MMORPG: The Almighty Ring

“Yes!” Jiang Fei nodded.

As if I had a choice, to begin with…

“Ding! Congratulations, Player Verdure Glider for obtaining a Class! Current Class: Beginner Blacksmith!”

“Ding! You have obtained Iron Hammer!”

“Ding! You have learned a skill—Metalsmith!”

“Ding! You have learned a skill—Beginner’s Smith!”

“Ding! You have learned a skill—Flame Hammer!”

Metalsmith (Level 1): You can turn Metal Ore or basic equipment into Metal Ingots. (60% chance raw material wastage)

Beginner’s Smith (Level 1): Allows you to craft Metal Armor and Weapons under Level 20 with a Recipe. (Success rate of 20%)

Flame Hammer (Mastered): Smites foes with your Hammer. 1% chance to create Ascended item, if the skill is used on Smithing. Deals 10% of your current maximum Health Points as damage if the ability is used in combat. 10 second cooldown time.

Iron Hammer (One-Handed Hammer, Normal)

Smithing Success Rate +5%

Smithing Speed +10

Class Requirement: Blacksmith

The White grade hammer in Jiang Fei’s hand felt extremely uncomfortable. It wasn’t all that crude or barely holding itself together… It was just… Jiang Fei was hoping to wield a dagger or a longsword instead. Still, no matter how disgruntled he felt, there was no choice. Blacksmiths were not a combat Class, but they could still deal a certain amount of damage. The skill, Flame Hammer, had its uses. The problem was its nature as a non-trainable skill. It would forever be stuck at Level 1!

“So… What do you want me to do now?” said Jiang Fei as he spoke to the ring.

*Woo*

The ring released a faint, silvery light and revealed that circular mark on its surface. After a while, it disappeared.

“Are you saying… That I should help you level up?” Jiang Fei asked.

“*Woosh*!” The ring replied with a faint glow.

“Alright. Have it your way.”

As mentioned before, Jiang Fei’s goal was to become Superman. Henceforth, the game itself had turned into a secondary priority.

“Ding! Congratulations! You have learned the Recipe: Green Copper Wrist Guard!”

Jiang Fei went to the same Blacksmith Instructor and bought himself a cheap Recipe. Jiang Fei could only afford one White grade copy. It was sad. His impoverished self had to pick the cheapest one out of the set.

Recipe: Green Copper Wrist Guard

Required Skill: Beginner’s Smithing Level 1

Required Material: Copper Ingot x5

Complete Product: Green Copper Wrist Guard (Physical Defense +7)

Crafting this equipment would require five Copper Ingots, and success was not even guaranteed! Jiang Fei’s current Blacksmith Level only provided him with a low chance of 20%. Even with the trusty Iron Hammer in his hands, the success rate was a mere 25%!

Just like Blacksmiths, most Profession-based Classes required Recipes to create something. Success or failure was one thing. The next hurdle was the chance of creating a superior, premium sample. The lottery, so to speak. The default rate was only 1%, which could be increased by using a better Hammer or by increasing one’s Luck attribute. If crafting produced said equipment, the equipment grade would be one tier higher. For example, if Jiang Fei crafted the Green Copper Wrist Guard, a standard White tier equipment, and successfully proc the Ascended, the equipment would be upgraded to a Green grade Fine quality equipment!

However…

By those numbers, Jiang Fei would need at least 2,000 Copper Ingots to produce a single Green grade, Fine quality Green Copper Wrist Guard.

At such low odds, players who solely got by with crafting or production would find it ridiculously challenging to survive on their own. They needed the support of a guild or organization!

“My god… How am I going to collect so many Copper Ingots? I need a mine-full of Copper for this!” Jiang Fei complained, pinching his brows. At this stage of the game, many guilds and their members were more than likely trying their best to pump their skills to the max! It would be no surprise if the cost for ores would be sky-high. Jiang Fei would not be able to purchase them in large quantities.

“Hey there, are you a fresh Blacksmith?”

In the midst of his new headache, a cute, female voice rang called out.

“Hmm?”

Jiang Fei turned around and saw a beautiful, petite little Elf. Based on her complexion, she looked to be roughly around his own age. Hovering over her head was her IGN tag, Rosette Miaomiao.

“Erhm. Hehe…Cutie, are you a Blacksmith?” repeated the girl. This time, she was blushing madly.

Jiang Fei cocked his head. Intrigued, he nodded and said, “Yes. I am a Blacksmith.”

“Oh! That’s good! Are you in any guilds at the moment?”

“No.” Jiang Fei shook his head, perhaps a little too hard.

“Yay! That’s awesome!” The girl cheered and did a jig of joy. She looked over her shoulder and yelled, “Sister Xue! Sister Xue! I’ve found one! I’ve found one!”

“Are you alright?” Jiang Fei asked. He was genuinely perplexed over the whole thing.

“Nishishishi.” The same girl who had been blushing so madly not two seconds ago was behaving nothing the young girl that Jiang Fei had in mind!

“Miaomiao? Did you find one? Where is he?”

“Where is he? Where is he?”

Not long after the little girl cried out, a multitude of girls swarmed in from all directions. The fact that they were all young girls had set Jiang Fei on edge.

“What’s with the lot of you?”

Jiang Fei was petrified. First, a cute girl was asking for your profession, the next thing was a herd of curious-looking young girls swarming up to you. How could anyone remain calm?

“Hello there. My name is Rosette Rose, the Guildmaster of the Rosette Knighthood guild.”

A slightly taller Human girl stepped out of the swarm and approached Jiang Fei with a stoic face, offering her hand.

“Ah yes. Nice to meet you. Do you have any business with me?” Jiang Fei asked, taking her hand.

“Yes. It’s just that… We are a bunch of sisters, and we’ve played many games together. In other games, we would take up our individual professions and be on our way. Since Dawn Break is quite different, players can only take up one class, Professions included. To be fair, none of us wanted to take up non-combat class. We have been searching for such players! I hope that we could work together. What say you?” Rosette explained.

“Ah. Understandable.” Jiang Fei nodded. He now knew why the girls were looking at him with puppy eyes.

It was a good chance. Profession players would not last out in the wild. They usually banded together in specialized guilds. However, he also realized that the girls needed their resident craftsman!

“So? How about it, cutie pie? Let us take care of you!” said Miaomiao, licking her lips.

“Hey! Stop spouting nonsense!” Rosette Rose rolled her eyes. There was a faint hue of red on her cheeks. She turned to Jiang Fei and apologized.

“Please, don’t get us wrong. We hope that you’ll join us! I’m hereby seeking your services as Rosette Knighthood’s official Blacksmith!”

“I see.” Jiang Fei nodded. It was a good offer, especially when ores and materials were the most pertinent issues at the moment. If any guild that was willing to take him in, his problem could be solved, right there and then!

Rosette Rose came closer to Jiang Fei and asked again, “Do you accept our invitation?”

Although she tried her best to mask her excitement, the glitter in her eyes gave her away. In her defense, you don’t find solo Profession players wandering about often!