Blacksmith vs. the System

"Let's call it a day," I said as I finished forging another piece, this time a large cuirass to complete the armor I had prepared for Eleanor, completing the set. Maria was wearing one of her own under her robe, a thin chainmail that could resist not only physical, but also magical attacks — as tested by Maria herself.

[Mana Forge (Epic) 128 -> 130]

"Really, that early," Maria said, looking disappointed. "We were just getting a hang of it."

"Believe me, I want to stop even less than you do," I said. "Your help is truly invaluable."

"And, don't you forget it," she said. Then, she sighed. "But, you're right. Eleanor must have finished with the town, and we shouldn't keep her waiting."

I nodded, wondering who would be more enthusiastic about the success of the experiment: Eleanor or I. For her, it represented significantly more power, a perfectly understandable desire considering the nature of the world we lived in, where power meant security, riches, and social credit, all at once.

But, for me, it represented validation for my approach, showing that I didn't need to rely solely on blind attempts, hoping to get lucky. That my method was not just a line of coincidences, but actually had value.

I wasn't under any illusion that I had unraveled the secrets of the mana. Not even close. If mana was electricity, a concept capable of supporting the modern world, I was a kid who was stabbing a lemon with random pieces of metal, trying to get a reaction, trying to make sense of the occasional tingling sensation. What I achieved was nothing compared to the potential of mana. It was a deep ocean, and even the surface would have taken a lifetime to explore.

While I still hoped to get Intelligence during my next class promotion, I didn't believe that I could do it alone. Human progress was not something that was built on the backs of one person's genius, no matter how appealing the idea was.

Though, I had to admit, my most recent chain of successes was enough to make me forget it momentarily. With the System helping me to connect the dots and work out the more complicated aspects, it was easy to forget.

Luckily, I wasn't alone anymore, I thought even as I looked at Maria, who had been happily examining the dagger I had forged for her, a dagger whose mana had been provided by her, far more efficiently than anything I could have achieved.

After all, the biggest burst of mana I could create was limited by my own Mana Pool, and then I had to stop, meditate to refill it, then restart. And, such a slowing down was no different than traveling with a car, only to slam the brakes every few seconds. Doing that didn't just reduce the average speed to fifty from a hundred, but to a few miles.

Her continuous mana output meant that I could finish something in minutes rather than hours … and that was with us nowhere near peak efficiency, giving me the method to push to the peak of an Epic Skill, or maybe even higher.

Only possible thanks to my new mathematical notation. Without it to communicate, I didn't want to imagine just how long it would have taken to explain to Maria the exact shape of mana I had required. The method was nowhere near enough to truly replicate what I was generating, but if there was one thing my skills were perfect for, it was fixing thousands of small mistakes.

"Isn't it hard to move?" She mentioned once I piled everything into one of the railroad carts I had prepared, and added four wagons behind, each piled with armor and spears — which I was able to forge more than the necessary number in the process.

"Not really," I said. "The rails buried under the mud help a lot. I just need to slide it back whenever it slips. You can ride on it if you want?" I invited them with a smile.

"No thanks. One ride was more than enough," she answered as she floated next to me, wasting her mana in the process. But, with the threat of the dungeon decreased to virtually zero after cleaning the fourth floor, again and again, it didn't really matter.

Once we arrived at the fourth floor, I unlatched the wagons from the steam engine, and started to drag them with my own power. "Is this really necessary," she asked.

"It's easier than bringing the engine back," I said even as I started pulling it away.

"Where are you doing? I thought you were going to set the new base up at the dungeon gate."

"Yes, but not this one," I said as I started pulling one to the opposite side. "This gate is the closest one to my private base. I don't want to make it easy for others to stumble upon it."

Then, I looked at the horizon, where a crowd was already waiting for me, one that I could only see thanks to my vision, which had expanded once more. Dungeon mist was no longer an impediment on the fourth floor either — though the ordinary swamp miasma was more than enough to block my view instead — and the third floor was perfectly clear.

"Actually, Harold is already there with the volunteers," I said. "Which one would you prefer, joining me while I deliver the explanation, or going upstairs and start working with Eleanor."

"I have had enough of dealing with everyone in the town, you can deal with your own guild," she replied as she floated once again. "See you on the first floor." Then, before she got too far, she turned to me. "And, make sure everyone actually volunteered, or we'll have a problem."

I couldn't help but chuckle. I understood her disdain for dealing with people perfectly. Spending my time leading people was not exactly what I wanted either. As for her warning about making sure people were volunteers, I wouldn't have cared about it in the slightest if I hadn't had the same intention.

Yes, she wanted to help them, but it was more of a general sentiment than a dedicated effort, more similar to a mayor who was visiting the soup kitchen to serve food once a month. It showed caring … but it was neither her best effort, nor was it the most efficient application of her time.

I didn't really begrudge her for it, and not just because of our growing closeness. At least, it was better than what a lot of people were doing.

As I approached closer to the gathered crowd — almost two thousand people, more than I had expected — I slowed down, carefully watching the general attitude of the people, once again using an underrated ability I had developed back in my days as a professor.

Measuring the general attitude of a crowd. People reveal a lot through their general attitude when they think they aren't being observed. It was surprisingly effective while teaching, during a conference, or even during a department meeting where someone had been trying some kind of low-impact white-collar ploy to get a modicum of power.

It was even more effective under the circumstances, as of the gathered two thousand farmers, most had been gathered in smaller groups, thinking that the thirty-yard visibility range of the mist protected them from observers, which made them free to discuss their plight with their friends.

I saw nothing but unbridled hope and excitement, with none of them showing even the slightest concern about the weight of living in the dungeon for the foreseeable future.

Not that I was surprised. I could understand the allure of power incredibly well. As I approached, I made sure to circle the group twice, making sure there was no one who was trying to hide their attitude. It was not a foolproof method, but it had to do for now.

I approached Harold, who had been patrolling the crowd, making sure to keep it safe. "Sir," he greeted me once he was able to see me.

"How many volunteers have you managed to collect," I asked.

"Two thousand, and that was with me picking and choosing. More than half of the available candidates wanted to join," he explained.

"And, there's no problem with the rules," I asked.

"No sir. Every single one of them is happy to stay in the dungeon for an extended period, especially since you promised to help them promote their classes," he said. "But, wouldn't it be difficult to collect that many skill stones?"

"Don't worry about it," I said. "How about the other condition?"

"Which condition?" he asked, only to have a look of realization when my gaze tightened. "The surveys?" I nodded seriously. "Of course, they don't have a problem," Harold said. "Half of them are willing to give their firstborn for this opportunity, let alone filling a few sheets of paper every day."

"But, have you asked explicitly, and received their consent," I said, not wanting to do my first large-scale experiment without informing them. They didn't know exactly what I was looking for, but that had been a widely acceptable experimentation strategy for social sciences … as knowing the subject was enough to distort the experiment results.

"I have followed your instructions to the letter, sir," Harold answered seriously.

"Good," I said. "Then, follow me. We're going to start setting the base properly," I said, then gestured at the carts behind me. "But first, arrange the guards to sort through the equipment, and prepare everything for my speech. Once the speech is complete…"