Running through an oak forest, Xol was doing his best to escape his chaser, he was covered in wounds and very tired, nevertheless he didn't bother to turn around looking if his chaser was still behind him.
He ran and ran, he tripped, and his wound worsened but he still stood up, he knew if he was found he would die. Soon he exited the forest and saw a maize field. He ran toward it and as he entered slowed down taking care to no move too much the maize stalks. After some moments he dropped to the ground a few meters in, panting heavily, he hoped he could hide safety as he saw the orange sky.
He didn't know how much time passed but haven't heard anything entering the field, nevertheless the fear he felt was strongly embedded on him, not giving him then chance to relax.
*Rustle
Xol tensed seeing the maize rustle rapidly, then he could both hear maize snapping and being whipped into the air. He had been found.
He tried to turn around as he felt the immense pain from his wounds, he intended adopt a dash stannce, but when his left hand touched the ground he felt as he was falling.
*Thud
Xol opened his eyes and was in the dormitory floor in the middle of the night.
'Why do I keep having the same nightmares.' Xol thought as he hugged himself trying to erase the fear.
'Why does the field feel so familiar yet so foreign at the same time.' Xol hugged himself tighter still trying to stop himself from trembling and crying. No matter how many times he had that nightmare he couldn't remember seeing or entering a maize field, it was as he was missing part of his memories and he hated this feeling.
Calming himself a bit he stood up and sighed in relief seeing he didn't wake any of his roommates. He went to the bathroom to wash his face.
After that Xol exited the room and went to the patio in front of the dormitory, taking out the glaive he had he started swinging it, this was the only way he could calm himself and sleep again.
Kingo had offered to repair fully the glaive but Xol refused only receding on cleaning the rust and grim. He thought that if the glaive was fully repaired he couldn't be able to calm himself as he had already accustomed fully to it and no matter what spear he used only this glaive gave him the feeling of being safe since he it had been with him so long.
Xol would do many movements, horizonal slashing, sending a barrage of stabs and would even do movements he didn't like to use in fight like swinging himself as a tornado with the glaive.
As Xol did this he didn't notice a pair of amber eyes were watching from the dormitory room directly below his room. A girl was watching him from the slightly open door, soon another girl came by to watch for a moment and then they both returned to sleep.
Once Xol felt extremely tired, he returned to his room, took a cold shower and tried to sleep again. It took him some time, but he managed to fell asleep.
Two hours passed and Richter woke intending to start his routine. Now that he could cultivate, he wanted to use the first daylight hour to cultivate before he practices martial arts, as the first hour of light was the best hour in cultivating in his prior life. Kingo soon woke up and went to the patio to practice his swordsmanship for 15 minutes and then went to the forge.
Marcel wake some hour later and was a little surprised Xol was still sleeping, he always woke first than him. Marcel waited for Richter to exit the bath to shower himself and went to the wind class.
*Hrmph
Xol grumbled as he woke up and stretched himself, glancing from the light, he had overslept a lot being past noon. As he stood up, he saw there was a letter in the floor. Rubbing his eyes, he grabbed it.
'Xol, come to the forge once you wake up. Kingo' Xol read what it was written.
'I hope he already learned the hunting knife recipe and wanted to give me a head up. It would come handy as I really need contributions right now. I really want to eat some good dishes after that nightmare so every extra on my contribution gain counts.' Xol thought as he stood and walked to bathroom to clean his face.
After getting ready he closed the dormitory room and went to the forge.
"Xol you finally wake up eh, tough night?" Kingo said seeing Xol enter the forge.
"Un."
"I see well got you some good news. I already managed to create hunting knives." Kingo said as he gestured to come over to a table and showed some hunting knives.
"Currently I'm working in the last knife for the teams focusing on the martial competition. What me to craft you a higher quality knife after I finish? As I'm pretty high level and closing onto rank 2 of blacksmith they don't take much of my time and from what I read in their description as I made them, the better quality the better improvement for the drops." Kingo said as he pointed at the progress for the knife that was being heating up in his workstation a few meters from the table
"It would be good, but when would you finish it?" Xol nodded at the suggestion.
"In another hour or so after that I work on one for you." Richter answered.
"I see, then I think I would go to a dungeon now then came back. Can I take one of this?" Xol said pointing to a knife on the first table.
"Those were made for the farmers by the other blacksmiths once I explained the recipe, they have a tad less quality than what I make. Why the hurry? If you wait some hours, I got you a high quality one." Kingo said as he grabbed his hammer.
