'Status'
Zane: Level 18 (Awakened)
Strength: 107
Agility: 102
Perception: 83
Constitution: 86
Mana Capacity: 45
Gene Skill: Identify (Lvl 2)
Passive Skill: Swordsmanship (Lvl 2), Archery (Lvl 2), Hand Crafts (Lvl 1), Alchemy (Lvl 2)
Active Skill: Blood Berserk Skill (Lvl 2), Wild Dash (Lvl 1)
Talent: Poor
Unallocated Stat Points: 80
Unallocated Skill Points: 6
Experience: 10/16,560,864
Zane relaxed, then gave a command, System, add two points to Blacksmithing.'
-> Blacksmithing (Lvl 2)
Unallocated Skill Points: 4
After Zane added the two points, his brain received information after information about blacksmithing. When his body started convulsing, fell on the floor and passed out.
When he woke up after a few hours, a massive headache was still apparent and his body slightly trembling. He couldn't help but drink multiple types of potions to settle his body.
'What the heck was that! It has been a while since I passed out from adding a skill points. My body was already condition very well, I can't understand why adding blacksmithing gave me such a reaction.'
'Even the Wild Dash skill I learned from Cecilia was a simple breeze.'
'Also, I still can't level up any of the skills to level 3. It seems that I have to breakthrough Ascendancy to be able to do that.'
...
Over the next few days, Zane began purchasing materials such as various types of steel and iron to kickstart his money-making plans. He also bought a basic furnace and tools, which cost him about 30 Magic Crystals.
Due to his concern about others seeing his work, Zane ventured into the southern forest a few miles away from the city, a place with which he and Cecilia was familiar with. Where, they stumbled upon a small cave covered in leaves. It was a place next to a river, a location they had previously stayed at.
Knowing that he would stay for a while in the place, Zane set up the cave lightings and furnish it with elegant bed, tables and chairs.
Outside the cave, Zane cleared some of the trees and set up a fence and put his furnace next to the river. After heating the material, he grabbed the material he was looking for and heated the steel to malleability. Suddenly, his whole demeanor shifted when he grabbed the hammer.
Soon, he started hammering meticulously with passion and rhythm. The process involved shaping, tapering, fullering, quenching, tempering, grinding, polishing, and finally adding the hilt. If one was looking, a solemn aura can be felt, even an experienced dwarf would probably be amazed how Zane was working around the furnace.
Crafting a sword took him an hour. Upon completion, he used identification.
'Steel Sword'
Material: Steel
Attack: 25
Durability: 22
'Impressive. This isn't too shabby. It could surely slay an unawakened with a single strike and potentially wound an Awakener.'
'Let's make more!'
As dusk approached, the resonating clangs echoed outside the cave, unsettling even the Awakened beasts in the vicinity.
Meanwhile, Cecilia arrived at Zane's location and settled into meditation stance. She abstained from disturbing Zane and instead focused on her own training. Looking at Zane time to time, she was amazed how Zane was able to make blacksmithing a scene of beauty.
When Zane paused, he tossed the finished sword onto the pile beside him. Within a few hours, he had produced over fifteen swords.
Observing Cecilia's new bruises on her arms and legs, he inquired, "How were the arena battles?"
She pondered out loud, "I'd say they're stronger than the warriors in Capricia, but not as lethal as the Blood Warriors."
"How so?" Zane was curious.
"Their overall strength is impressive, but they lack something..." She struggled to identify the missing factor.
After pondering for a moment, Zane proposed, "You mean the will to kill?"
"Yes, exactly!"
Zane thought for a moment, "Dwarves and other races are renowned for their honor. They hesitate to take a life when the situation is unfair. However, Blood Warriors are different; they'll employ any means to kill, resorting to trickery and deception. They are very cunning. That's why they're deadlier."
He continued, "Don't learn from them. Their approach will only lead to your demise. Stick to the Blood Warriors' code: show no mercy on the battlefield."
Cecilia nodded in agreement.
...
A few hours earlier, in the arena, Cecilia's name echoed throughout the crowd. She faced a formidable demi-beast with bear features. Compared to the large bear, Cecilia appeared as thin as a stick covered in bandages. The bear stood at level 19, while Cecilia was at level 15.
Despite the significant stats disparity, Cecilia leveraged her multiple skills. After half an hour of battle, her blade rested at the bear's throat.
A thunderous applause erupted from the thousands of fans. Cecilia's remarkable performance and her bandaged appearance became the talk of the town. She had ignited a storm in the city, defeating many of the uncontested champions of the Awakener's arena.
"The heck did this person come from?!"
"Even from here, I can feel that she has Sword Aura!"
"Amazing! A new challenger than can fight the champions!"
"Find his information! We need to bring him to our group!"
...
Zane started hammering once again. When Cecilia watched Zane's work, she was amazed on his movements. It was like a craft that dances at the intersection of fire and metal, with a symphony of raw power and delicate precision.
As the flames of the forge leap and curl around the anvil, they coax the steel into submission, transforming it from a mere slab of metal into a work of artistry and purpose. The rhythmic pounding of the hammer against the heated steel was like a steady heartbeat, each strike echoing outside the cave.
After few hours of hammering, Zane found out that he ran out of materials after the twentieth sword. So he stopped his works and planned to take a shower and rest.
Deep in the night, after cleaning himself, he found that Cecilia was already sleeping peacefully in the bed naked.
Looking at her face, he beauty was displayed fully with her porcelain skin and her golden hair rested on the pillows. Zane has been familiar with Celia actions. Zane thought for awhile, his relationship with her is more like friendship, nothing more than that.
His current goal now was to survive the horrifying world he was transported into. He believed that with the help of Cecilia everything will be much more easier.
Zane opened his storage and brought a partially burned letter. It was a letter that he found from Ezio's body. Yes, Zane did not even spare Ezio's burnt robes hoping that it will be a magical equipment. He was disappointed.
Looking at the contents report address to the Vermilions, he trembled slightly.
"To the Utmost Urgency!
Respected Transcendent Lucas,
Death and destruction are looming from the south!
It began a month ago when the Dwarven King of Mountain River commissioned many Ascendants to scout the southern border due to the increased concentration of negative emotions combined with mana in the southern forest. The spies that were planted were wiped out before they could send any letters. Furthermore, no caravans were able to return to any of the cities.
We believed that some of the demi-beasts were preparing for war against the southern allied cities. To halt this threat, the king dispatched fifteen Ascendants, led by Transcendent Torgar, to suppress this rebellion.
However, before we could delve deeper into the southern forest, an extremely heavy fog enveloped the land. Before we knew it, we were ambushed and suffered heavy casualties. We fought with all our might, but the undead were too numerous. Furthermore, the fallen Ascendants seemed to join their ranks.
We had no choice but to retreat. Before we could withdraw, we were confronted by a humanoid monster with multiple tentacles. Transcendent Torgar was dragged by the monster before we could help.
Based on the movements of the undead army, they are advancing northward, drawing closer to the City of Capricia.
It is only a matter of time before they reach our borders!"
The remainder of the letter was difficult to decipher. It seems that Ezio was begging the Vermilions to send support and protection against this massive threat.
After a while, Zane sighed in the end. Right now, he could help but be scared of the situation in the south.
With his heavy heart, he put everything back at his mind and went to sleep. He was but a mere recently Awakened warrior, this was not his concern at the moment.