"-HHHHHHHH!" I finished screaming, hand grasping at my cheeks. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod-!"

  Solarium!? That was the stuff that would actually be used for legendary unique equipment! It didn't matter whatever you used- sword, bow, staff, even grimoire. The simple inclusion of the material amplified one's ability to absurd levels, which was why it had been so highly prized in FLOW. A single sale of it was enough to fill a player's vault with enough money to cover their living expenses until server shutdown!

  Little wonder how every single member in Lighthouse had been equipped with gear made of the stuff. Mikel had two even, both his sword and shield made of the super rare ore. It had been one of the true grinds that the entire guild partook in, an entire treasure hunt adventure across the world to acquire enough to outfit all of us. It hadn't been easy and more than once, we clashed with other player guilds over a single pebble of the stuff.

  But we had persevered, and it proved to be the defining thing that let us solo those raid bosses to make our legend.

  "Ughhhhh," I moaned, crouching and pressing my fingers against my eyes, pretending like I hadn't seen it. Then I peeked through and yep, it was still there. Forget [Foundation]. If a single faction in this apparent low-powered age knew the true worth and value of this, I'd be lucky if I wasn't going to be put to siege for this!

  Okay, calm down. Don't rip your skirt into shreds out of stress. Actually think on just what I was going to do with this. The amount here was enough for maybe a single use. Maybe I'll make a solarium hammer? No, that'd be such a huge waste that the Ten Lights would actually lynch me for it. So make it into some weapon or armor for...what?

  My dolls, maybe?

  Wait, stop, calm down. Remember that I can't even begin to process this. Solarium required at least an intense heat source on par with what is needed to make steel. So I couldn't even work with it, any attempt likely just shattering the hammer in the process while the material refused to yield. And I reminded myself that were I to make it the centerpiece of a craft and surround it with subpar materials, then the overall grade was going to plummet. I certainly couldn't do solarium dirty like that.

  So really, the best I could right now was to set it aside, keep it locked up, and never mention it ever.

  Right. Decision made. Kuch, be a darling and handle that for me, would ya? Thanks. I'm...going to go and try to drown my worries in crafting now. Maybe even a fashion show. I deserved one, don't I? No?

  Fine, I'll settle for working on my big iron. Let's get started!

  Iron was the real start of advanced material crafting when it had been introduced into FLOW. If crystal deposits was about gaining power, iron deposits were what made that power. Factions always needed more metal, both player-made and NPC ones. It had become the an iconic material of crafters everywhere in the game, hence why the addition of forging steel was so well-received in an expansion.

  You weren't a real crafter until you forged iron.

  And today, I would honor that tradition now.

  First step: melting the ore down to liquid. Because of how resistant and strong iron was, even in its unrefined state, I had to use charcoal. Coal would be ideally better, as I definitely had to pay attention and keep the flames going more intensely than normal. Had puppets not lacked the feature, I'm sure I would be sweating quite profusely in the heat.

  I gave the heat time to build and got to work with extracting the ores from the stone. There had been plenty of hammers brought back from the town, so I used it to crack the pieces down into as small as I could muster. These smaller rocks were then dumped into a spare pot I had prepared ahead of time for this. It was made even with a thicker bottom, something that would hopefully withstand the heat when I tepidly set it in the forge and nervously watch.

  The surface did char, blacken, then warped like I expected. That was why the ceramic blowpipes I tried out for glass making didn't work, the heat had likely collapsed or obstructed the airflow for me to blow the glass with. But this thick pot didn't need to remain completely pristine like that- it just had to be intact. I scrutinized the damaged surface intently, and saw nothing that indicated a leak.

  Good, time for the next stage. I directly lifted the pot straight out the forge, puppet hands completely uncaring for the heat, and check the glowing rocks within. They were starting to combine together, a sign that I was on the right step. I just pulled it out too early, so I returned it back in for a little while longer.

  Ah, I probably did need a set of prongs for my next step at least. But that was easy to make- just a couple planks and some vines to tie it all together. Mainly because I didn't want to accidentally smash into my hand, rather than caring about the heat. Right, that should be long enough. I pulled the pot back out and sure enough, now the small pieces I had cracked open had now properly fell in and melded with one another.

  Now, time to harvest the workable iron. The prongs came into play now and I used it to pry the newly formed mass out of the pot, frowning at the resistance. Ugh, some of the edges had already bonded with the ceramic container like glue. I gritted my teeth and gripped the prongs with both hands before raising a foot. Sorry, but you've served your purpose!

  The kick shattered the brittle material and finally the chunk was came free. I swiftly moved it against the anvil surface and grabbed the hammer, smiling. Here came the fun part!

  Ting! Ting! Ting!

