anger has he glared at Michael and then shouted with the loudest voice I ever heard, “This damn spoiled brat…. Why should I tell you? Who do you think I’m? Your damn father or who?” He stopped for a few seconds and then said, “Use your own head to think, idiot. Look for information yourself. You never become an excellent blacksmith if you still like yourself right now.”

“But… But I already worked for you 5 weeks now. I even manage to reach level 12, but you still didn’t allow me to become your apprentice,” the boy almost cried.

“Are you idiot? You still don’t reach the minimum strength and vitality. Go back to work now or leave this place and never coming back” Mr. Black’s face was red with anger. He then faced me and said, “And you, follow me.” After saying that he walked his way inside his forgery.

From that conversation, I finally realized that Michael is a player just like me. ‘Hmmm… the difference between player and NPC is not that much, I need to carefully watch others and learn to differentiate them as soon as possible.’

With tears almost flowed down from his face, Michael walked back to the counter then glared at me. As for me, of course I followed the old man without saying anything. ‘This person has a temper issue, I better be careful with him and not saying anything so stupid.’

Inside, I found myself in a room around 20 meter squares. As a normal workplace for a smith, there were forgery, few anvils and hammers, lots of ores and metals, also lots of weapons, armories, and shields.

“This is the place where you will learn repairing. But before we start your apprenticeship, I’ll tell you the rule first,” still with a quite high tone, Mr. Black started to explain, “First, you must address me respectfully as your master. Second, you must do everything I said without complaining. Third, while becoming my apprentice you will work for me but I won’t pay you even a single copper. And lastly, the time for your apprenticeship is until you finally learned the skill. Do you understand?”

Ding!

The Odd Smith’s Apprentice

The old and unique smith, Mr. Smith, allow you to become his apprentice to learn his repairing skill. You must respect him and follow everything he told you.

Difficulty: E

Reward: Repairing skill

Requirement: 40 stats in both strength & vitality

Warning: Failing this quest will make you unable to learn repairing skill from any smith in town.

After reading the popped out window, I quickly answered, “Of course master.”

Feeling a little bit happy hearing me called him master, the old smith walked his way to the corner where lots of broken weapons, shield, and armories pilled. “Watch me carefully,” the old smith sat down and took out his hammer then grabbed one broken iron shield. He then started repairing the shield with his hammer. He was hammering, heating, back to hammering, then heating again, and lastly hammering the shield before done repairing it.

“Now you do what I just shown you, take that hammer,” he pointed his finger to the nearby wall where a hammer hanged on it. After that he left me to continue with his work.

Taking his place, I picked up a small shield and started examine it carefully. The shield was not that barely broken as it just have a few dents on it. After deciding where should I start working with it, I hammered those dents till the shield was almost back to its former shape, of course that just an amateur opinion of mine.

After finished with the first step, I started heating the shield right where one of the dents was. Few minutes passed with heating I then continued to repair it by hammering that location again of course I used less strength than before since it just means to made it back to as perfect condition as possible. I did the work to all the dents and after more than two hour I finally done with that shield.

‘Hmmm… not that bad for my first time,’ I was quite pleased with my work that I decided to shown the shield to Mr. Black. “Master, how about my work here?”

Mr. Black looked at the shield with just a glance then back to his work and said, “One of the worst repair I ever seen, do better with the next shield.”

I was dispirited hearing those words, but regained back my spirit just as fast. “Yes sir,” then I gone back to my work place and took another shield.

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But before I started working with the shield, I decided to put all of my free stat points to strength since I realized that it took more strength to do a faster job. I guessed that the old smith was having a tremendous amount of strength since he could easily repair a single shield with more severe dents than the shield I just worked in just 15 minutes. Well, of course experience also helped by lots but having more strength never bad in this kind of work.

After another three shields repaired and around five more hours passed Mr. Black stopped me, “Enough for today, you can come back at the same time tomorrow.”

I left the blacksmith with three more stats rises after working almost 8 hours nonstop repairing shield. The rises were one in strength, one in vitality and another one in sustenance. With just four shields repaired, all of them were bad work as Mr. Black said to me, I thought that I became a little bit better even though it would took quite some time to produce a passable result for the old smith.

Realizing that fact, I decided that I better skipped that day reading and training time to have some research in real world. I then logged of and browsed in the net for any information possible.

Almost three hours passed in RL, all for research, showering and eating, I logged back in the game. As it was almost 12 hours passed in game time, it was just about the time I gone back to the black smith. But before that, I was gone to look for the lion sculpture first for stats boost.

Reaching the place I was greeted with a sour look on Michael face. Ignoring the boy I entered the workplace and started continue repairing shield just as the old smith ordered me. At that day, using every information I gained before and applied it to my work, I was able to repair 8 shields in the 8 hours I worked there. For me, my work was a lot better than the previous day, but it was still not passable for Mr. Black. I also gained another 1 stat in strength, 1 in vitality and 2 in sustenance.

