The qualifications of a genius naturally differed depending on a person's age.
A six year old child who was able to swing a metal hammer a thousand times, he was absolutely worthy of being called a genius.
However, Alan didn't tell him to stop. Instead, he stood to the side and silently watched Akash continue hammering.
His movements were direct, and powerful. However, there wasn't any mitigation of the rebounding force in his technique, all of it was taken in by his arms.
Fifty times, eighty times, one hundred times.
Sweat began pouring forth once again and the aching he felt now far surpassed the aching from before. Both of his arms heated up. Each time he exerted himself, his scalp began to swell. However, Akash still continued to grit his teeth and bear the pain as he never stopped hammering.
After hammering it 150 times, Akash's body began to sway. His vision was hazy, both of his arms were swollen and aching to the point that they felt foreign to him, yet he continued to persevere with clenched teeth.
I can persevere. I can overcome this test. I am a man. Perseverance will lead to victory.
Akash couldn't even count the number of times he had swung the hammer when Alan finally called for him to stop. If Alan hadn't supported him, he would have collapsed onto the floor.
The fearsome Alan was finally moved not only by how powerful this child will but how talented in blacksmith he will be in the near future. To think he was able to find a seedling child at this day in age was already outstanding.
His strength could still be trained later, but for such an unwavering determination to appear in a six year old child, it was truly too precious.
"You two have raised a good child. I'll accept him as my disciple. From tomorrow on wards, have him come over everyday at the same time as today. Once you're home, smear this ointment on his arms. I will protect you in the near future."
When Sara came to pick up Akash, she was greeted with Alan's gentle expression as he passed over a bottle of ointment.
After an hour of rest, Akash had already regained his vigor. It was just that his arms ached too much to raise them.
Alan's explanation of forging still lingered in his mind.
"What is forging? Forging and casting are entirely different. Casting only requires a mold, and afterwards, the use of machinery to grind out the desired shape. That is casting. As for forging, it requires a blacksmith to personally hammer the metal from start to finish. Of course, you could use a machine to pound the metal and forge it, but metal is a living thing. A machine will never be able to grasp the veins of the metal. Thus, all first-rate machine components were forged by a blacksmith. A good blacksmith is a true craftsman that possesses a status no less than that of a Spirit Master."
Spirit Master and Machine Master, those were the dreams of all young boys.
"Ouch." Akash cried out in pain when Sara pulled on his hand.
Sara sighed while she puffed out her cheeks and she touched her son forehead it's good that her son is alright but still should a child be in this much pain what kind of test did Alan give him?
It was only then that Sara discovered the wound on her son's palm.
"Heavens! He, he did this to you?" Tears were streaming down from her eyes. She had never expected that her son would suffer so much in only two hours.
Akash shook his head.
"He didn't do anything! Uncle Alan tested me and I passed. Aren't I strong mom? Don't cry! It doesn't hurt."
"Let's go home." Sara said as she wiped her tears away with eyes full of sorrow.
"There's really nothing wrong mom. In fact, I'm really happy. I passed Uncle Alan's test. Aren't you happy for me? Isn't this the sense of achievement that dad talked about?"
"I'm happy, I'm really happy."
The moment they got home Akash rushed straight toward Ayan.
"Ayan guess what! Your big brother just got a job! I am now a blacksmith! I passed the Uncle Alan test and now I can buy whatever you want even food in the near future okay this big brother will protect you from any kind of monsters that appear in front of us!"
With the temperament of a child, he had already forgotten the pain in his arms as he spoke of his accomplishment to Ayan.
Ayan earnestly listened, but his eyes occasionally revealed a trace of blankness.
"Ayan, you really don't remember anything about your family?" After he finished talking about his accomplishment, he asked the question which had been lurking in his mind.
Ayan looked at Akash for a long moment and he tried to truly remember where he came from but nothing truly came to mind it felt like everything was just blank within his mind.
"I really don't remember. I only remember that my name is Ayan. Everything else is fuzzy. Big Brother Ash, am I stupid?"
Akash shook his head and touched Ayan head.
"Of course not no matter what weather you remember or not I will always be your big brother so don't worry about anything else."
Ayan stared at him, as she gradually revealed a sweet smile. This was the first time she had smiled since she had came to their house.
"Wow! Your smile is really pretty, Ayan. I'll tell you a secret then; big brother will work hard to become a Spirit Soul Master, then I'll be able to protect you in the future. All right?"
"Yes."
Sara loved cooking and called everyone for dinner. Akash found himself just staring at his food for a long time.
"Maverick, come with me. Go ahead and eat first, children." With a serene appearance, Sara shot a glance at Maverick before heading to their room.
Inside there room Sara pointed at Maverick without even a second thought.
"This is all your fault! Our son is all beaten up now he is wounded how can we live like this I don't want our son to remember his childhood like this ever!"
Dinning Room
"We'll eat first, Na'er. Aren't you hungry?" Accounting for how many snacks they had eaten before, Sara made sure to cook lots of food today.
Na'er clearly had no resistance when it came to eating. She nodded and began to eat heartily.
After she ate for a while, she noticed that Akash wasn't acting the same as the day before. She raised her head and looked at him, and discovered that he was miserably turning and twisting his body with a pained face.
"Big brother, what's wrong?" Na'er crisply asked.
"My arms are really sore after my test. I can't raise them at all."
Akash had been unusually hungry lately; with the addition of his work after school, one can only imagine his longing for food now…
Ayan blinked a few times.
"I'll feed you then."
"Yes! Alright!" Akash said in exultation.
With shaky movements, Ayan clumsily fed Akash one spoonful after another.
Two children, one six years old and the other five and a half years old, enjoyed each other's company with the naivety of youth. In this small house, the atmosphere made the lights appear gentler as well.
"Ayan, You're the best"