"Is this the place?" Vera asked with a slight frown on her face.
Before her was definitely a smithy; however, it didn't look like what she had expected. It looked rundown, nothing like what the best smithy of the best city was supposed to look like. The door and sign were on the verge of falling apart.
"Yes, you won't be able to find anything better in the city."
Vera had noticed a certain tension between me and her. "You swear?"
"I swear. The best weapons in the city are all crafted here. It's the only smithy operated by a dwarf."
Vera's eyes widened at the mention of the dwarven race, looking strangely excited, which confused me slightly.
She noticed my confusion and immediately began to explain why she looked so excited.
"Dwarves don't usually operate smithies like this where anyone can buy any weapon they want. They have quite high criteria when it comes to taking in customers. Also, their craftsmanship cannot be compared to that of any other races. None are able to have similar skills."
I nodded. I had already briefly heard of it in the game's forum. Every single player who had managed to get their hands on a dwarven weapon only swore by it, cursing every other player who didn't have one.
That's how good they were.
'If I were to obtain one this early into the game, then it would be amazing.'
But there was still one thing that made me doubt what Sariah had said.
It was the fact that there were no customers outside or inside this smithy. If it was really how she had said, then there would be dozens of people waiting to obtain one of his weapons.
Nevertheless, there was only one way to figure it out.
"Hello?" Vera called with a small frown on her face. "Is there anyone here?"
The whole place seemed to be covered in dust, with only a few swords hanging on the walls.
-Swoosh!
The door swung open with a very short man with a large, white beard coming out, coughing.
He squinted as he looked at us, unsure if we were real.
"Customers?"
There was no doubt that he was a dwarf. However, he also looked a little lost. Maybe buying a weapon from here wasn't the greatest idea. Nevertheless, before I could make my thoughts known, Vera began introducing us to the dwarf.
"It's nice to meet you. I am Morgana Vera, this is my personal guard," she pointed toward me, "and this is my personal servant. I am here to buy the best sword you have for my servant."
The dwarf frowned for a moment as he stared in my direction before looking back into Vera's eyes. "Mhm… sorry, Miss, I stopped accepting customers a long time ago. You should go and check out the smithy next door. He's decent."
I wasn't surprised. That was the behavior of most dwarves. That was also the reason why getting dwarven weapons was so damn hard. They would always refuse to make them.
"I can give you the amount of money you desire. I just want you to make a sword for my servant."
I glanced toward Sariah, whose eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets as she couldn't believe the extent Lady Vera was going to for me to have a sword.
However, money didn't seem to be a motivating factor for the dwarf, as he turned around without another word.
"Not interested. Just take one of the swords I have hanging on the walls. I consider them failures, but they could be decent for human standards."
Vera wasn't exactly happy, but she also knew that there was not much else she could do. She knew how stubborn dwarves were, and once they refused, there were few things that could make them change their minds.
Nevertheless, right as the dwarf was about to return to his forge, he stopped in his tracks as he observed us choosing one of the swords hanging on the walls.
I grabbed the first one I saw, and luckily, the Taming System seemed willing to help me.
[Shiverfang]
[Description: A thin, chipped blade that constantly vibrates as if shivering in fear. Crafted with flawed froststeel.]
Effect:
- Deals -10% damage in cold environments.
- Occasionally slips from the user's hands due to its vibrations.
- Emits a pathetic "ting" when clashing with real weapons.
Verdict: Useless. Probably only good for stirring soup.
I shook my head and placed that sword back against the wall and grabbed the other one.
[Flatfang]
[Description: The blade is entirely flat on one side, making it nearly impossible to sharpen.]
Effect:
- 0% critical chance.
- Perfectly balanced—for buttering bread.
- Can reflect light to blind rats.
Verdict: Might be the best butter knife in the kingdom.
This one wasn't it either, so I grabbed another sword, which looked even more ordinary than the other two.
It looked like a random piece of metal that had been thrown together for the fun of it. And considering the previous assessments from the system, there was a good chance that going to the smithy next door might be the best option.
Nevertheless, I grabbed the lump of metal as another panel of information formed before me.
[Wyrmsteel Rejection]
[Description: Dismissed as a dull lump of metal, this sword appears unimpressive—its blade looks unpolished and slightly off-center. However, it's forged from a rare dragon-bone alloy that reveals its true nature only when bonded to a worthy wielder.]
Effect:
- Dormant Mode (Current): No bonuses.
Awakened Mode (requires emotional resonance):
- +15 Strength, +10 Agility
- Unlocks a skill: Dragon's Breath Slash – releases a wave of burning energy.
- Grows stronger with the wielder's Charm stat.
Verdict: A misunderstood masterpiece. Hidden among trash to avoid greedy nobles.
My eyes widened as I held onto it. This sword was unlike anything I had seen before. It was much better than the previous ones. There was only one problem: the sword seemed to be in its dormant mode.
However, that was a problem that I would figure out at another time.
"I'll take this one," I muttered with sheer confidence.
Vera, Sariah, and even the dwarf had their eyes widen for different reasons.
"Are you sure?" Vera asked with a frown. "I can buy you a better one if you want."
"Yes. This is the best sword we'll find in this kingdom. I'm sure of it."
Sariah inwardly mocked me, as coming to this place had clearly been a trap she had orchestrated. However, she hadn't expected me to find such an amazing weapon.
The dwarf, who had stayed quiet, suddenly frowned as he walked in my direction.
"Can I ask you a question, boy?"
I nodded with confidence.
"Why did you choose this sword?"
I shrugged. "I had a good feeling about it."
"Interesting…" The dwarf quietly turned around and continued playing with his beard. "You can have it for free. Thank you for taking it off my hands!"