Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 76 Blacksmith
Monroe would occasionally visit Robin at the forge. Every time he saw him intently crafting the hilt guard, he felt a mixture of admiration and bewilderment. He couldn't help but say to Robin, "Robin, you work so hard, it really puts me to shame. If I had your perseverance, I would have become a forger long ago."

However, when Monroe discovered that Robin was making a hilt guard every day, he became furious.

He thought that old Balder was bullying Robin and deliberately making him do such dirty work, so he immediately went to Damus to argue.

"Dams, how can you let Robin do this kind of work every day? He is a knight, not here to do chores for you!" Monroe said angrily.

Damus frowned, walked over to Robin's forging table, picked up a freshly forged sword hilt guard and examined it carefully.

His eyes gradually changed from initial confusion to surprise, and finally even to a hint of admiration.

"Robin, did you make all these?" Damus asked.

Robin nodded, his tone calm, "Yes, Boss. I think these small accessories, although simple, will help me master the forging skills faster."

Damus carefully examined every detail of the hilt guard, finding both the choice of materials and the meticulous craftsmanship to be of the highest quality. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Robin, your skills are truly exceptional. The quality of these hilt guards is even better than the work of some veteran forgers."

Monroe was stunned when he heard Damus's comment: "What? Robin's skills are already so impressive?"

Damus nodded and said to Robin, "Robin, your progress has exceeded my expectations. Now, I will give you a formal test - try to forge a dagger. If you can pass this test, it will prove that you have become a qualified blacksmith."

Robin's eyes flashed with excitement and he nodded: "Okay, boss, I will do my best."

Damus patted Robin's shoulder, his tone full of expectation: "I believe you can do it. Once you pass the test, I will assign you more important tasks."

Robin nodded calmly, walked to the forging table and began to prepare materials and tools.

After two months of hard work, he has upgraded his forging to the third level, which is just right for him to test his skills. Of course, in order to avoid exposing his strength, he only chooses the most ordinary dagger iron blank to practice.

Monroe stood aside, looking at Robin's focused back, feeling both emotional and envious.

Robin stood before the forge, hammer in his hand raining down like a whirlwind, sparks flying everywhere. His movements were clean and sharp, without the slightest hesitation.

Material selection, heating, forging, quenching, each step was completed at the fastest speed, as if he had already engraved these movements into his muscle memory.

Old Balder stood aside, watching Robin's movements with a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He whispered to Damus, "This kid's pretty quick, but I wonder how the finished product will turn out."

Damus said nothing, just closely watching Robin's every move.

His brows furrowed slightly, obviously dissatisfied with Robin's "rushed" forging method.

After all, forging is a craft that requires patience and meticulousness, and excessive pursuit of speed often sacrifices quality.

However, when Robin completed the final step - polishing - and handed the dagger to Damus, everyone was stunned.

Damus took the dagger and examined it carefully.

The sword has smooth lines, a sharp edge, and a comfortable grip. Although this dagger was made according to the standards of an ordinary soldier, its quality far exceeded expectations, even reaching the highest level among ordinary items.

"This...did you just make this?" Damus' voice was filled with a hint of disbelief.

Robin nodded, his tone calm, "Yes, Boss. I'm just following standard procedure."

Damus took a deep breath and handed the dagger to old Balder: "Take a look."

Old Balder took the dagger and examined it carefully, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "It's really good. Although the speed is fast, the quality is not compromised at all. Robin, you are quite capable!"

Damus was silent for a moment, then patted Robin on the shoulder, his tone tinged with admiration. "Robin, your talent and efficiency surprise me. Although your forging method this time was a bit 'tricky,' the quality of the finished product is impeccable. This shows that you have a very deep understanding of forging."

Robin smiled, with a hint of humility in his tone: "Thank you for the compliment, boss. I just want to complete the task as soon as possible."

Damus nodded, his tone becoming serious. "However, Robin, I must remind you that forging isn't just about completing tasks; it's an art that requires careful refinement. Although your performance this time was outstanding, I hope you can slow down and pay more attention to detail in your future forgings."

Robin nodded solemnly: "I understand, Boss. I will remember your teachings."

Damus smiled with satisfaction, then announced, "Robin, congratulations on passing the test. From today on, you are an official forger at the Hammer and Flame Blacksmith Shop. From now on, I will assign you more important tasks."

Robin was delighted and nodded quickly: "Thank you, boss. I will definitely continue to work hard."

Monroe stood aside, watching Robin's performance, and couldn't help but laugh: "Robin, you are really impressive! I guess I'll have to ask you to make a good sword for me in the future."

Robin smiled and replied, "No problem. Once I get some more practice, I'll definitely make you the best sword."

Inside the blacksmith shop, the charcoal fire was blazing and the sound of hammers could be heard one after another.

Robin stood in the corner of the blacksmith shop, looking down at the prompt on the system panel:

Finished Dagger: Forging Experience +10
The corners of his mouth rose slightly, but he felt a little helpless in his heart.

This is why he is unwilling to spend too much time forging finished weapons - he can only forge two a day at most, and the experience points gained are too low.

In comparison, although crafting small accessories provides less experience points per item, it is more efficient because of its large quantity.

"But there's no way now. I can no longer gain experience by making small accessories." Robin muttered to himself.

The next morning, as Robin walked into the blacksmith shop, Damus came over with a smile and a list of tasks in his hand.

"Robin, here are your mission objectives for this month." Damus handed the list to Robin, his tone tinged with anticipation. "Twenty knight daggers. As for the caravan escort, I've already told Memphis that, unless it's a particularly urgent mission, we generally won't be looking for you."

(End of this chapter)