The Rise Of A Shadowsmith

The year 2023...

Clank~ Clank~ Clank~

Shinon Flintlock was working in his forge, pounding a red-hot piece of steel with his hammer. The sound of metallic clashes echoed through the small room, filling his ears with a satisfying rhythm. The smell of burning coal mixed with the scent of hot metal, creating a unique aroma that he had grown to love.

"A few more... strikes..." He mumbled.

His bandana was soaked in sweat because of hours of working in the heat. Yet Shinon's stamina wasn't drained in the slightest. Well, superhuman strength and stamina ran in the Flintlock family, of which he was the last descendant.

Flintlocks were a family of blacksmiths known to supply weapons and armour to the dungeon divers. Shinon was no different, and he took pride in his work.

Having learned the trade from his father, who had taught him the art of shaping metal into weapons, armour, and other tools. He had inherited his father's forge, and he had been running it ever since his father disappeared five years ago when he was fifteen.

"Phew~ finally done." Shinon sighed, taking off his helmet to reveal his perfectly oval face and chiselled jawline.

Although he was quite pale during his early years, after spending a decade in the forge, a permanent tan had replaced his ghostly white skin, thanks to a genetic mutation in the Flintlock lineage. 

"They'd like this one."

"They always like whatever you create, Master Shinon." Kartiya, the Flintlock's head butler, greeted his master with freshly brewed lemonade.

"You never know, Kartiya." Shinon smiled, waving the freshly created broadsword around, feeling the power surging through the weapon.

Once satisfied, he placed the sword next to the pile of similar swords before chugging the lemonade in one go. Once done, he picked up the hammer again, ready to create another work of art.

In the last week, he created hundreds of broadswords per the government contract. But he still needed to make a few more for the privately owned guilds.

"Kartiya, cancel all the appointments for today. I would like to finish this-"

Shinon felt a strange sensation as he worked like he was being pulled in two different directions. His vision blurred, and he stumbled, dropping the hammer.

"Young Master!" Kartiya yelled as soon as he saw Shinon falling.

However, Shinon couldn't hear what the butler said; soon, his mind went blank as darkness shrouded his vision.

"Argh..." Shinon woke up with a start.

His head felt like someone had been hammering continuously for hours. After his blurry vision slowly cleared up, he found himself in a completely different place.

Shinon was standing in the middle of a deserted street, surrounded by buildings that were in ruins. The sky was a sickly shade of green, and the air smelled of decay. It almost felt like a horde of mountain trolls had ransacked the entire city.

The ground was littered with debris and broken glass, and in the distance, he could hear the faint moans of the people.

"Did a dungeon break happen here?" Shinon mumbled.

A dungeon break was an event where hundreds of outworldly creatures break the barrier preventing them from entering the earth. Such events rarely happened, but when they did, they spelt disaster.

It was no surprise that Shinon immediately thought of a dungeon break, as it was the only phenomenon that could cause such havoc.

But soon, everything began making sense.

He rushed towards the painful moaning sounds, hoping to assist people. Only to realise nothing around him made any sense.

The destroyed buildings shared an architecture he had never seen before. But that wasn't all. The rusted vehicles were something out of a futuristic movie, something Eslon Muck, the famous entrepreneur, would have envisioned.

Shinon's heart raced as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. But the truth was evident. This was not his world. This was not his time. He was in a future he had never imagined and had no idea how he got there.

He looked down at his hands and saw them glowing with a strange energy. The energy pulsed and ebbed, casting long shadows on the ground. It was as if he had gained some kind of superhuman ability.

"That's weird... The Flintlocks have never obtained any abilities apart from those necessary for forging."

While busy in his thoughts, the strange energy disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Shinon wasn't sure if his head was making up things or if he was seriously experiencing what he thought he was experiencing.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He had to figure out what was happening and find a way back home.

But then he saw something. Dozens of creatures were gnawing at each other. Creatures one could have only seen in movies and games.

'Zombies?'

Shinon remembered watching countless movies about the zombie apocalypse but never thought it would become a reality.

'I need a weapon. Maybe some of my things got teleported to me? I should backtrack and pray I find something useful.'

Since the creatures were busy with themselves, Shinon thought it was wise to retreat before the uglies noticed him. Unfortunately, it was too late.

