Blacksmith vs. the System

Even as I watched the two spies disappear into the mist, I didn't interrupt our sparring immediately. I didn't know the reason why they were here, and even though their presence was suspicious, I couldn't simply attack them. And, not just due to ethical reasons.

Information asymmetry was valuable in any circumstance, and had I attacked them, they would have realized that I possessed a way to see through the mist. Every other method I managed to learn about worked similarly to the effect of the trees, dispersing the mist to increase the range of vision, which worked for both sides.

Killing the dungeon bosses was the only method — that I knew of — that expanded the range of vision for the observer only. It was a strategic advantage I was not ready to give up. This meant that I continued to practice even as I wondered who was the target of the cloaked scouts: Me, or Eleanor…

My mind wandered even as I called my System. It was unnecessary, as I knew everything it would show. Still, I needed the confidence it would provide as I prepared to face a potential battle.

[Mana Blacksmith - Level 43]

[Health 1290/1290] [Mana 210/210]

[Vitality 86 / Strength 86 / Dexterity 65 / Essence 21]

[Skills (8/13)

Mana Repair (Epic) - 102 [Advanced Observe]

Mana Forge (Epic) - 107 [Advanced Creative Forging, Mana Control]

Cleansing Meditation (Uncommon) - 139 [Controlled Flow, Superior Sensing, Purification]

Nurture (Epic) - 219

Quake Hammer (Rare) - 200 [Persistent Tremor]

Blade of Retribution (Rare) - 200 [Strike of Retribution]

Breeze Spear (Rare) - 200 [Floating Stride]

Fire Bolt (Basic) - 25

Shoot (Basic) - 25]

My distraction was punished by a ringing sound as the flat of Eleanor's blade slammed against my helmet. "You're getting lost," she warned.

"Sorry, I'm just getting used to the new skill," I said. "Fighting against the monsters is a different experience."

"That's why we have to practice," she responded. "You're lucky that I'm willing to waste my time helping you."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "And, it has nothing to do with the boredom you have accumulated through endless meetings."

She avoided my gaze, and a shy giggle left her mouth. "Anyway, you have improved quite a bit," she said, changing the topic.

"The dungeon is working for me," I responded, suddenly feeling encouraged. "Having access to endless materials is proving to be quite a boon. I came up with a few inventions, including one that allows me to catch if someone gets near," I said.

Technically, it was true. As long as I used a silver-gold alloy, I was able to expand the detection range of my Observe Perk quite a bit.

"Really, can you teach me?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, no," I said. "It requires me to use a perk I had received from the Repair skill, but it's still quite useful. By burying a silver web, I can detect the presence of monsters and people alike."

"Really, you did that through the Repair skill?"

"Yes. Is it a problem?"

"No," she said. "I just never imagined a production skill having combat application." She paused, and sighed deeply. "I can't believe just how big of a misfortune your class is. You're a natural-born warrior. You working as a blacksmith is a waste."

"Don't worry about it, I appreciate the variance," I said even as I walked to the perimeter, and buried a long piece of silver string — which I created in my pocket by manipulating mana. At the same time, I watched Eleanor very carefully, trying to see if she noticed my ability to manipulate mana.

It was a risky test, but with the prospect of an ambush, I wanted to see what I could and couldn't do near her without raising suspicion.

I was tempted to retreat, but after some consideration, I decided against it. I didn't know whether the potential ambush was targeting me or Eleanor, but either way, acting unaware of the potential ambush was the better option than scaring them away.

If I were to fight against these spies, I much rather do that in the depths of the dungeon. Even before I started hunting the dungeon bosses, I had the home-ground advantage in the dungeon thanks to all the buried defensive bulwarks I had prepared for this exact eventuality.

My ability to see through the mist was even more important

"Handy," Eleanor commented once I finished burying the silver string, and returned. Technically, what I buried wasn't enough to catch any interloper, but it was good enough to make my warnings credible if they returned. Even if they didn't return to attack as I feared, I could still warn Eleanor about potential assassins.

I wanted to keep my secrets, but not at the cost of letting Eleanor walk into the blades of a hidden assassin if I could help it. At this point, despite the number of secrets I had to keep from her, Eleanor belonged to the small list of people I could call a friend.

