Blacksmith vs. the System-Chapter 206

Once the parameters of my experiment were clear, I opened a portal to the fourth floor. Terry was working with Logan, while Jennifer was somewhat ahead of them, shaping various plants into living weapons against the endless horde of insects, her face showing an unfamiliar smile.

“Impressive development,” I said as I moved closer to them, alerting Terry and Logan of my presence.

“Professor,” Logan greeted happily. “I have a new class. Warrior of the Woods.”

“Excellent news,” I replied. It certainly was, especially considering how stingy the System was for the farmers. “Why don’t you give me a summary of the benefits while Terry reads this?” I said as I passed him the notes I had written earlier.

For a moment, Logan looked hesitant. “I-it doesn’t have any magic stats.”

I didn’t need Wisdom to see how tense Logan was. He was a man of few words, and opening like that was enough to show he was feeling guilty. A misguided attempt at best.

“Doesn’t matter, as long as you are happy with it,” I replied. “What we’re doing here is about exploring the limits of the System in diverse directions. Had the magic part been the most important, I would have pushed you to take Tend,” I explained.

“Thanks, professor,” he replied with a gentle nod. “The new class gives me one point of Strength and Dexterity each level, and four points of Vitality,” he said.

“Four points of Vitality?” I asked, surprised. “That’s a good amount.”

It certainly was. While it was below my current class in terms of Vitality, Smith of Decay was not exactly a fair benchmark for any class.

“And, what about the skill?” I continued.

“It changed to something called Harmonize, allowing me to transform living trees into weapons. I know it’s underwhelming —” he started.

“Not necessarily,” I replied. “Let’s not make a judgment before we explore what it truly offers,” I replied. I sighed. “I wish I had time to assist you, but I have another crisis to handle first. Both you and Jessica need to handle the initial exploration alone,” I said.

“Don’t worry, professor. Terry is doing an excellent job,” he said, while Terry blushed at the compliment.

“Nothing impressive. I’m just copying what you did for me, sir,” Terry started. “Professor,” he corrected after I looked at him sharply.

“I’m sure you are doing well, but unfortunately, I have another task for you,” I said to Terry before I looked at Logan. “You have to handle it alone for the next few days, the experiment needs someone with Wisdom to run, and Rebecca’s greenhouse task is too critical to pull her for this.”

Logan looked at me, unable to rein in his disappointment. “Don’t worry, professor. I already have ideas on how to explore my new class. I have learned well.”

“I like the attitude,” I said as I patted the shoulder of the young man. “I promise I’ll work with you the moment things calm down.”

He nodded in appreciation before walking away, leaving me with Terry. “Is everything alright, professor?” Terry asked. “It’s not like you to interrupt a promising experiment like that.”

“You’re not wrong,” I said. “We have another battle on the horizon.”

“Already?” he asked, surprised.

“Unfortunately,” I replied. I didn’t want to worry them too much, but hiding the truth from them would have been a disservice. “But I already have some plans that will give us an advantage, so there’s no need to worry,” I said. I gave him the prototype sword I created. “Check it.”

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“T-this is…?” he muttered in fascination as he touched the blade. One benefit of having Wisdom, it allowed him to see through the true nature of my work without using it.

“The new weapon series I’m going to create, and also the reason why I’m not afraid of the upcoming battle,” I declared. A bit exaggerated, but I didn’t want them panicking needlessly.

He raised the notes he was still holding. “I’m guessing that you have experiments outlined here regarding that,” he said.

“Yes,” I said. “Using Wisdom to create them is possible, but using dungeon products to do so is far more preferable in terms of time management,” I said. He nodded, quick to connect the dots. Since he also had Wisdom, I didn’t need to explain the basics.

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“Why are the notes explicitly about the mechanical aspects,” he asked.

“Because I need a way to outsource some of the time-consuming aspects,” I said. “We still don’t understand the basics of conceptual transformation. Outsourcing the mechanical aspect seemed like a reasonable target. Preferably with a less wasteful method than slicing them into a thin film.”

He frowned. “Yes. Eighty percent potency loss doesn’t sound sustainable. Do you really think there’s still value in brute force experiments? The notes show that it has barely moved the needle.”

“True,” I said. “You don’t have to stick to mechanical breakdowns. What I give you is not an exhaustive list of possibilities. Feel free to add more experiments.”

He gave a slow nod, brow wrinkled in thought. “I will do my best, but there’s a limited amount of time I could put on it.”

“That’s why you’re not going to do it alone. Ask for the assistance of Liam, and as many smithing assistants as you need.”

That earned another frown. “I …” he muttered, surprisingly hesitant.

“Tell me,” I said.

“I’m not sure I can do it,” he said.

“Really? I have seen you lead larger teams with no problem.”

“Yes, but back then, I wasn’t trying to keep secrets. Now, I have too many things I have to keep secret. What if I let something critical slip?”

That made me smile, though it was more rueful than excited. “Luckily, that’s not a problem anymore.”

“What do you mean, professor?” he asked.

“We are no longer keeping any secrets,” I replied. “Feel free to share anything you discover. No limitations.”

His eyes widened. “Are you sure, professor? What about the risks?”

“Since they declared war already, we have nothing to worry about,” I replied. “Share anything you wish. We’ll even distribute them to other towns.”

“That’s exciting!” he gasped.

“It is, but let’s focus on the experiment for the moment. Give me a summary of our objectives.”

“Our first aim is to get a better understanding of how shape and form affect potency,” he said. “Ideally, we need to discover a uniform shape that allows mana to diffuse perfectly, but with a creation less wasteful than the thin film method.”

“Yes,” I said. “I’m hopeful in various polyhedra patterns, despite the variants of beehive or other hexagon patterns not working as well as I had hoped,” I said. “We might need a different fundamental shape for beast parts, and it might not be the same for all of them.”

Terry nodded even as he scribbled notes on a scrap paper. “That’s fairly straightforward, especially once we have the smithing apprentices’ assistance.”

“Good,” I said.

“The next step is to test the impact of movement and other environmental tests, like rotation, constant stress, and other methods,” he said, then frowned. “Would that really work?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” I said. “My experiments did not, but I was just manipulating them physically. Maybe if we add some kind of abrasive, maybe inject some mana to the environment…”

“And, maybe speed variation could assist as well,” he said.

“It’s not impossible,” I said. “The conceptual manipulation operates on a level I’m struggling to understand, even with skills,” I said.

“But, you have created such an incredible weapon,” Terry responded as he brought down the blade, leaving a red aftermath.

“That’s only with the assistance of the skill. The true mechanics are still a mystery, and…”

“Without understanding the mechanics, we stay dependent on the skill, which is unacceptable,” he completed, summarizing the main message of my many lessons.

“Perfectly put,” I said. “How about the third step?”

“The impact of temperature situation, which can be done by ice baths, boiling, direct heat exposure, both in rapidly shifting situations, and extended exposure,” he completed. “I have a feeling it’ll be more effective on the claws,” he said.

“Yes, but be careful about the explosive side effects,” I warned. “The concept of flame might not interact well with the constant cold attacks.” With that, I opened a portal that led to the first floor. “Just ask Harold’s help if there’s any problem with resource allocation.”

“I’ll do so, professor,” he said as he took a step toward the portal.

“And, when it comes to temperature manipulation or other risky steps…”

He nodded. “I’ll make sure to test it behind thick metal walls, sir. Just as you taught us, safety first,” he said.

“Good,” I said, happy that he had learned it.

Safety first was something I truly believed in … for my students. I had to admit, I wasn’t the best when it came to following that principle.

As I returned to my own workshop, I had a feeling that tonight would not be another exception…