Serena watched with rapt attention while her brother worked. She was amazed to notice the dagger taking form bit by bit.

  Sparks sprayed, falling on the perfectly smooth stone floor. Serena would flinch from time to time feeling the heat hitting the back of her hand.

  Soon Liam heated the iron again. He used different tools to cut off some of the material before tinuing to hammer with precise strokes.

  A short while ter a hot, glowing dagger was lying on the anvil.

  Steam rose with a loud hiss when Liam doused it in a cauldron of cold water.

  Now as a st step Liam sat down on a rge whetstone. Different colors indicated the quality of the dagger’s edge. Liam worked carefully to guarantee a perfect sharpness.

  It didn’t take long for the dagger to be pleted. A notification popped up, asking the veteran if the on was ready for evaluation.

  There was still a lot one could add to the on. Imbuing it with magic, beautifying it, or coating it with various substances. But for now, Liam was satisfied with the most basifiguration. Most of the other processes couldn’t be done in this novice smithy anyways.

  [Produced: Basic Iron Dagger

  Quality: 4 Stars

  Bonus: 0 Stars

  Reward: 8 EXP; 9 EXP for profession bcksmith]

  Serena’s eyes lit up looking at the ordinary but sharp dagger Liam twirled between his fingers:

  “You did it! It looks so good. Just like the ones sold by the smith grandpa.”

  “Haha, don’t let him hear this.”

  “Now it’s my turn!”

  “Go for it.”

  Liam retrieved a piece of iron, handing it over to his sister.

  Copying her brother’s earlier as the young girl held the material into the furnace.

  Twenty seds quickly passed. She put the iron on the anvil, readying the heavy hammer.

  Serehe strain. Without the stats in the game, it would be difficult for her to build up enough force to deform the iron.

  But she gritted her teeth, drawing strength from the joy of creating something.

  Soon, a dagger had been formed. Serena wiped the sweat from her hand, looking somewhat unhappily at the crude on.

  But even wheried to correething, she only made it worse. Thus, Serena could only accept it and move on.

  After spending a few minutes using the whetstohe result was revealed.

  [Produced: Basic Iron Dagger

  Quality: 2 Stars

  Bonus: 0 Stars

  Reward: 6 EXP; 5 EXP for profession bcksmith]

  Serena pouted her lips.

  “It’s a failure.”

  “Don’t be disced. You did really well for the first time!”

  Liam patted his sister’s head. His words were meant to cheer her up, but it wasn’t a lie. However, Serena looked at him skeptically:

  “But you were much better.”

  “Of…”

  Liam wao say something but quickly held himself back as he uood the meaning of Serena’s words. He smiled wryly, ging his words:

  “You’re right. But this isn’t my first time.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No, no. I trained before.”

  “Oh…”

  Serena’s look softened. She gazed at her dagger, not finding it as ugly anymore.

  “Then I o train too. I want to bee as good as you!”

  “I’m sure you will bee eveer!”

  “You’re right.”

  Serena giggled mischievously. Looking at Liam’s baffled expression she couldn’t help but break out into ughter.

  Afterwards the siblings stayed in the smithy together, crafting daggers. After a while they even tried to create their own ons.

  However, without instrus those turned out in all kinds of weird shapes.

  When Serena produced a sword crooked like a she siblings’ ughter even startled a few elven pyers walking by the smithy.

  After a few hours Serena had an exhausted face, but her eyes were bright. Just as she was about to hold another iron bar into the furnace, a otion suddenly broke out in the global chat.

  “A world boss appeared! Everyone! e, e, e!”

  “What? Where?”

  “A world boss? What level? we beat it?”

  “Don’t spout baseless rumors here, we demand proof!”

  “roof?! Either you e or you don’t, why would I care?”

  The global chat was filled with fierce discussions in seds. Serena didn’t quite uand the significe of a world boss, looking at Liam for answers.

  But her brother was strangely stunned. Chaotic thoughts whirled in Liam’s mind. He couldn’t calm down.

  Reading the global chat Liam’s thoughts were in disarray. Simply because… there should be no world boss in this stage of the game!

