The scent of hot metal and coal dust filled Jason's nostrils as he stepped into the Forging Association.
With the fortune from his recent auction ticking up, the two Silver coin fee for an Intermediate Forging Room felt like pocket change.
He walked past the crowded common areas, where amateur smiths were loudly banging on anvils with questionable results, and entered his private sanctuary.
This was no mere workshop.
The room was a marvel of arcane engineering.
Glowing blue runes were etched into the circular floor, pulsing with a steady heat that kept the forge blazing without a single piece of coal.
In the center of the room, a large, uncut crystal thrummed with power, containing a swirling vortex of orange flame, a captured fire elemental known as a Heartfire Crystal.
This was a Tier 1 Mysterious Flame, a priceless tool that dramatically increased the success rate of forging.
"Alright, let's make some magic," Jason said to himself, pulling the Tome of Creation from his inventory.
In his past life, this was the Book of Forging, but a cooler name didn't hurt.
A golden light enveloped him as he learned it, and a flood of complex forging techniques and metal properties filled his mind.
His first task was to craft the Sentinel Armor, the design for which he had won in the Deathly Forest.
Normally, crafting Bronze-rank equipment had a dismally low success rate.
But Jason was armed with an arsenal of advantages: the Tome of Creation, the Heartfire Crystal, a master-grade hammer, and his secret weapon, the Philosopher's Stone.
He took a stack of raw Iron Ore and held a piece of the Philosopher's Stone over it.
A soft, rainbow light washed over the ore, and the impurities within it were visibly purged, turning to dust and leaving behind a chunk of glistening, 100% pure iron.
"This beats a blast furnace any day of the week," he chuckled.
He placed the purified iron into the rune-powered forge.
The metal glowed white-hot in seconds.
He moved it to the anvil and began to hammer.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Each strike was precise, timed with the rhythmic pulse of the runes beneath him.
This wasn't just brute force; it was a dance.
He hammered, folded, and shaped the metal, his movements becoming a blur of efficiency.
With a final, resonant strike, he plunged the glowing breastplate into a quenching barrel.
A great hiss of steam erupted, filling the room.
System: Forging successful.
You have created Sentinel Armor (Bronze).
Forging Proficiency +1.
He pulled it out.
The armor was exceptional, but he knew he could do better.
He grabbed a piece of Hundred Refinement Steel, a rare material he'd earned from Jack, and integrated it into his next creation.
This time, the process was even more intense.
When he was done, the breastplate that emerged was different.
It had the same shape, but its surface swirled with a faint, silvery light, and it felt heavier, more solid.
System: Forging successful! You have created Aegis Sentinel Plate (Mysterious-Iron).
Forging Proficiency +3.
[Aegis Sentinel Plate]
(Plate Armor, Mysterious-Iron Rank)
Level 5
Defense +45
Strength +4,
Endurance +6
Passive Ability: Kinetic Redirection - Converts 5% of physical damage taken into a temporary 10% Strength boost for 5 seconds.
Jason let out a low whistle.
He had forged a piece of equipment that rivaled drops from a dungeon boss, all from a simple Bronze-rank design.
The next hour was a blur of activity.
He churned out twenty pieces of Sentinel Armor and three more Aegis Sentinel Plates.
His bank account exploded, crossing the 100 Silver coin mark, a sum that would make a guild leader weep.
He strode out of the Forging Association, feeling like a king.
He listed the newly forged Aegis plates on the auction house, causing an even bigger frenzy than before.
He could now afford to eat instant noodles with actual, A-grade dehydrated beef bits, not just the sad vegetable packet.
The thought made him laugh.
He met up with Jay Antonio and the rest of his fledgling party, Lone Wolf, the stoic warrior; Big Rig, the surprisingly nimble Guardian Knight; Sleepy Simon, the ever-drowsy Oracle; and Squeaky Pete, the Summoner who had a strange affinity for rats.
"Boss, you look like you just won the lottery," Jay said, his eyes wide.