Ending the work that day, I then left to the library to read some books for around 8 hours and then gone to the training hall hitting the scarecrow.

The next day I repeat the same routine and was able to finish repairing 12 shields in the 8 hours working time. I also finally able to finish a single shield in a little more than an hour for the last shield I repaired that day.

At my fourth apprenticeships day, I finally repaired a shield in which gained a passable response from Mr. Black. It was the second shield I repaired that day. After that Mr. Black shown me how to repair an armor, helmet, boots, and armguard. For me it was an easier task since it took me only two days to get a passable result. Maybe the experience from repairing lots of shield helped me to achieve that feat.

At my sixth apprenticeships day, I finally started repairing weapon. This task was the most difficult than the other repairing task since it also needed me to sharpen the sword and took precaution on the weapons balance especially the sword.

Also at that day, Michael finally joined me in the apprenticeship as he finally reached the requirement of 40 stats of strength and vitality. Different from me, Michael was taking the full apprenticeship in which he would learn smithing too. But just like me, he was starting with shield repairing first.

Looking at the young dwarf, he clearly shown his enthusiasm with a very bright smile on his face. But unknown why for me, he still shown his sour look whenever facing me. Maybe he thought that I cheated to get my apprenticeship so quick that for him self it took almost six week to achieve it.

Back to the task to repair the weapon, it wasn’t that hard to repair staff, spear, hammer or an axe. It just took me a single day to get a passable result. But for the dagger and sword, it took me more than two days to finish it. That was why I finally received the repair skill at my tenth apprenticeships day and that’s mean it was my 30th in game days in which at the next day I would be able to leave the city and started my adventure.

“Good work lad, you are few of my apprentices that learn repairing this fast. Not the fastest one, but still one of my best students so far.” The old smith said those words with some proud in his tone.

Ding!

Quest Complete!

The Odd Smith’s Apprentice

It took you only 10 days to finish learning the repairing skill from Mr. Black. You are one of the few that manages to finish it so fast.

Difficulty: E

Reward:

* Repairing skill

* Sharpening skill

* Repairing set

* Fame +12

Your relationship with Mr. Black increase

Skill: You learned Repairing

Skill: You learned Sharpening

Hearing that of course made me happy, “It’s an honor for me to learn from you.” But not for the young dwarf, he looked more furious to me. Maybe because of envy, but who cares since I thought that I won’t meet him again.

“Here’re some present from me, use these well,” Mr. Black gave a full set of repairing and sharpening tools such as an anvil, hammer, wheat stone and some more items.

“Thank you master,” It was a good luck for me to receive such presents since it cost lots of silver if I want to buy those things.

Finished chatting for a while I left the black smith with a lightened mood, two new skills, some stats raised and weight increased in my inventory. I decided to check my status and skill windows, “Show status window and skill windows.”

Status WindowNameLiangAlignmentNeutralProfessionNoneTitleNoneLevel2Fame15Health560+86Mana360Strength45+16Agility32+16Vitality40+16Sustenance25+16Fighting Spirit10+16Wisdom19+16Intelligence20+16Luck0+16Leadership0+16Attack20Defense0Magic Resistance (All)20 %

Skill Window

Sword Mastery: Beginner Level 3 (12%)

Increases Attack Power with a sword (+30% ATK)?

Increases Attack Speed with a sword (+9% ATK SPD)Reading: Beginner Level 5 (89%)

Increase reading speed (+40 %)Cooking: Beginner Level 3 (21%)

Enable you to cook betterRepairing: Beginner Level 4 (13%)

Enables you to repair weapons and armors. Beyond Lv. 5, you can forge new weapons and gears.Sharpening: Beginner Level 2 (6%)

Enable to sharpen and increase the attack of a weapon

Looking at my stats, I felt quite happy since it was so awesome for anyone with such low level as me. Just like I was planned before, the development in both physical and magical sides were satisfying for my future plan of becoming a paladin.

The list of skill was also shown a nice compilation of skills. The sword mastery was an essential skill and must be grinded by lots in the future. The reading skill I gained after reading more than a hundred books would help me a lot to increase even a little bit of wisdom and intelligent by reading books faster. The cooking skill and repairing skill will surely helped me in my adventures day and would reduce lots of money outcome.

The sharpening skill was a bonus I never imagined to get since I was planning to get it when I already gotten my hand on the smithing skill first, it’s actually a skill that I’ll automatically get when I reached intermediate level in smithing. But having it sooner was not bad at all.

Luckily for me, the repairing skill and sharpening skill I got already gained some level increases. It's maybe because all the practice I did in my apprenticeship days and the game system stored it as an experience till I gained the skill.

Feeling so good after looking at those things, I walked my way to the library in which I would continue to grind my reading skill and gaining stats in wisdom and intelligent even a little.

Author’s note:

Sorry that it took more time than planned to post this chapter. And as I promised before, I’ll post two chapters this time in which are chapter 3 and chapter 3.5. But since chapter 3.5 still needs a little bit more time to be done, I’ll post it tomorrow.