Cain let out a pained groan as he let himself fall to the forge floor.
His head throbbed again, forcing another groan out of him.
"Damn it! To think even my enhanced body and mind can only go on for so long."
Cain had been within the forge for a long ti now, but in the outside world, he had only been gone for a few days.
During this ti, he made an incredible amount of equipnt and items. His rate of production had only began to skyrocket after he had started.
Swords, spears, armor sets, even special trinkets with attached skills or spells. He made a ton of them in that ti.
However, the result of that, was that the burden on his mind and body increased exponentially.
In the beginning, he had been able to brush it off, but now, it was compounding.
"Ti to take a break."
He let out a sigh.
Then he sat up and closed his eyes.
Using his consciousness, he reached into the depths of being.
Taking in a deep breath, he began circulating the {Sunfla Body Tempering Technique}.
'This thing is oddly similar to a Ki Plundering Technique. However, instead of absorbing the ambient Ki of heaven and earth, the technique makes use of the {Eternal Sunfire} I already have within . How fascinating...'
Although they were a bit similar, they were not the sa thing.
The nature of Ki Plundering Techniques was their ability to draw on energy and add it to the body of the user.
The {Sunfla Body Tempering Technique} on the other hand was just that.
A body tempering technique.
Stread of liquid fire road within him, through his blood vessels, through his muscle fibers, through the marrow in his bones.
It all flowed in a strange cycle, one that was difficult for the normal mind to comprehend.
With every completed revolution, a portion of the impurities within his body were burned away.
It had to be done in this manner because Sunfire was just too volatile and violent in nature to be used in large amounts on the body of living beings.
Even with his affinity with it, he still had to take it slow, only increasing it gradually when his endurance and upper limits were improved.
Cain sucked in a deep breath, then circulated the flas once again.
The heat was mild and soothing, reaching the depths of his being. Previously, it had caused him a bit of discomfort, but now, it felt more pleasant than anything.
Slowly, his body absorbed more and more of the {Eternal Sunfire}, making it stronger, faster, more resilient...
Perhaps in the future, he would possess a body even the gods could not break.
Even now, the quality of his physique influenced by the {Black Dragon of the Crimson Sky} skill was sothing rather frightening.
Putting the two together, and his future enemies would be in for a nasty headache.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but let out a devious chuckle.
He continued this for a while longer.
Then his eyes snapped open.
His lips parted, and a stream of golden flas streaked out from his mouth.
Taking a deep breath in, he stretched his body, causing his joints to make popping noises that would have been cause for concern should any other person have heard it.
"It feels amazing!"
He felt like he could go a whole year without stopping. His body was filled to the brim with energy and his mind was as clear as a still lake.
Picking up the {Echoes of Xicina}, he walked up to the anvil again.
There was still a tone of material left for him towards work with, so he had to get busy.
Cain exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders as he eyed the mountain of remaining materials.
There was still so much left to do.
He cracked his fingers once more, his mind now sharper, his body completely reinvigorated by the {Eternal Sunfire}. He could feel the pulsing energy coursing through his limbs, his muscles surging with newfound strength.
There was no hesitation as he extended his hand, summoning another bar of purified alloy from the pile.
His grip tightened around the {Echoes of Xicina}.
The hamr ca down.
Once again, the forge roared to life. The golden dragon heads spat their flas with renewed vigor, the heat rising in waves around him. The tal softened under the overwhelming intensity, shimring as he shaped it with ticulous precision.
Cain moved faster now, more efficiently. His control over hamr and tal had reached new heights.
His blows were sharper and stronger, but they also contained a delicate force that word its way into tal, making it smoother and more resilient with each strike.
One sword.
Then another.
Then another.
The clang of tal against tal echoed in rhythmic succession, his movents fluid, each strike carrying an echo that reverberated with his soul.
Every strike carried intent, every hamr blow resonated with his will.
Beads of sweat fell down his face, sizzling and turning into vapor before they could hit the ground.
'This is it!'
This was forging.
This was the essence of what a craftsman was. To completely indulge in the work before you until every other thing was of no consequence.
In that mont, there existed only the hamr and the anvil.
It was incredible, a thing of beauty...
With each completed blade, his mind refined the process even further. The runes were etched faster. The magic inlays were perfectly embedded without any wasted motion.
Every detail was enhanced to its absolute limit.
One hundred weapons.
Two hundred.
His hands never stopped, and neither did his mind.
With each weapon, or piece of armor, or special ring or pendant he made, the intricacy of the runes and magic circles he drew beca more apparent.
The details were sharper, and the mana flow was improved.
Three hundred.
Four hundred.
The mountain of materials gradually shrank, replaced by an arsenal of weapons, armor pieces, and many other things.
Cain barely even noticed the passage of ti.
It wasn't until he struck down on the final blade, that he finally let himself stop.
The roaring flas from the dragon heads slowly died down after so ti.
The light from the flas faded away as well, bringing a soothing darkness.
Within the darkness, Cain's eyes ticulously scanned his creations.
'There is improvent.'
His breath was heavy and his body was drenched in sweat. Still, a wide grin tugged at the corners of his lips.
The forge was now silent. The {Draconic Blast Furnace} had settled, the golden dragon heads no longer spewing their relentless flas.
Before him lay a few thousand items, each placed in a different pile according to their make.
The lee weapons had been the easiest to make. Unsurprising, making the magic staffs for magic channelers had been the most tasking, so he had been unable to make a lot of these.
Cain let out a slow breath.
Then, he chuckled.
"Just how much can I make off of these?"
He had created most of these weapons with the intention of either selling them to Alvi or Gilead.
Of course, since he was not in need of more mana shards, they would have to barter using a different item.
As for what that was, he already had sothing in mind.
He stretched his body out then slowly began transferring all of the equipnt into the Spatial storage ring.
Once he was done, he walked out of the forge and closed the door behind him.
***
The wild wind blew salty water across his face.
Steve sucked in a deep breath of air.
Facing the wide open sea before him, he closed his eyes as a lancholic air settled around him.
"Nature and all its wonders. How marvelous and profane it all is..."
"You keep talking to yourself, you'll lose what's left of your marbles eventually."
Steve chuckled,
"I am a seeker of truth and practitioner of magic. My sanity is of no worth to ."
He turned slightly,
"But it's good to see you back, Captain. And from the looks of it, your latest crusade was successful, no?"
Cain shrugged as he sat down beside him.
"It was. Apparently, things only beco more difficult the further we go. Isn't that shocking?"
Steve guffawed,
"Shocking? No. Botherso? Perhaps."
Cain chuckled then sighed.
"Everything looks in order over here."
Steve nodded, "The ants have been rather calm these days. Hunting within the forest is still rather dangerous for most, so we keep things limited to a few areas."
Then he tapped a root of tree he was currently leaning against,
"The longer I stay here, the more I realize just how incredible of a treasure trove this place is. Still, while its fruits are filled with sweet juice, getting my hands on them is proving to be an issue."
He let out a sigh,
"Ah... If only I could acquire a bit more personal power. How I wish there was a way!"
Cain couldn't help but laugh at Steve's theatrics,
"Then I can assure you are ready to take on the second trial?"
Steve shrugged,
"I an sure. I don't really mind either way, but I guess it will be for the benefit of all."
Cain snickered,
"Naturally, you won't face this trial alone. Those prepared to take on the challenge will have the opportunity to assemble a team of five. Fortunately for you, you are among the chosen few who get to make a team. Rejoice!"
"All hail the great master—ack!"
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