Chapter 83- Birth of an EPIC Rank Blacksmith.
Hugh finally rested enough.
He sat down on the bench, hands on his knees, head bowed, shoulders slumped, and the muscles in his forearms twitching.
"How do you feel?" Leo asked.
"Like I’ve been forging for a week," Hugh said. His voice was a rasp.
looking at the semi finished blade on the anvil, Hugh said, "I can feel it brimming with Qi, alive..." He flexed his arms and stood.
It had already been two days since Hugh started the forging work.
He had been hammering for more than a day. Now, after resting, he was about to begin once again.
Leo had never seen such long forging work. Because of his talent and special class, he had been spared from this kind of labor.
Hugh held the metal sword and said with a satisfied smile, "The Qi is in the bones and mana is in the blood."
Hugh smile deepened. He raised his hammer. "Now if I fold it few more times, the shape should lock in place."
His hammer fell once more.
This time the sound was different. It sounded more harmonious.
Leo watched Hugh fold the metal for the third time.
Each fold doubled the layers.
Qi and mana wove tighter, the blade’s internal structure becoming more complex, more refined.
The sword’s edge burned with a dark light—not the bright shine of polished steel, but something deeper. Something that absorbed light rather than reflecting it.
Using his Qi sense, Leo traced everything that was happening.
Each fold doubled the Qi channels. Moreover, the mana pathways were compressed and reinforced. It was like building architecture inside the metal, Leo thought as he watched what Hugh was doing.
Hugh nodded to himself.
He set the blade aside and began preparing the handle materials.
Asgardian Ironwood—a dense, dark wood that hummed with faint magical resonance.
Shadow-leather, supple and strong, cut into precise strips.
An obsidian pommel, polished to a mirror finish.
Hugh laid them out as he muttered.
The handle also plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of the sword. Each curve, each wrap needed to be perfectly balanced.
Hugh’s hands danced around the handle with the confidence accumulated from decades of experience.
Soon the handle was shaped to fit a specific grip, slightly angled and designed for powerful cuts and sweeping arcs.
Hugh kept working on the handle, then returned once more to the sword.
...
Afternoon arrived again.
Leo and Master Rook were already starting their spar.
"You’ve improved," Rook said.
"Can’t help it. You keep beating me, so I have to avoid getting beaten up, old man. Your teaching style is too rough."
"Tsk. You should appreciate it," Master Rook grunted.
They were already ten minutes into their second spar. Leo was still losing, but he was able to hold on for a few minutes now.
Rook’s movements were compact and precise as always. He stayed just outside Leo’s range of attack every time.
Before, Leo used to force everything with brute strength. But now he had learned to control his aggression and strike with purpose rather than pure instinct.
Leo lunged once again. As expected, Rook simply sidestepped.
But this time, Leo had baited him. He pivoted mid-strike, converting the lunge into a sweeping cut that forced Master Rook to bring his sword up to block.
Clang!
Sword met sword...
Leo felt the impact travel up his arm.
Rook’s stats were a bit lower than Leo’s, but not by much, even though the level difference was huge. Thanks to his special physique.
Rook’s eyes narrowed in surprise for the first time.
Leo thought to himself, That wasn’t bad. But I left my left side open. He could have taken advantage of it.
"You’re learning," Rook said.
"I’m trying."
"Same thing." Rook disengaged, stepping back. "Your Qi control is improving. You’re not wasting energy on unnecessary movement."
"I’ve been practicing the circulation."
"Good. Keep practicing. The next stage is projection—pushing Qi beyond the blade, extending your reach." Rook paused. "But that’s for another day."
They sparred for another hour. Leo didn’t win, but he forced Rook to use more than minimal movement.
It was a work in Progress.
...
Evening came again.
Leo and Rook both watched Hugh go through the final assembly.
The blade was already shaped, its edge honed sharp.
Hugh attached the Asgardian Ironwood handle and wrapped it in shadow-leather strips that interlocked with each other.
The obsidian pommel clicked into the right place, adding the final balance point.
The sword finally looked complete.
It sat on the anvil, burning with a dark light, flickers of dark flame rising here and there.
Leo leaned closer to the blade. He used his foresight and Qi sense together to see the internal structure—layered energy forming a lattice, violet mana flowing through the channels.
Leo unknowingly muttered, "It’s beautiful."
"The final quenching after the assembly is still remaining, brat. Move aside for now," Hugh said.
He picked up the blade. The metal was warm. The gold and violet threads of Qi and mana pulsed in rhythm with Hugh’s heartbeat.
"I need to do this alone," Hugh said.
"No," Leo said. "I’ll be here."
