The Second Life of Adam Cosmos

After concluding his transaction with Hao Wei, Adam decided to return to the workshop before visiting the auction house.

He first prepared the remaining ingredients he had for crafting the next batch of potions and other alchemical mixtures. This time, he's preparing to craft various alchemical grenades, gas, and poisonous concoctions, among other items.

He has more than enough basic potions for personal use and the other potions he set up for auction are enough to last for the next several weeks.

Now, he needs to focus on other consumable items.

As for crafting potions for trading with Hao Wei, it'll have to wait for a week or two as he anticipates being busy with forging equipment.

After he had finished the preparatory stage for crafting the consumables, he set it aside and visited the Mercury Auction House.

The ore was delivered to him via the auction house as expected. Along with it is the ingredients he mentioned.

To his surprise, the ingredients they delivered were double the quantity that he asked for. He was about to send a message when he noticed that there was yet another monetary gift for him.

[You have received $25,000.00 from the Hao Wei Guild Store. All transaction fees have been covered by the sender.]

This time, there is a message included.

[We appreciate you delivering a large quantity in a very short period. Please take this as a bonus as our gesture of appreciation. We have also decided to provide you with double the quantity of ingredients you asked for.]

[We are looking forward to the next transaction.]

Needless to say, it came from Hao Jun. The money, the doubled quantity, and the promise of future monetary bonus. It all came from him.

Adam claimed his bounty graciously; there was no point in declining Hao Jun's generosity. And then, he turned his attention back to the task at hand.

He needs to be ready to forge weapons and armor.

After finishing the other consumable items he has started, crafting potions will have to wait for a few weeks.

With that thought, he briefly logged out to take a quick break knowing that he would be very busy in the days to come.

Then, he logged back in and finished crafting every consumable item on his to-do list.

Fortunately, Vetius was absorbed in his work designing the store so he had an extra day to complete every alchemical process he needed to take care of.

Now, he has nothing else waiting on him except forging.

***

The following day, Vetius is still busy designing his store. From what Adam can tell, it's not a typical store design he's working on.

Rather, it is enchantment and rune-tracing encryptions that will run throughout the store. And these types of formulas would indeed take some time to finish.

Instead of disturbing his teacher, Adam decided to give forging a shot himself.

Even without instruction, Adam is familiar with the process as he had done some forging during his first life.

Since he has over a hundred steel ingots to practice with, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

He poured enough charcoal into the forge and set it ablaze. After it reached the ideal temperature, he placed a single steel ingot.

Then, he placed his foot on the bellows to ensure that the forge was receiving a steady stream of air to keep the fire going.

Needless to say, the heat that the forge is emitting is scorching hot. After all, it is enough to heat pure steel ingot to the point of softening it for hammering.

This level of intense heat is crucial so that the steel can be manipulated as desired by the blacksmith.

That is simple enough on paper, but it is one of the most difficult aspects of blacksmithing due to requiring one to be so close to the forge while it is hot enough to affect steel to this degree- roughly 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

In real life, anything above 125 degrees requires extreme caution. There is no need to mention how dangerous 800 degrees is.

This is why the main challenge of novice blacksmiths is not having enough fortitude to withstand the sheer heat of the forge.

Since novice blacksmiths usually have low vitality and endurance, it is only natural that their exposure to the intense heat will be the first challenge that they need to overcome. Of course, the forge is built to contain most of the heat so the person working doesn't feel the full intensity of it.

However, it doesn't change the fact that the blacksmith will still be in very close proximity to it.

Ding!

[You are in a very hot area.]

[A Pyromancer will not easily succumb to the heat.]

[For a limited time, the trait ‘Fire Resistance’ prevents you from suffering heat-related debuffs.]

[Time remaining: 59:59]

[A steady damage of 3 HP per minute will be sustained after staying for a prolonged period in this area.]

[As your Fire Resistance is at 46%, the 3 HP damage will be applied every 10 minutes after the time remaining expires.]

Adam isn't surprised at the notification.

Most novice blacksmiths reported receiving a 6 to 10 HP reduction per minute once the smithy gets hot enough to melt metal.

Furthermore, he knows for a fact that once the temperature increases, the time remaining will be shortened further.

One's Vitality and Endurance will play a huge part in working the forge- among other factors.

Luckily, this is not a huge issue for Adam.

