43 DanMachi 13

The following morning, both I and Olivia tested out our new skill capabilities. Olivia's [Sacred Dance] enchanted movements, positioning, and strikes were a force to be wary of. She won all of our normal duels, not only because her agility stat was higher, but because she outmaneuvered me pretty easily.

On the other hand, the boost to my stats with [Mana's Blessing] couldn't be taken lightly. Currently, I can safely boost my overall stats by 50% for 200 mana per second and if I'm in combat, the boost to my mana regeneration compensates for all the mana loss. The boost, from what I've felt, doesn't have an upper limit, but each percentage after 50 puts tremendous pressure on my being. After longer exposure to the stat augmentation, my muscles become sore, and my mind hazy. I even noticed some blood dripping from my nose at one point. So the new skill while extremely powerful is also a double-edged sword.

After the stat augmentation, Olivia didn't stand a chance. Each and every duel was won by me while the skill was active. Making her pout and say that I was cheating. I can currently, safely keep up the boost for fifteen minutes, after that the side effects start to show up. First, the muscle soreness kicks in, then if not turned off by the next minute, my mental capacities slow down, and after another minute the bleeding starts. I'm pretty sure it's because my current body cannot handle the skills mana infusion. Hopefully, as I grow stronger, all of this will go away.

Our two-hour training concluded we laid down on the grassy part of the backyard to catch our breath. I look to my side and see Olivia trying to control her ragged breaths.

'She's starting to become a cheat character with a sword. I wonder if it would be worth going into a cultivation world just to get her some sword arts. Actually, could I create something similar for her? She does need a few more spells.' I think to myself.

After a moment of rest, I stand up and extended my hand to her, and say. "A dance my lady?" And I almost burst out laughing at the confused look she gave me. "A dancing skill should combo well with your new ability." Realizing what I meant she grabbed my hand and I pulled her up. My right hand around her waist and my left holding her hand, we sway and move around, our faces barely a millimeter apart. Not being able to hold myself back, I give her a deep kiss, to which she happily responds. The swaying of her hips increases, as she brushes up against me. I reach and grab her firm ass and she jumps on me and crosses her legs behind me. As our improvised make-out session continues, we are suddenly interrupted by a cough coming from the door to the garden. With a sigh, I lower Olive to the ground and look at our uninvited guest.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Said Hestia with an awkward smile.

"Nah..." I say, but the goddess doesn't need to rely on her truth sensing to know I'm lying, Olive's pout tells her everything.

"Sorry." She says then continues. "I just came from Hephaistos and she's going to allow you to go over today, she's waiting for you right now."

"Oh that's great news, thank you!" I pick up and hug the petite goddess, which makes her blush like crazy. "I'm gonna go change and head over, Olive you wanna come?" I asked tilting my head.

"Nah, it's alright, I'll just continue practicing. But you have fun!" she says with a smile and waves.

Before entering the house, I check the blinking notification and find a new skill. The one I was trying to help Olive learn. The skill seems to be a lot better than I thought it would be. Dancing is not the only thing that will benefit from the fluidity of movements, it will translate to multiple other things as well. Like crafting, spellcasting, sword swinging, and other things. The only backside is that I'll have to practice dancing, thankfully, I do have a pretty good dance partner. I make eye contact with her and she nods confirming she got it as well. With a smile, I enter the house and get ready for my crafting and learning date with the goddess of the forge.

[Skill: [Dancing] unlocked.]

[Dancing LVL:1/100]

- Increases the fluidity of the user's movements by 0.5%/Level.

About an hour later, I find myself in front of Hephaistos's office. To get there, I had to come into her shop, and her shop assistant, a cute human girl, who was already expecting me, showed me the way.

After a light knock, and her saying "Lady Hephaistos, Andrew from the Hestia familia is here." A loud "Come in!" could be heard from the other side of the door. The assistant opened the door and ushered me inside. After I was in, the door closed up behind me, but the assistant didn't enter.

Looking around the office, it looks like any office you would expect from a goddess of crafting. The walls were colored red, but the predominant color was dark brown, as all of her elegant furniture was made out of the same type of wood. She had a coffee table to the side, with an armchair and a sofa next to it. The walls are littered with shelves which were full of books. Sitting behind a large ornate wooden table, right in front of a tinted window, with her elbows resting on the table, hands propping up her head, was the goddess of the forge. She looks at me with a smile and says.

"Are you done inspecting the room?" she says with a smile.

"Sorry." I say awkwardly scratching the side of my head.

"No problem." She waves it off with a laugh. "Hestia told me you wanted to learn forging."

