Recently there were rumors going around Baska about Ikazuchi’s stunt at the Great Rock. There were many people who gossipped about his name, and what he had done on that day. The fact that he killed an A-Rank Mage as a C-Rank Warrior drew more attention to him. The smallest bit of positive news was the fact that not many people knew his name. This meant that he could roam the streets freely as long as his name was excluded.

What he chose to do at this time wasn’t that. He could have risked encountering the Rune Knights as it wasn’t likely for him to be recognized. He just didn’t have any reason to do so. He wanted to lay low until he could go through an evaluation for a higher rank. Having learned that the person he killed that day was considered an A-Rank, he doubted that anyone would hinder him at that time.

In the meantime, he contacted Godfrey and received permission to use one of the man’s private workshops. Ikazuchi wished to work in a forge after his recent travels. It was an interest he had all but given up on due to his lack of magic. He had been told at the time that a blacksmith needed magic enchant weapons and produce items of the highest quality, and that made it easier to give up.

The reason he wanted to try again was because he had learned more about Blacksmithing through his interactions with Godfrey. If he could pursue the limits of both Blacksmithing and Swordsmanship, he couldn’t imagine a single reason not to.

WC: 260

Ikazuchi’s first day working went by peacefully. He didn’t make too many items as Godfrey wanted to check their quality before giving Ikazuchi the freedom to use resources. If Ikazuchi lacked skill, Godfrey intended to charge him for the materials consumed. If Ikazuchi produced items that could be sold, then Godfrey would let him craft freely and simply sell those items.

Naturally Ikazuchi was skillful enough to make acceptable items after his years working at a forge while younger. He wouldn’t call himself a master, but he was confident in his ability to craft items that were functional. He even had rare occasions where an item he produced would have above average quality, even if only among items that hadn’t been enchanted.

Godfrey was pleasantly surprised by this as he had obtained a source of free labor that could handle the basic orders for his shop. As an accomplished craftsman, he naturally preferred to work on higher quality items. The only reason he continued to sell standard quality items and orders for such items was due to supply and demand. There simply weren’t enough people purchasing high quality goods for him to focus on those.

In order to take full advantage of Ikazuchi’s skills, Godfrey didn’t hesitate to offer Ikazuchi a place to stay for the time being. Ikazuchi naturally accepted as he didn’t think he could continue staying at his previous inn after causing a ruckus. It was in this manner that Ikazuchi started his leisure-filled days as a blacksmith apprentice.

WC: 250

Ikazuchi spent his first few days in the forge refreshing his skills after a long break. He didn’t attempt to craft anything too difficult on these days. He had confidence in his basic skills, but he wasn’t as comfortable in the forge as he used to be. This seemed only natural to him, but this decision earned him some respect from Godfrey.

From the perspective of the man who had dedicated his life to the skill, Ikazuchi’s choice showed that he was being respectful to the skill. It also gave the more experienced man a chance to observe Ikazuchi’s fundamentals and appraise his skills.

There were occasions where Godfrey gave Ikazuchi advice as he watched this. The advice was limited to the fundamentals, but it was still greatly appreciated by Ikazuchi who hadn’t received much guidance. As for what Ikazuchi was most skilled at, that was unsurprisingly swords. As a swordsman he understood the basics of what made a quality sword. It was particularly easy for him to make a properly balanced sword with an efficient shape. He was less consistent with the hardness and flexibility as they required more experience in order to be consistent.

Godfrey’s guidance helped him in that regard. The man was able to consistently control the temperature at ideal levels for standard metals. This allowed Ikazuchi to experience those in a controlled environment and rapidly fill that experience deficiency. This caused the quality of Ikazuchi’s metalworking to become consistently better. This improvement was welcomed by Godfrey as the one who was selling the items crafted by the young man.

WC: 260

The most apparent skill that Ikazuchi lacked was finesse. The way that he had been taught originally entirely ignored the topic. The blacksmith in Magnolia had looked down on Ikazuchi due to his lack of magic. The man deemed it impossible for him to create intricate items that he relied on magic to create. Due to his lack of knowledge at the time, Ikazuchi could only accept that judgement. He still needed to work at the time, so there wasn’t any room for him to be upset.

It was only after observing the extremely high quality swords that he came to own and the techniques that Godfrey showed him that he understood. There were countless techniques in the world that could create items beyond comprehension. Mages, Alchemist, Dwarves, Elves, even the common blacksmith down the street; They could all have something unique to learn, and there were bound to be masters of their craft among each group.

Ikazuchi could feel a growing desire to travel the world and learn from all sorts of individuals as he learned to work delicately. His passion for swordsmanship hadn’t diminished either, he greedily wanted to reach the pinnacle in each field.

The clear goal strengthened his focus and concentration during this time. This naturally left a more positive impression on Godfrey. Knowing that Ikazuchi wasn’t pursuing the craft to open a shop allowed the older man to accept the hard working young man. Truthfully, Ikazuchi made it clear that he wouldn’t be opening a shop in Baska because he understood Godfrey after working for him on several occasions. The man could easily become envious or jealous, and he wanted to avoid that.

WC: 270

Ikazuchi spent all of his time in the forge besides the time that was set aside for eating, sleeping, and training. It was a full schedule that didn’t leave much room for rest, but Ikazuchi enjoyed every moment of it. His efforts were beginning to pay off now as even Godfrey acknowledged his skills.

Ikazuchi was lacking the skills required to create magical items, but his skill with metal had reached a high enough level to call himself a blacksmith despite that. He was able to make progress due to his past experiences and the practical guidance that Godfrey offered. It couldn’t be said that they had grown closer as individuals, but there was a mutual respect between them due to their skills. Ikazuchi respected the man’s skills and experience. On the other hand, Godfrey respected Ikazuchi’s talents.

As Ikazuchi’s stay would soon be coming to an end, Godfrey chose to repay his efforts by teaching him the basics of gear maintenance. What he taught truly were the basics, but when applied to the high quality items that Ikazuchi owned it seemed extremely advanced. This was something that Ikazuchi was thankful for as he spent a lot of his time concerned about his equipment.

Something even more surprising was that Ikazuchi was given the right to request a crafting method from the man. According to Godfrey, it was an exchange intended to acknowledge Ikazuchi as someone who had trained under him. It was one of the ways that Blacksmiths passed down their skills to the younger generation, and a welcome on for the young man.

Godfrey naturally expected Ikazuchi to request some high quality crafting method as Ikazuchi was a young and ambitious man. That was the reason why Ikazuchi’s response managed to take him by surprise. The young man only wanted to know how to craft katanas, a popular weapon from Joya.

Godfrey didn’t hesitate to pass this on to the young man as it wasn’t a trade secret for himself. As for Ikazuchi, he was emotionally attached to katanas as that was the type of sword that his father used. Receiving that as a parting gift was an unexpected surprise, one that Ikazuchi would remember in the future. Ikazuchi did his best to restrain his excitement as he made his way through the streets of Baska after an extended break. He was looking forward to furthering his goals as he contemplated what he should do for the time being.

WC: 410

OOC: Thread completed