CHAPTER 49: 049 ’THE FOOL’ AND ’THE HERMIT

"Whoosh!"

A silvery arc of light flashed through the dim workshop, splitting the atmosphere with its chill sharpness.

Reiger took the dark silvery-gray rapier in his palm, and with a mere flick of the exquisite weapon, he showed a look of surprise.

"It’s so light."

Although it was a sword made from precious and refined metals, Reiger felt as if he was holding a feather; it had no weight at all.

Logically, a sword so light wouldn’t be very powerful, but this one seemed to defy that logic, its thin blade sharp enough to cut through the air effortlessly.

"How is it? Not bad, right?"

Chun, watching Reiger’s surprised expression, wore a somewhat proud look.

"Since you mentioned wanting it to be as light as possible, I incorporated the teeth of the Wind Spirit Beast and added Mithril, forging it from three rare materials—it’s something not any ordinary master blacksmith could achieve."

If one merely wanted to create an unbreakable weapon, simply using Mountain Copper would suffice.

As the hardest metal, Mountain Copper alone is perfect for creating unbreakable weapons and is the primary material for such arms.

Forging with just one primary material would undoubtedly be easier.

Yet for Reiger, Chun added two more precious materials.

"The teeth of the Wind Spirit Beast can reduce the weight of the weapon without compromising its sharpness or durability."

"Mithril is used to enhance the magical conductivity of the sword. I heard from Finn that you’re adept at casting wind magic, adding magic to weapons, so I chose Mithril for this purpose."

"Thus, this sword boasts a high degree of sharpness and durability, and it has an excellent rate of magical conductivity. Its weight is notably low, but most importantly, it retains the property of being unbreakable."

Chun grew more excited and proud as he spoke, eventually bursting into laughter.

"For this sword, I worked tirelessly for several days and nights, devoting all my effort into it. Among all the weapons I’ve forged, it can certainly rank in the top three, or even be considered my proudest creation."

The highest quality from the best blacksmith in Aureli—the excellence of his proud creation could easily be imagined.

Even Finn, after scrutinizing it for a while, spoke earnestly.

"This sword’s quality should surpass Ais’s Sword of Despair."

That’s exactly the case.

Although Ais’s Sword of Despair is ranked as a first-tier weapon, it focuses on durability and the unbreakable property, slightly lacking in performance and power compared to other first-tier weapons.

But not Reiger’s sword.

It also focuses on durability and being unbreakable, yet as one of the top devices among first-tier weapons, its performance and power are among the best, even if not the highest.

Moreover, its extreme lightness allows one to maximize ’Light Equipment,’ and its excellent magical conductivity makes the use of added magic smoother and more powerful. Such a top-tier weapon has already entirely surpassed Ais’s Sword of Despair.

No wonder the weapon’s creation, even for Chun, the greatest blacksmith in Aureli, required several sleepless days.

No wonder Chun claimed it could rank within the top three of his creations or even as his most proud work.

Without a doubt, this was the perfect sword for Reiger.

Chun kept his promise, forging the finest sword for Reiger.

"Oh, and this one is for you too."

Chun remembered something, dashed into the forge, and came out with another weapon.

It was a dagger.

"Following your specifications, I’ve forged this secondary weapon for you. Of course, it’s not as intricate—just Mountain Copper as the primary material, a purely unbreakable weapon, a second-tier special armament, but its power is slightly less than other second-tier weapons, somewhat a lower-tier version of the Sword Princess’s Sword of Despair."

Chun seemed indifferent about this weapon, casually tossing it to Reiger, who caught it in his hands.

Reiger weighed it a little and found that the dagger was somewhat heavier than the primary weapon.

As for its appearance, the dagger wasn’t as ornate as the primary weapon he had received, being plain bright silver, simple yet, as a secondary weapon, quite splendid.

"Alright, I’ve completed your order as scheduled," Chun said to Reiger. "Now you name them."

Upon hearing this, Reiger was slightly taken aback.

"Doesn’t it include your proudest creation?" Finn also asked, baffled. "Aren’t you naming it yourself?"

"Forget it," Chun shook his head, resignedly spreading his hands. "These weapons were forged solely for your unique newcomer. Apart from him, there’s probably no one else in Aureli who could fully utilize its power."

Perhaps Ais, who also possesses ’Wind Spirit Swift Walk,’ is well-suited to this sword, but without the capability for ’Light Equipment,’ using such a light sword doesn’t make much sense.

