That night—fifteen days later—
8 p.m.
Bai Chen finished his qi training, wiping sweat from his brow.
Then the heavy doors to Tinkatuff's forge creaked open.
She stepped out, soot-covered and grinning, three enormous greatswords strapped across her back and a massive iron chest in her arms.
She staggered toward him, dropped the chest beside his feet, and immediately snatched the weapon from his hand.
"Hey—what are you—"
Bang!
The hammer came down like thunder.
Ten heavy strikes later, Bai Chen's once-prized Nergigante Blade lay shattered across the ground.
"Yama! Yama!" she barked furiously, stamping her foot.
"No more using this trash!"
Bai Chen blinked at the splintered remains.
A rare-grade weapon—gone just like that.
"…That was worth quite a bit, you know," he sighed.
"Yama!"
Tinkatuff puffed out her chest and presented the three new blades proudly, holding them up with both arms like sacred relics.
"From now on, you use these! Master's work!"
Her claim wasn't empty boasting.
In fifteen days, her forging skill had evolved—
from Expert to Master.
The first Master-level craft in their entire team.
Bai Chen crossed his arms skeptically.
"You made three blades in two weeks? Out of patterned steel, no less. I'll be honest, my expectations are… modest."
Tinkatuff smirked, handing him the first sword.
"Third-best one," she said with a tilt of her head.
He arched an eyebrow. "Starting from the bottom, huh?"
The moment he grasped it, he felt the difference.
Heavier—by at least fifty kilos more than the last one.
He drew it slightly, and cold light flashed in the forge.
[Weapon Info]
Name: Venomfang Blade
Rarity: ★★★
Attributes: Poison +20 / Corrosion +20
Weight: 142 kg
Slots: None
Quality:Fine — "A weapon that has awakened 80% of its metal's potential through rare flame forging. A true craftsman's touch."
A fine-quality sword.
Not bad—far beyond ordinary steel.
The system's craftsmanship ranks ranged from: Trash → Normal → Fine → Epic → Legendary → Supreme.
Even an Epic blade was enough to be called a named sword.
Of course, craftsmanship didn't equal power.
A Supreme weapon of low rarity would still lose to a trash-made weapon of higher rarity.
But still—
to reach Fine quality so soon was impressive.
"You've outdone yourself," Bai Chen admitted, giving it a test swing.
The 142-kilo weight moved like paper in his grip.
"Still too light," he muttered. "But this one's got potential. Shame we're out of monster parts for better materials."
The weapon's unique gleam told him it had been forged with the Salazzle's Fire Soul.
Tinkatuff beamed, brushing soot from her nose and striking a triumphant pose.
"Yama~! Masterpiece!"
"Don't get cocky yet," Bai Chen smirked. "That's your third-best. Show me number two."
She handed him the second blade.
The weight was about the same.
"Hmm… same height. So, is this the one forged from Marowak's Fire Soul—or the Turtonator's?"
He unsheathed it.
Emerald flames licked along the blade's edge.
His breath caught.
"This is…!"
[Weapon Info]
Name: Cursedflame Blade
Rarity: ★★★
Attributes: Curse +50
Weight: 140 kg
Slots: None
Quality:Fine — "Forged using Marowak's Fire Soul. The special flames have left a volatile, low-ignition residue along the edge. A true master's work."
Bai Chen swung it lightly.
A faint green glow shimmered along the steel.
He grinned.
"Technique—Focus Energy."
He breathed deep, then moved.
The blade hissed through the air—
and the friction set it ablaze.
Green fire roared across the length of the weapon.
It didn't burn his skin, didn't sear his hand—just glowed with a steady, eerie brilliance.
The faster he moved, the hotter it flared.
"Holy hell," he whispered, eyes wide. "This thing's… beautiful."
He turned toward a training dummy across the yard.
"Technique—Agility."
"Technique—Quick Attack!"
White light burst around him, mixing with emerald fire as he shot forward.
His movements blurred.
The blade sang.
One strike. Two. Three—then a full sweeping Spirit Blade rotation.
The first phase of Spirit Edge—complete.
But instead of the usual white glow, the blade's fire burned brighter—greener—alive.
He advanced into the second stage.
Then the third.
By then, the flames had grown nearly ten centimeters high, wrapping the entire sword in a raging inferno.
And yet, the fire's temperature stayed at a constant forty degrees—warm, but never scalding.
"Secret Art—Dragon Ascension: Spirit Blade Sky Cut!"
He lunged, then soared upward—
and came crashing down with blinding speed.
Shhhhk—!
Qi erupted on impact.
Even the released aura burned green.
The dummy ignited instantly, engulfed in cursed fire.
The strike had triggered the Curse Effect.
If it had been a living creature, it'd already be writhing in agony.
Bai Chen landed, looking at the smoldering remains—
and then at the blade still flickering in his hand.
A wide grin spread across his face.
"I hereby declare—this is one of the coolest damn blades I've ever seen."
Power was one thing—
—but style?
Style was forever.
Bai Chen was more than satisfied with the Cursed-Flame Blade.
His gaze turned toward the final work of the master smith.
It was her proudest creation—
And the moment he saw the pure white spikes on the hilt, he already knew.
A blade forged from Nergigante's materials.
"Maybe it's stronger and rarer than the first two," Bai Chen muttered, "but if it doesn't burn with green fire, that's an automatic point off."
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