Chapter 580: My Turn to Forge
Chapter 580: My Turn to Forge
The young blacksmith was drenched in sweat, every muscle in his body straining as he worked the bellows with everything he had. It was obvious he’d already reached his limit. Even so, the Blackflame Ice Flower Sword blank only glowed a deep, searing red. It refused to melt any further, as though the material itself had decided that this was as far as it was willing to go.The old blacksmith was practically fuming. "Come on, you useless brat! Put your back into it! Are you trying to kill me with frustration?"
No one had expected the blade blank to be this stubborn. They’d finally seen a glimmer of hope when Marcus’s catalysts had started affecting the weapon, only to find themselves stuck again at the most critical moment. After five days of effort, with a Divine Artifact hanging in the balance, how could anyone not be anxious? Marcus was getting anxious too.
"Old man, how much Strength do you need? I’ve got 1,000. Would that be enough?"
"1,000 Strength?" The old blacksmith froze in the middle of his tirade.
For a moment, he simply stared at Marcus as though he’d misheard him. A Knight below level eighty possessing that kind of Strength was absurd. Even an experienced blacksmith with a lifetime of forging behind him would have trouble reaching such a figure. But there was no time to dwell on it.
"Lord, anything above 800 will do! Please, take over!" He immediately turned toward his son. "You heard him! Get over here and help, you brat!"
At that exact moment, a system notification rang in Marcus’s ears.
Ding!
[Player Stonehaven, you have joined the forging process for the Blackflame Ice Flower Sword. The outcome will be affected by your participation.]
"Perfect!" Marcus’s eyes lit up.
He’d finally gotten a chance to participate in forging a weapon himself. Even if he was technically only assisting two professional blacksmiths, this wasn’t some ordinary weapon. This was a Divine Artifact, something that most players would never even have the opportunity to touch, much less participate in creating.
’My turn to forge.’
Marcus activated every available buff, pushing his Strength beyond 1,000, then stepped up to the furnace and took over the bellows while the old blacksmith and his son prepared themselves for the actual forging process.
"Lord, you’re incredible..." The young blacksmith couldn’t help staring in amazement.
Blacksmiths could increase their Strength through the forging process, and Ironstone was already an impressive example at 630 Strength. Even his father, a master blacksmith who had spent his entire life working with weapons and armor, had only slightly more than 900.
Yet Marcus had casually surpassed 1,000. Stoneheart had no idea what kind of monster he was looking at.