Blacksmith vs. the System

I examined the camp as I moved forward. As far as I could tell, the camp population had dropped significantly to something around two hundred, which no doubt made any dungeon incursion a bigger challenge. Even working overtime, most of that number had to be dedicated to camp defense, which probably ruined any chance of making decent progress with the dungeon until the reinforcement Rosie promised arrived.

I had a feeling that Rosie would offer them another batch of recruits, naturally with some premium for emergency recruitment. But, I kept my mouth shut about that. Whatever deal they had was between them.

I just wanted to make some money. And, maybe, get a few skills in the process.

We soon arrived at the largest building. "Wait here," she said as she went inside with the swords. I said nothing, ignoring the hesitant glances of the camp visitors, no doubt wanting to ask the newest face some questions.

Their anxiety was understandable, but I deliberately avoided their gazes, not giving anyone a chance to interact. Whatever that was going on was complicated enough to make sticking my head out — any more than I already would once I started churning out a ridiculous amount of swords, at least — an unwise choice.

"You can come in," Eleanor said when the door opened once more. "Lady Maria is ready to see you."

I nodded and followed her, taking note of the decorations. It was well-furnished. Much better than what I would expect in a camp in the middle of nowhere. Either Maria was even more spoiled than I had assumed, or her family was even richer.

Either way, the trouble they posed had just got bigger.

I refrained from sighing in despair even as Eleanor led me to an office that was filled with parchments, leather-bound books, and many glowing objects, all clearly enchanted.

"Eleanor tells me that you can repair five times faster than our other blacksmiths. How?" she asked, trying to look serious and in control. She wasn't particularly successful. Luckily for her, the memory of her burning multiple monsters with a wave of her hand was more than enough to compensate.

I thought about breaking down the process, and dumbing it down to the most understandable piece, but after some consideration, I decided against it. She didn't seem like someone who would appreciate anything she couldn't understand.

"May I ask how familiar you are with math, my lady? I'm using some scientific methods to expand the benefits of the skill. It allows me to bypass some of the steps given by the Repair skill."

"And you know it works, how?" she asked, the challenge in her tone clear.

The answer was simple trial and error, but I had a feeling that she wouldn't appreciate that. "A proper explanation would call for some detailed formulas. May I proceed with it?" I asked.

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I caught a hint of panic on her face before she looked frustrated. "I was a college senior when the Cataclysm hit, and more importantly, I'm a Fire Mage. With Intelligence, I can easily understand anything a mere Blacksmith could come up with."

Her confident declaration made me even more confident about my choice. I paused for a moment, remembering some of the formulas I had read in the journals I had found. Formulas were nothing more than intellectual curiosity as they were mostly random, scattered articles with no proper link.

Still, they were good enough to dazzle an overconfident student whose understanding of math probably ended in algebra, and Intelligence was not useful in understanding completely unfamiliar concepts.

"Let's start with a simple basis. JMA equation for the recrystallization process of metals. The formula is simple." I paused for a moment, jotting down the first formula.

[X(t) = 1 - exp[-(kt)^n]

"X represents the volume fraction of the material of transformation, t represents time, k is constant, and n represents an exponential of dimensionless number that reflects the dimensionality of the growth and nucleation behavior during the transformation…"

She tried to hide it, but I taught for years. The glassy expression of a student who had lost track was too familiar to miss. Under any other situation, I would have slowed down, and explained every concept one by one. This time, I threw more and more complicated concepts.

I wasn't good enough in material sciences, but dragging the discussion to a more pure math basis wasn't too hard. Fifteen minutes later, I was deep into a small, confusing lecture on the fifth-order differential equations and their effectiveness in solving wave propagation.

"Enough, I have got the gist of it," Maria cut in, unable to keep her frustration. "The math looks solid, and Eleanor already confirmed the weapons are good enough. So, go ahead and start teaching the others how to do it. We'll need a lot of swords soon."

I was about to cut in, when Eleanor cut in first. "We currently don't have any other Blacksmith in the camp, madam."

"How? Only the six of them were under family contract."

"Yes, but we still hired the others through the usual channels. That contract has the escape clauses. They … they decided to pay it off."

"They paid fifty gold each," Maria gasped. "That bastard must have given it. Can't we …"

"We don't have evidence," she said.

