Aina and Wayne were competing today at the "Arsenal of Spirits.


    The quota for the day was to make 10 swords.


    Wayne and Aina were working on the fifth sword.


    （Wayne and Aina were working on the fifth sword. (Good, I can keep up with Aina''s speed today. If we keep this up, we''ll be all right.)


    Wayne adds the final stroke to complete the sword.


    However, the result was a little delicate as a sword C.


    (A little subtle?　Durability, is it enough?　It''s enough, right?　(Okay, on to the next sword: ......)


    Wayne!"


    Wayne was startled when Roland called out to him.


    What the hell?"


    That sword is class D. It''s not durable enough."


    I said, "No, that can''t be true. There must be some mistake.


    There is no such thing as a mistake. As head of the guild, I cannot put a sword of such quality on the market. Let''s start over.


    d*mn. ......


    Wayne has no choice but to prepare new iron.


    (d*mn, Roland is taking up a lot of my time.)


    Wayne manages to speed up the hammering in an attempt to catch up with Aina.


    However, the more he tried to catch up with Aina''s speed, the less accurate his swing became.


    Wayne, you''re getting sloppy. You need to be slower and more careful.


    No, I''m doing it properly and carefully. It''s all right. I''m sure this will meet your requirements.


    However, Wayne is now unable to hold the hammer satisfactorily.


    (What?　(Fingertip strength: ......)


    Wayne is unable to swing the hammer down on the hitting point, unnecessarily grinding the steel.


    Duh."


    [Wayne Merza''s status.


    Arm strength (power): 20 (↘20) - 70


    Endurance (toughness): 40-70


    (Arm strength (power) is decreasing. (Is the status unstable as ever?)


    Wayne''s molding iron was getting shabbier and shabbier.


    Roland, unable to bear the sight, decided to speak up.


    Wayne, your arm strength (power) is going down," Roland said. Your endurance (toughness) is unstable, so your performance is unstable because your status is easily degraded. Until your endurance (toughness) stabilizes, have Roddy help you with the work."


    I''m fine with this. I''m better off doing it alone ......, I''m in better shape this way."


    (I knew it. (I knew it. You don''t seem like the type of person who listens to advice.)


    Roddy looks at Wayne with blank eyes.


    (Aww, Roland had just given me some advice, but I turned it down. He''s getting worse and worse. What are you going to do? If you''re not fast enough and not good enough, you''re only going to make your position worse. Do you understand?)


    Wayne continued to force himself to make it on his own, but what he ended up with was an E-class sword.


    In the meantime, Aina finished making 10 C-class swords.


    Yes, I''m done. Roddy, put these away.


    Uh, yeah.


    I''m going to the common room.


    Aina leaves the hammer with Roddy and leaves the workshop.


    d*mn."


    Wayne slammed his E-class sword against the workbench.


    The sword breaks and shatters cruelly on the workbench.


    Roddy frowned.


    （He''s got too much attitude. He should be more concerned about the people he has to support.)


    What are you doing, Wayne? What are you doing, Wayne?


    Roland said so, but Wayne didn''t answer him and walked away from the scene as if he was trying to regroup.


    Wait a minute."


    Roland grabs Wayne by the shoulders and holds him back.


    What the hell?"


    Wayne glared at Roland with a face that looked as if it was about to bite him.


    Why are you in such a hurry?"


    ......"


    Did it have anything to do with your retirement from ''Dragon''s Fires'' by any chance?"


    I''m not. I''m not in a hurry. Let go of me!


    Wayne shook off Roland''s hand.


    Hey, where you going?


    Don''t follow me."


    Wayne grits his teeth as he exits the workshop.


    (Why?　Why can''t I beat her?　Am I inferior to her in skill and status?　No, it can''t be. I''m just not feeling well today. I''m sure tomorrow I''ll be .........)


    Roland and Roddy cleaned up the mess on the workbench.


    (Wayne''s guy is totally spinning his wheels. If this continues, it will have a negative impact on the entire workshop (atelier). Something must be done.)


    Roland. Can I have a word?"


    Roland turned around at the voice calling him.


    He saw Dylan standing at the entrance to the workshop.


    His expression was not very good.


    The store is buying equipment from me.　Why on earth ......"


    Apparently they are concerned about maintenance."


    Maintenance?"