First of all, he has a Vitality close to that of a warrior.

One's Vitality stat does not only govern HP but also a player's ability to withstand various environmental hazards such as physical damage, pain, heat, cold, poison- and so on.

On the other hand, the Endurance stat not only determines one's stamina but also the duration that one can maintain being in optimal condition as long as possible while being exposed to said environmental hazards. Additionally, Endurance determines how long you can persist when dealing with physical pressure; a player with high Endurance but low strength can perform a task far longer than someone with low Endurance but high Strength.

A simple analogy to this is Vitality would determine how much damage a player can take before dying. But Endurance will determine how long the player can take damage while still being able to function.

Of course, Adam knew this before even starting on blacksmith tasks so he kept his Vitality at 30 and Endurance at 40 to ensure that he could focus on working without being hampered by the physical challenges of manning the forge.

More importantly, there are two more things that Adam has in his arsenal that would even make the heat far more bearable than just his stats.

The first is his Fire Resistance trait. As an Adept Pyromancer, his Fire Resistance trait has reached 31%.

The second is the pendant that he acquired from the Five Necromancers back in the Outer Cataboms. It is an accessory that he hasn't had an opportunity to use yet. That is, until now.

Pendant of Flame Resistance

Description: A pendant crafted by a promising enchanter. Grants the wearer a level of protection from the flames.

Details: Grants 15% fire resistance

With these two combined, he would have an impressive 46% Fire Resistance.

Of course, this would come with a trade-off of having to remove the Necklace that grants him extra HP and MP.

But he doesn't particularly need the boost in either stat while smithing so it's not a huge loss for him.

He promptly equipped the necklace to boost his resistance. Almost immediately, he felt the heat that had significantly lessened.

Furthermore, he came prepared; there are several health regen potions and fire-resistance potions he crafted specifically for this scenario. These are the potions he did not put up for sale or trading.

Suddenly, this made Adam wonder about his teacher.

'As an undead, he should have an innate weakness to fire,' thought Adam. 'How can he withstand such intensity as a Revenant?'

He assumed that there was an identical trait for Blacksmiths that would allow Vetius to withstand intense heat. Meanwhile, the subject of his speculation is still absorbed in designing his store.

Putting the matter at the back of his mind, he turned his attention to forging the steel ingot.

It has now reached the optimal state of being manipulated by a hammer.

Using a tong, Adam grabbed the steel ingot and placed it in the anvil. Then he started pounding it with a hammer.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Despite putting all his strength into striking the steel with a hammer, there is not much discernable change in the ingot.

However, this is completely normal. There is no shortcut to forging weapons.

After a few strikes, he placed it back into the forge.

Metal placed on a forge will cool down fast after being removed from the heat. So a blacksmith's window to manipulate the metal through hammering is very short- a few seconds at best.

This is the origin of the idiom striking while the iron is hot.

Then, after the steel regained the ideal temperature, Adam struck at it again.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Slowly but surely, the shape of a dagger has started to form.

Ding!

[The room's temperature has reached an intense level.]

[A Pyromancer will not easily succumb to the heat.]

[A steady damage of 3 HP every 10 minutes will be sustained for as long as you are in this area.]

[As your Fire Resistance is at 46%, the 3 HP damage will be applied every 10 minutes.]

In terms of a regular person's heat tolerance, this is a very hot temperature even if you were to stand at a considerable distance away from the forge.

But instead of keeping a distance away from the heat, Adam ignored the notification; 3 HP damage every 10 minutes is negligible.

He continued striking the steel ingot with his hammer.

While the quest to forge Vetius' Dagger is postponed, Adam decides to still use the dagger as a reference when forging his first weapon.

There is no harm in aiming high. And Vetius' Dagger is one of the best steel daggers one can find. However, he did not let the impressive stat of Vetius' Dagger distract him.

The most common mistake a novice would commit is to focus on getting the right damage stat, but Adam knows that the real foundation of any metal craft is its weight.

If the weight is wrong, then everything is wrong. This is the inherent challenge when trying to re-create or copy an existing weapon.

Even high-ranking blacksmiths have expressed difficulty in perfectly recreating their weapons. Every weapon is bound to be different in subtle ways. This is why even an imitation close enough to the original weapon stat can net a good price.

