The smithy was even busier when Lu Tiechen returned.
Several players stood around the anvil, basic materials in hand, following the system's instructions with intense concentration.
Clang!
[Forging failed.]
Clang!
[Forging failed.]
Clang!
[Forging complete.]
[You have obtained: Misshapen Iron Dagger.]
The player stared at the notification for a long time, his expression darkening by the second.
"What the hell is a Misshapen Iron Dagger?"
Someone leaned over to check its stats.
[Misshapen Iron Dagger]
[Quality: Crude (Gray)]
[Required Level: 1]
[Attack: 1–3]
[Durability: 10/10]
The players fell silent.
"It's worse than a Beginner's Wooden Sword."
"Told you Life Professions were a trap."
"Wasn't that guy here earlier? Where did he get that white iron sword?"
Tie Shan leaned against the furnace, listening to their complaints without so much as lifting an eyelid.
Only when Lu Tiechen walked in did he glance up.
"Back already?"
Lu Tiechen nodded.
Hearing the exchange, the players immediately turned around.
They had just been discussing the white iron sword. Now that Lu Tiechen was back, their expressions grew rather strange.
Someone whispered, "That's him, right?"
"The guy who sold the sword?"
"I heard it went for 1 Gold Coin."
"Seriously? A Level 1 white weapon sold for that much?"
Ignoring their stares, Lu Tiechen walked straight up to Tie Shan.
Tie Shan looked him over and smiled. "Sold it?"
"Sold it."
"How much?"
"1 Gold Coin."
Tie Shan raised an eyebrow, then grinned.
"Not bad. More than I expected."
Lu Tiechen glanced at him.
"What were you expecting?"
"Around sixty Silver Coins," Tie Shan said casually. "But the servers just opened. Adventurers are short on equipment, so it's only natural that some are willing to pay a premium."
Something stirred in Lu Tiechen's mind.
The servers just opened.
Those words sounded out of place coming from an NPC.
Would an ordinary game NPC know that the world he lived in had just launched?
Still, he didn't pursue the conversation. Instead, he looked at the tool rack behind Tie Shan.
Several forging hammers hung there.
Some had small heads for finishing cutting edges. Others had broad faces for working metal blanks. Farther back hung a heavy black hammer, with a long, thick handle and an old, battered head.
Lu Tiechen studied the hammers for a long time.
Tie Shan noticed.
"Looking to buy a hammer?"
Lu Tiechen nodded.
"A good hammer matters to a blacksmith."
It was a simple statement.
Yet Tie Shan's gaze visibly softened.
He had met plenty of Adventurers who came to the smithy.
Most opened with the same questions: How do I improve my success rate? How do I grind proficiency quickly? What's the cheapest way to make equipment?
Very few asked about hammers first.
To a real blacksmith, a hammer was no ordinary tool.
It was an extension of the hand.
The root of every blow's power.
A good hammer could make iron obey.
Tie Shan took a Common Forging Hammer off the rack and handed it to Lu Tiechen.
"A beginner hammer. 20 Silver Coins."
Lu Tiechen took it and looked it over.
[Common Forging Hammer]
[Tool]
[Quality: Common (White)]
[Forging Stability +3]
[Durability: 60/60]
It was better than the hammers the smithy let players use for free, but not by much.
Lu Tiechen looked again at the heavy black hammer at the back of the rack.
Tie Shan followed his gaze and fell silent for a moment.
"That one's not for sale."
Tie Shan reached out to touch the black hammer, lowering his voice.
"It isn't mine."
Lu Tiechen didn't press him.
But Tie Shan seemed to remember something. His eyes lingered on Lu Tiechen for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"I do have another hammer that would suit you, though."
Lu Tiechen looked at him.
Rather than explain immediately, Tie Shan went behind the counter, dug out an old map, and spread it across the table.
The map was crude, depicting the area north of the beginner village.
The woods outside the village, Boar Slope, the Fanged Hound spawn area. Farther north was a cave outlined in black.
Tie Shan pointed to it.
"Spider Cave."
Lu Tiechen knew the place.
People had already mentioned it on the forums.
Spider Cave was a small open-world cave north of the beginner village, where Level 7 Venommarked Spiders spawned.
The monsters were high-level, their attacks were poisonous, and the passageways were narrow. Very few players dared venture there yet.
For most players at this stage, it was practically a death zone.
Looking at the map, Tie Shan spoke slowly. "I used to have a forging hammer called the Blackmarked Forging Hammer. Nothing especially rare, but it had a heavy head and a steady strike. Good for working hard materials."
"A little while ago, I went mining up north. I passed near Spider Cave and ran into a swarm of Venommarked Spiders. I made it back, but I left the hammer in there."
He made it sound like a minor incident, hardly worth mentioning.
Lu Tiechen gave him a look.
Why would an NPC blacksmith go mining near Spider Cave?
And if he had lost his hammer, why bring it up only now?
As though reading his doubts, Tie Shan grinned.
"Don't look at me like that. Those other Adventurers couldn't even handle Grayhide Boars. Sending them into Spider Cave would've been sending them to their deaths."
"And now?" Lu Tiechen asked.
Tie Shan looked at him.
"Now you're here."
A system notification appeared before Lu Tiechen.
[Tie Shan has offered you a quest: Lost Blackmarked Forging Hammer.]
[Objective: Travel to Spider Cave, find Tie Shan's lost Blackmarked Forging Hammer, and return it to the smithy.]
[Quest Difficulty: Normal (Unique)]
[Recommended Level: 7]
[Quest Reward: Unknown]
[Accept?]
Lu Tiechen studied the quest panel in silence for a moment.
Recommended Level 7.
Unique.
An ordinary player might have thought this quest had come too soon.
For Lu Tiechen, though, it wasn't overwhelmingly dangerous.
