After successfully liberating Enigma Island, Asuka and his companions returned, bestowed with a considerable amount of Divine Metal ore by Emperor Reinhardt and Emperor Glisina.
Ten human-sized ore blocks—that’s incredibly generous, isn’t it? The Emperors explained that while the miners could develop the mountains for future replenishment, the ore blocks shattered by Nidh for its burrow couldn’t be recovered, making it only natural to reward those who rendered service.
I have no complaints either, as I can now work with Divine Metal, even if it’s just ore.
However, processing this Divine Metal ore was truly arduous. It wasn’t quite as difficult as creating Lapis Laz, but it was still a bit too challenging for Normal Class crafters. Even Fiana, who had just been promoted to S-rank Crafter, was struggling immensely. While S-rank Crafters can work with Divine Metal, it requires a significant amount of magic power. If we were to create an alloy with it, that would definitely be a job for High Crafters!
“This requires a lot of magic power, even for us,” Marina remarked.
“I honestly didn’t expect it to be this much,” Fina added.
Marina and Fina were also taking a lot of time processing the Divine Metal. Despite that, they managed to produce proper ingots. However, even Marina, a Fairy-Half Hydragonewt with immense magic power, and Fina, a High Harpy, could only process a few ingots a day.
“Is that so?” Flam asked.
“Yes, even Ancient Crafters like us can feel the depletion of our magic power,” Ludia replied.
“Right. I don’t think about ten ingots would have much of an effect, but I don’t know about more than that,” Flam added.
It seems even Flam and Ludia, Ancient Crafters, could feel the magic drain. It’s frustrating how unaffected Yamato and Mako are, being Element Crafters, but it seems more efficient to have them handle making the alloy. Though I’m interested, so I’ll do it regardless.
As a result, it took three days to complete the prototype of the Divine Metal alloy. It was even harder than making Lapis Laz. But the effort paid off, resulting in incredible performance. This is something we should keep secret; it’s truly too dangerous otherwise.
“Hoh, so this is the alloy made with Divine Metal,” Emperor Reinhardt said.
“Yes. We made several, and this one had the most outrageous performance,” Asuka replied.
Asuka held a thin scarlet Divine Metal alloy with absurdly high stats.
“Outrageous performance? How much is it?” Maoh asked, showing interest.
Speaking of which, the Divine Metal ingot Mako smelted had become unusable due to Maoh’s magic. It seems she used it in battle after Buster Monkey threw a rock at her, and she retaliated in anger. From a crafter’s perspective, it was an interesting result, and in a way, I was grateful.
“Magic Strength, Hardness, Magic Transfer Rate, Magic Durability, Magic Storage Rate—all are 12,” Asuka stated.
“What!?” Maoh exclaimed.
“That’s… incredible,” Emperor Reinhardt murmured.
Maoh and Emperor Reinhardt were surprised, but I was almost shocked enough to collapse when I first used my measuring tool on it. The maximum value for all the listed stats is 10, so I never expected them to exceed that, nor did I anticipate them all being the same. But it actually happened, and when I made several more, they all had the same stats. So it’s not a mistake. Yamato and Mako also use my measuring tools, so it’s not my error either.
“This is made by mixing half-sized Divine Metal into smelted Lapis Laz. We’ve named it Hihishirokane, after the legendary metal from Asuka’s country,” Asuka explained.
Initially, we tried using Magic Silver or Adamantine Steel as the main component, or even mostly Divine Metal, but the performance either dropped or was comparable to Divine Metal or Lapis Laz, making it hardly necessary to create an alloy. However, the alloy smelted with a ratio of Magic Silver 3, Adamantine Steel 1, Crystal Silver 1, and Divine Metal 2 had Magic Strength, Magic Transfer Rate, and Magic Storage Rate of 10, Hardness of 9, and Magic Durability of 8, with a formula value of 94. It was our most promising candidate.
But Fiana suggested trying it after smelting Lapis Laz, Jade Silver, or Blue-Gray Iron, and I agreed that was a good idea. The result was this ridiculously high-performing alloy. For reference, we made several patterns by adding Divine Metal to the ratio for Lapis Laz, but most of them resulted in one stat reaching 10 while others dropped.
Regarding the name, Yamato suggested Hihishirokane immediately, given its faint scarlet color. Originally, Lapis Laz was also named after the legendary Japanese metal Hihishirokane, so considering its color and performance, it was fitting. We all agreed unanimously.
“I see, so you named it Hihishirokane. Indeed, the legendary Japanese Hihishirokane is said to represent the color of the sun and was also called scarlet. While there’s a difference between gold and silver, Lapis Laz is an alloy centered on Magic Silver, so the name isn’t bad,” Emperor Reinhardt mused.
“It might not be the real thing, but it’s quite profound,” Emperor Glisina added.
“Yamato and Mako said the same thing,” Asuka confirmed.
That’s why Yamato and Mako were overjoyed when Hihishirokane was completed. Currently, they are learning the Dual Heart Fusion Technique from Asuka and Maoh, which is why they aren’t here. Yamato wanted to come, but Asuka told him not to until he finished his daily routine, and since mastering the Dual Heart Fusion Technique is important, he had to reluctantly give up this time.
