Chapter 42

Forest and Rock (3)

I swallowed hard and swung my staff.

Thud, thud, thud!

[Skill, ‘Balanced Skeleton Summoning’ (C-grade) is used.]

[10 mana is consumed.]

[‘Bone Six’ appears.]

The appearance of Bone Six!

“Hmm?”

Dagnar paused at my sudden action.

It was understandable, as it happened during our conversation.

I smiled brightly.

“Dagnar?”

“What is it? Why that all of a sudden?”

“You said before, didn’t you? That you never forget a favor and always repay it.”

“Ahem, I did! Dwarves don’t make empty promises. They risk their lives in the name of the ‘Great Demir’ to take responsibility for their words.”

“Oh, is that so?”

But, the Great Demir?

Who’s that again?

The name of that chairman guy was Volkanus, right?

“Hehe, you. Your expression is quite honest.”

“Pardon?”

“You seem curious about Demir?”

“Ah, yes.”

What is it, a ghost?

There seem to be many ghosts around me, including the Old Man.

“Demir is like a legend to the dwarves. The father of all blacksmiths. A hero of the Stone Clan and a spiritual pillar.”

“……”

Speaking of Demir.

Bone Six seems to flinch slightly… is it just my imagination?

If that’s the case, it’s amazing.

To be a being that thinks so deeply that it reacts even after death?

“All of our dwarves’ blacksmithing skills come from him. Well, anyway.”

Dagnar stroked his long beard.

“Why are you suddenly asking about favors?”

“Ah.”

I licked my lips.

“About that pile of minerals over there.”

Then, I looked at the piles with greedy eyes.

“May I use them?”

“That?”

He looked puzzled.

“As I said before, it’s fine… but what are you going to use them for? I’m just saying this out of concern, but if you can’t extract metal from that pile of minerals, it’s meaningless.”

“I know that.”

I smiled and put Bone Six forward.

The guy, who seemed a little excited about the pile of minerals, looked around.

Then, he instinctively found the furnace.

It was a small, makeshift furnace.

“How do you operate this?”

“…You can light a hot fire at the bottom… Heh, you’re not seriously trying to smelt those minerals yourself, are you?”

Dagnar looked incredulous.

It was inevitable, since another race was going to use their lost technology.

“First, I’ll show you rather than tell you.”

[‘Bone Five’ uses the skill, Fireball (Lv.MaX).]

Whoosh!

I activated the furnace through Bone Five.

At the same time, Bone Six moved naturally.

Creak!

He took the pile of iron ore around him and started scattering it on top of the furnace.

[Skill, ‘Intermediate Smelting’ (Lv.1) is used.]

[Creates ‘Iron Ingot’.]

[Creates ‘Iron Ingot’.]

[Creates ‘Pile of Waste’.]

[Proficiency increases by 1.]

Then, iron ingots slowly began to pile up.

“I, insane?”

Dagnar was shocked.

“This is ridiculous! Smelting is originally supposed to go through an incredibly complex process! How can standardized ingots come out so easily just by scattering them!”

“Well, let’s just say it’s our race’s unique method.”

It’s difficult to explain about skills.

I have no choice but to insist it’s just a technique.

“What nonsense!”

Dagnar couldn’t close his mouth, his eyes wide open.

“Ah, could it really be that the Stone God is watching over us and has sent us a hero in this chaotic world!”

Then, soon.

His eyes began to sparkle.

“Y, you.”

“Yes?”

“Do you perhaps know how to do blacksmithing?”

“Blacksmithing? Let’s see.”

I rummaged through my inventory.

I was looking at the blueprints I had obtained through alchemy in the past.

Blueprints were very rare, so I collected them all without throwing any away.

‘Hmm.’

Since dwarves mainly use hammers…

‘This is it!’

[Item: Solid Steel Hammer]

[Grade: C]

[Type: Blueprint]

[Description: A blueprint for manufacturing a ‘Solid Steel Hammer’.]

[Effect 1: ‘Solid Steel Hammer’ can be crafted.]

[Effect 2: Requires 10 ‘Iron Ingots’, 2 ‘Wood Pieces’.]

With this, the materials are simple.

The grade is also C-grade, so it looked much better than the hammer Dagnar had.

“Bone Six.”

Creak?

I handed Bone Six the blueprint and the iron ingots.

Wood pieces are basic materials that come from disassembling pickaxes scattered around the mine.

The guy nodded and moved to the anvil with a bone hammer.

“Dagnar.”

“U, uh?”

Looking at the stocky dwarf who couldn’t close his mouth all the time, I gave a soft smile.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll give you a much better one than the hammer you’re using now as a gift.”

“C, can you really make it? Really?”

That’s how the full-scale manufacturing began.

[Skill, ‘Intermediate Item Creation’ (Lv1) is used.]

[Blueprint, ‘Solid Steel Hammer’ is used.]

Clang! Clang!

Bone Six began hammering the iron ingots.

[Completion 30%]

The completion rate slowly began to rise.

[Completion 50%]

The hammer was gradually taking shape.

[Completion 99%]

After about an hour, a great hammer was born.

[Completion 100%]

[Acquired ‘Solid Steel Hammer’ (C-grade).]

[Proficiency increases by 1.]

‘Item creation is a bit tough.’

Unlike smelting or weaving, which come out at once.

It seemed like I had to invest a certain amount of time.

‘A huge amount of money and a huge amount of time……’

I could see why high-grade production hunters were considered precious.

