Chapter 3: Meeting With A Nice Blacksmith
...
On the second morning of my isekai, my eyes shot open in an instant. I wake up feeling more energized than ever instead of the usual tiredness. "Hehe." I laughed as I stretched myself.
It's like I've been reborn… Yeah, yeah, I know it's a terrible joke, but it's helping me avoid stressing too much about my future. Like Spider-Man would say, joking helps, or something like that. I don't read comics. Manga, yes. Comics, no.
I spring out of bed in a single motion. My body basically hops out of bed as my feet gently touch the floor. "I feel so light." I cross my room and throw open the windows, allowing the morning air to rush in.
When I did that, I felt myself become even more invigorated. The cool wind brushed against my face as sunlight spilled across my skin. I close my eyes, letting myself bask in the moment. There's no doubt in my mind I wouldn't get bored of the view every morning. After all, I was now living in a fantasy world of sword and magic.
If you don't know me, I was more of an inside person. So while this experience was new and scary for me, I was going to try my best in this world. I guess being in a different body did change some things about me after all, lol.
"Buenos días." I say good morning in Spanish, my hands resting against the window rail.
CRACK!
"Huh?" I blinked as I heard the audible sound of wood chipping. I glance down to see that pieces of wood from the window rail are missing. No, that's not right. They were in my hands. I had unintentionally torn apart a few pieces of my window rail. Whoops.
Carefully, I loosen my grip immediately as I ease the two broken pieces. Like that's somehow going to undo what just happened. Where was super glue when you needed it?
"Note to self. Think of the world like it's paper before I do something I can't take back. "I let my hands go slowly.
I looked at my hands, and my mouth hung open at the sight of golden light sparkling across my palms. "Say whaaa...?" I stared in both awe and confusion.
Something in my head told me that if I pointed my hands in a direction, something would shoot off my palms. My curiosity was going wild. How far can I shoot it? What would happen when it landed on a target? I really wanted to find out, and as if agreeing with me, the light in my hands brightened further.
"Nope." I shake my head sharply, forcing the thought away. I was still new to these powers. I needed to ease into it. These powers, while cool, also made me dangerous. I didn't want to accidentally blow up my house. Yesterday was proof of what could've happened if I didn't rein it in on time.
I planned to experiment with it later, but for now I needed to get on with my day. "So how do I turn it off?" I didn't want to go out looking like this. People would ask questions. "Turn off," I say, picturing the light going out like a lightbulb.
Nothing happened. My hands were still glazed in light. "Turn off!" I say much more forcefully this time.
And just like that, it went away. I exhale, tension leaving my shoulders. I'm glad that worked, but what did this mean? Did I have to be dominant and assertive to make my power obey me like yesterday? Ugh, where is a Nephilim manual when you need it?
Sighing helplessly, I go down and make myself a wholesome breakfast. Funny thing about that, I wasn't skilled with making meals in my past life. I was terrible at cooking unless I had a recipe and a video, but now that I am Luka and have gained his memories, I also have his cooking talents. Thanks to that I got to enjoy a delightful meal of fried eggs, crispy toast, and three nicely golden and fluffy pancakes with syrup. Canon Lukas really was built different when it came to cooking. No argument there.
I ate it all and left no crumbs. "Delicioso." I smile in contentment.
On that topic I wonder what else I could make. With my modern Earth knowledge, I can see myself making some gourmet delicacies. Aside from kicking that blonde bimbo's ass, this was just as important, if not more. I wanted to make fries and pizza. Don't judge me.
"I'll take care of it later." I stood up and did some light stretching. "Yaaagh. Right now I have bigger fish to fry."
Getting out of the house, I head to the training ground, feeling stronger than ever before and ready to kick some ass.
…
Once I finished my morning training, I returned to the village and strolled through the streets. I was currently on my break and was heading to go see someone before returning back to Simon.
"This is the place." I stop in front of a reddish-brown building with sturdy walls and a chimney with black smoke coming out. It was the village blacksmith's home and workplace.
As I walk in, the sound of clanging metal greets me, and heat washes over me. The floor was soot black, and my nose picked up the smell of smoke. I continue forward to the source of the sound until I reach the biggest room.
Around the main firepit hung tools and crafted weapons. Everywhere I could see, there were massive anvils. Worktables buried under tools, crates overflowing with ore, like charcoal. Standing in front of one of the anvils was the village blacksmith, Mr. Adams. The man was hammering on a piece of metal, flattening it like an expert craftsman.
"Hey, Mr. Adams, you busy?" I shouted, getting the man's attention as he stopped what he was doing and turned around.
