On the Difference Between Weapon Infusions and Enchantments

"Swish, swish"

With a broom sweeping across the ground, Si Telan meticulously swept the dust outside the blacksmith's shop.

Adventurers who gathered near the blacksmith shop would occasionally glance at her, while those waiting in line to have their weapons forged would start commenting on her sweeping skills out of boredom.

"If your waist isn't heavy enough and your posture is wrong, you'll quickly get back pain if you keep sweeping like that."

"You can tell at a glance that this person doesn't clean much."

"#!"

Si Telan's forehead as she gripped the broom tightly, then...

And that was it. She couldn't just chase these people away with a broom, could she? If it were before, she would have kicked each of them, but she couldn't now, because her current identity was an assistant in the blacksmith's shop.

There's no way a helper would beat a customer away. If he really did that, he would immediately be punished with a pair of fists the size of sandbags.

"Hehe." A snicker came from the rooftop not far away. She didn't need to look up to know that it must be that bastard Mei Erjia.

"I'll kill you all once I finish my work," Si Telan muttered viciously.

As punishment for messing up the blacksmith's shop, she and the Skyrim Strategy Team Andre's laborers, responsible for cleaning up the area around the blacksmith's shop for a week.

She had always thought that the afterimage wouldn't have much of an emotional fluctuation, but she didn't expect that the blacksmith would be so angry when he found his house in such a mess. He gave each of them a Whale Slaughtering Fist, and she was knocked to the ground before she could even react to what was happening.

Before the blacksmith shoved a broom into her head, all she could think about was, "What happened?"

Later, after being explained by her gloating elven kin, she finally understood the whole story.

How unlucky! Who knew that such a ferocious afterimage would live in this house? She was invited by Lu Lu Wo to have dinner, and she inexplicably walked into the line of fire.

She hadn't even had a chance to eat a bite of food when Andre reprimanded her!

The only consolation is that she only needs to sweep the floor here for half an hour in the morning, and she can take turns with the Skyrim Strategy Team, so only one person needs to sweep the floor here each day.

Today is her first day on duty, and as expected, Mei Erjia and the other elves are watching her with glee, almost like they're observing her.

"You just wait, don't expect me to take you on the easy route again!" she said bitterly.

Meanwhile, excited voices of adventurers could be heard coming from the blacksmith's shop.

"Wow, my weapon has become so sharp! Wow, it can even set fires when I attack!"

Such sounds have been heard quite often since Andre arrived, and the people in the neighborhood are tired of them.

Si Telan glanced over there and saw the adventurer take a broadsword from Andre, and as he swung it, faint sparks flew from the blade.

Weapon enchantment? Looks like that lucky guy found the Flame Gem.

During their exploration of the Zane Dungeon, in addition to Forging Stone, a small number of people discovered gems named after various attributes, such as Flame Gem and Poison Gem. At first, they didn't know how to use these things, but now, by giving them to the blacksmith Andre, they can add the corresponding attributes to their weapons.

In the game, this is called a "qualitative change," but people in this world call it enchantment.

Si Telan remembered that last night when someone discovered that gems could enchant weapons, everyone was surprised and made a lot of noise. Why?

Because enchanted weapons not only utilize elemental power, but also do not require mana!

This is yet another groundbreaking discovery, because before this, although the concept of "enchanting" existed for weapons in this world, it was necessary to consume magic power in order to use the magic attached to the weapon and inflict elemental attacks on the enemy!

If you don't use magic, then enchanted weapons are no different from ordinary ones. Even though most enchanted weapons consume very little magic, that's still a threshold for using them.

There are no barriers to using the enchanted weapons produced by Andre; anyone can unleash devastating attacks with a single strike once they obtain the weapon.

Incidentally, the power of the qualitative change will increase as the weapon is strengthened. The power in the initial stage is not very strong. Like that adventurer just now, at most he can only attach a thin flame to the blade and cut out some sparks.

Want even greater power? Want to transform your weapon into Ryuujin Jakka? Then go collect more Forging Stone!

Previously, due to the lack of blacksmiths, some adventurers had accumulated a batch of Forging Stone, and this time they were able to upgrade their weapons to a high level. The fastest progress was already at +3.

"It's finally my turn." An adventurer handed his weapon and Forging Stone to Andre, who shoved them behind the house and placed them in a corner where no one could see them. Then he continued forging his weapon and said, "Come pick it up tomorrow."

"Yay!"

Si Telan watched the blacksmith's movements, she had a complaint she couldn't help but voice.

That is... why does the blacksmith keep hammering the same weapon? He hasn't stopped since you arrived!

She thought that after the adventurer handed the weapon to Andre, he would start hammering it away in a flurry of activity. Instead, he threw it behind the house and continued to forge the weapon he hadn't replaced in hundreds of years.

The most outrageous thing is that when the adventurer came to collect the weapon the next day, he was able to take out the weapon that had already been enhanced and forged and hand it to the other party.

When exactly did Andre do all this? Did I miss something?

Ultimately, Si Telan could only attribute it to the unique nature of the afterimage. As more and more adventurers returned to find Andre, it was impossible for him to actually forge each piece one by one.

So he must have some kind of Unique Talent, or maybe this underground city is helping him.

