I Entered a Gacha Game That Had Been Abandoned for 10 Years

20 – Layer 1 (1)

Those who held the profession of blacksmith, while not everyone, tended to have a sharp temperament. The reason lay not only in the demanding nature of the blacksmith’s work but also in the fact that the profession required perfection in every step of the manufacturing process.

Objects crafted in the blacksmith’s forge, dealing primarily with iron and fire, faced immediate challenges if even a minor mistake occurred. Whether a small accident or a single mistake rendering an item useless after long hours of hammering and shaping iron.

Therefore, the temperament of blacksmiths was inherently sharp, and the same applied to the blacksmith who had come from the Sertova region and was currently employed as a leader in the Lartania Forge.

“Tsk-“

He sighed subtly, casting an indifferent look at the Lord of Lartania, who was inspecting the forge with an approving expression.

Ralph had already speculated on why Kim Hyun-woo had visited the forge.

“Probably about the production volume.”

Ralph anticipated that the Lord would likely criticize him for the low production volume. Following that, the Lord would suggest absurd solutions, and the administrative staff accompanying him would applaud, making the Lord feel accomplished, as Ralph had witnessed with previous Lords.

Therefore, Ralph was carefully considering what to say to the Lord before he started discussing the issues related to production.

The forge was currently understaffed. Although there were undoubtedly good materials available, skilled blacksmiths to handle the iron were in short supply.

Ralph was well aware of the problems at hand, but he was choosing his words carefully because whatever he said, the Lord’s response was predictable.

The Lord would likely dismiss detailed discussions of the current issues with the forge, saying something like, ‘Not enough manpower? Then why not bring in more labor from the territory?’ Such empty words.

Putting someone without any experience into the task of hammering and crafting weapons or armor was meaningless.

However, the Lords often regarded the blacksmith’s profession as something akin to menial labor, and they casually uttered such statements in front of Ralph.

Ralph disliked hearing those words.

Of course, he understood the perspective of the employer, and having left his previous forge with nothing after spending all his money to establish it, he recognized the stroke of luck in being able to work here.

Even if he was skilled to a certain extent, it was certain that there would be no place for him to work outside the Laritania domain, as blacksmiths had already established themselves elsewhere.

However, for him, who took pride in being a blacksmith, he wanted to avoid hearing himself being belittled even if he was referred to as an employee.

But.

“Remarkable.”

The first words from the lord’s mouth were quite different from Ralph’s expectations.

“…Excuse me?”

“You are impressive. It seems that all the equipment in the blacksmithy is being properly managed right now. Moreover, achieving this level of efficiency with just around ten personnel must be because the blacksmiths are working hard.”

Surveying the surroundings seriously and then turning his gaze around, the lord, as if impressed, began to speak.

“That, arranging the equipment arbitrarily to increase production, is it? Certainly, operating in that way allows everyone to work together, which is an advantage. However, the difficulty would increase – considering the production, it seems the blacksmiths are quite skilled.”

“You are also putting effort into the smelting process, using a mixture of Polo’s powder and soil, aren’t you? Indeed, doing it that way can produce a purer form of iron.”

“Even the annealing process-“

With each word flowing from the lord’s mouth, Ralph’s eyes, initially filled with irritation, gradually transformed into a mix of astonishment and admiration.

The reason was that everything the lord said was not just superficial flattery.

Thus, Ralph found himself asking a question without realizing it.

“Um, my lord, have you ever dealt with iron before?”

In response, Kim Hyun-woo extended a clean hand without calluses and spoke.

“That’s unlikely. I wasn’t fit to be a blacksmith from the beginning. After all, doesn’t a blacksmith require endurance, physical strength, and perseverance?”

Lacking in perseverance to be a blacksmith, Kim Hyun-woo briefly explained. Following this, Ralph continued with another question.

“But how do you know so much about handling iron?”

“Am I not the lord? I need to know how hard the people working for me are working. Also, I need to have the insight to see how diligently they are working.”

“…”

In response to the lord’s words, Ralph looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Upon reflection, he had rarely received recognition while working as a blacksmith.

Even though he was undoubtedly a skilled blacksmith, he was not the century’s master sought by all lords of the territories.

Therefore, receiving recognition from a superior for the first time in decades.

“I’ll count on you in the future as well.”

‘This lord, something is different.’

Ralph vaguely realized that the lord of Laritania was different from the lords he had seen so far.

####

Recently, Elena’s days were filled with a rather tiring routine.

Waking up in the morning to train, practicing after lunch, and training again after dinner—every day seemed no different from the five years ago when she immersed herself in training as if she were obsessed with shining.

Looking back, Elena from five years ago always carried fatigue and irritation on her face.

The intense training brought fatigue, and the constant effort without visible improvement created negative thoughts.

However, unmistakably similar to five years ago, perhaps even more time invested in training, Elena’s face was not marked with fatigue and irritation but adorned with a smile.

The reason was that Elena herself felt she was growing.

Unlike five years ago when she seemed to be struggling in a swamp, she was rapidly progressing, noticeable even to herself.

Since the Lord did something for her, the proficiency of the once awkward axe, now wielded by Elena, improved visibly with each training session.

Her axe, swung by her hands, was becoming precise enough to hit the target accurately in any situation.

Not only that, but her body movements were becoming more agile and flexible every day.

Actions that were impossible before were now achievable, and Elena, who once had a somewhat stiff but not flexible body, could now perform acrobatics to some extent, giving her a sense of accomplishment.

The sense of accomplishment from her own growth and the confidence that she was taking another step forward.

As a result, Elena found joy in each passing day.

