Ice Magic Greatsword

Abel removed the decorative hilt of the Hundred Refinements Greatsword, leaving only the iron grip, pommel, and guard. The only place left to embed a magic stone was the guard.

He placed the hilt of the Hundred Refinements Greatsword into the furnace. After a while, using tongs, he pulled out the now red-hot greatsword. Using a hollowed-out awl, he created a suitably sized hole in the greatsword. Master Bentham was very pleased with Abel's proficiency in basic forging.

One of the main reasons Abel wanted to learn forging was to master his own strength. So, in his spare time, he practiced various forging techniques in the workshop. Each forging technique required a different application of force, so through this period of practice, Abel had firmly grasped all the basic techniques.

"Master, I want to make an Ice Magic Greatsword." Of the four types of magic weapons, Abel could only choose between a fire magic weapon and an ice magic weapon due to material limitations. In Abel's understanding, ice magic weapons could slow down opponents, and combined with the damage from ice magic, he believed the finished product would be a nightmare for all his opponents.

Master Bentham said nothing. He watched tensely as Abel took out his Rune Brush, dipped it in Rune Ink, and began to draw runes on the greatsword.

Abel's hand was steady. Years of practicing calligraphy had made him adept at using the soft-tipped Rune Brush. Unlike writing on paper with regular ink, the process of writing on the Hundred Refinements Greatsword with Ice Element Rune Ink was extremely arduous. Abel felt a strong resistance with every movement of the Rune Brush on the greatsword, and this was even after the Wind Wolf fur on the brush had reduced some of the resistance.

Sweat trickled down Abel's forehead. It required not only physical strength but also a great deal of mental exertion, as the inscription had to be completed in one go without any pauses. If there was a pause, the ink thickness would become uneven, leading to unknown consequences in the transmission of magic.

It took a full half hour. Drawing these runic lines with Rune Ink on the Hundred Refinements Greatsword took nearly three times longer than Abel's usual practice time, but it was finally completed successfully.

Abel took out a sapphire and carefully placed it into the hole. He used a tool to carefully secure the hole, ensuring the sapphire wouldn't move or fall out due to shaking.

"Let me see." Master Bentham took the Hundred Refinements Greatsword from Abel and examined it carefully. He said, "Your drawing process was even faster than mine. The runes are drawn perfectly, and the embedding of the magic stone is also flawless. I think we can proceed to the next step."

Seeing Master Bentham's affirmative expression, a slight smile appeared on Abel's face. The process of drawing runes had consumed a lot of his mental energy, so he sat directly on the floor and rested for nearly an hour before his spirit recovered.

Abel carefully extended his spiritual power from the edge of the sapphire, which Master Bentham called the Ice Magic Stone, along the runic lines. A chilling power surged along with his spiritual power as it probed deeper. He carefully guided this chilling power along the runic patterns towards the center of the runes. This process could not be rushed; if it were too fast, the chilling power would lag behind and return to the sapphire. If it were too slow, the power would freeze his spiritual power.

After failing a few times, on the fifth attempt, his spiritual power successfully guided the chilling power to the center of the runes. The Hundred Refinements Greatsword suddenly emitted a dazzling light. Abel seemed to hear the sound of the sword body shattering. Almost without thinking, he threw the Hundred Refinements Greatsword, pushing Master Bentham, who was engrossed in observation, behind the large iron workbench.

With a loud "boom," Abel only heard the sound of fragments tearing through the air as they sprayed out, followed by the "ding ding" sounds of them hitting objects. After a while, the sounds finally stopped, and everything became quiet.

Abel slowly peeked his head out and looked at the site of the explosion. The workshop was a mess, with small holes everywhere on the walls. Fortunately, the workshop was made of huge stones, and the tools inside were made of refined iron. Apart from a large pit on the ground, there was no other damage.

Master Bentham also recovered from the terrifying ordeal. He exchanged a look with Abel, and both felt a sense of having survived a disaster.

"What happened?"

"Master, are you alright?"

"Master, are you alright?"

"Young master, young master."

A clamor of voices arose as the workshop door was opened, and everyone from the Blacksmith Shop rushed in. The previous commotion had alerted everyone.

The terrifying scene in the room made the intruders gasp. For a moment, everyone stared at Master Bentham and Abel with astonishment. What were they making that had such immense power?

"Don't talk, don't ask, everyone get out," Master Bentham shouted loudly, driving everyone away, even his apprentice Gaden was kicked out.

"What was the reason?" Abel was somewhat puzzled by this failure. He thought he had done an excellent job, and everything had gone smoothly. Why did it explode at the last moment?

Master Bentham picked up the Rune Ink and examined it meticulously. He smelled it, rubbed it between his fingers, and finally stated with certainty, "The Rune Ink is fine. It was made strictly according to the recipe. I've been making this Rune Ink for many years; it's unlikely to be faulty."

"Then the mistake must have occurred during the process," Abel recalled his manufacturing process. Apart from taking three times longer to draw the runes than usual, there were no other deficiencies.

Thinking this, Abel stated with certainty, "Perhaps drawing the runes took too long."

"Yes, if the time is too long, the ink from the beginning and the ink from the end, having been exposed for too long, might have had their properties change. When the magic was transmitted, it became unstable, and it exploded," Master Bentham analyzed. He had dedicated his life to researching these materials, and when Abel suggested the possibility, he immediately thought of the cause of the error.

"Can you use spiritual power to draw the runes? Would that be faster?" Master Bentham asked. He had no spiritual power and could only ask Abel about this.

"There shouldn't be a problem, but the consumption of spiritual power is quite high. I'll need to rest for a longer period before the next spiritual power guidance," Abel replied after some thought.

He found another Hundred Refinements Greatsword on the ground and made a hole for the slot. The second time, with the experience from the first, he was much faster.

Next was drawing the runes. Abel closed his eyes, emptied his mind, and slowly opened them. At this moment, his eyes only saw the longsword before him, magnified. Every detail on the sword was magnified many times. As the Rune Brush drew on the sword, the Rune Ink made contact with the sword, and the surface of the sword and the Rune Ink continuously merged, which was the source of the resistance. This specialized Rune Ink for weapons could adhere tightly to the sword's surface, forming a strange substance between them. With the guidance of spiritual power, Abel's strength and the Rune Brush's coordination reached their peak. The drawing speed was vastly different from before. After about 10 minutes, the drawing was successful, and Abel, having emerged from his spiritual state, was utterly exhausted.

This time, he rested for two hours before recovering from his weakened state. The subsequent spiritual power guidance process, with the experience gained, proceeded without any pauses. He guided the chilling power into the center of the runes in one go, at a moderate pace.

A light flashed on the Hundred Refinements Greatsword. This time, the light was not dazzling. The runes covering the greatsword began to glow, and the light slowly dimmed until the runes disappeared from the sword's surface. The Hundred Refinements Greatsword returned to its original appearance, except for the slot on the guard of the hilt, it was indistinguishable from the original Hundred Refinements Greatsword.

Master Bentham took the Hundred Refinements Greatsword with trembling hands. He lightly tapped the blade with his finger. The Hundred Refinements Greatsword flashed with a cold light, and then a layer of frost formed on the surface of Master Bentham's finger.

"Master, are you alright?" Abel asked in surprise, seeing the frost on Master Bentham's finger.

"Haha," Master Bentham burst into laughter, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. He murmured, "I never thought I'd live to see my disciple create a magic sword in my lifetime. I can die without regret."