In any case, this slight incongruity will not dampen the adventurers' enthusiasm; on the contrary, the more mysterious Andre appears, the more respect people have for him.

Because the elves had already spread the word about Andre's awesome feat of taking down a Jyuratodus with a single punch, everyone knew that this blacksmith who loved to laugh and care about others was actually a hidden master.

The adventurers who were resting in the Academy Gate Town were worried that the campfire would not be able to completely drive away the monsters, and that monsters might rush in and attack them—after all, there were no walls here—but when Andre arrived, everyone felt much more at ease, as if they were certain that this big shot would protect them in the event of a monster invasion.

The clanging sound of blacksmithing had begun to bring people a sense of security.

That's a good thing, it might even create a sense of belonging for adventurers.

In addition, there are

"Oh, so that's how you apply force?" An elf squatted down next to Andre, watching his forging movements intently. His obedient appearance surprised passersby.

Xi Wa, Elf Race blacksmith and shield Warrior, is trying to learn Delu's blacksmithing skills.

As he watched, he made sounds of amazement; even a casual movement by Andre could surprise him.

"What are you so surprised about?" Si Telan asked speechlessly. "The blacksmith's movements have hardly changed."

"You're an outsider, you won't understand," Xi Wa said, not even glancing at him, his eyes fixed intently on Andre.

"Bang!" Sparks flew as the hammer struck, and he exclaimed "Wow!" again, completely absorbed in the moment.

"."

No matter how you look at it, it's just a very ordinary blacksmithing action. How did you, an expert, see the trick?

Si Telan completely lost the will to talk to this guy. She put the broom aside, knowing she could leave once she finished cleaning.

Today, she's going to explore the magic academy with the elves.

"Hehehe," she suddenly let out a cold laugh with a dark face, "I was originally going to take you on a simple walk on the right side, but who told you to laugh at me? I'll risk my young bones to let you experience what hell is like, hehe."

An evil aura and resentment emanated from her, causing those around her to shiver. This girl was about to fall into the demonic path!

Digging holes for each other—that's the harmonious and friendly interaction between elves!

"Hey, all done sweeping? Our cleaning master is finally off work." Mei Erjia jumped down from the roof and grinned as she reached out to put her arm around Si Telan's shoulder, only to be slapped away by him.

"Go call Auntie, we need to get ready to leave."

"Everything was ready a long time ago, just waiting for you to get off work."

This time, the elves were one person short again. Xi Wa stayed at the blacksmith's shop and refused to leave, while the other group of elves who had agreed to meet at Lake Liurnia had not yet appeared.

We have no choice but to keep the original team on the road.

"Are you tired?" Wei En Ma asked with concern when she saw Si Telan.

"I'm alright, nothing's wrong." This greeting softened her heart instantly; she's easily moved by any amount of concern she receives.

However, this soft-heartedness vanished instantly upon seeing Mei Erjia and Li Zinei. Sure enough, she decided to take the elves to the left branch of the academy.

This is a good opportunity to test Lu Lu Wo's previous guess about how to approach the [Crystallized Old Man]. They should already be inside the academy, so we might even run into them.

With Si Telan leading the way and the weather being perfect, the elves finally found the right path and soon arrived at the foot of the mountain where the Raya Lucaria Magic Academy was located.

The Caria Soldier remained at the checkpoint, ready for battle. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but it seemed like there were more soldiers at the checkpoint.

But the point is, we can't stop them.

Wei En Ma stood at the front, waving her magic at a Caria Soldier. Mysterious and complex runes lit up in the air, and a "meteor" rushed towards the soldier. She also uttered the name of the spell.

"[Glintstone Pebble] " x2

At the same time, another slightly familiar voice rang out.

"Slap! Slap!"

Two beams of Glintstone Pebble successfully blew the heads off the Caria Soldier, and the others became agitated, drawing their swords and charging towards the group.

But at that moment, Wei En Ma turned her attention to the other side and met the gaze of a group of uninvited guests.

"Oh?" Professor Seth, the magic professor, raised an eyebrow, not expecting to run into an old acquaintance here.

"Wei En Ma?" Even the taciturn He De Si couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, his deep voice coming from under the radiant stone cover.

Tu Erqi crossed her arms and tilted her head in confusion. As the youngest professor, she didn't know much about this elf.

"Hi~" Luo Jieer greeted Si Telan, who smiled and responded. The two of them were the only ones who seemed to get along well.

What are you doing here?

Wei En Ma's face darkened, and her gaze met Seth's, sparks seemingly flying in the air.

What a small world! I never expected to run into you here.

"It's none of your business." Seth tugged at his collar, his expression also unfriendly. Seeing the atmosphere growing increasingly tense, the Caria Soldier dared not approach.

"I understand. You also covet the magic of this academy, and you can't wait to make some changes?" Wei En Ma revealed a sarcastic smile, completely different from when Si Telan earlier.

"You're the one who's trying to bring up that boring 'the older, the stronger' theory again?" Seth retorted without backing down.

The tension in the air grew stronger, and the younger members of both sides couldn't get a word in edgewise. Look, even Luo Jieer is starting to break out in a cold sweat.

Just then, Tu Erqi suddenly spoke.

"How about we have a competition to see who can conquer the academy first?"