    The arms dealers on this island make ends meet not only by charging for equipment, but also by generating income from maintenance fees. Most of the arms dealers have alchemists as their employees, and they take care of the maintenance of worn out weapons. But this ''exterior reinforced (coated)'' blue armor is ......"


    Only Aina can service ......?


    That''s what I mean. In order for the equipment to be distributed at retail, it has to be something that can be serviced by an alchemist who has only ordinary skills, not unique skills."


    I see."


    (I thought that as long as I could differentiate my products, they would sell easily, but I guess my unique skill set turned out to be a turnoff...)


    I get it. I''ll see what I can do about that. Let''s hold off on expanding our retail sales channels for now. Dylan, I want you to get back to work on sales to the Adventurers'' Guild.


    Okay.


    Aina, Roddy. Do you have a minute?"


    Roland approached them as they were about to begin their afternoon''s work.


    Roland said, "Yes, sir. Yes?"


    We''ve run into a little problem with expanding our retail distribution channels. According to Dylan, ......"


    Roland told us exactly what Dylan had told him.


    I see. A maintenance fee?


    That was a blind spot.


    If this continues, our efforts to expand our retail distribution channel will be frustrated. So I''m thinking of developing new equipment. I would like to develop a new equipment that can be maintained by an ordinary alchemist, while applying "exterior reinforcement (coating)". So, Aina and Roddy. I want you to take a break from your normal duties and concentrate on the development of this new equipment."


    "Away from normal operations. ....... But then what about normal business?"


    Wayne will handle it.


    ...... okay?"　He''ll take care of it."


    Aina is overtly disbelieving.


    ''I know Wayne has a problem. I''ll take care of that on my end. Anyway, I want you guys to concentrate on developing new equipment.


    I understand.


    Aina immediately started developing new equipment.


    First, she decided to apply "exterior reinforcement (coating)" to various colors of paint.


    (When developing new equipment, the blue "coating" is not good enough. (If we develop new equipment, we should look for new special effects other than "Reflection".)


    Aina took out the used armor she had stored in the warehouse, painted it in a variety of colors, and applied the granting magic to each one.


    Some of the armor just held the granting magic without any particular reaction, but some hardened or turned to jelly.


    (Okay. Some reacted. They must have some special effect. I''ll have Mr. Roland appraise them and send them to Roddy (design).


    Roddy drew the blueprints.


    (When it comes to equipment ...... that can be maintained by an ordinary alchemist, "Exterior Reinforcement (Coating)" cannot be put outside. If the exterior is scraped in battle, it can only be repaired by Aina''s "Exterior Reinforcement (Coating)". But as the name implies, "exterior reinforcement (coating)" protects the exterior. It protects the exterior without letting the paint show on the outside. Hmmm. (It''s a contradiction.)


    As Roddy was scratching his head and grunting in front of his paper and pencil, Loran and Aina came in.


    Roddy, how are you doing?"


    Oh, Mr. Roland. Oh no, you''re having difficulty."


    Hm. Let''s see. This design is to put ...... "Exterior Reinforcement (Coating)" inside.


    The blueprints drawn by Roddy showed a pattern of Aina''s "Exterior Reinforcement (Coating)" sandwiched between the steel exterior and interior.


    Yes," Roddy said. If we can''t repair the exterior reinforcement (coating), we''ll put it inside. But it''s no good. This would not protect the exterior, so it would be a complete failure.


    No, it''s not a bad idea. Look at this."


    Roland shows Roddy a used piece of armor with a green membrane clinging to it.


    Roddy touched the green membrane.


    He asked, "Does this feel like ...... rubber?"


    Aina''s newly discovered ''coating'' has a special effect called ''flexibility''.


    [Status of used armor


    Strength: 10


    Durability: 30 (↑20 with "Exterior Reinforcement (Coating)")


    Special Effects: Elasticity (Flexibility)


    Flexibility" is an effect that indicates flexibility. With this special effect, even if the coating is inserted inside the armor, it may be possible to bring out the protective function of the ''coating''.


    I see. I''ll give it a try right away."


    Let''s have a meeting.


    Aina and Roddy began to argue about this and that based on the blueprints and new special effects.


    (Both Aina and Roddy are gaining a better understanding of their own skills. (Both Aina and Roddy are getting a better understanding of their own skills, which is a good trend. Not only their manufacturing ability, but also their development speed has increased. Well, we''ve got this one under control for now, next is Wayne''s.)


