16 March 2023, 9pm
Rayon, 14th Floor
I'm not a regular customer in blacksmith shops run by players, but when I do visit them, I definitely got some weird vibes about them. They're fellow players, but they focus on weapon crafting and selling businesses.
There aren't many players who were willing to dedicate their time to levelling up their Crafting skill instead of fighting monsters in the hunting fields. Most of them thought they wouldn't stand a chance against a Kobold Soldier on the 1st Floor, but I guess I could understand that. Moving around in virtual reality was a challenge for everyone when we first logged into SAO.
I mean, if some players couldn't fight as well as others did, wouldn't they find alternative ways to contribute to the effort of clearing the Floors?
That's assuming they got over the trauma of being trapped in this death game in the first place.
Ever since the 10th Floor, I noticed a surge in the player blacksmith population. It's not like they were everywhere, but there was always one around in every safe zone area I visit.
I heavily relied on NPC blacksmiths during the time I was doing the Elf War campaign quest. Not only were their enhancement success rates fixed at a certain percentage, the prices for enhancing weapons were the standard market prices. That meant no negotiations for any discounts, since you can't initiate such conversations with NPCs.
Player blacksmiths were much different. The higher their Crafting skill, the better they are in the success rates for enhancing weapons. The frustrating thing is that they had the right to charge their services however they want. Still, the prices were at least negotiable.
The shop of the player blacksmith I was about to enter was definitely no exception. I could hear the sound of colliding metal as I strolled in.
The player in front of me was hacking away at some piece of metal, never noticing my entrance into his workshop.
"Tekion." I said simply, staring at him.
Maybe I should have let him finish his work first. The piece of metal suddenly glowed, and instantly turned into a longsword. The blacksmith then looked up to see me.
"Oh hey, aren't you Zenalyth? The guy that...um..." Tekion pondered for a while to remember.
"...Went with you to gather materials for you to craft maces on the 12th Floor." I said straightforwardly. I didn't think he would forget doing that with me a week ago.
"Ah yes! Can't thank you enough for farming those Hermit Shells with me. I'm really grateful. Almost forgot you're coming to visit..."
"I sent you a message asking for the location of your workshop yesterday. And you replied to me."
"Of course! I remember that, so stop bugging me, dammit!" Tekion searched through his inventory for another piece of metal to work on.
Tekio had earned his fair share of regular customers since he started out as a blacksmith, but he wasn't so famous that his small workshop would be flooded with customers.
Ever since more players became blacksmiths, the NPC blacksmiths have stopped having customers. All the players started to rely on player blacksmiths, me included. The demand for these players could never have been any higher.
Even so, Tekion chose to set up his workshop in the far corners of the city of Rayon. That's probably the reason he wasn't very well-known in the 14th Floor.
"So, when are you gonna move shop?" I asked.
The blacksmith answered as he worked. "When the 20th Floor gets cleared? I'll wait and see."
I cracked a sarcastic smile. "Huh. By the time the 20th Floor gets cleared, you'll lose all your customers. Assuming you stay on this Floor the whole time."
"I get it, I get it...." Tekion mumbled as he stroke the metal using his crafting hammer.
I got down to business, bringing down my menu. Materializing my bow a minute later, I held it in front of Tekion. He raised an eyebrow, but finished crafting before really looking at it.
"First time you've seen this kind of weapon?" I asked.
"Actually....no, although I almost dropped my hammer in surprise when I first saw one of its kind." Tekion had his eyes glued to my bow. "You're the second player that I've known who uses the Bow and Arrow skill."
I did think of the possibility of other players having that skill, but I had no way of knowing. All I knew was that bow users were super rare in SAO.
"So there's another bow user? How....lucky are you to meet that player, or even me?"
Tekion unequipped his craftsman apron, revealing a simple shirt and brown pants. "That bow user came to my workshop last week, and paid me, in col, to keep the secret within these walls. I made an exception to this rule, since you turned out to be a bow user as well."
He then went to look out of the windows of his workshop, and turned back to me.
"You know what? I think I'm closing shop right now. Why don't you stay the night in my room, and we'll talk."
I checked the digital watch on my menu, and said, "If you're closing up early, then your closing hours must be quite late."
Tekion smiled at my simple comment as he prepared to lock the front door.
"Damn right. You're my only special customer tonight, and I'm sure I'll make your visit here worth it."