“Gareth, a VIP guest has arrived.”
The inside of the forge we were guided to closely resembled the image of a blacksmith’s workshop I had in mind.
A spacious area enclosed by brick walls housed a massive furnace and various equipment. On one side of the wall, swords, presumably crafted there, hung in neat rows.
And then—
Clang! Clang!!
At the center, a man called Gareth, the owner of this forge, was striking metal with a hammer.
“Take a seat and wait for a moment.”
…He’s bigger than I expected.
Despite his white hair and face lined with wrinkles, his burly frame made him look more like he was in his middle years than his old age.
His arm muscles were even more defined than mine. Though he was hunched over while hammering, if he stood up straight, he’d probably come close to brushing the ceiling with his head.
When I thought of a fantasy blacksmith, I imagined a short, stocky dwarf, but Gareth’s appearance completely shattered that stereotype.
Still…
Whoosh—Bang!
The sight of him raising and bringing down a hammer with those massive, long arms made it clear—this man knew how to forge an excellent weapon.
His speed and power were remarkable, almost like those of an Aura user.
…Hmm.
No, he genuinely seems like an Aura user.
And not just any Aura user—his energy is formidable.
As I assessed Gareth’s abilities, he suddenly paused his hammering and stood up.
“You noticed, huh, young man?”
When he rose, his towering physique was even more imposing than I had imagined.
Though his stomach slightly protruded, his presence was more like that of a powerful warrior than a simple blacksmith.
“Ah, I hope I wasn’t being rude.”
Since he was clearly an elder and might take offense at me gauging his strength, I quickly apologized.
“It’s fine. I was doing the same.”
Gareth pulled a chair over and sat down in front of me. His massive upper body made me feel like a child in comparison, even though I wasn’t exactly small myself.
“You’re quite something for a youngster. Which family do you come from?”
“…The Boyd family.”
“A fine lineage.”
After commenting, Gareth dusted off his hands and extended one toward me, his palms covered in callouses.
“Ticket.”
“Ah, here it is.”
I handed over the VIP ticket, which he took and tucked into his chest pocket.
“This is a rare item, so I’ll need to return it afterward.”
“…Understood.”
“VIP tickets aren’t handed out freely. This one was given by Lowell. Are you his disciple?”
“No.”
Was I Lowell’s disciple?
I didn’t think so.
While he mentored me, I doubted he saw me as a true disciple.
“He wouldn’t hand this over to someone who wasn’t his disciple. Be honest with me.”
“…I really am not.”
“If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine.”
With that, Gareth stood up.
“So, what do you want?”
“I need a sword. A durable one that won’t break.”
“I’ve never heard of my swords breaking. You’ve come to the right place.”
Gareth gestured toward the swords hanging on the wall.
“Any of those would satisfy you. But since you’re a VIP, you’ve come to place a custom order, right?”
“Yes.”
“Straightforward. VIPs have two options.”
Raising two fingers covered in scars and callouses, Gareth pointed to the sword he had been working on.
“You can either pay for a commission or bring me the materials.”
“If it’s money…”
“If you pay, I’ll craft it with the materials we have in this forge. Prices start at ten gold coins.”
“…”
Ten gold coins?
That’s an astronomical amount.
Should I borrow from Lowell? He might have that kind of money…
“The other option is to gather the materials yourself. This is what I usually suggest to young folks like you.”
“And by materials, you mean…”
“Exactly what you think. I’ll specify what I need to craft a weapon tailored to you, and you’ll retrieve them from the Kaine Mountain Range.”
“Ah, so I just need to hunt monsters in the mountains and bring back the materials?”
“Correct. I mainly need byproducts from monsters.”
…This might be the better option for me.
Actually, it’s my only option.
Considering that Lowell sent me here without a single coin, it’s clear he intended for me to take the harder route.
“If you bring me the monster materials, I’ll provide the metals needed for the weapon as part of the VIP service.”
Then this is undoubtedly the better deal. If the harder-to-get materials can be sourced from somewhere else…
“But you must gather them yourself.”
“…Alone?”
“You can form a team if you like, as long as you personally go.”
“Then what if someone secretly supplies the materials instead?”
“If you can fool me, that’s fine.”
With that, Gareth approached me.
Was it his sheer size?
As he got closer, the pressure he exuded felt less human and more like facing an orc.
“Let me see your arm.”
“Here.”
When he suddenly asked for my arm, I held it out. He examined it closely.
“Hm?”
He let out a small sound of surprise and pressed down on my wrist with his finger.
“How old are you?”
“Uh? Eighteen.”
“What?”
Hearing my answer, he looked at me with disbelief.
…Do I look that worn out?
Why does no one seem to believe my age?
“Why do you look so surprised?”