  A mix of emotions hit Liam. He was anxious, fused, even nervous. But sooement broke the barrier in his mind.

  He recalled the days when the game was still new and full of secrets to explore. When nothing had been figured out yet.

  Liam’s expression slowly brighteurning expet.

  Seeing this ge, Serena uood that her brother was eager to go. She tapped Liam’s shoulder, which finally brought him out of his stupor.

  “Oh sorry, Serena. I was distracted.”

  “It’s alright. Don’t worry about me. Go beat up that world boss!”

  “No… no. I promised to py with you today.”

  “I’m already happy to spend time with you. I also uand that this game is like your work. How you miss such a big event?”

  Liam felt his heart throb looking in Serena’s clear eyes which showed maturity and uanding. He couldn’t help but take a step forward and hug his little sister.

  “I will make up for it.”

  “Don’t say that. Aren’t you already doing your best?”

  Liam let go of Serena. The siblings exged gentle smiles before Liam waved goodbye ahe smithy.

  Only after her brother left did Serena’s smile fade. She absentmindedly pyed with the dagger in her hand, dreaming of a life free of responsibilities and struggle.

  Liam was unsure how to feel at the moment. On one hand he was excited about fag an unknown world boss. Oher he was indignant as he didn’t have much of a choice.

  Thus, he only dropped oen the party chat befn it.

  However, his mind quickly cleared up as he traveled through the sky on the royal hawk. A desirable free and easy feeling filled his heart.

  It didn’t take long for Liam to arrive back at Luphenour City. He was surprised for a moment seeing the many busy pyers.

  However, it was only logical. Over the st few days, a rge wave of pyers finally reached level 10. Not only through clearing the first dungeons but alsh pure leveling and quests.

  Now, the rge cities gradually began to fill up. Although holy elves made up the rgest part of the pyer popution in Luphenour, some other races could also be seen.

  A few stout dwarfs, glorious godspawn, and serene wood elves roamed the streets.

  In all the excitement Liam didn’t draw attention.

  Or so he thought.

  A shaking voice filled with obvious admiration suddenly spoke behind his back:

  “You are Bleary Mirage! Wow! I never expected to find you here!”

  Liam was startled, turning his head and looking over his shoulder. He found a male dwarf with braided grey hair and a promi beard inid with wooden pearls following his every step.

  The man’s surprisingly youthful face was at the height of Liam’s chest, f him to look upwards. The name dispyed above his head was Braag the Virtuous.

  “o meet you, but I’m in a hurry. Sorry.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll follow you.”

  “No thank you.”

  Liam smiled apologetically, turned around, and tiowards the teleportation ptform.

  But a few steps ter he stopped, his brow twitg.

  “Please, could you leave?”

  “No. If I leave who knows when I might find you again.”

  “Why would you want to find me?”, questioned Liam with an exasperated expression.

  “I want to learn from you!”

  “Sorry, but I’m not in the mood to teach. Maybe Fortune will upload something someday.”

  “But I don’t think I could learn much from that. I want to observe you.”

  “Don’t worry you’ll learn a lot from videos. Goodbye.”

  With those words Liam swayed his body. Before Braag could react, he disappeared into the crowd. But the determination in the dwarf’s heart didn’t diminish.

  [Braag the Virtuous wants to be your friend.]

  Liam deed with a sigh before stepping into the teleporter.

  With a fsh of light, he appeared in another city. It was a human city called Brobrity but the number of pyers present drowned out any inhabitants.

  Only the fierce soldiers, which were obviously highly armed, could be made out. Most of them were positioned on the massive city wall, worry apparent on their faces.

  The city was located in the south of the tral pins and was the capital of the Southern Light Kingdom. They had the unfavorable fate of b the vast southern wastend, which had been occupied by the forces of hell.

  Therefore, Brobrity followed an obviously militaristic style. The houses weren’t fand many bcksmiths and workshops for war supplies existed.

  However, despite all this the city was surprisingly te the moment. It was obvious that Brobrity, located in the north of the kingdom, wasn’t used to trouble knog on its doorsteps.