Chapter 3: Foslin's Favor
"What are you spacing out for? Keep going!"
Hearing Foslin's angry shout, Roland quickly composed himself and continued to swing the hammer in his hand.
However, even though the theories of forging in his mind had formed a complete system, there was still a considerable gap between imagination and practice.
This resulted in the subsequent hammer blows appearing very clumsy and unpracticed.
Not to mention compared to Foslin, even the rough technique Marco had just displayed was a few notches better than his.
Seeing this, the surrounding youths couldn't help but mock him in low voices.
"Ha! With that kind of skill, he dares to try?"
"I knew this guy couldn't do it! Look at his arms, as thin as branches; he'll probably run out of strength after a few swings!"
Meanwhile, Foslin, standing with his arms crossed, didn't say much, but from his constantly tapping fingers, it was clear he was not satisfied with Roland's performance.
But Roland ignored these idle remarks, focusing intently, swinging the hammer again and again.
"You have successfully completed a forging action, gaining one experience point."
"You have successfully completed a forging action..."
"You have successfully completed..."
With each prompt, Roland felt his understanding of the forging skill deepen a bit more.
The hammer in his hand no longer felt like an external object, but rather a part of his body, allowing him to wield it as he pleased.
This also made each of his hammer blows more precise and with more appropriate force than the last.
As the forging progressed, Foslin's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and a hint of undisguised surprise appeared on his usually serious face.
And the surrounding youths, seeing Roland's increasingly skilled forging movements, also couldn't help but exclaim in low voices.
"This guy's forging skill seems to be similar to Marco's."
"Could it be that his father is also some famous Blacksmith?"
As the last hammer blow fell, Roland gazed at the nascent dagger on the anvil, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
Although the surface was still a bit rough, there were no cracks.
This quality was far from excellent, but with a little polishing, it would be usable.
Taking a deep breath, Roland ignored the strange looks from the youths and simply looked at the old Blacksmith beside him, saying,
"Mr. Foslin, please take a look."
"Hmm."
With a grunt, Foslin slowly stepped forward, picked up the dagger blank, and examined it carefully.
A moment later, he looked up and asked,
"Roland, is it? What did you do before?"
"Like my father, I trained horses for the Baron."
Roland recalled the original owner's memories, scratched his head, and replied.
"Trained horses? Have you ever had any experience with forging tools before?"
"No, Mr. Foslin."
Seeing that the clear-eyed young man in front of him showed no wavering in his gaze, Foslin's lips curled into a slight smile. Then he turned around, raised the dagger blank in his hand, and angrily cursed with a fierce expression,
"All of you, listen up! This is what you call forging tools!"
"Many of your families even own Blacksmith Shops! Yet your forging skills are worse than a horse herder's!"
"Later, each of you will get a metal ingot and practice according to the blank Roland made! Those who fail... will reflect in front of the furnace on an empty stomach tonight!"
Amidst a chorus of wails, Foslin patted Roland's shoulder firmly.
"From now on, you just focus on assisting me; you don't need to practice any other skills, understand?"
"Yes!"
Roland felt a surge of joy upon hearing this.
Assisting Foslin not only gave him ample time to practice his forging skills but also meant he had gained the appreciation of this Blacksmith Master.
It was known that Baron Foslin of Blackwater Territory was not financially well-off; supporting one knight was already stretching his resources, and the entire territory had only Foslin as its exclusive Blacksmith.
And to gain Foslin's favor meant he had already half-crossed the threshold for becoming a formal Blacksmith Apprentice!
"Thank you, Mr. Foslin!"
"Hmm, work hard from now on, don't be lazy!"
After a few words of encouragement, Foslin waved his hand and strode away.
Watching his retreating figure, Roland stood rooted to the spot, savoring the peculiar sensation he had experienced during forging.
"The trait granted by becoming a Blacksmith Apprentice seems to be even more powerful than I imagined!"
"Not only did it instantly allow me to grasp knowledge that was previously difficult to understand, but it also had a multiplying effect in terms of mastering Blacksmith-related skills!"
"A mere basic profession like Blacksmith Apprentice has given me such a significant improvement. What about other professions?"
"If I constantly multiclass, then with the Overlay of attributes, skills, and traits..."
Just as Roland was fantasizing, a thick arm suddenly circled his neck, followed by a strange shout.
"Well done, Roland! I knew you could do it!"
"Sean?"
Looking at his best friend's excited expression, Roland said helplessly,
"You're too excited."
"Buddy! How can I not be excited? Mr. Foslin actually used your forged blank as a standard! That old stubborn man has never praised anyone like that before!"
"I know, but you should be more concerned about whether you'll eat tonight, right?"
"Hehe! You're right..."
Seeing Sean's simple and honest appearance, Roland rolled his eyes, then pulled him to the anvil, explaining the key points of forging while casually chatting.
As time passed, Roland's tense nerves gradually relaxed, and a wave of fatigue washed over him.
Feeling his arms, which were already sore and numb to the point of near-insensibility, he couldn't help but sigh softly.
"Just forging a crude dagger exhausted all my strength. It seems two points of strength are simply not enough."
"And if I want to gain attribute improvements in a short period, the only way is to multiclass, but from becoming a Blacksmith Apprentice just now, it seems I must first learn the corresponding skills to do so..."
As Roland was pondering, Sean looked around, made sure no one was nearby, and then whispered,
"Roland, you need to be careful lately."
"Marco's face just now didn't look too good."
"Do you remember that guy named Landers? He also had good talent in forging tools, even surpassing Marco, but what happened to him?"
Sean put down the hammer in his hand, leaned in, and continued,
"After he met Marco privately, he mysteriously left the manor and disappeared without a trace..."
Hearing these words, Roland looked up.
Sure enough, Marco in the distance was looking at him while whispering something to the people around him.
From his displeased gaze, it was not difficult to tell that what he was saying was certainly not words of praise.
"But you don't have to worry. This is the Baron's manor. No matter how arrogant Marco is, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble here, and besides..."
Sean flexed his arm, showing off his bulging muscles.
"If anything unexpected really happens, I'll protect you too!"
"Then thank you, Sean."
Roland smiled slightly, but his vigilance did not relax.
One must know that if it weren't for his existence, the Blacksmith Apprentice spot three months later would certainly belong to Marco.
As the saying goes, taking away someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.
Not to mention, this livelihood was that of an exclusive Blacksmith employed by a noble!
"One must be wary of others! What's more, besides Marco, this potential threat..."
Recalling the information he had recently gathered, Roland's brows slowly furrowed.
"This world also has rampant monsters and powerful individuals like knights who possess extraordinary strength. It can be said to be full of dangers!"
"I need to find a way to learn some combat skills quickly and multiclass into a combat-related profession. This way, not only can I improve my attributes, but if I encounter danger, I can at least have some self-preservation ability, but..."
After some thought, Roland reluctantly accepted a reality.
Given his current situation, with no money and no status, there seemed to be no way to learn combat-related skills.
"Oh, right!"
As if remembering something, Roland's gaze turned to his best friend, who was clumsily practicing forging skills beside him.