“Y, you really made it. And in such a short time! I, it felt like I was seeing the god of blacksmiths!”

“It’s not that great. I’m still a beginner.”

That’s right.

It was actually the first time I’d ever made one.

“Can I take a look?”

“Go ahead.”

I handed the finished hammer to Dagnar.

[Item: Solid Steel Hammer]

[Grade: C]

[Type: Hammer]

[Description: A sturdy hammer made of iron compressed with strong force. This item was crafted by ‘Bone Six’.]

[Effect 1: Strength increased by 10.]

[Effect 2: 0.1% chance to destroy enemy weapons below C-grade.]

“Oh, amazing!”

“It’s not that amazing.”

“Of course, it’s still a long way from matching our old dwarven technology. But…!”

Dagnar slowly nodded.

“If you can make a weapon of this grade in this amount of time, you can definitely find an advantage in the war with the elves.”

“Are the dwarves’ weapons so outdated?”

I was puzzled.

If it’s this kind of item, it’s actually.

It would sell for a relatively high price even on Earth.

But it wasn’t an item that could be called that rare.

“Hmm.”

He pondered for a moment and agreed.

“That’s right, most dwarves’ weapons have similar performance to mine… It’s a bitter thing. That’s why.”

Expectation filled Dagnar’s eyes.

“Can I ask you a favor? You might think I’m being shameless, but we’re in a desperate situation.”

“Yes, please tell me.”

“We have forgotten the blacksmithing skills for over a hundred years. Moreover, the chairman is so stubborn that we have to focus only on training. In that situation, could you perhaps make weapons for us?”

“……!”

I cheered inwardly.

This was an opportunity.

A golden opportunity.

Because it’s an activity where you can legally use other people’s materials without being noticed and constantly build up proficiency!

But.

I shouldn’t agree easily.

Even if it’s an opportunity for me.

It could be a desperate matter for the dwarves.

So, I also had the right to demand something.

Moreover, in the System, I was currently a benefactor to them.

“It’s good to make them.”

“Really?”

“However, those who want to obtain weapons must bring a pile of minerals equal to the materials they will use themselves.”

“Are you saying to mine? That’s obvious! Is that really all?”

“Well… it would be nice if you could give me a small reward?”

“Reward?”

That’s how the world is.

Sometimes, when you receive money rather than doing it for free, you get more recognition for its value.

“Yes, well… blueprints, or blueprints, or, blueprints.”

“Blueprints?”

“Yes, the ones you were trying to restore.”

I didn’t forget what Dagnar had said.

-It’s too late to regret it. Even if you look at the past records and try to restore them, there’s no answer. Originally, technology is better learned with the body.

Those past records from that time.

That’s what I was aiming for.

If you’re a dwarf, you probably have a blueprint hidden in your house.

“Hmm… I’ll talk to you about it.”

After Dagnar returned to the village.

Dwarves began to gather one by one.

“Benefactor of the clan! Can you really make weapons?”

“The hammer’s teeth are all broken, so I can’t use it anymore! Can you repair it? It would be even better if you could make one.”

“Me too! Make one for me too!”

At first, there weren’t that many people.

So-called early adopters.

Most of them were coming with doubts.

I smiled at them.

“Yes, I’ll take them on a first-come, first-served basis. Ah, and the mineral piles must be newly mined from inside, not the ones piled up here.”

I heard that the minerals here were jointly owned anyway.

So, it meant that I would only receive the mining labor cost.

A kind of time-saving fee?

“I understand.”

“If you just make a weapon, what can’t I do?”

“Dagnar, that guy said he has quite a skill?”

“I have to see it with my own eyes! How can another race have our technology!”

“Me too! I can’t believe it until I see it!”

I had a good feeling for some reason.

It was a good result just to get this much attention in the beginning.

In the future, they will all be valuable customers.

Clang! Clang!

Bone Six continued to hammer.

Time passed, and solid steel hammers were piled up next to him.

“Oh, it’s real!”

“I never thought I’d see blacksmithing again in my life!”

“I, it’s touching! Why… why am I suddenly crying?”

The dwarves mined as much as they had promised, then disappeared with a hammer each.

Word of mouth continued to spread.

All I do is.

Smelting, and item creation.

And training with the bones and me.

“……This guy, he’s really set up a board.”

The Old Man, who recognized the situation, clicked his tongue.

“I didn’t know your passion for blacksmithing was so sincere.”

“Hey, Old Man. I’m sad if you say that. I’m also serious about Myriad skills.”

“I’m not saying anything. I’m sincerely praising and admiring you. To use the space in this world to build up proficiency in this way. Amazing guy. Tenacious guy.”

“……I don’t think that’s a compliment?”

I didn’t skip training with the Old Man either.

I called him for an hour every day to receive teachings.

As important as Bone Six is.

My Myriad skills are also important.

Had about a week passed like that?

[Proficiency increased by 1.]

[The level of the skill, ‘Intermediate Smelting’ (Lv.1) increases by 1.]

[The level of the skill, ‘Intermediate Item Creation’ (Lv1) increases by 1.]

Finally, the levels of the two skills that hadn’t risen so stubbornly rose to 2.

In addition.

“You, could you perhaps… take a look at this blueprint too?”

“I heard that it’s a heirloom passed down from our family in the past… Can you make the weapon here too?”

One by one.

Those who came to entrust blueprints also began to appear.

‘Finally!’

I cheered inwardly.