Thus, the true power and performance of this sword could only really be maximized by Reiger.

"This always gives me the feeling that this sword was born through my hands only to be passed to yours," Chun scratched his head, seeming helpless, and told Reiger, "So, I think it’s better if you name it yourself."

With Chun insisting, Reiger naturally had no reason to refuse.

But...

"A name?"

Reiger plunged into thought.

Various ideas raced through his mind, finally settling on his most iconic skill—’Fool’s Obsession.’

If that’s the case—

"Let’s call it ’Fool’ then,"

Reiger made his decision.

If his persistence, his desires, were just a fool’s obsession, then let this fool foolishly reach the end.

"Sword of the Fool?" Chun mused, but he nodded, asking, "And the secondary weapon?"

Reiger decided without much thought.

"Let’s call it ’Hermit.’"

One Sword of the Fool.

One Sword of the Hermit.

Reiger’s primary and secondary weapons finally had a solution.

"Thank you for your trouble, Chun."

Only after everything was settled did Finn come forward.

"Not at all, I enjoyed the fight as well," Chun giggled, saying, "Forging weapons for a newcomer who is considered a monster by the gods and who could break the record set by the Sword Princess benefits me too."

If an adventurer became famous, the weapons they carried would usually gain fame as well.

Therefore, Forging Masters tended to craft weapons for adventurers with potential and strength, knowing that if these adventurers made a big name for themselves, the Forging Master of their weapons would also draw attention.

This was the main method to attract customers and the best way for a Forging Master to become famous.

Under these circumstances, Chun naturally had no objections to crafting weapons for Reiger; in fact, he was eager to do so.

After all, Reiger was seen as a future hero destined to soar to great heights and to become known worldwide.

As long as Reiger made a name for himself and became a historical figure, Chun would reap the rewards effortlessly.

"If this monster of a newcomer becomes a hero written into the history books in countless years, his sword will also be displayed in a museum, and then I, as the Forging Master, will truly make history," Chun said, holding Reiger by the neck and patting his back, his voice hearty.

"Don’t let me down."

Hearing Chun’s laughter, Reiger too responded with a smile.

"I’ll try my best."

Reiger gathered up the two weapons, one long and one short.

...

The issue of weapons was finally settled with Chun.

With two special weapons of undamaged properties, Reiger no longer had to worry about his weapons getting damaged in battle.

Finn also confirmed the order for the custom spare weapons with Chun, and after agreeing to deliver them the next day, he set off on the way back home with Reiger.

It’s worth mentioning that based on the order Chun issued, Reiger learned the price set for his one main and one secondary weapon, totaling 180 million Fari.

Yes, that’s right, 180 million.

This left Reiger silent for a long, long time, and he only thanked Finn on their way home.

million Fari was indeed a price he couldn’t afford at the moment.

If it weren’t for his family’s support, Reiger would probably have only planned to acquire a weapon of the Fool’s Obsession level as his secondary weapon.

As for the Sword of Despair, it was definitely beyond Reiger’s current capabilities.

The debt was indeed a bit large.

However, Finn just smiled nonchalantly.

"As long as it helps you," Finn said, looking straight at Reiger, "Although saying this might pressure you, we do hold great expectations for you. We hope that you can take Loki’s familial group to a level that even we haven’t reached."

Finn then smiled faintly.

"Just keep charging forward."

"We will take care of the rest."

"Don’t let us down, okay?"

Reiger took every word to heart.

He nodded firmly, understanding the unspoken promise.

...

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this particular day, the hall at dusk was unusually quiet.

Every member of the group seemed to be silently gathering strength, preparing for something, all of them fully armed, gathering at the entrance of the familial headquarters.

Reiger, too, got ready early in the morning.

He did not wear any armor; instead, he donned a combat suit that facilitated easy movement, draped a dust-proof cloak over his shoulders, picked up his two weapons, and then left his room.

Before leaving, Reiger made a visit to Loki’s Divine Room.

When he came out, he was holding a piece of parchment in his hands.

...

Reiger Brillhaut

Lv.4

Strength: I0 → A847

Endurance: I0 → A825

Dexterity: I0 → S969

Agility: I0 → S971

Magic Power: I0 → S933

Light Armor: H

Swordsman: H

Magic Guide: I

...

Looking at the content on the parchment, Reiger suddenly smiled.

Then, he crumpled the parchment that translated his latest ability values and walked towards the door.