Hugh looked at him. Then at Rook, who nodded once.
"Do it," Rook said.
Hugh held the blade vertically, edge facing up. He closed his eyes. His left hand—the one with the gray scar—wrapped around the hilt.
The black flame erupted. The scar on his forearm pulsed once more, but it did not stir.
The blade was now fully merged with the ashen metal.
It required high-intensity temperature and heat.
Hugh had no other option but to increase the fire’s output.
The hotter the flames burned, the more Hugh’s body convulsed.
At last the black flame successfully poured into the metal, filling and saturating it until it became one with the blade.
The sword began to glow.
It was because of the black flame inside it—not from any outside source, but from within.
The forging was finally completed.
Hugh collapsed onto his knees, gasping for breath. The blade fell from his hand, clanging onto the stone floor.
Even so, it still burned with a steady dark light of black fire.
The outer flames began to subside.
[Ding~]
[Forging Completed]
[Item Forged: Ashen Blade]
Rank: Epic
Quality: Flawless
[The blade carries the fire that extends life. It remembers the hand that forged it.]
[Hidden Attribute: The Ashen Flame — The blade’s core fire cannot be extinguished by any known means. It regenerates from even the faintest ember.]
[Hidden Attribute: Qi severing — The blade’s edge exists partially outside physical reality, allowing it to sever Qi threads, mana constructs, and spiritual bonds.]
[Hidden Attribute: Emotional Trigger — The blade reacts to its wielder’s emotional state, increasing its flame intensity in proportion to the wielder’s resolve.]
Leo stared at the notifications.
Three hidden attributes. He had never seen that before.
Then another notification appeared:
[Ding~]
[Master Hugh has forged an Epic-grade item using the Ashen Flame.]
[Class Evolution Available: Blacksmith (Common) → Ashen Phoenix Forgesmith (Epic)]
Hugh read the notification. Tears started to well up in his eyes.
After working so hard for so long, the moment he had been waiting for and chasing had finally arrived....
Hugh closed his eyes and accepted the notification.
The moment he selected yes, a light descended from above. Hugh’s body lit up in gold, then violet, then black. The three colors swirled and merged into him.
His old, wrinkled skin felt as though it had tightened a little.
His posture straightened.....
The glow soon faded away.
He looked different—older somehow, but also younger. The lines of exhaustion were gone. His eyes were clear. The gray scar was completely absent.
"Let me see the notifications," Leo said.
Hugh showed him.
[Class Evolved: Blacksmith (Common) → Ashen Phoenix Forgesmith (Epic)]
[The black flame has found its smith. From the ashes of a dying body, the phoenix takes up to the skies again.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Ashen Forging]
The black flame responds to the smith’s will. When forging with the Ashen Flame, all materials are purified beyond their natural state. Metal becomes denser. Edge retention increases. Durability doubles.
- All items forged with the black flame gain +15% base durability.
- Materials refined with the black flame achieve more purity.
- The flame remembers the temperature and rhythm of each forging session.
[New Skill Unlocked: Qi Forge Channeling]
Qi flows through the smith’s body, into the flame, into the metal. The energy becomes structure—sharpness, durability. The higher the Qi pool, the more precise the forging.
- Qi is channeled into production items during forging.
- Each strike of the hammer injects Qi into the metal making it a good qi conducting item.
- Items forged with Qi channeling gain +10% to all stat bonuses.
[New Skill Unlocked: Mana Infusion]
Mana flows from the black flame into the blade’s core. Qi builds the body. Mana builds the magic. The flame carries both.
- Mana is infused into production items during forging.
- Items gain magical properties based on the flame’s resonance.
- The black flame bridges Qi and mana—both energy systems flow through the smith simultaneously.
[New Skill Unlocked: Ashen Phoenix’s Breath (Passive)]
When the smith reaches extreme concentration during forging, the black flame activates. Peak realm of comprehension and focus will be attained.
- All stats of a production item increase by 8% when Breath is active.
- There is a rare chance the flame will bestow special properties upon the item.
- Breath activates when concentration reaches its peak—the smith and hammer become one. The body does not tire. The mind does not wander.
- The more items forged with the black flame, the higher the chance of activation.
[New Skill Unlocked: Ashen Creation]
The black flame remembers. Ancient techniques, lost methods, forgotten arts—when designing new items, the flame reveals possibilities the smith has never seen.
- You can now design and create new item blueprints.
- When forging with the black flame, there is a chance the flame will remember an ancient Asgardian technique and imbue the item with unexpected properties.
- The number of blueprints that can be created increases with skill level.
[SPECIAL: The Ashen Flame is now permanently bound to the smith. It will never again seek escape.]