Dragon Lord: Erotic MMO

Chapter 148 4: The Metal Mancer

Meanwhile, back in the game, Zell walked along the busy streets of the city, his eyes browsing the various NPC stores, wondering where these items came from in the past; he now knew that the NPCs could act on their own to a certain degree as long as players weren't around and they were not a quest giving NPC, those would receive benefits for waiting around though.

'Ah, what should I pick? Smithing, enchanting?'

Zell never had the luxury of choosing his crafting class before, forced to take herbalism and alchemy to aid in healing himself because most potions were not usable on battle pets, something that wasn't well known due to the small number of tamers (less than 0.001% of the population.)

He wandered through the bustling streets of the medieval fantasy town, taking in the sights and sounds of the many tradesmen and artisans who had set up shop.

The city had finally been repaired after years of war and strife, destroyed by some random epidemic that didn't get told in the game's lore.

Still, it was teeming with activity as blacksmiths, carpenters, and other craftsmen worked tirelessly to create wares.

'I wonder what to choose, hmmm...'

Today he was alone; having finished giving a good meal to his cute vampire and succubus and sending off the sad Lynxes, he began to examine each little stall and store as they were quite interesting, and each blacksmith or other teacher would have their speciality.

As he walked, Zell couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation.

He was now a powerful demon and warrior, much different from the weak and poor tamer before; the women had been selling all the useless items over the past few days.

'It feels great to have sold all that damn crap, over two hundred wolf teeth, more goblin teeth... strange bones and weird pelts.'

However, he kept quite a few for his profession levelling and that of his women and guild members, only offering it to his most loyal and trusted members; new people would get access to a limited amount of basic pelts and ores before they raised their rank.

'I don't want any lazy leeches to form, even my women; they all have to work hard. It's the same principle of me cooking and them cleaning!'

Feeling uplifted, he continued searching the shelves with renewed passion, browsing the random goods.

Most were trash, but the entire atmosphere as the sun began to shine above in the early morning sky; Zell felt bright and confident; his level was now 32 while his attributes were almost all 20 and close to being stronger than any demon whelp at his level.

'Ah, let's find a profession, then train it at home while watching television!'

He hoped for an easy profession, walking along drawn to the tradesmen and all their skills.

Now that the city was finally thriving again, he couldn't wait to find his calling, but as he browsed the many shops and stalls, he was amazed by the variety of crafts on offer.

'Was the game this diverse? Maybe it's because I reached level 20 after the second merger. Most of these secondary jobs seemed a waste!'

Zell's eyes began to examine the "Artisan district" of the city, enjoying himself while pretending to be a cold and unfeeling demon, as that's how people began to post on the forums about him, which were quite fun for him to read drama about himself.

'It feels strange being a small celebrity; thankfully, the gods haven't stopped low enough to share my information and name, most likely because the actual person in charge of the company was Yanfra, Astra and Yinfra...'

In the small district, potters shaped clay into beautiful vases and bowls, tailors stitched intricate garments, and woodworkers crafted stunning furniture and toys. And, of course, the blacksmiths were pounding away at their forges, creating weapons and armour that glimmered in the sun.

Zell was torn, unsure of which craft to choose.

'They all look so fun, although I want to avoid dying, sometimes I want to have something to remove my boredom and stress, sex is a bit too extreme sometimes and with more women... I will need high stamina, even as an incubus royal.'

The thoughts of that goddess's avatar, she milked him and made him orgasm with a few light touches; this stained his pride but made him wish to improve more.

He was fascinated by the intricate designs and patterns the woodworkers were creating, but he was also drawn to the strength and power of the blacksmiths' work. As he weighed his options, he noticed a shop off to the side that he had never seen before.

"The Metal Mancer" was the store's title, while a strange magical swirl filled the old, worn-down shop with almost no customers and no weapons on display.

"Strange..." Zell whispered to himself, a title that was foreign to him.

Curious, he approached the shop and peered inside, and what he saw took his breath away.

There, at the forge, stood a man wielding his hammer with grace and precision, each strike of the hammer creating intricate patterns in the metal, yet the hammer wasn't made of metal or wood.

'Is that magic!?'

Yes, his hammer was created by mana. The blacksmith began to forge the small sword, using only his concentrated mind, intricate designs rivalling that of an elven smith, the power and tenacity of a dwarf, but what was strangest of all.

