Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Chapter 652 Iron

The next day, Kaizen still had to think long and hard about who he would invite to join his guild, and as he had to replenish his store's stock, he spent part of his morning forging.

Kaizen found himself in his cramped forge, a space crammed with tools, materials and unfinished parts. Soft morning sunlight filtered through a small window, illuminating the room, but most of the light came from the heat of the furnace. He was wearing a worn leather apron and sturdy gloves, with an expression of concentration on his face as he held the hammer firmly in his hands.

The iron was glowing in the fire, the flames dancing around it, seeming to obey his will, because he could control them perfectly. With a deft movement, Kaizen removed the metal from the forge, placing it carefully on the anvil. His eyes scrutinized every detail of the piece he was creating, a short sword.

The hammer fell in a steady rhythm, its beat echoing through the forge. Each blow was calculated, not only to shape the blade, but also to unleash the material's potential by removing its imperfections. Within Rise Online, Kaizen knew that every action, every precise movement, was adding XP to him, so he was patiently working on his goal of climbing levels. What's more, he was about to level up his profession, which would give him some bonuses.

While working on the sword, Kaizen was also increasing his control of his abilities, and he took advantage of the forge's blazing fire to try to control it with Psychokinesis, after all learning Pyrokinesis was one of his goals as a Psyker.

Minutes turned into hours, but Kaizen continued forging, immersing himself in his craft. Before he knew it, he had created a number of swords, all of them of at least Mutant rank, but it was one of Epic rank that he was aiming for.

Kaizen held up the most recent sword he had forged, looking at it with a critical eye. It was a beautifully crafted blade, with runes engraved along the guard and a hilt inlaid with a fiery gem. He knew that this sword could be worth a small fortune on the players' market, but he threw it into the corner of the forge because he realized he had made a silly mistake. So he went back to forging.

For the next two hours, Kaizen worked tirelessly, focused on making the one-handed sword he wanted to put in his shop window.

The heat of the forge enveloped him like a second skin, but he continued to hammer and shape the iron without stopping.

Beads of sweat ran down his face, but he didn't care. He couldn't go wrong this time.

When the metal noises stopped, Alina's soft voice echoed from behind the door. "Kaizen, you've been in there since dawn. It's time for a break, don't you think?"

"Just a moment longer, Alina. I'm almost there."

She nodded, understanding his passion for his craft. Alina was a powerful mage and understood the importance of dedication to honing skills.

"All right, but then you need to rest."

Minutes passed, and finally, as the sun reached the top of the sky, marking the middle of the day, Kaizen raised the newly-forged sword. It was a masterpiece. The blade gleamed with a metallic blue sheen, and the runes seemed to pulse with power. He swung it in the air, feeling the energy that flowed through it. It was definitely an Epic sword.

With a satisfied smile, Kaizen put the Epic sword aside and removed his glove, feeling the sweat on his forehead. He looked at the virtual clock floating in the air in front of him and realized that he had lost track of time. Lunchtime in the real world had already passed a little.

Kaizen was about to take his well-deserved break when suddenly a cacophony of voices burst into his ears. He frowned, letting the hammer fall on the anvil. Something was happening outside. In a hurry, he took off his sooty gloves and left the forge.

As he looked down the corridor to the reception hall of his store, he was stunned. A long queue snaked from the service counter to the entrance door and beyond.

Og'tharoz, the co-owner of the establishment, was busy attending to everyone, but even he seemed overwhelmed. What drew Kaizen's attention even more was the presence of Xisrith, a player he had often met recently. She was behind the counter, helping Og'tharoz to serve the customers.

Og'tharoz looked at Kaizen with an expression of surprise and relief when he saw him. He shook his head, indicating the impatient crowd.

Just then, one of the first people in the queue spotted Kaizen and, with a cry of excitement, called out his name. "Kaizen! It's him, everyone, it's Kaizen himself!"

"What? He's here and nobody's said anything?"

"Kaizen, add me as a friend, please!"

"Hey, Klaus, fight me! I want to test my strength! KRAHAHAHA!"

All eyes turned to him, and in a matter of seconds, the hall was filled with excited murmurs and exclamations of surprise.

So it was clear that people had finally connected the dots and discovered that Kaizen, the masked, former Myth2 player, was also the owner and skilled blacksmith of a small store in the commercial center of the Tretidian Capital.

Kaizen, now a little dazed by the turn of events, waved to the crowd with an awkward smile and had to get closer, after all it was better for him to have fans than enemies.

"Looks like you've discovered me," he said, trying to control the commotion around him. "

People laughed and nodded sympathetically, and one of them exclaimed:

"A guy made a live saying that he'd already bought an item from Kaizen's store and even said that their items were all very good and at great prices, so we came."

"So, I guess I'll have to raise the prices so as not to overcharge my friend here." Kaizen said, slapping Og'tharoz on the back.