Don't Want to Be Ordinary Even Though I'm an Extra Character-Chapter 74: [73] The Blacksmith’s Curiosity

-Third-Person Perspective-

The room was thick with the scent of burning metal and soot. Gunnar Stroud’s modest forge wasn’t grand, but it was spacious enough to hold a variety of well-worn yet meticulously maintained tools. Heavy hammers hung on the walls, while unfinished sword blades lay scattered across a long workbench.

At the center of the workshop, a broad-shouldered man with a rough beard and sharp eyes studied Arkan Lawrence with deep suspicion.

"I don’t take orders from nobles," he said—his words sharp, cold, and laced with distrust.

Arkan, however, remained calm and composed, a relaxed smile on his face. "Who said I came here to place an order?"

Gunnar narrowed his eyes. "Then why would a noble from a neutral kingdom travel all this way to visit a disgraced blacksmith?"

Rainer, standing beside Arkan, could feel the tension in the air. He remained on guard, ready to intervene if the conversation took a hostile turn.

Gunnar studied both men, his expression cynical. The way he crossed his arms over his chest made it clear—convincing him wouldn’t be easy.

"I am Arkan Lawrence, a baron of the Vryndoria Kingdom," Arkan finally introduced himself, his voice steady.

Gunnar let out a bitter laugh. "A noble? You think that means anything to me? Nobles are all the same. You use people, and when they’re no longer useful, you throw them away like trash."

Rainer remained silent, unfazed by the insult, while Arkan simply held Gunnar’s gaze, showing no sign of anger. He understood—this man had a troubled past with nobles, and no amount of smooth words would change that overnight.

"I’m not here to use you, Gunnar," Arkan finally said. "I’m here to offer you an opportunity."

Gunnar scoffed. "An opportunity? What kind of noble nonsense is this? You think I’m a fool who’ll believe your empty promises?"

Arkan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his leather bag and pulled out something that made Gunnar’s eyes widen slightly—a highly detailed blueprint.

Arkan carefully unfolded the blueprint, laying it out on Gunnar’s workbench. The sketches were unlike anything the blacksmith had seen before—a design completely different from any weapon he had ever forged. It was foreign yet intriguing, stirring the curiosity of a craftsman like him.

"What is this...?" Gunnar muttered, unconsciously leaning closer to examine it.

"A revolution in weapon-making," Arkan replied. "Something no blacksmith in this world has ever created before."

Gunnar furrowed his brows, scrutinizing the unusual schematics. This wasn’t a sword, nor a spear. There was no blade, no axe head—just a long metal tube with an intricate internal mechanism.

His sharp eyes flickered back to Arkan, filled with suspicion. "What exactly am I looking at here? What kind of weapon is this?"

Arkan smiled. "You’ll understand—if you’re willing to listen."

A Difficult Recruitment

Gunnar slumped into an old wooden chair in the corner of his workshop. His expression had shifted—it was no longer just cynical; now, there was a faint glimmer of interest.

But doubt still lingered.

"Listen, Baron, or whatever you are," he said, his tone more serious than before. "I’ve seen plenty of nobles come to me with sweet promises. They all said I’d gain gold, prestige, and honor by working for them. And do you know what happened?"

His eyes darkened.

"I was betrayed. Everything I built was destroyed because of a false accusation. I lost my forge, my reputation—everything. And now you expect me to just trust you?"

Arkan remained calm. "**I don’t need your trust—**not yet," he said. "I only need one thing from you."

Gunnar raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"

Arkan leaned against the workbench, his gaze unwavering. "Make one prototype from this design. Just one. If you’re not impressed, you can throw me out of your forge, and I’ll never come back."

Silence.

Gunnar stared at Arkan for a long moment, trying to gauge his sincerity.

Finally, he let out a deep sigh and stood up. "Fine. I’ll give it a try. But if this turns out to be a waste of my time, I’ll charge you for it."

Arkan smiled. "Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything less."

With that, Gunnar took the blueprint and began studying it more closely. He didn’t even realize that outside, the night was growing darker—but a new Chapter in his life had just begun.

Inside a small inn, dimly lit by the glow of a crackling fireplace, the atmosphere was warm. The sound of clinking mugs and hushed conversations filled the air, as travelers and locals enjoyed their drinks.

