86 - Next Preparation No. 2

The interior was dimly lit due to the lack of a small window.

All that could be seen in the small earthen floor was a shabby desk and a small wooden chair.

A few weapons hung on the stone wall, barely distinguishing it as an armory.

The back of the room appeared to be a workshop, and the sound of a small hammer swinging could be heard along with the heat of the room.

Thor calls out to the workers, but there is no answer, so he decides to pass the time by looking at the weapons on the wall.

He looks at the reddish blade of the sword and immediately notices a difference.

It is obviously thinner and the blade is sharper.

Thor almost reaches for it, but turns around silently at the sound of an approaching sword.

"Oh, you have a visitor. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting.

The owner of the voice coming from the back of the room was a man a little older than Thor.

He had a round face and soft eyes. He wore a fringe of the same color as his reddish-brown hair.

The man who seemed to be a blacksmith quickly moved his eyes from the sword at Thor's waist to his arms, shoulders, and face, and finally to the adventurer's tag around his neck.

With a small nod, he removes his thick leather gloves and holds out a hand covered in burns and beans.

The arm holding Thor's hand was much thicker than those of most new adventurers.

Welcome to my humble arms workshop. I am Toruk, the head of the workshop.

"This is Thor. The guy who runs the armor shop down the alley recommended this place to me."

"Oh, yes, it's Mr. Ramow. What can I do for you today?

Leather is often used for sheaths, covers, and handles of weapons, although it is more commonly associated with clothing and bags.

The armorers in the back alleys receive many such orders, which is why they have a good number of contacts in the weapons workshop.

"I am looking for a sharp one-handed sword.

The moment he hears this order, Toruk's eyes narrow and his customer-oriented face disappears for a moment.

However, the owner immediately returned to a mild expression and sat down on the other side of the table while offering a chair to Thor.

"Well, let me ask you a few details..."

During our recent wilderness exploration, we were faced with too many monsters, and the number of times we had left to was often too low.

Especially in a series of battles, it is necessary not only to improve the sharpness of the sword, but also to recover magical power and physical strength.

In addition, the user needs to save at least one or two times of in case of unexpected injury.

In light of this, I came up with the idea of carrying spare weapons as a means of not losing offensive capabilities as much as possible, even when cannot be used.

However, the red-iron sword that I tried out at a big arms shop before was not so sharp.

Thor is very particular about his armor, but for the past 25 years, he has been using wooden swords only because they are inexpensive.

He could tell if a wooden sword was good or bad the moment he held it in his hand, but he had no idea about anything else.

So I consulted with Ramow, and he introduced me to his workshop if I was looking for a good sword.

At Tolok's urging, Thor explains the weapons he has been using and the struggles he has had in the wilderness.

The blacksmith, who had been listening with a small nod, turned his eyes a little sharp again when he talked about cutting off the head of a rock lizard.

"May I see your sword?"

"Fine, but I don't think it's that good."

After carefully examining the cast-iron sword, Toruk shook his head with a pleasant smile.

"Normally I would find this hard to believe, but I guess Master Ramow isn't joking when he talks to you. Yes, this is interesting.

With these words, Toruk stood up and took the red-iron sword from the wall and laid it on the table.

Comparing them, the difference is obvious.

The red-iron sword is about a fist long, but its width is as thin as a finger.

However, the blade is thinner and lighter than the cast iron blade. The weight of the red-iron blade is, however, a comfortable weight.

Thor shook it a couple of times and was surprised at the response.

"This one looks quite different from the one I saw at the next store."

"Our neighbors are all castings. We only carry forgings.

The blacksmith explained the difference in a simple and straightforward manner.

Casting is a method of forming by pouring into a mold, and although it is cheap and can be made in large quantities, it is not as strong as casting, so it tends to be thicker and heavier.

Forging, on the other hand, involves pounding the steel into shape, making it possible to create a harder, sharper blade.

It's called hagane. The only problem is that it takes a lot of time and effort to finish it to this degree. That's why the price is so reasonable.

"I see, that's no wonder."

Although the performance as a weapon is clearly superior to that of the blade made of gold, the reason why cast metal weapons are more widely used has a lot to do with the tree of skills.

The martial arts of the six great deities, who are imbued with the power of spirits, are based on the power that they give to their weapons.

Therefore, swords and axes are often exposed to fire and lightning, and they deteriorate more quickly and have shorter lives than those used normally.

Of course, the sharper and sharper weapons are naturally more advantageous in battle.

However, as long as you hit the target, your fighting spirit will fill up and you can do a lot of damage if you unleash your martial arts.

The attack in the process is only a small difference in terms of the result.

In the end, for the martial artists of the six great gods, weapons are disposable consumables, so it is inevitable that the cheaper ones are more popular.

This is true for low-rank adventurers, however.

As adventurers reach higher ranks and start earning more money, the more discerning adventurers begin to spend on weapons and armor.

They realize that the difference may be small, but it can make a difference in the outcome of the game.

It seems that this workshop is made up of such adventurers.

It is no wonder that Ramo said that only those of the hard white class and above would be considered for the workshop.

The price of the red-iron-edged gold sword, which I was allowed to try, was twenty-four silver coins.

It was three times the usual price.

However, in the case of Thor, there is a secret technique that once you buy it, you can use it almost forever.

However, the fact that the money for the lizard slaying can be wiped out by a single sword is a little bit of a problem to be considered.

The leather armor will be finished in two weeks, and I have to leave enough money for the custom-made leather shoes.

As Thor ponders this, the shopkeeper smiles gently again.

"We are just in the wilderness of the wind and the wind is breaking, aren't we? Then, how about making it out of white hard copper?

"I think it's a material that can be found there. That would be a little cheaper. ......"

"Yes, if you bring in the materials, I'll give you 30 silver coins instead of 36.

"...... Okay, I'll take care of it."

It's more expensive, but with a sharp sword you'll be able to make more money.

He was also genuinely curious to see how sharp the sword would be.

Having decided on his next goal, the blacksmith inquires with interest.

"By the way, what shape would you like the sword to be?"

"What do you mean?"

"No, from the way you just moved, I thought you might be better at this kind of thing, Master Thor.

With these words, the blacksmith took the sword off the wall and handed it to me, a strange black sword with a warped edge.

Interestingly, it had a blade on only one side.

This is a weapon called a "Tachi" (sword). I have seen it before."

Oh, you know it well. It is a weapon that is used quite often by the Red Tails, but I don't see many people using it around here.

Thor unconsciously scratched his chin as he recalled Deputy Director Sacco's eagle-red eyes.

He had met him several times in the past, and the sharpness of his slashes was still burned into the back of his eyelids.

Thor swung the sword that was handed to him and gave a small twist of his head.

It is true that the sword is suitable for slashing, but the center of gravity is too far forward for him to move the sword as he usually does.

It is especially difficult to bring the sword into a thrusting motion at the end of a cut-up and then a cut-down.

"Oh, it takes a little trick to make a thrust with that.

"The thickness of the blade also makes me uneasy. It's a single-edged blade, so it would be hard to pierce."

"Hmm. Then, how about this?

Thor nodded his head in agreement with the owner's suggestion.

With that blade tip, it could be used for a variety of purposes.

"Then, when you gather the materials, would it be all right if I ask you to do it?

"Yes, that would be my wish too. We will be happy to help you.

After another firm handshake, Thor left the store, satisfied with the transaction.