Killa still looked at Sato, stunned.
I can't believe he is alive after something like that. I wonder, was that the reason why he could understand my mana so well? …No, even if his circuits were forced open, it's not that easy to understand someone else's mana.
"Yawn… I am leaving."
Irina, noticing that her presence there only delayed things, decided to go back to the living room.
Well, at least things will be easier now.
Killa sighed, relieved to be left alone with Sato. Now she could teach him without any distractions.
"What next?" Sato asked.
"Now, it's time to decide what kind of weapon you would like. Choosing the form is the second most important step before creation."
"In that case…"
Sato thought for a second, but his answer came almost instantly.
"A scythe!"
"A scythe!?"
"Yes!" Sato's eyes glimmered with excitement, like a kid asking for a new toy.
Hearing him, Killa hesitated.
"Is there a particular reason why you want that?"
"Well, simply put... it's cool! I mean, your sniper is incredible, so I wanted something with the same kind of impact," Sato said, scratching the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
"Is that so? Well…I am flattered you like my weapon. But I fear a scythe is not practical for a first weapon."
"Really?"
"First, in tight spaces, it would be impossible to handle right. Second, the balance is terrible. Third, the range is fixed—miss once and you need to retreat. Which brings us to the fourth flaw: the recovery time is very slow."
Each flaw Killa listed felt like a mini-scythe hitting Sato, leaving him more and more disappointed.
"And also, parrying is almost impossible for a close-range weapon against a sword or spear."
The final point felt like a massive scythe slashing through Sato's expectations.
"I-I see…" His voice was sad, losing hope of ever wielding his dream weapon.
I can't blame him for being sad. Before learning to use my sniper, Ci made me use a little pistol with a scope. I felt humiliated using it... but in the end, it helped me.
"How about a sword for now? Even if it's not a scythe, you will be able to learn how close combat feels and get used to the weight before handling something unbalanced."
"I guess it can work."
Even if it's not what I wanted, I need to start somewhere. Plus, Killa is right. It's not wise to start with a weapon like that.
"Good. Now that we have this settled, let's begin."
In the next instant, Killa manifested her military knife.
"The process behind materializing a weapon is quite simple. If you remember what I told you when I made the pen, you should already have a vague idea."
"Yes, something about knowing the structure."
"Indeed." Killa pointed the blade of the knife at Sato.
"Knowing the structure is the foundation. Without a base, the object won't hold its form. The second step is imagination."
"Imagination?" Sato asked, confused.
"Yes. Let's say you already know the base of a knife. Once that structure is set, you don't need to focus on it anymore. Instead, use your imagination to shape it. Make the blade thicker, thinner, or just make it longer."
As Killa spoke, the blade in her hand morphed in sync with her words, growing and shrinking effortlessly.
"Mana is flexible. You just need to know how to guide it."
"I think I get it... I never expected it to work like this though. Whenever Irina used magic, her flames seemed so complex. Even some pages of her book were hard to understand.
"It's impressive that you're trying to analyze magic like that, but I would recommend to don't dwell on it too much. As Irina said, trying to understand someone else's mana is difficult. This is because everyone has their own way of using it."
"I see. That is good to know. So, where should I start?"
Throwing the knife in the air and catching it moments later, Killa caught the handle, the blade pointing to his phone.
"For starters learn as much as possible about how a sword is crafted: material used, forging procedure, usual weight and height. You don't need to memorise everything, just take whatever you think is important from what you read. After that, you will try to manifest it yourself."
"Alright."
Taking his phone, Sato searched for sites and videos describing how a sword is forged from scratch.
Luckily, people these days love filming themselves forging weapons in their backyards. Finding the structure shouldn't be hard... I just need to focus.
However, maintaining focus proved harder than expected. The room was quiet, save for the soft sound of breathing nearby.
I told him to learn… but I didn't expect him to be so quiet.
Bored, Killa tossed the knife onto the bed and lay down, interlocking her fingers behind her head. As she relaxed, her chest rose and fell rhythmically, and her crop top rode up slightly, exposing her toned stomach.
Against his better judgment, Sato's eyes drifted away from the phone screen.
She really works out a lot…
It wasn't just that she was attractive. It was the definition of her abdomen, the proof of her harsh training as a hero. Sato found himself staring, mesmerized for a second too long.
"Do you like what you see?"
Killa's voice cut through the silence while keeping her eyes closed.
Flinching violently, Sato almost dropped his phone. He snapped his head back to the screen, his heart pounding.
"I—I am sorry! I didn't mean to stare!" Embarrassed, he practically buried his face in the screen, scrolling randomly through a text he wasn't even reading.
Killa opened one eye, a mischievous smirk forming on her lips. She sat up slowly and leaned closer to him.
Slap.
A heavy hand landed on Sato's back.
"Ghah!"
"Relax, I'm not gonna kill you."
Before Sato could recover, Killa leaned in, bringing her face centimeters from his.
"But you didn't answer my question," she whispered, her green eyes locking onto his panicked ones. "Did you like it?"
Sato froze. Her gaze was intense, pinning him down more effectively than any weapon.
I'm not getting out of this without an answer... If I say 'no', she'll know I'm lying. If I say 'yes'...
He gulped, feeling sweat forming on his forehead.
"I..."
"What is happening here?"
From the doorway, Irina asked, looking at them with a tilted head. She seemed genuinely clueless despite how close they were.
"I was just explaining something to him," Killa said quickly, stepping back and creating some distance.
Safe…
"So, has he learned the structure yet?"
"Ask him. Though, he seemed quite distracted if you ask me."
Does she really have to tease me even now?
Irina looked between them, still seemingly lost, blinking twice as if trying to process a complex equation that didn't make sense.
"Yes, yes, I am ready!" Sato blurted out.
Unless I do something now, that little devil will keep up her little act.
"In that case, for now, try to make a normal sword. Straight blade, without any curves or things like this. Prioritise efficiency for now."
"Ok."
Raising his right hand, Sato closed his eyes and tried to visualize what he had learned moments ago. Mana began to gather in his palm when—
"Wait, I almost forgot."
Killa's voice broke Sato's concentration, and the gathering mana dissipated into thin air.
"What?"
"Here. Use the alloy from my knife as a reference. I am sure whatever ores are used here for weapons aren't strong enough to even scratch a hero. Just touch the blade, let your mana scan it, and you should be good to go."
I guess this is why she kept the knife out. It's weird though... just touching the blade lets me copy the material?
Sato held the knife for a few seconds, focusing on the texture and the cold feeling of the metal, letting his mana imprint the structure.
Passing the knife back to Killa, Sato raised his right hand again.
Mana began to swirl in his palm. The frame of the sword sketched itself out of blue light, slowly taking solid form.
"Alright, it looks good so far." Killa said, admiring the light.
From the doorway, Irina didn't watch the visual spectacle. Instead, she stood with her eyes closed, sensing the flow of mana.
The handle formed first—solid, detailed, and stable. Next was the blade.
But the moment the metal tried to extend from the guard, the atmosphere shifted.
The pure blue mana surging in Sato's hand suddenly spasmed. Veins of darkness shot through the light, turning the energy pitch black. The smooth humming of magic turned into a jagged static.
The process of creation halted abruptly.
In Sato's hand lay a sword with a perfectly crafted handle, but where the blade should have been, there was only a jagged, melted stump of metal, emitting an ominous aura.
"Wh-What happened?"