Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Weapon Making (3)
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The trait I received as a gift from Morduin.
🔥 Soul of the Burning Artisan 🔥 This was a cheat-level ability when it came to growing crafting skills.
It was especially a huge help in raising artisan levels early on.
A great trait.
A great trait, but...
'If you're giving something, wouldn't the Forge of Oblivion have been nice?'
After moving me like that…. Honestly, it felt like a betrayal.
The effort and time I poured into raising you...
Of course, Morduin had no idea about any of that.
Clang! Clang!
"Oho, your hammer work is way better than yesterday! Haha! Anyone would think you've been at it for a year!"
Thanks to the Soul of the Burning Artisan, my crafting skills were mastering quickly.
'Well, beggars can't be choosers...!'
Clang! Clang!
Three days left now.
I had to make the most usable weapon possible in that time.
After three days of practice, my hammer work had gotten fairly familiar.
And so, on the fourth day of working at the forge.
I judged that practice was wrapping up and decided it was time to craft a proper weapon.
For that, I needed materials soon.
"Hmm? Materials, eh? Ah, right. There's a match this week too. Urhahaha! Good! I'll prepare some fine ones! I don't want you dying on me either!"
Fortunately, Godin's consideration got me top-grade materials easily.
All that was left was to raise proficiency quickly and craft the weapon fast.
Clang! Clang!
That way, I poured most of my daily routine into raising my artisan level.
Of course.
I didn't neglect the daily quest of strength training from Elisis either.
The Grateful Bodyweight Workout that started every night.
It had become my routine to end the day.
"Hoo...! 99, ha...! 100...!"
As I finished the last part of strength training, push-ups, a notification rang out.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Quest: Grateful Bodyweight Workout completed!] [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' licks her lips while gazing at you!] Feeling the sticky gaze of some muscle pervert from somewhere, I took a rest.
Time was already early evening.
The other comrades were already asleep, exhausted from the day's work.
'Now, all that's left... is to test how much of the Quartet of the Wind I can use at max.'
As I was thinking about testing mana depletion.
"......"
"Huh...? Uh, eek?! Guard Karga?"
Next to the iron bars I was leaning on, a red-haired, big-breasted beastkin was glaring sharply down at me.
"......"
"W-What's the matter?"
Her golden eyes gleamed in the dark prison as she scanned my body like a beast.
"...You're working hard."
"Pardon...?"
"The training. I saw you not slacking every day, even with forge work."
"Ah, a-ah... Right."
"That's praise. Fine grit for a mongrel."
"Thank you..."
It was just a half-threat strip show for the Quartet of the Wind.
But to an outsider, it must have looked incredibly diligent and hardworking.
"......"
"Uh, um..."
But after the praise, Karga scanned my body in place for a moment before turning away.
"...Sorry. Full moon got to me."
"Pardon...?"
"Rest up so tomorrow's work isn't delayed, mongrel."
"A-ah, got it."
With that, Karga turned and leisurely left the prison.
I stared intently at her back.
"Whoa... That ass is killer..."
Her plump hips looked even more seductive today, captivating my gaze.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Leaving Number 17's cell, Karga stepped outside and let out a small sigh.
"Hoo... Full moon nights are tough..."
She gazed at the round full moon in the sky.
Looking at the shimmering moonlight, she felt the beastkin blood in her body boiling.
The unique beastkin rutting season for wolf beastkin.
On full moon nights, beastkin with the blood of the great ancestor Arkan felt an irresistible lust.
Fortunately, Karga was a half-beastkin among beastkin.
Her heat was milder for that reason.
By now, pure-blooded beastkin with mates were probably going at it wildly.
"......"
Mid-thought.
Karga recalled Number 17's bare upper body from moments ago.
"......"
*Slurp.*
"Kuh...! Am I losing my mind...?! He's a mongrel! Get it together, Karga!"
Her heart heated up suddenly, a bit of drool escaping.
Her lower belly grew hot, breaths ragged.
'...His face is my type, but why a mongrel of all things.'
Karga herself was neither pureblood nor regular beastkin.
Born between beastkin and mongrel.
Half-beastkin.
If only she'd been born a regular beastkin, even if not pureblood.
She'd thought that more than once or twice.
"Hoo... Snap out of it."
She would definitely take a pureblood beastkin as mate.
Then her child could live as a regular beastkin.
"......"
But it was weird.
She'd never struggled this much with lust during previous full moons.
That's how she'd kept her purity all this time.
If she heated up like this every full moon, she'd have mated with some mongrel and had a kid by now.
