Heavy Metal

Rusty strode forward, his armored frame clanking softly as he made his way down the cobbled path toward the merchant district. Gleam perched comfortably on his shoulder with her legs tucked beneath her shiny carapace, her antennae twitching with curiosity. The sun had reached its zenith and swept away all the shadows. The streets buzzed with activity while merchants shouted to attract new customers.

Despite the noise, Rusty kept his eyes fixed on the shop from which he had once been thrown out. He pushed the door open with pride and marched inside, his chest puffed out, his steps broad and exaggerated. It was a theatrical walk that mimicked the strut of wealthy merchants he had observed. Instantly, all eyes turned to him. Just as before, he headed straight for the door that led to the back of the store and knocked.

The door slit opened once again, and the same pair of eyes peered out, narrowing slightly as they recognized him.

"You again?"

The guard grumbled, clearly not expecting to see Rusty back so soon.

"Didn't I tell you…"

Rusty held up his new adventurer card before the man could finish. The D-rank symbol gleamed faintly in the light.

"...Hmph?"

The guard paused and leaned forward, scrutinizing the card with a trained eye before muttering.

"How did you… never mind, wait here."

With a click, the slit closed again. A few seconds passed. Then came the sound of locks turning and a heavier thud as the reinforced door was unbarred. It creaked open, revealing the other part of the store within. The guard, now slightly more respectful, stepped aside and gestured for Rusty to enter.

"You can come in, but remember, if you touch and break any of the items, you have to buy them."

Rusty glanced inside and nodded.

"Sure."

Finally, he stepped inside. Before, he had been turned away, but now, with the help of a small card that signified a touch of prestige, the path lay open to him. He still didn't fully understand why humanoid creatures divided themselves so rigidly, but for now, he had to respect their pecking order. This likely wouldn't be the first or last time he would need to collect credentials to reach more exclusive places. If he intended to use humans to accelerate his progress, he would need to play along with their rules.

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)"

To his surprise, the guard said nothing about his companion relieving herself on his shoulder, which immediately delighted Gleam. She was also quite curious about the items gathered in the shop. The reason was most likely the store motto: if his friend broke anything, he would have to pay for it. It was possible the store owner even counted on this, since selling something a tamed beast happened to knock over would be easy enough.

There weren't only enchanted weapons for fighters but also various other objects, including books filled with magical knowledge and skill books. Unfortunately, they were both monsters, and monsters couldn't gain skills from books, no matter how tempting the pages seemed.

"Make sure to remember all the prices, Aburdon."

"Of course."

Aburdon replied while Rusty began examining each item carefully. Rusty still relied on his guide to remember every price, enchantment level, and material quality, and to match each detail with a value. Once they returned home, he planned to write everything down in a notebook before deciding what to do with his own smithy. Although the idea hadn't seemed worthwhile at first, he realized it would be a waste not to use his item-copying ability to earn a few extra coins. He only needed to make one weapon in order to copy it.

With such a quick way to bypass the crafting process, he could spend most of his time grinding in the dungeon and only dedicate a few hours a day to selling items. He also wanted to improve his smithing skills, and taking on tasks from real customers would give him more practical experience than creating items within the soul forge. He was still inexperienced and unsure of what people actually wanted, something he would only discover once his shop opened.

"Now let's see what we have here, which enchantments have the most mana on them?"

The first time he visited this store, he had only managed to catch a glimpse of what was inside. Most of the items were kept behind glass cases, each accompanied by a detailed description explaining what it was and which enchantments were etched into it. Rusty also had his mana sense skill, and with it, identifying the items carrying the highest mana concentration was relatively easy.

The items with the strongest mana signatures usually held the most powerful enchantments. He soon began browsing the displays. The first weapon he came across was a case filled with swords. They were all identical in shape and carried the same enchantment.

"Sharpness Enchantment?"

