Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Weapon Crafting
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For the time being, he carried out the quest just like that.
But... how exactly was he supposed to get to the Lüsen Gorge?
'I guess I need to tell him that. Sigh...'
This damn game was friendly at times, but downright unfriendly at others.
It had no consistency whatsoever.
'In the end, I have to figure it out through trial and error, huh.'
Yoon Young stood there, lost in thought.
'Should I head straight there?'
Honestly, it was a little scary.
A storm of sword winds... Yeah, that'd hurt if it hit.
Even if the NPCs were helping, they wouldn't block everything perfectly.
'Maybe I should boost my specs a bit more before going. I don't have that many skills right now anyway.'
Come to think of it, he was level 12, but why did he have so few skills?
He seemed to recall doing a second job change at level 15 or something...
He'd have to look into that too.
'Yeah. At the very least, let me get some light gear fitted before I go.'
With that in mind, Yoon Young headed to the equipment shop.
Clang! Clang!
It had been a while since his last visit, but the place still felt more like a blacksmith's forge than a shop.
"The gear I craft boasts the highest quality."
The pint-sized dwarf with the ridiculously massive forearm muscles spouted the exact same line as the first time Yoon Young met him.
'Alright, let's take another look around...'
Just as he thought that and approached to talk...
Equipment crafting commissions are now available.
"Oh?"
Sure enough, what kind of game would this be without equipment crafting?
'Let's give it a shot.'
Crafting Commission
"What would you like me to craft for you?"
[Steel Knight Sword]
[Sturdy Iron Mace]
[Charge Spear]
[Rough Field Axe]
A list of commissionable equipment scrolled down.
Not just weapons, but gauntlets, armor, heavy boots, and all sorts of gear suited for a knight class.
It'd make him heavier, but just from the names, the defense seemed solid.
'Yeah, it's super tempting.'
Right now, Yoon Young's hunts were all against easy fights.
He could definitely tell that the slimes and wild boars he was farming were below his level.
Put nicely, it was efficient hunting. Put harshly, he was stubbornly sticking to a hunting ground even after outleveling it.
Without any guides, it was hard to know exactly where to hunt at what point.
'If I had sturdy gear, I could charge in headfirst and figure it out without worry.'
So, how should he go about crafting the gear?
Yoon Young immediately checked the crafting info for the [Steel Knight Sword].
[Steel Knight Sword]
Crafting Cost: Weapon Polish x10, Refined Iron Ingot x5, Trimmed Leather x2, Plain Silver Coin x15
"Whoa."
Aside from the silver coins, every single one was something he'd never seen before.
Where the heck did you get these?
'Sigh. I could really use a wiki right now.'
If this were a real game, the internet would be full of guides on how to farm all this stuff.
'But of course, no internet means no wikis. I've gotta figure it out myself.'
Polish... huh.
This kind of thing was usually sold by NPCs in games.
'Like a general store or something.'
On a hunch, Yoon Young opened the trade window to check.
And there it was.
[Weapon Polish]
"Oh."
No need to go to the general store—it was right here for sale.
'Wasn't selling this last time, I think?'
Either new items were added once crafting unlocked, or he'd skimmed over it before. One of the two.
Either way, the weapon polish cost 1 silver coin each.
10 of them made a straightforward 10 silver coins.
Why not just let him use the polish himself and charge extra commission? But...
The lack of flexibility felt very game-like.
'Alright. Got the polish covered. Now for the ingots and leather.'
No matter how much he searched, the blacksmith didn't sell ingots or leather.
But they were in the [Crafting Commission] menu.
To make one refined iron ingot required 10 iron ore. For one trimmed leather, 5 tough hides.
That meant Yoon Young needed to gather 50 iron ore and 10 tough hides.
So where to get those?
'Hmm. Ore... Ore comes from mines, right? But I haven't seen any mines... Leather probably drops from animals. But since nothing's dropped so far, wild boars must not drop it...'
Deep in thought, Yoon Young soon realized he didn't need to puzzle this out alone.
'Oh, right. Redia's affinity is high enough for some free talk now.'
Free talk.
Not full natural conversation since it wasn't max affinity yet, but it would respond to specific keywords.
And he could input those keywords freely.
Yoon Young bolted straight to Redia.
[I want to make refined iron ingots. Where can I get iron ore?]
"Refined iron ingots... Planning to craft some gear? There's a small mine in the forest southeast of Belgadis, but I hear kobolds have taken it over. Give it a shot if you're confident."
"Oh ho."
As expected, Redia knew everything.
'Kobolds, huh... Doesn't sound easy.'
Having companions made it less scary, though.