For her, who had not received any reward despite her efforts, receiving rewards for her hard work was sweeter than any fruit.

Moreover, Elena genuinely felt grateful to the Lord for this.

“Surely the Lord must have done something for me.”

Elena recalled her Lord.

The one who acquired her, a so-called fallen hero, a week ago, and awakened talents she herself was unaware of.

Indeed, as the Lord said, she had talent with the axe.

However, at the same time, Elena was aware.

Just having talent would not lead to such incredible growth that she could feel herself changing day by day.

…Of course, Kim Hyun-woo, on the first day, gave Elena a potion of proficiency to boost her confidence, but he took no other measures.

In other words, Elena’s rapid growth day by day was solely due to Elena’s ‘innate’ talent, although she had no way of knowing that, and she sincerely felt gratitude to the Lord.

If it weren’t for him, Elena could never have had this experience in her lifetime.

“After becoming stronger, I must repay this favor.”

Thinking about the Lord who continued to provide the opportunity to train even after recruiting her, Elena smiled gently.

Soon, at a nearby tavern to grab a simple meal since there was no restaurant nearby—

“The Lord is quite a mysterious person.”

“…?”

Elena, who was surprised to see Ralph talking about the Lord in the tavern, knew a fair amount about Ralph for a reason.

“Master Ralph.”

As she knew it, Ralph was a thriving blacksmith in the Sertova region.

There was arguably no better blacksmith in the neighboring regions near Sertova, and one could even say that he surpassed the artisans of the Norba Kingdom, excluding their signature techniques. In fact, he possessed skills not significantly different from those of the renowned artisans of the Norba Kingdom once you set aside their signature techniques.

That’s why adventurers, heroes, and mercenaries operating in the vicinity would wait for over half a year to purchase weapons crafted by him.

Even the weapon Elena used previously was crafted by him.

However, what surprised her was not Ralph himself but what he said.

As far as she knew, Ralph was deeply proud of his profession, and as a blacksmith, he rarely acknowledged or praised anyone easily, maintaining a high level of pride. Rumors even circulated in the taverns near Sertova that he regularly cursed the lord subtly, and Elena had heard Ralph gossiping about the lord.

“… I don’t know how he made it, but that blue flame is also useful.”

So, seeing Ralph not insulting the lord but instead making statements that seemed to acknowledge him, she couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Lord, you are truly versatile.”

In response to Ralph’s continuing words, Elena expressed admiration for the lord who had gained recognition from the blacksmith.

####

※ Blue Flame Package Applied. Refining time is reduced! [29 days remaining]

Blacksmith.

Personnel: 13 / 150

Efficiency Ratio: 50% (Efficiency is reduced due to a shortage of specialized personnel!)

Production Status.

Iron Bars / In production. [Daily production quantity / 6 pieces]

Helmet / In production. [Daily production quantity / 6 pieces]

Lightweight Armor / In production. [Daily production quantity / 6 pieces]

—-

[Impressive.]

“What is?”

When Kim Hyunwoo responded to Loria’s question, who was looking satisfied at the information screen, she continued.

[The Blue Flame Package can only increase efficiency by 15%, but didn’t the lord pamper the blacksmiths and raise efficiency up to 50%?]

Kim Hyunwoo shrugged at Loria’s words.

‘Honestly, I didn’t think it would rise this much.’

Kim Hyun-woo praised the blacksmiths at the forge until his mouth was dry for a reason: he knew that efficiency changed according to the morale of the blacksmith.

“I’ll make the Executioner’s Cash to gift to the hero in Arteil without spending a single cent. The experience of tirelessly running the forge here without spending cash items requested by heroes in the past will be helpful…”

Having played the forge mini-games hundreds, if not thousands, of times to create cash items demanded by heroes without spending money, Kim Hyun-woo could praise the blacksmiths with that knowledge.

Thanks to the detailed explanations that came out all day long in the thousands of mini-games, he could find and praise the blacksmiths down to the smallest details, increasing efficiency.

However, there was one question.

“He didn’t seem to like it that much.”

When Kim Hyun-woo went to the forge, he had seen Ralph’s stats.

“Now he hasn’t grown properly, but if he grows, at least a master, and if raised well, talent that could surpass a signature.”

A “master” referred to a blacksmith who could create weapons with more value than farming in the labyrinth, and such blacksmiths were rare.

Even Kim Hyun-woo, who had seen Ralph’s stats for the first time, was surprised.

“Originally, blacksmiths just randomly came in and I wasn’t paying much attention.”

Since Kim Hyun-woo, who didn’t expect much due to his generally bad luck, felt like he had unexpectedly hit the jackpot when he saw Ralph.

“Hmm…”

Anyway, the main point was that he must have been quite praised around here, and Ralph’s reaction was not very noticeable. Therefore, Kim Hyun-woo thought that efficiency would not increase much.

Nevertheless, Kim Hyun-woo, who felt a sense of doubt, soon shrugged his shoulders.

Anyway, as long as the efficiency within the guild increased, there was no particular dissatisfaction.

So.

“I’ll gradually grow Ralph, and now that it’s about time, combining what I’ve already produced should be enough to start in earnest.”

He decided to look forward to the labyrinth exploration that would take place in two weeks.

And so, two weeks later.

The day of the labyrinth exploration arrived.

####

And at the moment when Kim Hyun-woo was about to start attacking the first floor in earnest.

“It’s okay, it’ll be okay – because there’s only one, just one. Just one-“

The absolute being of darkness muttered alone.

“I, too, if only one more is gathered now, it will be possible to go.”

“If you wait a little longer-“

“…It will be possible to go.”

With gloomy eyes.

“Just a little bit more.”

Quietly.