Translator: CinderTL
Yaoyue Calendar, Year 138, Month of the North Wind.
Golden Valley Kingdom, Blackwater Territory.
Though it was the dead of winter, the blacksmith shop at Baron Forslin's Manor was a hive of activity.
"Boys! Buck up!"
Blacksmith Hawk strode through the bustling crowd, his gruff voice booming like distant thunder.
"The assessment is in three months! If you don't want to pack your bags and go home, you'd better work harder!"
Hearing this, the young apprentices redoubled their efforts.
But their clumsy skills, still far from those of proper blacksmiths, failed to satisfy Hawk.
"Pumping the bellows so slowly? Are you heating bathwater for your grandmother?"
"And you! How many times have I told you? Timing is everything when smelting ore!"
Hawk shook his head in exasperation and continued his rounds.
Suddenly, he stopped, a low grunt escaping his throat.
His gaze fell upon a slender, black-haired youth vigorously pumping the bellows. With each stroke, flames leaped more than a foot high from the furnace.
Sweat beaded on the boy's face in the scorching heat, dripping steadily from his chin, yet his movements remained steady and rhythmic.
The moment the iron ingot shifted from dark red to orange-red, the young man swiftly grabbed the tongs, flipped his wrist, and firmly clamped the glowing ingot. With a practiced turn, he placed it squarely on the anvil.
The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, showing no trace of awkwardness.
"This kid..."
Hawk nodded in satisfaction at the sight, then strode over and clapped the young man hard on the shoulder.
"You're Roland, right? Well done!"
Though just four simple words, they sparked envy and jealousy in the eyes of the surrounding workers.
After all, the notoriously strict Hawk had never praised anyone before.
"You flatter me, Mr. Hawk," Roland said, wiping sweat from his brow with a bashful smile.
Hawk waved dismissively and turned to leave.
Unnoticed, a clear bell suddenly rang out—the signal for the manor servants to gather for their meal.
"Phew..."
Roland exhaled deeply, stretched lazily, picked up a rag, and cleaned up the ore fragments around the furnace before jogging toward the dining area.
Two slices of black bread, a fingernail-sized piece of cheese, and a bowl of vegetable soup of dubious composition awaited him.
In his previous life, Roland would only have considered such meager rations when on the verge of starvation.
But now...
After wolfing down every last morsel, Roland found a quiet corner to sit.
As he mentally recited the command, lines of golden text slowly materialized before his eyes:
Name: Roland
Race: Human
Age: 16
Class: None
Strength: 1
Agility: 0.8
Spirit: 1.2
Skills: Lv. 2 Ore Smelting (169/200), Lv. 2 Bellows Pumping (174/200)
"Looks like these skills will level up again soon."
Indeed, Roland wasn't from this world.
During a late-night overtime shift, everything went dark, and he found himself in this completely unfamiliar realm.
His only companion was the golden interface before him—a cheat engine he had downloaded during his first playthrough of a certain game to experience all its content.
Theoretically, by meeting specific conditions, he could become a transcendent professional in countless classes.
Unfortunately, the cheat engine hadn't yet triggered any prompts related to class advancement.
"If I'd known this thing would come with me, I would have downloaded a more overpowered version!"
Just as Roland was slapping his forehead in frustration, a slightly muffled voice suddenly called out from behind him.
"Roland! I knew I'd find you here!"
He looked up to see a tall, muscular young man approaching at a leisurely pace.
It was Sean, Roland's best friend.
"Sean, shouldn't you be practicing your smithing skills? You know Mr. Hawk scolded you again this morning."
"Don't even mention it!" Sean scratched his curly brown hair, clearly annoyed by Roland's teasing. "I don't have your natural talent. I'll probably have to leave this place soon."
"So what are you planning to do? Inherit your dad's butchering business?"
"Butchering? I'd rather do anything than that boring job! Besides, my dad and Uncle Peyton have been arguing nonstop lately. I can't stand being at home anymore." Sean sighed, his voice dropping to a whisper as if recalling the chaotic scenes at home.
"When I went back last month, my dad told me the demonic beasts in the Black Cedar Forest are getting more aggressive. They've already attacked several villages!"
"That's why Lord Baron had to order Lord Beckham to conscript soldiers to deal with them! With my skills..." He patted his thick bicep, a proud glint in his eyes. "I'm sure I can join Lord Beckham's forces. Maybe I'll even get promoted to knight's squire! Then..."
After a hearty laugh, the tall young man clapped Roland on the shoulder.
"You'll have to bow and greet me properly now!"
"Are the demonic beasts in the Black Cedar Forest really that powerful?" Roland asked, ignoring Sean's teasing and frowning. "Do they actually need knights to be dispatched for their subjugation?"
"Who knows? But no matter how ferocious a demonic beast might be, it's no match for a transcendent professional!" Sean waved dismissively, then shifted the conversation with a concerned tone. "Enough about that. What about you? Are you confident about the assessment in three months?"
"The assessment..." Roland glanced down at his frail frame and shook his head helplessly. Unlike the tall and muscular Sean, he had no fallback plan. His mother had died early, and his critically ill father had even sold their only mud-brick house to scrape together the fees for Roland's apprenticeship.
If he passed the assessment, everything would be fine. Even as an apprentice, a blacksmith serving the nobility enjoyed generous compensation and a status several tiers above ordinary commoners.
But if he failed...
The thought of his desperate situation sent a shiver down Roland's spine.
A transmigrator who dies in poverty? That would be utterly pathetic.
It wasn't that he was being overly anxious; there were dozens of young men vying for apprenticeship, many of them sons of blacksmiths with generations of family tradition behind them.
Yet only one apprenticeship spot was available.
Even with his golden finger, Roland couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty.
"Don't worry too much," Sean said, noticing Roland's silence and trying to reassure him. But before he could finish, Hawk's booming voice echoed from the distance.
"You lazy brats! Stop slacking off and get over here now!"
"Let's go," Roland said, brushing the dust off his pants. He straightened up with a brisk movement, shook his head slightly, and the confusion in his eyes gradually faded.
"No matter what, I'm going to grind these ore smelting and bellows pumping skills to max level first!"
With that thought, Roland grabbed Sean and headed back into the Blacksmith Shop.
Ore Smelting and Bellows Pumping
Though the process was mind-numbingly monotonous, each successful operation brought a golden notification across his vision, fueling Roland's determination despite his panting breaths.
You have successfully pumped the bellows, gaining one experience point.
You have successfully smelted ore, gaining one experience point.
After what felt like an eternity, the unchanging text suddenly shifted.
Bellows Pumping skill has reached max level.
Ore Smelting skill has reached max level.
System detected: You are now eligible to become a Basic Class Blacksmith Apprentice.
Requirements: Strength 1, Agility 0.5, both forging-related skills at maximum level
Do you wish to take the job?
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (KNIGHT:SAB) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c150. [+150k]
🔑Read upto Ch50 for FREE visit 🄲🄸🄽🄳🄴🅁🅃🄻.🄲🄾🄼!
💥Translated (9) Series, (6.1K+) Chapters, (8.8M+) Words.
📚Read [6] ongoing series and [360+] NEW chapters/mo for $9.
🎉 Two New Books Launched
- [I Made a Slight Move and Reached the System's Limit]
- [Hijacking the Timeline]