Only someone of Vetius caliber, a grandmaster, is capable of creating several weapons with identical stats with no issue.

The players, however, would need system assistance to do so. And even then, there are requirements that one must first meet to gain full understanding to perfectly replicate a weapon.

The slightest variance would result in a different stat for the recreated weapon.

As the sheer amount of work drilled into a single weapon is unimaginably tedious, there is a high chance of doing something that would deviate a weapon from its intended outcome.

This is why Adam deliberately made the size a little larger than Vetius' Dagger to give himself some leeway. It is always easier to remove excess metal than to add more.

Using a tong, he once again took the steel and started to hammer it.

The shape of the dagger is beginning to form.

Now time to focus on getting the dimensions and ratio close to Vetius' Dagger.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

He focused his hammering on the edges first; the thinner he could get this early on, the easier it would be for him when the time came to finalize it.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

He placed it back into the forge to reheat it. Once it regained heat, he pounded at it again.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

After about an hour, the edges of the hot steel reached a satisfactory degree of thinness.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Then, he used another unheated steel ingot to scratch away at the metal he'd been working on. He's trying to scratch the surface to remove any minuscule excess steel.

He learned from his first life that it is best to manipulate a metal one is currently working on using the same type of metal to ensure no impurities contaminate the weapon.

FSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHT! FSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHT! FSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHT!

Now that he has the approximate dimensions right, it is now time to reduce it further.

FSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHT! FSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHT! FSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHT!

Every time the dagger cooled down to a noticeable degree, he would put it back in the forge to regain its optimum temperature.

FSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHT! FSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHT! FSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHT!

And then, he resumed shaping it with his hammer.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

At this point, the steel has begun to show a great resemblance to Vetius' Dagger.

In terms of looks, size, and shape, an objective estimate would put it at around 80% similarity to the dagger he's trying to copy.

As for the stat, he won't know until the product is finished.

Adam pulled out Vetius' Dagger again and held it in comparison to the metal he was working on.

"I'll need to reduce the metal on the edges and the part where the hilt is," said Adam out loud.

He doused the hot metal into oil to instantly cool it down.

Then, he took a steel saw to manually chip around 15% of the metal that he had been working on. He sawed off the metallic part where the handle would be.

Adam once again held Vetius' Dagger to compare it with what he had so far.

"Looks okay now," said Adam satisfactorily. "Let's reheat."

He placed it again in the forge to make it reach the ideal temperature for forging.

While waiting, he chugged a health and stamina potion to ensure he was in his best state throughout the entire procedure. For good measure, he also drank a Dindle Potion to help him recover to his full energy level.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Adam continued the process while the hours went by.

He reheated the metal as needed, then resumed hammering once it was at the ideal temperature for forging.

Slowly but surely, a second Vetius' Dagger is being brought to reality.

Adam removed a few more sections of the metal as the process continued until he deemed it close to the actual dagger he was trying to recreate.

When the process was about 95% completed, Adam received a notification.

Ding!

[Vetius' Dagger has been added as a template for forging.]

[You have gained a deeper understanding of the weapon Vetius' Dagger.]

"Yes!" exclaimed Adam.

The notification is proof that he is on the right track.

This is the system's way of saying that what he has created is good enough to be close to the threshold of the original weapon.

Once he gains a full understanding of every Vetius Dagger, the system will provide every aspect and information of the weapon so he can perfectly recreate it. But that will come much later.

At the back of Adam's mind, the fact that the system said he gained a deeper understanding means he's close, but not quite there yet when it comes to recreating Vetius' Dagger.

However, he isn't discouraged. It was impossible to perfect it on his first try.

Right now he's more curious about how close his first dagger is to the weapon he's trying to copy.

For now, he needs to prepare the handle.

Luckily, with the sub-skil Woodcrafting, he has a working knowledge of how to craft the handle as close as possible to the original.

Adam took a small lump of wood from the pile he was chopping and began to form the shape of Vetius' Dagger.

Thanks to his Dexterity stat, forming the handle is not too difficult; besides, he had been using Vetius' Dagger for so long that he is very familiar with the weight and feel of the handle.

Once he finished the handle, he then attached it to the nearly completed weapon.

Finally, Adam's dagger has been assembled. But it's not done quite yet.

