Chapter 181 – Re-Enchanting.

“Now then… what shall I start out with first? Any advice?”

Rusty stood in front of his makeshift forge in the basement of his home. The fire was unlit, and the room was dim, but as a living armor monster, he did not care. The only two sources of light were his two guides, who were hovering around his head.

“If you ask me, my dear Rusty, how about first getting this rundown excuse for a lair in order?”

“Run down?”

Rusty recoiled, his helm turning toward the walls of his lair. The place was cracked, the ceiling sagged in places, and his forge was little more than a pile of scavenged stone rather than a true craftsman’s workshop. Still, it was his lair and his smithy.

“Yes, run down.”

Aburdon said with a sneer.

“You expect to draw customers here? To lure them into this dark pit? Ha! You need refinement. A place that dazzles them the moment they step through the door. Bright banners, rich scents of enchanted metal, and perhaps a few good-looking servants as well.”

“Banners and servants?”

Rusty was baffled by the response. The home he had bought was at the edge of the slums, near the gate leading out toward the dungeon. It looked more like a shelter for the homeless, yet Aburdon seemed to want to turn it into a luxurious inn. Before Aburdon could continue, Alexander cut in.

“Servants and dazzling banners? Are you trying to get us killed? And where would we even get the money for that? What we need is the opposite. We cannot afford to draw too much attention. The last thing we need is curious nobles, guild inspectors, or thieves poking around. We should start small, build up our reputation slowly, and see how it goes.”

There was some truth there, but once Alexander continued, Rusty wasn’t sure if he was that happy about his plan.

“We need to start with a modest smithy, ordinary work like horseshoes, nails, and kitchen knives. Then, slowly, build a reputation. Patience is the key.”

“Hah, kitchen knives? Why not have Rusty pick up pottery instead?”

Aburdon started laughing at the proposition, yet Rusty wasn’t opposed to the idea.

“Kitchen knives aren’t a bad idea, actually.”

Rusty muttered.

“Everyone needs them for cutting up monster parts and they don’t cost as much as daggers!”

Alexander’s glow pulsed warmly in a sign of approval.

“Exactly. If people see you as just another hardworking craftsman, they won’t suspect anything.”

“Yes but I’m not making any horseshoes or nails…”

While Rusty was not completely opposed to the idea of making knives, he had no intention of becoming someone who crafted household items. His system enhanced the forging of weaponry and allowed him to copy them, with the only limitation being SP and essential resources such as metal. The system did not permit him to copy everything, and pottery was one of the restricted items.

“Yes, yes, let our Rusty waste his time forging horseshoes and nails. What an idiotic idea. If you wish to be respected, Rusty, you must shock and awe!”

Aburdon had started monologuing again, and Rusty had already begun ignoring him. His forge was nearly ready, but he first needed to visit the Soul Forge once more since the cooldown had ended. While Aburdon and Alexander continued to argue about how he should begin his smithy, Rusty simply accessed the forge again.

“Did anything change?”

A shimmer swept across his vision, and he found himself back inside the Soul Forge. Everything looked the same, yet he sensed that something was different. As he searched the area, he noticed it. The hourglass that measured the time he could remain inside was not as it had been before. It was slightly larger.

“So that must mean!”

The last time he had been here, he was not allowed to stay for long. Now, with the hourglass larger and more sand within it, he could assume the time limit had been extended.

“It must be because my level has increased. I wonder if something else will happen if I raise it further.”

There were many things he still did not know about this miniature version of the Soul Forge. One limitation was that he could not visit other places, such as the library or the summoning area where he had once received rewards. Now that changes were beginning to occur, he wondered if eventually all restrictions surrounding the Soul Forge would be lifted and if it would no longer be a space he could access only during evolution.

“That would be great…”

Rusty spoke again, though no one could hear him. This version of the Soul Forge lacked his two guides, and for some reason, he could not summon them. Perhaps that, too, would become available later, but for now, he decided to focus on work.

“Well then, first I have to take care of this thing.”

From within his inventory, he materialized a halberd. It was the same one he had used in the dungeon against the monsters formed from mining equipment. The lesser lightning enchantment on it had proven to be powerful, but it had been completely used up during only one dungeon run. That would become a serious problem if he could not repair it.