I got up from my seat and headed straight to my room.
Let's think simply.
The equipment Compatibility only visible to me, and I can arbitrarily swap someone's equipment and check it.
Then based on this, craft equipment that suits Dolores...
"No."
I don't think I can instantly whip up suitable equipment.
What kind of equipment is this, it's my first time doing it in my life.
If I learned one thing entering grad school, it's that you can't be good at anything right away.
But it doesn't have to be perfect, right?
At least, if I make equipment better than now.
Currently Dolores's glove Compatibility is 1.1. If I can't raise it above this, wouldn't that be stranger?
"Dolores will notice, right?"
If it's even slightly improved equipment.
Wouldn't she know the moment she puts it on?
I recalled the status window again.
The text written under her gloves had been bothering me for a while.
-----------------------------
[Gorgonue's White Gloves][★★★★★]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility: 1.1 / 100 / Deadly Poison]
[Suppressing the progression of Severed Meridians with a cooling effect.]
[However, the wearer's Yin Energy and the equipment's Yin Energy interlock and amplify, causing permanent closure of 7 out of 9 meridians of Nine Yin Severed Meridians.]
-----------------------------
[The best treatment is to freeze the wounded area.]
- Great Sage, Gorgonue -
-----------------------------
'The best treatment is to freeze the wounded area...'
So maybe these gloves are rapidly freezing it, to keep the condition from worsening.
It might be waiting until a cure is found.
The problem is that freezing seems to block progression, but...
Yin Energy accumulates inside and is causing permanent closure.
It's just that all sensation is frozen so she can't tell.
"Good."
I slowly nodded.
Unfreezing it, or putting on equipment that has good Compatibility.
Just that alone, Dolores might feel something for the first time.
That could be proof.
Then now, it was time to change class to Blacksmith.
I've made up my mind, and set the direction.
Then what should I do next?
"Yuna? How to become a Blacksmith even a beginner can do. Quickly."
Reading the reference book right away.
Because I have an excellent professor.
That thing she showed me earlier was just bait.
[I'll present 4 recommended materials~]
Then various teaching materials Yuna presented appeared before my eyes.
[🔒] [Fairy Race's Equipment Crafting Introductory Guide]
[🔒] [Frostclaw Tribe's Cold Equipment Crafting Method (Private Transmission Commentary Edition)]
[🔒] [Sun Dwarf's Blacksmith Manual Containing the Tribe's Secret Arts]
[🔒] [■Lb■y■■s5■]
There was one difference from the posts I'd seen so far. All of them had a lock emoji at the very front.
"What's with the lock?"
[Transmission records written on the community by Inner Tower residents who have lived in the Tower since the beginning.]
[Only race-verified or authorized people can view them.]
"Then I can't see them, can I?"
I'm Korean.
Well, if you insist, I'm of Hwanung's lineage, and I'm somewhat distant from dwarves.
Wait a moment.
But I doubt she would put something I can't see on the recommendation list.
"Hey, you don't happen to...?"
[😏]
Wow, there it is.
That fucking annoying face.
[Haha, it's me]
[🔑] Fairy Race's Equipment Crafting Introductory Guide
[🔑] Frostclaw Tribe's Cold Equipment Crafting Method (Private Transmission Commentary Edition)
[🔑] Sun Dwarf's Blacksmith Manual Containing the Tribe's Secret Arts
[🔑] ■Lb■y■■s5■
The lock emojis all changed to key emojis.
That means they're unlocked, right?
"This works..."
Suddenly I realized why I lost my job.
Yuna was extremely competent.
I was just surprised it worked in the Otherworld too.
Anyway, now I have to choose.
First, Fairy Race.
Second, Frostclaw Tribe.
Third, Sun Dwarf.
Fourth, what is that?
I opened the fourth document first, but it was covered in a black screen.
It feels really eerie. It's covered in a black screen, but it's probably an error.
[Lbys5]
There's one strange word in the middle.
For now, skip this.
"For now, the second one is..."
Probably eliminated.
Because the current problem seems to be Yin Energy in the first place.
I'm not slandering the Frostclaw Tribe I don't even know, but it's somewhat distant from the direction I want.
In that sense...?
"Do you know something related to Sun Dwarf?"
The name is warm. I have a good feeling about it.