"Well, yesterday I ran out of contributions so I will be heading into a dungeon to get contributions so I can buy some food later." Xol replied as he glanced to the side rubbing the back of his head.
"I see, then how about I treat you some food for now you can pay me later." Kingo said as he moved to the anvil.
"Well I guess that could work but as I have time before mealtime, I think it would be better if I go hunt now." Xol replied
"You're aren't wrong but see it as my blacksmith pride, I want my friends and customers have the best gear possible, that's why I want you to wait a little." Kingo replied as he retrieved the knife with some tongs.
"I see, I wait then." Xol sighed as he already got used to Kingo blacksmith tendencies.
"Good, if you get bored while waiting you can explore the forge, also if someone is busy try to not interrupt them." Kingo replied.
*Clank
Xol walked around the forge and could heard the hammering sounds of the knife Kingo was making. As he explored, he saw there were 5 workstations, 2 of them in use by other blacksmith, one was checking the metal as it was heated up while the other was using mana to cool of the knife. He saw there was a bulletin board and saw a door marked as storage room, finally Xol found a table with some weird metal figures he didn't knew what their purpose was.
After some minutes Xol felt a little mana drained to one of the workstation, coming close he saw the blacksmith that had being cooling of the knife was rubbing the sweat off his forehead with smile seeing he was successful in crafting a hunting knife. After that he took, the knife and placed along the other hunting knives.
Finally, Kingo finished the knife and placed it in his inventory he wrote a letter be back in few went to the dining hall, knife finished please wait some minutes.
"Did you like the forge?" Kingo said glancing a Xol once he addressed the sign to the team leader that hadn't come.
"It was pretty interesting seeing the process of cooling with mana, though I have to ask what that for?" Xol said pointing at the metal figures.
"Those are imprints, they are used similar to a letter seal and they are used before using the Metal Cooling skill you just described." Kingo explained as he took one.
"What´s a letter seal?" Xol said tilting his head.
"What you don't know them!" Kingo said with surprised look.
"Well you see there a figure formed on the side I'm showing you right?" Kingo said as he showed the imprint, Xol could see what looked like a flame.
"Un"
"Before we do the final cool off the blade or other metal pieces, we place this piece to imprint a design into it, these imprints are made of higher-level materials, so they aren't melted down easily." Kingo explained as he placed the imprint down.
"These are only used at first so we can get the Imprinting skill, which is safer to use so it doesn't affect the success of the forging nor the durability."
"I see." Xol nodded, after that Kingo explained more of the forge and then both headed for lunch.
As they exited they found Richter who came looking for Xol and asked if Xol had time to visit the principal in the day. Hearing Xol was slightly busy Richter nodded and headed to the dining hall with them. In the way Richter explained the principal wanted to know Xol as Jun had talked about him in some letters he had sent in the past and when he came at the beginning of the month. She was meaning to meet him since then, but she had been very busy with some things and just recently could make some time.
Hearing the story Xol nodded and said he would try to visit her tomorrow. Having take their meal Richter went ahead to the principal classroom while Xol and Kingo returned to the forge.
"Seem they haven't come." Kingo commented seeing there wasn't no one waiting for him and the sign was still where he placed it.
"Xol as you asked about imprints want a custom imprint for the hunting knife? If you do, please draw it so I can make it with mana using the Imprinting skill." Kingo said as he gave Xol a piece of paper and pointed to a desk nearby of the table with knives.
"Not sure, what can it be?" Xol replied taking the paper piece not knowing if he wanted an imprint.
"It can be whatever you like, your favorite animal, a name, a building, etc. Also, we already designed an imprint for the dormitory if you're interested." Kingo said as he took out some materials and pointed to the imprints they had.
'Favorite animal?' Xol thought and soon remembered one of his favorite stories.
"Can I also pick the materials?" Xol asked having figured how the imprint would look.
"I mean yes, but I recommend using the best materials, also for the hunting knife the more materials are used of the same monsters the better it would be, currently I have three material that check that point." Kingo said as he took some materials. "This set if of the rampaging white back ape boss monster of one of the level 30 dungeons, this is of --"
"Kingo, I already know which material I want to use." Xol said as he took out a light blue fang of his inventory.
"Xol are you sure? Didn't we agreed I make you a nice spear once you felt comfortable with spear type I know or the normal type one if you didn't like them?" Kingo said recognizing the fang.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Xol said a he took all the materials out and then sat on the desk designing the imprint.
Kingo was bewildered seeing Xol was going all out seeing the beast core was in there.