In a quiet corner, Arkan and Rainer sat across from each other at an aging wooden table. Between them, two cups of steaming tea rested, thin wisps of vapor curling into the air.

"Do you think the old man will succeed?" Arkan asked, stirring his tea with a small spoon while watching Rainer with a knowing look.

Rainer leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I don’t know... But honestly, I think he looked more alive than I’ve ever seen him."

Arkan raised an eyebrow. "You’ve seen him before?"

Rainer nodded. "Yeah. I’ve heard of Gunnar’s reputation from mercenary circles. Back when I was wandering in the southern territories, his name came up often."

Arkan’s interest piqued. "And what did they say?"

Rainer took a deep breath before explaining. "They talked about a legendary blacksmith from the south—one who created high-quality weapons but sold them at a price far lower than expected. He became well-known among adventurers and mercenaries because he helped them get the best gear without draining their entire savings."

Arkan tapped his fingers on the table, his mind piecing together the new information. "Hoo... So he wasn’t just a skilled craftsman—he was also generous."

Rainer nodded. "More or less."

Arkan narrowed his eyes. "No wonder he was taken advantage of."

Rainer frowned slightly, confused by the shift in Arkan’s tone. "What do you mean?"

Arkan set his cup down gently. His eyes met Rainer’s, making sure the young noble understood something important.

"Rainer... The world isn’t as simple as you think," Arkan said, his tone more serious. "Do you really believe that every good deed is rewarded with kindness? That’s naïve. Some will admire your noble actions. But others... will see you as a threat. And some... will feel that your very existence is an inconvenience."

Rainer furrowed his brows. "An inconvenience? How can someone who helps others be seen as a problem?"

Arkan exhaled slowly. He knew Rainer had grown up in a rigid noble society. The young man understood politics to some extent, but he hadn’t yet grasped the depth of hidden agendas, power struggles, and jealousy that could destroy even the most well-intentioned people.

"Gunnar made high-quality weapons at affordable prices," Arkan explained patiently. "That means he was disrupting the market for other blacksmiths who sold weapons at inflated costs. If you were a noble or a merchant controlling the weapon industry, what would you do?"

Rainer’s eyes widened as realization struck. "I’d see him as a threat... Because he was ruining the profits of other weapon sellers."

Arkan gave a small smirk. "Exactly. Greedy merchants wouldn’t allow someone like Gunnar to keep operating. They could pressure local nobles to revoke his license, spread false rumors, or even take more extreme measures to get rid of him. That, Rainer, is how the real world works."

Rainer fell silent, staring down at the wooden table. In his mind, he began connecting this revelation to his own experiences. Slowly, he started to understand why Gunnar had become so cynical toward nobles.

He wasn’t just betrayed—he was systematically destroyed.

After a long pause, Rainer finally spoke. "So... you want to make sure that never happens to him again?"

Arkan nodded. "Of course. I don’t just want Gunnar to join me because of his skills. I want to give him a second chance."

He leaned back, a glint of determination in his eyes. "**And trust me, Rainer—there’s nothing more dangerous than a man with exceptional talent who has been betrayed by the world."

Rainer let out a small chuckle. "You really are different from other nobles, Arkan."

Arkan smirked, lifting his tea once more. "Oh, I know. And I’ll make sure the rest of the world knows it too."

The two shared a brief laugh before falling into a comfortable silence, enjoying the warmth of their drinks. Outside, the night deepened, signaling that tomorrow would mark the beginning of something even greater.

The Blacksmith’s Workshop – A Night of Creation

That same night...

Inside Gunnar’s forge, the rhythmic sound of metal clashing against metal filled the air, mingling with the scent of hot iron and burning coal.

The old blacksmith stood hunched over his workbench, deep in thought, staring at the strange object in his hands—a prototype of a weapon unlike anything he had ever seen.

"This... is an unusual weapon," he muttered, curiosity flickering in his voice. "How does it even work?"

Throughout his career, Gunnar had forged countless weapons—swords, spears, war axes, even finely crafted bows. Yet the design that Arkan had given him was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

He turned the object over in his hands, analyzing its structure. It had a small internal chamber, a trigger mechanism, and a long cylindrical barrel—features that made little sense to a man used to crafting bladed weaponry.

And yet... he was intrigued.

As a craftsman, his curiosity burned brighter than his resentment.

He wanted to know how it worked.