Lord Of Ashes

As John glanced over the data list, he thought of the previous reward. "Alchemy. Hmm… how does that work exactly?"

Since he wasn't in a hurry, John decided to test the specifics of alchemy. His curiosity led him to pick up a broken knife lying nearby—a large blade snapped clean in two. As he activated the alchemy process, two glowing alchemy circles formed in his palms, pulsating with energy. Slowly, the two fragments began to melt into a pool of shimmering liquid metal, like quicksilver.

John focused his thoughts, picturing a sharp machete in his mind. Manipulating the glowing alchemy circles, he guided the liquid metal to stretch and shape itself. Bit by bit, the metal thinned and elongated until it solidified into a gleaming, curved blade.

"Wait a second," John muttered, frowning in confusion. "Why am I so good at this? It's like I've done it before… Is this some kind of built-in proficiency from learning the skill?"

He felt a strange sense of ease and familiarity with the process, as though his hands instinctively knew what to do. When the machete was finished, John decided to inspect its attributes to see how his first attempt had turned out.

[Machete (Unnamed)]

Quality: White

Type: Weapon

Origin: Ash World, Brightwater City, Happiness Grove Apartments, Room 301, John Young.

Durability: 18/18

Attack Power: 5

Requirements for Use: None

Score: 4 (White items are rated from 1 to 10.)

Description: Originally a weapon used by a goblin with a large sword. After breaking in two, it was reshaped by the novice alchemist, John Young, into a new form. Despite his efforts, the result is mediocre at best.

"Ehhh… I can't even argue with that. It is trash," John admitted, shaking his head. "Attack power: 5? My health is 180. If this thing actually broke my defenses, it would still take thirty-six swings to kill me. And that's assuming no regeneration or blocking! Honestly, I'd probably just laugh if someone tried to use this against me."

Testing his theory, John gave the machete a light tap against his finger. Unsurprisingly, it didn't leave a mark. He increased the force gradually, pressing hard enough to slice through frozen pork, but his finger remained untouched. To be sure, he added a layer of energy protection, focusing until his skin glowed faintly ochre. Even then, the machete failed to make a dent.

"Unbelievable," John sighed, glaring at the blade. "This thing can't even scratch me. What kind of 'weapon' is this? The kitchen knives in the apartment are sharper than this junk."

He was torn between feeling amused and disappointed. On the one hand, the incredible toughness granted by the Vitality Apple he'd eaten earlier was reassuring. On the other, his first attempt at crafting a weapon had turned out to be a complete failure.

"Maybe it's not entirely my fault," John rationalized. "The goblin's sword was garbage to begin with. A flimsy weapon made with low-quality materials was bound to turn out poorly."

Still, it stung a bit. His first creation as an alchemist was less impressive than a basic kitchen knife. After a moment of thought, an idea struck him.

"What if I combine the kitchen knives with this machete? Maybe that'll bump up the attack power a little."

Determined to improve his work, John fetched all eight kitchen knives from the block in his apartment and piled them together with the machete. Activating the alchemy circle again, he guided the knives and machete to merge. The process took longer this time, as more materials were involved, but the end result was a thicker, more robust-looking blade.

[Machete (Unnamed) +1]

Quality: White

Type: Weapon

Origin: Ash World, Brightwater City, Happiness Grove Apartments, Room 301, John Young.

Durability: 24/24

Attack Power: 8 (+3)

Requirements for Use: None

Score: 6 (White items are rated from 1 to 10.)

Description: Originally a weapon used by a goblin with a large sword. After breaking in two, it was reshaped by the novice alchemist, John Young, and later reforged with kitchen knives. While the attack power has improved slightly, the weapon remains far from exceptional.

"This description is brutal," John groaned. "'Still trash'? Really? Can't you give a rookie alchemist a break?"

He sighed, acknowledging the blade's shortcomings. "Okay, so it's better. Attack power is up to 8 now. Durability's higher too. But it's still a long way from anything impressive. Even with the improvements, it would take twenty-three hits to bring me down—if it could even break my defense in the first place!"

Despite the disappointing results, John wasn't ready to give up. "The materials are the real problem," he muttered. "If I had better stuff to work with, I could probably make something decent. Maybe even a white-quality weapon with a perfect score. But I'm stuck with junk like this…"

His thoughts turned to the pile of odds and ends he'd taken from the goblin merchant's backpack. At the time, they'd seemed like random junk, but now that he had alchemy skills, John realized they might actually be useful.

"Could these be alchemy materials?" he wondered aloud. "Maybe the merchant got them from that goblin shaman, Makapaka…"

Eager to investigate, John rummaged through the pile. Unfortunately, most of the items were components for alchemical potions or tools, and he lacked the necessary recipes or blueprints to use them. Without proper knowledge, the materials were essentially worthless.

"Great. Just more garbage," John muttered, his excitement fading. Still, he resolved to hold onto the items. They might come in handy later if he found a recipe or discovered a new application for alchemy.

For now, though, he was out of options. Shrugging, John set the reforged machete aside and leaned back in his chair, reflecting on his progress.

"Well, I can't say I'm thrilled with my first attempts," he admitted. "But every skill has a learning curve. I'll get better once I find the right materials—or at least figure out how to make the most of what I've got."

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Read up to chap 20 at [email protected]/Onesword