Supreme Swordfiend

Used to being alone when checking his status, Leon ignored his discomfort, pulling up his available choices.

Not yet locking in his choice to reclass, Leon instead focused on the Job field, the System pulling up his options as he did so.

"Job selection option confirmed, displaying options:

[Starter- Apprentice Smith]- You know how to swing a hammer at least. Keep learning from your master for now."

[Common- Manasmith]- Eschewing the well-trodden path of metallurgy, the [Manasmith] instead forges their material based on intent. Their weaknesses lie in the unstable nature of such creations, leaving them powerful, yet brittle and the smith faces a constant need to source pliable material.

[Uncommon- Coresmith]- Taking the lessons of a Manasmith and applying them to forging a core yields benefits and drawbacks. The [Coresmith] surrenders all control over the shape of their work, in exchange their creations are notably more stable than their unorthodox methods should allow for. Limited even further by the quality of their materials."

Leon's progression laid bare to see, the results of a week of training amounting to a mere Uncommon Job.

Layla had not yet returned to forging, so Leon took the opportunity to get her input.

"I'm supposed to take Coresmith right? Any way we can get me a Rare Job instead?"

A snort of amusement followed his words.

"No. Master said this Job would serve you best in the Tutorial. Don't worry too much, Jobs don't work the same way Classes do."

Accepting the familiar blunt refusal to properly explain things, Leon took the Coresmith Job.

"Your Job is now [Coresmith]! Access to Job Market unlocked! Access the Job Market by saying 'Market'!"

No rush of mana assailed Leon, no sudden blackout.

A swirling portal opened behind Layla, the woman scowling at its appearance, packing her gear as she spoke.

"They're pulling me out now you have a Job. I'm sorry I couldn't teach you in a normal way apprentice, but Master didn't want you learning any bad habits from me. Keep yourself under control, keep your endless drive to improve. Work hard. We'll meet again."

Leon didn't have the chance to wish her well, the woman vanishing through the portal.

His experiences with her could be best described as a mixed bag, his beatdown at her hands aside.

She'd been deliberately vague with her explanations, yet clear in her instruction. Leon might not have known the reason she asked things of him, yet he followed her instructions regardless.

Trust, that the apprentice of the only other surviving Swordfiend would not steer him wrong.

Notably, she'd left the anvil and hammer Leon used behind.

He settled on gratitude towards his teacher. She'd done her duty and now Leon had another arrow in his quiver.

Silent and Scream came with a pair of scabbards, dark metal made to look like rock. Unassuming, boring nearly, yet underestimating these swords would prove fatal.

Belting the swords to his waist, Leon returned the Sunlight Greatsword to his storage ring. The blade had served him well, far better than he had expected.

Until the day came to study its enchantments he would leave it within his ring, alongside the remains of Bladeless.

A smith, not yet a blacksmith, Leon's non-existent knowledge of metals precluded him from the next tier on the craftsman ladder and prevented him from attempting to repair his broken blade.

While he could select his next Class, his intuition held him back.

Developing his own dual scimitar style might open up greater options for his next Class.

Besides, there were no enemies in the woods. Leon had time to prepare, to really refine his skillset before continuing.

One more week. Then he'd mop up everything of value left.

He needed to meet with the mages in the next few days, have them give input on developing a mana circuit for his new style.

Right now, he would investigate the market.

"Displaying [Coresmith] Market at access tier one.

Available items:

Cores

Forging Equipment

Instructional Material"

Cores proved self-explanatory, the market interface providing rows and rows of cores available for purchase, the item listings merely being names alongside prices.

The interface only seemed to provide cores Leon could recognise, which seemed improbable. Perhaps while within the Tutorial his access to the open market remained restricted?

More than a few Infernal Rex and Creeping Death Spinosaurus cores were featured, though the bulk were cheaper common cores.

A single Woods Tyrant core appeared at the top of the listings for a scant few seconds before vanishing. No doubt a highly desired good.

All prices dealt in a single currency- credits.

Internally lambasting the uninspired name, Leon noted his total credits positioned beside his name in the top right-hand corner of the market interface.

Zero.

Pointedly ignoring the System marking him as a pauper, Leon examined the other two categories he'd been so graciously allowed to peruse.

Forging Equipment carried an assortment of anvils and hammers, the selection far more limited than cores had been.

The prices reflected the scarcity, a decent anvil that carried a 'Weak Quality Improvement' enchantment set at a six-figure price.

Leon silently prayed that individual credits were akin to yen or won rather than dollars or sterling.

The least populous category, Instructional Material, featured four books.

"A Practical Guide To Coresmithing"

"He Who Smiths Cores"

"The Primal Coresmith- Defiance Of Metal"

"Using Mana- For Dummies!"

Leon could sympathise with the one who'd listed the last book, he'd long forgotten where he'd thrown his own copy. The other three titles intrigued him, their low cost tempting him.

With two items scratched off the list, the time had come to re-organise his priorities.

First, a new style. One that incorporated everything he'd learned, the new backbone for his combat approach.

Second, imparting and learning in equal measure- he'd gather all the weapon wielders, take a cue from the mages in camp and work together with the others to see what they could improve on.

Third- forging.

He'd use every damn core he had and push his new skill as far as it would go.

