"Very well." Vogville finally accepted the young man's request, slowly turned around, and walked towards his forging table, his eyes falling on the metal being forged in the furnace.
However… he paused and turned back. "You come here seeking a legendary blacksmith," Vogville's voice was low and heavy, as if carrying the weight of centuries, "but forging weapons is not merely a craft. It requires understanding, sacrifice, and a journey deep into the soul. Are you prepared to embark on this path, young man?"
The young man nodded firmly: "No matter how painful or agonizing this path may be, I will not waver. I have never forgotten the past, and I carry my mission with every step. I am ready to face any challenge."
Vogville nodded silently, averting his gaze. He couldn't continue to look directly into the young man's burning eyes.
In his long life, he had never seen such intense hatred. Even he himself, who had experienced similar emotions, had never felt such surging emotions.
'Or, I suppressed it,' he thought to himself.
Perhaps it was because he had no choice at the time… perhaps it was because of the exhaustion after long travels. In the end, he did what a coward would do… escape the pain itself.
'But this child…'
Vogville's gaze softened slightly.
'The aura emanating from him reminds me of that child from the past.'
He knew that the young man didn't know what he was thinking, but he had already determined that the fate of the young man before him had some kind of wonderful similarity to his own experiences back then.
'If it weren't for those things, he might be smiling like that child. What a pitiful child…'
Vogville wasn't stupid. From the young man's words alone, he could easily deduce who his enemy was.
After all, if there wasn't a strong desire for revenge, why would the young man go to any lengths to come to this place, even stepping into what might be enemy territory?
'Every second is an unbearable torment for him.'
Vogville knew the taste of hatred well. Even people who resembled his enemies often became targets for his anger.
"Young man," Vogville walked to the shelf in front of the forging table and looked down, selecting a bottle containing a mysterious liquid. The flames flickered, casting a mysterious light on the old blacksmith's face.
"Do you know what makes a weapon powerful?"
The young man looked directly into Vogville's sharp eyes and replied, "It is the wielder's power. A weapon is not just a crystallization of craftsmanship, it also represents the wielder's essence. Its power comes from the deep connection between the master and the weapon."
Vogville nodded with satisfaction: "That's right. Forging a legendary weapon is not only about materials and skill, but also about understanding the deeper meaning behind it. The weapon must be in harmony with the wielder's essence, and even the choice of materials needs to be harmoniously unified." He paused here.
"And you want to see my essence," the young man replied, with determination in his eyes.
"That's right."
Vogville nodded, his gaze even deeper: "Are you ready?"
"I am ready."
Vogville handed the bottle to the young man, the bottle shimmering with a mysterious light.
The young man took a deep breath, his eyes burning with determination, and he unhesitatingly raised the bottle to his lips, drinking the mysterious liquid within.
As the liquid entered his body, a surge of powerful energy instantly flooded his veins. The surrounding mana began to fluctuate violently, gradually converging towards him.
A strong flow of energy caused him to fall to his knees, the surrounding light becoming brighter and brighter, as if the whole world was spinning for this moment.
Gradually, the flames in the furnace also began to respond to this power, the dancing flames forming complex patterns.
Suddenly, a wisp of mysterious smoke rose from the young man, enveloping him in the light of the energy from the bottle. The smoke spread, filling the cave with an unusual atmosphere.
As the smoke gradually dissipated, the mana began to condense, and the surrounding scenery became blurred and surreal.
"The moon?" The young man looked at the scene before him in confusion.
Under that bright moonlight, the desolate land was silent, and the grass shimmered with a ghostly light in the moonlight.
A blurred figure appeared in the moonlight, as if the moon was his only sanctuary.
This figure held a unique long weapon in his hand, the weapon reflecting the moonlight, emitting a faint and mysterious light.
Although his face was unrecognizable, a sense of power and purpose emanated from his presence.
As the moonlight shone down, the figure condensed the light into a ray, the energy erupting at the tip of the weapon, quickly shooting forward, traversing the desolate landscape, leaving a dazzling trail of light, illuminating the entire moonlit night.
The young man did not witness all of this with his own eyes, but Vogville saw it clearly.
"Could it be…?" he muttered to himself.
This was precisely the purpose of the bottle called 'Pathfinder'. The bottle would show the most suitable weapon, blacksmith, and one of the most precious materials in the world.
"He is one of them…"
The moon… this was a sight Vogville hadn't seen in a long time.
"Old friend… I never thought I would meet your descendant here." Memories flooded back like a tide, but Vogville's attention remained focused on the young man.
At this moment, he had already realized the weapon he needed to forge, and what he should do.
"Hmm?"
However, things changed. At first, he thought the demonstration was over, but that was not the case.
Suddenly, the light in the sky changed from green to blue-gold.
The moon, which had originally emitted green light, turned blue-gold, as if it were burning. It emitted a bright light, scorching the grass below.
On the burning grass, the same figure stood. This time, he held a different weapon in his hand.
This weapon looked like a large bow, a wide bow filled with energy.
As the figure drew the bowstring, an arrow appeared out of thin air in the center of the bowstring, shining with a bright light.
Boom!
The arrow flew out, striking the ground, causing a violent explosion.
"How is that possible?" Vogville watched all this in shock and silence.
"How can he wield two weapons at the same time?" He recalled his old friend's teachings, his surprise overflowing. However, the path to forging such a weapon had already emerged in his mind, but even so, the inner surprise still existed.
However, it wasn't over yet.
With the aftermath of the explosion, the sky changed again, becoming even more bizarre.
The moon cast a deep red light on the ground… the grass below began to wither.
As if needing blood to be spilled, an aura of madness permeated this moment.
The figure appeared again, this time holding two daggers in his hand. The daggers shone with a bright red light, and the moonlight once again converged upon them.
Swish!
The figure moved quickly, cutting through the air, and as the daggers were swung, condensed deep red energy shot out from the blades, severing the grass.
Every blade of grass that was touched gradually withered, losing its source of life.
"…"
Vogville did not speak at this time, but focused all his attention on watching this scene, his brain quickly capturing every detail needed.
Then, the sky turned from red to silver. This time, the figure held a weapon that he hadn't seen in a long time.
It was a chakram, emitting a faint silver light. The figure rushed forward at an extremely fast speed, while constantly launching the chakram.
Whoosh!
The blade flew forward, hitting the target, and then quickly returned like a silver energy line, connecting to the figure.
After that, as the last demonstration, the sky turned purplish-black.
A different pressure descended upon this world, and the moon cast a dark, melancholic light.
The grass was crushed under this light, and the figure stood quietly. Each finger was adorned with a small ring.
The rings guided the purple light to his palms, forming a deep purple sphere.
The figure moved his hands as he pleased, and with each of his movements, the oppression on the grass increased.
Whoosh!
When the final demonstration ended, the smoke dissipated, and Vogville looked at the young man kneeling before him.
"…This is going to take some time…" He finally couldn't help but shake his head.
