Chapter 4 - The Darven arsenal

The forest was silent again.

Kael sat beside a small fire, staring at the crude firearm lying on the ground.

It was ugly.

The metal was uneven.

The shape was poorly balanced.

Several parts were barely held together.

Kael picked it up and sighed.

“This is supposed to be a Darven weapon?”

He looked at the mountain of books beside him.

His father's inheritance had given him something far more valuable than weapons.

Knowledge.

Hundreds of books.

Hundreds of years of accumulated Darven research.

And now Kael finally understood why his father had left them behind.

His Metal Control was powerful.

But power without knowledge was useless.

Kael opened the first book.

The title was simple.

Fundamentals of Darven Weapon Forging.

He turned the first page.

The book didn't begin with firearms.

It began with metal.

Different metals.

Different densities.

Different magical properties.

Different levels of durability.

Different reactions to mana.

Kael slowly realized something.

The Darven family didn't simply make weapons.

They understood metal.

Their bloodline allowed them to manipulate it, but their knowledge allowed them to manipulate it correctly.

Kael continued reading.

Hours passed.

He filled several pages with notes.

Then he closed the book.

“So my problem isn't just control.”

He looked at the crude firearm.

“I don't understand the material well enough.”

Kael placed a small piece of iron in his palm.

He activated Metal Control.

The metal rose.

This time, he didn't immediately shape it.

Instead, he examined it.

He could feel its structure through his mana.

Weak.

Ordinary.

Useful for practice.

But not suitable for advanced weapons.

Kael smiled.

“Let's start from the beginning.”

For the next several days, Kael abandoned the idea of making a powerful weapon.

Instead, he focused entirely on understanding his bloodline.

He took pieces of iron and manipulated them.

Flattened them.

Compressed them.

Separated them.

Combined them.

Then restored them to their original shapes.

At first, each attempt consumed enormous amounts of mana.

But gradually—

The process became easier.

[Metal Control proficiency increased.]

Kael looked at the notification.

He smiled.

“Again.”

He continued.

His control became more precise.

Instead of moving an entire piece of metal, he learned to manipulate only a small portion.

A corner.

A thin section.

A narrow strip.

Eventually, he could manipulate several sections simultaneously.

That was when Kael discovered something unexpected.

His Metal Control wasn't simply about moving metal.

He could feel it.

The longer he concentrated, the more information he could sense.

Weak points.

Density.

Shape.

Damage.

Even tiny imperfections.

Kael stared at a piece of iron.

“This…”

He suddenly understood why his father had called the Darven bloodline one of the greatest weapon-making bloodlines.

A normal blacksmith had to physically work the metal.

A Darven could work with it directly.

Their hands weren't their only tools.

Their bloodline was.

Kael returned to firearm creation.

This time, he didn't try to build an entire weapon immediately.

He divided the process into sections.

One piece at a time.

He studied the books.

He examined old Darven diagrams.

He compared different materials.

He learned why certain metals were used for certain components.

Then he tried again.

The first attempt failed.

The second was worse.

The third collapsed halfway through.

Kael stared at the ruined weapon.

“…Again.”

Fourth attempt.

Failure.

Fifth.

Failure.

Sixth.

Failure.

Kael's frustration grew.

He slammed his fist against the ground.

“Why can't I make it?”

He opened the book again.

He reread the same section.

Then he noticed a small sentence he had ignored earlier.

Precision matters more than quantity.

Kael froze.

He looked at the pile of metal.

Then at his hands.

“I've been trying to force it.”

He had been using too much mana.

Trying to overpower the metal.

That wasn't Metal Control.

That was simply brute force.

Kael closed his eyes.

He took a slow breath.

Then he tried again.

This time, he used almost no force.

His mana flowed gently through the metal.

The material responded.

Slowly.

Precisely.

A component formed.

Then another.

Then another.

Hours later—

Kael placed the finished weapon on the ground.

It wasn't beautiful.

But it was complete.

Kael stared at it.

A translucent screen appeared.

[Weapon successfully created.]

[Darven Bloodline technique recognized.]

