Since Hephaestus had promised to personally teach Charles how to forge, she naturally didn't just hand him a few books and leave him to study alone.
In the days that followed, alongside reading, Hephaestus taught Charles how to use forging tools properly.
In fact, in this world, learning to forge didn't require a particularly long process. Once someone acquired the [Forge] development ability upon leveling up, they would naturally gain an intuitive understanding of material properties and forging techniques.
However, Hephaestus clearly had higher expectations for Charles. That was evident from the books she gave him.
Those books contained detailed information on the majority of materials in this world that could be used for forging, including many suitable for first-tier equipment. It was clear Hephaestus believed Charles would become a smith capable of crafting high-grade gear on his own.
As Charles's physical constitution strengthened, so did his comprehension and memory. He quickly completed the "homework" Hephaestus had assigned him.
With her permission, Charles finally lit the forge and began crafting his first piece of equipment.
Though the Dungeon had brought untold suffering in ancient times, it also offered an abundance of extraordinary resources.
Beyond magic stones, there were various drop materials. For instance, the ignition agent Charles used to light the forge was made from a substance known as Blazing Magma Ore, harvested from specific monsters.
Burning this material produced intense heat, ideal for processing metals.
Since Charles was borrowing Hephaestus's personal forge, he got to enjoy these conveniences.
Hephaestus had mentioned that the Familia would eventually provide each blacksmith with a personal forge, but since Charles was still a beginner, he could only use hers for now.
The ore melted quickly in the furnace, and the molten iron flowed into the mold.
Following Hephaestus's teachings, forging an ordinary weapon consisted of several steps: refining the material, shaping the item, then assembly and final edgework.
The first step was especially important—the eventual quality of the weapon was often determined at this stage.
Naturally, Charles wasn't aiming to forge anything high-level yet, nor was he using any rare materials—just regular iron ore.
There were already refined steel ingots in the workshop, but on Hephaestus's recommendation, Charles started from raw ore to familiarize himself with the full forging process.
It was said that master smiths could tell the quality of molten metal just by looking at it. Charles wasn't at that level yet, of course, and he knew his current refining would leave behind a lot of impurities.
Which meant repeated hammering was necessary to finally obtain usable metal for forging...
Staring at the semi-solid iron chunk, Charles suddenly paused. He already had magic—why let traditional blacksmithing rules limit him?
"Phar!"
At his call, Phar flew out from his grimoire and landed on Charles's shoulder.
"What is that…?"
Hephaestus stood up immediately, her eyes locked on Phar without blinking.
Charles turned to her in confusion, not understanding her strong reaction.
Hephaestus calmed herself before speaking. "I already thought you were unusual, Charles. But I didn't expect you to have such an astonishing secret. Do you know what's on your shoulder?"
Charles stroked Phar gently. "This is my contracted elemental spirit. He's an important partner of mine."
Hephaestus gave a wry smile. "I don't know what you mean by elemental spirit, but the essence of that little one is unmistakably that of a spirit—a Seirei. Maybe not in form, but unquestionably a fire spirit, and of a high spirit class at that."
Charles remembered that this world didn't have a race known as elemental spirits. Those who wielded elemental authority were the divine avatars known as spirits.
In that sense, Phar did indeed resemble them closely.
Hephaestus looked at Charles with deep emotion. "I didn't expect you to be a contractor of a spirit. That means you'll be able to forge magic swords very soon."
Charles looked at Phar—he hadn't realized Phar was the equivalent of a high-ranking fire spirit.
With Phar's assistance, forging high-grade gear—let alone magic swords—would be well within reach.
Magic swords were a unique kind of equipment in this world. Even adventurers with no magical aptitude could unleash powerful spells using them.
At first, magic swords were viewed as inferior substitutes for real magic. Though they didn't consume the user's mana or require chanting, their power was generally lower than properly cast spells.
But all of that changed thanks to one family.
The Crozzo family.
It was said that their magic swords could evaporate entire seas.
And that was why Hephaestus believed Charles could soon forge magic swords.
The Crozzo ancestors were once nourished with spirit blood, thus gaining a spiritual lineage. Their magic swords were powerful because they were made with spirit blood.
