Whose world-class drama are they criticizing?

Ryan is twice the height of a dwarf, so a six-day introductory period is reasonable.

Once you become a blacksmith's apprentice, you can unlock three new career bonuses, from which you can choose one.

The buff is a scaled-down, simplified version of the blessing, and each class has its own specific buffs.

[Forging Bonus Lv. 1: Increases your forging speed by 5%], [Repairing Bonus Lv. 1: Shoes repaired by you will break down 10% less quickly], and...

[Swordsmith's Bonus Lv1: Increases attack speed by 5% when using a weapon you forged yourself]

Ryan chose the third option; that's exactly what he came for.

The final highlight is the reforging of the [Straw Sword].

With only one chance, Ryan first grabbed a practice mold from the side to practice and warm up the stove.

I practiced for about an hour, during which I could hear the sounds of players crying and screaming outside the door, a mix of joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, madness and frenzy. That’s the charm of pursuing a PhD.

"We have to sell! We absolutely have to sell!"

"+4! +4! Just one more time!"

"I sacrificed my biological father for ten years..."

"Hehehe, no, wait, waaaaaah, what the hell are the probabilities?!"

Moreover, the enhancement reward is Ryan Lumin's favorability.

This is about increasing the favorability of a key character!

Maybe the first person to max it out will unlock a special CG.

For players, this is truly a rare and precious opportunity.

But for Ryan, the so-called favorability rating is just a subjective number; he can fill in as much as he wants.

If Ryan can give them so much rice, he'll probably find them a little more agreeable.

It's probably been upgraded from 'son' to 'son who can make popcorn'.

Ryan can use anything when he's ruthless. Since he knows he's popular, he'll exploit that popularity. The most profitable things in the world are Yoshiin and Yoruichi; combining the two creates a gacha game.

Ryan struck the final blow, quenched the steel, and the mold for the 'Straw Sword' was recast, flawless and without any defects.

After simulating for so long, it's time to get serious.

Just then, the old blacksmith walked in from outside, a satisfied smile on his face. It had been a long time since he had forged so much iron; it felt great.

"How are the Lightless Ones doing?"

Ryan curiously glanced outside and saw players lying all over the ground. They had used up all their forging stones and materials, and their faces were so pale that it seemed as if their souls had been drained. There was scrap metal everywhere, and the highest enhancement level was only +4. Meanwhile, the chests were filled with piles and piles of blessings.

Offering blessings in advance does not guarantee success; it only serves to prevent failure and destruction. And if success is achieved, the blessings will not be returned.

The transition from +4 to +5 is a watershed moment, with the difficulty skyrocketing.

At a glance, the blessings he earned in this hour were more than he had painstakingly collected corpses for a whole day—after all, as players' levels increased, they died less.

We need to get them to the new amusement park.

Kubing Town is pretty good.

"...Let's keep mining! I refuse to believe it!" The players stood up one by one, all of them blinded by greed and determined to succeed in their upgrades.

Ryan looked at the old blacksmith with satisfaction, full of admiration. He was indeed the talent he had chosen, a discarded case among discarded cases, a brilliant idea among brilliant ideas.

Even the old blacksmith felt a little embarrassed about wasting so many materials.

"...How about I use cheaper materials in the future, and I'll hold back a little?" After hesitating for a while, the old blacksmith said in a hoarse voice.

Ryan was immediately dissatisfied. "You get what you pay for! You need to give it your all and deliver an even more amazing piece!"

Anyway, it's not him who's paying.

Unexpectedly, the city lord appreciated him so much. The old blacksmith fell into a brief silence. Since being tortured, he had not forged anything in a real sense for a long time. No one would need his work.

"Alright, now let's bring you an even more amazing work!"

"Keep an eye on the fire for me."

Ryan waved his hand, took out the straw sword, and put it into the furnace.

An old blacksmith's own forging will result in damage, but having him assist and guide will prevent one from being cursed.

However, straw swords are already incomplete prototypes.

Ryan doesn't have many opportunities either.

In short, let's start with a preliminary overview.

Let's start with a divine guidance spell.

According to the old blacksmith, the hilt of the straw sword had to be forged using a blazing fire. This special fire could not be preserved, but fortunately, Ryan had learned the 'blazing fireball' in advance. He poured two into the furnace, then added mithril. Once the mithril was heated into a liquid state, he took it out and poured it into the mold.

Next comes the hammering and casting, followed by the engraving of inscriptions.

The hammer struck the mithril, sending sparks flying.

Ryan took a deep breath, then picked up the heated straw sword from the side and welded the two together following the procedure he had practiced countless times.

But unlike the practice, a sudden change occurred. The withered plants on the stalk sword were awakened by the blazing fire, and their roots grew wildly, eventually wrapping around the hilt and entwining Ryan's wrist as he held the hammer!

"It bit me!" Ryan cried out in pain. "This sword is breathing on it!"

[Cumulative percentage of diseases: 10%]

Even through the protective gloves, Ryan felt as if his entire right hand was withering away, and for a moment he couldn't muster any strength.

"Once the forging begins, it cannot be stopped," the old blacksmith shouted from the side. "Burning them with blazing fire!"

[15% and 20%]

Ryan took the hammer with his right hand, and a ball of fire rose up, slamming it down hard on the red-robed man. One hammer blow, two hammer blows, three hammer blows—the boost from the power potion was obvious.