"...and mystery, but the other one can wait till I master blacksmithing." Her smile widens.

"Oh, ho, ho. Not everyone can master blacksmithing, do you have what it takes?" She asks, after a light laugh.

"I don't know." I shrug. "But I'll give it my best." I say, plus I'm pretty sure the system will assist me with improving my forging skills.

"That's what I wanted to hear." She says with a nod and stands up, moving towards the nearest shelf. She reaches towards the second row and tilts the second book. The shelf moves backward, then to the side, revealing a door.

"Let's go to my forge." She says with a smile, then opens the door and enters it.

Entering the room after her I'm hit with the hot and arid air, the air slowly starts to burn my skin. It's not unbearable, but it is quite uncomfortable.

Hephaistos walks up to the furnace and the flame, as if alive, starts to dance inside of it. She taps on it lightly and the flame calms down. She walks up to a box in the corner and starts rummaging through it.

"Pick up that hammer and the tongs over there." She says pointing towards the table in the back, while still searching for something in the box, not even looking the other way.

"Ah-ha!" she exclaims picking up something that seems to be a chunk of a strange ore. "I don't have any low-quality ores in my workshop, so you'll have to work with these chunks of orichalcum." She says with an evil smile.

Not knowing better, I agree, and that was a rookie mistake. "Take the tongs, clamp on the ore, and place them into the furnace." She orders. I do so and watch as the ore slowly but surely starts to turn red. "You will learn with experience, but each metal has its own melting temperature. You can rise the temperature by repeatedly stepping on this below and blowing air to the furnace." She does just that and the intensity of the flame skyrockets. "You want the ore just under the melting temperature, but still hot enough to work with it. When the metal reaches the same color as it is now-" She says, as the ore turned from bright red to almost white. "use the tongs and pull it out of the furnace then place it on the anvil. Never let go of the item you're working on. If the ore ever gets back to yellow, reheat it in the furnace." She says and I follow her instructions. "Good, now pick up the hammer and starts forming an ingot. You will be done for the day when all of these boxes are empty and when they are perfectly rectangular. Use the ingots to your left as a guide, it doesn't need to be a perfect copy, but I want it as close to the ones on that table. I'll come back in thirty minutes to check on you." She says then leaves the room.

Picking up the hammer, I slam it onto the still-hot chunk of metal, and smile, as a notification greets me.

[Class: [Blacksmith] unlocked.]

[Skill: [Blacksmithing] unlocked.]

[Blacksmithing LVL:1/100]

- Increases chances of producing a better quality product 0.25%/Level.

- Grants instinctual knowledge about the ore you're working with.

With each hit of the hammer, the ore slowly changes its shape. Reheating it, again, and again, then shaping, and reshaping it, the ingot slowly takes its form. I'm not sure how long I was smithing, I didn't even notice Hephaistos coming in, a going out. But by the end of the day, I had a big smile on my face, as the ingots I was working on, were almost perfect, while I on the other hand was a big mess.

My clothes were wet from all the sweat and charred on my sleeves, my face was black from all the smoke. I was heavily dehydrated, my mouth felt like a desert, my stomach was rumbling because I haven't eaten anything all day, and I was tired as if I'd run ten marathons, back to back. Some of my muscles were spasming uncontrollably, but for some reason, I was happy. On the left side of the anvil, there was a stack of about 20 different colored ingots, all the same shape and size.

I lay down on the floor, my back against the wall, trying to catch my breath. The door of the room opens for the nth time today, and the goddess of the forge enters the room.

"Ho, you're finally done." She says throwing me a flask of water. "You don't look so good, drink." She walks up to the anvil and starts inspecting my latest work. The water felt like god's nectar to my parched throat, after taking a few good gulps and failing at swallowing, I started coughing, as it went down the wrong pipe.

"Take it easy champ. You've done well today." She says patting my back. "Now wash your face and go home, it's late. I want you here tomorrow at 9 o'clock sharp."

I nod and after cleaning myself up, then I walk out of her shop. That's when I notice its dark and the streets were already empty. Knowing that I'd arrived at her place in the early afternoon, and the system time telling me it was already 1 AM, I'd been hitting those chunks of metal for over twelve hours straight. Shaking my head, I [Void Step] directly into my bathroom and fill the bath with hot water. Dropping all of my clothes to the floor, I'm about to submerge myself into the bath when the door behind me opens and a sleepy Olive walks in.

"You look like shit." She says and I can't keep in the laugh. She picks up a sponge and washes my face. "Did you have fun?" She asks.

[Skill: [Blacksmithing] has reached Level 43]

[Skill: [Focus] unlocked.]