[I'll crawl with the keyword Sun Dwarf.]
After a moment. What caught my eye was a title that looked quite desperate.
[Title: Fuck, Dwarf Enchant isn't rigged, is it?]
[Author: Anonymous]
Why only me? Why only me? Why only me?
Others go comfortably to 19-star with a click, why do I keep failing consecutively?
Why am I the only one getting destroyed? I spent 4 times the expected value.
I did quests, I caught goblins, I did everything.
I lived kindly.
-Anonymous: I got it on the first try.
└Anonymous1: You fucking bastard.
└Anonymous: Not everyone can be lucky. You are the guardian of balance.
└Anonymous1: (sighing emoticon)
The reaction was unusual.
Scanning several posts, there was one common context.
'Enchanter is dopamine, equipment is boring.'
Dwarves have two paths.
One is Enchant, which strengthens equipment, and the other is Blacksmith, which creates equipment.
The popular side seemed to be Enchant. In the past, there was a perception that Dwarf equipment was trusted and used.
These days, they say that's not the case.
They call it a Blacksmith, but it's made by mass-production machines, so the quality seems to have dropped a lot.
Not bad, but feels just adequately usable?
-Anonymous3: Look at the probability.
└Anonymous1: Can't we just get equipment? Not mass-produced, fuck.
└Anonymous3: There are no dwarves who make them. Anonymous
└Anonymous1: (sighing emoticon)
Really, really occasionally, there seem to be Blacksmiths who hammer and make equipment themselves.
To get equipment from them, you have to save their lives or something.
Most dwarves seemed absorbed in Enchant. It felt like only mass-produced equipment was circulating on the market.
In the end, dwarves are...
"They must be precious."
In other words, they seem to be a popular and highly reputed race.
The problem is that there are almost no Blacksmiths now.
"I'll go with this, for now."
The name suits it, and their skill seems certain.
I'm not sure if I can skip through a manual containing the tribe's secret arts.
Anyway.
Not listening when you can is also impolite.
Click.
"Let's go."
I opened the unlocked post.
***
Inner Tower, 89th floor.
A land where lava flows.
Sun Dwarf's Great Chief, Ricardo.
He sat alone on the throne.
Since the Outer Tower opened, the race had been enjoying its greatest golden age. Demand overflowed, and fame rose.
However, there was one problem.
"Why on earth do they not walk the path of Descendant of Fire...?"
Dwarves have two paths.
Blacksmith, and Enchanter.
Those who make equipment, and those who strengthen equipment.
Among them, those who pass the trials given by the ancestors are called elite Blacksmiths, Descendants of Fire.
The difficulty of Descendant of Fire was overwhelmingly high.
However, since the Outer Tower opened, climbers' demand leaned toward Enchanter.
Blacksmith demand also increased, but. There was not a single person who passed the trials and called themselves Descendant of Fire.
For young dwarves, there was no reason at all to hammer iron in front of a hot furnace and pass trials.
They chose Enchanter, where just clicking brings wealth, and ordinary Blacksmith, where just running a equipment crafting machine is enough to live on.
Sun Dwarf technology, even at ordinary grade, is well recognized in the Outer Tower.
[🔑] Sun Dwarf's Basic Blacksmith Manual Containing the Tribe's Secret Arts
To view this manual passed down from the ancestors, one must complete the 100 austerities given by the ancestors.
Without austerities, one can become an Enchanter just for being a dwarf.
Even an ordinary Blacksmith can earn plenty of money.
Who would deliberately go for the Descendant of Fire headbutt?
In the end, recently, not a single young dwarf had opened this manual.
Dwarves who gave up the path of elite Blacksmith.
Only so-called "elite-give-ups" remained.
Ricardo closed his eyes.
"In my day..."
Thinking old-fashioned thoughts.
If there was any comfort, it was that the situation of the Fairy Race and Frostclaw Tribe was not much different.
It was when he was chewing over why the Descendant of Fire, once envied by all, had come to this state.
Grrrrr...
Sun Dwarf's furnace began to boil.
Ricardo's eyes slowly opened.
"What...?"
This reaction appears in only one case.
When the manual is first read by someone newly initiated as a Descendant of Fire.
In other words.
Now, someone opened the manual. A new Descendant of Fire has appeared.
