The next morning, I waited for Toya at the central square where he had assigned me.

Good morning. Did I keep you waiting?
No, not really. Do you guys usually start work around this time?

The work itself, yes. We're closed today for various reasons.
...... And the work itself?

Of course, I get up much earlier than that.　I get up in the morning, train for an hour or two, have breakfast and work. Back in town before evening, training until dinner. Then we eat and go to bed.

Well, is it the same for everyone?

That's the general idea. Nao and Haruka do magic training after dinner, but I can't use magic, so I don't do much after dinner. I don't do much after dinner because I can't use magic, and it would be annoying to train in the inn yard after dark.

　I woke up this morning and came here as soon as I had breakfast.
　I came here as soon as I woke up and had breakfast, and I'm sorry I thought, "You're late, Toya.
　You were much more serious than I was.

"Let's go then. This way.
Oh, yes.

　Toya took me to a weapon shop on a street off the main road.
　The man who greeted us was a middle-aged, muscular man.

"Hey, Toya, is that the guy you want to introduce?
Good morning, sir.
Good morning, Mr. Gantz. Good morning, Mr. Ganz. - Yes, he's a serious guy.
That's up to you. Hey, Tommy, you got that?
Yes, thank you.
As you can see, I'm human. Is that a problem?
What?　Yes, as long as you take me as your apprentice, no problem at all.

　Do you think there is a problem between races?
　In my case, I've never met a dwarf before, so it's a problem before that.

"Hmm, I see. Well, good. Give it a try. I'll consider it depending on the results.
Thank you very much.
I talked to Toya about it. Well, go ahead.
Yes!

All right, Tommy, let's go. Mr. Gantz, I'll take that.
Oh, I'll charge you for your trouble!　To Haruka.
Mr. Gantz, you gotta trust me. Trust me, Mr. Gantz. If you do that, you'll be ruined.
Ha-ha-ha. It's no problem if you use it properly. At least don't bother the girl!
It's not my girl!

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.　I'm not sure what to do with it.
"Yes, yes!

　I'm already in debt, you know.
　I'm already in debt." I listened intently to what Toya had to say.

Something like that. Well, it's not that hard, is it?
Yes, it is. Don't they make steel here?

They buy it in iron form. Well, it would be more efficient to extract iron from iron ore on a large scale. Normally, it would be done near the place where the iron ore is produced.

"No, I don't know.　Even if we had blast furnaces in this world, wouldn't we still need to transport coal to the source?

Coal is expensive to transport, but what about magic?　If you have magic tools and you need less fuel, wouldn't it be more efficient to turn it into iron at the source and transport it?

"Do you have that?　Do you have such a magic tool?
I don't know.
What?　I'm sure it's better to make iron at the place of origin of either fuel or iron ore.

　I don't know if they use more fuel or iron ore, so I don't really know about that.
　I don't know if it uses more fuel or iron ore, but I don't know.

Now, the first thing I'm going to make is a portable shovel.
"Portable?　Isn't that the kind they sell at Home Depot?

No, no, let's go through the steps.　If possible, I wanted a folding type like the ones used by the Self-Defense Forces. ......



No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Oh, you know about that, Tommy?
Yeah, well, he's a boy, right?　He's a boy.

　The Self-Defense Forces use a collapsible shovel, also known as an enpi. After it is extended, it is fixed with screws.
　The shovel can also be fixed at 90 degrees and used as a hoe, which is a high performance shovel, but the folding mechanism and screws are extremely difficult to make.

Then, what about the shovel of the old Japanese army?
Well, was it the end of the shovel and the rod?
"Oh, that. Make it.

　The old Japanese army shovel was quite simple, simply a shovel with the handle removed and a wooden handle. When you use it, you insert it. There is no special mechanism.

It's simple in structure and small in size, so it's perfect for practice, right?
Yes, it is.
Okay, let's do it!

　So says Toya, who starts to build a fire in the furnace.

Are you going to make one too?
That's right. I have the [Kurosmithing] skill too, and I've negotiated hard. I have to do it, right?
I see. I see.

　I helped him build a fire, and heat and beat the iron plate.
　Thanks to my skills, I can form it into the shape I want relatively smoothly.
　Toya seems to be struggling a little, so I guess that's the difference in level.

Toya, do you have a stick for the handle?
"Yes, I have it ready. Just match it to this one.

　He gave me a sturdy stick, about 60 cm long and 3 cm in diameter.
　He measured the size of it and made it so that it could be inserted.

It took about an hour.

　After an hour or so, I finished the work, lightly sharpened the tip, and inserted the stick.
　It looks like a shovel, but it's not. .......

"Toya, it's done, but...
"Oh, you've done it already? I'm sure you're a level 3 talent, right?
Yeah.
There's a door to the backyard. Why don't you give it a try?
Okay.

　I took the finished shovel and went out to the backyard, where I found a cozy place with some junk.
　Conveniently or not, the ground was quite hard.

"Yes!

　I thrust into the ground and stepped in.

