Rolan needed to prepare for the worst—so he did. He gathered the rusty weapons and armor from the fallen goblins and deposited them inside the blacksmith tent.
With a new plan in mind, he channeled a large reserve of mana to create a realm capable of housing three production buildings.
"Solomon, create Soul Realm."
[Affirmative]
[Huge mana expended]
[Soul Realm created with a 1-kilometer radius]
[Soul Realm has been added to Innate Skill]
He found the blacksmith tent standing empty—no blacksmith to be found.
[Blacksmith tent detected]
[Transfer Blacksmith tent to the Soul Realm?]
[Yes] [No]
[Do you want to start blacksmithing?]
[Yes] [No]
"Yes!" Rolan shouted.
"Create clones from slime and make a production team."
[Affirmative]
[Three slimes created for Blacksmithing Production]
Then, Rolan activated Devour, consuming the blacksmith tent in its entirety. In an instant, it was transported into his newly-formed Soul Realm, where everything was wrapped in a thick mist.
At the center stood the blacksmith tent, surrounded by fog. The slimes had already started heating the furnace, albeit clumsily. But under Rolan's guidance, they would soon become experts on par with himself.
The damp, fog-laced air chilled his skin. He rubbed his palms together and exhaled warm breath into them.
"Nice! Let's get started!" he declared.
[Blacksmith Job Class selected]
[Blacksmith Level 1]
[Dual Short Swords unlocked]
[Leather Armor unlocked]
[Leather-Plated Armor unlocked]
[Light Armor unlocked]
[Daggers unlocked]
[Mission: Forge Dual Short Swords and Light Armor]
[Reward: Alchemy and Enchanting Skill]
He noticed a list lying on the table—likely left behind by the tent's previous owner.
Blacksmithing Materials List
3 iron ingots, 1 leather strip, 1 hardwood – Iron Longsword
3 hardwood, 1 metal ingot – Wooden Shield
2 hardwood, 1 bowstring – Simple Bow
4 iron ingots, 2 leather strips, 2 hardwood – Dual Iron Short Swords
4 iron ingots, 2 leather, 1 hardwood – Iron Greatsword
1 iron ingot, 1 hardwood, 1 leather strip – Iron Dagger
1 iron ingot, 2 hardwood – Wooden Spear
3 iron ingots, 2 leather strips – Iron Scythe
6 iron ingots, 3 leather, 2 leather strips – Light Armor
10 iron ingots, 4 leather, 3 leather strips – Heavy Armor
3 iron ingots – Iron Mace
4 iron ingots – Iron Round Shield
Inside the tent, he examined the available tools. The essential set included a forge, hammers, anvil, tongs, chisels, and vises. The supplemental ones included drifts, punches, wire brushes, swages, and twisting tools. For safety, there were aprons, heat-resistant gloves, and goggles.
The tent was still cold. He grabbed a hammer, placed it on the workbench, donned the safety gear, and began.
He dismantled the salvaged weapons and armor, extracting usable iron and leather. Some blades were chipped or broken, others cracked or cleaved in half. The armor, dented and rusted, bore holes and signs of wear.
Rolan began hammering the scrap into usable forms, compressing the metal for smelting. The constant clang of metal on metal echoed through the tent as slimes assisted in organizing materials.
After a short rest and a wipe of sweat from his brow, he reviewed his intended equipment. For the tight, winding cave he planned to explore, dual short swords were ideal—longswords would be too cumbersome. For armor, he needed something light—flexible enough for movement yet protective where it counted. Leather-backed iron plating would be perfect.
He placed embers into the furnace and lit them using flintstone. As the fire caught, he used the blower to intensify the flames until the furnace radiated heat.
He molded a clay forging base and shaped the form for dual short swords, carving channels for the molten iron. Then, he did the same for the armor. Once ready, he placed the salvaged metal into the smelter and buried it into the embers.
As the metal melted, he used tongs to pour the glowing liquid into the clay mold. After a few minutes, he extracted the now-solid blade form and prepared the hardwood grip.
The pommel and guard were kept simple and practical—his blacksmithing skill was still at Level 1. He melted more metal for these pieces and poured them into fresh molds. While waiting, he drank water and fanned the furnace to maintain the heat.
Once cooled, he reheated the blade and hammered it thoroughly, compressing it further. Then, he quenched it in ice-cold water to harden it—a process that made the blade stronger, albeit more brittle. Alternatively, slow cooling could make it more flexible, but this time, he needed hardness.
With the pieces ready, he assembled the sword—blade, guard, grip, and pommel—forming one short sword. He repeated the process to complete the second.
Sitting by the whetstone grinder, he sharpened the edges. The hiss of metal grinding against stone filled the tent.
To test the result, he slashed at a nearby dummy.
Swish!
The upper half of the dummy slid cleanly off. Rolan grinned in satisfaction.
For the armor, he forged thick iron sheets from salvaged metal, shaped them on the anvil, and fastened them onto leather bases. Using all the remaining goblin-smelted iron, he completed one full set of light armor.
[Congratulations!]
[Reward: Alchemy and Enchanting Skill unlocked]
[Blacksmith Job Class leveled up! You are now Level 2]
[New Weapons Unlocked: Swords, Shields, Bows, Hammers, Spears, Axes, Scythes, Throwing Weapons]
[New Armors Unlocked: Heavy Armor, Gargantuan Armor, Juggernaut Armor]
[Items can now be smithed in Blacksmith Tent]
"Oh, nice," Rolan muttered.
He equipped the newly-forged gear and opened his inventory.
[Equipped Items and Inventory]
Weapons
Main Hand
Iron Short Sword
Damage: 3 Physical
Attack Speed: Fast
Description: An ordinary short sword made of iron.
Effects: None
Enchantments: None
Requirements: 10 Dexterity
Off Hand
Iron Short Sword
Damage: 3 Physical
Attack Speed: Fast
Description: An ordinary short sword made of iron.
Effects: None
Enchantments: None
Requirements: 10 Dexterity
Armor
Body Armor
Iron Light Armor
Defense: 10 Physical
Description: Plated iron armor with leather backing.
Effects: None
Enchantments: None
Requirements: 10 Endurance
Arms
Iron Light Bracer
Defense: 5 Physical
Description: Iron-plated bracers.
Requirements: 5 Endurance
Boots
Iron Light Boots
Defense: 5 Physical
Description: Iron-plated boots.
Requirements: 5 Dexterity
Cloak
Brown Cloak
Description: A brown cloth cloak; offers mild protection from cold and rain.
Belt
Potion Belt
Defense: 1 Physical
Capacity: 4 potions
Dagger Belt
Location: Back
Capacity: 1 dagger
Dual Sword Sheath
Location: Back
Capacity: 2 swords
Necklace
None
Ring
None
Backpack Inventory
Rations (3 days)
Water Canteen (½ liter)
Flintstone
Whetstone (1 use)
Iron Longsword
Holy Water (2 uses)