Walking down the street, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw the group of zombies shuffling towards him, their mouths gaping open, ready to attack. Although the creatures were slow, Shinon knew he had to act fast before more of those freaks appeared.

Shinon reached for his pocket, where he always kept a symbolic hammer, but it was gone. He cursed himself for not being prepared. He had always believed that his blacksmithing skills would be enough to protect him, but he realised now that he was wrong.

'Status!'

Shinon thought, and miraculously, a blue holographic screen appeared before him. It was the status page everyone with superhuman powers had access to.

However, something was weird. Unlike showing his stats and abilities, the page displayed one word: Updating...

"God damn it!"

His skills had been deactivated, which meant he couldn't strengthen himself. Shinon cursed himself again and picked up two skull-sized boulders from off the ground. They weren't ideal weapons, but he had to make do with whatever he had... but then he felt something.

He looked down at his hands and saw a weird energy pulsing within them. It was the same black swirling aura he had noticed before.

"I don't know what you are, but I'm betting my life on you."

He closed his eyes and focused, channelling the energy into his fists like he used to direct his strength before hammering some metal. Shinon hoped the new aura would reinforce the boulders and kill the zombies when he threw the rocks at them.

However, something weird happened when he channelled the aura through his body. His feet began sinking into the ground. Soon, he slipped into the shadows, becoming one with them.

The zombies walked past him, unaware of his presence. Shinon breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out of the shadows once the aura dissipated.

"What the hell was that about!?" Shinon mumbled, looking at his fists. The aura was gone, but he could sense something weird in his body.

As much as he wanted to know more about his powers, Shinon knew he had to find a way to survive in this new world first, and he had to do it fast. But before he could do anything, his status page opened automatically.

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Name: Shinon Flintlock

Race: Human

Class: Shadowsmith

Talent: Mastersmith (lvl 1)

Level: 0

Experience Points: 0/100

(The previous stats have been reset due to an unknown phenomenon.)

Attributes:

Strength: 18

Dexterity: 12

Constitution: 15

Intelligence: 8

Wisdom: 10

Charisma: 13

Domination: 0 (New!)

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[Skills: Smithing (lvl 9), Forging (lvl 9), Mining (lvl 9), Repair (lvl 9), Enchantment (lvl 9), Smelting (lvl 9), Appraisal (lvl 9), Designing (lvl 9) have combined to develop the Unique Talent: Mastersmith (lvl 1)]

'Mastersmith? Is it for real?'

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-> Mastersmith (Lvl 1): A rare title given to those who have mastered the art of forging. The higher the level of mastery, the better perks can be unlocked.

Lvl 1: All forged weapons and gears have 10% boosted stats. The chance of crafting better quality weapons is also increased by 5%.

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'I know what it is. I'm just shocked...'

Mastersmith was a talent only heard of in legends. It was said roughly three centuries ago, approximately the same time when dungeons appeared on earth for the first time.

According to his family's legend, a Mastersmith imparted the knowledge of smithy to the Flintlocks as thanks for him after a dungeon outbreak.

That was the one and only time anyone had heard about a Mastersmith, but now Shinon had obtained the same skill! Although it was a bummer, the talent had reverted to level 1.

'Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.' Shinon sighed, but that wasn't the only thing that caught his attention, 'Shadowsmith... it's the first time I have heard of such a class.'

With a new class came new abilities; it wasn't rocket science. However, unlike before, only two abilities were listed under his new class.

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Available Abilities:

-> Shadow Manipulation (Lvl 1): The ability to manipulate and control shadows. The higher the level of mastery, the better perks can be unlocked.

Lvl 1: Any shadow can be used to hide the user's presence and can be used to cast a temporary illusion. (The effect lasts for one minute.)

-> Shadow Mimic (Lvl 1): The ability to mimic a target's shadow and learn more about them. The skill can be used to gain 10% of a target's stats for ten minutes. The higher the level of mastery, the better perks can be unlocked.

Lvl 1: (Passive) The user retains 2% of the target's stats permanently.

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Shinon was taken aback due to his lack of abilities. However, the powers he had at the moment were sufficient for him.

"I should try out the abilities first and also scavenge for materials to assemble a makeshift weapon."