Overgeared - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I smiled as Smith finished the lecture .

“Is it difficult to understand with just words? If so, then I will demonstrate it for you . "

Smith poured in a certain ratio of iron, coke, and limestone before starting the blast furnace . (The fuel Coke, not the drink/drug) 

As Smith's face and upper body became soaked with sweat, he controlled the hot wind coming from the bottom of the furnace and started burning the coke .  At this point, the iron ore was gradually turned into molten iron due to Smith's reduction interactions .  

The limestone reacted by separating the iron and into impurities to form slag . Smith alternated between filtering out the slag and maintaining the heat .  The black debris gradually disappeared through holes at the bottom of the furnace, while the molten iron became increasingly orange .

When the iron solidified, it would become pig iron .  Pig iron was very hard and brittle because it contained a lot of carbon . It wasn't suitable for the crafting of weapons .  In order to make it suitable for weaponsmithing, it was necessary to reduce the carbon content through a process called steelmaking .

Smith, who was quietly immersed in his task, asked, “Do you understand what smelting is now?"

I nodded and Smith sent me a satisfied expression .

“Now that you've seen it, jaffa is easy to smelt . The jaffa ores have fewer impurities and a lower melting point, making it easier to refine than iron ore . The ratio of jaffa to coke to limestone is 12:2:4 . "

[Mineral Smelting] 

Difficulty: E

Mineral smelting is the basis of production . Smith gives this job to you, who is dreaming of becoming a blacksmith .

Quest Clear Conditions: Succeed in smelting the jaffa ore .

Quest Reward: Affinity with Smith +30, experience +80, 300g of smelted jaffa .

Quest Failure: It isn't easy to perfectly smelt minerals in the beginning .  

Smith will understand if you fail .  

There was no reason to refuse . I accepted the quest .  

Smith prepared the furnace for me and added, "Don't be bothered if you fail . It might've looked easy as you watched me smelt it, but in reality, it's actually quite hard . "

I placed the ingredients in the furnace and put my feet on the bellows .  At that moment, a translucent arrow appeared and pointed to one side of the bellows .

'Is this the class compensation effect?'

I placed my foot exactly where the arrow pointed . The arrow pointed in another direction, where I aimed the bellows at .  The arrow repeatedly blinked, giving me the appropriate tempo .  In the end, I managed to heat up the furnace in five minutes, unlike Smith who barely managed it in 10 minutes .

Then a notification window popped up .

[You can sense the temperature due to the rapid changes in ambient temperature . 30 degrees . 31 degrees . 31 . 5 degrees . 32…]

The strange, yet unwelcome voice was heard in my mind .

[Pagma's descendant is sensitive to changes in temperature . If there is a furnace in the vicinity, you can accurately measure the temperature inside the furnace .

I placed my hand over the furnace .

[700 degrees . 720 degrees . 740…]

The constantly rising temperature was displayed in the continuously updating notification window .

'1,000 degrees . '

Iron ore was said to be suitable for smelting between temperatures of 1,150~1,250 degrees Celsius, but jaffa was suitable at around 950~1,000 degrees .  As soon as the notification window read 1,000 degrees, I no longer needed to put effort into increasing the temperature .

The jaffa slowly melted down . Compared to iron ore, jaffa had a lower concentration of impurities, so its orange glow was strong from the beginning .  I immersed myself in filtering out the impurities . The translucent arrow told me the direction to move the metal pipes, so I was able to do it more quickly and accurately than Smith .

Smith, who was concerned about whether I was doing well or not, became shocked as he checked my work .

"H-Heok! Cough! Cough cough!"

Smith was so surprised that he had trouble breathing .  After a while, Smith barely regained stability and asked me in a trembling voice, "How are you so skilled at smelting?"

His complexion was so pale that I was worried the old man might fall down .

“Do you have experience smelting? This wasn't your first time?"

“…It is my first time smelting…"

Smith looked like he saw a ghost .

“Huh… it is really ridiculous… This is a talent that can't be represented . A person with no experience is better than his teacher . It's like I'm dreaming . Are you the reincarnation of Pagma?"

The term 'reincarnation of Pagma' was the common term of praise for especially talented blacksmiths .  It was usually the best praise! Any blacksmith would explode with joy if they heard that they were Pagma's reincarnation .

However, I was different .

‘I'm not a reincarnation, but a descendant . '

In the meantime, the high purity molten jaffa was completed .  

[Quest success!]

Smith smiled warmly and said,

"Absolutely wonderful! You are a great friend . "

[Affinity with Smith has risen by 30 . ]

[Experience has risen by 80 . ]

[Your level has risen . ]

'Good! Level 2!'

There was no greater joy than an easy level up .  At one time, I was level 80 . Now I was delighted at just reaching level 2 .  I was very worried about what would happen when my level reached the double digits .  

