Chapter 17
After spending more time with Blacksmith Sun, Su Wangchuan increasingly felt that his master was a living, breathing person of flesh and blood.
When facing Chen Feng and Heitan, Blacksmith Sun had always concealed his true skills and refused to display them. In truth, it was because he could see that those two were solely driven by profit—they had come only to make money.
They did not want to endure hardship.
The Hundredfold Steel task was pure torment for them.
But for the profession of a blacksmith, it was nothing more than an everyday routine.
So…
Chen Feng and Heitan were eliminated.
Only Su Wangchuan became Blacksmith Sun’s true inheritor, receiving the mantle of Hundredfold Steel forging.
Knowing that the village was about to face enormous pressure and would need to consume a vast number of arrows, Blacksmith Sun immediately began preparations, devoting himself fully to forging iron arrowheads to arm the village hunters.
After learning that hunters had been injured by wild boars, Blacksmith Sun changed his plan without hesitation, deciding to forge even sharper Hundredfold Steel arrowheads—ones capable of posing a lethal threat to wild boars. Su Wangchuan felt the same way.
After all, he had stayed in Blackstone Village for over a month. With daily interactions morning and night, he had developed a sense of belonging, as if he himself were a villager of Blackstone Village.
When villagers were injured, he felt furious as well, his heart stirred with a shared hatred toward the external threat.
He studied the Hundredfold Steel arrowhead forging method taught by Blacksmith Sun with utmost seriousness and focus.
To forge an arrowhead that was exceptionally tough and razor-sharp, it required a solid one hundred rounds of folded forging—hammering a small amount of pig iron into a denser and more compact form.
Only then could it undergo finer polishing later. Only with a tougher structure could it withstand repeated grinding and still maintain an even sharper edge.
Clang!
Clang!!
Su Wangchuan learned quickly, and adapted even faster.
After completing the small Hundredfold Steel ingots, he began shaping them.
“Compared to ordinary iron arrowheads, these need to be flatter. That way, they can be shot farther! While maintaining both speed and range, they will also possess tremendous destructive power and penetration!”
Blacksmith Sun offered guidance from time to time.
When the first Hundredfold Steel arrowhead came out of the forge, Blacksmith Sun personally took charge of polishing it.
After about ten minutes, the front of the Hundredfold Steel arrowhead was razor-sharp, its sides like blades, sharp enough to cut hair at a blow.
“Success!”
Blacksmith Sun took an arrow shaft, bound and fixed the arrowhead in place, then produced a wooden bow from somewhere and easily drew it into a full moon.
He released.
WHOOSH.
The Hundredfold Steel arrow shot out like a streak of white light, accompanied by a heart-piercing tearing sound, and sank deep into the beam of the blacksmith shop, the tip completely buried inside.
A smile appeared on Blacksmith Sun’s face.
He casually tossed the wooden bow aside and said to Su Wangchuan,
“See that? This is the power of a Hundredfold Steel arrowhead. Its armor-piercing damage is at least twice that of ordinary iron arrowheads. Even against a fully grown wild boar king, one shot like this would tear off a chunk of flesh!”
“Follow this standard! Today, we will first forge ten Hundredfold Steel arrowheads and equip the best hunters in our village.”
An ordinary arrowhead could penetrate solid wood by at most an inch. A Hundredfold Steel arrowhead, however, could bury its entire three-inch head into the wood.
Flesh was far weaker than solid timber. It would suffer far greater damage.
With this, killing wild boars should become much easier.
Su Wangchuan nodded, a trace of fiery excitement lighting up his eyes.
This was a true weapon of slaughter!
A weapon made to kill!
Moreover—
He noticed that while forging Hundredfold Steel arrowheads, the progress bar of his Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique advanced by one point.
Forging finished Hundredfold Steel arrowheads also increased experience for the Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique.
Su Wangchuan grew even more exhilarated.
He quickly divided the materials into six portions and began hammering furiously.
Blacksmith Sun forged alongside him personally.
One light, one heavy—the sounds of their hammers echoed throughout the blacksmith shop.
After eating flatbread at noon, neither master nor disciple had any intention of stopping. They continued working until the afternoon, when all those harvesting rice returned and the village gates were closed. In total, the master and disciple forged forty-eight Hundredfold Steel arrowheads.
Su Wangchuan alone forged twenty-four Hundredfold Steel arrowheads. His Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique experience bar had now reached 25/300.
Each Hundredfold Steel arrowhead earned a reward of fifty Copper Coins.
The income was even faster than forging ordinary iron arrowheads.
While everyone was inside the village calculating their earnings, Su Wangchuan left the blacksmith shop to find Lin Dahai.
Several people were gathered together, discussing how to rush the rice harvest tomorrow.
Today, one hunter had been severely injured in the village, and two unlucky miners had also been bitten by wild boars.
Although their wounds were minor, the shock was considerable. Wei Zhe and Zhang Kai both stated that they did not want to accept tasks tomorrow.
As the rice near the village had already been harvested, everyone was now venturing farther and farther away. Not only were profits declining, but they were also getting closer to the wild boar herds. It was extremely dangerous.
Tomorrow’s situation would certainly be even more perilous.
Su Wangchuan noticed that not only the few from his own company, but even Chen Feng and Heitan’s small outsourced studio group, had begun to feel anxious. They were talking among themselves, considering going on strike tomorrow.
Just then—
The village chief was alarmed and stepped out to stabilize morale.
“Tomorrow’s wages for rushing the rice harvest will be increased by one Copper Coin from the original amount, making it four Copper Coins per basket.”
“Additionally!”
“We will arrange for the village hunters to remain on high alert, intensify the hunt against the wild boar herds, and ensure everyone’s safety. You may harvest rice with peace of mind.”
“Of course!”
“If any of you are unwilling to take on the task… then please leave Blackstone Village.”
The killing power of the village chief’s final sentence was immense.
Many players who had originally intended to strike were instantly stunned.
Leave Blackstone Village?
Go where?
Without the protection of a village, their situation would become incomparably dangerous.
Especially for those players carrying a certain amount of wealth—once outside, they could easily be robbed. After all, vagrants were not protected.
After announcing the village’s decision, the village chief turned and left.
A group of players were furious yet dared not speak, logging off one after another.
When Lin Dahai was about to leave, he could not help but reveal a look of envy.
“Wangchuan, you really are lucky. At a time like this, you can stay in the village with work to do, without having to go out and risk your life. Safety beats everything.”
After saying that, he returned to his room and logged off.
Su Wangchuan went back to the blacksmith shop. His master, Blacksmith Sun, had already finished discussing matters with the village chief and walked over to give him instructions.
“The village chief said that a lot of arrows were consumed again today.”
“Tonight, we still need to forge some iron arrowheads. How about this—one of us forges Hundredfold Steel arrowheads, and the other forges iron arrowheads.”
“I will forge the Hundredfold Steel arrowheads,” Su Wangchuan volunteered.
Although the profit from forging Hundredfold Steel arrowheads was slightly lower than that of ordinary iron arrowheads, it could increase the experience of the Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique. It was killing two birds with one stone.
“Good!”
Blacksmith Sun revealed a gratified smile.
“With you handling the Hundredfold Steel arrowheads, things will be much easier on my side. Come! We will divide the work and cooperate! Before tomorrow arrives, let us forge as many arrowheads as possible.”
Su Wangchuan smiled.
“Yes, Master!”
The master and disciple continued working.
By the end of the night, Su Wangchuan had forged another eighteen Hundredfold Steel arrowheads.
That day’s income approached two taels of silver.