  Workable iron bits were identifiable by the parts that glowed brightly and was what I wanted to collect. Slag was the bits that didn't glow, and was pretty much the waste byproduct. I made sure to gather the two into different piles while, working and slamming into the sides to knock off both as they came. When the outer layer was processed, I found a new sacrificial pot to use and placed the diminished mass back into the forge to reheat. Now with the former surface, that heat should be able to reach deeper and start heating the inner layer for me to work on next.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  The hammer I had taken was already starting to crack now, I really did need to my own tools. I replaced it, then withdrew the pot to pull the hunk out. This time there wasn't any resistance and it came out easily. Right, I should be able to finish this in a single go now!

  Ting! Ting! Ting!

  The last two halves fell apart and dropped to the floor. I set down my tools to pick up the shards, tossing them into the right piles. More slag than iron nuggets, as was to be expected. And the bits were likely also still full of impurities, but I could only purge those fully via steel making. I didn't have the necessary coal to do that, so time to instead settle for what I had.

  I knelt down and poked to check how much iron that one process had given me. Just enough for a small blade, I think. Hm, I was in the mood to really see how much I could push myself. Right, let's go all the way! I could also extract more iron later, let's make something sparkly to prove I knew what I was doing.

  I grabbed some of that hemp paper I made and began to package the iron I just extracted into it, piling it delicately on. A bit of cloth helped tie it in place, ensuring that none of the pieces would fall apart and retain that square shape. Now I gently lifted it up and went over to the forge, carefully making space among the burning fuel. At the center of it, I set the wrapped bits down and stared, eyes glued to the paper gently catching fire.

  That was fine, its took time to burn into ash. It held together until the stack of iron pieces began to soften, glowing brightly where the individual parts began to kiss and merge together into one. When the last of the parchment turned into ash, what was once many pieces was now a singular whole. Tongs gently squeezed its sides to lift it from the forge, bringing it about to the anvil.

  The hammer in my hand lazily twirled in a half-circle as I briefly considered what I'd like to made. Hah, I really should have put it to paper first. Next time, I mused, then slammed the tool down with a wide grin.

  Ting! Ting! Ting!

  Sparks flew from every impact, some of it landing on and charring my clothes. Ack, I forget that my current attires definitely weren't as heat resistant as my porcelain skin. I should make and wear a protective apron for next time. Or maybe I should have an entire blacksmith attire? Oh, that'd be cute, especially if I could fashion some goggles-

  Wait, hold it, focus! I needed to actually concentrate on making my first iron tool!

  I hammered the heated iron cube first into a rough rectangle, then began to gently shape it into the form of a knife. When the glow began to fade as the material cooled, I stuck it back into the forge to warm back up to keep malleable. When it was of sufficient temperature again, I drew it back out and returned to pounding it into what I held in my mind's eye. Again, this would probably have been easier if I had a rough sketch, and being my first time probably also didn't help.

  But I didn't care because I was just having too much fun.

  Was this how Noel felt everytime I asked them to make something? Was that why when I asked if they could make all of Lighthouse's raid gear, they were actually over the moon in excitement? If it was, then I would have definitely played a lot more FLOW even if only to find new things to make with them.

  The edge was gently tapered off and I examined the glowing metal for one last check, nodding when I was satisfied. Now came an advanced crafter skill that not everybody had. Something that usually only those who specialized as a blacksmith would ever pick up. Good thing I was that, and so much more.

  "[Quench]," I commanded and the mana flowed from my body to wrap around the work. It pressed down, seeping with potency into the receptive iron, and with it the temperature rapidly plummeted. It would have the same effect of me putting the work in a fluid to temper, but with an additional benefit: whatever I made would have be better improved by inclusion!

  Now came some final polish to the blade itself. Literally, it was time for both polishing the dull surface and sharpening that blunt edge. Both were thankfully easily achieved with a new workstation, the grinder powered by a wind crystal. It began to spin rapidly upon activation and I gently pressed the blade against. Contact was made and sparks began to fly once more, yet I didn't look away. Not until it was finished and I could actually see my own reflection in the metal.

  I left the knife there to set while I picked up some wood and brought it over, along with a stone implement to carve into them. Using the resting blade as a reference, I swiftly created a basic handle from the wood. It fit and clasped neatly into place around the knife's hilt for a good handle, some light hammering ensuring it would fit quite snugly and not fall out.

  And there we had it. My first iron knife, completed!

  Crude Iron Knife (Final Grade: 215)

  "Crude? Ain't that a bit much?" I joked aloud, experimentally twirling it about. "Come on, it'll probably even work even on some mid-game mobs!"

  I supposed not giving it more lavished accompaniments counted against the score there. No embedded gem in the hilt, and not even a match sheath to go along? Shame on me for not having those part of the package!

  But I had a feeling that this thing would probably fetch an amazing price in the fortress city and felt for the edge. It felt quite sharp. To test, I picked up a piece of wood and experimentally pressed the knife against. I had expected it to now take less effort than with my stone tool.

  I didn't expect for me to nearly cut myself when I nearly sheered off an entire strip of bark in a gentle push. "Woah-!" I caught it just in time, blinking at the sight. I guess I should have expected it with the low quality of the wood.

  Let's make an ax next to see if I can't fix that.

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