Everything had changed now that Arthur had unlocked the abilities of his unique class.
His plan had to change.
Before, Arthur believed his path would be the same as any standard crafter’s — making items and selling them.
Now, he had to approach things differently.
Bram, who had watched the entire crafting process, picked up the sword to take a closer look.
"The stats on this thing are pretty decent," he said. "And it even has an augment. Impressive."
He could see the weapon’s stats because Arthur had willingly handed it to him. Had the sword been stolen, its attributes would have remained hidden until someone with an identification skill examined it.
That was how the system worked.
The curious part was that Bram didn’t seem to notice the soul binding. It didn’t appear among the weapon’s visible attributes.
Or maybe he had noticed something and simply wasn’t telling Arthur about it.
Bram tried to use the weapon, swinging it a few times to test its balance. The stats were good, but only by testing it could someone be certain of its actual quality.
The moment he tried to swing the sword, however, Bram couldn’t move it.
It was as if a tremendous force was preventing him from using the weapon.
"What the fuck?" he said. "This thing weighs a ton. What’s happening?"
Arthur already knew the reason.
They hadn’t formed a contract that allowed Bram to use the sword, so he simply couldn’t.
"It’s soul-bound to me," Arthur said. "Something unique about me. Have you ever heard of it?"
It was a risky move.
Arthur was sharing his secret with Bram, though judging by the man’s earlier expressions, he could already tell Bram knew something about the Soul Artisan class.
"So you really are a Soul Artisan..." Bram said. "I thought you people were extinct."
"Extinct? So you knew about it but didn’t tell me?"
"Well, when you told me the name, I thought you might be making things up. A few historical texts mention Soul Artisans, so you could’ve read about them somewhere and lied to me. Now, I’m certain you didn’t."
"What do you know about them?" Arthur asked.
He held out his palm, and the sword flew from Bram’s hands back into his own.
It was truly connected to his soul.
"They’re ancient. Really ancient. You won’t find much information about them in the books of this kingdom or any of the surrounding kingdoms. Soul Artisans came from another continent, one far away from here. You won’t be able to learn much right now."
When Bram said that, Arthur remembered that, during his first life, some high-level players had been actively exploring the oceans.
According to the rumors, they had received a special quest that led them to another continent.
It could be the continent Bram was talking about.
However, Arthur couldn’t understand how he had found the Soul Artisan class in such a random location.
’Could someone have placed the crystal there for me to find?’
The idea didn’t sound so insane anymore.
Now that Arthur thought about it, he had only found the crystal that gave him the class because an unknown player had given him a few tips.
And, strangely enough, someone had killed him in real life immediately after he obtained the class.
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
’Now that I think about it, things were really strange...’
Back then, Arthur had been so focused on obtaining the special crafting class that he hadn’t been thinking clearly.
"So what do you think I should do?" Arthur asked.
"Well, I’ll see if I can find anything about them in the Dragon Kingdom, but don’t expect much. Most likely, you’ll have to become strong enough to search for the answers yourself. And try not to spread the name of your class around here. Some people might try to capture or repeatedly kill you. You may come back, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make your life miserable."
Arthur didn’t want people coming after him, so he listened to Bram’s advice.
Dying meant losing time, experience, and sometimes even items or money. It became especially painful after reaching a higher level, since earning ten percent of the experience required for the next level could take a long time.
"I understand. Thank you for the advice."
"So, kid, I might have to head back now. I know you like having this old man around," Bram said, nudging him with his elbow, "but I can’t stay forever."
"Could you maybe... give me something else before you leave? Another item, maybe. Or money, or—"
Bram hit him on the head.
"Go get things yourself. I won’t tolerate a lazy disciple. Say something like that again, and I’ll abandon you."
"..."
Arthur accompanied Bram to the city gate, watching his back as he left the city and entered the forest where his chameleon waited.
The guards, who had treated Arthur with indifference before, acted completely differently now.
They lightly bowed their heads whenever he passed near them. Arthur returned the gesture to keep things friendly.
He walked back toward the warehouse with the sword he had just crafted resting in his hand.
Some citizens glanced at it, clearly noticing that the weapon wasn’t ordinary, but no one tried anything.
That was when someone approached him.
Arthur looked ahead and immediately knew she wasn’t an ordinary NPC.
She was a woman with long red hair and bangs, along with golden, wolf-like eyes.
She wore plate armor, and a sword hung from her waist.
Arthur instantly recognized the weapon.
It was the same sword Bram had crafted as a gift for Ray’s daughter.
Because of that, Arthur knew exactly who she was.
"You’re Ray’s daughter, right?" Arthur asked, bowing slightly to her.
She was a powerful NPC at level forty.
He had to act accordingly.
"And you’re Bram’s apprentice," she said. "The last time I saw him, I was still a child, but he certainly looks powerful."
Her gaze fell on the sword resting in Arthur’s hands.
"Did you craft that? Let me see it."
Arthur smirked.
"You won’t be able to use it. My craftsmanship is so advanced that normal people can’t wield my weapons."
She laughed.
"Cut the crap. Now I definitely want to test it."
"Not here," he said. "Follow me."
Arthur had something he needed to do.
He had to return to the beginner village and meet the players. More specifically, he wanted to find a skilled player he remembered from his previous life before anyone else could recruit them.
"If I let you test the weapon, can you help me with something?"
Louise, which was the name of Ray’s daughter, replied, "I don’t know. Maybe? It’s not like I have much to do right now."
Arthur needed a bodyguard to protect him from the monsters and the players, especially because he was already famous.
Having a powerful level 40 NPC with him would be more than enough.
So, he returned to the warehouse with her.
Louise would test his first weapon.
Then Arthur would craft another — one meant for the first player worthy of signing a Soul Contract.