Parties could have up to four members.
This time, he'd bring Barel too and fill out a full party.
'Oh, gotta ask about the leather too.'
[How do I get tough hides?]
"Tough hides drop from monsters that can be processed into leather. But to get something usable for gear, the monster needs to be at least a certain level."
Aha, too low-level monsters don't drop it?
Needs to be a minimum level or something?
'That's why wild boars didn't drop any.'
Sounded about right.
Asking her gave all the answers he needed.
'This might actually be doable.'
Crafted weapons outperforming shop-bought ones was practically common sense.
Gathering materials one by one and crafting earnestly would feel way more rewarding.
Yoon Young prepared to head out hunting.
Just in case, he swung by the alchemy workshop to buy some stamina potions.
"Thank you for your business~."
He browsed the general store for anything useful.
'Oh? New items added?'
Sometimes progressing the story would add new stock like this.
It reminded him of JRPGs made with RPG Maker tools—aka Tsukuru games.
Seemed important to check shops periodically.
[Mining Pickaxe]
'Gotta have this for proper mining.'
It only cost 2 silver coins.
He bought it without a second thought.
"Yes, let's go together!"
"If you need my help."
"It's an honor to fight alongside you!"
He recruited Amael, Liena, and Barel as companions, forming a full party.
Preparations complete!
Yoon Young set out.
"I'll do my best today too. Let's beat tons of monsters!"
The smarter Amael stuck close by his side once she joined the party.
Patting her head for being so cute and clever made her blush faintly while grinning proudly.
'Ah, so adorable.'
Meanwhile, Liena and Barel just stood around blankly scanning the area since Yoon Young wasn't moving, looking a bit dim-witted.
Pure NPC vibes.
'Well, that's part of their charm.'
Yoon Young headed southeast into the forest outside Belgadis.
The field where he'd been diligently farming boars.
Further down from there was the small kobold-infested mine, apparently.
"Kwoool!"
"Kweeng...!"
"Kwuuung!"
He massacred wild boars along the way while searching for the portal.
'Where was it? Oh, right here.'
[Belgadis Southeast Forest 2]
Crossing into the next field brought out monsters different from the wild boars he'd seen so far.
Ones with massive horns on their foreheads like unicorns, and slightly bigger builds.
"Kurruk..."
The moment Yoon Young appeared, they went on alert, scraping the ground with their hooves.
As if warning him they could charge at any second.
[Wild Horned Boar]
"Horned boar, huh..."
There were boars with horns—why no horses with horns?
Oh, wait. Maybe this world had them.
'Clearly higher-level than wild boars, so let's take one down.'
Yoon Young put Barel up front.
Without any orders, the knight naturally took point in combat as befitting his class.
"Hah!"
Slash!
With a crisp shout, the blond knight swung his aura-infused sword.
"Kwul!?"
The horned boar stiffened briefly with a squeal before charging with gleaming eyes.
Barel used a defensive stance with his sword as a shield, but the charge sent him groaning backward.
"Urgh...!"
Idiot, you gotta dodge that kind of attack.
Dodge to the side and knee it in the ribs—is that so hard?
Yoon Young unwittingly criticized the NPC's dumb AI.
Something he couldn't have imagined back in the day.
Back then, he'd have gotten bodied fumbling around too!
But now, with some experience under his belt, he knew how to move his body.
Thanks to his all-stats boost, he'd gotten used to dodging and striking.
"Hyah!"
Liena didn't miss the horned boar shaking its head in post-charge delay and swung her staff.
Crack!
"Kweeeek!"
The earth-infused staff smashed its head like a rock, dealing massive physical damage.
The boar slammed its head into the ground from the impact, staggering. Incapacitated. A temporary stun status.
Barel and Liena piled on relentlessly.
Slash here, smash there.
The monster almost looked pitiful.
'Gotta land a stab too.'
After activating Aura Sword, he twisted his waist, stomped, and thrust his two-handed sword deep.
"Kwoool..."
The wild horned boar, sword buried deep in its side, ended its life with a flop before vanishing.
In its place dropped a slab of pork dripping blood and something like a bundled cloth.
'Hmm, what's this.'
Picking it up revealed it was none other than a [Tough Hide].
"Oh ho."
So monsters around this level drop hides?
Yeah, regular wild boars were too weak, so no drops.
'Confirmed how to get tough hides. Now just need to farm ore and gather for real.'
In Yoon Young's mind flickered visions of a cool, gleaming, powerful new weapon.
With a strong new blade, the cutting feel would be totally different...
Hunting efficiency would skyrocket too.
Heh heh. Couldn't wait to get it!