[Acquisition Successful. Current Profession: Blacksmith]
[Attribute Bonus Acquired: Power +2, Agility +1]
Before the golden text had even completely faded, Roland felt a warm current slowly gather in his chest before surging outward.
The wondrous sensation was like the first sip of hot soup in winter, the warmth flowing through his veins and gradually seeping into every inch of his body.
"Haaah..."
Roland couldn't help but let out a long sigh, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.
Unlike the Attribute increase from his previous Profession, the two-point Power boost from the Blacksmith Profession was particularly noticeable, allowing him to tangibly feel his body change.
What surprised him even more was that this Power wasn't crudely forced upon him. Instead, it felt like he was rediscovering something that had always been his, naturally integrating into his every movement.
After a brief daze, Roland subconsciously clenched his fist, and his knuckles let out a crisp CRACK.
Looking down, he saw that the muscles in his arms, which he previously had to strain to even see, were now clearly defined even as they hung relaxed at his sides.
This stark contrast in Power compelled him to reach out and grip the iron candlestick by his bed.
"CREEEAK..."
With a faint, grating sound, the metal that he previously needed both hands to barely bend now slightly deformed under the grip of a single hand.
'This is... incredible...'
'If I faced a Mutant Dogman now, I could probably hold my own for a few exchanges on Power alone... but killing one would still be difficult.'
Thinking of the Bloodscale Dogman's tough Scales, Roland shook his head helplessly and turned his attention to the Professional Panel.
[Detecting three mastered Full Level Forging Skills. Commencing merge...]
A moment later, the line of text silently changed.
[Merge Complete]
[Skill Learned: Basic Forging Skill. Current Level: Level 1]
The instant the text fully materialized, an unprecedented clarity flooded Roland's mind.
Countless pieces of forging knowledge swirled through his mind like a river of stars, colliding in the depths of his consciousness to create brilliant Sparks.
The once chaotic and fragmented pieces of forging knowledge now merged perfectly, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.
The essentials of every forging motion, the grasp of every material's properties—all found their most logical place within this new, unified system.
Roland paused, stunned for a moment. He then gave his head a little shake and tilted it, picking up the Iron Sword from beside him.
The moment his fingers touched the hilt, a strange sensation surged through him.
It was as if the Iron Sword had become an extension of his own body.
He could not only clearly perceive every texture on the blade's surface but could even sense the subtle flaws left behind when it was forged.
"How magical..."
As Roland sighed in amazement, the text before his eyes changed once more.
[Trait Acquired: Heart of the Furnace]
[Heart of the Furnace: Greatly increases Flame Affinity and significantly enhances Flame Resistance.]
'Heart of the Furnace...'
After muttering the words, Roland furrowed his brow, lost in thought.
He then quickly dressed and strode outside.
Before long, he was standing in front of the Blacksmith Shop.
The sky was just beginning to lighten. The other apprentices hadn't woken up yet, and the Blacksmith Shop was silent.
Roland pushed the door open and entered. With deft movements, he threw charcoal into the furnace and then expertly pumped the bellows.
With the WHOOSH WHOOSH of the bellows, the furnace fire grew stronger, and the temperature inside the Blacksmith Shop began to climb.
However, unlike usual, the heat that should have been suffocating now felt exceptionally refreshing to him.
Noticing this strangeness, Roland tentatively reached his hand into the furnace flames.
To his surprise, the once scorching Flames now brought only a pleasant warmth.
Even more remarkably, as he made contact, he felt as if he could vaguely sense the Flame's emotional fluctuations.
Unfortunately, this perception was like looking through a thick sheet of glass.
He could see what was on the other side, but he couldn't truly touch it, let alone communicate with it.
'Is this what they call Flame Affinity?'
A glint flashed in Roland's eyes, and his breathing quickened.
For a moment, his mind raced with possibilities, but in the end, he just gave his head a slight shake.
'I should focus on the task at hand.'
With that thought, Roland casually picked up a metal ingot.
Perhaps due to his [Basic Forging Skill], the moment the metal ingot was in his hand, he instinctively perceived its weight and quality.
As he placed the metal ingot in the furnace to heat, Roland once again recalled the details on the blueprint.
The next moment, his gaze locked onto the metal ingot as it began to glow red in the Flame.
In that instant, an unprecedented intuition washed over him.
Previously, he had to rely on the changing color of the metal ingot to judge how hot it was. But now, empowered by the [Heart of the Furnace], he could accurately perceive the internal and external heat of the ingot just by observing the state of the Flame's Burning.
Thus, even before the metal ingot's color had fully changed, he swiftly pulled it out with a pair of tongs.
