In the darkness, sparks scattered, along with the clanking noises of blacksmithing.
The red furnace kept on burning as a grime-covered Marvin added more charcoal inside.
"You put too much!"
"A higher fire temperature isn’t always better!"
When Sean began working, he would turn extremely irritable.
Even though this guy was completely human, his temper was more like a dwarf’s. Not only did he have bad temper, he also drank heavily.
Marvin, as his apprentice, was the only one he could order around in this strange incomplete plane.
He could only silently bear with it!
Because this was his advancement task. As a pitiful blacksmith apprentice, he had to learn Sean’s blacksmithing skill within a year!
A change had already happened in his quest menu. The previous task had been completed and the 1500 general exp reward received.
It now displayed the 2nd task of the advancement quest. The reward was 2000 general exp and the qualification to move on to the next task.
He couldn’t help but think that this task was quite the torment!
For a whole year, Marvin could only follow Sean and help with his work.
Apart from the necessary resting time and mealtimes, Marvin spent most of his hours with the furnace and iron hammer!
The old blacksmith didn’t exaggerate.
This task tested people’s patience to a level that was simply horrifying!
Fortunately, Marvin was very unyielding!
Since he received this a.s.signment, he couldn’t give up halfway!
Apart from Night Walker, Marvin didn’t know the way to obtain the other ranger advancements.
But he ended up arguing with the old blacksmith!
This guy cursed Marvin all day long, saying Marvin looked like a girl, was weak and not worthy.
A true man should pick up an iron hammer and forge his own weapons!
Marvin didn’t complain about that and silently did as he said!
His const.i.tution was really too weak.
His strength was also lacking.
Forging could really have a tempering effect, to some degree.
Time went by. The first month, Marvin could still bear with the bad temper after forging.
The third month, he began to become extremely irritable. When the old blacksmith swore at him, he would curse back. Moreover, he would use all kinds of fancy insults which could sometimes made Sean speechless.
Half a year later, he totally stopped caring. He would just repeat the actions the old blacksmith told him to do!
He didn’t bother asking what the blacksmith would have him do next!
For him, every ore was more or less the same, and each kind of iron forging technique was also very similar.
He was an overlord. Once he was out of this d.a.m.nable place, he would probably not come in contact with anything related to blacksmithing again.
But even if it was so, under the long tempering, Marvin not only obtained the life cla.s.s [Blacksmith], but its experience had increased at lightning speed.
He hadn’t allocated any experience to the cla.s.s but when this frightening year ended, Marvin had already reached [Intermediate] rank!
If Marvin remembered correctly, the most amazing blacksmith all of White River Valley was an Intermediate Blacksmith!
‘This is hilarious. This lord actually became an Intermediate Blacksmith.’
‘A Blacksmith Overlord… In all of Feinan, there shouldn’t be many!’ Marvin made fun of himself inwardly.
"Clank!" kept echoing in Marvin’s ear. He had heard it to the extent of nearly having a bit of a nervous breakdown!
The final month, Sean didn’t teach Marvin another forging skill. Rather, he began to make a weapon.
Marvin could only act as a support on the side.
He only had one thought in mind, and it was for this d.a.m.ned apprentices.h.i.+p to quickly pa.s.s!
He had transmigrated in Feinan not long ago and hadn’t expected to spend a year in this Night Monarch’s incomplete plane!
If not for the flow of time being different, Marvin would definitely not have done something so inefficient.
But it still felt very boring.
"Smelly brat! Don’t look around. There is nothing worth seeing here."
"Quickly get me that chunk of lava rock!"
"And that scroll, on the shelf behind you!"
Facing Sean randomly giving orders, Marvin had already became apathetic, quietly doing as told.
As time went on, Sean’s forged weapon seemed to gradually take shape.
But soon afterward, he clearly cast Marvin to the side, having him practice his blacksmithing skill on another furnace further away.
Marvin could only do as told.
‘This old geezer, why the h.e.l.l is he so secretive?’ Marvin thought, bored, while hammering a very rough ore.