Lastly, making money. Thumbing his blade's hilt idly answered that question for him, a pop-up overlaying itself on the market screen.

"Silent and Scream. Estimated valuation- 1 Credit. List item?"

Swiping the notification away, Leon put the pieces together.

Whatever he made he could sell. That restriction only made sense. The System would want to incentivise growth.

Your Job limited which markets you could access- no doubt a Merchant Job line had access to everything.

Access tiers filtered what you could buy- likely designed to stop lower Grades buying high-Grade items.

Checking his status revealed another interesting piece of the puzzle.

His Job had no level.

An entirely separate system of progression, one that only cared about the value you could create rather than the number of lives you could end.

A currency backed by an omniscient and omnipotent machine god, likely the only currency that would be universally useful across the Myriad Worlds.

The two progression paths would be linked, no doubt certain treasures or resources were required to improve yourself as you grew stronger- things that only money could buy.

The low valuation of his new blades only made sense then- they were soul bound, useless in anyone's hands but his.

His assumptions might not be totally accurate, but Leon felt he was on the right track, he'd check with Zerasos at some point.

Bringing a weaker core from within his ring, Leon tore another wound in his palm, sinking into a velociraptor's vision.

Shallower, less clear that the Woods Tyrant. Scattered recollections, ending with the raptor leaping toward a huge blade that cut it apart. A single path.

A dagger, small and straight.

Latching on Leon marshalled his remaining mana and began working his way through the cores.

Evening fell and a small pile of gear lay behind Leon.

With breaks to restore his mana, he'd been able to track exactly how much he needed for each item.

Roughly one hundred points, though he'd only worked on lesser cores.

The fruits of his labour had all borne mere Self-Repair enchantments.

One axe, a cuirass, a pair of greaves, a pair of boots, two spears and four daggers.

They shared a style, the grips of the weapons' wrapped in light grey scaled skin, the leather armour made featuring the same scales. Hard enough to block a weak blow, they would serve whoever wore them well, their value lying in their light nature.

Worth only a few credits each, the daggers worth ten apiece were the most valuable of the bunch.

He'd offer the loot to anyone who wanted it at dinner- anything not taken would be sold.

Gathering his bounty, Leon cleared a section of the table, pulling out a seat made of the same wood once done.

William soon arrived, soaked in sweat, taking his place to Leon's right.

"Kong Xia pushing you hard?"

Training in close quarters with that noble swordsman would sharpen William quickly- Leon had suggested it and both men had agreed.

William's favoured meal, a hearty curry, vanished alongside a few errant bruises.

"Angela- he's training with Guillaume today, Kong said he needed to test the might of a katar. If I see her shield flying at my face again I'm gonna have a panic attack."

Choking on his steak, Leon drained a goblet of water to clear his throat.

"You tried dodging?"

"Geez boss, you know, I didn't think of that, thanks! Any other insightful comments for me?"

Sagely nodding Leon dispensed the greatest of wisdom.

"Yes. Stick 'em with the pointy end."

William's bluster died as he was cut off by the arrival of the others, more than a little blood staining Kong Xia's robe.

"I learned this wisdom well today- Guillaume fights with little regard for his life. Leon Knox, it appears you have succeeded. Congratulations."

A wave of dark mana expunged the worst of the stains, Kong Xia pulling a bowl of noodles towards himself while Leon replied.

"Indeed. A week's work finally validated. Take whatever you desire. The rest I'll dispose of."

Reaching to thumb a dagger, William flipped the blade from hand to hand before setting it back.

"Weight is all off- they won't work for my style."

Narrowing his eyes at the light armour William wore gave Leon an idea.

"Take the armour then."

"Nah, I'm used to my-"

"Take it, William. You'll need all the protection you can get."

Grumbling the Arcane Trickster retreated from the table, strapping on the armour a short distance away.

By the time the rest of the had trickled in William had succeeded in failing to put on the cuirass.

"How on Earth did you manage to put it on backwards again? Come here let me help."

"No boss, I'm good, really, I've got this."

He'd put it on the right way around both times, but telling him that wouldn't have been any fun.

"See you're thinking of it like a shirt, stop looking for the label and twist it round. See there you go, now you have it!"

Looking inordinately proud, William took his seat once more as Leon announced his intentions, a handful of conversations dying off.

"Sorry to interrupt, this'll only take a moment. I'm going to be working on something tomorrow, I'll need a little of everyone's time. Anyone too busy to help let me know now."

Predictably, no one objected.

"Great. William, you'll follow me tomorrow. The gear you see on the table is all free to a good home- whatever is left I'll toss so don't be shy."

Mikael claimed a knife, citing a need to 'keep an ace up his sleeve'. Ironic, since he'd ripped the sleeves off his only shirt.

Angela took one of the spears, Leon approving silently. Sword and board was a classic, but spear and shield trumped it in his opinion, the combination of reach and defence too strong to pass up.

Only after the rest departed, stomachs full did Leon own up to his jape.

"William."

"Yeah, boss?"

"You had it on right the first time. Fix your armour, you look ridiculous."

William's cursing faded as Leon made his way to his meditation cliff, dark clouds billowing overhead.

A brewing storm, soon to break.