Confused, I accepted the updated Quest. Miss Maggie then began speaking again.
“Well, dear, if you wish to own a pet, you have to prove that you can take care of it,” she said. “You need to get [Raw Meat] by hunting [Wild Boars] to prove that you can obtain food for your pet.”
“Alright, I can do that no problem,” I told her. I then turned to leave, but the pet shop owner stopped me.
“I couldn’t help but notice that you don’t have a weapon, dear,” she commented. “If you go to the blacksmith next door, and tell him Miss Maggie sent you, he’ll give you a weapon.”
[You have obtained Item [Weapon Voucher]]
[This Item can be used to obtain a weapon from the [Mysterious Smithy]]
“Thank you very much!” I thanked her enthusiastically. Then, I left her strange shop and went over to the smithy next door. I could hear the banging of a hammer on metal before I even opened the door. Going inside, I was immediately hit with a wave of heat that almost caused me to pass out.
“If you can’t take the heat, then get out. I don’t let weak-willed sissies use my weapons,” a gruff voice said. Looking up, I saw a giant of a man standing over an anvil, hammering what looked like a sword.
“I-I can handle it. See?” I stood up straight, even though doing so took almost all of my strength.
“Hmm. Maybe you can,” he said, thoughtfully stroking his beard. “If you can stay in my shop for 10 minutes without passing out, not only will I let you buy a weapon, but I’ll forge it for you right here, right now. But if you can’t last the entire 10 minutes, I’m gonna kick you out and you can’t ever come back here.”
[Blacksmith Karc of the [Mysterious Smithy] has made a bet with you]
[Last 0/10 minutes in the heat of the [Mysterious Smithy]]
[Reward: custom-made weapon]
[Failure Penalty: kicked out and banned from [Mysterious Smithy]]
[Accept? Y/N]
“Alright, might as well,” I said, clicking the “yes” button.
“Excellent! Now, go sit in the corner and don’t disturb me while I work,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. I did as he said and sat on a small wooden stool in a corner of his shop. However, as soon as I sat down, the heat seemed to increase.
Looking over at Karc, I saw that he had stopped hammering. Instead, he was now stoking the furnace, which was raising the heat. But I knew I couldn’t say or do anything, since that could make me fail the Quest. So instead, I sat there in perfect silence, completely unmoving.
After a few seconds, I was completely drenched in sweat. Then a few seconds after that, my sweat had already evaporated due to the intense heat. My entire body felt it was being baked in an oven. I started tipping over, my eyes starting to close. But right as I was about to pass out, I received a system message.
[You have obtained Passive Skill [Heat Resist - Lesser]]
[Heat Resist - Lesser]
[Type: Passive]
[Effects:
1. Reduces the effect of extreme heat by 25%]
[Can be evolved into a stronger Skill]
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Immediately, my body began feeling better and cooler. Sitting back up, I noticed that Karc was watching me. He gave an approving nod before going back to work. However, it wasn’t long before the heat started to increase again. Once again, I was left drenched in my own rapidly evaporating sweat. Though, admittedly, it was much more tolerable this time.
After several minutes, I decided to check the time and saw that it had only been 6 minutes. Which meant that I still had 4 minutes left to go in this oven-like building. Sighing, I leaned back against the wall, hoping that would help make staying upright more bearable. However, as soon as I touched the wall, the heat seemed to increase again.
“Wait a second, let me try something,” I murmured. Standing up, the heat reduced. Not by a lot, but by enough for me to notice. Karc noticed my expression and grinned.
“My whole shop is designed to insulate and conduct heat, since that makes it easier to maintain temperature in the forge,” he explained. “It also allows me to have some fun with people who decide to accept my bet.”
[Congratulations! You discovered the secret behind the unexplained rising heat in the [Mysterious Smithy]]
[Bonus reward has been added to your Quest]
[Blacksmith Karc of the [Mysterious Smithy] has made a bet with you]
[Last 0/10 minutes in the heat of the [Mysterious Smithy]]
[Reward: custom-made weapon, ???]
[Failure Penalty: kicked out and banned from [Mysterious Smithy]]
That additional reward looks promising, I thought. Since I don’t know what it is, that probably means it’s gonna be something good.
