Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

Chapter 174 – 139 The Right Way to Use Witchcraft

So, if my Tokkal Hammer Technique reached lv4, then there’s a good chance I could learn the secret skill ‘Rising Dragon Hammer lv2’!

However…

The secret skill ‘Rising Dragon Hammer lv2’ has high requirements for both Strength and agility.

It’s understandable that it requires a high Strength, needing to reach 18 points,

but the requirement for 16 points in agility left me a bit puzzled.

After some thought, I figured that it’s probably because to achieve the best effect of the ‘Rising Dragon Hammer’, you need to hit the enemy’s chin!

To do this in the rapidly changing conditions of battle, obviously, without sharp observational skills and swift speed, it’s not possible.

Additionally, I thought of something else!

The secret skills of the Tokkal Hammer Technique are not limited to just the ‘Rising Dragon Hammer’. The outline also records another skill named ‘Earth-splitting Hammer’, which has even higher requirements than the ‘Rising Dragon Hammer’!

I recalled the Tokkal Hammer Technique outline regarding the secret skill ‘Earth-splitting Hammer’ and guessed that the key might also likely be in the Strength attribute.

After all, according to the description in the outline, ‘Earth-splitting Hammer’ is a more formidable secret skill than ‘Rising Dragon Hammer’, and it most likely requires even greater Strength.

“It makes sense. As the name implies, ‘splitting the earth’—you try splitting it without immense Strength!” I thought to myself.

Late at night.

After bidding farewell to the weary knights Lloyd and Perez, I was escorted back to my home in Flashgold Town by the carriage at the Habsburg Manor.

On the carriage, along with the ten blood-patterned steel ingots I had purchased, there were several ingots of bronze, copper, and tin.

Additionally, I was holding a bronze warhammer.

It was the same kind of bronze warhammer crafted by the senior blacksmith Bazil that I saw during my visit to the blacksmith shop on the first floor of the castle.

During the banquet, I had expressed a desire to purchase one, and I didn’t expect Knight Lloyd to arrange this so quickly.

Of course, this was also because the bronze warhammer wasn’t very expensive.

I wanted the bronze warhammer mainly as a transitional weapon. Normally, if I didn’t fully release the ‘Triple State’, it wouldn’t easily damage the warhammer.

The second reason is more important. I plan to use this bronze warhammer as a template to try making one myself.

As for how to attempt this, I already had a preliminary plan in mind.

After hauling various metal ingots to my room, I diligently completed my daily practice of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique and basic meditation.

Soon after, I fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, early.

At the break of dawn.

I had woken up early. At this time, I took two iron basins from downstairs back to my room.

Based on my previous plan and my superficial knowledge of high school chemistry, I placed a silver-white rectangular tin ingot in one of the iron basins. Then, my right hand raised about twenty centimeters above the ingot, hovering in mid-air.

Suddenly, I began to softly chant a spell.

Yes, I was casting the witchcraft ‘Scorching Touch’!

Just three seconds later, as the chanting ended, a faint red glow emerged from my palm.

The surrounding air began to emit waves of heat under the influence of the light, and the bright silver tin ingot, twenty centimeters in front of my right palm, was rapidly changing.

The bright silver tin ingot quickly transformed from a solid to a pool of silver liquid.

Success!

The temperature of ‘Scorching Touch’, even through twenty centimeters of air, was still able to melt the tin ingot!

This couldn’t help but bring a smile to my face.

From what I could see, the first step of my plan had been achieved!

Overjoyed, I followed the same procedure for the copper ingot, casting the witchcraft ‘Scorching Touch’ once again.

As I continued casting, the copper ingot began to glow red hot, but it just wouldn’t melt.

After several seconds, suddenly, I felt a wave of dizziness. I knew it was due to excessive consumption of spiritual power.

This made me frown and I immediately stopped casting ‘Scorching Touch’.

The first step had been successful, but this second step was now stuck!

Of course, I knew the reason.

Based on my high school chemistry knowledge, it was because the melting point of copper is far higher than that of tin.

However, knowing the problem doesn’t mean it can be solved immediately.

Or rather, when there are multiple solutions, careful consideration is still needed.

I crossed my arms and started pacing back and forth in the room.

After thinking about it, I opened the green-glowing Wizard Apprentice (Transcendent) profession panel and carefully read the small print under the ‘Scorching Touch lv1’ icon:

‘Casting time 3 seconds, power proportional to the duration and the host’s spiritual power, the closer the contact distance, the greater the power. Current effective lethal range: 0~0.5 meters.’

Taking a look at the description, the solution seemed simple: just increase my Spirit Attribute, and that certainly would solve the problem.

If my spiritual power were strong enough, not only would the power of the witchcraft increase, but I could also sustain it for a longer time.

As for how much Spirit Attribute needs to be increased?

That needs to be tested to find out.

However, from the reddening and heating up of the copper ingot, it seems that just increasing my spiritual power by one or two points might just do the trick.

So, would using Skill Points to enhance ‘Scorching Touch lv1’ be effective?

That… I’m not really sure.

Because as far as ‘Scorching Touch’ goes, its power seems to be linked to spiritual power, not mentioned to be related to skill level.

Of course, the main reason is that I have other plans for those two Skill Points.

Because my knight’s breakthrough level had already reached 40%, just investing two more Skill Points would elevate it to 60%, thereby elevating me to the level of a ‘Peak Knight’.