The blacksmith was a demon.

His entire store was filled with a beautiful array of red, blue, silver and gold as the various elements and strands of mana formulated his forge, anvil and other tools, while his arms and body seemed to dance like a pure master of his craft.

Zell watched in a trance, his heart throbbing as the small sword grew, now more than 70cm long, with a detailed handle, the leather pelt being crimped and fastened around to form a wonderful grip.

'This skipped so many steps!? What is this sorcery? Witch! Burn the Witch!'

- As a member of the dragon and demon races, you have stumbled upon the chance of another demon.

Would you like to attempt to steal this chance and learn a rare and racial skill?

Accept Sub Class: Metal-Mancer

Y/N

'Why are you even asking? Look at how awesome this guy is!'

- Congratulations, the demon prince Amon lost his chance to attain a strong supporter who learned this class while searching for clues about the Divine's champions.

Gained Sub-Class: Metal-Mancer

Metalmancy | Novice Rank

[0/100]

Learned Basic Skills

Countless pieces of information flowed through Zell's mind as each strand of mana and their usage and meanings flowed into his mind.

Soul Engraving

The golden strand was his soul engravement which would encompass the crafter's spirit and their desires to improve and change the attributes of a weapon.

If he wished for a powerful axe built around strength, the weapon would gain Strength and Stamina type attributes.

Should he want an agile and sneaky weapon, it would boost his agility and give him a chance for a stealth damage bonus.

Blood Bonding

The red strand was not fire but the blood bond, which caused the item to be bound to the crafter, stopping anybody from stealing the item, miss using or killing the Metalmancer with his weapons.

However, the weapon could be loaned to other people; it would always remember the one who created it, never breaking this eternal blood bond, sending back the experience to the crafter's mind.

Things like how durable it was if it needed more delicate care during forging, and how long the sharpness lasted.

It could even be used to track and keep an eye on owners, allowing Zell to know if his women were in danger.

A wonderful skill.

Mana Anvil

Create an ethereal anvil with your mana. This was the blue light he saw, lighting up each time the hammer struck the air. It was, in fact, striking a magical anvil that adjusted to the crafter's needs.

Metal Forging

The main skill of a Metalmancer allows the crafter to do all the other skills involved in blacksmithing.

It replaces the need for a mining pick, forge or even heat.

Allows the caster to suck all the useful metal ores and gems from a stone or vein with just the mana in their body, although at low skill ranks, some stones and gems are impossible and will only grant a pile of mush and broken rock.

The user can create a mental hammer, the hammer that the demon was using was just a symbolic example; if he wanted to become a blacksmith who used a needle to look cool, he could do so.

At the novice level, it takes more effort and time to create a simple item; engravement is almost impossible but can be attempted to raise the skill faster.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light before a huge bang filled the small blacksmith, as subconsciously Zell's mind released a small rope with his Metalmancy; it didn't disturb the master, only causing his golden light to swat away the pale light of Zell's which caused him to fall back holding his head.

"Damn... that hurt!" Zell moaned.

"Boy!" An old hoarse voice sounded from the man.

"Don't interrupt another person's Metalmancy; it's the biggest taboo; as your teacher, I won't kick you out for this one fault; remember, always ask permission to use your skills in the presence of somebody working hard! You got me?"

"Y-yes, sir!"

The man's voice felt nostalgic, making Zell remember his dad telling him off once for drinking some of his wine before he was old enough; then, after a stern scolding, he would teach Zell about the flavours and differences between good wine and bad wine.

Thus Zell instantly went into his "good boy" mode, listening as the old blacksmith began to give a lesson on what he was doing.

"Boy watch closely; this is the moment I apply my Blood Bond! We place these to stop those ungrateful idiots from betraying or hurting those we love to force us to make free weapons. Remember, demons are a horrible race, most not caring about their mother, let alone a random Metal-Mancer!"

A long time passed in that small, broken-down blacksmith; however, it was strange that nobody else could see it.

On that area that Zell entered was a huge pile of broken rocks and the last of the debris.

Zell didn't care as he sat down, listening intently as the old man began to adapt the sword from a shortsword to a larger Zwéihander, which resembled the one that Zell himself used.

However, there was no dragon but a demon on the hilt and guard.