"Something like that," Jason replied, tossing him a newly forged piece of Sentinel Armor.
"Let's go level. Dark Moon Valley awaits."
When they arrived, they saw a familiar, and unwelcome, sight.
Blazing Tiger and his crew from the Crimson Legion were occupying their prime grinding spot, using the smoke bomb strategy Jason had pioneered.
"The nerve of these guys," Lone Wolf grumbled, gripping his axe.
"They steal our spot and our strategy."
Blazing Tiger spotted them and sneered.
Well, well, if it isn't the trash squad.
Thanks for finding this spot for us!
The drops here are fantastic.
Jason just smiled.
A cold, dangerous smile.
"No problem. Enjoy it while it lasts." He checked the timer on their smoke bomb.
Less than a minute left.
He discreetly pulled a cheap item from his bag: a [Kobold Calling Horn].
It was a junk item that made a sound Kobolds found incredibly annoying, drawing any within a 50-yard radius.
He looked at Jay.
"Get ready to see some fireworks."
With thirty seconds left on the smoke bomb's timer, Jason blew the horn.
A low, irritating drone filled the air.
From all around the mines, the heads of dozens of Kobolds popped up, their beady eyes glowing with rage.
The smoke bomb hissed and dissipated.
For a moment, the members of the Crimson Legion stood in stunned silence, surrounded by a sea of angry Kobolds.
Then, chaos erupted.
"ROOOAR!"
The Kobolds swarmed them.
Screams filled the air as players were dogpiled and torn to shreds.
It was a complete massacre.
Blazing Tiger, his face a mask of horror, was one of the last to fall, his body disappearing into a wave of snarling monsters.
Jason and his party watched from a safe distance, munching on Apple Pies.
"That," said Big Rig, his voice full of awe, "was brutal. And hilarious."
The ghost of Blazing Tiger appeared, trembling with fury.
"YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Jason casually walked over to him.
You should really thank me.
I just saved you the trouble of running back to town.
Now you can teleport for free.
See? I'm a nice guy.
Just then, Blazing Tiger's communication icon flashed.
He answered it, and his ghostly face went pale.
Yes, Guild Leader…
No,
sir,
I… I understand.
Demoted?
But… He faded away, a broken man.
"And that's how you take out the trash," Jason said, gesturing for his team to move in.
They collected the loot dropped by the Crimson Legion, which included a valuable skill book.
[System: You have obtained the Skill Book: Whirlwind.]
Jason learned it instantly.
A powerful AoE spin attack.
Perfect.
As Squeaky Pete was looting, he let out a yelp.
"Uh, boss? I found this sparkly rock."
He handed Jason a crystal shard, and within it contained a miniature galaxy, stars spinning in silent, eternal motion.
The [Astral Shard].
Jason's eyes lit up.
This was the 'Lucky Stone' Jack needed.
After finishing their grind and getting Jack the quest items, Jack gave them the second part: slay the Kobold Chieftain.
At the same time, Lone Wolf's friend, a player from another town, was frantically calling him, begging for help with the Level 2 Dungeon, Deathly Forest.
"He says his party got wiped five times on Normal mode! He wants to know if you can help, Jason."
"Tell him I'll do it," Jason said.
"My price is all Swordsman and Cursemancer equipment that drops, plus any and all rare materials and forging designs from the boss."
No negotiations.
Lone Wolf relayed the message.
The other party was outraged at the arrogant demands but, out of desperation, they agreed.
As Jason's group prepared to head towards the dungeon entrance, three figures materialized from the shadows around them.
It was Stealthy Leopard, the assassin from the Crimson Legion, and two others.
Their daggers glowed with poison.
Stealthy Leopard's voice was a venomous whisper.
"Blazing Tiger may have been a fool, but I'm not. You're going to pay for what you did."
Jason didn't even look surprised.
He drew the Abyssal Blade, its dark energy coiling around the black steel.
He looked at the three assassins, a smirk playing on his lips.
"You guys really, really don't learn, do you?"