Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Seth looked down at the pair of gauntlets and the dagger. He could keep those!? Why didn't the quest mention this?

His heart started racing in excitement. He was actually able to keep the item he used his first own ballad on, and he got the dagger from a completely unlocked Cerberus on top of it.

The dagger didn't fall back behind the item Seth normally made. Once he added a soul to these items there was a high chance that they would become relics.

The question was which souls to...

Seth grabbed to edge of the table to catch himself. Fatigue had finally caught up with him. He looked up to the humongous golem who looked the same as ever.

"Thanks a lot for today. You should also get a rest." with that he unsummoned the golem and put the items in his inventory.

"Minas Mar? To my private quarters, please."

Seth appeared in the tower master's bedroom where mina was already soundly asleep. He cleaned himself before snuggling u to the cat girl and falling asleep.

--------------Delta---------

Neeco Boos was also sitting in his workshop until late at night.

"It's a shame I couldn't get the epic fabric despite even burrowing money... " he thought.

"But who would have thought the interest on my debt would end up being a benefit itself."

He had been heartbroken when he still ended up losing the auction. It was only later that he looked into the bag he was given by the blacksmith that he realized what he was given.

In the bag were all the parts for an epic leather armor. As a tailor, he could easily imagine how the finished design would look in the end. Although it was not his taste, he had to admit the performance and elegance of the piece.

Usually, something like assembling someone else's work was beneath him but all the pieces were made of epic-rated material. His skill rank was originally not high enough to work with this kind of material yet, but most processing steps were already done.

Like Seth had said, all he had to do was sew everything together with a corresponding thread and anything past that could be left to the blacksmith. Considering he could not make an epic item on his own yet, being able to take part in making one would still give his proficiency a huge boost.

Boos had spent the last day meticulously weaving shadow magic and managed to make 3 rolls of rare-rated thread. It was the best he could do and use to fit in with the leather of the armor pieces Seth had given him.

The tailor worked tirelessly until deep in the night. The reason was easy to understand. Neeco Boos had been stuck at Adept lv. 9 for quite a while now and was desperate to reach the journeyman rank as soon as possible.

It was simply agonizing for the protege to keep treading on the spot and not being able to improve. But even just being part of making an epic item could be enough to get him to the next rank. And if it didn't...

He would have to keep trying. The 2 other commissions Seth might have for turned out to be a small light of hope for the tailor, instead of a burden.

In the early morning hours, he finally made the last stitches. It was not the first time he had worked this long but he had never been this focused for such a long time.

Neeco Boos who normally took meticulous care of his outer appearance now sported a mane of unkempt hair and dark bags under his eyes. The horror of what he would have to do to fix this paled before his euphoria of having finished the task.

There were still some steps left before they counted as finished items, but Neeco was sure that he outdid himself with this. Now to get some sleep...

He dragged his feet as he returned to his apartment above his store. He fell asleep the moment he touched the bedsheets and slept like a rock.

-------------------Minas Mar-----------

A squirming Mina in his arms woke Seth from his slumber. Her big sparkling eyes stared up into his and he could read her thoughts. They enjoyed the morning together before giving the kitchen a visit.

"How about going to the city and having some fun, since you are free this week until the exams?" Seth asked her over breakfast.

"Are you sure? You've been working a lot lately."

"That's exactly why a break will be great," Seth said with a smile.

"You two!" a high-pitched yell surprised them.

"Mina and Seth are planning to do something together without Fin again!" a teary third wheel crashed onto the table between them.

"Stop leaving Fin behind all the time!"

"Oh no!" they both thought.

Yes. It was the treaded secret weapon of the cute fairy. Throwing a tantrum. Her tiny fists pounded the table like a jackhammer while tears as big as her eyes kept pouring over her face and formed a puddle around her.

"Fin, listen-" Mina tried to talk but stopped when fin looked up to her. The pitiful look in her eyes as snot and tears mixed on the tiny brute's face. Her guilt game was strong.

Mina looked to Seth seeking his assistance. It was true that he had not had much time to hang around with them. It was either him working or their party raiding a dungeon. He sighed but then smiled. This week before the exams might be a chance to make up some time.

"All right, how about this? Today the three of us go to the city together. We could give a visit to Neeco Boos on the way. I wanted to see what progress he made with Mina's armor. And while we are there, we could ask him to make a robe for Fin."

Although the fairy had calmed down a little, it was obvious that she was not satisfied, yet.

"And tomorrow I will spend a full day with Fin. We could go to an amusement park, or I could show you around the demon district."

"Yay!" her cloudy face instantly became sunshine and sparkles. "I will go and get ready!"

Seth could only look apologetically to Mina. They would have to spend their alone time later that week. She grasped his hands and squeezed.

"it's okay. My hero did it to saved me from the tiny devils mental attack." she joked.

The three teleported to the church after getting ready. They wore casual clothes. Mina was hugging his right atm and Fin was riding his right shoulder as they entered the crowded street.

They visited a lot of stores and watched a movie in a cinema where Fin annihilated a whole maxi bucket of popcorn on her own. It had become afternoon when they finally got close to Neeco Boos fashion store.

The mannequins in hero suits were as colorful as ever. There were a few people inside as they walked in. While Mina and Fin took their time to look around and check the more normal pieces, Seth went to ask a clerk whether Neeco Boos was available.

"The owner didn't come today..." she said with an embarrassed smile.

"Judging by your expression, that isn't normal. Did something happen to him?" Seth asked worried about his armor pieces.

"I'm sorry Customer, but why are you asking? If you allow me this question."

"I'm the Tower Master of Minas Mar. I left a commission with him and came by to see his progress."

"Ah! P-please, wait. I will try to call the owner again." she went to the back, but Seth could hear her hushed voice.

"Mr. Boos! What? Yes! I-I am sorry, but somebody asked for your presence. He said he's the Tower Master of Minas Mar and came to get an update on his order. Wha- yes, I will."

She came back to the counter with a business small.

"I'm sorry for the wait. Mr. Boos will arrive shortly and hopes you could wait for him for a moment."

She had barely finished speaking when a disheveled-looking tailor rushed in from the direction of an unassuming door in the back of the showroom.

"Seth!"

All heads turned in the direction of Neeco Boos who resembled a ruffled peacock compared to his usual appearance. His face slowly turned red when he saw everyone look at him with a surprised expression.

He gestured for Seth and his people to follow him and hurriedly vanished through the same door.

"Thank you for your effort," Seth said goodbye to the clerk and followed through the door.