399: Chapter 399 Still Striving for a Secondary Profession

Old Tie No Problem walked to the water vat, scooped a ladle of water over his head, shook off the droplets, and continued.

"This place isn't on the main quest route. It's a purely functional main city, existing specifically for the blacksmithing profession."

He displayed his sub-profession title.

"Only players who have become 'Blacksmiths' are treated like people here."

"In the eyes of those dwarf NPCs, players without a Blacksmith badge are all just thin air."

"Forget about giving them gold coins; even if you put a knife to their throats, they wouldn't spare you a glance."

Chen You suddenly understood.

No wonder he felt like an invisible man in the City Lord's Mansion just now.

Change to another main city?

If another main city had some other bizarre setting, like having to know how to pole dance to enter, that would be an even bigger waste of time.

"Do you know where to learn blacksmithing?" Chen You turned to look at Old Tie No Problem.

"God You, you want to become a Blacksmith?" Old Tie No Problem froze for a moment, then quickly wiped his hands on his apron.

"Sure, follow me. But this profession is a real trap; it's a bottomless pit that can never be filled."

"I've been hammering away for years, blacksmithing every day I log in, and I'm still only at the Intermediate level."

Chen You didn't respond.

A bottomless pit that can never be filled?

For other players, they all mined and killed monsters for materials themselves; likely no one would spend money to buy materials just to grind proficiency.

But was Chen You the same?

Chen You's only worry was having money and nowhere to spend it!

The two crossed two streets and arrived in front of a massive stone building.

Above the main entrance hung a dark iron plaque: Dongtie City Blacksmith Guild.

Waves of heat rolled through the hall as hundreds of furnaces burned simultaneously.

A group of players and NPCs were shirtless, sweating profusely as they worked.

Old Tie No Problem led Chen You to a high table at the very back of the hall.

An old dwarf, with a beard that almost reached the floor, was lying on the high table.

He held a flask in his hand and was snoring loudly.

Above his head was the name: [Blacksmith Grandmaster · Bronzebeard (LV80)]

"Master Bronzebeard, work's here," Old Tie No Problem shouted at the top of his lungs.

The old dwarf rolled over without even opening his eyes. "Beginner Blacksmithing entry, ten silver coins. Pay up, take a hammer, and get lost to furnace number one to strike iron."

Old Tie No Problem turned to look at Chen You. "God You, pay up, ten silver coins."

Chen You stepped forward, pulled out a gold coin, and tossed it onto the table.

The gold coin let out a crisp clinking sound.

Master Bronzebeard's ears twitched, and he suddenly sat up, grabbing the gold coin in his hand.

His cloudy eyes instantly lit up, and he sized Chen You up.

"You look like a new face, kid. Want to learn blacksmithing?" Bronzebeard stuffed the gold coin into his robes and tossed out a worn-out iron hammer and a thin booklet.

"Take this, the Beginner Blacksmithing Guide. Come back to me when your proficiency is full."

Chen You took the hammer and the booklet.

A system notification sounded.

[Ding! Congratulations on taking up the life profession: Blacksmith.]

[Current Level: Beginner (0/1,000)]

At the same time, a bronze medal appeared on Chen You's chest.

Old Tie No Problem patted Chen You on the shoulder and said earnestly, "God You, blacksmithing is a slow and tedious process."

"First, go buy some raw iron ore and hammer away slowly. If you find it boring, I can teach you a rhythm for striking..."

Now that he was a Blacksmith, he should be able to see the City Lord.

But as a Beginner Blacksmith, the City Lord probably wouldn't give him the time of day.

Since he was already here, he might as well power-level his rank first.

Chen You opened the system panel and clicked directly on the Portable Shop.

The items in the Portable Shop were the same as those sold by NPC merchants, but supreme members had the privilege of this Portable Shop.

Beginner proficiency could be raised by hammering raw iron, gaining one point of proficiency per strike.

