Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

A normal bowyer's job was riddled with glue and strings when it came to composite bows. Fortunately, they didn't have to do that. Bess used a glue that cured quickly, but she told him that there were many different and special types of glue that had mystical effects, but needed days or even weeks to cure.

It sounded like the world of bowyer's glues was similar to the acid in etching, where special acids could also have some effects on the final item.

Following Bess's example Seth finished his first basic composite bow in the way of a bowyer. They needed less of the rare wood but used the uncommon sinew, and horn of an Impaler Antelope, a dungeon monster found in many rift dungeons.

< Ding! Your Carpentry(Apprentice) lv.2 has become Carpentry(Apprentice) lv.4!>

<Rough Impaler Bow

Rare

Damage: 650

Durability: 2200

1. +35% Penetration

2. +35% Skill Damage

3. +15 Agility

A simple composite bow with good performance made from a special wood and monster materials.

Usage Requirements: 50 STR 50 DEX>

The resulting composite bow had slightly improved the damage and effects while keeping the same requirements. The biggest advantage was probably, that it was smaller and felt easier to use. In exchange took more work and was a little less durable than the mediocre longbow.

The bow looked a little weird like a C when unstrung, but looked like a proper bow when strung. Making it that way felt counterintuitive but Bess said this was normal and needed for a recurve bow.

Seth made another one under Bess's supervision bringing his <Carpentry> to level 6 of the apprentice tier before they called it a day. For the next two days, the bowyer showed him how to make different kinds of bows that employed different aspects he had already experienced when making the composite bows.

She showed him flat bows, similar to the self-bow he had made at first. But also laminated bows, which used different layers of wood with the same intention as a composite bow. There were also sinew-backed bows, that used only sinew, instead of sinew and horn.

This was another option for Lydia's bow. On the last day they had started using epic materials and the results helped him overcome the last level of the apprentice tier and reach <Carpentry(Adept) lv.1>.

Although the blacksmith would have wanted to keep training his <Carpentry> like this, at least until he reached journeyman, he currently didn't have the time to do so. The day after the blacksmith had bothered her about his idea, Mary had informed him that someone had taken care of his message.

This meant he had already used three of the seven days to get <Carpentry> to the adept tier. He judged that adept had to suffice since there was another skill he wanted to get a basic mastery of before they started grading the applicants' sample pieces. And he would probably all the time he could get for that one.

Besides <Sewing> which was already at the adept tier, he wanted to learn <Alchemy> so he could also have a look at potions and such the applicant might submit. This meant the next person he was going to bother was Alison.

When he entered the laboratories the next day, he found her door locked, so he knocked.

"Alison?"

"I heard what you did! Go next door, I prepared stuff for you. Now go away!" she barked lethargically.

Baffled, he scratched his head. He could only shrug and take a look at the room next door. Alison was always like that, so he didn't take it personally. In the lab next door he found a recipe and a bunch of ingredients arranged on the table.

There were herbs, bee wax, powders... Seth picked up the recipe to read.

"A healing salve?" he wondered puzzled. Was this considered alchemy? "Well, here goes nothing."

He shrugged and started following the recipe. Seth understood why he had to start from the very bottom. Unlike in carpentry, he didn't have any skill that allowed him to handle high-rated alchemy ingredients.

Following the recipe, he started sorting the ingredients. In this instance <Theia's Discerning Eyes> helped him easily identify the herbs and ingredients on the table. He started measuring the ingredients and got the bunsen burner-like flame burning, to mix everything in a small pot.

It was important to keep the mix cooking at a specific even temperature. Surprisingly, his <Pyrokinesis> came into play and allowed him to easily kept the heat constant. After the time specified in the recipe, he started pouring it into prepared, small pots with lids. These could be sold and taken along on a journey.

Once the salve cooled down, Seth really got the message.

< Ding! You have learned Alchemy (Beginner) lv.1. Please check your skill window.>

He had really managed to gain the skill by simply making a few pots of healing salves. With this, the ability to appraise products of alchemy was also added to his <Blacksmith's Eyes> according to the skills that came with Call of the Maestro.

Eagerly, he tried to test it.

<Healing Salve

Common

1. +5% Regeneration of superficial wounds

2. 25% less scarring

A well-made simple healing salve anyone could make. To be applied on superficial wounds only.>

"Not bad for the first try," he thought to himself. They were more of a simple salve for the medicine cabinet at home, rather than some magical potion, but it had worked in giving him the <Alchemy> skill.

"Alison?" he knocked on the door again.

"Go to the next lab one door over and stop bothering me!" The tired voice answered through the door.

Bewildered Seth stepped back. How much had she prepared for this? He had not even informed her beforehand... he could only smile, thinking Alison was actually more diligent than she let others know.

In the next lab, he found the recipe for a Beginner Stamina Potion and a whole lot of common materials. There were a lot more sets of ingredients for the potion. He had told the others about his job advancement and the perks, but had Alison already expected that the pots of salves would be enough for him to acquire the skill and prepare this recipe so he could train the beginner tier?

Compared to the salve, the potion was already more of a chemistry experiment. It involved processing the medical plants, distilling, and to measure, mixing, and cooking the resulting liquids to finish the potion.

Despite not benefiting a lot from his original crafting skills when performing Alchemy, his <Pyrokinesis> got a chance to shine, since he was able to minutely control the temperatures of the liquids, which was one of the most important aspects for the reactions to occur.

< Beginner Stamina Potion

Common

1. Regenerates 10% Stamina over 30min

An easy-to-make Stamina Potion, slightly better than simply taking a rest for half an hour.>

Each set of ingredients resulted in five potion bottles and he made about 20% proficiency per set on beginner level one. There was only one advantage to note, which was that he could process several sets simultaneously.

His high dexterity made processing the herbs easily, while <Pyrokinesis> allowed him to control the fires of several alchemy stations at once on the side. Although it was still much slower than his cheat when leveling <Carpentry>, Seth managed to raise his <Alchemy> to lv.3.

It was a shame his awesome proficiency buff was not working for anything that was not part of his class. It worked for any skill a blacksmith or goldsmith could have because he had ranks in those on the Leader boards, but not <Carpentry>, or <Alchemy>.

At this point, he only got less than 5% per set, but it was also already late, so Seth did not return to bother Alison about the next recipe. The 16 sets he processed resulted in almost 80 successful potion bottles of Beginner Stamina Potion.

It wasn't really worth much and was often sold like an energy drink, instead of something worthy to be called a potion. He simply left the bottles standing in the lab and returned to his quarters, to spend the evening with Mina and Fin.

…

"What the heck? He just got the skill and processed almost all the ingredients I prepared??"

Alison looked at the heap of potions Seth had left behind in the laboratory. It seemed like she underestimated Seth a little. She would have to prepare more for tomorrow. What a pain...