Chapter 22

The winter had passed and the weather remained mildly cold but Max had no plans to leave just yet.

At first, he planned on trying his chance at blacksmithing to make his own repairs and maybe make some additional money, but as the time passed and as he got better at it, Tadrose played no small part in it, he realized that the better he was at blacksmithing, the better his projections became.

He felt that he grasped something. Previously, his projections were mere projections. They had no substance in them.

Yes, they were better than what others could do, but that was not the limit. If a real object was a 10, others could project 2 or 3 at most. Before he tried blacksmithing, his projections were at 5.

And now, it reached 7!

And he understood the reason why. He could delve deeper into the mysteries of his magic.

Projection wasn't just a magic, it was a magecraft. Meaning that it had some basis in real life. It could be done through technology. In his previous life, there were 3D printers. What else were they except for being a technological version of Projection? Maybe the technology could reach a point where they could use projection without an ounce of mana.

And blacksmithing was the corner stone. It was the beginning. It helped him understand this concept deeply, and he created some steps to apply this better.

- Judging the Concept of Creation

The first and the most important step. Throughout his time in the smithy, he would complete commissions for customers. And each had a different request.

Some wanted a sword, some a dagger, some an axe, some a hammer. He had to determine what he was going to craft before he struck that first hammer blow onto the heated metal.

Same with the projections. If he thought of projecting a hammer but what he wanted was a dagger, a half-assed dagger would be projected. It wouldn't have the desired qualities. It would be blunt like a hammer and look like a dagger. It wouldn't do the job of neither a hammer nor a dagger.

- Hypothesizing the Basic Structure

After first step was done, the next was how to make it. If a sword was to be made, was it a longsword? Was it a short sword? Was it a rapier? What would its build, weight or length be?

He had to determine each step correctly to ensure the quality.

- Duplicating the Composition Material

Now that he was done with making out the shape, next he had to think of the material used.

If a steel short sword was commissioned, he couldn't make it out of iron.

The exact material had to be used. Some equipment were better used with iron and some with steel, some with glass and some with silver. He couldn't confuse which to use with which.

He had to use the exact material to get the best out of it.

Same with the projections. The records of the many weapons he had seen until now, sat in his Phantasm.

Some were made with steel, and some were made with iron.

He couldn't use iron in the creation process of a steel sword. It would reduce the performance of the weapon.

- Imitating the Skill of Its Making

Each blacksmith had a different approach to crafting. There were many methods. He couldn't use the method of drawing in the creation of a sword which was made through upsetting.

And a blacksmith had tons of different styles to reach the conclusion. The reason why he became a blacksmith prodigy was because he could instantly memorize their creation process. Tadrose had tons of weapons in her smithy made by her, and the instant he laid his eyes on them, he memorized Tadrose's skills in blacksmithing.

The same thing went for the other weapons he had seen previously. He had seen hundreds of blacksmiths working on their creation through the weapons stored in his Phantasm.

And he realized the differences in each of them.

- Sympathizing with the Experience of Its Growth

Some weapons started out as basic creations, but through their wielders, they gained abilities through their experiences.

A sword that had slain countless giants would have anti-giant properties. A sword that had slain a dragon? It would be a dragon slayer sword know throughout the world.

Just like their wielders, the weapons also experienced growth. And he also had to take this into measure as well.

- Reproducing the Accumulated Years

The weapons that were used to accomplish amazing feats would have legends surrounding them. And through belief, it would be reflected into the weapons.

Belief was a strong concept.

If someone was believed to be an immortal through countless people and if they believed it through their hearts, that person would really be immortal.

Same with a weapon. If it was believed that some legends were accomplished by them, they would actually embody the legend. And it would give them power.

Many weapons were strengthened through this concept.

- Excelling Every Manufacturing Process

And finally the last step. Putting the previous processes into one and finally creating the weapon through projecting it into reality.

With these 7 steps of Projection, Max was able to increase the qualities of the objects he Projects.

If he hadn't take the path of a blacksmith, maybe he would never have known nor created these steps.

Now, his two short swords, Kanshou and Bakuya felt more real than ever.

They fit snuggly in his hands and had additional power.

He couldn't see their history, but he was sure that those swords were used to cut down countless monsters.

And through that they had anti-monster properties in them.

——<>——

He was currently standing on top of a small hill in the vicinity of Bravil.

He was going to run some tests and he was quite far enough so that he would bother the residents of the town.

He was overlooking the vast land filled with trees as far as his eyes could see.

He first raised his left hand as a black bow easily two times his size appeared in his hand.

He checked out the bow and made sure that nothing was wrong with it.

"Are you gonna start or what? We've been here for almost two hours!" Medb complained.

"I had to be in my peak performance for what I'm about to test now." He said as he raised his right hand.

Blue lines spread through his arm to his face as blue sparks appeared in his palm.

"I am the Bone of My Sword."

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