Thabon looked devastated when he heard that the saber he had made for Mrazivý was lost. It had been one of his finest creations, but now it would never again be used by anyone.
"I'm sorry. We were in a real do or die situation, and I threw it at our enemy. It was the same one that broke Ma- I mean Irene's scythe. After the battle we searched for it, but I think it sank to the bottom of a monster and beast infested lake that was too dangerous for us to continued looking in. Truly, I am sorry." Mrazivý said, giving a heartfelt apology to Thabon.
It took several minutes before Thabon got over the shock, but eventually he let out a deep sigh and regained a bit of composure.
"I suppose that was just the fate of the weapon. At least you were able to use it to defend your and Irene's lives. As much as it pains me to here that it is gone for good, that at least provides some solace."
Clearly Thabon was not completely over the loss, but the crestfallen expression on his face had at least lifted.
Nevertheless, every bit of anguish Thabon was feeling was soon washed away by what Marcus had to say next.
"So, there you have it, Mrazivý's weapon is gone, and she is currently without one. Of course, that means that we will need to make her a knew one. I happen to have come into possession of enough amethros to repair my scythe and make a new saber for her. If you have time, I would be incredibly grateful for you to work with me in creating an even greater sword than her previous one."
Immediately Thabon became animated again and jumped at the opportunity. He was not going to miss out on any chance he got to work with amethros. Even for him it was rare that he got the opportunity to work with the strongest and rarest metal in the world.
The two of them quickly launched into a brainstorming session about what sort of supplementary materials they should use, but Mrazivý soon interjected.
"Actually, I would like it if you could hold off on making a new weapon for me. There are a few items I need to gather that I want you both to use in its creation. Still, I will need a couple days at least. During that time the two of you can focus on Irene's scythe instead."
"Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. But what sort of materials are you planning on obtaining?" Marcus asked. He already had inside of his item box a treasure trove of rare and valuable monster and beast parts that would outclass most nation's treasuries.
Yet, Mrazivý only shook her head and said that it was a secret. She wasn't even going to tell Marcus what she planned on gathering.
"Ah, but before we part ways, could I see the cores the guild's leader gave us?"
A bit confused about the sudden request, Marcus still did as Mrazivý asked and opened his item box and took out the six cores they had been given.
As soon as she could see them Mrazivý's eyes flashed golden, and she carefully examined each of the cores.
"As I thought." Mrazivý murmured to herself as she appraised the cores.
Then after a couple of minutes, she pointed to one of them and asked that it be used as the focal point of her new weapon.
"As for the others, would you mind if I take them?"
Marcus was taken aback by this and wanted Mrazivý to elaborate, but when he saw the determined and pleading look in her eyes, he handed the cores over to her without question. He did not know what she wanted them for, but he trusted her.
"Yeah, at level nine, my forge skill is good, but for this, I think I should raise it for the last time."
Marcus had been hesitating to use his skill points to bring up his forge skill again but seeing the ingot he and Thabon had just created, he knew that his current skill level would not be enough to get the most out of it.
With almost all of the skill points he had stockpiled, Marcus raised his forge skill to level ten and brought it up to the highest possible level achievable.
At once Marcus was able to sense a profound difference. The hammer in his hand felt lighter and he could easily picture the best way to swing it. His intuition for forging had reached even greater heights than before and he felt as if something that had always been there but invisible was now clear.
"There you go cheating again. I wish it was so easy for me to raise my skill level." Thabon huffed.
He had spent decades working as a forgemaster, but Marcus had easily surpassed him in just a few years thanks to his innate talent from his blessing of iron, his endless stamina as a ghost, and his Personal Status unique skill that allowed him to assign his skill points to whichever skill he desired.
"Sorry, I know it is not really fair, but this is likely going to be the last time I make a personal weapon. I want it to be the best that I can create."
Thabon continued to grumble about the unfairness of the world, but he still kept going and prepared to assist Marcus.
However, before they created the new handle for Marcus' scythe, he looked down at the still intact blade and frowned.
With his skill level raised to max, he could now see a few slight imperfections that he never noticed before. The blade had received the system's approval and even been given a name, but it was not absolutely perfect.
"Were going to need to melt the blade down and start from scratch." Marcus said, not able accept the current quality of the scythe.
"Really, it already appears to be impeccable. What more could you expect?"
Naturally Thabon could not spot the very slight slaws that Marcus could now instinctively see and feel. Though, when Marcus carefully pointed them out Thabon was able to see them.
"The faults are so small and insignificant I struggle to see how you could do any better, but you are the one with the higher skill level. I'll follow your lead." Thabon said, wearing a pensive expression. He was trying to figure out how to improve the scythe's blade but could not figure it out himself.
"I feel like I need to reforge it completely. I'll have regrets if I don't try. Even if it turns out worse at least I will know I gave it a shot."
Having steeled his resolve, Marcus brought the blade over to the furnace and began the process of melting it back down into an ingot.
As the melt began to become malleable, he reached in and plucked out the Dread Burrower's core so that it was not damaged by the flames. Once the scythe was ready, he would implant the core into it once again.
'It certainly has become unruly again.' Marcus thought, feeling the vestiges of the Doomsday Worm's awakening within the core. Now that it had been removed from the scythe and the connection Marcus' soul had to it, the core was no longer under his control.
Nevertheless, he easily dealt with it by tossing it into his item box. He would simply leave it in there until he needed it.