"Hmm?　Hmmm.

　It sticks, but the sensation of stepping into the ground is somewhat unreliable.
　If you put a little more force into it, it might go a little bit off. .......
　If you take the handle down further, you'll hear an unpleasant snapping sound. It's a good idea to take a look at it and see if it's cracked.

This is a failure. ......

　As I walked back inside with my shoulders slumped, Toya called out to me.

How did it go?
"A failure. Like this. Was the steel a little thin?

　The problem is not the thickness.

The problem is not the thickness, but the shape and the way it's forged, isn't it?　See, compared to mine, the center part here. The only part that sticks out is the part where you insert the handle.　By extending it to the end in a neat way, it will become a beam-like structure and become stronger.

"Oh, I see. ......

　It's not quite the same, but it's like corrugated cardboard that's stronger when it's wavy.

The other thing is the shape of the scooping part. The other thing is that the shape of the scooping part needs to be a little more ...... creative, so if it's cracked, does that mean it needs to be more flexible than rigid?
"Toya, a lot of things make sense to me, but ...... I have a higher skill level than you, right?

　I understand, but I don't agree with you in a subtle way. There's a level 1 and a level 3, and I'm the one with the qualities.

This is not the same as skill level. For example, if you need iron with 80% stiffness and 20% toughness, I think Tommy can train it precisely. On the other hand, I may aim for 15% of 85%. But if Tommy doesn't know that, what's the point?

...... I see, so even if you can train to the exact shape you have in mind, what good is it if the shape you have in mind is useless?

In that respect, my memory is more correct. In my case, I have a hard time getting the shape I want.

　After he finished shaping it, he carefully sharpened the tip of the shovel.
　He seems to be sharpening it to the point where it looks like it's ready to cut. Does a shovel really need to be sharpened like that?



I think you'll soon overtake Mr. Gantz in skill alone. But it's going to take time for you to learn what it takes to actually be a blacksmith, isn't it?　Don't get too carried away, okay?　I'll come and break your nose. Well, I'm clumsy, so I might break your jawbone instead of your nose.

　That's not a metaphor, that's physics!

I know what you mean. My motto is 'humility'. I'll start using it today!
Yeah, that's probably a good idea. My ladies will come to break your spirit.

　By the way, not only Haruka-san, but also Shidou-san and Furumiya-san have joined us.
　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.

I'm not sure what to do.　It's a little distorted, but it's tolerable. Let's give it a try.

　With that, I followed Toya out to the backyard.

　He sticks it in the ground just like I do, steps on it, and uses the principle of leverage to dig up the soil. Then he lifts the shovel and checks it. It looks fine to me. .......

　Toya nodded his head in agreement, placed the shovel on the ground inside out, and started stomping on it.

I'm not sure what you mean.　What are you doing?
No, it wouldn't be good if it warped like this, would it?　The hammer ...... is too much. That's enough.

　Toya grabs a handful of rocks from the corner of the yard and drops them onto the shovel without hesitation.
　The stone rolls away with a crunching sound. Does the shovel look okay on ......?

The shovel is ...... okay for now. Tommy, you have a [Muscle Strengthener], right?　Try to twist it as hard as you can.
If you're okay with that, I don't think you'll be able to. ...... Hmm.

　I hold it on the diagonal and twist it as hard as I can, but sure enough, it doesn't seem to distort.

It seems to be fine.
I'm a little concerned about the hammer marks, but it's a good first piece.
No, I think it's great that you succeeded with your first one. ......

That's not true. I just copied it. I think it's great if you came up with this shape on your first try, but you had a model, you knew the reason for the structure, and you just copied it.

　And here I am, a skill level 3 who failed to imitate it.
　Either I have a bad memory or you have a good memory.

"Is the steel as thick?　No, it's a little bit thicker.　Can I use this as a reference?
"Yes, if we make it in the same shape, Tommy will be able to make a better one.

　Since he gave me permission, I tried to make a copy of the shape.

　This time it took me less than half an hour.　When I put a lot of pressure on it, it was completely different from the first one I made, and there was no danger at all.

　The thickness of the iron was changed only a little, but the shape and quenching process made such a difference.
　When I tried to make the same thing again, I was able to make almost the same thing in even less time.

I guess that's the difference in skill.

It's no problem to do the same thing once you've made it, but you don't know what shape it should be at first, so even if your skill level is high, you still have to learn that part.

That's true, isn't it?　My guys have taken up magic and alchemy skills, but they buy books and study them every day.

I'm going to have to study hard too.
The problem is that books are expensive. We don't have a library.
Oh, so they're expensive?
In yen terms, you have to be prepared to pay more than 100,000 yen. For one book.
Whoa!　That's too much!

　Even if I spent all my money, I wouldn't be able to buy even one book.
　If you think about it, the environment where you can study with little or no money if you want to, is precious.
　I didn't realize it when I was in that environment.

That's why it's an apprenticeship. So let's make the regular size next.
"Yes!