Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!-Chapter 570: I’d like to become a blacksmith

"I'd like to become a blacksmith." Alex replied without hesitation.

This was the second reason he had come to the blacksmith association. Yes, his main goal was to find out any information he could find on Mikhail, and preferable where his forge might be located, but that didn't make it his only goal.

His desire to become a blacksmith stemmed from the moment he recovered his mental state after experiencing that weird memory involving the mysterious figure and finding out that Virtue's Edge was actually an unfinished sword.

Sure, he knew what he had to do and where to start off, but where would he go from there?

The figure had asked him to complete the sword, which was the very reason he had to find Mikhail's forge.

How exactly was he supposed to do this without any knowledge of blacksmithing at all? That was the reason he decided to become a blacksmith.

Alex turned to see the woman clad in a leather apron, who had stopped him at the front gate to the entrance of the blacksmith association. It was clear that she herself was a blacksmith.

Her arms were crossed over her chest, measuring Alex up with a sharp gaze, scrutinising him like someone who had no patience for time wasters.

However, this was before Alex had said anything.

The moment he mentioned his desire to become a blacksmith, her gaze darkened.

"You? A blacksmith?" She looked him up and down for a second, before letting a small laugh out. "You don't have the hands for that, kid."

The crackling of the nearby forges behind the woman inside the association filled the silence after she spoke.

Alex only met her gaze steadily. "I'm serious," He doubled down.

"You want to become a blacksmith?" She repeated, carrying a tone of skepticism and intrigue.

Alex met her gaze head on. "That's right."

The blacksmith crossed her arms, studying him. "You don't just 'become' a blacksmith, kid. It's not like picking up a sword and swinging it around until you figure things out. It takes years of learning, of failing, of burning your hands until you can barely hold a hammer. You think you have what it takes?"

It was clear the woman didn't think Alex had it in him. In fact, in her eyes Alex looked like just another foolhardy, spoilt brat who had nothing better to do and so came to this place. She was 100% certain that Alex would give up before even getting his foot halfway through the door of blacksmithing.

Alex only smirked lightly despite her taunts. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

He could tell that the woman in front of him wasn't anything special herself.

From examining her aura, she was just a D+ rank Ordinary class awakened, and Alex didn't know where that placed her talents for blacksmithing, but he assumed they were just as subpar since she was guarding the gates rather than inside, forging.

The woman let out a sharp exhale upon seeing Alex's unwillingness to back down, shaking her head at Alex's certainty. "Fine. You wanna be a smith? Prove it. Follow me."

She turned and strode deeper into the Blacksmith Association, weaving through the rows of workstations and past several interested onlookers. Alex told Brontes to head back to the taming space while he walked through the association, as the beast was clearly out of place in a place like this.

Eventually, they reached a side chamber – smaller than the grand halls full of forges but still filled with the smell of molten metal and burning coal. A single anvil stood in the centre, surrounded by scattered tools and raw materials.

'This place is definitely a place to train newbie blacksmiths… There isn't even a furnace in here, which clearly indicates this.' Alex thought to himself as he entered the room.

The woman grabbed a pair of tongs and tossed them to Alex, who caught them without hesitation.

"Name's Darya, by the way. If anyone asks why you're here, tell them I sent you." She said, but with a smug look on her face for some reason.

Alex couldn't tell why, but he felt like she was cooking something devious up after seeing that look on her face.

But regardless, Darya continued.

She tossed a hefty looking book to Alex.

"Read though this, and follow the instructions carefully. If you don't, you'll end up hurting yourself."

She didn't even bother to stay in the room any longer after explaining the most basic of basics to Alex.

But Alex couldn't blame her, she probably had to go back to guarding the entrance.

'That's it?' Alex thought to himself though.

In fact, if he were honest, he was expecting an entirely different situation to play out. From what he knew, weren't blacksmiths usually taught in the master disciple method of teaching? He didn't expect to be handed what was basically a more complex manual and expected to figure things out himself.

But the more he thought about it, the more he liked it.

The lack of any teacher supervising his every move and looking over his shoulder eased alot of pressure and allowed him to act more freely, though he still suspected there had to be some sort of surveillance inside this room, and probably every room inside the blacksmith association.

If they truly left newbies to do their own thing, then accidents were bound to happen. Though, Alex doubted any harm would come to himself.

'Let's see here…'

He began reading through the manual.

'So I have to take that piece of raw iron on the workbench over there, and heat it up, and shape it into something that resembles this blade?'

From what he had read, it seemed simple enough.

'But how do they expect me to heat it up, there isn't even a furnace in here?'

However he encountered his first stumbling block very quickly.

In fact, he was completely unaware of this, but Darya had basically skipped all of the useful stuff that all newbies usually learned before beginning to forge…

It was clear that she had no intentions on teaching Alex, and no hopes that he could actually have any talent for blacksmithing!