[Basic Weapon Forging proficiency increased.]

Kael smiled.

“I finally did it.”

But Kael wasn't satisfied.

The basic firearm wasn't enough.

His father had shown him what the Darven family could create.

Assault weapons.

Precision weapons.

Heavy weapons.

Weapons capable of using magic.

And eventually—

Weapons that could challenge creatures far beyond ordinary humans.

Kael looked toward the books.

“How far can I go?”

He opened another volume.

This one was much older.

The pages were yellow and fragile.

The title was barely visible.

Darven Advanced Arsenal — Volume I

Kael's eyes widened.

He carefully turned the pages.

The designs became far more complicated.

The materials became rarer.

Some weapons required magical ores.

Others required mana channels.

Some were designed to work directly with the user's bloodline.

Kael read until his eyes hurt.

He didn't understand everything.

But he understood enough.

The Darven family had barely scratched the surface of what Metal Control could accomplish.

And Kael had an advantage no previous Darven had possessed.

The rusty sword.

His enhanced bloodline.

Kael placed his hand against his chest.

His mana was already stronger than it should have been.

His Metal Control was far beyond his actual level.

But there was another limitation.

His mind.

He needed to learn faster.

So he changed his training.

Instead of spending the entire day creating weapons, he divided his time.

Morning—

Physical training.

Afternoon—

Mana control.

Evening—

Metal Control.

Night—

Weapon theory.

Then, before sleeping—

Swordsmanship.

Every day.

Without exception.

Weeks passed.

Kael's small camp slowly changed.

The area around him became filled with metal scraps.

Broken weapons.

Failed experiments.

Half-finished creations.

Stacks of books.

Notes.

Diagrams.

And several completed Darven weapons.

The crude firearm from his first attempt now sat forgotten in a corner.

Kael looked at it.

Then looked at the newest weapon in front of him.

The difference was enormous.

The newest creation was compact.

Balanced.

Smooth.

The metal was perfectly shaped.

Mana channels ran through its frame.

Kael had even managed to create a mechanism that could work with his Metal Control.

He raised it.

“Not bad.”

He aimed at a large stone in the distance.

Kael concentrated.

Mana flowed into the weapon.

A faint glow appeared.

BOOM!

The stone shattered.

Kael stared.

He hadn't used ordinary ammunition.

He had created a weapon that used his mana.

His father's books had called them magic-infused firearms.

Kael smiled.

“I can combine Metal Control and magic.”

A new notification appeared.

[New technique developed.]

[Mana-Infused Weapon Creation.]

[Proficiency: Beginner]

Kael looked at the notification.

Then laughed softly.

“Beginner…”

He looked at the mountains of books surrounding him.

“I still have a long way to go.”

That night, Kael opened his status.

[STATUS]

Name: Kael Darven

Age: 11

Level: 1

Mana: 15

Strength: 6

Agility: 7

Vitality: 6

Intelligence: 9

Metal Control: 34

Skills:

Basic Mana Manipulation — Intermediate

Metal Control — Beginner

Basic Swordsmanship — Beginner

Basic Weapon Forging — Beginner

Mana-Infused Weapon Creation — Beginner

Kael stared at his level.

Still Level 1.

He frowned.

“Why haven't I leveled up?”

He had trained for weeks.

He had fought monsters.

He had created weapons.

Yet his level remained unchanged.

Kael closed his eyes.

His father had warned him that his level was separate from his abilities.

Perhaps becoming stronger wasn't as simple as training one skill.

He needed experience.

Real combat.

Real danger.

Maybe even something the System itself required.

Kael looked at the final unopened book.

It was much larger than the others.

Its cover was black.

The Darven crest was engraved into it.

Unlike the other books, there was no title.

Kael reached toward it.

His fingers stopped just before touching the cover.

Something about the book felt different.

Almost as if—

It was waiting.

Kael slowly opened it.

The first page contained only one sentence.

“A Darven does not inherit the arsenal. A Darven builds it.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

He turned the page.

And began reading.

He had mastered the basics.

Now he was about to discover what the Darven family had truly been capable of.