Waking up the next day Duncan had a sudden urge to go to the toilet. He wondered about that phenomenon. He even considered the possibility that this was no longer a necessity here.

He entered the bathroom and saw the familiar toilet seat apparatus on one side. Even the toilet paper was on a familiar roll. Feeling the soft texture of the toilet paper he wondered where Wazsh was getting this stuff from.

Duncan quickly locked the door and relieved himself of both necessities. As he washed his hands and face, he came to the conclusion that the heat from the forge made him sweat so much that his bladder never became full. Also, if Wazsh’s theory was correct his body was recreated on this side and his bowels were completely empty.

That bit of information would explain why it took him two whole days before he had to go to the toilet. He also noticed he smelled really bad and almost gagged as he smelled his armpit.

Duncan quickly used the bath and wiped himself clean but then had to put on his smelly clothes caked with blood. The need for a change of clothes and a pair of shoes was apparent.

At the washbasin, he used his finger to scrub his teeth a bit.

“I wish I had a toothbrush,” he said as he checked the state of his teeth in the mirror and smelled his morning breath.

He unlocked the door and went to his room as he decided to check what he was avoiding for a while. His status screen.

[ Name: Duncan Russel

Race: Human – Earth - UC3455788899332

Age: 22 – Earth years

Class: Jack of all trades

Level: 5

Unused stat points: 2

Strength: 9.5

Dexterity: 12.5

Agility: 7.1

Vitality: 10.1

Endurance: 5.1

Perception: 9

Intelligence: 9.6

Wisdom: 9.2

Charisma: 3.1

Acid Resistance Level 1

Lightning Affinity Level 4

Lightning Resistance Level 5

Mental Resistance Level 6

Pain Tolerance Level 7

Poison Resistance Level 1 ]

Duncan saw he had 2 unused stat points and he put them into Vitality. He still had no idea how some of the stats worked, including vitality, so he decided to ask Wazsh about it the next time he saw him.

As he was walking downstairs, he remembered he got a backpack he never bothered to check and which was currently missing. Thinking about when he saw it last, he remembered he put it behind the kitchen counter when Wazsh was butchering the rats.

Luckily it had not developed legs and stayed in place. Duncan opened it and checked the contents.

One white shirt. One set of gray pants. Brown shoes. His dagger. Two bottles of water and something resembling jerky. Probably rat-flavored Duncan mused.

Since he was alone Duncan quickly undressed and put on his new clothes. Sadly, there were no underpants so he had to make do with his old dirty ones.

“I need to visit a clothing store but before that let’s try and wash these,” he mumbled as he smelled his worn clothes. He went back to the bathroom and used the soap with his clothes in the bathtub.

He got them reasonably clean although bloodstains were showing.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“At least the smell of sweat will be gone once they dry,” he mumbled as he observed his handiwork.

With the wet clothes, there came another problem of nowhere to dry them.

He was looking around for any rope or something to tie them up when he ran into Wazsh in the kitchen who came from the backyard.

“What are you sneaking around for?” Wazsh asked.

“Ohh. Good morning. I am looking for something to dry my clothes on. Do you have any rope?” Duncan asked.

“Clara already came this week, but you can bring it to her. It’s just 3 houses down the other way from the dwarf. She does a good job and she needs the money and you have plenty from looting my cellar,” Wazsh replied.

“Clara?” Duncan asked.

“She washes my clothes,” Wazsh replied.

“Three houses down on this side of the street. Left from the entrance. Do I need to draw you a map?” Wazsh asked when Duncan stared at him.

“No. No. I am just thinking how much time I wasted scrubbing them,” Duncan replied.

“Well at least you won’t stink up the place as much,” Wazsh replied, “I see you discovered bathing. Did you get a skill from it?”

He was slowly pissing Duncan off so he went back upstairs without a word and picked up his clothes from the bathtub and left the bar. Turning left off the entrance he found the place and knocked on the door.

A slightly chubby middle-aged woman came to open it.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“Good morning. Wazsh told me I could get my clothes washed here,” Duncan hastily replied.

“Yes. That will be 1 bronze coin per item. Every 5th one free,” she happily exclaimed.

“I only have two,” Duncan replied and gave her the wet bloody clothes.

“Stain removal will cost you an extra bronze coin per item,” she replied.

“Sure, here are 4 bronze coins. I stay at Wazsh’s,” Duncan quickly answered and gave her the money.

“Ohhh. I will deliver yours and his tonight,” she replied.

“Thank you in advance,” Duncan said.

“No. No. Thank you,” Clara replied.

As he walked towards Bolgar’s smithy he thought about how many things we take for granted. He was here for two days and he already missed his toothbrush of all things. Fresh underwear. Internet. Porn.

He entered the smithy and saw Bolgar pommeling away.

“Good morning,” he greeted before going towards the forge to make more swords.

“Good morning. Where do you think you are going?” Bolgar asked.

“Hmmm. To make sword blades?”, Duncan replied flustered.

“No, you don’t. I asked you to make 30 last time and you made 37. You bloody machine. Good thing I was getting tired or I would be swimming in them now,” Bolgar said with a laugh.

“Grab two of them and try to make some steel ingots from them if you want to make something,” Bolgar exclaimed as he saw the lost look on Duncan.

“How do I do that?” Duncan asked.

“Just pound away and reheat them until the description changes from Hot iron to Hot steel. I think that will be the easiest way for you,” Bolgar replied.

Duncan stuck the leather strips in his ears, started up the bellows, and stuck the two sword blades into the forge. He had to bend them a couple of times before they could fit wholly inside. Taking them out and pounding away was killing his soul.

The monotone job of lifting the hammer and pounding it on the hot iron and reheating it again once it cools was boring. He went at it for what seemed like hours. The original slab that was made from melting two iron sword blades was two-thirds smaller by now and still, it said hot iron when identified.

“Change god -BLEEP- it,” he mumbled and got a surprise shock for it and dropped the hammer.

“Having problems?” Bolgar asked.

“Nah. I am OK,” Duncan replied as he gritted his teeth and Bolgar nodded and went back to his work.

He picked up the slab with tongs and stuck it back in the forge before adding coal and moving the bellows. The slab was white hot and he pounded on it like there was no tomorrow. Dark spots oozed out of it. Finally, when there was about half of the original slab left the status changed to hot steel ingot.