The man was built with broad shoulders and giant hands and muscles much bigger than mine or even the guards' from San Ilia. His face was covered in sweat and some black smudges, but I could make out the reddish-brown hair and brown eyes of the man. He had an unkempt beard and goggles atop his head. At a glance, one would think he was intimidating. But because of Lukas's memories, I knew better. Mr. Adams was really just a big bear. Gruff but kind.
This man was a talented blacksmith who, upon moving to Illiaville along with everyone, helped greatly in the rebuilding effort. His skills were regarded highly. He repaired homes and farmhouses, fixed broken weapons, patched up dented armor, and did anything else that required dexterous hands.
And that wasn't even mentioning his credentials. The man was a member of a prestigious blacksmith organization. The organization's prestige traveled far beyond this village and into other regions. Speaking of that, I will make a mental note to make contact with those individuals someday. From Lukas's memories I knew they specialized in crafting enchanted weapons, so I'd love to get my hands on one of those.
"Well, if it isn't Luka." He rumbled, placing his hammer down. "This is a surprise. What brings you here?"
"I'm just here to look around, sir," I replied. "You see, I'm thinking about what I might want to add to my arsenal someday, and I'd like to see my options." I then stare at the weapons pinned to the wall. "Do you mind?" I pointed at them.
Before coming here, I'd stopped by home to grab my money pouch. The currency here was issued in the form of coins with four denominations. Highest to lowest, it went from platinum, gold, silver, and copper. This was the standard currency used across all regions since ancient times. The coins themselves have an insignia of a sword between two angel wings. You can guess why that is.
Between odd jobs, village work, and people's occasional generosity, I'd built myself a respectable nest egg of forty silver and seventeen copper coins. This was enough for me to live comfortably for a couple of years without doing anything if I wanted to, and that wasn't counting the hidden stash in the floorboards of my house, so I wasn't worried about money for now.
Mr. Adams waved a hand and told me to feel free to look around and went right back to what he was doing.
Listening to the song of clanging metal and iron, I roamed along the forge walls, eyes roaming over racks of well-made weapons and armor. I had to watch my step because everywhere I went there were some failed creation, bent scraps of metal, and misplaced tools. I had no idea how the man could find anything in this mess.
Still, I couldn't deny how fascinating it all was. The weapons here were crafted so perfectly well. Seeing all these real-life weapons made me so excited I was practically giddy. Yeah, I was totally nerding out. "A scimitar? Wow." I traced my finger across the flat of the blade.
The blacksmith must've seen my childlike curiosity because I heard him chuckling. "If you'd like, you can try any you like out, Luka."
"Really, I can?" I turned back, and he nodded. "Thanks, sir." My gaze drifted and landed on a massive, two-sided weapon resting against the wall. Just looking at it, I could tell that it was bigger than my own. No duh, this was a greatsword after all.
From what I knew, because of their weight and length, greatswords were meant to be wielded with both hands. So unless I was massively buff like Asta, I was better off using both hands. Picking the weapon up from the wall, I wrapped my fingers around the hilt and lifted it.
I adjusted my stance and gave it a few swings. The blade cut through the air cleanly. It was a testament to the blacksmith's skills that the weapon in my hands felt so balanced.
That said, I felt something else when I swung it. It felt as if my body already knew how to handle the greatsword, but as far as I knew, Luka had never used one before, and Syris certainly had no experience with it either. I guess it's just his talent. Luka is a Nephilim, so that could be it.
Letting the feeling take me, I let my other hand go and used it one-handed. It didn't feel hard to do. In fact, because of my new surge of strength, it felt no different than when I used a regular sword.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mr. Adams staring and stopped. "Is there something on my face?" I pointed at myself.
The blacksmith merely shook his head before letting out a low chuckle. "Oh no, boy. I just didn't expect you'd try out that particular weapon, but the way you handled it was exceptional." He then began telling me how that sword was heavy and that he hadn't expected me to wield it with anywhere near that level of control.
He wasn't wrong. What I'd just done wasn't normal. Ever since this morning, my body has felt stupidly strong. My physical strength had grown, but I didn't know the extent of it, only that it kept increasing as the morning went on, and that wasn't the only change. My mind felt sharper, and my body more durable and fast to boot.
Just this morning I had given Simon a run for his money. I pressed him back more than once and forced him to respond instead of dictating the pace. I've won a majority of our spars through this new brute strength alone and left the soldier too exhausted to fight. The only reasons he'd pulled out a couple of his wins were because of his superior technique and the unfortunate timing of my sword breaking midcombat. That had been happening a lot.
