Half an hour passed by before Domeron finally called for a stop in their training. Red plopped down onto the ground, completely exhausted, dull aching pain all over his body.

 

"You did well, Red." The man smiled at him. "At the very least I can say you're a quick learner."

 

The youth looked over at his mentor and noticed he didn't seem the least bit tired. Although Red had arguably done most of the work, Domeron had also been constantly swinging these bags at him while moving around the circle. Not only that, but the man was also observing the boy's footwork and correcting it on the spot.

 

There were more similarities between him and Viran than the youth had first thought. However, Red felt like he also had learned a lot with Domeron in just a quick session. Not only was he offered specific advice on how to improve, but his new mentor also pointed out every one of his mistakes. The boy had no idea the simple act of dodging had such depth and intricacies, and with just this, his horizon had already expanded considerably.

 

"How much experience do you have with fighting?" Domeron asked, signaling the youth to get up.

 

"...Not much." Red admitted as he recovered his breath and stepped out of the circle.

 

The short battles the boy did have were rarely straightforward fights, and most of the time he was just dodging and escaping for his life.

 

"You have the defense part more or less figured out, now you simply need to refine it. However, that's just half of the footwork." The man explained. "How you move is also important for attacking, and you have to learn how to flow well between dodging and striking."

 

"Is that why you had me hold onto a knife?" Red asked, lifting the wooden baton.

 

"That was just for you to get used to holding onto a weapon while moving." Domeron shook his head. "Holding something in your hands while trying to do precise movements may hinder your balance, so that must become a habit early on in your training."

 

"And are you going to teach me how to use it?"

 

"No."

 

"Why not?" Red frowned.

 

"Because I only know how to use a sword." Domeron shrugged.

 

The boy was at a loss for words.

 

"Look, I have one arm, so cut me a break." The man defended himself. "Knife fighting is an extension of hand-to-hand combat, which is something I will be teaching you too. If you want to specialize in knives, though, you'll have to figure everything out by yourself or ask Rog for help."

 

Red fell into deep thought. His gaze wandered over to the weapon rack and the different kinds of armaments that laid on it. He felt like there were still many things he hadn't tried out yet to make this kind of decision.

 

"You don't need to feel pressed to make a choice." Domeron explained. "You actually don't need to make a choice at all. Many people have their favorite weaponry, but they also learn to use different kinds of weapons too. In fact, that's mostly the norm. Narcha has her saber, but she also specializes in using all types of heavy arms. Over the years, you'll eventually learn what you like and dislike and pick an arsenal to stick with."

 

"Then why do you only know how to use a sword?" Red asked suspiciously.

 

"That's because I'm a swordsman." He replied. "I've dedicated my entire life to mastering the sword and becoming one with it. My practice has become more than just about fighting and has transformed into a way of life."

 

"Isn't dedicating yourself to one weapon better than trying to master many of them?" The boy still wasn't convinced.

 

"Not always, kid." Domeron shook his head. "You would become very good at that one thing you do, which has its advantages. However, having flexibility and different options with which to approach combat is also extremely valuable. It all depends on the circumstances."

 

"Then could someone like Narcha beat you in combat with her skills?"

 

"She wishes!" Domeron laughed. "I could beat her no matter the kind of weapon she chose."

 

"But you have one arm." Red was skeptical.

 

"One more than what I need to beat up a brat like her." The man smiled.

 

The youth couldn't tell whether or not he was being serious. Before they could continue their conversation, though, they were abruptly interrupted.

 

"Red, what are you doing?" A woman's voice called from the other side of the camp.

 

Red turned around and saw Eiwin walking in their direction.

 

"I see you and Domeron have already started training..." Her words trailed off as she examined the boy's state. "What happened to your clothes?"

 

The youth looked down at himself. The clothing he was given the previous day was now completely dirty, and there were even a few tears in the fabric.

 

"I was training." Red explained.

 

"You're not supposed to wear those clothes for exercising... Where did you even put your shoes?" It looked like she was about to continue questioning the boy, but eventually, she just sighed in resignation and turned her gaze to the man. "You should have known better, Master Domeron."

 

"He's the one who rushed me." Domeron shrugged.

 

"It doesn't matter, I'll fix it later." She shook her head. "I went by your room but you weren't there, Red. Master Goulth wants to see you."

 

"I'm not finished with training." Red frowned.

 

"You should go, kid." Domeron spoke. "Not much you can accomplish with a tired body."

 

The boy hesitated. There were still a lot of questions he wanted to ask.

 

"He's made breakfast." Eiwin smiled.

 

That was all the convincing the youth needed.

 

...

 

"Here, have some more!"

 

Goulth put another serving of scrambled eggs onto Red's plate. The boy didn't complain and set about devouring the food. A few minutes later, the youth had stuffed himself full while the giant was still in the process of eating his fourth serving.