Moreover, two Transcendent traits ‘Huge Strength lv2’ and ‘Iron Skin lv2’ could both advance to lv3.

This would greatly enhance my strength, proving to be a very critical ‘trump card’!

So, I have no plans to use these two Skill Points for now.

After some thought, Lord Reine decided to first try adding a point to his Spirit Attribute.

After all, enhancing the Spirit Attribute was bound to have an effect, though he was unsure if it would reach the desired outcome.

As the remaining attribute points decreased from 3→2, his Spirit also increased from 16 points→17 points.

In an instant, Lord Reine felt his mind become exceptionally clear, and the sense of mental fatigue he had just felt vanished completely!

Adding points for recovery!

It was still so useful!

At the same time, Lord Reine specifically looked at the limit-breaking value in the Knight (Transcendent) panel.

He was surprised to find that after increasing his Spirit by one point, the limit-breaking value had increased to 43%, which seemed to be a stronger effect than adding points to Constitution.

This let Lord Reine’s thoughts run wild!

Could it be that the process of physical limit-breaking did have some kind of secret connection with the Spirit?

However, shortly after, Lord Reine gently shook his head, choosing not to ponder this matter further.

At this moment, he was focused on melting the copper ingots.

Repeating the process he had done before.

As Lord Reine softly chanted an incantation, the purple-red copper ingots in the iron pot started to turn red and hot, displaying signs of beginning to melt.

This greatly delighted Lord Reine!

With the continuous output of spiritual power, the witchcraft “Scorching Touch” grew more powerful, and the copper ingots finally began to melt!

Step two of the plan, achieved!

Next was step three.

This time, Lord Reine placed copper ingots and tin ingots in the iron pot in a five-to-one ratio.

After resting for a bit, Lord Reine began to repeat the process he had just done.

Once the tin ingots and copper ingots had both melted and mixed together, the system notifications almost spammed:

[You conducted Smelting Bronze work, comprehension has improved!]

[You have comprehended a new Skill — Smelting Bronze]

[Your Skill in Smelting Bronze has improved, Experience +67]

[You focused on Smelting Bronze, Blacksmith Professional Experience Points +22]

It seemed that because Lord Reine had completed the smelting of bronze in just about ten seconds, the system awarded a large amount of experience points. Continue reading on m

Under normal circumstances, smelting bronze is a slow process.

Compared to other blacksmith skills he had learned before, the increment of experience points would typically be +1 or +2 every few minutes.

But because Lord Reine greatly compressed the smelting time, the experience points were distributed in one go!

This made Lord Reine exceptionally happy!

Because it confirmed his hypothesis.

It showed that the design scheme he had thought of beforehand was feasible.

Of course, what was more important was what came after.

If Lord Reine were to forge a bronze warhammer or other bronze tools, the time taken would be greatly shortened.

That meant, Lord Reine could gain a large amount of Blacksmith Professional Experience in a short time.

This was also inspired by the ancient book “Explorations in the Application of Scorching Touch in the Forging Field.”

“Knock Knock Knock!”

A slightly urgent knocking sound echoed.

“Lord Reine!”

Oh! It was his mother Emma’s voice.

Lord Reine immediately got up and opened the door.

Outside the door, his mother Emma looked at Lord Reine, then peered into his room, but Lord Reine’s robust figure nearly completely blocked the door, preventing her from seeing clearly what was happening inside.

Only to hear his mother Emma complaining, “Lord Reine, are you burning something with your candles again? The smell of something burning has reached downstairs again!”

Hearing that it was about this, Lord Reine couldn’t help but give a wry smile and said, “Mother, don’t worry, I’ll be careful, it shouldn’t happen again.”

It’s not that Lord Reine hadn’t considered going to the smithy.

After all, the subsequent forging process would be most suitable in a blacksmith shop.

However… Lord Reine didn’t want to reveal his ability in witchcraft yet.

So, he tried it out in his own room first.

In a little while, Lord Reine planned to go to Boris’s blacksmith shop, clear out the personnel, and borrow it again for a day.

But for confidentiality reasons, this time, Lord Reine planned to even send blacksmith Boris away.

Partly, to validate some of his subsequent ideas, and partly, to have Lagaray help him forge the blood-veined steel warhammer, and harvest a wave of Blacksmith Profession Level.

At that moment, Bo He poked her little head through the door crack, saying, “Brother, a beautiful carriage has arrived downstairs, it looks just like the last one, oh! There’s a beautiful rose shield painted on the carriage.”

Upon hearing this, Lord Reine’s eyebrow raised.

He knew this was the coat of arms of the Baron Crawley family.

Lord Reine suddenly remembered that today was the day he had agreed to become a Guardian Knight for Lady Crawley.

The other party must have invited many nobles and friends to the welcome banquet, and now it wasn’t appropriate to ask them to change the time.

Of course, since he had already promised, Lord Reine wasn’t one to go back on his word.

It looks like his plan to elevate his Blacksmith Profession Level and forge the blood-veined steel warhammer would have to be postponed by a day.

“Thank you, Bo He, brother will come down immediately.”

Thinking it through, Lord Reine dressed in his plate armor, carrying the Glimmering Greatsword wrapped in sheepskin, and holding a bronze warhammer, walked downstairs.

Seeing Lord Reine come out, a butler dressed in a tailcoat immediately jumped down from the carriage.

As the other party opened the carriage door, a slender and beautiful figure elegantly stepped down and performed a curtsy towards Lord Reine, saying, “Good morning, Lord Reine.”