"Ignore everything and observe my mana. Don't try to understand it fully. Pick one thread and watch it. Maybe this one," I point it out to my disciple, and she nods, her light brown hair flailing.

There is an uncommon dagger lying on one of the enchanting tables as I work on it. My disciple is sitting on the table too because she is too short to watch comfortably from the ground.

As for the table, well, it's a table made of stone with iron veins in the shape of circuits going through. Most of those circuits can be fed and activated to cause some effect.

For example, there is a set of circuits in the table meant to heat and melt things. I can channel lots of mana through them and melt the blade of the dagger or I can use less and melt smaller quantities of metal.

Another inscription allows me to decrease the temperature of an item sitting on the table, one seems to act like a magnet, and yet another seems to redirect mana, probably a handicap for people with less control.

I mean, it's not terrible, but it's mostly useless to me. I can imagine it being much more useful to someone at a lower level or with less control.

Another problem is that I don't know any theory and don't care about it. It's the same as when we went to the 2nd floor and saw all that mana used in breathtaking ways. The natives there were like people sending humans to Mars, while our group was like Neanderthals using sticks and stones. And to be honest, it didn't change that much. Sure, I collected some information, but I’ve avoided any proper study of it, and that’s on purpose.

I find it more rewarding and interesting to learn through trial and error. Banging stones against each other to cause a spark rather than using a lighter. It feels more pure, more right.

Yes, it makes some things much more difficult, but I improve the most through struggle.

So, I ignore the table’s circuits and use a bit of thermal energy to melt a small portion of the blade. I move and concentrate it into a thin thread that melts the bits I want with extreme accuracy. Then I take a mana stone and hold it against the dagger, melting the iron around it to hold everything in place.

Before it cools off, I add a piece of arcanadium, the conductive metal I looted from the 4th floor.

Not knowing what else to do, I use my fingers to mold the heated metal, as I improve the shape. A skin-tight barrier of mana protects my hand from any damage. I could absorb the heat, but that would be counterproductive.

When it seems… okayish, I absorb the heat from the blade and the metal immediately stiffens; only then do I start the inscription.

Vega observes me as I told her, and I could swear she is not even blinking.

"Can you see mana with your eyes?" I ask her.

Interrupted, she blinks and looks at me, "No."

"Then close your eyes and use your other senses."

She opens her mouth to say something but closes it immediately. After nodding once, she closes her eyes, and I continue. The inscriptions I'm making are extremely simple. A few simpler ones inside the uncommon mana stone to direct the mana being channeled through it. And a few more for the blade itself.

I melt parts of the blade adding tiny bits of arcanadium. This time I even create tiny toothpick-like things with [Regalia] to move the molten metal. The twins would be proud; they always had fun when I was doing things in an extremely janky way.

I don't measure the time, but I'm sure at least a few hours have passed like that. But in the end, it's done, and the ugliest dagger ever made sits in front of me.

As the last step, I permanently etch the inscriptions inside of the stone and the blade with the use of [Resonance] and [Infusion].

Huhu, let's see my masterpiece.

Ember Edge Dagger (uncommon) - This dagger has a mana stone embedded in the blade, which absorbs mana to gently warm the metal. The heat is mild, ideal for causing discomfort rather than serious burns, making it a subtle, yet effective tool.

Is the system dissing me? This description sounds weirdly insulting.

"Do you want it?" I ask Vega, and she quickly nods and takes the dagger I offer her. She seems weirdly enthusiastic about it, but I let it pass.

Well, I guess that's the difference between working alone and having the help of an entire craft guild with hundreds of years' worth of knowledge.

Inscriptions aren't a problem, and I know I can make much stronger ones, and this was just my first attempt. Smelting and this kind of stuff will be annoying.

There is also the option of using mana-conductive metal for the entire dagger and avoiding using mana stones at all. In that case, I wouldn't have to work on connecting it to the blade. Of course, it would also increase the cost of the materials.

I watch as Vega happily accepts the dagger, puts it back into its original sheath, and carefully clips it into her belt. The dagger made of my mana that I keep restoring is still there too and is much better than the one I just gave her. Yet, she is happy.

Silly girl.

"Minion, we will continue."

She joins me, without even complaining about being called a minion.

I take out another dagger and mana stone and get into the work.

 

---

 

Razor's Whisper Dagger (uncommon) - Embedded with a small mana stone near the hilt, this dagger gains a sharp edge when mana is channeled into it. The effect subtly enhances the blade's cutting ability, allowing for cleaner, more precise cuts.

It won't be getting any points for looks, but so far it looks fine. I will sell it to the system shop later. It will be only 20 shards, but it's better than nothing.

"Let's stop here for now," I tell Vega.

"Yes!" She quickly jumps from the table and then, facing me, she asks, "Will you eat with me, master?"

"Gladly."

Even after so many times, she is always happy to hear my answer.

I watch as she rushes to get two clean pieces of cloth and some of the food I rewarded her with for leveling her skills.

The two of us alone in the facility slowly and wordlessly eat the food she puts in front of us and drink some water from the bottles. While doing so, I observe this silly disciple of mine.