I steeled myself to endure the last few minutes. However, this time I remained standing to minimize the heat that hit me. And after a few minutes, I received the notification that I had completed the Quest. At the same time, the heat inside the building seemed to drop by several degrees. So while it was still hot, it was no longer unbearable.
“Good job, young man! Now, what type of weapon would you like?” He asked.
“I’d like a greatsword, please. My old one melted while fighting a [Giant Green Slime],” I answered.
“Gotcha. Then I’ll forge you a sturdy greatsword capable of withstanding acid and general wear-and-tear,” the large blacksmith replied. “Anything else you’d like?”
“Well, I’d like it to be light enough that it doesn’t slow me down when swinging it and sharp enough to cut through the hide of a boar,” I told him. Karc nodded and set to work. After over an hour, he finished working on the greatsword, which he then carried over to me.
“Here you are, your very own one-of-a-kind Karc Original,” he said. “Now, how are you planning on paying for this?”
“Miss Maggie gave me this,” I replied. I pulled out the [Weapon Voucher] and handed it to him. He laughed boisterously as he took the Item.
“You’re very shrewd, aren’t you? Not only do get a one-of-a-kind custom-made greatsword, but you got it for free!” He said loudly. He then laughed some more before handing me the greatsword. “Now, for figuring out the secret of my smithy, you get something special.”
[You have obtained [Excellent Custom Greatsword]]
The man walked into another room, where I could hear him rifling through things. There were several minutes of quiet rustling as he looked for something. He eventually found it, though, because he came back into the main space. I noticed that in his hand was a small yellow crystal that was glowing and humming.
“Here you go, take this,” he said. He passed me the crystal, which shocked me when it touched my bare hand. “Oh, sorry. I always wear thick gloves and so I forgot that they do that.”
[You have obtained [Lightning Crystal - Lesser]]
“It’s alright. Thank you very much!” I thanked the blacksmith.
“It’s my pleasure to make a weapon for someone so capable,” he said with a smile. “Come back if you need that greatsword repaired or any other weapons forged or repaired.”
I nodded and turned to leave. But right as I was about to step outside, Karc stopped me.
“Oh, right, I forgot what I was going to ask you. Would you like to be my apprentice?” He asked.
[Blacksmith Karc would like to teach you how to become a blacksmith]
[Learn 0/10 techniques]
[Reward: [Basic Smithing] Skill, +Relationship with Blacksmith Karc]
[Failure Penalty: -Relationship with Blacksmith Karc]
[Part 1/3]
[Accept? Y/N]
“Of course!” I said with enthusiasm as I accepted the Quest. Karc clapped his hands in pleasure.
“Excellent! Then whenever you have time, stop by and I’ll start teaching you,” he said. He then waved goodbye as I left the [Mysterious Smithy].
As soon as I stepped outside, a wave of relief and cool air swept over me. I gulped down several mouthfuls of cool air. As much as I enjoyed meeting Karc and getting a new greatsword from him, it was much too hot inside his smithy. However, before heading out to hunt down Wild Boars, I decided to check my two new Items.
[Excellent Custom Greatsword]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Type: Sword]
[Subtype: Two-Handed, Melee]
[Restrictions: 50+ Str, Player Cain]
[Damage: 100 + Physical Attack Power]
[Durability: 130/130]
[Weight: 60]
[Options:
1. 5% chance to ignore 10% of target’s Physical Defense
2. Immune to acid damage]
[A large but lightweight greatsword made by Master Blacksmith Karc, it possesses strong destructive power and can cleave through even armor, yet can be swung just as fast as a sword a third the weight. Was made specifically for the Player Cain.]
[Lightning Crystal - Lesser]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Type: Enhancement]
[Subtype: Elemental]
[Effects:
1. When applied to a weapon, the weapon deals additional lightning damage equal to Magic Attack Power and has a 5% chance to Paralyze targets
2. When applied armor, the armor gains [Lightning Resist - Lesser]]
“Dang! These are both amazing Items! And if I use the lightning crystal on the greatsword, it’ll be able to do lightning damage on top of the regular physical damage,” I mused. Grabbing the small crystal, I pressed it against the blade of my sword. The crystal was then absorbed by the blade, which then took on a slight yellow glow with sparks of yellow electricity flicking across it. “Awesome! I think I can do the Quest about the giant slimes now.”