    Roland went back to recruiting people to find a partner for Wayne.


    (Wayne is out of shape because he is conscious of Aina''s agility and tries to force himself to work faster. His overly competitive mindset is getting in the way. He needs the right kind of competitor, someone on the same level, to make his competitive spirit work in the right direction.)


    Soon the perfect person appeared.


    The young man had short black hair, a hard-edged appearance, an air of aloofness, and a slight, thin build, but he was not in any way inefficient; he had springy, toned muscles and seemed agile to the eye.


    Skills and Status of Eyes Garner


    Skills


    Metal Forming": C to B


    Status


    Arm strength (power): 40-60


    Endurance (toughness): 40-60


    (Found. An alchemist with about the same arm strength (power) and endurance (toughness) as Wayne, who is out of shape. (And ......)


    [Ize Garner''s status.


    Agility: 70-90


    (Agility is very high. Even if he doesn''t have any unique skills, he will be able to crush it as a support staff.)


    My name is Ize Garner. The workshop (atelier) of the guild I belonged to was damaged by the recent "Grand Fafnir" landslide, and I lost my job. My agility is high, so I am confident in my quickness of hand and foot. I was a support staff member at my former workshop (atelier).


    I see. I understand. Then, I will ask you to work as support staff at our company as well. But, if you don''t mind, I was wondering if you could be our main staff for the first time."


    The main staff?


    Yes. We are currently short of temporary "metal molding" staff. We intend to fill the position sooner or later, but we would like you to be in charge of "metal molding" only in the beginning. Of course, we will pay you an allowance for that.


    I don''t mind. I''m not that strong, you know.　I don''t know if I can do metal molding.


    It''s all right. We will support you well. We won''t let you do anything crazy.


    I understand. Okay."


    Thus, the next day, Ize entered the "Arsenal of Spirits.


    When Wayne opened the door and entered the workshop, he noticed that things were a little different from yesterday.


    (An?　What is it?　There''s one more workbench. And it''s right next to my workbench (......)


    Good morning. Wayne."


    "Roland, what''s with the extra workbench?"


    Yeah, it''s a workbench for newbies.


    Rookie ......?"


    Yes. Aina has been asked to work on the development of new equipment. I hired someone to take her place.


    Hmm."


    (Tsk. Aina''s working on new equipment, and I''m still wearing C-class equipment. d*mn. I can''t do this.)


    He should be here by now. ......, oh, I see he''s here. Let me introduce you. This is Ize."


    Hi there. My name is Eise Gallner.


    Oh.


    Ize. Here''s your workbench."


    Roland indicated the workbench right next to Wayne.


    We''re making Armor C. Here are the blueprints.


    Class C? Then, well, I guess I can manage to make it.


    Wayne looks at Ize quizzically.


    （What''s this? This guy. Is he okay?)


    Ize was previously a support staff member, and this is his first time as the main molding person.


    Seeing Wayne''s expression, Roland supplemented.


    Oh, is that so?"


    Well, let''s get started anyway."


    Roland sets up a partition between Wayne and Aina so that they cannot be aware of each other.


    In this way, he allowed Wayne to concentrate on his competition with Aiz and then let the work begin.


    As soon as the work started, Ize started pounding the iron at a tremendous speed.


    (Hey, is this guy fast?　It is also more ...... than Aina. Oh no. Even Aina''s losing more games than me. I can''t even lose to this guy. ......)


    However, the armor molded by the Eyes soon began to crumble.


    After all, the armor produced by Aiz was E-Class.


    What?　I wonder why. It won''t work."


    Wayne is weak with a gulp.


    (What the hell is this guy? Just because he''s fast doesn''t mean he has any quality at all!　You scared the shit out of me.)


    d*mn. What the hell is going on? That''s how you do metal molding.


    Wayne swings the hammer and firmly strikes the ore.


    The ore changes shape and solidifies.


    The ore changes shape and solidifies. You have to put that much force into it.


    All you do is move your hands quickly and neglect each and every stroke. Do it more slowly and carefully.


    Yes, sir.


    Wayne and Ize slowed their pace and began to strike the iron carefully.


    The iron did not crumble, but formed the armor.


    Roland watched them carefully.


    (I guess it was a success for now.)


    Saki then brings me a cup of tea.


