The first thing I see after entering the village is a huge crowd around a particular NPC. I assume this must be the village elder. Typically, one will introduce themselves to the elder and receive quests or advice from them. However, if I were to wait in that crowd I would be here all day.

Around me groups of players are gathering, but the only current method of distinguishing between classes being the weapons they are carrying. Other than that, I can see people from all walks of life: young and old, male and female, tall and short. It really goes to show the diversity of gamers. It’s as if real people have been placed within the game itself rather than generated avatars.

With only 100 game units sold in my home town and around 500,000 players in the game, I doubt I would be able to find anyone I recognize in this tiny village. I overhear players talking amongst themselves and most seem to be taking up requests for small animal subjugation or work on the farms.

Rather than waiting for the village elder, I make my way through the village while admiring the detail put into this game. The houses are what you would expect from a farming village in the middle ages. They consist of wooden exteriors with stone foundations and straw covered roofs. A chimney made of brick pokes out of each building, but the building themselves seem to have a singular room with perhaps a loft.

A few buildings that are different from the rest stand out compared to the rest, and these look to provide some form of service. Near the centre of the village sits a small church that looks well off in comparison with the rest of the buildings. I prefer the secular lifestyle, so I remind myself to stay clear of it unless I want to be caught up with those religious folk. There is also a mill, a small bakery, a tailor, and a blacksmith located within the village.

I decided to check out the blacksmith as the building seems the least crowded of them all. Of all the skills that I am aware of in the game, blacksmithing would hold some of the greatest interest for me.

I can see a forge for smelting ores and few anvils for shaping the metals located outside the shop off to the side. Next to them are a couple of large barrels of what looks like water, brine, and oil for quenching, or the rapid cooling of metals. Depending on the material, quenching can produce additional stress on a blade leaving it brittle and able to snap under pressure, but when done right produces a hardened blade capable of withstanding wear and tear. There is a lone player working at the forge, it seems like he is working on a small object, but I cannot quite see the detail of it.

As I approach the shop’s wooden door, I can see a job posting nailed out front. It specifies that any who wish to learn the blacksmithing arts can apply within.

Job Request Blacksmith's Apprentice Details Smelt 10 Copper bars Smith 1 Copper dagger Time limit 2 hours Repeatable Yes Reward Blacksmiting Skill 10 Tor

“While i’m here I might as well learn how to forge weapons”

“That’s the spirit! Come on inside” A voice calls from inside the shop. It seems I was talking a bit too loud.

The door opens with a creak and I make my way inside. The shop is more barren than I thought. On the walls hang all sorts of weapons: short swords, long swords, polearms, axes, maces, daggers, even a couple shields. However, the shop’s main stock is in farm tools, construction, and crafting supplies. The shop is void of people other than a stout old man behind the counter. His arms are thick and his hands are calloused, displaying the results of countless hours of forging.

“So you’re interesting in the blacksmithing arts are ya?” He inquires with a grin on his face.

“Yes. I’m new around here and happened upon your shop. I saw the note on the outside of your shop and thought this would be the perfect chance to learn this respectful art.” I reply back in a polite tone.

“Most of the young folk these days are drawn towards the big city where they have magnificent forges and plenty of work. There’s not many that choose to stay in a small village like this, and so I haven’t been able to find an apprentice.” The old man says with a sigh. It’s clear to see that he has some unfulfilled desires in his life. For a craftsman, the passing along of skills to the next generation is a rite of passage and helps set up the younger generation for success as well as ensuring the ongoing prosperity of the village.

“Would you be willing to teach me the art of smithing?”

“Of course I am, otherwise why else would I hang that sign outside?” He replied with a laugh. “So what do you know of blacksmithing?”

“Actually, I know very little other than what I’ve heard second hand. However, I want to become one of the best blacksmiths in this world, able to craft top tier weapons!” Enthusiastic in my reply, I sound just like a little kid saying what he wants to be when he grows up.

“Good lad, I knew you had what it takes. I too once had that dream when I was young, and i’ve never once regretted taking up the hammer. While I myself can only craft up to normal steel, I’ll impart my knowledge upon you and set you on your way” The smith replies as nostalgia can be seen on his face.

I am led out back to the forge area and told to wait while the smith gathers a set of tools. A pile of raw ore can be seen in the yard next to a stack of coal. The player I saw earlier is finishing up his bronze dagger for the job request with a satisfied smile on his face. He notices me watching him and sends me a greeting.

“Hey, you taking up the blacksmith’s job request as well?”

“Yea, i’m just about to start. How difficult is the actual process?” I inquire to test the depth of realism in the skills. I don’t expect it to be as arduous as real life, but if it were not realistic enough that would be a disappointment.

“Ahh, it gets the blood flowing. Theres none of that putting an object in a window and having it magically come out complete. It takes actual time and effort to perform, but once you get into a rhythm it’s actually fun.

