Blacksmith vs. the System

"We're here, sir," Terry reported, looking less nervous than the others as he took the lead once more.

"Good," I said as I looked at him, and the rest. "That's all that's able to improve your farming skills naturally, right?" I asked, as there were ten more than I had expected.

"Yes, sir. Several people managed to upgrade it through hard work as well," he said. I nodded, even though I was surprised considering my theories about the hidden variable that affected the skill upgrade.

But then, considering how little I knew about what that variable was, I couldn't discount it either. Maybe it was something that could grow. Either that, or there were certain conditions that allowed the skill to require less from the hidden variable.

I wondered if it was how the alchemists of the fifteenth century felt, trying to explain something they barely understood while working hard to turn lead into gold.

"May I ask you why you summoned us, sir?" Terry asked, breaking my fugue.

"Right. I have a plan, one that will potentially make you even stronger, but it's risky."

"How risky?" he asked, while quite a few of the others looked alarmed at the mere prospect of him talking back. Some of them were able to hide that panic well enough that I only noticed thanks to my Wisdom, but that didn't change their feelings.

"Potentially deadly," I admitted, not willing to sugarcoat the case. As much as I had no dangerous experiment in mind, there was no doubt that Meditation was dangerous. Even the basic variant could be deadly if approached wrongly. "That's why, I only want volunteers. There will be no repercussions if you refuse. That, I promise."

"Maybe we should discuss it alone for a minute, sir," Terry replied.

"Go ahead," I said, appreciating his initiative. Young as he might be, he was doing his best to take the lead, which I appreciated quite a bit. I had several methods to listen in, but I refused to apply them, giving them the privacy they deserved.

Instead, I busied myself with forging another set of shears, once again out of ordinary metal, but this time, adding some nature-themed decorations around it, vines dancing around the blade, leaves around the handle, and other small things.

To my surprise, it actually worked. While the previous shears had been leaning toward the concept of cutting more, the current shears had a more robust growth concept. Of course, stronger was a relative term. Even in their current state, I doubted that it would provide a noticeable benefit to anyone with even Common Nurture if it was above ten. Ultimately, the relationship between the weapon and the skill was more additive than multiplicative, and such a weak presence had no practical benefit.

Still, progress.

I had been considering whether it was worth it to try crafting an epic variant when they returned, split into two groups, roughly in half. "We have decided, sir," Terry said.

"Alright," I said as I looked at the second group. "You're free to leave. Continue working hard, and don't forget to fill out your surveys twice a day," I reminded them. They walked back in relief. At the same time, I could feel an intense sense of regret radiating from most of the remaining ones. They clearly accepted only because they were afraid of me, and seeing the others leave without consequence, they regretted it. "Anyone that's having second thoughts is free to leave as well," I said.

They didn't move until I started making eye contact with the ones that were feeling most afraid. "I … I think I will give this one a pass, sir," he admitted and left.

"I think I will as well," a woman added, which acted like a dam breach. Ultimately, almost all that remained left, leaving only seven of them behind. It didn't surprise me too much. When I gave a similar option before, there would be hundreds of volunteers. But, that was when they were desperate with no hope for the future.

Currently, they had a path to upgrade their class well above what they were expecting, with training to help their external skills progress quickly. In a way, it was similar to the middle-class trap. They had enough that losing it was a dangerous prospect.

Could I have pressured them to accept the experimentation nonetheless? Certainly, but even when lives were on the line, I felt like that would have been a step too far. Maybe it was the wrong decision, just like it was the wrong decision to let the guards go freely after their inept rebellion.

I was willing to live with such mistakes. Even if the world was harsh, there had to be some limits.

"Alright, last chance to back out," I said as I looked at the remaining seven, whose determination was intense. Seeing that they had no intention to take that option, I waved my hand to create a gate, leading to the fourth floor, one that was right at the edge of a gate leading to the first floor. "Follow me," I said as I stepped in.

As usual, insects rushed toward me, but this time, I just needed to slash with my blade, the effect enough to destroy any insect that was a hundred yards around me. Then, I took a seed from one of my pouches, and grew a tree.

Just as it finished branching, they arrived one by one. Once the last one arrived, the gate disappeared. "Thank you for volunteering," I said.

"It's who needs to thank you, sir," Terry replied, still acting like the spokesperson.

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I waved my hand dismissively. "Doesn't really matter. Now, I'm sure you're excited about what's this secret plan," I said. They nodded, tense but curious. I didn't blame them for their tenseness. "We're going to work hard to see if we can transform your Nurture skill to a mana variant."

"T-that's possible?" one of the others gasped.

"We have achieved it with other skills, but whether it's possible or not with Nurture, I don't know. That's why it's an experiment in the first place," I replied. "But, before we start, let's meet properly. I'm Devon, a college professor who found himself a blacksmith in a world that has gone bonkers." That earned a couple chuckles, but even more shocked glances. "What's wrong?" I asked.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"It's rare for anyone to introduce themselves as who they were before the Cataclysm, sir," another one answered. "Especially anyone … strong."

"Interesting point," I replied with a shrug. "But I still see myself as an academic who's forced to get a second job due to some funding issues more than anything else." Then, I paused. "And, arguably a third and a fourth as well," I added. I was not just a blacksmith, but also a warrior and a leader, which listed my jobs not only chronologically, but also in terms of my enjoyment.

The leadership, in particular, I hated with a great passion. If only I had a good candidate to shunt all of it at. Harold would have been a good successor, but the nature of the System threw some unnecessary complications to that particular line of thinking, as taught by the most recent rebellion by the guards.

"I should go first," Terry said. "I'm Terry, a Farmer, and before all this mess started, I was a student."

"I'm Spencer, and I was an accountant," the one that answered me first added. I guessed that he was barely into his thirties like I was. He was of medium height and had brown hair.

"My name is Rebecca, and I was a nurse," the third one said. "Well, a student at a nursing school, at least," she added quickly. She was short and had black hair.

"Logan. I worked at a supermarket," he said. It probably had a story, as he looked as young as Terry, meaning he was barely sixteen when the Cataclysm arrived.

"Jennifer," the fifth one said with a chippy tone. She was probably in her mid-twenties, with a perpetual scowl. She didn't want to volunteer more information, that much was clear. I nodded as I turned to the next one, as it hardly mattered.

"I'm Ryan, and he's Soren, my brother. He doesn't like to talk," the shortest one said, pointing at the towering tall guy next to him, even taller than me. He was probably about six and a half feet. Soren nodded dumbly, which I had to admit, was good acting, as I could sense a hint of amusement from him, one that had been buried under fear of getting caught, and the satisfaction of a job well done. The same emotions that had been echoed by Ryan in some way.

Without Wisdom, they could have pulled it off easily. I had no idea why they acted like that, but I decided to let it go. Maybe I was over-relying on Wisdom, but I could sense that whatever plan they had in mind was not something nefarious.

"Excellent," I said. "Now, take a seat, and let me teach you about mana before we progress."

"That's it?" Jennifer said, caught by surprise.

"Unless you want to tell us your life story," I teased her, which earned an even bigger scowl, one that was matched with genuine annoyance. I had to admit, it felt refreshing after the annoying mixture of adoration and hatred I was dealing with. "Excellent," I said as I touched the tree, and a root burst out to turn into a seat. A little peace offering, showing that I took Nurture as seriously as them.

"Create a seat for yourself, and we can start," I said. They all did, but I froze. All of them had used the same skill, but for some reason, Soren's felt different. It was subtle, which I barely caught thanks to Wisdom, but the presence behind it was slightly more lifeless.

An external skill.

The class was yet to start, and immediately, there was a complication.