[Focus LVL:1/100]

- The user gains undivided attention towards the task he is working on.

- While active, the user enhances their thinking speed by 2%/lvl.

- All tasks performed when focusing have the chances of success increased by 0.1%/LVL.

- While under focus, the user's skill level up speed is increased by 5%/LVL.

[Skill: [Focus] has reached Level 5]

After checking my system notifications, I say. "Yeah, it was fun, and I think I was even praised for my work at the end." And a small smile formed on my face. She pours water on my hair and applies some shampoo.

"Oh... For what? Do I need to be jealous?" She asks teasingly.

"No need. I only banged a hammer today." I say with a laugh, to which she just rolls her eyes. "Nah, I just made some ingots, but Hephaistos is strict and told me precisely what their sizes should be. And I learned today that shaping metal is hard work."

"Must have been a sexy hammer." She says with a smile then adds. "Take care of yourself, if you come home like this one more time, I'll forbid you from blacksmithing ever again." She says with a stern voice.

"Yes ma'am." My reply made me receive a smack on my head. "Ow, domestic violence, call the cops!"

She rolls her eyes and moves to help me wash my back. "I left you some dinner on the counter downstairs if you're hungry." She says but with the mention of food, my stomach grumbles.

I turn around and grab her hands, pull her towards me, and give her a kiss on her perfect little lips. "I love you."

She rolls her eyes again but, I can see a small smile forming. "My mother did say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." She says and shakes her head, but then starts giggling.

"Dry yourself off, go eat and come to bed. I can't sleep without my teddy." She gives me a wink.

"Yes ma'am!" I give her a salute, only to receive a sponge to my face and then a giggle as she leaves the bathroom.

Finishing the quick bath, I find three large sandwiches placed on a plate on the kitchen counter.

"I really should wife her." I say it out aloud. Thankfully no one was around to hear me. I gobble up the food and join Olivia in the bed. She moves to her usual place and moments later she's lightly snoring. I set up a system alarm for eight, plant a kiss on the head of my beautiful girlfriend, then close my eyes and moments later fall asleep myself.

It's been a week since I started going to Hephaistos's workshop, and most of the time it was a full-day task. So nothing else was accomplished in a week, well except for me maxing out the system blacksmithing. I did have a few close calls with [Focus], where I almost fainted from overwork, had to hide that one from Olive, and one where I almost shat my pants. That skill was overpowered, but it made me forget everything else and only focus on one task.

Hephaistos was also a perfect waifu material, she was caring and strict, and at the same time shy as hell. I accidentally, walked on her while she was changing and she was blushing around me like a virgin for 3 days straight. That however didn't stop her from being professional when it came to blacksmithing. She explained how to form different shapes out of ingots, how to create weapons, and even showed me how to cast items. Her teachings didn't stop there, she showed me how to identify materials and even introduced me to suppliers for ore and monster materials.

Talking about monster material, their usage was quite intriguing. The smiths here didn't just use them up raw, like a handle or a claw as a blade, no they infused their properties, by mixing them into the ingots during the crafting or casting process. It all depended on the type of material and what you wanted to achieve with it. This part of the process reminded me of the [Harry Potter] alchemy and truthfully when I started using it in my crafts, I did feel the ability react and try to guide me. As the ability was already at max level, I succeeded more than I didn't in adding different effects to ingots. Hephaistos was quite shocked by my progress and by the 7th day, I was given a task as a final project. She gave me free rein on metals and monster parts my only task was to awe her with the final product.

I started experimenting and allowing both [Alchemy] and [Blacksmithing] to guide me on creating the perfect amalgamation of mithril, orichalcum, adamantium, ground-up magical cores, and bones from Udaeus, the floor boss of the 37th floor.

The temperature required to melt and combine all these components was way over the limit of what Hephaistos's forge could take, so I had to improvise and create a spell for it.

The first iteration of the spell was my crude attempt at creating a spell-based blacksmithing forge. It worked but it might need a few adjustments later on. Currently, after reaching a specific temperature, the spell couldn't contain the heat and it started to radiate it outward. Plus, the caster needed extreme focus to control the forces inside of the spell when combining multiple materials of different melting points, to prevent them from just disintegrating. Hopefully, the [Blacksmithing] skill counted the spell as smiting.

[Spell: [Celestial Forge] learned]

Grimoire:

...

[Celestial Forge lvl 1]

- Creates a compressed space of fire, allowing the manipulation, mixture, and control of materials placed into it.

- Temperature and pressure can be freely manipulated while the spell is active.

{Affinity: Fire/Space}

{Chant: Forge the stars, Celestial Forge.}