Chapter 33: Beginner-Level Continuous Slash and Equipment Enchantment

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Beginner-Level Continuous Slash and Equipment Enchantment

"Am I really suited for the path of a Warrior?" Lorin wondered. He felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of grief. The glorious visions of himself summoning lightning and flames to annihilate the world had gently shattered like soap bubbles.

"No... there’s still a chance," he thought. He remembered the Sword Singer Hiv had mentioned. "The Eternal Forest, right? Just wait for me!"

"Don’t get cocky just yet." Hiv felt the need to take the kid down a peg to keep him grounded, lest he eagerly rush out to get himself killed. "Being able to use it and being Skilled are two different things. Right now, you can merely complete the three strikes. You’re a thousand miles away from actually being able to use it in a real fight."

He immediately returned to the tavern, fetched two wooden swords, and tossed one to Lorin.

"Come on. Since you already know how to exert force, let’s practice in combat. Attack me with the sword in your hand. If you can land just one hit on me, your food expenses for this month will be waived," Hiv said.

"Alright!" Lorin’s fighting spirit was roused. He wanted to know how much of a gap remained between him and a formal Warrior Professional if he didn’t use magic.

The two walked slowly toward each other and stood face to face.

"Let’s begin—"

"HAAH!"

Before Hiv could even finish speaking, Lorin drew his sword and sprang into action. He pushed off the ground with his right foot, sweeping toward Hiv’s left side at the absolute fastest speed he could currently muster. The blade produced a sharp WHOOSH as it cut through the air, yet Hiv still raised his sword and blocked it. The power transferred through the unsharpened blade, leaving Lorin’s palms numb from the impact.

"You brat! Fast enough, but you stepped forward half an inch too far and lost your center of gravity!"

Gritting his teeth, Lorin used the recoil to pull his sword back. He twisted the blade and slashed down again, aiming straight at Hiv’s wrist. Hiv frowned. He brought his longsword up to meet the attack, blocking Lorin’s blade in midair with just one hand.

"You failed to utilize the momentum of the sword. Forcing it back made your speed way too slow."

Lorin pressed down hard on his sword with both hands. Hiv was far stronger than Soron. The wooden sword produced a loud CREAK, even beginning to warp under the pressure, yet both swords remained completely motionless in midair.

"He blocked my sword so easily. This old man’s power must be at least fifteen or sixteen points..." Lorin thought.

Observing Hiv’s stance, a sudden flash of inspiration hit him. He thrust his shoulder forward, bumping Hiv and causing him to stumble back a step.

"You’d better catch this upward slash!" Lorin shouted.

He pulled the wooden sword back from midair, but instead of following up with the final strike of his Continuous Slash, he executed a simple horizontal sweep. Hiv didn’t even bother to block. He simply took a step back, letting the tip of the blade brush harmlessly past his chest.

He laughed. "Cheap tricks! You dare show off your meager skills in front of me?"

Then, with a flick of his wrist, Hiv flicked his wooden sword upward. Lorin felt an immense surge of power shoot through his hands, and his sword nearly flew out of his grasp.

"Oh?" Hiv let out a sound of surprise. He had fully expected to send Lorin’s sword flying, not expecting the kid to have so much strength. "Good power, and quite clever in combat. You just lack experience," he critiqued. "Again!"

Time flew by as the sun rose and set.

Lorin immersed himself completely in his training. Every morning, he practiced his swordplay under Hiv’s guidance; at noon, he ate the nutritious meals Aunt Martha prepared; and in the afternoon, he engaged in mock battles with Pip. Although he hadn’t managed to land a single hit on Hiv that day, the tavern owner had still waived their food expenses.

Thanks to Lorin’s relentless efforts, his Continuous Slash motions became visibly more fluid. He could now execute the three strikes in about two seconds.

The system also provided a notification: [Continuous Slash -> Beginner]

However, the "Beginner" status next to the skill never managed to evolve into "Skilled". He found an opportunity to ask Hiv about it and received this answer: "Only when you can control the time of the three strikes within a second and a half can you be considered to have barely mastered it enough for actual combat."

Yet, even though he hadn’t reached the threshold of being Skilled, these days of training had deepened his understanding of swordplay. He was finally no longer swinging his blade purely on instinct.

It wasn’t until one early morning, while wielding his fourth replacement wooden sword, that Lorin suddenly realized they hadn’t sold the loot they brought back previously.

"This should be a relatively rare material. It seems to contain the power of flames. You guys should go ask Horton; maybe he recognizes it." Hiv took the Dragon Blood Stone that Lorin handed him, scrutinizing it for a long while without figuring out what it was.

Thus, dragging his aching body, Lorin took Pip to Horton’s blacksmith shop, planning to offload the large bundle of loot while they were at it.

Horton rubbed his bald head. He picked up the irregularly shaped stone, which glimmered with a dull red light, and held it up to the sun to examine it closely. After a long while, he finally spoke.

"This is a piece of solidified red dragon blood. Under certain complex conditions, it will crystallize like this. Where did you guys get it?

"Forget it, pretend I didn’t ask. I have a Dwarf recipe here. If this thing is ground into powder, it can be reforged alongside metal.

"If used on a weapon, it will add flame burning damage. If used on armor, it will drastically increase flame resistance."

The two discussed it for a moment and ultimately decided to add an Enchantment to Pip’s new warhammer.

After all, Lorin had already taken two pieces of magic equipment from their loot, either of which matched the value of the Dragon Blood Stone. Even if Pip wasn’t the type to haggle over every penny, Lorin—as the one who benefited most—had to be mindful of it. A fair balance of interests was essential for the long-term development of their relationship.

Besides, Lorin didn’t lack this kind of offensive capability himself. The short guy, on the other hand, still only ever went BANG BANG BANG with his hammer, making Lorin feel genuinely guilty.

Horton accepted the warhammer Pip handed over, looked it up and down a few times, and slowly spoke. "To add an Enchantment to this weapon, the labor fee will be at least fifty gold coins. Thirty coins as a deposit, and the rest you pay me when it’s done. I’ll also need some materials to activate and stabilize the power within the dragon blood. I’ll write you a list."

"That’s so expensive!" Lorin said, dumbfounded.

He knew anything related to magic was costly, but he never imagined it would be *this* exorbitant. The labor fee alone was fifty gold coins! Even after claiming the bounties for the Dragon Shield Guard and the Scale Mage, he only had a little over twenty-three gold coins. Not to mention Pip, who looked as broke as a beggar. Even pooling both of their funds together, they couldn’t scrape up that much money.

Horton tapped his shiny bald head, patiently explaining it to them.

"An Enchantment is a highly meticulous job. It’s absolutely not as simple as grinding something into powder and sprinkling it on top. I have to melt the weapon down and reforge it, hammering the new materials into a single, unified entity.

"If any mistakes are made during this process, both the weapon and the materials will be ruined. Therefore, these fifty gold coins are not just a labor fee; they also serve as my guarantee. If I break your item, I will conventionally compensate you with five times the labor fee."

"Aren’t you going to lose a fortune like that?" Lorin asked in astonishment.

Five times the labor fee—wouldn’t that be two hundred and fifty gold coins!?

Horton chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Did you think just anyone could do this business?" he said proudly. "I dare say that among all the Blacksmiths in the entire Northern Territory, no more than thirty would dare take this job."