After a few days with regular food, she is not as thin as before. She is also wearing new clothes I bought for her and has a few bags that I gave her, where she stores her things. She is extremely protective of them to the point of being cute.

Just like before, she has a few bruises and healing wounds, but these are mostly the products of sparring and practice. The biggest wound seems to be a massive black-and-blue bruise that covers most of her chest and back. Vega got it while we were practicing with her Kinetic Demon Heart.

I could have stopped it and made it so she wouldn't get hurt, yet I didn't. I have noticed that she tends to become careless when things go well. It's one of my flaws as well. Both of us become comfortable and fascinated by something, and then because of our overconfidence in our progress, we become careless. I wonder if it's caused by our skills at all. Both of us rely on concentration skills that help us focus. So, my theory is that we may become less focused when the skills aren't active.

As if we weren’t used to it, seeding our weakness to distractions and carelessness.

It's fascinating to think of.

"Minion, I’ve wanted to ask for a while, but what happened to you before you got summoned here to be my disciple?" I ask after she is done packing her things.

She doesn't complain about being called a minion this time either, though she hesitates.

She can refuse to answer as always, so I just give her time.

"I was hungry, very hungry," she finally tells me. "In my village, there wasn't anyone willing to share any food with me, and a few humans even kicked me when I asked. So, I went to the forest. I heard from other kids from the streets that you could find mushrooms there that would be safe to eat."

She pauses again, but then shakes her head, "There were monsters in the forest, and I was running away. Then I appeared near the lake, and the voice told me about the master."

It seems like the others were correct. The disciples were about to die and were sent to us. The question is are they from the real world or were they generated by the tutorial, like the natives. Fated to disappear once the quest is complete.

Yes, the system said they are from some sort of database, but why would it only summon disciples that were about to die? There is a method I thought of that could get me the answer, but I still hesitate to use it.

"Do you know what your world is called?" I ask instead.

"No. Even the village we just call 'the village.'"

"Country or kingdom where you are?"

"Breck kingdom, after the ancient human hero who created it."

"Pairing?"

"I don't know what that is."

Well, it looks like I won´t be getting answers to my questions. I can't expect much knowledge from someone who spends most of her time keeping herself alive.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," I gesture for her to turn around, and she does it quickly, as multiple times before.

She doesn't even shudder when I put my palm on her back, a place near where her heart is.

"This time, concentrate more on feeling the rhythm of your heart. Do not think of it as a source. The heart is meant to transform your mana into kinetic energy. It's not creating it; it's just a tool, think of it as one."

"Yes, master."

 

---

 

After delivering me a few ingots of metal they found in the bunker as they moved in, Nina leaves. These ingots were probably made a few hundred years ago and left to be forgotten. Of course, their quality isn't anything great, and their conductivity is terrible, but they will be good enough to practice some smelting.

I already went through some information stored on one of the mana stones I got from the craft guild for some basic information. We will see how helpful they are.

"Master?"

"Yes, disciple?" For the first time, I avoid calling her 'minion'. Lately, she’s stopped reacting to it, and it's not as much… Wait, what's that?

Did a smug, winning smile flash across her face? Why would she have such an expression? The only thing that changed is that I didn't call her 'minion'.

As if to mask something, she starts rapidly blabbering about her practice, but I'm staring at her, and the gears in my head are spinning.

She always complained about being called 'minion', but then one day she stopped. Instead, her red eyes kept observing me, like a cat toying with a mouse.

Oh, I get it.

I understand now.

This cheeky little thing.

"Good job, minion, you may continue practicing like that," I say, and I pay her my full attention. Once again, she doesn't complain, but for a moment, her brow furrows, confirming my thoughts.

This little cheeky minion read me. She acted as if she wasn't bothered. She expected me to get bored with her lack of reaction, drop that and maybe find something else. Even now, she is sticking to the plan.

"Minion, and don't forget to train with the mana dagger I made for you, minion."

"Yes, master."

"Oh, and minion, I saw you talking with Nina a bit. It's okay, but don't get too attached." Every time I call her 'minion', there is just a tiny hint of a reaction, and that makes me happy, but I won’t let it show.

"Master, you don't trust these people?"

"Not much. I will ask you something. How many people do you think they have here?"

"I do not know."

"You don’t, but I do. They have over 3,140 people. It's hard to say accurately because people come and go, but that is the lowest estimate."

Vega's expression becomes even more confused, so I continue, "Try to guess how many people go in and out with food?"

"A lot? There are a lot of people to feed."

"You would think so, right? Well, my dear minion. They have only a few tens of people going out and bringing back food. There are more of them pretending to, and it's not just for my benefit. Most of the people here believe they are bringing food."

"I don't understand, master."

"It's simple. Most of the food they eat comes from a hidden tunnel inside one of the houses that Darren, Nina, and a few others are staying in."

Confused Vega also looks cute, so I grab her horn, shake her head, and let her think for herself.

For now, let's not eat the food they offer us, and when I'm done with practicing, I will have to check the tunnels Darren is hiding.