[Impurities -10] [Strength +2] [Sunblaze +1] [Impurities -10] [Strength +2] [Sunblaze +1] [Impurities -1]
When it was over, Tetsu no Sosuke endured the discomfort in his body and took two steps back. Only then did he steady his breathing. Every part of him ached.
"But... it increased! I only managed one more effective strike, but at least that proves it works!!!"
Chapter 13: Slow Down
Nothing was more motivating than thinking something through, trying it, and seeing results.
Tetsu no Sosuke felt like a perpetual-motion machine!
Breath of the Sun put an enormous strain on his body, but he could still keep going.
Of course, he had to take breaks.
Otherwise, he could easily work himself to death.
After a full day of effort, he had removed every impurity from the piece of iron material in his hands.
What truly made him happy, though, was his progress. As he used Breath of the Sun more often, the forging raised his attributes, including his physique and strength, while his Total Concentration gave him substantially better control over where the Forging Hammer landed.
He had gone from managing one or two effective strikes to five or six. At one point, he even heard prompts for more than eight.
It gave him a strange feeling.
As he hammered impurities out of the iron material, the forging method born from Breath of the Sun was gradually hammering impurities out of him as well.
If he kept at it, one day he would make every strike count.
"This forging method has gone far beyond the techniques I used before. It deserves a name."
That night, Tetsu no Sosuke sat in a chair, chewing on a plain rice ball as he pondered. "But given my talent for naming things... hmm, I'll have to try. It can give a sword the Sunblaze attribute, so how about Sun Hammer Technique? Doesn't sound very good. Besides, it clashes with the name of my first blade. Let's see... Since it came from Breath of the Sun, why not call it... Breath of the Sun Hammer Technique?"
Did every name have to involve the sun?
He scratched his head, dismayed by his own lack of naming talent.
After racking his brain, he finally decided. "Gale Sun! The Gale Sun Hammer Technique! A raging storm with the blazing sun at its back. That fits nicely. But if Breath of the Sun is applied to forging, it should give rise to other hammer techniques too. Hmm, then I'll add a prefix... Form One! Wait... why does that sound like Swordsmanship? Come to think of it, if the founder of Breath of the Sun knew I'd put it to use in forging, would he be rolling in his grave?"
The thought left him torn between amusement and embarrassment.
He took another bite of his rice ball, and an image flashed through his mind: Kochou Kanae taking a small bite of hers.
Tenderness flickered in his eyes, but he quickly shook his head. "I can't think about that now!"
But sometimes, the more you tried not to think about something, the less your mind listened.
Before you continue