"That's a considerable sum. I advise you not to be too greedy..."
Marco's expression darkened. His gaze, sharp as a blade, reassessed the young man before him.
Messy black hair, a gaunt frame, a tattered tunic stitched from coarse linen.
The only remarkable features were his handsome face and a pair of bright eyes.
No matter how you looked at him, he didn't seem like someone who could remain calm in the face of immense wealth.
'Could the information I gathered have been wrong? This guy isn't some parentless, desperate country bumpkin?'
As Marco was lost in thought, Roland spoke calmly.
"Mr. Marco, I am not trying to haggle."
"I'm simply very fond of forging. That's all."
"Hmph!"
Seeing the determined look in Roland's eyes, Marco swallowed the threat on the tip of his tongue. He finally just let out a cold snort and turned to leave.
"Celestial Father above..."
Only after Marco's figure had completely disappeared did Sean gasp for air like a drowning man, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"Roland, that was a Gold Coin! And you just..."
"What's one gold coin?"
Roland rolled his eyes languidly and plopped onto a creaking wooden stool. He stuffed a piece of black bread, softened by fish soup, into his mouth and mumbled indistinctly.
"Someone like Marco would never have honored his promise."
"Well... that's true..."
"But it was a whole... Never mind..."
Remembering Marco's reputation, Sean fought to suppress his greed and fell silent.
He just slumped onto a wooden stool in a daze, staring blankly into space.
Looking at his stunned appearance, Roland sighed softly.
'He didn't hold Sean's lapse in composure against him.'
After all, it was a gold coin!
Faced with such an enormous sum, it would be hard for anyone not to be tempted.
Even he himself had felt a flicker of temptation when he first heard the offer.
But beyond that, Roland was thinking of the bigger picture.
In this world where nobles were supreme and bloodlines were everything, the lives of commoners were as worthless as weeds.
And to break through the class barrier, aside from the still-distant path of the Extraordinary, passing the exam to become a Blacksmith Apprentice was his only tangible route to advancement.
Besides, with the help of his Professional Panel, becoming a master Blacksmith was only a matter of time.
By then, forget nobles; even Extraordinary Professionals would likely have to treat him with respect.
A single gold coin couldn't buy that!
Just as Roland was lost in thought, Sean snapped out of his daze. He frowned and said suddenly,
"Man, I've got a bad feeling that bastard Marco won't let this go!"
"We're safe inside the manor, sure, but we have to leave for the festival. Why don't you... go ask Mr. Hawke to put in a good word? Maybe he could talk to the Lord Baron..."
Sean had already forgotten the incident from moments before, his thoughts now turning to Roland's safety.
Having grown up on the streets, he was far savvier than his simple-minded appearance suggested and knew all about the dirty tricks people used.
"You're giving Mr. Hawke too much credit."
Roland drained the fish soup from his wooden bowl and smacked his lips, wishing there was more.
"The Lord Baron may respect Mr. Hawke, but he's still just a commoner. Haven't you heard? Even the servants chosen to stay behind were selected after several rounds of screening."
"Besides, I can't just hide in the manor for the rest of my life because of some guy like Marco, can I?"
"That's true, but..."
Sean clapped Roland firmly on the shoulder, his tone resolute.
"Like I always say! No matter what happens, I'll protect you! That's what brothers who grew up together are for!"
Seeing the sincere look in Sean's eyes, Roland chuckled and teased,
"Alright, it's a deal then. Next time we go steal fruit from Old Man Frank's place, I'll be the lookout."
"No way! I can't even climb a tree that high!"
Laughing and joking, the two of them returned to their dormitory.
Lying on the lumpy mattress, Roland took a deep breath to suppress his rising anxiety.
'Was he afraid of Marco's likely retaliation?'
'Of course he was.'
'After all, he had only just gone through his Awakening for the Blacksmith Apprentice Profession, which had zero combat ability.'
'But what was the use of being afraid?'
'He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.'
'He wouldn't allow fear to stop his progress.'
'I've already died once, anyway...'
Roland muttered to himself. Accompanied by the chorus of snores rising and falling around him, he slowly drifted off to sleep.
「The following days were peaceful.」
Marco didn't show up to cause trouble, and Roland continued to patiently hone his Forging Skills as usual.
The only difference was that he no longer had to run between furnaces doing odd jobs. Instead, he worked under Hawke, focusing on tempering his Forging Skill at a ringing anvil.
"Focus! Keep the rhythm!"
"More Power! Yes, yes, that's it!"
Watching the sweat-drenched boy, Hawke couldn't hide the look of satisfaction in his eyes.
BANG!
With the final hammer blow, Roland shook out his aching arm and looked up hopefully.
"Mr. Hawke, how was it this time?"
"It's a huge improvement over before, but... it's still not good enough to pass the final exam. You'll have to work twice as hard, understand?"
"No problem, Mr. Hawke!"
"Good kid!"
Seeing that his words didn't discourage Roland in the slightest, Hawke let out a booming laugh. He clapped his rough hand on the boy's shoulder so hard that Roland staggered.
Sensing the old Blacksmith was in a good mood, Roland took a deep breath and seized the opportunity to voice the question he'd been mulling over.
"Mr. Hawke, I... uh... a friend of mine has a birthday coming up. I was hoping to borrow the Blacksmith Shop's tools to forge a weapon for him. Of course..."
Afraid Hawke would get the wrong idea, Roland quickly added, scratching his head,
"I can pay for the Metal Bars."
A slight smile touched Hawke's lips as he looked at the hesitant boy.
'If anyone else had made this request, he would have roared at them by now. But for this boy...'
'He's obedient, a hard worker, and exceptionally talented.'
'What master wouldn't like an apprentice like that?'
At that thought, Hawke leaned in and spoke in a low voice.
"Kid, you've done some forging. You should know there's a fair bit of waste in the process..."
"Mr. Hawke, you mean..."
Roland's eyes lit up.
"Just this once. It won't happen again, understand?"
"Yes! Thank you, Mr. Hawke!"
"Alright..."
Hawke straightened up and waved his hand nonchalantly.
"If the Guards at the gate ask, just mention my name."
"I have other things to deal with. If you need to practice, just go get the Metal Bars yourself. You don't need to ask me again."
With that, he turned and left.
The other apprentices nearby heard this, and their eyes filled with envy as they looked at Roland.
Normally, they only ever received a single metal bar when it was time to practice their Forging Skill.
But Roland could take them whenever he wanted!
"That's so unfair..."
"Yeah, even Marco doesn't get this kind of treatment..."
Roland ignored the gossip. He calmly fetched a metal bar and began to think as he swung his hammer.
'Since Mr. Hawke is letting me use the Metal Bars for free, I don't have to just forge a Dagger.'
'And besides the gift for Sean's uncle, I can also make some simple defensive gear for myself...'
'Forget it. First, I'll grind my Forging Skill to Full Level!'
Watching the Experience Points for his Forging Skill steadily climb on the panel, Roland's exhausted body felt as if it had been injected with new Power, and he was filled with renewed vigor.
An unknown amount of time passed. Then, amidst the crisp CLANG CLANG CLANG of the hammer, the monotonous text in his vision finally changed.
[Your Forging Skill has reached Full Level]