“I’m Venkon by the way, I’m learning this skill so that I can make my own weapons and armour down the way. Hopefully should be more cost effective.”

“I’m Quinn, nice to meet you. I’m thinking of raising this skill to the max level as I progress. In the last game I played I raised it as high as it would go simply because the stuff you make yourself is of much better quality than what can be found in markets, monster drops aside.”

“Hey have you any interest in joining a guild? A couple friends and I are thinking of starting one. We haven’t thought of a name yet, but we’ve already got 6 members.”

I consider his offer for a while, but I do not really want to join a guild with people I don’t know especially when I just met one of the members.

“Sorry, but I will have to decline your offer. I don’t feel like joining a guild this early in the game.”

“Fair enough. Well, i’ll leave the option open should you change your mind.” He replies somewhat disappointed. “Here let me add you to my friends list”

Notification Player Venkon wishes to become friends. Do you accept? Yes No

I select the [Yes] option.

“Great! Well now that i’m done here i’m gonna head off to try kill some monsters and level up”

“Alright, well i’ll see you around then”

As he is leaving the old smith comes out of the shop with a bunch of tools in hand.

“Here lad, this set of tools is for you to use. You can keep them afterwards, just remember to think about this ole smithy.”

I get handed a small hammer and a set of iron tongs. The tools feel light in my hands. I can see the wear on the tools showing that they have been used quite a bit over the years. I make my way over to the ore pile while the smith picks up a few pieces of coal and stokes the forge. I pick up 10 pieces of copper ore from the pile and add them to my inventory.

When I get to the furnace I can see that it is burning at an appropriate temperature thanks to the help of the smithy. I bring out a piece of ore and place it within the furnace. It takes a while, but I can see it finally starting to become bright red. At this point, using the tongs I remove the metal from the forge and bring it over to the anvil. With the hammer in hand I strike it upon the bright red metal as it begins to take shape. I repeat this process a couple of times, slowly hammering out the impurities in the metal, and eventually am left with a finished bar of copper.

Repeating this entire process nine more times I have completed the first half of the job. Now comes the moment of truth where I am to forge a dagger from one of the bars. The old smith was watching for the first few times giving me pointers, but once I got the hang of it he stepped back inside to man his shop.

Doing all this work has made me hungry, and so I chow down on another piece of barley bread. Once I am done eating I take one of the completed copper bars from my inventory and place it within the forge to heat up the metal.

After being sufficiently heated, I bring it over to the anvil and start striking the metal, slowly moulding it in the shape of a dagger. Once the hammering is completed I dip the blade into the oil barrel for quenching and bring the dull blade over to the whetstone to sharpen its edges. When it's finished, I place it within my inventory, and sure enough, there it is. By opening up the detailed information in a separate window, it’s possible to see the dagger’s stats.

Inventory Copper Coins 28 Small rat pelt 4 Barley bread 8 Small map 1 Copper Dagger Strength 12.5 Attack Speed 1.5 Durability 100 Copper dagger 1 >>>>>>> Copper bars 9 Small hammer 1 Iron tongs 1

Proud of my creation I take it to show the old smith. The inside of the shop has become busier as players collect enough money to spend on weapon upgrades. A basic copper dagger in the shop sells for 15 Tor, but it still beats the default wooden sword in attributes. I make my way to the counter and present my dagger to the smith.

“I’m proud of you lad. This is a fine dagger, it shows the care and attention you put into it.” His expression is that of a father watching his son take his first steps. “If you want, you can turn the rest of those copper bars into daggers and I can sell them for you. A lot of foreigners have been visiting my shop since you came and they have almost purchased my entire stock of daggers.”

“Alright, that sounds like a good way to gain some experience and extra cash”

I make my way back to the forge and begin the process all over again using up each of my Copper Bars turning them into Daggers.

One hour later, I have finished smithing all the daggers. I return back to the shop and hand them over to the smith. In return I gain 1 silver coin and 35 copper coins. Not bad for an hour’s work considering it has only been two and a half hours since launch. At this moment a system notification appears in front of me.

System Notification Attention all players. In 10 minutes time there will be a mandatory teleportation to the central colosseum to hear some words from the creator of EndGame Online. Please ensure that you will be unoccupied at this time.

Well, this should be interesting. I would love to see the man who created this wondrous world and hear his thoughts about virtual reality gaming.

I spend the next 10 minutes out in the back yard near the forge testing out my new dagger on a scarecrow dummy. The attack speed is the same as my kitchen knife and the damage output is higher than the wooden sword. A very good upgrade to my current arsenal.

When the 10 minutes is up, a white light covers my body, and I am teleported to the colosseum. The last thing I see is the crooked smile of the scarecrow staring back at me as my vision gets blinded in the light.