"I'll show you how to breathe on yourself! I'll show you how to breathe on yourself!"

The old blacksmith watched in surprise; he hadn't expected that Ryan's strength would double in just a few days of training.

The hammer was imbued with a blazing fire. After a few blows, the withered plant trembled and finally retreated from the hilt area, coiling and swirling around the blade.

From then on, it was clearly separated from the hilt area.

Finally, there's reinforcement.

Ryan threw all the Azure Silver Forging Stones into it. Anyway, he wouldn't destroy it even if he failed. How much it could be strengthened depended entirely on luck.

Ten pulls!

Pay up!

"Quenching." The old blacksmith seized the opportunity.

Ryan threw the gleaming red straw sword into the water, and the steam rose up in a mist. After the temperature dropped, he wrapped the shroud of a saint around the hilt and tried to slash the sword to the right, cutting through half of the mist.

【Straw Silver Sword (Silver +4)】

[Rank: Azure Silver Apprentice]

[Strength Requirement: 4 (Curse +1, meets the requirement)]

The sword can withstand the corrosive effects of abnormal curses. Each time it hits an enemy, it will cause 1% to 10% of the withering disease to accumulate, depending on the enemy's resistance.

[If magic is injected into the blight spores, it will stimulate the plant to grow wildly, causing 2% to 20% of the blight to accumulate, but it may backfire on the sword master.]

Attack speed increased by 5% (Swordsmith bonus)

The once-broken holy sword, coexisting with the curse of decay for thirty years, is now reforged, and new shoots sprout from the straw.

Become!

Still +4!

Just one step away from 'craftsman level'!

Ryan was overjoyed. Now that he had the Dung Sword in his hand, who could rival him?

Chapter 61 Follow Me to Assassinate the Princess of the Withered and Sick!

Sure enough, you have to give some guidance before doing anything.

Ryan came to this truth: boys who love guidance are bound to have good luck.

It only takes ten Azure Silver Forging Stones to upgrade to +4, which means that Ryan didn't fail even once and succeeded in one go.

However, upgrading to +5 Artisan level and unlocking weapon skills will be much more difficult later on.

Just look at the players outside crying and wailing to tell you.

“Miss Jasmine, I remember your Shadow Assassin has a third-circle spell,” Ryan casually said to Jasmine, “called [Shadow Sword], right?”

Jasmine nodded, staring warily at Ryan. "What are you going to do?"

【Shadow Sword (Third Ring Shadow Spell): Consumes a certain amount of mana per hour to extract the shadow of any weapon. The Shadow Sword replicates half the effect of the original weapon.】

“When the Dark Ones have money in the future,” Ryan said, “you will make the Shadow Swords of the Straw Swords and sell them to them at the original price.”

"My magic will be drained!" Jasmine exhaled.

“Once you sell it to them, just cancel the magic supply,” Ryan said.

Jasmine was completely convinced.

Ryan continued to swing the straw sword. After practicing for so many days, this was the first time he had met the weapon's 'strength requirement'. It felt exceptionally light in his hand, as if he were holding the olive branch from that day.

It can be driven at will, reaching in all directions, its silver light radiating everywhere.

The old blacksmith once commented that the original straw sword was at least a master-level holy sword.

Ryan has finally hit the jackpot; boys who love directing always have good luck.

However, only nobles could afford to wield a master-level holy sword.

Ryan recalled the sick knight he met that day. He was in the late stages of the disease, yet he kept muttering "Baby, my baby." What an evil capitalist knight.

His status is definitely extraordinary; he might be the leader of the Straw Knights, the previous lord of Chuguang City, and the 'idiot' Kiri mentioned.

Ryan thought about these things as he walked towards the back of the mountain.

They happened to run into Kiri, who was returning from killing monsters in the back mountain.

Kiri was covered in blood, and the spores on the corners of his mouth were even more vivid, looking from a distance like a blood-red smile. Judging from his condition, he would probably be devoured by the blight within a month at most, becoming a blight apostle.

Every curse has an apostle.

The Apostles of the Withered Disease are the most special patients; even burning them with Radiant Fire beforehand won't help.

Time is running out.

Ryan thought to himself.

We can't keep leveling up at a leisurely pace; we must hurry. Ryan needs to grow strong enough to kill the Fallen Kiri within this month.

The level in the back mountain is too low; I need to go to Blighttown to grind monsters.

The accumulated disease in Kili had been there for thirty years.

Ryan couldn't stop Kiri's illness; it was an irreversible fate. The only thing he could do was prepare a grand enough funeral, which was also his duty as the lord of Chuguang City.

By the way, I bought him a month's worth of accidental injury insurance in advance.

"...You still ended up on this path."

Kiri glanced at the withered nerves on Ryan's left wrist, and after a long pause, he said, "You're only sixteen. Do you want to end up like this?"

"Do not abuse the power of withering disease."

He knew his fate best.

[Cumulative cases of disease: 15%...14%]

Although Ryan's left hand was bitten by the straw sword, the damage will slowly fade over time as long as it is not fully accumulated.

"I got bitten by the sword while forging it," Ryan said, indicating it was no big deal. "A little heat from the Blazing Fire will make it heal faster."

"forging...."

Kiri looked at the straw sword at Ryan's waist. It was completely different from the broken and rotten one before. The blade reflected a silver light and shimmered with sacred inscriptions, just like the straw sword in his memory.