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Chapter 7: First, Making Tools 2
It’s the morning after I finished refining all the mined ores. I plan on making tools today, starting with a pickaxe and shovel for mining, an axe for lumbering, then a pot, a kitchen knife, and a utility knife afterwards.
「Then, should I start with steel?」
Mixing a small amount of carbon with the iron ingot, I produced several kinds of alloys. Just this much had exhausted my magic power, so I rested for two hours. But maybe because I experienced magic power depletion numerous times and had gotten used to it, I didn’t lose consciousness like the first time.
Upon recovering my magic power, I modified the steel using the Smithing magic, Craft. It seems I can modify the metal using Earth attribute magic too, but the cost of magic power when using Smithing magic is definitely lower. I am able to shape with just a little bit of magic power.
I’ll first make the pickaxe, then the shovel, and lastly, the axe.
While making these, I expect that my Smith Job and Smithing Skill levels to rise. For the axe that was last, I raised my Job level and Skill level as much as I could to make the iron stick to the core, and make the exterior more solid.
But since my Job level passed 30, it became much harder to raise even though I was doing the same routine. Nevertheless, by the time I finished the axe, it passed 40, so I actually really feel that I had been given favorable treatment.
Various items such as a hammer and nails, a crowbar, a chisel, a kitchen knife were made.
「I couldn’t have made these this fast without magic, huh.」
When the skill level goes up, so does the manufacturing speed. It reached the point where I am easily able to make minute adjustments to the form and composition of the item.
This is an unreasonable speed even for the blacksmiths of this world, and in addition to my Smith and Alchemy skills, I also possess Earth attribute magic, so I imagine I could substitute the whole metal tempering process with magic.
Differing from the blacksmiths in this world, I think my implementation of magic into the construction of martensite[1] in the forged blade is heresy in this world.
After I finished making a pot, ladle, and silverware, the interior of my house had already dimmed.
A uniform rhythmic sound of striking metal was audible.
「Takumi, when forging magic iron and steel, it’s crucial that you continuously charge magic power while hammering.」
The day after I made my tools, I went to Bobon-san’s workshop.
The reason for this is so I could be taught how to handle magic iron since there was no magic power in Earth.
This, too, was welcomed by Bobon-san.
The truth is, Bobon-san is a person who had very little magic power, so he has to expend it over several days to forge magic iron.
Ordinary people that doesn’t have a magic Job seldom fight, so since they have few chances to raise their level, they don’t even have 100 magic power. Bobon-san himself has around 50.
So my request to be taught about magic iron is more than I could hope to ask for from Bobon-san.
The thing I have to be careful about when forging magic metals is the magic power I put into it while striking it. When a blacksmith puts in magic power while forging, the metal to shape becomes extremely pliable. Making alloy becomes easier with Smithing magic’s Craft and Sharpen, and Alchemy.
Kan! Kan! Kan!
I swung the magic power charged hammer at the spots Bobon-san pointed at with a mallet.
When I forge magic iron, I don’t actually need a furnace, an anvil, and a hammer, but since I found my Smithing skill and Blacksmith level difficult to raise today, I smithed manually.
I had no problem swinging the heavy hammer with the passive skill I learned, Superhuman Strength.
Bobon-san shaped it with a mallet and placed it in the well-regulated furnace.
「Alright! Takumi! Raise the temperature by heating it with Fire magic! I will check! Look at the color closely!」
I used appraisal to check its detailed condition as I watched the magic steel in the furnace intently.
「Okay! Now!」
Jyuuuu—-!!
Bobon-san quenched the item he took out.
It’s a short sword of magic steel with a tinge of black.
「It’s awfully beautiful. But is it really alright for me to have it?」
「Yeah, magic iron is too much for me. Also, Takumi, you carried the ore for me, so I’m satisfied.」
「Thank you very much.」
「That short sword is the best among what I’ve made. By all rights, with two at the minimum, a sword of that class can be granted two or three, abilities, however, as Takumi already knows, I am bad at magic, so enchanting is impossible.」
「Enchant?」
「Yeah, magic stones and magic crystals are catalysts that can grant abilities and increase the strength of the sword.」
Enchant seems to be a magic skill of a job called Magic Bestower. As for the skill, there is one called Magic Bestowal Skill, and that only when a Mage that uses an attribute magic reaches a certain level could he attain that job. This is what Bobon-san taught me. [2]
「You can ask for the details in the Magician’s Guild in a town. It’s probably ridiculously expensive, but they should be selling a spell book on magic bestowal.」
I wanted to see a spell book, even just once.
I used Alchemy without training camp either, but even if I did go to training camp, I would be training the same way, just inserting magic power many times over. It’s sometimes convenient working in large quantities.
「Now then, watch carefully as I sharpen it by hand this time. The image is important when you use the Smithing magic, Sharpen.」
Saying so, Bobon-san sharpened the magic steel short sword with a rough grind → medium sharpening → finishing polish, using several kinds of whetstones.
Making the handle and guard, Bobon-san told me to swing the short sword.
「Swing it to try out the balance.」
「I don’t have the Swordplay skill.」
「It doesn’t matter so hurry up and swing.」
Doing as I was told, I reluctantly swung the sword in front of Bobon-san.
「Un, not bad. Okay, it will be complete after the scabbard is made. Takumi, you will help.」
Because it is precious, I reinforced the tip of the scabbard with silver while trying to adorn it at the same time.
〈The 「Metalworking」 skill has been obtained〉
〈The 「Earth Attribute Magic」 skill has leveled up〉
〈The 「Magic Power Manipulation」 skill has leveled up〉
Status
Name: Takumi Iruma
Race: Human
Age: 15 years old
Job: Alchemist Lv 33, Blacksmith Lv 40
Level : 3
Condition: Healthy
Vitality: 150
Magic Power: 180
Strength: 64
Agility:
40Stamina: 75
Dexterity: 72
Intelligence: 80
Unique Skills:
Appraisal EX
Item Box EX (Concealed)
Passive Skills:
Superhuman Strength Lv 1
Active Skills:
Spear Handling Lv 3
Axe Technique Lv 2
Enemy Search Lv 1
Presence Detection Lv 1
Magic Perception Lv 2
Magic Power Manipulation Lv 5
Light Attribute Magic Lv 1
Fire Attribute Magic Lv 2
Water Attribute Magic Lv 1
Wind Attribute Magic Lv 1
Earth Attribute Magic LV 5
Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1
Alchemy Lv 4
Smithing Lv 5
Woodworking Lv 3
Carpentry Lv 3
Foraging Lv 2
Logging Lv 2
Dismantling Lv 1
Mining Lv 3
Metalworking Lv 2
Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed)
Confirming my status, both the level and skills of Blacksmith are already on par with an average blacksmith. I’m aiming for Alchemist and yet…… I don’t get it.
Since there are no monsters to hunt, my level doesn’t rise, but maybe because it was influenced by the manual labor and abuse of magic power I’ve done lately, my status improved a bit.
***
Footnotes:
Martensite – formed in carbon steels by the rapid cooling (quenching) of the austenite form of the iron at such a high rate that carbon atoms do not have time to diffuse out of the crystal structure in large enough quantities to form cementite (source: Wiki). If I understand correctly, it’s what strengthens the steel.I believe that Magic Bestower’s (付与魔法市) was a typo of (付与魔法師) and I’m a bit confused between Magic Bestowal (付与魔法) and Enchant (エンチャント).Though it does look like it can be used interchangeably(?).
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