Chương 101

The clearing was quiet except for the crackling of burning pine trees. Jishuka looked at Rudra, the undisputed 1st Ranker, who was currently holding a handful of high-tier boss loot like a street vendor. Then, her eyes shifted to Grid. The young man was pacing in the dirt, kicking rocks and muttering angry curses about his missing shield.

"Wait," Jishuka said, stepping forward. She pointed at Grid.

"Are you actually the one who crafted the Special Jaffa Arrows? Are you the unknown craftsman?" Grid stopped pacing. He glared at her, his face flushed with frustration.

"Yes! I made them!" Grid snapped, waving his arms aggressively.

"But who cares about arrows right now?! That crazy old NPC stole my Divine Shield! Do you know how much money that was worth?!" The Tzedakah Guild members stared at him in complete shock. The creator of the arrows they had been desperately searching for was right in front of them, screaming about a shield. Rudra blinked. He looked at Grid's heavy steel armor and the massive, three-meter-long greatsword strapped to his back.

"You're a blacksmith?" Rudra asked, genuinely confused.

"You fight with a sword the size of a door and wear heavy plate armor. That makes absolutely no sense for a production class."

"His combat style is certainly unconventional," a calm voice interjected. Piaro stepped out from the shadows of the tree line. The Great Swordsman walked into the clearing, his sharp eyes locked entirely on Grid. Grid flinched. The aura radiating from the man in plain leather armor was terrifyingly heavy.

"Your footwork is completely unrefined, but the forms you executed during the battle were unmistakable," Piaro said, stopping a few feet away from Grid.

"Tell me, young man. Are you Pagma's Successor?" The entire Tzedakah Guild froze. Grid took a step back, his eyes going wide.

"How... how do you know that?" Piaro nodded slowly, crossing his arms.

"I recognized the sword dances you used against Malacus. Link and Kill. They were recorded as sword dances used by Pagma."

"Wait," Pon stepped forward, gripping his spear.

"Pagma? Isn't Pagma a historical figure? A legendary blacksmith?"

"He was," Piaro explained, his voice carrying the calm authority of an Imperial commander.

"But the history books rarely mention his other achievement. Pagma did not just forge weapons. In order to properly test the absolute limits of the blades he created, he mastered the sword himself. He reached the absolute pinnacle of both paths. He was a legendary blacksmith, and a legendary swordsman." This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The clearing went dead silent.

Jishuka, Pon, Vanter and the other Tzedakah members stared at Grid with their jaws practically hitting the dirt. The kid they thought was just a weird, brash player wasn't just a hidden class. He was a Legendary class. Rudra let out a low whistle.

"A legendary blacksmith who fights with a sword. That explains why your stats are so weird."

"I don't care about my stats right now!" Grid yelled, pulling his hair.

"I just want my shield back!" Rudra chuckled. He actually liked the kid's single-minded greed. He turned his attention back to Jishuka.

"Anyway, back to business," Rudra said, holding up the Malacus' Mask and the Dark Magic Orb.

"Do you guys want to buy this caster gear or not? I have places to be." Jishuka snapped out of her shock. As a top guild master, she quickly did the math. Unique-rated boss drops were incredibly rare and valuable.

"We'll take them," Jishuka said professionally.

"The mask and the orb. We can transfer the gold immediately."

"Perfect," Rudra smiled, handing the items over as his interface chimed with a massive deposit of gold from the Tzedakah Guild. Rudra looked at the final item in his hand. Malacus' Cloak. Grid was staring at the cloak. His eyes were wide with pure greed. Despite the horrible, metallic stench of old blood wafting off the fabric, the item gave a massive +200 to Intelligence. For a player like Grid who desperately needed more mana to use his legendary sword dances, it was a godsend.

"Hey," Grid said, pointing a trembling finger at the cloak.

"How much for that?" Rudra looked at the cloak, wrinkling his nose at the smell. The item passively attracted monsters and offended NPCs. It was basically a curse for someone who just wanted to cook in peace. Rudra looked at Grid's heavy armor, then looked at his own cracked Staff of the Fire Lord and fraying Obsidian Drake Leather Gloves.

"Tell you what," Rudra said, walking over to Grid. He casually tossed the smelly cloak right into Grid's chest.

"You can have it for free." Grid fumbled to catch the cloak.

"F-Free? Really?!"

"On one condition," Rudra held up a finger.

"You're a legendary blacksmith, right? My epic staff is cracked down the middle, and my legendary gloves are falling apart. I need you to repair them perfectly without ruining the maximum durability. And later on, I want you to forge me a custom staff." Grid stared at the Unique-rated cloak in his hands. Getting a top-tier boss drop for free just for doing a little repair work?

"Deal!" Grid agreed instantly, completely ignoring the horrible bloody smell. He shoved the cloak into his inventory.

"I can fix anything!"

"Great," Rudra grinned.

"Piaro and I are heading down to Winston to find a forge. We'll meet you there."

"You guys go ahead," Grid said, turning his back to the group and looking toward the ruined cave entrance.

"I'm going to search the basement again. That old thief has to have left a clue or a drop behind. I am not leaving until I check every single rock." Rudra laughed. The kid's persistence was honestly impressive.

"Suit yourself," Rudra said, turning toward the mountain path. He whistled sharply.

"Come on, Kratos. Let's hit the town." The half-gold, half-black divine beast barked happily, trotting after him. Piaro gave a nod to the Tzedakah Guild members and followed the Duke. Jishuka watched the 1st Ranker walk away, entirely unbothered by the chaos he had just caused. She looked over at Grid, who was already digging frantically through the rubble of the collapsed cave.

"Well," Jishuka sighed, rubbing her temples.

"This day definitely didn't go as planned."