TMSDL 23

Chapter 23

Weed worked tirelessly in the blacksmith’s forge every day.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

When he managed to craft just one masterpiece sword, nearby blacksmith users commented:

“He just got lucky that time.”

“Sure, manual crafting is good, but automated production isn’t bad either.”

“This is how it’s always been done. Even in other VR games, the top-tier blacksmiths in Roanoke use automated systems.”

“It’s better to get rare minerals and quickly raise your skill level. Once that’s high enough, great gear comes naturally.”

Blacksmiths in Roanoke had their own growth methods.

They acquired high-quality iron and rare minerals for automated crafting or obtained recipe books for specific gear.

If they got a recipe for exceptional weapons or armor, they could produce excellent results.

‘I need to earn more gold.’

‘Just a few more days of grinding…’

‘Blacksmithing is all about patience and persistence.’

To most blacksmith players, Weed’s methods seemed outdated.

They thought the time and effort he spent crafting each sword by hand was a waste.

‘It’s slower than automated crafting.’

‘It’s not like we’re only going to blacksmith for a day or two. How many can he possibly make this way? You’ve got to think long-term.’

‘Even if I know manual crafting is better, I just can’t do it.’

To them, hammering metal day and night like Weed did was unrealistic.

Unless they had started that way from the beginning, their bodies, now used to automation, found even an hour of manual work exhausting and burdensome.

But then…

Weed has crafted a masterpiece sword at the Molten Iron Forge!

Weed has crafted an excellent masterpiece sword at the Molten Iron Forge!

Weed has crafted a highly valuable masterpiece sword at the Molten Iron Forge!

Three masterpiece swords crafted in a single day.

A kind of world message visible only to blacksmiths.

The blacksmiths of Ashford flocked to the Molten Iron Forge.

“That’s insane. Seriously…”

“Is this real? He made that with regular iron?”

“It’s not just iron. He raises the heat to remove impurities and creates a much harder metal.”

“There it is again!”

“Another masterpiece sword?”

The metal Weed hammered glowed brightly once more.

‘Please fail.’

‘Mess it up. Crack it. Shatter. Explode.’

‘Come on, just once, fail already.’

The blacksmith players prayed desperately.

Weed quickly adapted to the blacksmithing job.

‘Effort, patience, passion, skill, focus. And a little bit of trickery.’

He grew through sweat and toil at the hot furnace.

It all began when the AI provided optimal water temperatures for cooling and refining the metal.

(I have analyzed other blacksmithing techniques in Roanoke.)

‘Huh?’

(I’ve gathered and analyzed crafting methods from Roanoke. Here are some recommended weapon-making techniques.)

With the help of the AI, he minimized failure chances when mixing materials and melting iron.

‘Not bad.’

(I am currently using 3% of my processing capacity.)

The AI, Versa, had previously analyzed numerous protein compounds to revolutionize medicine.

Now, she fully applied that expertise in Roanoke, assisting Weed in crafting weapons.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Though Weed silently hammered away, in truth, his work was powered by high-level scientific calculations.

And in just two days, he completed three masterpiece swords.

“He’s insane. Seriously…”

“Is he some genius blacksmith?”

“You really do have to be born with talent.”

Despite the admiration and jealousy from fellow blacksmiths, Weed never seemed to tire.

A blacksmith’s skill that rewarded grinding.

The rhythmic hammering of metal helped him forget his worries.

As he crafted masterpiece swords, his skill proficiency shot up.

Your Blacksmithing skill has reached Intermediate level.

• Crafting time is significantly reduced.

• All weapon and armor stats increase.

• You can now apply special attributes to equipment.

He achieved Intermediate level in just six days.

The fastest record in Roanoke history.

While other players worked 3–4 hours a day, Weed poured in a full 24 hours, nonstop.

‘This skill levels up faster than Sculpting.’

(Sculpting is categorized as an Art-type skill.)

‘And?’

(Blacksmithing is technical. The entire process—melting, hammering—yields much more proficiency.)

‘…’

Weed was no longer even surprised that sculpting was inefficient.

Still, unless you produced masterpiece weapons, low-level Blacksmithing would only yield unimpressive gear.

You’ve achieved Intermediate-level Blacksmithing.

• Strength +20

• HP +500

• Title acquired: “Skilled Blacksmith”

• You can sell crafted gear at higher prices in shops.

• You can now accept crafting requests from knights and nobles.

• You no longer have to pay forge usage fees.

A huge boost to Strength and Health.

Though most gear was sold to users rather than shops, so price differences didn’t matter much.

‘Free forge use? That’s great.’

(It’s 50 gold per day. Most blacksmiths make only 1 or 2 items, so it seems expensive. But you produce 10 or more.)

‘I really need to work on being more… human.’

(What do you mean?)

‘Free stuff is good. Don’t ask, just take it.’

Upon reaching Intermediate, his work was blessed by the gods.

Ding!

Volcan, the god of fire and smithing, is impressed with your sword craftsmanship.

