"That should be enough…" Daru muttered, staring at a certain slot in his inventory with a faint smile.

He had been collecting [Steel Horn]s from level 46 Steelhorn Skinks over the past three days, the discussion he had with Talon and Secretary Helen fading to the back of his mind.

His instructor hadn't mentioned the matter to him ever since, either, allowing him to focus on his next goal: crafting a decent equipment set.

He had long outgrown the Triumphant Novice Set, so Daru had been researching how to get his hands on better equipment.

Unfortunately, one with set bonuses is impossible for him right now, since he didn't have a rich family or guild supporting him.

Daru did have relatively deep Swordcoin reserves, but the default sets sold by the blacksmith were very lackluster and underwhelming to exchange for his entire wealth in the Myriad Sword Realm.

It seems that out of the many ways he could obtain decent level 40 equipment, only one was available to him: crafting.

It was only now that he appreciated one of the rewards he obtained from defeating King Carthur of Catmelot: the S-tier Novice Equipment Mold.

The item had been sitting in his inventory for the longest time.

Almost every item had been either used, gifted, or withdrawn in Neo-Earth.

Only the mold was untouched, partly due to his (B)-tier Triumphant Novice Equipment set, his rather wide arsenal of sword skills for a novice, and his swordsmanship being enough to get him through the battles.

But now, he has decided to solve the issue of his lacking equipment.

He would have a way harder time if not for the mold.

While he could use random equipment drops, most of them were more or less merely equal to the ones sold by the Blacksmith of Agaron.

Daru knew he couldn't settle for such equipment if he wanted to compete for the apex of his generation.

Just like nutritious meals that would nourish one's body in Neo-Earth, a good equipment set was a fairly significant part of a bladeborn's combat prowess.

He couldn't settle for cheap alternatives, or he might pay for it with a defeat one day.

Fortunately, the equipment mold he obtained turned out to be a great treasure that would be coveted by even the Seven Sword Guilds:

===

Name: Novice Equipment Mold

Type: Crafting Item

Tier: S

Description: An equipment mold that will aid the user in auto-forging novice equipment of up to the (S)-tier. Can be used with the help of a [Blacksmith].

Maximum Forged Equipment Level Cap: 45

Mold Level : 0 (200 Experience Points needed to level up)

Crafting Success Rate:

S = 0.05%

A = 0.77%

B = 3.52%

C = 10.93%

D = 25.74%

E = 40.32%

F = 60.21%

==

A faint smile appeared on Daru's face as he closed the information window, now understanding a huge part of what was displayed, thanks to his diligent efforts in studying.

He had already gathered enough crafting materials to attempt crafting a level forty steel armor set.

So, Daru clapped two times, summoning his Cross-eyed Albino Zebra to begin his journey back to Agaron.

He naturally wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than a B-tier set.

Daru's goal in this first return was to try crafting, level up his mold, and make the next material gathering faster and easier, even if only a little bit.

He checked the blueprint options at a dedicated information site in the NeoNet.

Daru estimated that he would at least have a decent C-tier, level forty steel armor set after this.

He arrived at Agaron three hours later.

Unfortunately, he would have to delay the actual crafting, as it was time for him to exit the realm.

He shall try the feature later, once the afternoon classes are done.

Leaving his classroom under now-slightly-more-respectful gazes, Daru went to the academy canteen to grab a hearty lunch that would fuel him for the intense training later.

He immediately noticed the gray-haired loner with eyeglasses, happily eating at a corner while reading some premium, expensive online guide in his MipplePad — a luxury device that not even upper-class families like Elune's Tseradze Family could purchase on a whim.

Yet the F-ranker whom he frequently encountered in the F-ranker dormitory had one.

Daru recognized the young man's face, but it was only once he began studying Equipment Forging that Fritz's presence became more noticeable to him.

In fact, it was only three days ago did he realize that the guy had always been around him, eyes glued to his MipplePad most of the time.

The reason why Daru recognized Fritz was that he was someone who had long accepted that he was not born to be a fighter, immediately walking down the path of a blacksmith from day one.

The gray-haired young man was also quite active in the forums, though for a mix of positive and negative reasons.

Strangely, despite his background and future potential, he had no friends.

Daru soon learned the reason why.

As he walked towards the massive counter to order some food for himself, he heard some low-rankers grouped at one table talking about Fritz.

He was apparently the third son of a business hegemon family.

However, due to his being useless and untalented even in blacksmithing, his family had officially and ruthlessly disowned him just a month ago.

He still received a huge amount of money every month, thanks to his father fearing the law, but he now lived alone and could not tap into his background anymore.

But this was not the only reason people did not want to be friends with him.

Daru couldn't help but glance at Fritz, who was way too happy for someone who had just been disowned by his family.

He was able to catch the brief interaction between him and another young man who approached, inviting the bespectacled rich kid to their group.

"Hmph! Stop bothering me and get lost, will you?" The seemingly jolly and approachable young man suddenly snorted coldly, adjusting his glasses. "Do you think I'm dumb and desperate? I know you're only after my money. Also, do you think I need your company when I don't even need my family's?"

The green-haired young man, humiliated at the cutting response, snapped right back:

"Hmph! Fine, then, live and die on your own, ugly nerd! You're right. What else aside from your money would people want from you, anyway? You're short, borderline ugly, kicked out by your family, awakened an utter trash of a sword, and got told by your own father that you don't have a future even in smithing despite having the resources to thrive in the field! You're literally useless!"

To Daru's surprise, Fritz was unfazed by the insults, even daring to retort:

"Hmph, idiots like you and my father naturally can't understand my genius in smithing. I also don't have the time and mental energy to explain my talents to your mung-bean-sized brain."

"HA! Genius in smithing! You're not only ugly, but also delusional as well!" shot the green-haired young man back.

However, the disowned rich kid had already shifted his attention back to his MipplePad, ignoring his words.

The green-haired young man could only storm back to his table in fury, hurling insults at Fritz from his table with his friends.

But none affected the rich nerd.

Daru couldn't help but respect Fritz's composure, though he couldn't say he was a fan of the young man's ruthless mouth.

In the end, none of it really concerned him.

Daru shifted his attention back to the counter and walked up to order.

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