Ricardo rose from the throne.
"Find them."
The low voice soon turned into a resounding roar.
"Hurry, right now! Bring this desirable young one!!"
Ricardo shouted loudly.
Probably, the lava also boiled.
***
I studied the Blacksmith manual for several days.
Several days out of a week is a really big number, but.
Because I thought I had to pour that much effort into it.
However.
The foolish thing about me was.
This world's Blacksmith manual, that is.
I thought making equipment was too easy.
No, I'll be honest.
I never thought it was easy. I went in with some resolve.
"...I think I'm going to die."
I just lacked resolve.
It's too hard.
Where's the machine, machine. I want to mass-produce equipment too.
First of all, the introduction doesn't make sense.
[A 100KG hammer is required. You who have completed the austerities will surely be able to.]
Fuck this.
You who have completed the austerities. The problem is that the "you" here is not me.
What I learned while studying was that this manual was not for ordinary Blacksmiths.
Elite Blacksmiths who passed the worst trials among Blacksmiths.
Descendant of Fire.
It was a manual for them.
That is, Blacksmiths who personally hammer, already few in number.
Even among them, an even rarer, almost legendary high-tier profession.
"Descendant of Fire..."
The name is grandiose from the start, no wonder the difficulty was weird.
Fortunately, the hammer is not required but recommended.
If it weren't recommended, I would have opened the Fairy Race document immediately.
The first chapter of the manual was flashy.
Greatswords, plate armor, magic-infused shields...
I skipped all of it.
[Metallurgy]
That's because these were the 'Metallurgy' part, dealing with melting iron at high temperatures.
I was in a position where I had to carefully pick up even stones, let alone iron.
So.
What I eventually approached was.
[Leatherworking]
The part's.
"Warm Gloves."
It was this.
Literally, somewhat warm gloves made of leather.
With this, the materials were simple and the process was simple.
Above all.
Dolores's constitution is cold.
Then conversely, if it's equipment that holds warmth. Wouldn't Compatibility rise even a little?
The preparations were simple.
Even the leather was easy to get.
"Wild animal leather?"
This is a barn.
I approached the Instructor and said, 'I need leather for Magic preparations,' and he gladly allowed it.
Dolores's convenience included even this.
Thanks to that, I got a workspace in one corner of the barn.
Calling it a workspace, it was just a bucket, a scraper, and a single plank.
So again.
The reason I felt like dying earlier.
What I'm doing now is...
"Huff... Huff..."
It was washing raw leather.
So-called, Tanning.
Scraping oil and flesh from livestock leather, soaking in water, scraping again.
The manual said, 'Rub with all your heart.'
If sincerity could do it, there's nothing you can't do in the world.
"I feel like I'm dying...?"
Not joking, my forearm is trembling.
The fact that this body is a kid is a problem from the start.
And the size of the spotted cow is ridiculous.
If the individual is big, the leather naturally gets bigger.
It was leather big enough to cover the entire workshop floor.
At this point, without detailed information on Tanning.
Is it right to be doing this without any know-how?
It's not that I'm cutting corners because I absolutely don't want to do all of this.
Clap clap.
I wiped the sweat dripping down and clapped my hands.
"Yuna?"
Tell me a Tanning tip.
This is probably why humanity lost jobs.
If I live like this a little longer, I'll become a finger princess.
[…….]
Yuna seemed to look at me pitifully for a moment.
Look at this, this is AI? I can't believe it.
[Hmm... But I didn't give you just one book...]
[How about taking a look at the Fairy Race's Leather Polishing Method?]
The unlocked Fairy Race document came to mind.
I just chose the Sun Dwarf manual earlier, I never said I wouldn't read the others.
"Uh, open it."
I already unlocked them all anyway.
It should be fine.
[Due to the characteristics of a small race, their softening method using natural objects is developed, huh?]
What?
Wait, then that's exactly me.
A small, powerless person.
I immediately read the document... and my summary was this.
One, crush oak leaves and extract juice.
Two, dissolve the juice in water and soak the leather overnight.
Three. When taken out the next day, the oil has separated.
"...Is that it?"
[The tannin in the leaves relaxes the leather fibers.]
[It can replace the dwarf-style Tanning process. To some extent.]
So if I just soak it overnight, by tomorrow morning it'll be clean.
