Chapter 15

Exill inwardly cursed as he handed over 20 Denars to the greedy dwarf. Ham giggled as he accepted the entirety of the boy's savings. "Very, very wise choice boy! You need guts like that to become a proper [Blacksmith]! Come 'ere and I'll show you how to forge an arrowhead." Ham proceeded to guide Exill over the next half hour until he felt a resonant [Ping!] in his core. Exill summoned the Card and assigned the newly attained [Blacksmith] as his second profession.

Blacksmith: level 1, Passive Buff: +10% quality of forged item, scales with level.

He was surprised to find that [Crafter lvl 20] was not a prerequisite and Ham explained, "I can understand yer confusion but [Blacksmith] is a long complex progression unlike other Production professions. Yer see, unlike inferior jobs like [Tailor] and [Carpenter], [Blacksmith] can progress to [Expert Blacksmith] after 8 years. Some might reach the Expert level in two years but mark me words boy, those fools rarely get far. Add another 20 years under me guidance and even you might become a [Master Blacksmith]!"

"What's the difference between [Expert] and [Master Blacksmith]?"

"Items crafted by an [Expert] can hold one enchantment at most, two if yer a [Master]."

"Which of them are you?" Exill asked.

"I'm a [Master Blacksmith] of course! Me second job is [Vendor]. It took me 5 years to train under the famous…" Ham practically preened as he listed his various accomplishments. Exill acted suitably impressed before pressing the dwarf for further instructions.

"Alright boy. I can pay 1 Denar for every four arrowheads." When the dwarf saw the boy begin to object, he waved a burnt finger to cut the complaint short, "Nuh huh! Before you complain, I will specially lend you my enchanted [Blacksmith Apron] or [Blacksmith Gloves]. Using either of these items while forging will decrease the amount of training required by half!"

Exill held his tongue at this strange offer. 'An item that increased EXP gain?' he wondered… This could be incredibly valuable! "What would it take to borrow both?" he asked.

The dwarf guffawed at the boy's audacity, "It don't work like that boy! Having two items don't mean you train four times as fast! Why, if that were the case I would be decked out in training gear!"

Exill outwardly nodded as his mind raced. 'I know that the rules of this world don't wholly apply to me. It is highly likely that I could benefit from stacking EXP gain. I just need the opportunity to test it.'

Ham led him to the side and pointed to where two items hung on the wall, gesturing with pride. One was a tattered leather glove with an iron band covering the knuckles, from which faint glowing runes could be seen across its rough pitted surface.

The leather apron was in even worse shape, there was an iron plate the length of his finger affixed on the chest, similarly glowing with runes. The plate had a crack running through a quarter of its width and the runes gently flickered around this damage.

"The very best equipment for my favoured disciple!"

"Wow master, this is amazing. How much would it cost to buy it off you?" Exill was unduly worried his sarcasm would leak through.

"Hmph! These kinds of items are not readily available! I will sell them to you for 60 Denars each. You won't find a better deal!"

"I will work hard to earn them master." Exill bowed to the dwarf who had a greedy twinkle in his eye. He knew he was getting ripped off, but it was an opportunity he couldn't find elsewhere.

He equipped the apron, and surreptitiously slid on the gloves while Ham was distracted by the forge. Exill switched his primary job to [Peddler] and used [Appraise] on the items. [Peddler] had been unlocked last week when he sold his first batch of scavenged materials.

Peddler: Production Tier I, level 3, Active Skill: [Appraise] identify the value of an item, ability to appraise higher priced items scales with level.

True to his expectations, the tattered items each held a single enchantment - [EXP Plus] and they both appeared to be providing passive buffs in his screen.

He crafted 8 arrowheads over the next three hours and [Blacksmith] rose to lvl 3. Exill was ecstatic at the speed of growth and his footsteps were a little lighter when he returned to barracks with only 4 Denars in his pouch.

***

Over the next month, Exill continued to train and earn money. As his proficiency rose, he got faster at smithing, and even the quality of his goods had significantly improved to the delight of Ham. Soon, he was able to afford the two training items at 60 Denars each to the endless derision of the greedy dwarf. At that exact moment, Ham was discussing the quotas for the next month shipment with an Army clerk when Exill breezed into the workshop to begin his evening shift.

"Hahahaha, here is me favourite apprentice! This is the lad I told yer about. The one who believes yer can train faster by equipping multiple training items!" Ham happily gestured at Exill as he signed receipts held up by the clerk. "He's dense as an ingot, but a very hard worker. The best I tell yer!" Ham happily slapped Exill's back as he prepared to work for the day.

After he had purchased the EXP items, Exill had negotiated a pay increase to 1 Denar per three arrowheads and was regularly pulling in 5 Denars a day. Exploiting the dwarf's good mood, he brought up a sensitive topic. "Master, you must have heard by now that they are deploying the militia to the eastern front next month."

This caused Ham to lower his hammer. After a long pause, he pensively asked, "… do you want to be deployed?" Concern shrouded the dwarf's sweaty forehead. He had grown fond of the boy. He was a good worker, didn't complain, and accepted his teasing graciously. It brightened up his day when he bragged about the dumb apprentice who bought two ratty training gear on their last legs!

"… I feel I have more to learn under your tutelage master." Exill was sitting on the fence with regards to his pending deployment. He was afraid of going to war. A glimpse of life on the battlefield had convinced him it would end up brutally short. On the other hand, it felt like he was betraying Verill. He didn't want to think about sending his only friend, someone he considered a brother, alone, to an uncertain fate.

While this turmoil was racing through his mind, Ham had a very different look on his face, it was one of cold calculation. The dwarf was mentally weighing the value of the kid, versus what it would cost to bribe Exill's reassignment to Camp B.

"Let me think on it." Ham eventually replied.