It had been two weeks since I joined Hephaestus Familia, and I was starting to grasp how to smelt using magic stones and drop items.
Of course, I had only 'started' to understand; I wasn't fully there yet, so I was still working with ordinary steel.
"Garuel, where should I put this Minotaur horn? Just on the usual spot?"
"Oh, the one that was delivered earlier? Put this one over here. I'm thinking of making something."
The person I was talking to was Garuel, a Level 3 High Smith who had assessed my skills by touching me a few times before.
When I asked about his skill, he said it roughly lets him gauge the maturity and proficiency of a target... It's the perfect skill for a blacksmith. Think about it—not all materials are the same, and how long they've aged or how much they've been hammered affects the handling and time required in subtle ways. Someone who can match that perfectly is a genius. But with a skill that lets you know to some extent, you're forcibly stepping into the realm of genius.
...Well, not that I have any room to talk.
"What are you making this time? With a Minotaur horn, it's probably a greatsword or a short sword, right?"
"Hmm... This time, I'm planning to make several thin plates and try a shield. It's a hard material, so it'll be a bit heavy, but with about three layers, it should make a decent shield for Level 2 adventurers."
One thing I learned here is that even tough drop items—like horns, bones, hooves, etc.—can be hammered like ordinary metal if heated in a magic stone furnace at an insanely high temperature. But that temperature is around 1500 to 2000 degrees... enough to melt steel, so only blacksmiths with Falna would dare attempt it. Thanks to my skill [Flame's Soul], I can even stay inside the furnace without issue...
Another thing I realized is that the workshop's equipment has many similarities to modern tools. The biggest examples are the vise and the magic stone-powered grinder.
It's a shame there aren't any electronic precision tools, but this is more than enough. Even if the forge operated like it was truly the Middle Ages, it wouldn't matter much, but seeing somewhat familiar tools is still a welcome sight.
"Heave-ho, let's hammer this!"
"Yes, boss! I'll take the small one!"
"Then I'll take the big one."
Clang
Clank
Thud
Clang
Clank
Thud
Clang
Clank
Thud
When the boss strikes with the big hammer, I strike with the small one, and we time it so we hit together... Repeating this creates a rhythmic sound. I remember someone in my past life discovered a major or minor key in this proportionate hammering—what was the legend? Oh right, focus, focus!
"Oil bucket!"
"Yes, sir!"
Once the red heat of the iron fades and it reaches a stage where further hammering might break what we've made, it's time for quenching. Usually done with water or oil, Garuel mostly uses oil for quenching. Quenching changes the structure of the iron, making it even harder.
To get a bit technical, when iron is heated, it turns bright red—this state is called austenitic steel. If cooled naturally (air cooling), it normalizes into a pearlite structure. If cooled rapidly with water or oil (water cooling, oil cooling), instead of pearlite, the internal crystalline structure changes, creating martensitic steel with high hardness.
Anyway, quenching is an essential process in making cold weapons. There is a method of slow cooling, but it takes time, and quenching produces better quality, so why bother?
Sizzle
Whoosh
Oh, this scene never gets old.
Putting iron in cold water to spread steam isn't bad, but seeing flames rise from oil like this is also cool. You know, like how juggling is impressive, but fire shows are more appealing. Anyway, that kind of thing (hand-wave).
And we repeat this process over and over. Even with Falna at Level 1, we have strength comparable to the forging machines from my past life (in terms of effect, one strike equals about 70 strikes from a skilled blacksmith). But since we need to make the material harder than before, the time saved isn't much. Maybe reducing a 10-day job to 7 days?
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"Let's call it a day here! Time for a break."
"Whew, whew... Good work."
"The shaping is pretty much done, so you don't need to help from tomorrow."
"Whew... Okay."
"What's left is the forging with Dan-ya."
"Dan-ya... I'm jealous."
"You'll get it someday! I can see you have talent!"
No, what I'm jealous of is being able to use it freely...
"By the way, did you finish registering as an adventurer and all that?"
"Ah, Tsubaki nuna took care of all that on the first day."
"But is 'nuna' right for you? I thought you were a bit older?"
"I'm 27. Tsubaki nuna is probably a year older, so it's fitting. And..." "And?"
"Even if she were younger, what does it matter? If it's fun, that's what counts."
He grinned...
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Tsubaki sneezed...!
"What's up, Tsubaki? You never sneeze. Do you have a cold?"
"Hmph... No, it's not that... Is someone talking about me...?"