Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix



47 Blacksmith work

In the end, Rain made one silver coin out of working the entire day in the furnace. He hated every moment of it, though. As expected, fire and he didn't agree together. That wasn't surprising, so Rain endured that since there were other benefits. 1

Thanks to that, at least Rain learned that the world had more than just copper, silver, and gold coins. He saw people buying a bunch of things from the blacksmith using fucking platinum coins... and there were diamond coins too... It seemed that he was in another world.

Rain could buy three meals for his entire family with one silver coin. It wasn't bad, but he needed more. In any case, Rain passed the money to his mother to use half of it to pay the people that gave them food until now and the other half for breakfast and lunch the next day.

"You are red and have a bit of fever; where did you earn this money?" Leiah asked.

"At the blacksmith shop... I probably won't work there for a while, so don't worry," Rain said and then sighed before going to bed since he was exhausted.

On the next day, Rain walked the streets of the busy city; he sought out different jobs to earn a living. One day, he found work at an inn, doing tasks like carrying water, washing dishes, and serving customers. He moved swiftly among the crowded tables, making sure everyone had what they needed and wearing a friendly smile.

Another time, Rain took on a job at a library. He spent his days cleaning, dusting shelves, and organizing books. He carefully handled the ancient manuscripts, gently wiping away the dust and returning them to their proper places. The library became a tranquil and orderly space under his diligent care.

Rain also tried his hand at a laundry. He washed clothes in a big tub, scrubbing away stains and dirt. He hung the garments out to dry, making sure they were clean and fresh for their owners to wear. Through these simple tasks, Rain worked hard and adapted to various roles. Whether it was serving guests, tidying up a library, or washing clothes, he embraced each job with determination and a desire to make money faster. While he wasn't doing that, at least he was keeping a low profile. At a times like these, he just had to be patient and not complain since things could always get worse. In fact, most of the time Rain was thinking about that and it was quite tiresome.

During those days, Rain waited for his grandparents to wake up and for him to hear news about his father. Neither of those happened... in just one week, a lot of refugees left the inn, and Rain heard that some people had left the capital as well. The place was quite annoying when you had low status, after all.

"I guess I should pay a visit to the blacksmith again; he should have realized by now that using my magic is a lot more useful than using special wood to increase the heat of the furnace," Rain thought. "Unless he accepts to pay two silver coins, working there will only exhaust me too much."

Rain headed to the blacksmith shop, and he realized that a lot fewer people were paying attention to him. Before, he could see and hear people looking at him and whispering, but that changed. Now they didn't care in one way or the other.

"Mister, do you need help today as well?" Rain asked when he arrived at the blacksmith shop.

"You are finally here! Why didn't you come before?" The blacksmith asked. "I have been waiting; I should have paid you in advance then." 

"Other places paid more money for my services, mister," Rain said. "Still, I am interested in blacksmithing, but I can't feed my mother and sisters with my interests alone. So, I am willing to work for you for a while if you pay me two silver coins per day."

"That is even more we pay apprentices!" The rugged blacksmith protested.

"I don't think that apprentices can help your furnace that much," Rain added.

"... All right, I will pay you to work for me for a week; if you work well, you can keep coming," The rugged blacksmith said.

"Much obliged," Rain said while bowing.

Although the furnace was hell, at least Rain was gaining some extra money, and that wasn't the only thing that was happening.

(An Unknown skill leveled up.)

(An unknown path received experience.)

(Until the path is unlocked, you will gain bonus experience in the Human Path of two hundred percent.)

(Human Path received 300 experience points.)

"Working on jobs that require a lot from me will give me a lot more experience, so I should take advantage of this place," Rain thought. "Even though this is really tough."

Despite Rain's high stamina and well-trained body, he found himself facing a unique challenge when he took on the task of working at the furnace. The intense heat and physical demands of the job pushed him to his limits. Sweat poured down his forehead as he shoveled magic into the blazing fire, feeding its insatiable hunger.

The furnace seemed like an unforgiving beast, roaring with intensity and radiating waves of scorching heat. The searing temperature made it difficult for Rain to breathe, and his body longed for relief. But he pressed on, determined to overcome this trial.

Despite the hardships, Rain realized that working at the furnace provided him with valuable experiences and accelerated his growth on the human path. It tested his endurance, honed his physical strength, and taught him the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. Each day, he felt himself getting stronger, both physically and mentally, as he confronted the relentless heat and pushed himself beyond his limits.

Just when Rain finally managed to get a good source of income and solve one problem, his grandfather woke up, and things didn't look good.