Chapter 182 – Home Repair.

The sound of his chisel biting into steel echoed faintly in the Soul Forge. A pale blue light spread across the walls as the enchantment took shape before the craftsman of metal. Bit by bit, the magic circle formed until the task was complete. Rusty lifted the sword high and studied the reflection in the mana-infused steel.

“Only a standard on?”

Rusty felt a wave of disappointment. He had managed to create only a standard-grade weapon. As a D-rank being, he knew he should have been capable of producing something one tier higher, which would have resulted in a refined weapon. Yet when it came to blacksmithing, he was still inexperienced and lacked the necessary skill.

“Well, it is still enchanted, so it should sell…”

This was not what he truly wanted, but he could not complain after managing to complete his first non-elemental enchantment. The problem remained, however, since keeping mana in a neutral state was quite difficult. As long as the enchantments did not focus on any specific elemental affinity, it was still manageable.

“If I want to use elemental enchantments, I will probably have to rely on outside sources.”

Rusty had already experimented in the past during his evolution, but he had been limited to the two extremes of his light and dark elements. He still needed to learn how to merge both energies, and when it came to other elemental spell structures, not all hope was lost. Other magical craftsmen had already developed methods to apply elemental energies even if their own magical capabilities were limited.

“I just need to get my hands on something with a strong elemental presence. Those water crystals could work…”

From within his storage, he retrieved a few gleaming stones, dropped by the huge eye monsters found in the dungeon. They were lesser water crystals, small minerals that contained mana aligned with the water element. With them, he could potentially create enchantments imbued with water spells.

Even though he lacked water affinity and his twilight energies made the process more difficult, he could bypass this weakness by infusing the metal with water mana beforehand. During the smelting process, he only needed to add the water crystals to the mixture. Once that was done successfully, the magic circles requiring water mana would activate. This was a method that allowed even those without affinities to achieve progress.

“Should I go with a defensive enchantment or with something focused on attacking?”

From within his inventory, he pulled out a small booklet. He had organized it with the help of his guides, a notebook containing a list of enchantments that Aburdon and Alexander had helped him compile. The spells were arranged by elemental affinity, which made it easy for him to find what he could work with.

“Here it is, water elemental spells…”

There were not many options since these were all low-level enchantments. The one that stood out was the Lesser Water Armament spell, which allowed him to coat a weapon in water energy. It worked well against monsters that were weak to this element, but considering that the dungeon was filled with creatures resistant to water magic, there was a better option.

“Lesser Water Resistance would probably be better. It would also work well with the durability increase enchantment. I wonder if I could apply both to every weapon and piece of armor.”

He paused to think. Many of the monsters inside the dungeon were water-aligned, which made this enchantment an ideal choice. It might even be possible to place it directly onto his own body, although he was uncertain. The sword he just made was of regular steel rather than the twilight metal that his body was formed from. Alexander had warned him that such a combination could be volatile and might even cause an explosion, but that would not stop him from running a few tests. Even if something went wrong in this space, the smithy would restore itself.

In theory, it was something that should have been possible, and the poleaxe and halberd he had created with the help of the talismans were proof of that. The system was capable of imbuing elemental enchantments even onto twilight metals. If he continued to learn and evolve, it was likely he would gain the same ability. Perhaps in the future he could even forge a perfect body, one capable of channeling every elemental magic in existence.

“No, then what should I…”

He trailed off as the pull from beyond caught him. The time was up. When he glanced at the hourglass, the final grain of sand had just fallen, which meant he would need to wait until later. In the next moment, he found himself back in the real world, his guides nowhere in sight.

“Hm…”

He rubbed his metallic head once, then opened his storage space. After spending the required resources, he retrieved a flawless copy of the sword he had just created. The magic metal glowed faintly in the dim forge, proof that the attempt had succeeded.

“I have something to sell. Now I just need to find some customers.”

Rusty set the longsword against the wall of his modest workshop. The faint glow of the enchantment shimmered across scattered tools and half-finished projects. As soon as his hand left the weapon, however, the light faded.

“I suppose that is the limit of this enchantment.”

The sword carried increased durability through the magic flowing within it, yet the effect only remained active while it was being held. The mana requirement was fairly low, which meant even ordinary warriors could wield it. There were methods to offset that cost by using superior materials or by integrating special items. Some of these appeared as gemstones, while others were smelted directly into the metal itself. Unfortunately, in his current state, he lacked the resources to attempt such enhancements.

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“There are so many things I don’t know and have to try out… How exciting!”

Even though the challenge seemed daunting, Rusty felt a thrill surge through his frame. This was different from the times he had faced strong opponents, yet it filled him with similar excitement. He would create things with his own hands, and others would use them. The thought of building a shop of his own, of adventurers lining up to buy weapons that carried his mark, made something in his chest rise. However, his excitement quickly faded when he looked around the darkened workshop.

“To sell anything, I first need to put this place in order.”

Merchants in the city already had blacksmiths supplying them, and adventurers usually remained loyal to the stores they trusted. Breaking into that market would not be easy. Rusty saw two possible paths forward. Although most humanoids valued the quality of their equipment, they often prioritized the money they spent. Even if a weapon was poorly made, they would buy it if the price was low enough.

He did not truly understand why, but many were willing to risk their gear breaking if it meant saving a few silver or even copper coins. The sword he had made was not impressive, and similar ones could be found at any other blacksmith, but that did not matter. If he priced it low enough, people would buy it. With the help of his system, he could produce unlimited copies without wasting time. As long as he had the raw materials, he could undercut other craftsmen until he gained recognition.

To make things even better, he noticed something unusual. The cooldown for the next use of the Soul Forge had decreased by several hours. If he continued leveling up, he would be able to enter his secret forge sooner and remain inside for a longer period of time. Perhaps in the future it might even become an unlimited resource, just as Alexander had once mentioned. For now, however, Rusty needed to focus on other priorities, beginning with organizing his store and finally putting his weapon copy skill to use in order to earn more money.

“But first, this lair needs to be fixed.”

With that thought in mind, he called for both of his guides and went upstairs to where the children had made their home as well. At first, he assumed the four urchins would eventually leave and find another place to stay, but they had remained. Now it was time for them to earn their keep. If he was going to open this smithy, they could help him get it running.

“Rolo.”

“Yes, Mr. Edmund?”

Rolo was the oldest of the group and probably the only one Rusty could truly rely on. Natia was too young to work, but the twins could handle some simple tasks. As a living suit of armor who was not even a year old, he had no qualms about putting them to work. Even small duties such as greeting customers and sweeping the shop would be enough.