He placed the freshly made dagger on a circular whetstone to sharpen it- he took the time to sharpen it as best as he could. And when he finally stopped, it was then that he received another notification.

Ding!

[Forging has been completed. Please name your dagger.]

"Steel Dagger," said Adam simply.

There's no reason to put an overly lengthy and grandiose name to it. But he can't name it Vetius' Dagger as it would be disrespectful to his teacher.

Ding!

[You have completed Steel Dagger. You have gained 15,000 Essence.]

Steel Dagger (COMMON)

Type: Dagger

Damage: 55

Weight: 1.5

Durability: 30/30

Description: Created by a novice blacksmith, this dagger is of average quality but there's nothing else notable about it.

"Well, I can't craft something perfectly just after a single try." shrugged Adam.

As soon as he said it, he received another set of notifications.

[Blacksmithing proficiency has increased.]

[Blacksmithing skill Blacksmith's Fortitude has been unlocked.]

Blacksmith's Fortitude

Description: Blacksmith's health and stamina are temporarily increased by 20% for as long as you're working the forge. Grants 10% fire resistance.

His question as to how a revenant can withstand fire for such a prolonged exposure has been answered. It is thanks to the Blacksmith's Fortitude.

'So that's why a revenant can endure the heat' exclaimed Adam in realization. 'If the effect is at this level for an apprentice, how great is it at Grandmaster level?'

The fire resistance bonus isn't too much of a buff for him but the extra 20% increase for both health and stamina is a great addition to his existing health pool. In fact, due to his high health pool, the extra 20% is even more pronounced.

He will never have to worry about dying due to heat exposure while forging.

With that, he focused his attention back to his first crafted dagger. The dagger he made did not reach any of the stat of Vetius' Dagger.

The rating is common instead of uncommon. The damage is 55 instead of 75. The weight is 1.5 instead of 1. And the durability is 30 instead of 40.

In every aspect of the weapon, he failed to get even a single one accurately.

Of course, there's some trace of disappointment on his face. But it's not a complete loss for him.

The experience of forging the dagger is a huge asset that he can use to build up his blacksmithing skillset.

He is objectively analyzing his dagger and thinking of what he could have done better.

He is no stranger to failure. After all, he did not become a grandmaster in alchemy without facing countless failures.

And so, he began to reflect on the steps he made from start to finish to determine how he could improve the next one.

In reality, if another blacksmith making his first dagger would be compared to what Adam created, Adam's Steel Dagger would seem like the creation of a seasoned veteran. It is only with Adam's warped standard that something like this is a failure.

After taking in what he could learn from his first dagger, he unceremoniously discarded the dagger he had been painstakingly working on for several hours and logged out.

***

Unbeknownst to Adam, it has been a while since Vetius stopped working on his design. His teacher had been closely observing him mid-way through the forging process.

Adam was so immersed in his work that he did not notice anything else.

But if he had noticed his teacher, he would have known that Vetius was nodding and shaking his head during certain stages of the forging process.

From the perspective of the dagger's creator, Adam's attempt had too many misses than points that he got correctly. And that ultimately brought down the quality of the final piece.

The reason Adam's dagger was categorized as common was that the preparation and metal work was done consistently and correctly. But for it to transcend the common-grade, more effort is needed.

He would have also reprimanded his apprentice for casually throwing the dagger he worked so hard for, but he suddenly disappeared.

No matter, he will impart some exercise to discipline his apprentice when he comes back.

The apprentice needs to respect metal crafting.

***

Back in the real world, Adam prepared a quick meal. After eating, he went to his balcony to smoke while reflecting on what he did to create the dagger.

Shortly afterward, he watched the recording of when Vetius forged the original dagger and compared it to his procedure.

Here, he started taking detailed notes.

He watched Vetius' footage again and reviewed every single step that Vetius did that he knew he didn't do or did slightly differently.

Then, he reviewed his work and he took some more notes. It took him over 8 hours in the real world to study the smithing that Vetius did and another 6 hours to review his work.

While it may be counterproductive to spend time in the real world when the passage of time in-game is longer, Adam deemed it a worthwhile trade-off since he can look up things on the internet about various smithing techniques to help him in his next attempt.

After a full 24 hours, he decided he was ready to try again.

"This should be enough," said Adam finally.

After writing on every single page of his notebook, he felt ready to give forging another go.

"Let's try again."