"I'm sure Rosie could find a few more experts in the case of our current emergency. They don't need Level 25 Repair. As long as they have Analyze, I can teach them," I offered. I thought about asking Maria for a bonus, but I chose against it. I had already annoyed her enough. I could talk to Eleanor about it. "But, I can't repair all day," I said.

"Why? You already signed the contract," Maria said.

"Because my level is not high enough. Four hours already drained most of my Health. I need to be at a higher level."

"That's easy," Maria said, looking at Eleanor. "Where's the closest wild spot we could visit," she asked.

"But, I can't leave the camp with the guards gone, and we don't have any guards strong enough to help him."

"Doesn't matter. I'll help him," Maria replied. "I can't stay here and defend the camp without depleting our mana potions. Just escort him to the armory and give him armor. I don't want him dead."

"I will do as you wish. Should I arrange for an escort—"

"No, I don't need any," she replied, her tone final. Eleanor looked frustrated. Maria sighed. "You know we can't afford any. Not unless we are willing to clean the dungeon entrance again."

Eleanor sighed. "You're right, but I don't like it," she said. Then, she turned to me. "Follow me," she said.

I followed as she brought me to the basement, which was filled with weapons and armor. Most of it was the type the guards had been wearing, but a few of them looked better. "I don't have to tell you if anything happens to her…"

"I understand," I said. I didn't appreciate being threatened, especially since Maria was far stronger than me, but it was not exactly a helpful conversation to have. Instead, I focused on something more productive. "My contract doesn't have anything to do with teaching," I reminded her.

"You want more money," she said, her tone not exactly welcoming.

"That would help, but I have something else in mind. Something that could help your side as well."

"What do you need?" she said.

"I need books from before the Cataclysm," I replied. "Preferably about material science, manufacturing, and similar topics, but I'm alright with anything. If it has numbers, it might help."

"What's the point?" she said.

"Well, you have seen my trick with repairing the edge. I can only do that because my calculations gave me the ideal temperature to work on the edge. There's a chance I can find an even better method as long as I have the necessary material."

"And, you can do that as a Blacksmith," she said.

I shrugged. "I have a Doctorate in Math," I said, giving her a simplified version of my background. No need to muddle it with my other expertise. "And, unlike what most people claim, math can still be useful."

"Not as useful as skills," Eleanor replied.

"Probably," I said. I strongly disagreed, but after three years of having the same conversation many times, I was bored of explaining to people why it was ridiculous to restrict themselves to the System just because it was easier. "But, I'm assuming you don't have one of those useful skills, or you would have already given it to your old blacksmiths."

"Well, no," she said. "Skill stones for production classes are hard to find. The System Store hardly stocks them, and they rarely drop from dungeons."

I sighed. I certainly knew that, which was a pity, because the biggest advantage of production classes was having more skill slots. One unfair detail, of many. "So, that's why I'm asking for books. I assume it won't be too difficult for you. Even I was able to collect some, and I live in a small town."

"Probably, I need to check it," she said. "But, meanwhile, we can discuss your salary —"

"No, I'd rather leave it to Rosie," I replied, cutting it short. The situation was too complicated for me to navigate. I didn't even know what kind of money I could ask for. "But, I wouldn't say no to a combat skill if you have any."

"You use hammers, right?" she said. "You're lucky. We have one uncommon hammer skill. We also have several uncommon sword style variants if you're interested," she added.

"For now, it's better if I stick with hammer skills," I said. It was better to stick to one weapon, especially since it paired better with my class stats. However, I was fascinated by the casual manner she pulled a glowing rock from a box and threw it at me.

[Skill Stone: Hammer of Might (Uncommon)]

As the notification popped, I was glad that I chose to bargain with Eleanor rather than Maria. She was certainly the more generous one. Not for no reason, as I had just solved their biggest logistic challenge, but I knew many that would spit on my face rather than listen to it.

I was more than happy.

I closed my eyes, absorbing it slowly.

[Overhead Strike (Basic) 4 - Hammer of Might (Uncommon) 1]

I groaned. It was the second time I was absorbing a skill stone — since repair and forge had come with the Blacksmith class — but replacing a similar skill felt much more different. It was dizzying and painful. I barely registered Eleanor checking several armors to find one that would fit my size.

Absorbing skills was painful.