The Achievement Junkie

"Right this way!" Gasnon shouted, leading Jack toward the back of the property. "I'm still not fully setup, but I've got most everything up and running. What do you think?"

The strong old man pushed open a giant door, leading to an enclosed courtyard turned into a workshop. A large forge was built into one wall with coals and different levels of flames throughout the space. Near that was a workbench and anvil, alongside an array of hammers, tongs, and various tools to intricately carve or etch things into materials. There was a small above-ground font of water ready to instantly cool anything when needed and many different racks or hangers along the other walls, as well as more tables littered with diagrams, small tools, and half-made trinkets. There were other tools and things littered across the room as well.

"It ain't much to look at, but she's just what I like!"

Spotting a half-heated block of metal on the anvil, Jack pointed. "What's that?"

"Oh! Mind if I work and chat all at once?" The smith wasted no time scurrying back and placing the block back into the flames. It was reheated and ready within seconds, letting Gasnon bring it back to the anvil. As he picked up the hammer beside the anvil, Gasnon asked, "So, what do you need?"

Ignoring the clanging of heated metal, Jack replied, "I need to upgrade some things and create some others."

"Upgrade, huh? That can be harder than making something from scratch… You sure about that?"

"Mhmm. Wouldn't that save time?" reasoned Jack.

"Only if you're successful!" Gasnon laughed as he finished pounding the block. He placed it back into the forge, readying it for folding and shaping.

"True… But I don't want to do anything too crazy. I just want to increase the general strength of the weapon and add another elemental affinity."

"Nothing crazy?! If that's not crazy, then call me Halmut!"

Jack laughed loudly, sitting on an old stool in front of some hand-drawn blueprints. "Then tell me, would that be faster than making a new weapon?"

"Depends on the weapon, I guess… You got it on you?" asked Gasnon.

With a nod, Jack placed a sleek rapier on the table. "This is it."

No time was needed for Gasnon to recognize the incredible craftsmanship of the weapon. "This… lv. 85?! With three affinities for speed?!"

"I need to add dark energy to it for increased stealth and I'll be upgrading it to lv. 90," stated Jack, leaving Gasnon with a gaping mouth. "I know you can't do it with your level, but I wanted to revisit the fundamentals of crafting after not entering a smithy for a thousand years."

"Well… I guess if anyone could do it, it would be you…" Gasnon shook his head with a smile. "Only the legend…"

"Then, if you were capable and had a high enough level, how would you tackle such a job?"

"Hmm…"

Gasnon didn't immediately reply. He stepped forward and picked up the sword to get a feel for it and experience the weapon first-hand, finding its balance point and wanting to understand how it was meant to be wielded. Twirling around and eyeing the design carefully, Gasnon eventually placed the weapon back on the table and resumed to extract his current work from the forge.

While staring at the heated sheet of metal and pounding it flatter, Gasnon clicked his tongue. "I don't know what I'd do… It's a fine sword and would be hard to get anything else out of it. It's already a legendary weapon with its current design, so why not focus on upgrading its general strength instead of adding more and breaking the weapon?"

"Because I want it to be better than a legendary weapon."

"Better… Like a god's personal weapon?!" Gasnon was floored to imagine attempting such a thing. "You want to upgrade a legendary weapon… into a personal weapon?"

"Why not?"

"It ain't possible!"

"Since when!"

"Since--"

"It's never been done because it's never been attempted!" stated Jack, leaving the blacksmith without a rebuttal. "If you want to become the Smith God then you'll have to think bigger!"

"THE WHAT?!"

"The Smith God! You seem like the kind of person that would like that sort of thing, would you?" questioned Jack, swaying the old man.

"I… I'm not against the thought…"

"Then make it happen. At lv. 76, you're not far behind your son, who will soon start grinding to ascend to godhood. Wouldn't you love to beat him to it?"

"That's possible?!"

"Of course! You're in Trodar now, where we can make anything possible," reasoned Jack. "And that includes upgrading a legendary weapon to a personal weapon. So, what's the best way to make it happen?"

"... Normally I'd add an alloy to bond with the blades and increase structural integrity…" Gasnon replied. "Being a rapier… you may be able to implant something new into the blade's base. There's not much to work with but if you could add something to the guard for dark energy affinity… But the blade…"

What if I could hallow it out and fill it with a stronger material?" asked Jack.

"Hallow out a rapier?! And how will you do that?" Gasnon burst into laughter, almost ruining the chest plate he was making.

"Then what would you do?"

"Make a new one!" shouted Gasnon, unafraid to share his opinion.

"But it needs to happen! I've got no other choice!" Jack calmed himself for a moment and asked, "I wouldn't be able to drill out a small hole through the blade's center?"

"And why would you do that?"

"To run hardened roxite through it till it made up the very most tip."

"ROXITE!!! You have spare roxite?!"

"Sure, why wouldn't I?" asked Jack.

"I need some!"

After you become a god, you can have all the roxite you want. I'll even put you in charge of handling the orders of the other new gods," Jack stated. "But would my idea work or not?"

"Maybe… But only if you could make a custom tool for such a thing. Then, you'd have to get it hotter than humanly possible."

"But it would work?"