"Rock Hammer", one of the most famous blacksmith shops in River Valley Town.
The armor and weapons produced here are renowned for their durability, earning quite a reputation among the low level adventurers in town.
There are even rumors that suggest professional adventurers from the Association's Second Floor frequently commission equipment from "Rock Hammer".
This naturally makes the blacksmith shop's business increasingly prosperous.
Today, guided by the Adventurer's Manual in preparation for an upcoming quest, Xia Nan finally met the owner of this blacksmith shop.
Barn Steelbeard,
a name distinctly characteristic of a dwarf.
His muscles, knotted and piled-up like steel, and the reddish-brown braid of his beard nearly reaching his chest were consistent with the traditional image of a dwarf.
However, standing a good half head taller than Bear Goblins at two meters three, it was hard to believe his claim of dwarven blood in his veins.
"More like those barbarians from the frozen plains,"
Xia Nan thought as he looked at the robust figure in the shop and couldn't help but mutter internally.
Yet his feet didn't stop, and he walked straight in.
Unexpectedly, though claiming the lineage of the "Steelbeard Clan," Barn, the owner of the Rock Hammer Blacksmith Shop, didn't possess the brutish and reckless personality traditionally associated with dwarves.
Quite the contrary, he seemed like an ordinary, enthusiastic shopkeeper, proactively introducing the products when Xia Nan showed an interest in buying.
"This ring armor is the lightest among heavy armors, and the iron rings can effectively block slashing damage from swords and axes."
"This suit of lock armor is also good, offering even more defense than the ring armor. However, it's also about ten gold coins more expensive."
With Barn's detailed explanations in his ears, Xia Nan's gaze swept over the display rack.
Pause.
"This set…"
What came into view was an entire suit of fully enclosed armor made of hardened iron plates and metal fastenings.
Iron gloves, heavy leather boots, an openwork helmet with an integrated faceplate, and underneath it a thick, durable leather padding, accompanied by metal plates interlaced with belts and buckles radiating a cold sheen.
At first glance, it gave the illusion of a moving fortress.
If he could don this ultra-heavy armor, even standing amidst a horde of goblins, letting them bash away for a couple of hours with their little wooden sticks wouldn't even loosen a strand of hair.
But likewise, the thick metal plates, while providing formidable defense, also imparted an immense weight unbearable to most.
Considering his current physical condition... even normal walking would be a challenge.
"Full body plate armor, crafted from high-quality steel, with every piece of metal forged and refined by me personally." Barn introduced with pride at just the right moment, "The defense speaks for itself, just a glance and you'll know."
"If you purchase the whole set, we at 'Rock Hammer' offer three free maintenance services."
"1500 gold, no credit."
Hearing the price, Xia Nan quickly dismissed the idea.
Clearly, such equipment was not something he could consider; practicality should prevail right now.
Fortunately, "Rock Hammer" offered a comprehensive range of equipment, and after making a round with Barn and listening to a simple introduction, he already had some ideas.
The styles of armor were numerous, yet roughly divided into three types:
Light armor, medium armor, and heavy armor.
The heavy armor was too cumbersome, severely limiting Xia Nan's agility, not matching his current combat style.
So he decided against it.
Medium armor was quite decent, balancing between heavy and light armor, being versatile with commendable defensive performance.
Perhaps as a consequence, it came with the highest average price among the three armor types.
Even the cheapest "chain mail" among them cost a whopping 50 gold coins.
This was completely beyond Xia Nan's budget.
Ultimately, after some indecisive deliberation, he spent 10 gold for a set of custom leather armor from Barn's store.
This type of armor boasted high flexibility and extremely light weight, with leather soaked in boiled oil to make it even sturdier as the main material.
Coming from the renowned blacksmith shop "Rock Hammer," its quality was excellent.
Its overall performance was multiple times stronger than the second-hand gear he had somehow acquired before.
With the armor issue resolved, next was…
"Shield?" Xia Nan paused for a moment, then waved to Barn in front of him, "No, better not. I'm not good at using it."
The real world, unlike games, didn't allow you to casually raise a shield to easily fend off enemy attacks, or even press a button at the right moment to perform a so-called "Block and Counterattack."
Especially in the complex environment of the Mist Forest, if you hadn't mastered the associated shield techniques, even the hardest shield would just be like holding a door plank in your hand.
What Xia Nan most needed at the moment was to find a weapon that suited him.
Fortunately, as the owner of the "Rock Hammer" blacksmith shop, weapon forging was precisely Barn's best skill.
"Flail, light hammer, axe spear…"
A variety of weapons, both light and heavy, covered almost an entire wall.
"Long handled knife, single-edged, great for open-field combat."
"Iron edged hammer, an armor-breaking tool, one strike and the armor stays intact, while the person inside doesn't."
"…"
Xia Nan's gaze followed Barn's introduction, scanning each of these weapons one by one.
Gradually, he became clear about his thoughts.
Firstly, the weapon itself shouldn't be too light.
He wasn't the assassin-type like Elki, with nimble combat style; the two short daggers he carried were just for emergencies.
The highly flexible and lightweight leather armor, combined with the freedom of not having to hold a shield, made him more inclined towards a weapon that could be wielded with both hands.
Like the one handed sword previously, though sharp enough, left an awkward spare hand in battle; Gag's dual handed axe, though powerful, sometimes felt cumbersome in action.
Secondly, the weapon type must be compatible with Vortex Slash.
Though this trump card, thanks to his previous efforts and the attribute panel's support, had been leveled up to lvl 5 Full Level, becoming almost second nature to him.
Not only with small daggers, but even with a field hoe, Xia Nan could effortlessly execute Vortex Slash.
But given the choice, he wanted to find the most suitable weapon.
Therefore, it's...
Just as Xia Nan was lost in contemplation over his weapon choice, Barn, who was explaining and observing him at the same time, seemed to have misunderstood something.
He immediately broke into a hearty smile, pulling the bewildered Xia Nan aside.
"No need to be shy, everyone's a novice at some point."
"And it's okay if you're short on gold coins, although we don't accept credit, we do have relatively cheaper goods available."
"Take a look, do you see anything you like?"