It could also be raised by smelting [Refined Stardust], gaining one hundred points of proficiency per time.

Raw iron ore, ten copper coins per stack.

[Refined Stardust], ten gold coins each.

Chen You didn't even look at the raw iron ore, his finger tapping [Refined Stardust] ten times in a row.

One hundred gold coins were deducted.

Ten portions of stardust, shimmering with blue light, appeared in his backpack.

He chose to smelt them directly.

System notifications flooded the screen.

[Smelting successful! Blacksmithing proficiency +100!]

[Smelting successful! Blacksmithing proficiency +100!]

...

[Ding! Your blacksmithing proficiency is full. Please increase your blacksmithing level.]

"Master Bronzebeard." Chen You curled his fingers and tapped twice on the wooden table. "Proficiency is full. I want to learn Intermediate."

Old Tie No Problem was just about to warm up when his wrist jerked, and the hammer nearly hit his own foot.

He whipped his head around, staring at Chen You. "God You, what did you say? What's full?"

Bronzebeard picked up his flask, took a swig, and let out a boozy burp. "Young man, don't brag without thinking."

"Beginner proficiency requires a thousand points. You've only had the hammer for a few seconds. Go back and hammer honestly..."

His voice came to an abrupt halt.

Bronzebeard's cloudy eyes suddenly bulged as he stared intently at Chen You.

"You..." Bronzebeard's beard twitched twice. He grabbed the iron hammer off the table to inspect it; there wasn't even a speck of furnace ash on it.

He looked up, and the way he looked at Chen You changed.

From looking at a rookie to looking at a monster.

"Two gold coins." Bronzebeard held out a stubby finger. "Intermediate Blacksmithing Guide."

Chen You pulled out two gold coins and dropped them on the table.

Bronzebeard quickly tucked away the gold coins and fished out a slightly thicker booklet from under the table, handing it over.

[Ding! Congratulations on being promoted to Intermediate Blacksmith.]

[Current Level: Intermediate (0/10,000)]

Old Tie No Problem leaned in, and seeing the badge on Chen You's chest change from bronze to silver, he stood there in a daze.

"God You, you're way too fast! How did you do this?"

Chen You ignored him and opened the Portable Shop again.

A minute later.

Chen You tapped the table again. "Master, Advanced."

Bronzebeard's body stiffened.

He sat up straight, the flask in his hand slipping and hitting the tabletop, spilling wine everywhere.

"Say that again?" Bronzebeard's voice was a bit hoarse.

Chen You looked at him expressionlessly. "Advanced, how much?"

"Ten... ten gold coins." Bronzebeard swallowed hard.

Chen You tossed out a coin pouch.

Bronzebeard's hands trembled as he untied the pouch. After confirming the amount, he pulled a heavy, gold-edged book from his robes and handed it to Chen You.

[Ding! Congratulations on being promoted to Advanced Blacksmith.]

[Current Level: Advanced (0/100,000)]

The silver badge on Chen You's chest instantly transformed, turning into a brilliant golden color.

At that moment, the surrounding atmosphere changed.

The Dongtie City Blacksmith Guild hall had originally been filled with the deafening sound of hammering, the roar of bellows, and the cursing of NPCs.

But now, with the high table where Chen You stood as the center, the players and NPCs at the dozen or so nearby furnaces all stopped what they were doing at the same time.

Shirtless and holding hammers, they all turned their heads in unison to look at the piercingly bright golden badge on Chen You's chest.

Old Tie No Problem's legs gave out, and he slumped onto the ground.

He looked down at the silver badge he had worn for three years, then up at the golden badge that had just appeared on Chen You's chest, his lips trembling, unable to say a word for a long time.

"What... what did he just do?" a passerby player rubbed their eyes.

"I'm not seeing things, am I? He was just a Beginner a moment ago, and in just a few minutes, he's Advanced?"

"He didn't even touch the furnace! He must be cheating!"