Sensing something off, Karga gripped her arm.
The faint sweat scent of battle slave Number 17 still lingered at her nose.
Within it, for some reason, a beastkin aroma thicker than pureblood's seemed to waft.
"Kuh...!"
*Slap!*
Feeling her lower belly heat again, Karga slapped her cheek hard.
"I've gotten lax too..."
Karga steeled her resolve.
Yeah, maybe that battle slave showed unexpected grit and strength for a mongrel.
Women are drawn to strong men, after all.
'He's a mongrel..., a mongrel...'
Karga simulated in her head.
Imagining the mongrel losing it and pouncing on her.
Then her beating him with a club, spitting on him, and sauntering away.
"Heh, good."
Sorting her mind once made her feel lighter.
"Impossible..., but if it somehow happened..."
Karga glared sharply at the full moon.
"I'd kill him to stop it."
Her child wouldn't live a pitiful life like hers.
With that thought, Karga shook the mongrel's scent from her mind.
Probably after tonight.
She'd never go into heat for a mongrel again.
Karga was certain of it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' smiles warmly.] Elisis closely watched the half-beastkin guard in charge of her mongrel descendant.
Her expression brimmed with amusement.
And then, suddenly.
"I've gotten lax too..." She heard the half-beastkin slap her own cheek and mutter to herself.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' tilts her head in confusion.] A look of disappointment that the expected scene didn't play out.
At that, Elisis ran to her friend like before.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' clings to 'Star Prophet'!] [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' earnestly pleads with 'Star Prophet'!] Once wasn't hard; twice wouldn't be either.
Elisis hugged her reluctant friend and kept begging until she gave in.
The timid great prophet eventually yielded to her insistence again.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' gazes at the Milky Way!] Soon, a fragment of the future landscape appeared before Elisis and played out.
'U-uh..., th-that's..., I mean...' 'Sorry..., sorry..., I-I was wrong, ah...' 'So don't hate me..., I-I was foolish..., that's...' ⟨ Vision of the Future ⟩
There, eyes teary, all usual dignity gone.
A shy half-beastkin in love wagged her tail desperately.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' beams with a grin!] ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Clang! Clang! Clang!
The fifth day at the forge.
Two days until the next gladiator match.
Time for serious prep, so I was crafting my weapon with the materials Godin provided.
"Hmm? An axe?"
"Yes, a battle axe."
"Unexpected. With that build, I'd think sword or spear. You've swung an axe before, huh?"
"Haha, not really..., but this one's my favorite."
Godin burst into hearty laughter at my answer.
"Urhahahaha! Yeah, yeah! A true blacksmith wields a hammer or axe! Urhahaha!"
Thwack! Thwack!
Seemed like hearing my reason for the axe cheered him up; he slapped my back.
'Well, dwarves love 'em.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'The Creating Mortal' nods in approval at your words.] Morduin approved of the axe choice too.
Why do all dwarves love such crude weapons?
Not that I minded.
'Weapons gotta have that heavy smash feel.'
Fantasy usually favors swords.
Sure, they're cool, I get it.
But in games, axes and hammers surprisingly feel great.
So I mainly used battle axes.
And my familiar Quartet of the Wind worked better with an axe.
Best choice I could make now.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ssss...
I carefully shaped the iron and heat-treated it.
Then made the handle and sharpened the blade.
"Done...!"
"Splendid! You have talent, lad. A fine battle axe!"
A crude battle axe with zero artistic design.
But practical enough as is.
Then.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'The Creating Mortal' bestows a blessing upon your creation!] "Huh...?"
"Ah, no...!? That's...!!"
Suddenly Morduin's notification appeared, and light from the sky enveloped my axe.
Godin, witnessing it, cried out in shocked awe.
"Lord Morduin's blessing...?!"
"You know it?"
"Know it?! Pureblood dwarf artisans rarely—very rarely—witness the great ancestor's blessing!!"
"Ahh..., I see."
"Eeeeek!! You mad lad!! You think 'I see' covers this?! Lord Morduin himself blessed a mongrel like you!!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [By blessing, 'Crude Battle Axe' has been enhanced!] ⧗ Durability Increase: A
⧗ Weapon Regeneration: C
⧗ Sharpness: C
"Ooooh!"
"Only now you react?! This shakes the world!! Lord Morduin acknowledged a mongrel like you as a seed of talent!!"
Whatever.
I sparkled at the buffs on my weapon.
Not giving the Forge of Oblivion was still petty.
But helping like this? Different story.
Morduin's stock rose a bit in my book.