The look on everyone's face had said it all. My physical growth was explosive. Simon had asked if I'd done anything differently, but I merely just shrugged and said I felt stronger today but that I didn't want it to stop there. Of course, I wasn't about to tell him it was because I'd started getting in tune with my angel power.
In the end, Simon encouraged me to keep it up. More than that, he said he was going to amp up my training by bringing someone else in. He figured that if I wanted to improve in proportion to my strength, he needed to stack the odds against me. In my mind, I welcomed it. This was good. I was making real progress. But it also meant I needed to understand this power better. How far it went, what it affected, what it didn't, and just how much I could draw out.
Mr. Adam asked if I'd ever used a greatsword before, but I said it was my first time even holding one. At my answer, he scratched his beard, eyes flicking between me and the greatsword. He told me he'd once shown it to Simon when he made it. According to him, the soldier could barely wield it right, and it would be a better fit for someone more muscular. The other soldiers practically said the same thing. He didn't expect anyone to use it, much less one-handed.
"Oh well, since they can't use it, I might as well hand it over to you free of charge if you'd like." He shrugged.
"Really, I can!" I said excitedly, and the blacksmith nodded with a mirthful smile. I didn't even try to hide my excitement, and I thanked him immediately.
Once that was settled, I brought up something else that had been on my mind. I asked him if he had any experience in creating more unconventional weapons. Things outside his usual work. I also asked about personal armor, something fitted specifically for me but wouldn't slow me down, and, finally, whether or not he could make exercise equipment.
That last part made him blink. After a second, though, he let out a short laugh and said he wouldn't mind trying his hand at something different. As a blacksmith, he said, his pride was in being able to make any weapon or armor, no matter how strange the request. If it involved metal and craftsmanship, he'd at least give it a shot and do his best to bring it to life.
I told him I would, but he then asked what I meant by "unorthodox weapons," and I explained. I asked whether or not I could get my hands on a magical sword like the one the hero Heinrich used. From what I remembered, Angel Halo wasn't the only enchanted weapon in the world. There were others out there, and I wanted one. Anything to increase my power.
Much to my disappointment, Mr. Adams told me I'd have better luck finding a four-leaf clover. He explained how he wasn't skilled in forging magical weapons, unlike some of his colleagues who lived far away from Illiasville, and even then enchanted blades weren't only difficult to make. They were absurdly expensive. They were made with magical ore found in mines, and the forging process took months, sometimes years, to make successfully without irreversibly damaging the weapon. Because of that, only a small minority of blessed heroes ever managed to get their hands on one.
That last bit was a major issue. To get one, I needed the blessing of Ilias, and there was no way in the fucking carajo I was going to let that blonde bimbo do anything to me. "Is there no other way to get one?" I asked, hoping that there was.
Mr. Adams paused, rubbing his beard as he thought it over. "Well, there is another way, but it's even harder. You shouldn't bother listening." He said, but that only made me want to know more.
Seeing my eager expression, the blacksmiths sighed mirthfully and began explaining the second method. According to him, ancient records spoke of how wizards—yes, you heard that right—were said to be capable of inscribing magic directly into a weapon. Blades forged that way were said to surpass even traditionally enchanted arms, at least according to legend. He admitted he'd never seen one himself, but he'd always dreamed of seeing it in person, as that was a more natural way of producing a magical sword without failures. He told me of the few stories he's read about them. He described how some swords could ignite themselves in fire without harming the user or could summon water at the wielder's command. There was even one that channeled the destructive power of lightning itself and another that could cut without ever dulling. He talked about the last one with much more enthusiasm than the others.
My eyes practically lit up as he spoke. I definitely wanted one now. But that excitement lasted all of five seconds before he crushed it as he went on about why I wouldn't be able to get one. Apparently wizards were exceedingly rare. Not just because of the knowledge required, but because of who they were.
Wizards, he explained, were the offspring of humans and monsters, specifically males born from such unions. Because of that, they were shunned and ostracized by human society. Some disappeared entirely. Others hid. Very few lived openly, and fewer still would ever agree to help a human because of their treatment, much less forge them a weapon of legend that can easily be used to strike back at them.
"I see," I hum softly, holding my chin. It was a bummer, but with my knowledge of the games, I should be able to find a way.
Lukas's father had a friend who was a wizard, so one had to be out there somewhere. If memory serves right… wasn't there a succubus witch? While she wasn't a wizard, she was still a monster with a wide array of knowledge when it came to magic, so that could work. If just having access to magic was the key, maybe I wouldn't need a wizard and could do it myself if I had the proper knowledge. I'd have to ask an expert on magic, though, which would be difficult.
