A few days passed in a flash.
When people are fully immersed in a game, they often lose track of time. As one online joke put it, a girl asked why her boyfriend played more than she did. The answer: "The dev team consists of top graduates from dozens of elite schools, spending years designing ways to delight players. How can your girlfriend compete? Obsession with a game is normal."
The same could be said for SAO. If Kayaba hadn't set things in motion, the game could have become the meaning of life for many.
In-game, players could adventure, make friends, admire the scenery, even marry. Imagine the huge impact on the world.
But Kayaba's actions undermined trust in the tech, and until proper regulation appeared, the game couldn't reach full popularity again. The many deaths had left players wary—one reason why VR tech later evolved into the "Sequential Wars."
Lillian, however, had little interest in VR. Realistically, swinging a nonexistent sword couldn't replicate real combat.
---
Having exited the second-floor dungeon, Lillian checked the map. Exploration progress reached 14%.
Compared to the first floor, monsters averaged level 13–18, stronger and granting more experience.
After a few days of grinding, Lillian reached level 13. During downtime, he also gathered plenty of forging materials, repeatedly crafting low-level weapons to improve his forging proficiency.
As for the conversation with Terusuke in the tavern that might have been overheard—it hadn't caused any trouble, so he only reminded Terusuke to stay alert.
Now, every other day, Lillian set up a stall in Urbus' main street for an hour.
He might not be the only player to switch to blacksmithing, but likely the only one with a full set of portable forging tools. Being unique, he earned a considerable amount of money these days, mostly from repairing gear. Repairing once at NPCs cost 2000 col for standard items, but Lillian only charged 1000 col. Players naturally preferred his services.
Material costs were just 200–300 col, so each repair earned him 700–800 col while increasing his forging skill—a guaranteed profit.
Many customers came via Argo's recommendation. Lillian appreciated the free publicity.
Arriving at his usual stall spot, he found a line of players already waiting, greeting him warmly.
"Good afternoon!"
"Finally! My gear is saved!"
"I brought materials! I want to upgrade!"
"Hello, one by one," Lillian responded. These players were friendly and non-hostile.
Before, some had accused him of being a closed-beta player; Lillian ignored them, and they soon left.
He unpacked his portable forging tools and a cylindrical mat, spreading it out on the ground. Materials were neatly arranged.
These were materials Lillian had collected over the days—easy for him to gather, especially from the first-floor dungeon. For him, it was like tending a personal garden.
The cylindrical mat was a storage tool; backpack space alone wasn't enough. He had spent 15,000 col to acquire it. It only worked in safe districts.
"Line up properly," Lillian instructed, and the crowd quickly organized.
"I need my helmet repaired," said the first player, handing over the helmet and 1000 col. Seconds later, they left happily with fully repaired gear.
"I want my gear repaired."
"I want to upgrade this curved sword."
"I want—"
One by one, the players queued up. In just fifteen minutes, Lillian repaired over twenty pieces of equipment and upgraded three weapons. He easily earned nearly 30,000 col. As he had said before, the first player to "take the plunge" often earns the most, and it creates a snowball effect.
When other blacksmiths eventually start trading, they might split the repair business with him, but upgrades and forging would still flow to Lillian. By then, his proficiency would be high, increasing success rates. Players naturally prefer skilled blacksmiths; repeated failures would waste a fortune in materials.
At this stage, most players were only upgrading to +1 or +2. But in the future, high-level upgrades would require thousands of base materials, not to mention additional materials. One failed attempt could be devastating.
---
Nearby, a male and female player were observing.
"That's him?"
"Yes," the male player nodded. "He's the only one with his own portable forging tools. His proficiency is already high, giving a solid base success rate."
"Mm," the female player nodded, watching Lillian move efficiently under his cloak. She glanced down at the sword at her waist.
Three minutes later, the last customer left. Lillian exhaled slightly, surveying the nearly depleted materials. He would need to gather more later. His total earnings: 37,000 col, subtracting roughly 10,000 in costs, netting 27,000 col—a huge profit. Grinding monsters nonstop would take days to match this.
As he prepared to pack up, two more players approached his stall. Lillian looked up, slightly surprised.
He recognized the male player as Kirito, whom he had met before. The female player was familiar too; he hadn't met her, but her refined features and golden hair hinted at her identity.
"Good afternoon, Kirito," Lillian greeted. Kirito's equipment looked strong; even without the first-floor BOSS LA drop, his power had grown rapidly.
"Hello, Lillian," Kirito replied. "This is my friend; she wants to upgrade her weapon."
"No problem," Lillian said.
The female player, Asuna, held her sword, "I want to upgrade this 'Gale Rapier' from +4 to +5, focusing on 'Precision'."
"Already +4," Lillian observed. It was a fine sword. Except for sharpness and weight, it exceeded many weapons, including his own greatsword.
"I've brought all the materials," Asuna said: 4 steel plates (base materials) and 20 bee stingers (additional materials).
Lillian nodded. Even with a base success rate of 30%, the twenty additional materials would bring the success rate to the 95% cap. She clearly valued this sword highly; collecting bee stingers was difficult, requiring numerous battles with bees.
"Okay, hand me the materials."
"Thank you."
Asuna handed over a physical bag containing the materials, along with 7,000 col for the upgrade. Being a high-quality weapon, the fee was higher but still cheaper than NPCs, who would charge 15,000 col plus the materials.
Lillian switched the forge to upgrade mode, carefully adding each material into the furnace. Many players worry blacksmiths might cheat by skimping on materials, so Lillian made sure they could see everything.
He then set the upgrade focus to Precision and placed the sword in the furnace. The attribute bar slowly turned blue, indicating the first stage of success.
The sword was then moved to the anvil. Lillian began hammering, each strike bringing the system closer to final judgment.
Bang! Bang! Bang! …
With forty to fifty strikes, a bright flash erupted on the sword, and the system announced:
[Upgrade Successful]