Small steps to the knowledge

The next morning, Azar woke up and went to the blacksmith shop. He started making his own piece of armor, he still had no idea about how he was going to do it, but he had an idea about how it's going to be.

*Trial and failure will lead me to success!*

He wasn't the delivery boy for the first 4 hours, he didn't have to be one at all, the only thing that was leading him to do it is, that he made some friendly relations with some of the buyers that they were giving him some tips.

He was trying to do something smaller to get the point, with less material. That actually wasn't the best after all, because of the attention needed to the smallest details. Azar is a fast learner though, so he actually made some tricks to avoid the unnecessary destruction of the material. When he, understood that he was going to make the material useless, he threw it again at the fire to melt it again and start over.

In just 4 hours, he made quite a progress but not enough. He was going to work for 4 more hours before he headed to the mage's house. So he made a few more deliveries, in the time between the resting or the preparation that was needed before the next delivery he was trying to comprehend the way Big B was handling the materials and turned them into equipment.

*So he is burning the material to an accurate temperature, one small step before making it liquid. It is actually easier to make the formation in that state because the material is loosing its strength and it's not necessary to hit it with the hammer to strengthen it again. That's actually brilliant!*

His last delivery was done and it was time to head to the mage's house. So he called for Nir, climbed up and headed to his room first, to eat. He now had 200CC, and couldn't carry all of them, he was on a friendly city with many guards everywhere, but late at night till early mornings there wasn't so many guards, so it was a very convenient time for a thief to steal random passers-by.

He grabbed his small backpack and went to the mage's house.

"Hey, uhm... i just understood that i don't know your name."

"Indeed. I am Maju, i am from the country of Maho-Ma. Who are you?"

*That's a question i don't know how to answer! Countries... I don't know how this country is called... I have to find a way to evade these kind of questions!*

"Uhm... I am Azar, i lived in a village that's nearby."

"Good, now enough with the formalities, let's get to work."

Maju stepped out of his house and closed the door behind him.

"I know the perfect place for practice. Follow me."

"Where are we going?"

"You know that place very well, but you didn't acknowledge it's powers before."

They left from the house, Azar had an idea about the place they were going and he ensured himself, when he saw two branches nailed down close to a house.

*Wait, we are going to the warehouse? what is the power that i didn't notice before? it's just a warehouse with an underground path.*

They, reached their destination, just outside the warehouse. Maju waved with his hand and the wall once, took a liquid form and recessed from the wall. *That's actually awesome, i could see that all day.*

Maju pulled the lever and turned it, the mechanism behind the door started cracking and the door was now open.

"This, Azar, is not just a warehouse. Come inside."

"Yes, it has an underground path full of traps. What else does it have that makes it so special?"

Azar stepped inside and the door behind him closed. Then once again Maju waved his hand and a magic circle appeared.

*A green circle, so he is going to use a medium powered spell.*

The underground path closed and the the warehouse started to shake, then the ground started going down like an elevator.

*The ground is going down!?* Shit, everything is getting darker.*

Not seconds later the ground landed but everything was dark. Then everything was lighted up. Very small artificial suns was illuminating the place.

"Now, Azar, you took The Willing Challenge, right?"

"Yes, i did."

"What do you know about this challenge?"

"People, can take this challenge to acquire a small amount of mana. Those with mana have less chances to pass the challenge on the contrary those with no mana at all have bigger chances to pass."

"Would you mind, to explain why is this happening?"

*I never thought about it before...*

"I believe, that those with no mana has the possibility to gain mana because the container is on the human biology, but every container has it's limits. The reason that those with mana can take the challenge and live is that the container can expand, either with force or with age?"

"You got some of it, this container you mentioned does exist, it's our heart, do you know why you can't use magic even after the challenge?"

"Because i don't have the skill yet?"

"That's true too, but did you felt any strange thing going on your body."

"No, should I?"

"You mean not yet. You see mana has a liquid form in our bodies. The reason why you don't feel any strange thing going on to your body is that your heart doesn't have the required system and it's locked. We have to force your heart unlock the paths for mana to flow into your body."

"And how are going to do that?"

"Easy, do you have your sword?"

"It's a dagger. Yes, i do."

"Sigh... To be exact it's called a multi forming weapon. It feeds itself with the amount of mana someone is giving it. Let me show you."

Azar gave the sword to Maju, But it didn't change it's shape.

"Do you know why the structure of this weapon is like this?"

"Do you mean that there are other reasons except of decorating?"

"Sigh... how ignorant can you be? No, a weapon doesn't require beautiness and decorations. It must do it's job nicely and efficiently. Now that you know this, please have a look and try to explain me why this weapon it is like it is."

"It has some tiny pores, starting from the shinogiji (the surface of the blade that the ridge line separates from the cutting edge.) leading to the handle. The blade it self has a curved mune (the back surface of the sword) and the Ha (the cutting edge) has many points like a bat's wing. If i assume right the structure it has is to make it more lethal. I don't understand why it has the pores though."

*I was able to tell the part of a sword accurately with no misunderstanding or pointing the place i meant! Thank you animes and mangas! Tell me ignorant now, you shit!*

"Nicely done. But those pores are the most important thing of the sword. I am amazed that someone this ignorant like you could actually see those pores."

*I am gonna kill him, I am gonna kill him, I am gonna kill him, I AM GONNA KILL HIM*

"You see, Azar, those pores are leading to the soul of this weapon."

*Weapons have souls too?!?!?!*

"What do you mean, the soul of the sword?"

"So you stole without even knowing. I see, you are way more ignorant than i thought. This is not just a magic item. It's name is Cursed Demon Blade for a reason. Everything about this weapon have a reason. This weapon will work efficiently only if you feed it. You can actually hold it, because you have no way to import or export your mana. I will take it from you, when you unlock your mana, until you can control the export. That's how i am holding it. You see the demon inside is sleeping for years but when even the least amount of mana passes through the pores, it will wake up and start feeding from you and your enemies that you cut."

*WAIT WHAT? So there are not only magic items there are cursed items too and their combination!*

"Okay. How do we unlock mana?"

"You see, to unlock the mana, we have to force your mana system to unlock."

"Mana system?"

"Yes, mana system. It consists of a system like the one of the blood, you know veins and stuff. Everyone from this world has it."

"Alright, what are we gonna do to unlock it."

"We are going to force it. Are you good at fighting?"

"No!"

"Then we kill two birds with one stone!"