Chapter 333

Hardness determines an item’s durability—how resistant it is to damage and destruction.

Sharpness, on the other hand, dictates how easily a weapon can pierce defenses. The difference is like stabbing something with a needle versus smashing it with a hammer.

Absorption defines whether incoming force is absorbed by armor—or passes through it and transfers directly to the wearer.

A weapon sharp enough—

Even a Level 1 Mage could use it to effortlessly pierce solid defenses.

"Kiyomi. This dagger—"

"You should be able to make use of it."

Kanzaki Rei flicked his wrist, sending the newly forged dagger flying.

Boom!

A sonic burst cracked through the air.

Clang!

Steel met steel—

But the white dagger in Kiyomi’s hand began to corrode the instant the two blades collided.

Its bright edge blackened in seconds.

She immediately let go.

By the time the dagger hit the ground—

It had already melted into a pool of thick, black liquid.

Kiyomi caught Kanzaki Rei’s dagger with her other hand.

...What terrifying poison.

Her perception swept across it instinctively.

And yet—

This was nothing more than a standard Tier 1 weapon.

A Perfect-quality Tier 1 weapon.

"Perfect" meant every property of the material had been fully realized.

Such weapons typically far outperformed others of lower quality, with superior forging effects.

But—

What is this poison?

"This dagger’s toxin should be able to kill Tier 7 monsters," Kanzaki Rei said calmly.

"And naturally, it can also kill Level 7 class-holders."

"Your attack power is lacking. If you can’t improve your strength... using poison to compensate isn’t a bad option."

His tone was completely matter-of-fact.

But to Kiyomi—

It sounded like provocation.

What do you mean, ’if I can’t improve my strength’?

Is he seriously assuming my attack power is that pathetic?

—

Kanzaki Rei himself had no use for the weapon.

After all—

He was Calamity of Poison.

Every spell. Every combat technique.

Everything he used—

Was already infused with lethal poison.

The dagger’s greatest advantage meant nothing to him.

And a Tier 1 weapon’s sharpness and hardness were irrelevant to him as well.

So naturally—

He gave it to Kiyomi.

[Talent Acquired — Forging Apprentice (Common) → God-Tier: Perfect Forging Heart]

He remembered the original effect of Forging Apprentice:

Easier memorization of forging recipes and details.

A basic, beginner-tier talent.

But now—

The awakened version:

God-Tier: Perfect Forging Heart

Effect:All forging methods of any item you come into contact with are instantly understood, including their ultimate forms across all tiers.

—

This talent...

Was somewhat similar to the Alchemist’s God-Tier ability:

Perfect Replication—

Which allowed one to learn and reproduce potion formulas.

But this—

Was different.

—

Shing—

A black blade appeared in Kanzaki Rei’s hand.

A weapon he had obtained in the Land of Forgotten.

Loot from some unfortunate soul who had dared provoke him.

Since he had no use for it—

He had left it untouched.

The blade held a minor mystery:

It could damage the soul.

But not to any particularly impressive extent.

—

The moment it appeared—

All its information flooded his mind.

[Soul-Reaping Ghost Blade]Tier: 4Quality: Exceptional

Forging Effect: Devour Soul — On striking the body, deals additional damage to the soul, like a ghost consuming it.

Required Materials: Soul Devouring Crystal, Black Iron, Cursed Steel...

At the same time—

The forging method for this weapon surfaced in his consciousness.

But not just that.

What appeared alongside it—

Were superior forging methods.

Alternative materials.

Optimized designs.

—

[Ghost Blade (Tier 1) (Enhancement Limit: 3)][Slayer Ghost Blade (Tier 2) (Enhancement Limit: 3)][Soul-Reaping Ghost Blade (Tier 3) (Enhancement Limit: 4)][Asura Devouring Soul Edge (Tier 4) (Enhancement Limit: 4)][Final Soul (Tier 5) (Enhancement Limit: 5)][Return (Tier 6) (Enhancement Limit: 5)]...[Sanctuary of Ten Thousand Souls (Tier 9) (Enhancement Limit: 9)]

—

From Tier 1 to Tier 9—

Every evolution.

Every method.

Perfectly laid out.

The weapon’s ultimate expression.

—

And beyond that—

Multiple evolutionary branches.

Variants focused purely on soul damage.

Variants dealing simultaneous physical and soul destruction.

It was like an entire encyclopedia—

Dedicated to this single weapon.

—

And more importantly—

These forging methods weren’t rigid.

Kanzaki Rei noticed something critical:

They required abilities such as—

[Origin Magic — Myriad Grid Transmutation][Origin Magic — Eternal Immutable Existence][Skyflow — Third Form: Phantom Strike · Rapid String]

—

This wasn’t a generic forging recipe.

It was—

Customized.

Tailored entirely to his abilities.

—

Which meant:

The more abilities he possessed—

The more possibilities he could realize in forging.

The stronger the equipment he could create.

—

This was the optimal solution.

No need for endless trial and error.

Even with future simulations—

Deciding how to forge a weapon still required countless attempts.

Each attempt—

Hours of time.

And materials were limited.

Sometimes—

He could only experiment within simulated futures.

Even then—

Material selection and substitutions still required careful thought.

—

Next—

Was the Enchanter advancement.

—

Enchanting and magic were closely related.

Back when he first learned basic enchanting under Aegis—

Kanzaki Rei had assumed enchantment was simply a branch of magic.

But now—

After deeper study—

The differences were vast.

—

Ding—

A floating mass of liquid appeared in his hand.

Enchantment fluid.

He conjured another—

And layered it on top.

Ding—

The two merged seamlessly.

—

"This... is my answer as an enchanter."

Compared to the long, complex process of forging—

His answer for enchanting—

Was astonishingly simple.

—

Stacking enchantments.

Applying enchantment—

On top of enchantment.

—

A simple answer.

Yet one that struck at the core of advanced enchantment theory.

—

And just like that—

Kanzaki Rei became a

Level 2 Enchanter

.