Small Progress

The following days unfolded in a very similar manner. James devoted himself to training his body, organizing his master's tools, assisting with projects, and then learning the fundamentals of blacksmithing under Strom's supervision. Finally, he reviewed theoretical lessons. The practical skills of runic blacksmithing would come later, once he had a more solid foundation in blacksmithing and had learned the simpler concepts of rune tracing.

During one of his breaks, James sought out his master to ask him some questions. "Master Strom, I've leveled up, but I don't quite understand the difference between general level and specific level. I've noticed that my general level has increased to 3, but the specific levels are at 0."

"Oh, it's strange that you're so old and don't have levels in any skill," Strom asked curiously.

"Sir, regarding that, the truth is that I'm not native to this world. I traveled here through a magical artifact I found," James sincerely responded.

"Oh, so you're part of that scum coming to conquer our world," Strom said more aggressively, furrowing his brow.

"I know nothing about that, Master. When I first arrived in this world, the guardian refused to give me any information and mentioned something similar. He said, 'I will send you with the rest of your class.' I suppose he was referring to people from my home world, but I came alone, and I haven't seen anyone else," James paused with a hint of melancholy and then looked Strom in the eyes as he said, "Besides, I have nothing in the other world. I really have no interest in going back and prefer to stay here. I have no connection with those other people." As he finished, he felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest and melted into his chair.

Strom took pride in being skilled at judging people, and he noticed nothing wrong with the young man or what he had said. He genuinely seemed like someone running away from his past and had never mentioned anyone or showed interest in anything outside the workshop.

The old blacksmith calmed down a bit and then considered the matter. "Your general level reflects the sum of all the classes you have taken. Generally, as an artisan, by dedicating time to your profession, you gain experience and level up. If you have risen two levels so quickly, I suppose you haven't taken any other classes. It makes sense if you've been here for a short time. In general, everyone takes one artisan class and another combat or magic class, unless they are determined to be soldiers or knights for a kingdom, in which case they only take the corresponding warrior class," Strom shared as he and his apprentice enjoyed a beer and took a sip.

James received his beer and took a small sip before asking, "So, why is my class level still 0 if I'm at level 3?"

"You have to manually add the level. For people with multiple classes, they can level up the class they want at that moment," Strom replied.

"Doesn't that imbalance things? If someone who is solely dedicated to blacksmithing levels up all their levels as a swordsman, don't they become more powerful?" James genuinely asked, confused.

"While you can level up and gain certain stats and improvements that way, you will soon realize that you hit a block, as the requirements to increase your class are usually very strict and often require a certain level of skill in that area, recognition from a veteran, or an emblem of authority, along with a trial from the gods. So even if a swordsman levels up all their levels as a blacksmith, when they try to improve their class, they will be rejected by any veteran who notices what they did. And if they manage to bypass this during the gods' examination, they will face serious risks, and it is highly likely that they will die," Strom replied.

"Is there any great benefit in leveling up your class?" James asked.

"There are many. In general, there's a limit to how far you can advance in each path, but leveling up your class significantly expands that path. Additionally, throughout the levels, you can also gain techniques. However, when you level up your class, you always receive a superior technique and the ability to enhance the effectiveness of old techniques, along with a multiplicative factor in the statistics granted by that class," Strom responded, finishing his beer. His hands seemed restless, and he finally said, "That's enough for today; let's get back to work."

The workload for James was infernal. After weeks in the workshop, it seemed like he hadn't made any progress. One might think that by this point, he would have cleaned the place, but there was always more to do. Moreover, during a trade meeting Strom attended, he realized that orders had been delivered with a couple of days' delay, evidently due to his own fault as Strom still had to review and give samples periodically during that time. Additionally, several of the pieces made by James turned out defective, forcing Strom to have to make them himself.

"I see you've finally decided to take on an apprentice," said the merchant. He was a portly young man, barrel-like in appearance, and was accompanied by a group of 5 guards.

"Yes, the lad shows promise, but for now, I'm training him. I apologize for the issues with this delivery, and I assure you it won't happen again. If you wish, I can compensate you with an additional runic sword," Strom responded apologetically.

The merchant let out a contained laugh and said, "Don't worry, Master Strom. You don't need to compensate me. Instead, if the lad becomes a skilled runic blacksmith, please don't hesitate to negotiate any surplus creations with this humble merchant." It was evident that the merchant knew Strom's reputation and had decided to forego a small profit now for the promise of greater benefits in the future.

"Rest assured, we will do just that. Thank you very much for your understanding. I look forward to a shipment of similar raw materials for our next meeting," Strom said before bidding farewell.

After everyone had left, James apologized to his master, feeling guilty for being a burden. Negative feelings began to flood him, but before the guilt could accumulate, Strom responded, "Everyone starts out that way, lad. Even my master took his time to train me. That said, it's time to get to work." Strom patted him on the shoulder, and together they returned to the workshop. James didn't have time to sort out his feelings before he heard noises coming from the forge, so he quickly got up and joined in, stoking the heat.

The work schedule continued for a couple more weeks, with Strom fully devoting himself to his role as a blacksmith all day long. James couldn't understand how an old man could have such endurance and strength at first, but as he leveled up, he could see how his own stamina and strength also increased. Strom recommended regular exercise, as it would accelerate the rate at which he gained experience points and leveled up.

One afternoon, while Strom was teaching a bit of runic theory, they received an unexpected visitor.

"Riverdale, what the hell are you doing here?" exclaimed Strom.

"What? Can't an old friend drop by for a visit?" Riverdale replied, feigning innocence.

"Coming from you, no. You went almost four years without coming to see me, and now you've come twice," Strom said angrily.

