Dragons, wyverns, and a dwarf.

"Knock knock!" I shouted, instead of actually knocking on the door.

I thought I'd be funny to see how the blacksmith reacts to that.

"I've already payed my taxes! What do you need?" He responded.

"Ahahaha, you actually have to play taxes for living in here? In the forest, in a hut that takes up no ground space whatsoever? That makes absolutely zero sense." I don't want really want him to think badly of me or anything like that, but I couldn't help laughing at how ridiculous the tax collectors are.

"Anyways, enough about that. I came here with a request. Could you make me a dagger?" I didn't specify what kind of dagger I need, so I want to know if he figures out if it's a soul dagger I'm after.

"Oh, I see. Why didn't you tell me earlier then? Come on in." He said and opened the trapdoor.

I'm disappointed, to say the least. I though he would be a short buff man that always carries around a hammer and has a huge stash of weapons.

"Huh, that's disappointing. I though you would be a dwarf." I said my thoughts out loud, the habit kicked in.

"I am a dwarf, though." He showed me an identity card, which is like a guild card but without the stats.

And, surprisingly enough, it says that he's a dwarf.

"Alright, but you still don't look like one." I don't know why, but I feel like it's fine to tell him what I think. If he doesn't trust me, he wouldn't agree to make something like a soul weapon anyways.

"Kid, I don't know how you think a dwarf should look, but you're looking at one right now."

I'm still a bit disappointed, but this conversation is going nowhere.

"Ah, right. I want you make me a soul dagger. Of course, I have the money to play for one, but from what I've heard, I'll also need to collect the materials for you to make one."

"That's right. What kind of dagger do you want?" He isn't even going to question me, a level one anti-hero.

All dwarfs have a built-in ability, appraisal. It's a pretty OP ability, at that. It allows you to check the stats of anyone who's level is lower than yours, and if you level it up, it even allows you to check the stats of people who are many times stronger than you.

"I need a [manipulator]. And not just one. I need need four of them." I say like it's nothing much.

"HA?! Four manipulator? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get all the materials for that?" I think he forgot an important part, probably because he was so shocked to hear what I said.

"You missed something very important. I'm going to be the one who will gather the materials. You just have to make me my weapons." I think I might know the reason why he is so skeptical about this.

"Your level is 1! You wouldn't even be able to reach the dragon lair because of how hot the area around is, nevermind beating one and taking their mana crystal." Just as I though, he thinks I can't do it because of my level. It's a fair judgement, there is no way i would be able to beat a dragon in a fair 1 on 1. Fair is the key word though.

I've come up with a great plan to get some "draconic mana crystals". In fact, I'm not even going to kill a single dragon.

Then, how am I going to get the crystals? The answer is simple - wyverns.

They are quite similar to dragons, but the difference is their wings, which are attached to their arms instead of their back, kind of like bats.

There are three main types of wyverns, and each of them posses a different attribute. Lightning, Poison, and Fire. And there are also also two other types, the special ones.

The normal wyverns prefer to hunt and live on their own, following the lifestyle of dragons.

Special wyverns are just like the normal ones, each with their own attribute, but their behavior is different.

The first of the two special types are "followers", and they follow around and listen to the orders of the "leaders", which are the second type.

Followers have lower stats, but there are more of them and they are also able to work together with other followers. The leaders are the opposite - their quantity is very limited, but their strength is multiple times stronger, and they are able to give out orders to the latter.

Now, a question. What happens of you obtain an obedient "leader" type wyvern? That's right, you get a whole army of dragon-level strength monsters, all under your command. Remember how I said that I wasn't planning to fight the dragons 1 on 1 in a fair fight? Well, I wasn't joking. My personal army, which I have yet to obtain, will do all the manual labor for me.

"What you said makes perfect sense, but I have some tricks up my sleeve, so don't you worry about the integrity of my plans. I will be able to get the crystals, just you wait. Hmm, but aren't there any other materials required to make a dagger? The crystal is only used to give the dagger it's abilities, but you need something to make a blade out of as well." Even I know that, and I'm not a blacksmith, so why didn't he tell me what else I need?

"Yeah, you're right. The blades will have to be made out a mana-conductive material, but there is no point in me telling telling you what it is you need if you wouldn't be able to bring the crystals first, so why not I tell you when you come back? If you come back, that is." I get it now, he thinks I will tell someone the recipe of the blade, so he would rather keep the information private for now.

But he will tell me once I get back to him with the draconic mana crystals, so there's nothing for me to worry about, really.

"Okay, so is that a deal then?" I ask just so make sure.

"Deal." He replied and and shook my hand.