Ray led them to a secluded warehouse at the edge of the city. The area was heavily guarded, with security stationed everywhere.
The moment the guards saw Ray, they placed a fist over their hearts in greeting.
"Sir."
"You see these two?" Ray pointed at Arthur and Bram. "They’re close friends of mine. Tell the other guards that they’re free to enter and leave my storage and crafting rooms whenever they please. They must also receive any help they need."
The guard studied Arthur and Bram for only a second before nodding.
"Understood, sir. I’ll let everyone know."
A notification appeared before Arthur.
[Reputation in the city of Snowpine and its surrounding territories increased to 1,000.]
’1,000 reputation? That’s really high!’
Reputation was one of the hardest things to obtain, but it could also make a huge difference.
With enough reputation, guards might help a player if they got into trouble inside the city. Better quests also became available, along with one of the most important benefits: the ability to own a house or a store.
Money alone wasn’t enough to buy those things. A player also needed a decent reputation in the city where they planned to make the purchase.
A thousand reputation still wasn’t enough to obtain a house or store, but it was a great start. Arthur was confident he could build his reputation faster than everyone else because of this advantage.
While the other players were still at zero, he already had a thousand.
It made a world of difference.
Once they entered the enormous warehouse, Ray began showing them around.
"This place is divided into several crafting stations. Anyone who wants to use them has to pay me weekly rent. There aren’t many crafters working here, though. Most experienced ones prefer to have their own shops. This place mainly gives beginners access to proper crafting stations."
It wasn’t because Ray was kind and simply wanted to help people.
He was investing in his own crafters.
If he provided them with a place where they could improve, he could later use their skills to increase the overall strength of his city.
Arthur understood that very well, but it was still an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss.
Inside the warehouse, he had access to all kinds of crafting stations.
There was a forge, a tailoring station, an alchemy lab, an enchanting table, a leatherworking station, a jewelry-crafting station, and much more.
The warehouse had everything.
Arthur and Bram walked together, inspecting each station.
"First, you need to decide which professions you want to focus on," Bram said. "Perhaps blacksmithing? It’s the one I can help you with, and I believe you’ll need decent equipment before heading outside the city."
The best professions to focus on early were blacksmithing, alchemy, and perhaps cooking.
Countless players needed weapons and armor, while HP and MP potions were extremely difficult to find during the early stages of the game. Being able to produce and sell large quantities of them would be incredibly profitable.
"Can I watch you forge again?" Arthur asked. "I want to learn more before trying it myself."
He wanted to unlock his Fire Mastery.
According to the system, he had to watch Bram forge more items before he could obtain it.
Arthur hadn’t told Bram about the passive skill, the title, or the quest he had received from him. Those things were unique to players.
Bram had no idea his actions had given Arthur such valuable rewards, and Arthur couldn’t explain the truth to him.
"Of course." Bram wore a proud expression. "I’ll forge a few low-ranked items. Just basic equipment, similar to what you’ll be making. Watching the process should help you understand it better."
After seeing the two of them begin their work, Ray decided to leave.
"I have a city to take care of, so I’ll excuse myself. Let me know if you need anything."
He turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps and looked back.
"It was good seeing you again, Bram."
"Likewise, old friend."
Bram searched through the basic materials stored inside the warehouse and found several pieces of iron ore. Then, he began producing items for Arthur to observe.
The process was similar to the first time Arthur had watched him forge—the time Bram had crafted the sword he later gave to Ray.
However, these materials required far less control over the flames and were much easier to work with.
Higher-grade materials were usually unstable and could easily break during the crafting process. A blacksmith needed excellent control over both the fire and their hammer strikes.
They couldn’t hit the material too hard or too softly.
Of course, skills also played a major role in the crafting system. It wasn’t based on raw ability alone. Powerful passive skills and high-quality equipment could make the entire process much easier.
Arthur paid close attention to every one of Bram’s movements.
After Bram forged around twenty iron weapons—including swords, maces, axes, and spears—Arthur’s Fire Mastery passive finally unlocked.
Now, just like Bram, Arthur could easily control the furnace’s flames, making the crafting process much smoother.
"Now it’s your turn," Bram said. "Show me whether you have talent. I believe you do, but I can only be certain after seeing it myself."
Arthur felt nervous.
His hands were cold and covered in sweat, and he had to force himself to keep them from trembling.
He possessed the passive skills granted by his title, Scaled Disciple, but would they really be enough?
’I still don’t know what unique passives this class gives me... Sure, I can learn every profession in the game, unlike other players, but is that really all there is to it?’
He took the iron ore from Bram’s hands.
Then Arthur placed a hand on the furnace and focused his will and MP, creating a flame inside it.
The furnace ignited instantly.
Bram stood beside it, carefully checking the temperature.
"Perfect," he said, his eyes widening. "How can you control the flames so easily? This normally takes years of practice!"
Bram was already shocked by Arthur’s display of skill.
Hearing his praise helped Arthur relax. The tension in his body eased slightly.
He placed the ore inside the furnace, dropping it directly into the crucible. Then he carefully controlled the flames, providing just enough heat to melt the iron into liquid.
"Here, take this," Bram said, handing Arthur a basic hammer.
It was suitable for all levels, as it was the simplest type of crafting hammer.
Better hammers could produce higher-quality items, but Arthur wasn’t able to equip those yet. He didn’t own any in the first place.
Arthur picked up the tongs, lifted the crucible, and poured the molten iron into a weapon mold resting on top of the anvil.
Immediately, he noticed that something was different.
There were faint shades of blue within the metal, and its texture seemed far more malleable than normal, almost like slime.
Bram noticed it as well.
A system notification appeared before Arthur.
[Material infused with your soul.]
[Completing the crafting process will result in a higher-quality item.]
A wide smile spread across Arthur’s face.