Cultivation Through Artifacts

Khal watched the smithery in the distance and frowned. He knew about blacksmiths from his previous life from books and movies, but he never saw one truly in person; in his opinion that was quite a hell of a job and he didn't really want to try it even if they pay him. Standing next to raging fire for several hours straight that continuously radiated insane heat during the iron tempering process... Just imagining it once made Khal sweat instantly let alone try it!

"Nah, I think I will just pass i-, huh?" just as Khal was about to turn around and decline Nate's idea, suddenly his gaze noticed something, "Those are... Artifacts?"

Right behind the smithery, next to numerous weapons several items like earrings, necklaces, masks, and various other things with shining and colorful pebbles placed in them could be noticed making Khal raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, they are. Blacksmiths not only produce weapons but also artifacts. Why, what did you think who created them?" asked Nate with a smile but his eyes showed confusion.

"..." Khal was unable to answer that question; he actually belived artifacts were created in other means and definitely not through forging. Hearing this made him just as surprised as puzzled.

"So Artifacts are made through blacksmithing... Power Cores come from Artifacts, so maybe if I try forging I can deepen my understanding about Cores and this bracelet." as Khal thought about this his gaze subconsciously turned at his wrist and a wry smile emerged on his face; he doesn't really want to choose to forge but if it meant he could solve his mysteries he must do it.

"Then let's check it out," said Khal calmly, but suddenly halted his movement and titled his gaze at Nate, "Will you apply for a job there too?"

"What? Me? Ah, no." waved his hand around Nate with a wry smile.

"Then why did you advise that stall to me?" Khal looked a bit confused because Nate was the one who told him forging was a good choice.

"Why?" asked Nate then suddenly his eyes curved and a smile formed on his face, "You will find it out once you get there."

"?" Khal was a bit muddled but still nodded his head and walked toward the stall with Nate following him behind.

[Notify! 2 'Power Cores' had been detected in proximity!]

"..." walking closer to the stall, suddenly the familiar voice emerged inside Khal's hand turning his eyes even more focused than before.

"Welcome! My name is Bazz! Ya want to apply for a job?"

A sturdy-looking guy with a height and width almost like a miniature mountain smiled at Khal and Nate instantly as he noticed the two approaching him and his stall. He was loaded with an insane amount of muscle to the point where he looked almost as robust as Raffin; his whole being leaked a mighty presence.

He had short brownish black hair with a pair of brown eyes that burnt with visible passion and tranquility; with his honey skin filled with charcoal and sweat almost completely, he looked quite manly and imposing for some strange reason.

"Hi, my name is Khal and I would like to apply for a Job yes," replied Khal but his gaze never left from the artifacts that were placed neatly next to each other in the back.

"Oh?" Bazz was actually surprised by this and examined Khal from top to bottom. In truth, out of all the stalls that were present in the hall, Bazz's stall was one of the most unpopular; naturally after the sewing stall.

Because no one liked forging as the process and the job was hard and a 'waste of time' no one truly came and applied for a Job here, especially not someone who was as fragile-looking as Khal. Forging and blacksmithing was a task assigned and created for strong men and not for slim kids, but he couldn't judge a book by its cover right?

"I see, glad to hear that!" grinned Bazz, revealing a row of white and sharp teeth at Khal and Nate, "But before I can assign you a task, I need to check your skills."

"Skills?" tilted his head to the side slightly Khal upon hearing that.

"Yes, your skills. Because there are hundreds of different tasks each requiring different quality and level of forging mastery, I need to check your skills to determine what kind of tasks I can give you in the end. And if you do great... You can choose an item freely from back there." said Bazz with the same smirk on his face as he pointed behind his back.

"So that is why Nate said I will find it out." thought Khal and glance at his friend on the side.

However, what neither he nor Nate knew about was that Bazz didn't do this because he had a kind heart, but instead to attract more people. If he can persuade others through this method even if it meant he needed to sell precious items for free he didn't really care; maybe like that, he could earn people's affection toward blacksmithing and make forging famous in the entirety of Moon Academy.

But currently, that was just a simple dream and nothing more; he was just a mere speck of dust in the vast desert.

"Okay I will give it a try." nodded Khal as he glanced at Bazz, "So? What will be my test?"

Although a bit disappointed that Khal, someone with such a fragile look came, Bazz still nodded and walked to the other end of the stall. After searching among several blocks of irons, Bazz grabbed something and walked back.

*THUD!*

"!?"

"This will be your test. It will be very simple, just simply do your best and refine this piece of steel to the best of your knowledge and ability. After you finish, I will judge and give you a task best suited for you." explained Bazz calmly as he stared at Khal before him.

However, Khal didn't look calm at all. Instead, his face demonstrated such shock that his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets while his jaw dropped nearly down to his knees. Right on the small counter, a huge chunk of steel with a width of a human adult chest and a length of a foot was placed before him. The only difference however was its unique shade which Khal has never seen before. It was completely silvery but with numerous tiny and colorful dots placed on its surface; it almost looked like a whole universe that was placed onto this piece of iron.

It looked beautiful...

"I... Need to refine this?" asked Khal after several seconds of silence as he pointed the steel before him.

"Yep." nodded Bazz with a grin and crossed his bulging arms before his chest.

"..."

Khal watched the inhumanly big hunk of metal before him and sighed, "Sure."

With that, Khal extended his arms and grabbed it, but the moment he touched it, the bracelet on his wrist dimly lit up and a voice appeared inside his head.

[Notify! High-quality material detected!]

[Accessing 'Statuses'...]

[No proper 'Status' found... Unlocking new 'Status'...]

[Processing...]

[...]

[Notify! New 'Status', 'Artifact Creation' Status unlocked!]