C10 Rinn's Forging Skills

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The smithy resonated with the dull, yet resonant clangor of metal on metal.

Passersby on the road paused, their curiosity piqued by the early morning hammering. Could it be John the drunkard at work already?

The force behind each strike...

The old man still had it in him!

...

Unbeknownst to the onlookers, the smith at the anvil wasn't John, but his second apprentice, Rinn. Had they known the truth, it would have taken them by surprise.

The robust hammering was a testament to the fundamental skills of the forging craft.

Inside the smithy, John, assigned to assist Rinn, stood shivering on the sidelines, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and jealousy.

How did this guy get so strong?

His technique, his power, his proficiency – they were leagues beyond me!

He seemed to be channeling John's own burgeoning talent!

Quinn had come expecting to witness a farce when he heard Rinn was forging.

Instead, Rinn's debut stunned the onlookers. Flawless.

His skill level was simply astonishing – Quinn was outclassed!

"Ha! Those skill points really do the trick! I'm on fire today!" Quinn was reeling, but Rinn was inwardly smirking.

Before he began forging, he'd remembered he had two skill points left, so he decided to invest one in "forging technique."

And just like that, his "untrained forging technique" upgraded to "beginner-level forging technique"!

That was the secret to his sudden improvement.

Now, forging felt less like toil and more like a gratifying endeavor to Rinn. Each hammer blow on the glowing iron felt cathartic.

"Still, my efficiency seems just average."

"If I advance my forging technique to elementary level, would my efficiency jump by 30%?" Rinn mused, the thought tantalizing him.

Each advancement in forging technique significantly boosted his efficiency.

He estimated that shaping this sword blank at a beginner's level would take at least two hours, success not guaranteed.

But with an elementary level of forging technique, he might reduce the time to an hour and a half, with a slightly better chance of success.

"Do I need to add more points?"

Rinn hesitated.

From his days of playing online games, he knew that every point added to his account was incredibly valuable.

A misstep in assigning points could have long-term consequences for his development.

He recalled how, in his past life, many high-rollers would "reset their accounts" for this very reason.

"But wait, I'm not just an account—I'm an NPC in the game! And it seems like getting skill points should be pretty straightforward for me, right?"

Rinn pondered deeply. Players faced numerous limitations, but as an integral part of the game, he was free from such constraints.

Maybe skill and attribute points were easier for him to come by?

All this contemplation was just Rinn looking for a justification to enhance his forging technique.

"Level up the forging technique!"

Without another thought, Rinn commanded inwardly.

As his silent declaration ended, his outward appearance remained unchanged.

Yet, his mind was now brimming with forging knowledge; when he grasped the hammer, he intuitively knew the exact movements and angles required.

He opened his personal panel to review his stats:

Name: Rinn

Level: 1

Title: None

Profession: Elementary Blacksmith

Attributes: Strength 2.8, Dexterity 1.3, Intelligence 1.5

Profession Skills: Elementary Forging Technique (60/10,000): "The elementary forging technique boasts a 95% success rate for standard weapons, a 20% chance to craft blue weapons, and a 1% chance for purple weapons..."

Combat Skills: None

Skill Points: 0

Attribute Points: 0

Experience Points: 95/100

Currency: 25 silver coins, 110 copper coins.

...

As Rinn took in the details, he couldn't help but smirk with satisfaction.

Now, I'm no longer just an apprentice blacksmith—I'm a bona fide blacksmith!

And the perks of the elementary forging technique are not to be underestimated.

An 85% success rate for crafting ordinary weapons—while not perfect, it meant that failure was unlikely unless luck was exceptionally poor.

And a 10% chance to forge a blue weapon?

Holy smokes!

This revelation sent a surge of excitement through Rinn.

If his memory served him right, the game's weapons were clearly categorized by quality.

White weapons, also known as common weapons, aren't worth much and are found everywhere. Blue weapons, however, are a different story. These are elite-tier weapons. By the end of the last beta test in my previous life, there were only a handful throughout the entire game. Maybe years from now, blue weapons won't be treasured, but at this early stage, they're practically on par with Divine Artifacts!

I remember during the game's beta release, the wealthy players were bidding six figures for blue weapons on the forums! And there was even a super big shot who was willing to bid up to a million! "If I can craft a blue weapon, wouldn't I make a fortune?" Rinn thought to himself, feeling a thrill of excitement. But when he considered purple weapons, his heart skipped a beat, and he muttered, "Impossible! There's no way to craft that. Purple weapons didn't even show up in the beta test, and they're said to be quasi-Divine Artifacts at this stage. How could I possibly craft one with my low level?" Despite his words, he was secretly praying, "It can be done. It's definitely possible!"

...

"What's Rinn mumbling about?" Quinn wondered, watching Rinn alternate between smiling and looking distressed. Rinn's proficiency had already far surpassed his own. But somehow, in just a moment, the kid's forging technique seemed to have improved yet again, especially his efficiency. The fiery red iron on the anvil was already taking the shape of a sword, and this had all happened in just about forty minutes! Quinn, a mere apprentice blacksmith, knew enough to realize how astounding that efficiency was. "How did he get so good?" he thought, a tinge of envy in his heart. "If things keep going this way, he could become the head blacksmith at a shop in Black Iron City."

...

Rinn ignored Quinn's musings behind him. He was completely absorbed in his forging, each hammer strike bringing him a sense of satisfaction. About twenty-five minutes later, the repeatedly heated iron billet finally took on the shape of a longsword. At a glance, the hilt, the tip, the blade—every part looked perfect, as if measured and crafted with the utmost precision. But that wasn't actually the case. Rinn was forging purely on instinct.

Rinn crafted instinctively, and to his surprise, the shape came together with ease.

"Pliers, now!"

With a commanding shout, Rinn snapped Quinn out of his reverie, prompting him to scurry over and present the pliers.

Rinn grabbed them without a second thought, clamping the glowing red sword blank and submerging it into the nearby water tank.

Sssss!

The searing iron longsword hissed as it hit the water, sending plumes of steam into the air, causing Quinn to wrinkle his nose and cough incessantly.

With a stoic expression, Rinn waited for the longsword to cool completely before using the pliers to lift it out and lay it on the anvil.

Clang!

The crisp ring of metal echoed as Rinn tossed aside the pliers and examined the iron longsword.

After a thorough inspection, he couldn't help but boast with a proud laugh, "Ha! This must be the first sword of my life! A true masterpiece! An absolute work of art!"

Quinn watched sourly from the sidelines, thinking bitterly, "Masterpiece, my foot. It's just a run-of-the-mill weapon..."

The thought of never having forged a weapon on his own made him feel even more disgruntled.

'How can this fool forge a weapon so quickly?'

'Am I really inferior to him?'

'No way I'm accepting that!'