NOVEL WEB Chapter 23
“Mr. Garrett, a VIP guest has arrived.”
The inside of the blacksmith shop, as guided, was similar to what I had imagined.
A fairly spacious area surrounded by bricks, with a massive furnace and various facilities visible.
On one wall, swords that seemed to be crafted were hanging.
And then.
Clang! Clang!!
In the midst of it all, I caught sight of the owner of this blacksmith shop, called Garrett, hammering iron.
“Wait here for a moment.”
…He’s bigger than I thought.
His hair is white, and his face is full of wrinkles, but his robust physique makes him seem more middle-aged than elderly.
The muscles in his arms are more defined than mine, and even though he’s bent over hammering iron, if he stood up straight, he’d probably reach the ceiling.
I had imagined a fantasy blacksmith as a short dwarf, but his appearance is completely different from what I thought.
Still…
Whoosh— Bang!!
Seeing him wield a hammer with those massive, long arms, it seems like he could craft a weapon masterfully.
Moreover, his speed and power are incredible, like some kind of aura user…
…Hmm.
He really does seem like an aura user.
And not just any ordinary one, but one with a strong aura…
As I was gauging Garrett’s skills.
“You’ve noticed, young man.”
Garrett stopped hammering and stood up.
Then, the massive physique I had guessed at became visible.
Though his belly protrudes, he gives off the vibe of a powerful warrior rather than just a blacksmith.
“Ah, was I being rude?”
Since he’s an elder, I asked if gauging his strength was impolite…
“It’s fine, I’ve done it too.”
Saying that, Garrett pulled up a chair and sat down.
His upper body was so large that he looked about 1.5 times bigger than me.
“Young man, you’re quite something. Which family are you from?”
“…The Void Family.”
“From a good place, I see.”
Saying that, Garrett shook his hand for a moment, then extended his calloused hand toward me.
“Ticket.”
“Ah, here it is.”
I handed him the VIP ticket, which he took and tucked into his pocket.
“It’s a rare item, so I’ll need it back.”
“…Is that so?”
“Can’t just hand out VIP tickets willy-nilly. By the way, this was given to Lowell. Are you his disciple?”
“No, I’m not.”
If you ask if I’m Lowell’s disciple… I don’t think so.
I’ve received guidance, but I don’t think Lowell sees me as a disciple.
“He wouldn’t give this to someone who’s not his disciple. You can be honest with me.”
“…I’m really not.”
“Well, if you don’t want to say, that’s fine.”
Saying that, he stood up.
“So, what do you want?”
“I want a sword. A sturdy one that won’t break.”
“I’ve never heard of my swords breaking. You’ve come to the right place.”
Saying that, Garrett pointed to the swords hanging on the wall.
“Any of those would satisfy you… but since you’re a VIP, you must be here for a custom order, right?”
“Yes.”
“Straight to the point. VIPs have two options.”
Garrett raised two fingers, scarred and calloused, and pointed to the sword he had been working on.
“Either pay for the custom order, or bring the materials.”
“If it’s money…”
“If you pay, we’ll use the materials in our blacksmith shop. It starts at a minimum of 10 gold coins.”
“…”
Ten gold coins?
Of course, it’s an amount I could never dream of.
Should I borrow from Lowell? That old man probably has it…
“The other option is to bring the materials. It’s the way I suggest to young folks like you.”
“Materials, you mean…”
“Literally, I’ll tell you the materials needed to craft a custom weapon for you, and you can bring them from the Kaine Mountain Range.”
“Ah, so I need to hunt monsters in the mountain range?”
“Yes, mainly monster byproducts.”
…Is this better for me?
No, I have no choice but to pick this option.
Considering that old man Lowell sent me off without a single penny, he must have intended for me to choose the latter and suffer.
“If you bring the monster materials, as a VIP service, we’ll provide the necessary metals for crafting.”
Then isn’t the material option definitely better?
If it’s hard to get, I can always buy it at the auction…
“However, you must personally obtain them.”
“…Alone?”
“You can form a team, as long as you go yourself.”
“Then there might be people who secretly buy them.”
“If you think you can deceive me, go ahead.”
Saying that, Garrett approached me.
Is it because of his size?
Getting close, I felt an intimidating presence, as if facing an orc rather than a person.
“Give me your arm.”
“Here it is.”
He suddenly asked for my arm, so I gave it, and he examined it carefully.
“Hmm?”
Then, he made a surprised sound and pressed firmly on my wrist with his finger.
“How old are you?”
“Huh? 18.”
“What?”
Hearing my age, he looked at me as if he couldn’t believe it.
…Did I really age that much?