“Bring it here . "

Smith poured the molten jaffa into the molten iron, mixing the two metals at a ratio of 1:12 . Of course, this meant that for every single part of jaffa, there were 12 parts of iron .  Smith placed the mixture in the furnace and started to heat it up again . He didn't forget to mix it together .  He mixed it a total of six times before finishing the process by pouring the molten solution into a mold that he had prepared .  

We would have to wait 40 minutes for the molten solution to harden inside the mold .  Meanwhile, Smith handed me some jaffa that had already been completed .

"This is the first time you've smelted metal, so I will give this to you as a memento . "

[3 pieces of jaffa have been acquired . ]

One piece of jaffa weighed around 700 grams to 1 kilogram . 300 grams of jaffa were worth one gold, so it was a considerable reward for an E-grade quest .

‘Smith, this person is really great . '

I was liking this blacksmith more and more .  Smith approached with a big hammer and started hitting the mold that the molten solution was poured into . In the mold, the hardened molten iron appeared in the shape of a thick wire .

Smith picked up the wire and placed it to one side, where there was another, smaller mold .  He placed the wire on the mold and started hammering . After that was done, he used a grindstone to sharpen the edge .

After some careful work, a typical arrowhead with a sharp end was completed .  Although it was thick and heavy, the end was very sharp and could penetrate armor with no difficulty .  The completed jaffa arrowhead was then secured to a pre-created arrow shaft .

I watched the whole process from beginning to end, then a new notification window popped up .

[Your understanding of the Jaffa Arrow is now at 100% . You will be able to use the Jaffa Arrow perfectly . ]

[You have learned how to make the Jaffa Arrow . ]

Smith asked me, “How is it? Can you make it?"

"Yes . "

Smith laughed heartily .

“Answering without hesitation… What great confidence . Like any weapon, particularly in arrows, balance is important . You need to balance the feathers, the arrowhead, and the shaft… If the arrows are even a little bit out of balance, they won't be able to fly as far as they can possibly go . It is very delicate work . Even so, can you really make it? Despite only watching the production process once?"

"I can do it . "

“Hoh… then I will trust you again . "

[Create a Jaffa Arrow] 

Difficulty: D

The process of mixing two metals is never easy . It requires delicacy to make an arrow . For this reason, it is hard for novice blacksmiths to create a Jaffa Arrow .

But Smith trusts you and leaves you with the expensive materials .

Quest Clear Conditions: Produce 100 Jaffa Arrows .

Quest Reward: Affinity with Smith MAX, experience +300, 50 Jaffa Arrows .

Quest Failure: Smith's disappointment .

* If the client is disappointed, you won't be assigned any new missions for a period of time .  

Smith supported me by giving me 100 completed shafts and one kilogram of jaffa . I could also freely use the iron ore .  This was all thanks to my incredibly high affinity with the blacksmith . If it were the previous me, I would've just accepted these materials .

“I appreciate the courtesy, but I will make the shafts myself . "

I returned the 100 arrow shafts, but Smith couldn't understand my actions .

“Why bother? If it is because you feel burdened, there is no need to worry . "

Tsk tsk, so this was why he was just a beginner blacksmith .

“Are you going to support me with the shafts every time I make an arrow?"

“No, I can't… Oh, so you will use this opportunity to learn how to make the shafts properly?"

“That’s right . If possible, please support me with the materials required to make the shaft . "

Smith shrugged and gave me some sturdy branches and good quality feathers .  “I was so focused on the smelting and making of the arrowhead that I didn't tell you how to make the shaft . I'll teach you how to make the shaft now . "

There were limits to how much a beginner blacksmith could teach me .  I told him I would take care of it and pulled out a thick booklet from my inventory . The title was 'List of Items Production Methods . '

When I opened the book, I saw that four things were listed in the table of contents . They were the production methods of an axe, a pickaxe, the Jaffa Arrow, and 'Failure' .  It might be empty and simple now, but there will a day when this 'List of Items Production Methods' book will be filled up .

I opened the page on how to make a Jaffa arrow and read it . The method of making the shaft was described in detail, complete with pictures and text .  I read it and read it again for a while before closing the book .

'Okay, I can do it . '

I was a little tense since it was my first time making an item . No, I was more excited than tense .  I started making the arrow shaft .  First of all,  I straightened the branches into a straight line . The badly bent branches were lightly seared and then straightened .   I cut the branches to a regular length and cut the top (a U shaped groove where the arrow would be placed against the bowstring) of the shaft . Then I finished by pasting on feathers .

One, two, three .

As the number of completed shafts increased, my proficiency steadily grew .  It was a great effect as it combined my high dexterity that enabled delicate work with the correction effect of my class .

Smith once again felt admiration as he watched .

“This isn't the workmanship of a novice… You figured out the production method just by looking at the finished shaft? You truly have the eyes of a craftsman . The dexterity and accuracy are also excellent . "

I was able to finish 100 shafts without difficulty before I started making the arrowheads .

OG: 

Current schedule: 16 chapters a week .