"Well, well, you're an old grump, what do you know? Obviously, I have to make sure you're not mistreating the lad," the blacksmith said, then turning to James. "Are you alright, lad? Have they mistreated you?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Riverdale. Don't worry," James sincerely responded.

"And can you make runic weapons yet?" the merchant quickly asked.

"Uh..." James was momentarily confused.

"There's the old hyena, I knew you'd come to take advantage of the lad," Strom said, heading off to fetch a barrel of beer.

"Not yet, sir. I'm still learning blacksmithing, but Master Strom says I'll be ready to make my first sword soon," James replied apologetically.

Riverdale let out a brief laugh and said, "Don't worry, lad. You're learning at a good pace. If you're already close to making your first sword, how's it going with the runic aspect?"

"I'm learning three basic runes, and I'll soon start carving runes onto objects. My mana control is still quite rudimentary," James explained while rubbing the back of his neck, feeling slightly embarrassed by his slow progress. He knew that other blacksmiths had little patience for teaching and progressed much faster.

On the other hand, Riverdale was very impressed, and his face clearly reflected it. He patiently waited for Strom to return and helped him serve some mugs of beer.

"Hey, grumpy, is it true that the lad understands the basic runes?" Riverdale asked.

"Yes, it's truly remarkable. Besides, his mana pool is quite decent considering he's just starting. We'll probably be able to start practicing inscription soon. If he keeps up with this impressive progress, he might be creating runic weapons in a year," Strom said solemnly.

Riverdale whistled lightly and replied, "I had a good feeling about the lad, but I never imagined he would be so talented." Then he raised his mug in a toast to James.

After the three of them emptied their mugs, Strom asked curiously, "So, are you here for something specific, or do you just want my good disciple to show off a bit?" as he proceeded to serve another round.

"Actually, I felt like chatting. By the way, do you know anything about runic counterfeits?" Riverdale asked as he received his mug.

"Runic counterfeits? What kind of nonsense is that? How can you counterfeit a rune? Is it some new discovery by the enchanters that I'm unaware of? That could be revolutionary," Strom said, getting serious.

"No, nothing like that. It's much simpler. There has been a significant increase in people, many of them unfamiliar with the world, and it has been really easy to deceive them into buying counterfeit items. I think it's a new wave of migration," Riverdale explained.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, James comes from another world," Strom commented while drinking.

"Really?" Riverdale asked, confused.

"Yes, sir. I come from a planet called Earth. I was able to reach this place through an artifact I found in my homeland," James said, feeling somewhat nervous, not wanting to reveal the power of his ring, if possible.

"Ah, well, that makes sense. In all worlds, there are remnants of the past that connect with this world," Riverdale said as if it were not a big deal.

"Mr. Riverdale, Master, is it normal for people from other worlds to come here?" James asked, confused by the reactions of both individuals.

"Much more common than you imagine. It's quite frequent for portals from other worlds to open up to Elysium. Although you should know that this world is enormous, and this is just one of its continents. Moreover, there are different realities or 'Realms,' so to speak. These realms overlap each other and sometimes connect. This makes this world very abundant in resources and opportunities to become more powerful," Riverdale commented. Then, he thought of something and asked again with some confusion, "So, which faction are you with?"

"I'm not with any faction," James said, confused.

"Oh, that's rare. Usually, the portals are controlled by..." Riverdale was talking about portals, but suddenly, he remembered crucial information. "Oh, right. You said you came here through an artifact. That's much more unusual. Usually, they are large portals. Did you know anything about them in your world before coming?" Riverdale asked.

"No, sir. Like I said, there's nothing like a portal. Although I do remember the guardian when I first entered Elysium. He mentioned something about sending me along with the rest of mine, so I suppose there are people who came before me, and they must have chosen this sector for some reason," James replied.

"Well, the reason is easy to guess. This is the last independent human stronghold. All the other lands have been lost to the elves," Strom replied.

"I see, so they simply asked to go to a place where there were humans, and this is the last place," James asked.

"It's not that there are no humans in elven society. As I said, this is the last place where the ultimate authority figure is a human. There are human landlords in the elven empires," Strom responded.

"Well, if we consider your knowledge, that means the migration hasn't started, so the ones here now are simply the fortunate ones who found the portals at the beginning," Riverdale commented.

"Does that mean there will be a time when all of humanity will come here?" James asked, confused. Both nodded, and James leaned back in his chair. "Phew! That's almost 10 billion people."

"I hate to break it to you, lad, but usually, when a migration occurs, it's due to a catastrophic event. Records say that only those who have passed the gods' trials are given the opportunity. If your world hasn't suffered the calamity yet, it will soon, and its population will be greatly reduced," Strom responded. Then, seeing the growing panic on the young man's face, he added, "You shouldn't worry. The development of portals takes a long time. Whoever you were thinking of will be safe unless they try to find you in this world."

James sighed in relief. "My family abandoned me, so I doubt they'll come looking for me. Honestly, I don't know why I worried so much if they want nothing to do with me," James said as he began to drink to drown his troubles.

"Maybe, but drowning yourself in self-pity won't get you anywhere. You must learn to master those emotions. Having a strong will is essential for any runic blacksmith," Strom said, showing some disdain for James' attitude.

"Yes, sir," James simply replied and began to slow down the pace at which he was drinking.

"Well, putting all that aside, I'm thrilled to get rid of the junk I had in the warehouse for the price of runic weaponry," Riverdale said with a chuckle.

The three continued drinking until James fell asleep, completely drunk, in his chair. It was astonishing to see the resilience of the two older men. Watching someone like James, who was practically an alcoholic, easily outdone by two elders was a scene worth contemplating.

The next day, James had to get up at the usual time and work, despite his back pain from the position he had fallen asleep in and a pounding hangover.