Speaking of friends, I wondered where Rosie was. Her guild was operational, but she was yet to return.

I elected not to ask Eleanor about it, but instead attacked her again, continuing our sparring session. I appreciated it, as even at the peak of the skill, the spar taught me a lot about fighting another human, particularly one that was flat-out better.

As we fought, the situation was interrupted by a sudden rumbling, and at a distance, the same two cloaked agents appeared at the edge of our range of vision once again, drawing a swarm behind them.

"Another stampede," Eleanor gasped as she pulled out of an attack. "Natural or manmade," she said.

"Definitely manmade," I said. "There's two people just at the edge of the swarm," I said.

"Not for long," she said even as she dashed forward to meet with the swarm. I bit my lip, holding back a curse as I followed her. She was as fast as me when I used Fleeting Step to the limit, making me glad I had gone through all that trouble to integrate Floating Stride into my repertoire.

Still, I let Eleanor ditch me before I started following her. "Wait for me, I can't move as fast as you," I shouted.

"Then, you can clean up!" she shouted, her attitude showing that she didn't feel the slightest hint of threat from the ambush.

While I understood where her sense of invincibility came from — I was dealing with a version of it myself — it didn't mean I approved. Especially since the enemy knew about both Eleanor and me being here, but despite that, they attacked.

As Eleanor went forward, the cloaked figure went behind the swarm, mana around them once again making the swarm ignore them. Eleanor burst forward, trying to engage with them. The swarm barely slowed her down, but she still failed to engage with the cloaked figures.

Despite that, the cloaked figures didn't try to ditch Eleanor. Instead, they retreated in a smooth manner, slowly drawing her to a certain location.

It was not something I was willing to allow. I started rushing forward, only for ten figures to appear from the mist. Nine of them were clad in pitch-black armor, while the tenth one was cloaked as well.

The cloaked one, who was clearly some kind of scouting class, directed the rest. I changed my direction slightly to catch up with Eleanor, only for them to cut my path.

I wanted nothing more than to retreat, but I couldn't do that without revealing I had detected their presence. And, at this point, it was not an acceptable sacrifice, so instead, I moved forward, but didn't show my Fleeting Step.

Soon, I found myself face-to-face with the three armored figures. "Get out of my path, or die," I called in faux anger even as the nine armored figures spread out, ready to cut my path. Their formation was enough to reveal what they had been trying to do.

It wasn't a formation designed to surround someone, but to support each other in case I tried to ignore them and push forward. That alone was strong evidence to suggest that they were trying to delay me.

Their armament suggested it as well. Their armor was heavier than I expected, and every single one of them carried shields. Their equipment was identical, making them look like some kind of an assassination squad.

I didn't want to engage with them, but I needed information. So, I rushed forward, and attacked the one at the center of the formation, my sword covered with Vitality. The shield was sturdy enough to resist the blow, giving them a chance to counter-attack if they wished.

It was a risky move, but a necessary one, because, during the brief contact, I managed to use Observe, which gave me a brief, yet accurate snapshot of the shield. I attacked a second one before the first recovered, ready to retreat before they closed around me.

To my surprise, instead of leveraging the opportunity, they stayed spread in their formation, showing their intent to delay me. That alone had granted me a very important piece of information. They didn't want to kill me but wanted to split me and Eleanor up.

I paused for a moment before I attacked the line again, but my intent was more about testing their equipment. It was new, not showing any sign of damage from anything but very brief sparring. No one had touched them since they had been purchased from the System Shop, not even to cast a repair spell — which was something I could distinguish at my current skill level.

They were also thick, heavy, and most importantly, optimized to resist sword attacks. As long as I used a spear or a hammer, I could have easily killed them.

It was purchased to delay a certain guild master who had famously only used swords. They targeted me, and not Eleanor, as Eleanor was too fast to be restricted by them.

Someone had gone through a lot of trouble to set up a unit to delay me. The only question, was whether they were trying to split Eleanor so they could kill me … or the other way around.

Ironically, I found myself desperately wishing that it was the first version, as that was destined to fail. At this moment, I had too many hidden advantages for such an attempt to succeed as long as I stayed in the dungeon.

Eleanor's abilities were not as much of a secret.

I needed to make a decision, and I needed to make it immediately.