 

He had no other option than to wait in silence until Goulth was done and had set his bowl down. The man looked at him with a satisfied smile before getting up and going towards his desk. From there, he picked up a hammer and handed it to the boy.

 

"Have a feel for it." Goulth said. "It's important you get used to the weight since you're gonna be using this a lot."

 

Red did as he was told. The tool was particularly heavy and not very easy to wield since most of the weight was distributed towards its head.

 

"Doesn't feel like a very good weapon." The youth mentioned.

 

"Who said it's a weapon?!" The man shouted in anger. "Not everything that has a handle is a weapon!"

 

Red looked at him skeptically.

 

"That is a forging hammer!" Goulth explained. "It's used to shape metals into different things."

 

"How does it do that?" The boy asked.

 

"By hitting the heated metal against an anvil." The giant pointed at said anvil placed a few meters away from them.

 

"Isn't metal hard, though?" The youth was confused. "Hitting it with a hammer would just break it."

 

"Listen, kid..." Goulth sighed in exasperation. "Do you even know anything about forging?"

 

Red shook his head.

 

"Then let me ask you this, do you think people just find their steel weapons and tools laying around nature ready to be used?"

 

"...I suppose not." The boy had never considered how those things were made.

 

"It's actually a very complex process." Goulth explained. "First, you need to extract the ore from veins you find in nature. However, most ores are actually a very impure mix of different materials, so next, you need to refine or smelt them to extract the metal from that ore. Oftentimes you may also need to mix that metal with other materials to create alloys that have the desirable properties. That is already an entire ordeal, and we haven't even gotten into proper forging!"

 

"...And you do all of that here?" Red asked.

 

"It depends." The man continued. "If I'm only making some tools, then I'll just buy metal bars from the market. However, if I'm making anything important, then it's a must that I control the entire ore smelting process."

 

"Why is that?"

 

"Because I have my own secret recipes, of course!" Goulth laughed. "You see there are all sorts of materials in this world, and they react in all sorts of exquisite ways when mixed. Sometimes, a certain metal by itself may be completely useless, but when it's put together with another metal, it may become the hardest material in the world."

 

Red felt fascinated by the prospect. He remembered all the kinds of ores the slaves found in the underground and began to wonder if any of them fit the giant's description.

 

"Comprehending these transformations is not only important for a blacksmith but also all other crafting professions." He continued. "In the same way a blacksmith can transform a useless metal into something valuable, an alchemist can make even the world's strongest venom into a beneficial medicine if they know the right processes."

 

"Is that the kind of information that's in that book?" Red asked.

 

"That's correct!" Goulth nodded. "It has all kinds of recipes for alloys that once belonged to the Amber Saber Sect. But that's just half of the knowledge there. There's also forging, which is the process of actually shaping those metals and alloys into useful weapons and armors."

 

"You still haven't told me how you do that." The boy commented.

 

"That's because it's not that simple!" The man grumbled. "You see, temperature can change the properties of certain materials. Metals are very hardy and solid while they're cold, but once you warm them up enough, they become softer and pliable."

 

"So after that, you use the hammer to change its shape?" Red felt enlightened.

 

"Correct!" Goulth smiled. "But that's only the simplest type of forging. Some metals can only be made into weapons and armor through special methods. That's the other half of the knowledge that's in the book."

 

The youth could finally understand how useful the book the giant carried was.

 

"...Unfortunately, though, the majority of the information in this book is completely useless to me." The man shook his head in resignation, a shadow falling over his expression.

 

Red was completely taken aback by Goulth's sudden shift in mood.

 

"Why is it useless?" The boy asked.

 

"I didn't say it was useless, I said it was useless to me." He clarified in a solemn voice. "You see, a lot of the methods to smelt and forge these metals requires control over Spiritual Energy, and, well... You can probably imagine how that would be an issue for me."

 

Goulth picked up the book from a nearby desk and opened it.

 

"It was always my dream to have some of my ancestor's fantastic inventions see the light of day again, but..." He shook his head. "Unfortunately, where this student had the will, he lacked the talent."

 

Red didn't know how to respond. It seemed Spiritual Energy in this world was not only useful for combat but also for crafting things. If you were incapable of opening your Spiritual Sea, it wouldn't matter how much talent you had in other areas, your path forward would still be blocked.

 

"I'm not any better, you know." The youth finally spoke up. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to open my Spiritual Sea."

 

"Hah, that's fine, kid!" Goulth's troubled mood was wiped away as he heard the boy speak. "I would never choose my disciple based on talent. Temperament is the most essential thing I look for in a student, and I would rather let this inheritance be forgotten to time than have it fall in the wrong hands."

 

He patted Red's shoulder.

 

"Besides, you shouldn't sell yourself short!" The man exclaimed. "You're still young and hungry for knowledge, so who knows what you'll be able to accomplish."

 

Goulth picked up a hammer of his own from a nearby table and waved at the boy.

 

"Now come here! I need to teach you how to work the forge!"