    Good night."


    Saki. Thank you."


    I see you have a new member of your team.


    Yeah.


    I am glad to hear that your business is on track. Mr. Wayne has lost some of his strength today, and he seems to be in good shape. Yesterday you were spinning out of control like that.


    Yesterday, I was out of shape because I was forcing myself to compete with Aina in agility, but now that my competition has changed to Ize, I seem to have gotten myself back on track.


    Did you bother to get a new one for that?"


    Wayne is a sore loser who hates advice from others. Since I can''t give him advice, I have no choice but to change his environment so that he can get back in shape on his own."


    I see. I see. You are very good at using people.


    Not so much. Besides, we haven''t finished the day''s work yet."


    [Wayne Merza''s status].


    Arm strength (power): 30 (↘?10) - 70


    Endurance (toughness): 30 (↘?10) - 70


    [Ize Garner''s status.


    Arm strength (power): 30 (↘?10) - 60


    Endurance (toughness): 30 (↘?10) - 60


    (They are both starting to lose power and toughness. The afternoon will be the real battle.)


    Saki.


    Yes.


    Tell Roddy to come over this afternoon."


    Afternoon.


    Wayne and Ize both took a good dose of potion with lunch to recover their strength (stamina) and started working again.


    "Shhhh," said Wayne. Now that my stamina is restored, I''m going to finish my quota today.


    Wayne is fired up and resumes work on Armor C.


    (He made 4 pieces of armor C in the morning. (I made 4 pieces of armor C in the morning, and I will make sure to complete my quota of 10 pieces today.)


    Wayne glances at Ize next to him.


    Ize has only made three pieces of armor C yet.


    (Good. I can beat this guy.)


    Wayne regains his composure and naturally concentrates on the fabrication process.


    Pssst."


    Ize frowned.


    Hm?"　What''s wrong?"


    No, I just couldn''t get my arms around it."


    What?　You''re sloppy, dude. You''re not going to get your quota if you''re like that. ......


    Wayne noticed that when he swung the hammer down, the recoil returning to his arm was greater than before.


    (Yikes. I''m losing power, too. d*mn. I thought I was going to make my quota today. (If only my status was perfect: ......)


    Ize. Got a minute?"


    Roland interrupted.


    ''Uh, yes.''


    Ize stops his hand honestly.


    The iron molding doesn''t seem to be working. Maybe your arm strength is down?"


    That''s right," he said. I only put in the proper amount of effort about once every two times.


    I knew it. Well, you''ll have Roddy''s support this afternoon.


    Support?


    Oh, Roddy, help him out. You do all the heavy lifting except for the molding of the Eyes."


    Yes," he said. I''ll take care of it."


    I was like, "Wow, this kind of thing is possible here. That''s great. They have a lot of support.


    Roddy immediately turned to Ize for support.


    He would haul ore, transport products, clean the workbench, and do everything else except hammer the iron.


    I''ll turn the armor inside out," he said. This is where you''re going to hit next, right?"


    With Roddy moving the armor, Ize can concentrate on the molding process.


    It''s amazing," he said. It''s amazing that you know exactly where you want to hit. Mr. Roddy, do you have a high rank in metal molding?


    No way. I''m just used to providing support.


    No, thank you. My arm was getting tired easily and I couldn''t put any effort into it.


    Regaining his form, Ize molds his armor again.


    He completed the fourth piece of armor, Armor C.


    （Oh no! If I don''t do something, they will catch up to me.)


    Wayne felt a sense of crisis.


    Hey, Roddy. Next is this way. Support me."


    What?　I thought you didn''t want my support?"


    Just support me."


    Yes, yes. You''re a real hard man to deal with.


    (Good grief. He probably doesn''t realize how much Roland has helped him get back on track. Well, if that''s okay with Roland, then so be it.)


    Roddy supported Wayne with a wry smile.


    Thus, Roddy took turns supporting the two of them, reducing the wear and tear on their status.


    That day, Wayne received 8 armor C and Ize received 7 armor C. Although they did not reach their quotas, their status exhaustion was kept to a minimum and status recovery occurred the next day.


    [Wayne Merza''s status].


    Arm strength (power): 50 (↑10) - 70


    Endurance (toughness): 50 (up 10)-70


    Agility: 30 (up 10)-50


    Stamina: 60-70


    <>