Why does no one seem to guess my age correctly?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Wow, I thought you were younger. Your level is impressive for your age.”
“Ah.”
Well, aura users can recognize each other, so he probably overestimated my age due to my level.
“Huh, I’ll have to be careful when crafting your weapon.”
“Is it because I’m still growing?”
“Yeah, balance is important. Otherwise, I might have to make it in two years.”
“…That’s a bit.”
There will be more missions from Lowell in the future.
I don’t have the luxury to delay.
“Just make it a bit bigger.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes, I’ll adapt to it.”
The weapons I’ve used so far were either from the Coliseum or taken from enemies.
I’m more used to adapting to weapons, so having a custom weapon isn’t that meaningful to me.
“Then I’ll write down the materials first.”
True to his word about bringing materials, Garrett brought out a large sheet of paper and wrote down the materials.
“…Are these really all in the Kaine Mountain Range?”
“Do you think I’d ask for something that’s not there?”
Looking at the list of materials, I was dumbfounded.
“I might not be able to make this until I’m an adult.”
What kind of bizarre materials are these?
The first item on the list is a troll’s molar.
Where on earth would you use that in making a sword? Grind it up and mix it in?
“Or you could solve it with money.”
“…I’ll get them.”
Well, if I have to, I have to.
I roughly folded the paper and tucked it into my pocket.
“Then I’ll be going.”
With that, as I was about to head to my next destination, the Mercenary Guild.
“Wait.”
“Ah, yes? Do you have more to say?”
“You don’t have a weapon right now.”
Garrett, who had called me back, picked up a rather large and long longsword from the wall.
“I made this recently, but I’m not satisfied with it.”
Whoosh—
He threw it at me, and I caught it, feeling its considerable weight.
“This is…”
“Heavy, right? But its power is solid. Use it while gathering materials.”
“Are you giving it to me?”
“Are you crazy? I’m lending it to you. If you lose it, I’ll charge you more materials.”
“Ah, yes…”
I didn’t ask to borrow it, but…
Whoosh— Bang.
Swinging it lightly, it felt good in my hand.
No, it felt completely different from the weapons I’ve used before.
“I’ll use it well.”
With a sword like this, I’ll borrow it quickly.
“By the way, there’s no scabbard, so just carry it around like that.”
“Then the attention…”
“Your appearance already screams ‘sword wielder,’ why worry?”
“Ah, yes…”
Well, I do look like I live by the sword.
Dress me up, and I’m a knight. Strip me down, and I’m a gladiator.
“Thank you.”
“Good luck gathering the materials. If possible, bring them back as soon as you get them.”
“Yes, I’ll keep them fresh.”
With that.
I left the inner part of Garrett’s blacksmith shop, the sword neatly at my waist.
“To exit…”
“Go that way.”
Following the guidance of the woman outside, I exited through the formal entrance, the terrace, and looked down to see people still lining up.
Thud!
Seeing that, I leaped down to the first floor.
“You are…”
“Is that sword by any chance…”
Ignoring the envious eyes of those who saw the sword at my waist, I headed straight for the general commercial district.
Next, it’s time to go to the Mercenary Guild.
**
The capital branch of the Adel Kingdom’s Mercenary Guild.
Being the capital, it’s the hub of the kingdom’s transportation, and with the Kaine Mountain Range full of monsters and materials nearby, this place is always packed with mercenaries.
Among those mercenaries, the ones who stand out are the silver-ranked mercenaries.
And among them, leading a dozen or so silver-ranked mercenaries, quite famous in the capital.
Even bearing the nickname ‘Chain Strike,’ the mercenary captain Jeven.
Is currently fidgeting nervously at a table.
“Captain, calm down.”
“Shut up, Hans.”
Damn, I messed up by running into some crazy bastard.
At first glance, he looks to be in his twenties, and considering he’s an aura user, he’s probably in his early thirties at most, but why is he so terrifying?
On top of that, the guild staff warned me to be careful, so he must be some noble’s son.
Why did I even make that identity… Well, I did make it properly, but Jeven continued to sweat profusely.
It’s my fault for being tempted by the reward, should I have just run away?
But if there’s even a sliver of a chance to learn Fleet, I thought it was worth taking the risk.
Ding—
A bell rang, as if my heart had dropped, coming from the door.
“Hey— Jeven.”
Following that, the terrifying voice calling my name made me turn my head immediately.
“You came as promised?”
“Damn it.”
That crazy bastard came with a sword.
And not even sheathed.
Jeven immediately stood up from his seat.
And prostrated himself on the ground.
“Please spare me!”
Trying to draw a sword in the Mercenary Guild.
I really messed up by running into this lunatic.