While it was a bummer, this was very informational. "Thanks for telling me this, Mr. Adams."
"It's no problem, Luka." The blacksmith waved me off. "It was fun to talk about this with you. It makes me feel inspired to share this knowledge with others. Reminds me of when I was still new to forging and was trying my best to be the best blacksmith." He sighed sadly. "Too bad I could never reach that level."
"Don't say that. You might not be the best in the world, but you're definitely the best in the village, sir. Everybody, including me, feels that way. No one can replace you." I complimented the blacksmith, who laughed and patted my back.
"HAHAHA!" He hollered, slapping my back. "Thanks, Luka. You really are the village's golden boy. You know just what to say."
We then went onto the topic of armor, and unlike magical swords, making my own custom armor was no issue at all. As for the exercise equipment I'd mentioned earlier, he admitted he had no idea what I was talking about. So I explained, while pulling out a piece of paper and quill from his table, what I had in mind. I wanted barbells, dumbbells, weighted plates, and other tools to train my body. I wanted to bulk some more before going on my journey, and with the way my strength has grown, I had to amp up the ante.
He studied the drawings with clear intrigue, eyes lighting up as he turned the paper this way and that. In the end, he said he'd see what he could do and told me to come back in three days to pick them up. Because it wasn't overly expensive, I only had to pay three silver for it.
As for my armor, that was another matter. While there was no overt issue in making me one, he said it would take much longer since he'd need precise measurements and that it would be smarter to wait until I'd fully matured. Otherwise, I'd just be wasting money on something I'd outgrow. He said it with a smirk, and I couldn't help but chuckle in response. Still, he asked me what type of armor I would prefer, and when I thought about it, I asked him to make me something fit for running. I didn't want anything to slow me down, so the lighter the armor, the better. In this world where monster girls were stupidly quick, it seemed useless to have something that would hold me back.
The blacksmith said he would look into it. I thanked him and told him we could talk about my weapon another time. I left the forge with a wonderful new greatsword and headed off to grab some lunch before returning to training.
...
I met back up with Simon at the training grounds. He glanced at my face and caught the faint smile. I hadn't bothered to hide and asked if my trip to the blacksmith went well. I told him it did just as a sword came flying toward me. I caught it midair. Unlike the wooden weapons we usually trained with, this one was steel, but the blade was blunt. "Since you've been snapping the wooden sword, I figured we'd use these instead." Simon explained.
"I don't have any problem with that." I gave it some test swings.
"Good, because we won't be holding back in your training." He replied, and just as he did, another man came up to us.
I recognized that man as one of the guards. Simon gestured toward the blond soldier and said he'd be helping raise the difficulty of my training. The two of them took their stances, and I mirrored them. A smirk tugged at my lips. "Let's go!" And all three of us moved in tandem, steel clashing while the sun above us slowly dipped toward the horizon.
We sparred until nightfall, and I quickly learned that fighting two people at once, even with my superior physical strength, was far harder than I'd expected. They worked together seamlessly, pressing me back again and again, leaving little room to breathe, but I was holding my own quite well in the beginning. But as the fight dragged on, the strength that had made me feel so invincible all day… vanished.
It happened mid-combat, as if it had never been there at all, leaving me feeling the same as when I had first started this Isekai. I tried to draw that power out again and again, but nothing seemed to happen. Each failed attempt left me more exposed until I was barely holding my own against the two soldiers.
"Whoa!" I barely managed to stop a blow as I skidded backward and tripped over my own feet. The training was taking its toll on me, and now I'm breathing hard.
"Luka, I think we should take a break." The blonde soldier piped up.
"It's fine. I can keep going! "I got back up, but I fell down. I took a knee, trying to catch my breath. 'Que esta pasando?' I was stronger than before. What was so different about today?
"Was there a time limit? Is that why? Maybe I have to tap into my power again, and then I'll feel like I had before. Is that it?" I thought as the light of the moon hung down on me. Just what am I missing?"
Simon asked what was wrong. I told him I didn't know. He asked if I wanted to stop, but I shook my head.
This was only a mere step back. I had to push forward no matter what. If I have to claw my way to the top to deck that blonde bimbo, then fine. No matter what, I needed to get stronger to win. 'I need more power.' The shine in my eyes grew stronger as I brought myself back up. "Let's keep going."
Simon and the blonde soldier nodded, and we continued until exhaustion finally forced me to call it a night.
…
..
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