Chapter 108: Basic Sword Forging Part 2

Elder Marth was obviously a busy person, but he could spare an hour to observe Damian and was curious to see what he was capable of.

It was clear that Damian was a beginner and knew nothing about weapon forging and even if he did, he was too young to have had any experience.

Yet Damian was confident enough to use a stronger and hotter flame than the manual recommended and was calm and collected despite the pressure on him to succeed in forging a weapon on his first time.

Most people would fail during the process of forging on their first time and even if they succeeded, they would form a frail blade that was useless after completing the forgery, but Elder Marth was curious to see what Damian would be able to forge his first time under pressure.

Damian gave the forge a few minutes to heat up to its maximum and was sweating heavily from the scorching flame that was releasing strong waves of heat.

Luckily Damian had the Maxwell FIre Soul Spirit, that if used properly, was not only suited for alchemy and pill-making, but also for weapon forgery.

With the Flame Reinforcement Skill, not only would Damian be more resistant to the flames, but he would also have more explosive power in his body which he would need during the forgery of the blade.

Before heating the blade, Damian had to cut the strip of iron to the length that he desired the blade to be, and he knew that the longer the blade was, the harder it would be to forge and the more likely it was for him to fail the forgery.

Making it easier for himself, he cut a strip of iron that was 50 centimetres in length and would be easier to form a blade with.

He cut it by heating it slightly, to make the iron slightly softer, then striking down onto it with an axe that he found next to the forge.

Using all of his strength and the high-quality axe, that was made with a material that was much stronger than the iron, he was able to cut the slightly softened strip of iron quite easily.

The blacksmith had made it easier for him to get the right size by storing all the materials with a certain thickness, width and length that would be easier for Damian to forge to his own specifications.

Damian then returned the blade to the scorching hot forge and was wearing a thick heat resistant apron and gloves as he held the piece of metal in the fire with long tongs.

Stepping away from the forge, Damian took off his academy robes and the shirt that he was wearing, and returned to the forge shirtless with the fire-resistant apron on.

Elder Marth was quite surprised by Damian's body and although it seemed quite skinny when he was wearing his academy robes, Damian's body was trained and toned well, especially his upper body that he had spent a long time training, when he learning how to wield a bow.

'What great resilience and even though he is an Internal Cultivator, he has still trained his body slightly and his body can easily wield and handle Internal Energy to strengthen itself after his intense training' observed Elder Marth.

Damian's body was drenched in sweat and even with the Flame Reinforcement activated, the heat of the forge was beginning to get to him as he began to feel lightheaded.

However, Damian wasn't willing to give in so easily as he clenched his teeth and continued the process.

After the iron strip had been softened and was heated enough to allow him to shape it through hammering, Damian was ready to move onto the next step that was the most important.

Hammering was the most important step of forging a sword as it was the major determinant of the sword's dimensions and was the step that dictated the quality of the sword.

With the tongs, Damian placed the heated piece of iron onto the anvil and without time to waste, Damian knew he needed to begin the hammering process immediately otherwise the piece of iron would be ruined.

Holding the piece of metal using the tongs in his left hand, Damian grabbed a heavy hammer that was beside the anvil and struck down onto the iron strip with all his strength.

The impact of the strike was carried onto his left arm and rattled his body, while his right arm was causing the impact as he continued hammering the sides of the iron strip forming a blade.

He only had 30 seconds, and in that time he had to use a shocking amount of Internal Energy to hammer the iron strip, then had to return it to the forge to be heated up again.

The heating then hammering process was repeated 5 times, until Damian was finally satisfied with the shape and sharpness of the blade and he had pushed his body to its limits during the process.

The hammering was very strenuous, especially with a hammer that was around 50 kilos, and added to that was the fact that he needed to be careful while doing it.

Hammering required more technique, accuracy and focus than raw power and Damian's arms were massively fatigued and wouldn't have been capable of completing the process, if it wasn't for his dense Internal Energy and the bow training that he had been through previously.

Heating the blade again, Damian then left it on the anvil and he had finally completed the hardest part of the forgery and could relax slightly.

Without any strength or energy to hold up his body, after relaxing, he stumbled backwards and fell onto the ground.

Damian was still conscious, but he lay on the ground and couldn't get up.

He was panting heavily and had left a puddle of sweat where he stood but he was proud of what he had accomplished and had completed most of the forgery successfully after fully exerting himself.