With their weapons, the Crozzo family became great nobles under the war god of Rakia. Their swords wreaked havoc on the battlefield—even the elven homelands were destroyed by them.
Because of the atrocities committed with their magic swords, the spirits placed a curse on the Crozzo family, stripping them of the ability to forge such weapons. Today, only one descendant still retained the [Magic Sword Bloodline] skill.
But Phar wasn't just of spiritual lineage—he was an actual high-level fire spirit.
Charles's confidence soared. Phar, fully in sync with Charles's thoughts, let out a small cry, grew slightly in size, and flew to the anvil.
Opening his mouth, he breathed flames onto the iron block.
Charles clamped the metal with tongs and, picking up a forging hammer, struck downward.
A crisp sound rang out, and the iron began to reshape with each hammer blow.
Phar continued breathing flames in rhythm with Charles's strikes, maintaining the ideal temperature for forging.
Thanks to his martial arts training, Charles had no trouble controlling his strength. Every blow was precise and perfectly measured.
The iron transformed under the hammer, slowly elongating into the shape of a short sword.
Being his first real attempt, Charles was careful and precise. The blade's lines grew more elegant with each strike, soon forming a standard short sword silhouette.
Following Hephaestus's instructions, Charles proceeded through all the heat treatment steps—tempering the blade for resilience, sharpening it for lethal cutting power.
After this series of procedures, the most important part of the sword was complete. All that remained was to attach the hilt and guard, and the weapon would be ready for use by a low-level adventurer.
Holding the blade in both hands, Charles examined its form from all angles.
Perhaps it was the forging rhythm, or perhaps Phar's flame held some mystery, but as the sword tilted under the light, faint dragon-scale-like patterns shimmered across its surface.
Charles nodded in satisfaction, then presented the blade respectfully to Hephaestus. "Lady Hephaestus, this is my first creation. Could you please evaluate its quality?"
Hephaestus accepted the blade and began inspecting it as Charles had moments earlier.
Even as the goddess of forging, she couldn't help but praise the sword's perfect form—flawless material processing, meticulous construction, and excellent balance.
She was especially impressed by the mysterious pattern on the blade. Not only was it visually appealing, it seemed to serve a special purpose.
Curious, Hephaestus walked to the forge, thrust the unmounted blade into the flames, and then pulled it out moments later.
The fire scattered, while the pattern on the blade glowed brightly, as if charged.
She gave it a casual swing—and fire coiled around the blade.
This was a trait even some gear crafted from rare monster materials lacked.
Charles instantly recalled Salamander Wool. That cloth had special properties because it was woven with a spirit's own magic.
Phar had used his fire to refine this blade—some of his power must have infused into the steel itself, giving it this unique ability.
"A weapon that absorbs and releases flame? Unbelievable. This can already be considered second-tier equipment. Your forging talent is truly remarkable."
Coming from Hephaestus, this was the most authoritative evaluation.
A sword forged with nothing but ordinary steel had reached the level of advanced equipment.
In Orario, the quality of weapons aligned with adventurers' levels.
LV1 adventurers typically used standard weapons. They were cheap, and effective enough for dealing with monsters in the upper floors.
Higher-ranking adventurers wielded gear made from precious materials, carefully tailored to suit their strength.
Forging gear for LV2 adventurers—third-tier weapons—already required considerable skill. Only a few blacksmiths could do it.
As for second-tier gear suitable for LV3 or LV4, it was rare in the marketplace and usually had to be custom-made.
Blacksmiths capable of forging first-tier equipment were incredibly rare in Orario. Aside from a handful in the Gubneil and Hephaestus Familias, there were hardly any.
Which meant Charles's sword already counted as rare equipment—at the very least, a golden legend.
What's more, this sword could be wielded even by low-level adventurers.
Most high-grade gear was far too heavy. Take Diona's "Great Twin Blades of Urga," or even Ais's "Despair"—those weren't weapons rookies could wield.
But Charles's short sword was different. Despite its special power, it was made from ordinary materials.
Best of all, it was inexpensive to produce. Charles could feel it—he was about to get rich.
And with that, his plan to build a personal forge workshop could finally begin.
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