"More like the lesser sharpness enchantment. Who even buys these failed products?" Aburdon remarked as Rusty examined the five swords lying side by side. Rusty wasn't sure what his guide was complaining about, but then Alexander spoke up as well.

"The person who made these wasn't very skilled. Some of the etchings are uneven. And they're charging an entire gold coin for one of these?"

The price did seem steep. From what Rusty understood, this enchantment simply sharpened the blade and enhanced its cutting efficiency. Mana would fill certain gaps in the steel and smooth them out during use, but the effect wouldn't last long and wouldn't strengthen the blade itself. Still, some monsters were highly resistant to physical attacks, and even a low-level sharpness enchantment like this could mean the difference between life and death.

"If the craftsman wasn't very skilled, could I make it too?"

Rusty studied the patterns on the sword using his mana sense. Ordinary people wouldn't be able to clearly see the magic circles that had been etched into the blade, but he could.

"If you can remember what the enchantment looks like, then in theory you should be able to copy it. It won't be easy, though. First, you'd need to replicate it exactly. Do you think you can manage that?"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Alexander asked while Rusty leaned in closer to the glass case containing the swords. All of them had the same enchantment, but the placement of the patterns wasn't consistent. In theory, that meant he was seeing the full enchantment spread across the different blades. Still, retaining all that information and replicating it later in his own smithy would be difficult.

"Hmm… I don't think I can, but could you two do it and then explain it to me later?"

He directed the question to both of his guides. He knew Aburdon had a photographic memory, and Alexander had once been a master craftsman. If the two of them worked with him, they could help him copy not only this sharpness enchantment but also all the others that were being sold in the store.

"I can, but I'm not sure if our little hero is up to the challenge."

Aburdon mocked Alexander slightly, but Alexander wasn't impressed by the shallow attempt to provoke him. He responded in a similar tone.

"If our little demon lord can draw a schematic of the magic circles involved, I should be able to convert it into a proper enchantment diagram."

"That's great. Can you see it like this, or should I lean closer?"

"..."

"Are you interested in one of the swords, good sir?"

As Rusty leaned closer to the glass case, a man approached him. He wasn't one of the guards; instead, he looked like a merchant or perhaps an appraiser. He wore a tailored vest with gold trim and large square-shaped glasses. His smile was polite, but Rusty sensed it wasn't genuine.

"I was just admiring the enchantments. Do you have more of these, and could I see them up close?"

This seemed like a good opportunity. Glancing at the weapons through the case was impractical; it was much easier to assess them when holding the item directly. The merchant gave Rusty a curious look. It was clear he wasn't used to adventurers taking such a deep interest in the enchantments themselves, since most cared only about power or price. Still, he was a businessman first, and a potential sale was a potential sale.

"Of course, sir."

The merchant said smoothly.

"These are from our entry-tier enchanted line, but if you're looking for something more refined, I can show you the masterwork selection nearby."

"Masterwork? Of course, let me see them!"

The man's eyes glistened when he heard Rusty raise his voice in apparent enthusiasm. He quickly led him to another display case, which he opened with a key. From within, he took out a one-handed mace and began to speak.

"This is called an Impact Mace. It's one of our best products."

Rusty examined the weapon and immediately noticed that the mana around it was slightly denser, but not by much. Just as he expected, his guides spoke up.

"Don't be fooled, Rusty. This enchantment isn't much better than the other one. This is no masterwork. It's just a lesser impact enchantment. "

It was obvious that the merchant was exaggerating the quality of the item. But Rusty wasn't here to make a purchase. He was only testing the stock of his competitors. He didn't even have enough money to buy a small enchanted dagger.

"Can I hold it?"

"Of course, dear customer. Please try it out, but do be careful."

Rusty took the mace in his hand, weighing it slowly. The balance was decent, but it wasn't much better than what he could craft himself. Rather than swinging it around, he inspected it from every angle. Then, to the surprise of the merchant, he simply handed it back.