He had his Toughhide Tunic and Glimmer Iron Sword. His stats already far exceeded those of an ordinary Level 4 player.
He was also used to studying monsters' movements. As long as a whole swarm of Venommarked Spiders didn't surround him, he had a chance.
More importantly, it was a unique quest with an unknown reward.
Tie Shan had offered it after he asked about forging hammers. The reward probably had something to do with a hammer.
Lu Tiechen didn't hesitate.
[Accept.]
[You have accepted the quest: Lost Blackmarked Forging Hammer.]
Tie Shan smiled when he saw him accept.
"Buy some antidotes before you go. Venommarked Spider poison isn't particularly deadly, but it slows you down. And being slow in that cave is trouble."
Lu Tiechen nodded.
"Got it."
He turned and left the smithy.
Players still crowded the village entrance.
First, Lu Tiechen visited the potion merchant to buy three Basic Antidotes and two Basic Health Potions.
It wasn't much money, but the purchase reminded him that even a healthy supply of Gold Coins could disappear fast.
Forging cost money.
Potions cost money.
Materials cost money.
If he wanted to make better equipment in the future, he would only burn through money faster.
Lu Tiechen put the potions away and headed north.
The road north of the beginner village was much quieter than the eastern route.
There were noticeably fewer players.
Most were still grinding at the village entrance or in the wild dog area. Very few headed toward Spider Cave.
Partway there, a notification appeared before him.
[Player Golden Abacus has sent you a friend request.]
Lu Tiechen paused.
Golden Abacus.
The merchant player who had offered 50 Silver Coins for the Sharp Iron Sword.
He glanced at the request but neither accepted nor declined it.
He simply left it pending.
He was on his way to Spider Cave. He had no time to talk business.
Merchant players usually had a keen nose for opportunities.
If the man had sought him out, he probably wanted more than a single sword.
Lu Tiechen closed the notification and continued north.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the beginner village.
Azure Edge Bladesman entered a temporarily rented courtyard.
Seven or eight players with the Azure Edge prefix were already there. Some sorted potions, some checked maps, and others discussed leveling routes.
In the center stood a young man in a white mage's robe, studying a quest scroll.
His in-game name was:
[Azure Edge Long Night]
Azure Edge Bladesman's expression grew noticeably more respectful when he saw him.
"Long Night."
Azure Edge Long Night looked up.
"Did you get it?"
Azure Edge Bladesman nodded and took the Sharp Iron Sword out of his inventory.
"Got it. Cost 1 Gold Coin."
An Azure Edge player nearby couldn't help frowning.
"1 Gold Coin for a Level 1 white weapon? Isn't that a bit steep?"
Azure Edge Bladesman didn't argue. He simply displayed its stats.
[Sharp Iron Sword]
[Quality: Common (White)]
[Required Level: 1]
[Attack: 8–12]
[Strength +1]
[Durability: 33/40]
The courtyard fell silent for a moment.
Someone murmured, "Those stats... They're better than the Level 4 gray sword we just got."
Azure Edge Long Night took the sword and examined it.
"A monster drop?"
Azure Edge Bladesman shook his head.
"Doesn't look like it."
"Quest reward?"
"Doesn't look like that, either." Azure Edge Bladesman paused. "I've met this Lu Tiechen before. He was soloing Grayhide Boars above his level. Later, he helped us kill the Grayhide Boar King. He already had this sword then."
Azure Edge Long Night raised his eyes.
"Lu Tiechen?"
"Yeah," Azure Edge Bladesman said. "Keeps to himself. Won't join a party or a guild. His judgment is excellent, and he can spot monsters' weak points. If he hadn't stepped in during the Grayhide Boar King fight, we probably would've wiped."
The player beside him frowned. "He's that good?"
Azure Edge Bladesman's voice turned serious. "That isn't the most important part."
He looked at Azure Edge Long Night.
"He came from the smithy when he went to sell the sword."
The courtyard went quiet again.
Azure Edge Long Night's expression finally changed.
"You're saying he might have forged it himself?"
"I can't be sure," Azure Edge Bladesman said. "But I think it's very likely."
An Azure Edge player couldn't help speaking up. "A Life Profession? Isn't everyone on the forums saying forging is a trap? Expensive materials, terrible success rate, and the results aren't even as good as quest gear."
Azure Edge Bladesman glanced at him.
"That's ordinary players."
His voice dropped a little.
"Lu Tiechen might not be ordinary."
Azure Edge Long Night held the Sharp Iron Sword and thought for a moment.
Then he handed it to a Swordsman beside him.
"Use it. Get your level up first."
The Swordsman hurried to take it.
"Thanks, Long Night."
Azure Edge Long Night wasn't looking at him. Instead, he told Azure Edge Bladesman, "If you run into Lu Tiechen again, don't antagonize him."
Azure Edge Bladesman nodded.
"Understood."
Azure Edge Long Night looked toward the smithy in the eastern part of the village and spoke quietly.
"Anyone who can produce equipment like this so early in the game is worth knowing, whether he found a hidden quest or mastered some forging technique."
He paused, then added,
"We need to stay on good terms with Lu Tiechen."
Elsewhere, Lu Tiechen had already passed through the woods north of the beginner village.
The ground ahead began to slope downward.
A few dead trees leaned beside the hillside, fine white webs strung between their branches.
The air carried a damp, sickly-sweet smell.
A system notification appeared.
[You are approaching Spider Cave.]
[Monsters in this area are higher-level. Proceed with caution.]
Lu Tiechen raised his head.
A dark opening lay beneath the rock face a short distance away.
Webs covered its edges. From within came the faint sound of scuttling legs.
Lu Tiechen gripped the Glimmer Iron Sword at his waist.
"Level 7, huh?"
He stepped inside.