Your swords are now blessed: Attack and Durability increased.

Trinity, the god of adventurers, takes interest in your diverse skill set.

All stats +2.

Fame +500.

While the blessings weren’t as grand as those for Art-type skills, Weed still earned the favor of gods related to blacksmithing and adventure.

The tyranny of the Blade Dragon Guild served as powerful motivation.

‘Revenge, revenge, revenge…’

A word that came to mind every time things got hard.

After passing Hell Difficulty Stage 3, he had grown far stronger than when he first created his character.

Still, he wasn’t strong enough to take on members of the Line Guild.

He could use the Mirror of the Abyss to change that, but in the middle of the city, it would cause mass slaughter and destruction—triggering retaliation from Ashford users and the kingdom’s knights.

“That’s amazing, Mr. Blacksmith!”

“Get back to work.”

“Yes, sir!”

He worked alongside Barohand, his assistant.

Dekalon had to come frequently to collect new masterpiece swords.

“This one’s even more beautiful than yesterday’s. Your skills are amazing.”

“Another masterpiece? You’re kidding, right?”

“One more, please?”

After seeing him three times in a row, they naturally fell into casual conversation.

When Dekalon learned Weed’s age, his attitude changed.

“You’re way older than me? I thought you were young because you don’t look your age. May I call you ‘Brother Weed’?”

Due to the Superhuman Project, Weed’s appearance was barely aged.

Dekalon, who Weed expected to act arrogant as a Line Guild elite, showed respect and called him ‘hyung.’

Weed’s opinion of Dekalon rose by two levels.

‘From someone who deserves to burn in hell… to someone I’ll just dismember instead.’

(Master, isn’t that still extreme?)

‘Forgiveness and reconciliation don’t come easy—especially when he’s still taking my masterpiece swords.’

Weed continued losing profits by supplying masterpiece swords to the Blade Dragon Guild.

Though other guilds were being exploited too, so it wasn’t just his misfortune.

‘Are all blacksmiths treated like this?’

(Blacksmiths in Roanoke were somewhat respected.)

‘Like sculptors?’

(Much more than sculptors, honestly.)

(After the Roanoke incident, demand for equipment surged. But production class users, with weak combat ability, are often mistreated.)

(They must work to survive, and blacksmiths don’t face as much discrimination.)

Production-class jobs had no real choice.

Since they couldn’t log out, there was nowhere to escape.

Four masterpiece swords.

Weed became the talk of the Blade Dragon Guild.

“Not as good as the boss drops from the Durgrok Dungeon, but still impressive.”

“Apparently he makes them manually, not with automation.”

“Four masterpieces? With a high-level Blacksmithing skill, he’ll be a star.”

Combat-focused players usually looked down on production classes—and didn’t even treat Art-type players as human.

Still, exceptional skill could earn their respect.

Dekalon made a suggestion:

“Let’s recruit him into our guild.”

Joining the Blade Dragon Guild would allow Weed to earn a share of territory taxes.

Normally, only elite members were accepted. But someone who had made four masterpiece swords in such a short time?

No one objected—his production capabilities were simply too good.

“His weapons have low attack power, but if he keeps churning out masterpieces… He’s a good long-term investment.”

Guildmaster Polon made the final decision.

A longtime veteran of virtual games since the Royal Road days, he had a relatively positive view of production classes.

‘You never know with this world. Even a sculptor once unified the continent.’

He recalled his glorious past in the Hermes Guild, leading knights and rangers in massive battles against Weed.

‘Weed was terrifyingly strong… especially that undead army of his.’

On the sixth day, Weed began preparing to return to Hell Difficulty.

He had earned 23,580 gold from his blacksmithing work.

Combining that with his remaining funds, he roamed the nighttime marketplaces where users sold goods.

“Ring of Purification, 8,000 gold. That the price?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I want to buy it. Could you knock off 1,000 gold?”

He focused on hard-to-find accessories.

He also processed the high-end materials he obtained from Hell Difficulty—refining obsidian steel and meteoric iron to remove impurities.

‘I’ll finish crafting just before I leave.’

To prevent the Blade Dragon Guild from stealing them, he planned to finish his new gear right before returning to Hell Difficulty.

With no need to wander the city, everything went smoothly as he stayed in the forge.

(Master, I recommend enabling whispers again.)

‘Huh?’

Whispers weren’t allowed in Hell Difficulty.

While working in Ashford, Weed had disabled the whisper function.

Occasionally, random messages had gotten through:

―NoCucumberInKimbap: “Weed? Is that really you? No way—it’s fake, right?”

―SaltHotdog: “Dang, I’m jealous of your nickname lol.”

―BoomBap: “Weed, lend me some gold. I brought barley bread.”

Because of his famous nickname, people often reached out to him.

Even after Roanoke turned into a death game, plenty still joked around.

‘What now?’

(You’ll see. A user will message you soon.)

Following the AI’s advice, Weed re-enabled the whisper function. And then came a message.

―Pale: “Weed? Is that really you?”