"Did you get it?"

"Do you have to ask?"

"Good!"

Rusty replied to Aburdon and then looked at the merchant, a glint appearing in his visor.

"Could I see some more of these 'masterworks'?"

He asked calmly, and although the man looked slightly confused, he didn't seem discouraged. With a polite nod, he returned the mace to the display case and moved on to the next item, which was a larger sword with a different enchantment.

"This great sword has a lightning enchantment. It's one of our best-selling weapons and works very well against the monsters inside the dungeon!"

"Oh!"

Rusty pretended to be impressed and examined the sword. Aquatic monsters were usually weak to lightning elemental damage. Although this enchantment countered his own abilities, he had already taken precautions to protect his core from electrical attacks. He probably wouldn't need or use the sword himself, but that didn't stop him from planning to replicate the enchantment and sell it back at his own smithy. To his knowledge, this was a much simpler version of the enchantment he had placed on his halberd and possibly simple enough for him to replicate.

"This is good."

"I knew you had a sharp eye, sir. Would you like me to-"

Before the man could finish his sentence, Rusty shoved the sword back into his hands and interrupted.

"Let me see the next one."

The man's eyebrows twitched. It was clear that he was starting to grow irritated, but he refused to let it show. He straightened up quickly, regained his composure, and changed his approach. He pointed toward a shield hanging on the wall.

"This shield comes equipped with a mana barrier enchantment..."

"This is great, I could use a mana barrier enchantment!"

"You could? Then?"

"Yes! Let me see the next one!"

"..."

This is how the next hour went by for Rusty. The merchant's patience wore thinner with each passing minute. By the time Rusty finished inspecting a twelfth item without showing the faintest sign of purchasing anything, the man's smile had morphed into a menacing frown. Gleam, on the other hand, was utterly delighted. She wiggled her antennae every time a new item was revealed, her eyes glowing with innocent curiosity.

"That's enough!"

"Huh? But the next ite-"

"No more items. If you're not going to buy anything, then get out!"

Finally, the man lost it. Rusty tilted his helmet, pretending to be confused. He had managed to examine a good amount of enchantments, but there were still some left to be seen.

"But I thought you said I could see them all."

"That was before I realized you were wasting my time."

The merchant snapped, his voice strained.

"This is a business, not a museum for broke adventurers. Do you even have enough money to buy a single item?"

The man glanced at the satchel strapped to Rusty's side. It was clear this was as far as Rusty could go. There wasn't enough money in the bag to convince the merchant otherwise.

"I... I don't need to take this from you!"

Rusty was no longer a newborn. Instead of apologizing for his deception, he chose to do what the humanoids often did. He lied and doubled down. He acted offended and stormed out of the store. Rusty shoved the door open with more force than necessary, drawing the attention of a few customers loitering near the entrance. Gleam let out a chirping whine in protest as she was jostled on his shoulder, but Rusty didn't slow down. His armored feet clanked as he stomped back into the bustling streets.

"Haha, not bad, Rusty. I see you're starting to learn."

Aburdon was elated to see Rusty behaving this way. The man trying to sell him items wore a surprised expression but ultimately said nothing about his behavior.

"That went better than expected... I should go to all the other stores now!"

"Are you sure, Rusty? I think we have enough information for now."

Alexander commented, but Rusty didn't listen. He marched off to another store and used the same tactic wherever he found enchanted items. At first, it worked again. However, the longer he kept it up, the angrier the merchants became. Eventually, he was kicked out of one shop after another until there were no more stores left for him.

As Rusty emerged from the final store, a large boot print was on the back of his armor, courtesy of the last furious shopkeeper. His notoriety had grown in the small city, but he had achieved what he came for. Armed with this information, he returned home. Now he could finally create his plan to take over the city.

According to his guides, the quality of local weaponry was not very high. That meant establishing himself as a powerful magical blacksmith might not be as difficult as he had first imagined.