When the metal ingot landed on the anvil, it was in the absolute perfect state for forging.
Seeing this, Roland didn't hesitate and immediately raised his hammer.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
The crisp sound of hammering echoed through the Blacksmith Shop as he alternated between heating and forging.
An unknown amount of time passed. Only when the rough form gradually matched the blueprint's design perfectly did he let out a long sigh and plunge the red-hot metal into cold water.
"HISS!"
Through the billowing white steam, Roland retrieved the formed piece and began to carefully finish it in his hands.
Before long, a Dagger of a peculiar shape, glinting with a cold light, was complete.
"It's done!"
Before his excited shout had faded, a line of golden text slowly appeared.
[You have forged a finished item. Basic Forging Skill has gained one experience point.]
'Ugh... It seems the experience mechanic for the Basic Forging Skill is different from other Forging Skills...'
'It's not based on the number of actions performed, but on the number of finished items. In that case...'
Thinking of the one hundred experience points needed for Level One, and two hundred for Level Two, Roland felt a headache coming on. Much of the good mood from successfully forging the Dagger had vanished.
'And the Blacksmith Profession didn't resonate with my other three Professions. Is it because the other three are Basic Professions, while the Blacksmith Profession is an Upper-tier Profession?'
As he was lost in thought, Hawke's booming voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
"You're in early, kid! You..."
Turning around, Roland saw the burly old Blacksmith striding over. Hawke stopped mid-sentence, his gaze suddenly fixed on the Dagger in Roland's hand.
"You... You actually forged this?"
Hawke snatched the Dagger. As his fingertips gently brushed across the blade, the shock in his eyes grew more and more profound.
"Well, I'll be..."
After a long moment, he let out a deep sigh. When he looked at Roland again, his expression was a complex mixture, like an overturned painter's palette.
Surprise mingled with a hint of frustration.
"If I hadn't already laid down the rules..."
Hawke said in a low voice, stroking the Dagger.
"I'd take you on as my apprentice right now."
Roland's eyes lit up.
"Mr. Hawke, you mean..."
"I mean your skill is good enough!"
Catching sight of the boy's youthful face, Hawke snorted, a sudden wave of irritation welling up in his chest.
He'd originally thought the kid was just talented.
But the quality of this Dagger was clearly at a level only a Blacksmith with many years of experience could achieve.
Hawke couldn't help but think of his younger self.
He had mastered the basic skills in three months and could forge fine quality items within half a year.
Now, he could craft anything from a blueprint with just a single glance.
But it had taken him forty long years to walk this path.
And Roland?
In less than three months, he had reached a threshold that had taken Hawke half a lifetime to cross.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the boy surpassed him.
At this thought, Hawke suddenly let out a rough laugh, the furnace fire casting dancing shadows across his calloused face.
He stroked the beard on his chin, remembering what the old Dwarf master blacksmith, Balende, had told him years ago while patting him on the shoulder.
"The true heart of a craftsman lies not in monopolizing a skill, but in watching it be passed down like a spark."
In an instant, the frustration that had been festering in his chest began to dissipate, until not a trace remained.
"Good work, kid. Keep preparing."
"Yes, Mr. Hawke."
Although he didn't understand why Hawke's mood had shifted so quickly, Roland keenly perceived the goodwill in the old Blacksmith's eyes.
He gave a slight bow to Hawke's departing back before picking up a file and focusing on engraving the intricate lines onto the Dagger.
Compared to the forging process, engraving the lines wasn't technically difficult, but it was a great test of patience and required a significant amount of time.
And to complete his deal with Bronson as quickly as possible, Roland poured nearly all his time into this task.
Aside from eating and sleeping, his hands almost never stopped moving.
Even so, it still took him nearly twenty days, and he only finally finished just before the upcoming assessment.
"Huuuh..."
After letting out a long sigh, Roland rubbed his sore neck and glanced at the dusky yellow sky outside the window.
After stretching his stiff limbs, he carefully wrapped the cold-gleaming Dagger in a piece of burlap and headed for the cabin he remembered.
"KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!"
The sharp sound of knocking was especially clear in the silent estate.
Before long, the wooden door slowly creaked open, and a dim yellow light spilled from the crack, outlining Bronson's tall, slightly stooped figure.
His gaunt face was half-hidden in the Shadow, with only his deep-set eyes glinting faintly in the Darkness.
Before Roland could speak, Bronson's pupils suddenly constricted, and he beat him to it, asking in a low voice.
"What is that you're carrying?"
The question made Roland frown, and his right hand subconsciously moved to his chest.
Lying there quietly was the crimson Crystal left behind after the Bloodscale Dogman had been Burned to ashes.