Reincarnated as the Only Human

My lips curled into a smile as I stared at the thing I had crafted, joy spreading through my body infectiously as I began to giggle, running my hands over the item lovingly before trying - and failing - to contain my emotions.

The rush of happiness I had when I managed to get it made correctly and had it turn out so well stat wise was enough to make me feel a little crazed... though it was just the sheer relief that it finally decided to accept that I was making it since it had failed the crafting process twice...

Two whole times this thing decided to elude my grasp, and now I finally had it in my hands, so I was obviously going to be a little happy about it all.

Admittedly, it was far superior to the Focuses that I had made for the others, since it was hand tailored for me, made with materials attuned to me, and meant entirely for what I was capable of.

It was a gorgeous work of black and red metal that had been shaped into something that exuded a regal aura alongside a dangerous aura, and I was hopeful that the Goddess I had devoted it to wouldn’t mind that such... ’dark’ materials and magics would be cast through her symbology.

The ’core’ of the staff was made from Tenebristeel, the black, inky metal cool to the touch and far less eye catching compared to the crimson Sanguisteel that I used elsewhere.

Unblemished and rather plain, the bulk of the staff was made entirely from Tenebristeel, though the black metal also was used somewhat in the ornament that adorned the top of my new Focus, which had been shaped from Sanguisteel.

Sitting atop its perch of black metal was a crimson Phoenix, its fiery wings spread wide and almost completing a full circle atop the staff, while its belly and beak were made from Tenebristeel, which had been used both as contrast to the ornament as well as a way to combine the two metals together and keep them bound.

Its beak was pointed down towards the earth, and from its tall perch it looked down on most people, and with the help of me raising it, the Phoenix would look down on anything that lurked on the ground.

Reincantra’s many symbols were incredibly diverse, but one of the more popular ones was that of a Phoenix; the birth of something new, something that would lead to another story.

The continuation of a previous story... or the beginning of something new; either way, the bird capable of rebirth was one of the Goddess’ primary symbols, and as such... I decided to honor her through this creation.

Making it was difficult work, with the shaping of the Phoenix being some of the most intricate metalwork I had ever done - even with the help of the System and using it to make things easier, the carving and shaping was an incredibly difficult task, but I persevered.

Three times I persevered, my stubbornness and determination decreeing that I was going to make this staff or nothing at all, so even though I got really unlucky with two separate 10% chances of failure, I succeeded and crafted something special.

[Icon of the Sanguine Phoenix : +50% Blood and Dark Mana Gathering, +50% Blood and Dark Magic Damage, +25% Curse strength, +35% Passive Healing, +15% Magical Healing]

[{Icon of the Sanguine Phoenix} is able to be christened in Reincantra’s name. Would you like to accept?]

Accepting, I watched in fascination as the staff in my hands shone for a moment, before I noticed that the previously empty eye sockets had now been filled by two beautiful gemstones; one ruby, one onyx.

[{Icon of the Sanguine Phoenix} has been christened...]

[Imbue {Icon} with materials to further unlock its power]

[Materials : Thunderbird Blood (0/10 Liters), Nightmare Cloth (0/1), Cursed Obsidian (0/1)]

Besides the new eyes, the {Icon} remained the same, though I swore I could see something inside those gemstones, but after scrutinizing them for a few seconds more, I shook my head and focused instead on the materials I needed, which would apparently empower the staff even more...

It was similar to how I needed to ’offer’ materials to my System to upgrade the Magisteel gear into different materials, like I could upgrade the {Magisteel War Spear} into a {Tenebristeel War Spear} if I had ten ingots of Tenebristeel, five sticks of Mana Wood, and some extra materials as well to combine everything together and lower the chance of the Focus breaking...

But it was also dissimilar since my {Icon} required quite the collection of items, and I had no idea where to start or if there was more after that initial list.

Either way, I grinned as I stared at my beautiful staff, the red and black metals giving it a rather sinister look in the dimly lit workshop, but I found it to be a gorgeous work of art, and when I began to pull at the threads of the Weave, well...

Switching on [Mana Sense], I watched as inky threads of the deepest black began to swirl around the Phoenix, gathering around the {Icon} with ease before responding to my desires to shape it into something new, something useful.

Between the Phoenix’s flared wings the black threads began to gather, tightly weaving themselves into the shape of a sword that shot out with but a nudge, my lips curling further as I saw the black blade evaporate against the wall, the only sign that anything had happened being the discoloration.

There was no sound, barely anything that you could see with normal vision, and it left such a small mark that I doubt anyone who wasn’t paying the closest attention would be able to spot the difference.

Allowing the mana to return to normal, I hugged the staff close and rocked side to side, still overcome with joy as I held my new Focus close, proud of what I had done and eager to make something similar for each of my family.

But of course, Mama had to spoil herself first~!

It’s only natural~!