Time continuously pa.s.sed during this boring training.
The last day, Sean called Marvin over.
A faintly discernible object was set up on the weapon shelf.
But it was covered by a layer of cloth.
Sean said, somewhat tired, "Kid, congratulations. Your apprentices.h.i.+p is finished."
"You actually managed to last a year. Youths these days don’t have this kind of temperament."
No kidding… Marvin inwardly mocked. He didn’t have the kind of temperament of kids jumping around. He obviously knew that although Sean’s test was dry and dull, it had a lot of advantages and wasn’t harmful!
In the course of one year of forging, Marvin had turned 15 years old and it looked like he had matured a bit.
The most important change was him taking on quite a bit of muscle on his biceps and chest! He also grew a bit.
The stats gave the most direct observation of his changes. In this year of tempering, his strength rose by 1 point and his const.i.tution rose by 2 points!
He actually gained 3 attribute points in one year of tempering!
Marvin wasn’t an idiot. The forging techniques Sean taught him were definitely not ordinary.
There were definitely some hidden strength and const.i.tution raising methods included among those, to have such an amazing effect.
3 attribute points! One needed to level up 6 times to get that kind of increase!
Although everything wasn’t just a simple conversion, completing Sean’s test was a small increase in strength for Marvin.
At least his const.i.tution’s increase wasn’t small, so he wouldn’t be as weak!
As for the 2000 general experience, it came at the right time. He was about to advance and what he needed the most right now was experience.
In general, advancement quests had three tasks. He had already cleared two, and after the third task he would be able to advance.
When the time came, he would have to use a great amount of experience to be able to activate his advanced cla.s.s!
Marvin did not want an awkward situation like successfully completing his advancement quest but not having enough experience to unlock it.
"Patience is a necessary quality for a Night Walker."
"As the reward for your patience, this thing is your gift. Regardless of whether you are able to be acknowledged by the Night Monarch and become a Night Walker, this is my gift to you."
Sean pointed at the item on the weapon shelf while talking.
Marvin froze.
He hadn’t expected that after Sean spent a year to make this thing, he would actually gift it to him.
Even though he had acted as a support all along, he also knew that in order to create this item, Sean had spent a lot of precious materials, along with a lot of energy.
"Don’t be distracted, kid," Sean snorted. "This is probably the last magic item I’ll craft in this life."
Magic Item!
Marvin was shocked!
He hurriedly opened that blue cloth!
A curved dagger was calmly lying inside!
The curved dagger was red, the edge of the blade was extremely sharp and the handle felt very warm.
‘Is this the effect of the lava rock?’
Marvin held the curved dagger in his hand and quietly felt its power.
"Its name is Blazing Fury." Sean saw his own masterpiece and displayed a hint of satisfaction. "I daresay, even those Dwarven Master Blacksmith’s crafts are not much different."
Marvin nodded. After a simple Inspect, this curved dagger’s property window was displayed:
[Blazing Fury]
Quality: Magic
Attack: 13 – 18
Effect: Armor Break +7
2nd Effect: Shatter +7
Extra spell – [Blazing Fury] (Daily uses: 1)
Extra spell – [Arcane missile] (Daily uses: 3)
Magic weapon!
This was the first magic weapon since Marvin transmigrated.
And it was a very sharp curved dagger!
His current mood could no longer simply be described as excited.
"I…" He wanted to thank Sean for his present, but the old man emotionlessly said, "Grab your things, we are leaving!"
"Keeping the Night Monarch’s incomplete plane activated is very energy-consuming!"
He then dragged Marvin and quickly left the [Eternal Night Paradise].
The two once again appeared in the bas.e.m.e.nt, and returned to the blacksmith shop.
It was very late at night, and all was quiet. Everything had stayed the same. Only one day had pa.s.sed after all.
But to Marvin it felt like ages ago.
"Let’s go. Prepare yourself," Sean suddenly urged. "The final test is about to begin."
"You need to go through the Night Monarch’s baptism!"
"We have to enter the Thousand Leaves Forest. Follow me!"