Blacksmith vs. the System

Even as I appeared on the fourth floor, I didn't feel any sense of stress. For the last several hours, Liam and the rest of the apprentices had proven that they were more than capable of handling the establishment of a proper factory. Once the main blast furnace was created to resemble something modern rather than an oversized medieval contraption, my assistance had turned unnecessary.

First, I appeared near my students, who were the only ones who were yet to be evacuated, but after seeing them working hard, I decided to leave them untouched for the moment. Evacuating them in an emergency wasn't out of the question.

Instead, I went to my forge, ready to experiment with the claws of the boss monsters. I had a feeling that they were holding the key to improving my Reformation skill further, maybe even upgrading Forge alongside.

"All I need to decide on is whether to keep Forge as a primarily intelligence-based skill, or force a transformation," I muttered. On one hand, the transformation of the skill would finally give me a better idea of how to use my Wisdom offensively, not to mention finally allowing me to fully apply the potential of the Wisdom.

But, I was also afraid that I would be losing some of the recipes that I had long gotten familiar with.

A difficult transaction, but an inevitable one, I decided. I positioned myself in front of the forge, ready to leverage the claws I had received from the boss monsters.

Claws that seemed significantly stronger than anything the boss monsters of my own dungeon had produced, by a significant margin. Luckily, they were also absurdly large, so using them didn't mean I only had two chances.

No, these claws would provide me with ample opportunities.

That was good, as my first attempt ended in seconds … explosively at that. "It would have killed me back when I was still at single digits," I muttered as I noted the results before I swept everything away, then repeated.

It took ten attempts to adjust the formulas I had been using to forge the metal, and even then, it barely lasted halfway to completion before another explosion.

"You're as ferocious as your raw state, right?" I said as I looked at the giant claws, as if they were still carrying the wild ferocity of the boss monsters they had belonged to.

Yet, I needed to find a way to turn them into pliable materials. Any other time, I would have been happy with the challenge. Trying to find new ways to manipulate the material was a challenge I loved, but the presence of an enemy outside, knocking on our door, changed things.

At best, I had until morning before we had to deal with a renewed assault. One that would likely include some nasty surprises that would hamper the effectiveness of the cannons. They had been even more effective than I had hoped, but I had a feeling that, with the correct magical protection, they would be easy to prevent.

"Let's try again, this time without rushing it," I said as I took another piece of claw, this time mixing it with metal that had already been tempered with pure mana, hoping that it would be more effective at holding the impact.

I was careful. Too much heat, and it might crack or lose its innate mana properties. Too slow, and the claw wouldn't have the chance to mix with the metal.

A delicate dance.

"It doesn't have to be perfect. It just needs to work," I decided, as I still had my Reformation skills to assist me. I just needed to achieve success. I activated my forge's bellows, sending a steady gust of air into the flames rather than taking a shortcut with mana.

The charcoal glowed brighter, shifting from a dull orange to a near-white brilliance. Using a pair of long tongs, I maneuvered the claw fragments into the heart of the forge, and wrapped it with the molten metal.

This was where I had to be careful—too much heat, too fast, and I risked losing the very traits that made the claw valuable, likely with a nasty explosion.

"Calm," I muttered, then started working, knowing that the next few minutes were critical. I gently worked the bellows even as I flipped the metal like an anxious cook, actively using Observe to maintain a perfect balance.

Bit by bit, the rigid structure of the class started to soften, sinking into the metal. Once it was malleable enough to work, I used the tongs to lift it out and place it on the anvil.

It was the time to work with the material properly. I ignored everything my skill was suggesting, and focused on one singular task, one that I had used when I had first tested the mana attacks.

Letting the metal crystallize by using the claw fragments as a nexus, my hammer danced, its weight comfortable after the day I went through. I much preferred working on a forge to fighting. Especially when I was trying to achieve something new.

Precise strikes rained on the metal, each blow accompanied by a thin layer of mana to keep things stable, until the nascent crystals stopped trembling like a bomb about to go off. Bit by bit, the energy of the claws had been subsumed by the metal. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

When I stopped, the metal didn't suddenly flare or explode like I had feared. Instead, it started to glow slowly, and the surface of it started to get warmer.

Success … almost, as the results were merely a thin, unstable plate of metal, as big as my palm.

"It's time to cheat," I said with a chuckle while I tightened my grip once more as I reached my Reformation skill, each blow costing me a surprising amount of mana.

[-1200 Mana]

[-1200 Mana]

[-1200 Mana]

[-1200 Mana]

[-1200 Mana]

But, the rewards were worth it.

[Reformation of Quintessence (Legendary) 1 -> 2]

"Well, finally," I muttered as I finally saw the result, which, admittedly, hadn't been too surprising. Just like how my Meditation only showed any improvement thanks to the boss monster, Reformation also required a higher grade of material.

The resulting metal had been even more fascinating. Black, sleek, and gleaming with potential, it was clearly a higher level of product compared to what I had been creating, though the jump wasn't as radical as the difference between ordinary and epic alloys.

In some ways, the metal was inferior to my usual epic alloys, more similar to the common mana alloys I created … but in other ways, the plate was a significant improvement.

I had a feeling that it was the difference between the ordinary products, and the assistance of Wisdom.

"Doesn't matter," I said, as the other benefit of Wisdom was to give me a much better idea of how to capture the boss monsters' essence within the metal. Not by complicated crystalline patterns, but by actually transforming the metal in a way that would align with the concept of fire better.

No, not just fire, I corrected myself as I continued to use Observe on it. It was more similar to ash in terms of feeling. Related to fire, yet inert enough to refuse the hold of fire.

"All that remains is to copy the effect," I said. For my next experiment, I used claws from ordinary lizards, doing my best to replicate the same effect.

Amusingly, my most recent fight helped, but not the way I had expected. After using Decay in combat outside the dungeon, I had a much better idea regarding how to engage the potency of Wisdom as I cast spells.

It wasn't perfect. I had a feeling that I was barely using a few percent of my full potential. Luckily, my Wisdom was high enough to make it worthwhile.

After several attempts, I once again faced the real trial, a large piece of claw carefully enveloped by the metal, this time much larger, sparks flying as I hammered it into oblivion. But, this time, every blow transformed both the metal itself and the claws.

I lost myself in the process. Heat, fold, hammer, and infuse, each chasing the other, each cycle forcing the metal into compliance, turning into a beautiful hammerhead. Sparks danced, flames raged, and I hit again and again, each hit giving me a better hold of my Wisdom. Nowhere near perfect … but improving.

Despite my physical strength, I could feel sweat pouring into my armor. It was exhausting, but also exhilarating. This was forging in the truest sense, merging the metal and the mana to create something entirely new.

All the while, I maintained the conceptual presence of the hammer, not forgetting the objective, purifying not just the material, but also its purpose.

Until a notification popped up.

[Mana Forge (Epic) 314 - Shaper of Quintessence 1]