After our talk yesterday, Hinata and I agreed that today would be dedicated to unlocking my Smithing Pillar. She claims to have a solid idea of how to do it.
I wait outside my apartment building for her to arrive. Hinata refuses to use public transportation these days, so we'll be traveling in her car.
The last time she took the train, some guy tried to film under her skirt. He left with multiple broken bones, a punctured lung, and a perforated liver. The association had to send an awakened healer to patch him up. Since then, she's boycotted trains and buses entirely.
She pulls up in her black SUV, and I slide into the passenger seat. We exchange quick greetings before pulling away from the curb.
"Today's the day," she says, grinning. "We're going to unlock your Smithing Pillar. I've got a plan."
"Perfect. So, where are we headed first?"
"Hardware store. We should be able to get almost everything we need there. But before that, open the glove box and store what's inside."
I pop open the compartment and spot a sizable mana crystal sitting inside.
"Are you sure about this? This looks like a mid-grade crystal. It's worth at least two hundred dollars."
"You can pay me back with your cut from the gate we're running tomorrow. Speaking of which, I secured one for us. An E-rank. We start at 6 a.m. I'll send the details later."
That works. Six in the morning is standard for public gates. The association usually opens them up about two days after assessment, unless a guild buys exclusive rights. Until then, they're locked. Once public, they're fair game from sunrise.
Hinata makes most of her income soloing F, E, and D-rank gates. They're barely a challenge for someone of her level, and she doesn't have to split loot with a team.
I've accompanied her on a handful of these runs before. I always charge my standard porter's fee and loot share. We try to keep the friendship separate from the business side. That said, having me along is usually a net gain. My [Item Box] allows us to haul large quantities of monster corpses, massively boosting profits.
I grab the crystal and store it.
Ten minutes later, we pull into a standard hardware store parking lot. The place looks exactly the same as it did a couple of years ago when we came here together to buy paint for her apartment.
We grab a cart and head to the building materials section.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?"
"Steel," she replies. "You remember how mana-steel is made, right?"
"Yeah. You take ordinary steel and combine it with mana crystals to produce mana-steel. Then awakened with smithing classes forge it into weapons and armor."
"Right. Since your Genoforge pillar uses the [Item Box] to extract and refine resources, I figured your Smithing Pillar probably works the same way. I did some research last night. With the crystal I gave you, we'll need about five kilograms of ordinary steel for a proper synthesis."
Mana-steel is essential. Normal Earth metals can't stand up to most monsters, even in low-level gates. Even basic gear for awakened has to be made from reinforced materials.
In the awakened world, mana-steel is basically the equivalent of pig iron, crude, but indispensable.
We find what we need in the form of structural steel plates. Since I know I'll be using this often, I buy out the store's entire stock, far more than we need for today's experiment.
The cashier offers to have someone help load it into our vehicle. I politely decline and absorb the whole stack into my [Item Box]. The look on his face is priceless.
Normally, I try not to use my ability in front of civilians. It draws attention and can cause problems. But today, there's no other choice.
[Requirements Met — Smithing Pillar Unlocked]
"You're a genius, you know that?" I say once we're back in the car. "Your theory was spot on."
Hinata tries to suppress a smile, but her flushed cheeks give her away. "Of course I am! Bow before my brilliance! Muahahah!" she cackles in her fake villain voice, clearly trying to hide her embarrassment. I know her too well to be fooled.
[Synthesize Mana-Steel — Required Ingredients: 5 parts Steel, 2 parts Mana Crystal. Proceed? Y/N]
I select "Yes." A moment later, I get a success notification. Seven ingots of mana-steel now sit neatly inside my [Item Box].
A new crafting interface unlocks, displaying a range of possible creations, everything from basic weapons to full sets of armor.
I select a small hunting knife. Seconds later, I pull it out of my [Item Box] and examine it. The blade is flawless, with a smooth edge and balanced weight. Even the handle is decorated, simple but elegant.
"That's so cool!" Hinata says, leaning in to get a closer look. "You can forge items directly in your [Item Box]? No furnace, no anvil? Only high-ranking crafting classes, C or above, can normally do that. Everyone else has to use traditional forging stations."
I hand the knife to her. "Here. First thing I ever made. It's yours. Thanks for helping me figure this out. I promise I'll pay you back for everything. But for now, take this."
"You don't need to ...okay, fine." She takes the knife, inspecting it carefully. "Thanks. But if you really want to repay me… you can take me out for dinner tonight."
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Bonus chapter goals !!!
25 Power stones - 1 bonus chapter
50 Power stones - 3 bonus chapters
100 Power stones - 5 bonus chapter