While the dwarf equipment crafting method and equipment description are quite detailed.
There was a quite unfriendly part in Tanning... if I replace just that with Fairy Race?
This is too good.
'That's how you write papers originally.'
A grad school Senior's words come to mind.
He said the key is to properly cite others' research and reinterpret it your own way.
At the time, I was quite arrogant and hated those words, but now I understand to some extent.
I'll go with mixed soup.
"Oak... Oak..."
Oak leaves, honestly, I'm a complete amateur with plants.
I trusted Yuna's knowledge and headed to the back mountain.
"Is this it?"
[This is a pine tree.]
"This one?"
[Silly oppa, this is a paulownia tree.]
Sorry, but would I know that?
Ha, fuck, it looks like it could be somewhere.
Then.
"Hey, this is it, this is definitely it."
I compared it with the photo Yuna displayed on the screen and approached it.
Looking from here and there, it's an oak tree.
[Oh?]
[Correct haha]
I immediately picked a handful of leaves.
According to the manual, 20 leaves were needed per leather sheet.
I have no intention of doing it half-heartedly.
Do everything perfectly, that's my creed.
No need to compare with others, if it's 100 points, I'm first.
Of course, that belief collapsed because of scumbags who aren't even human, scoring 110 or 200 points.
They say life can bounce anywhere.
I didn't know it would bounce this far.
I returned to the barn chief's workspace.
I filled the bucket with water and crushed the leaves with a stone to extract juice. According to the manual, dissolve this juice in water, soak the leather, and leave overnight.
Splash.
The leather sank into the moss-dissolved water.
"...Is it done?"
Tomorrow morning I'll be able to check the result.
I sat down next to the bucket.
I did everything I needed to. That's it for today.
Leaning my back against the wall, only then did my whole body ache.
It feels like the rebound from digging into leather instead of dirt is coming up now.
"...Let's sleep for now."
My eyes closed.
From experience, if you follow the book, most things work out.
...If it doesn't.
I'll think about it then.
Because I believe in the power of books.
I almost ended up rubbing leather all day long...
I just express my gratitude to the Fairy Race who wrote such a book.
***
At that time.
19th floor, Rainforest.
The very center of the elves' Silver Forest.
Great Chief Erien sat on the roots of an old tree.
Incidentally, she was also biting her nails.
The scout kneeling before her bowed his head.
"...The investigation, the investigation results? Our promising, up-and-coming successor who opened the ancestors' records, where are they?"
Her voice was trembling.
No wonder.
The Fairy Race, too, their circumstances were no different from the dwarves.
Rather, it was worse.
If dwarves are famous for equipment, the Fairy Race is famous for accessories and jewel crafting.
However, being famous and being intact were different matters.
The Fairy Race must hold a ritual to the World Tree of the Rainforest once every few decades.
To receive the blessing of prosperity and abundance from the World Tree.
For that ritual, a jewel that only elite craftsmen could create was absolutely necessary.
Those who opened the ancestors' records and passed the trials.
The jewel made by elite craftsmen called 'Child of the Forest'.
The problem is, there are currently only three Child of the Forest.
Being a long-lived race, their carelessness was their downfall.
Because their lifespan is long, they believed someone would always be there to fill the position.
By the time they realized that was complacency, it was already too late.
Before they knew it, the elves crafting accessories had decreased considerably.
All three were old folks with backs bent as far as they could bend, no disciples to speak of, and the upcoming ritual near.
They were far from Child of the Forest. Forest elders.
In the end, to hold the ritual they need the jewel, but they can't contact them.
No way to know if they're dead or alive. Frankly, they weren't at an age where you could tell them to come and go for the ritual.
They do it when they feel like it.
They were just stamping their feet like that... when good news arrived.
The moment she received the report that someone had opened the ancestors' records, Erien rose from the throne.
Some young fairy opened it.
How could she not search for them? She's so proud she could die.
Must raise them.
To survive, there's no other way.
"The reader's location has been identified."
Erien leaned forward.
"Where?"
"...It's the Outer Tower."
"The Outer Tower...?"
Erien's lips trembled thinly.
If it's the Outer Tower, we can't capture, no, bring them.
Are they an Fairy, really an Fairy Race...?
"……."
Erien fainted.