“Good grief. I thought you were young. Your level of mastery is astounding for your age.”
“Ah.”
After all, Aura users can recognize each other, so it seems my level made him think I was older than I am.
“Hmm, I’ll need to put some thought into your weapon.”
“Is that because I’m still growing?”
“Exactly. Balance is crucial. Or, I could make it for you in two years.”
“…That’s not an option.”
Lowell will surely give me more missions, and I can’t afford to wait that long.
“Just make it a bit larger, please.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’ll adapt to it.”
The weapons I’ve been using so far were either the standard ones handed out in the Colosseum or whatever I took from enemies.
I’ve always adapted to the weapon I had, so having a custom-made weapon didn’t mean much to me.
“Alright, I’ll jot down the materials first.”
True to his reputation, Gareth brought out a large sheet of paper and started listing the materials I needed to bring.
“…Are all of these really in the Kaine Mountain Range?”
“Would I ask for something that doesn’t exist there?”
I stared at the list in disbelief.
“It might take me until I’m an adult to gather all this.”
What kind of weird material are you asking for?
The materials he asked for were absurd.
The very first item was a troll’s molar.
What could he possibly need that for? To grind it into powder for the blade?
“If you’d prefer, money is always an option.”
“…I’ll gather them.”
Well, I’ll do as I’m told. Folding the paper, I tucked it into my pocket.
“Alright, I’ll be on my way.”
As I turned to leave for the Mercenary Guild, Gareth called out.
“Wait.”
“Yes? Do you have more to say?”
“You don’t have a proper weapon right now, do you?”
He stopped me and grabbed a long, heavy-looking sword from the wall.
“This is something I made recently, but I wasn’t satisfied with it.”
Whoosh!
He tossed it to me, and I caught it, feeling its weight.
“This is….”
“It’s heavy, isn’t it? But it packs a punch. Use it to gather the materials.”
“You’re giving it to me?”
“Are you mad? I’m loaning it to you. If you lose it, you’ll owe me extra materials.”
“Understood….”
Not that I asked for a loan, but—
Whoosh—Swoosh.
I swung it lightly and immediately felt its superior craftsmanship.
“Thank you, I’ll use it well.”
A weapon like this? I’ll gladly borrow it.
“Oh, by the way, it doesn’t come with a scabbard. You’ll have to carry it as is.”
“Won’t that attract attention…?”
“You look like someone who swings a sword for a living. Why worry?”
“…Ah, yes.”
Yeah, I suppose I do look the part.
When I’m dressed up, I’m a knight; stripped down, a gladiator.
“Thank you.”
“Just bring back the materials, and try to get them here fresh.”
“Of course, I’ll take good care of it.”
And with that, I strapped the sword to my waist and left Gareth’s forge.
“The exit…?”
“This way.”
Following the guidance of a woman outside, I emerged onto the terrace and looked down to see a long line of people still waiting their turn.
Thud!
Without hesitation, I leapt straight down to the first floor.
“Is that…?”
“That sword, could it be…?”
Ignoring the envious stares directed at the sword on my hip, I headed toward the general commercial district.
The next stop was the Mercenary Guild.
**
Adel Kingdom Mercenary Guild, Capital Branch
The capital, being the kingdom’s hub of transportation and close to the monster-rich Kaine Mountain Range, was always teeming with mercenaries.
Among them, mercenaries were the ones who strutted with the most confidence.
One of the more prominent figures among them was Jevan, a mercenary captain infamous enough to earn the moniker “Jevan the Combo”.
He commanded over a dozen silver-ranked mercenaries and was well-known in the capital.
At the moment, however, Jevan was anxiously shaking his leg, sitting at a table and unable to calm himself.
“Boss, take it easy.”
“Shut it, Hans.”
Damn it, why did I get involved with such a lunatic?
The guy looked to be in his twenties, maybe early thirties at most if you accounted for being an Aura user.
But he had an aura so intense it was suffocating.
Even the Guild staff had warned me to tread carefully, which likely meant he was some noble’s son.
Why would someone like that want to make a mercenary record?
I had no idea, but I had no choice but to comply.
Still, I couldn’t stop sweating.
Maybe I should’ve run instead of being tempted by the reward.
But if there’s even the slimmest chance to learn Fleet, I had to take it.
Ding!
The doorbell rang, and my heart skipped a beat.
“Hey, Jevan.”
That terrifying voice called my name, and I immediately turned to look.
“You kept your promise, huh?”
“Ah, shit.”
The lunatic had arrived, sword in hand—and not even sheathed.
Without hesitation, I bolted upright and slammed my forehead to the ground.
“Please, spare me!”
A brawl in the Mercenary Guild?
Only someone truly insane would try such a thing.
And that’s exactly the kind of man I had the misfortune of dealing with.