“Well then, Asuka, I apologize for the sword made in a hurry, but could you channel magic into this Hihishirokane sword?” Asuka asked.
“Understood,” Asuka replied.
The reason for creating Hihishirokane was to forge a new sword for Yamato. But the primary reason is to prepare for a future evolution into an Arch Class, like Asuka and Maoh. Lapis Laz can withstand the magic of Element Class, but not that of Arch Class. According to Mako’s formula, the value required for Element Class is 81 or higher, so Arch Class might require 91 or more. Hihishirokane’s value is 120, so it will likely be fine. We won’t know for sure until we test it, and Asuka understood this when he made the suggestion. Whether Hihishirokane is truly complete will only be revealed when Asuka channels magic into it. Since it’s hard to tell by channeling magic into an ingot, we formed it into a sword, though I apologize for its rushed appearance. Even so, it was incredibly difficult. That’s why it was supposed to be done yesterday, but it got delayed by a day.
“Whoa… the magic is incredible…” Marina exclaimed.
“But it doesn’t feel violent; rather, it feels reassuring, like being embraced,” Fiana added.
“Amazing… it’s beautiful…” Camellia whispered.
“As a Hunter, I’d want to model myself after it,” Fiana commented.
Marina, Fina, Fiana, and Camellia let out sighs of admiration, and I completely agree. The Hihishirokane sword, even after receiving Asuka’s magic, hasn’t lost its luster. If anything, it feels stronger.
“I’m not going all out, but I’m putting in a good amount of effort. However, this thing shows no signs of breaking,” Asuka stated.
“Then…,” Fiana began.
“We can say it’s complete, can’t we?” Asuka finished.
“Alrighttttttt!” Asuka shouted, raising his fist in a triumphant pose.
The sense of accomplishment when Lapis Laz was completed was immense, but Hihishirokane surpassed that. I’m truly happy.
“Still, it’s a bit unclear why it requires smelting Lapis Laz first to achieve this performance. It doesn’t seem to make logical sense,” Asuka mused.
“We’re also wondering about that, but I think once an alloy is completed, it becomes an independent substance, separate from Magic Silver, Adamantine Steel, or Crystal Silver individually,” Marina explained.
“I don’t quite understand, but is Lapis Laz an alloy, yet it’s also become a metal with its own name?” Maoh asked.
“We can’t say for sure yet, but even Magic Silver and Adamantine Steel are recognized as different from their original ore when smelted. So, perhaps Lapis Laz is also treated that way,” Marina replied.
Maoh’s question is understandable, and many of us are considering it, but it seems to be becoming the prevailing opinion that Marina’s explanation is correct. In fact, both Magic Silver and Adamantine Steel have different values from their ores and are displayed differently through Investing. It’s likely that alloys, including Lapis Laz, are recognized as metals like Lapis Laz, Jade Silver, and Blue-Gray Iron once they are named and registered in Investing. That’s probably why Hihishirokane is assessed as an alloy of Lapis Laz and Divine Metal, rather than an alloy of Magic Silver, Adamantine Steel, Crystal Silver, and Divine Metal.
“The appraisal results are like that too?” Maoh asked.
“It seems convenient, but it looks more troublesome to use than I thought,” Emperor Reinhardt commented.
“Indeed, few people can master it,” Asuka replied.
Appraisal results only show the name, origin, and a brief description, so they are apparently only used for basic checks. While it’s essential magic for Traders, they only use it during negotiations or when encountering monsters. Oh, Scholars can also use it, so it’s useful for research.
“Ah, indeed, it seems useful for research. By the way, Edward, can I try the other ingots as well?” Emperor Reinhardt asked.
“The others? Not at all, but only this one exceeds 90, you know?” Asuka replied.
“Ah, right. Didn’t Mako devise a formula that roughly indicates whether an evolved class can use it?” Emperor Reinhardt recalled.
“Yes. We didn’t anticipate Arch Class, but considering it’s above Element Class, I think a value of 91 or higher is probably necessary,” Asuka explained.
Lapis Laz was easily damaged, so there’s still a possibility it might not withstand it. There’s also a possibility of another class between Element Class and Arch Class, but that’s something we won’t know unless someone like Yamato evolves. Besides, now that Hihishirokane is complete, we don’t need to worry about that.
However, Asuka’s suggestion is interesting to me, so I definitely want him to try.
“Another class, huh? I can’t deny that possibility, but wasn’t Element Class also unrecognized until Yamato reached it?” Emperor Reinhardt pondered.
“Yes. ‘Modeling.’ Is this enough? Asuka, please,” Emperor Reinhardt said.
“This is my first time seeing it in person, but transforming metal into a sword shape is amazing magic,” Asuka remarked.
Craft Magic Modeling is fundamental magic for blacksmiths. As Asuka said, it’s magic that transforms metal, but to make a proper sword, it needs to be used repeatedly, along with Sharping magic. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a proper sword. We used it here only for channeling magic, so Sharping wasn’t used, but ordinarily, it would be disqualified as a sword, and my grandfather might kill me if I tried to sell something like this.
“Then… hmm!” Emperor Reinhardt began.
“Ah!” Asuka exclaimed.
“Seriously…?” Marina gasped.
However, the alloy with a value of 94 withstood Emperor Reinhardt’s magic for a while, but eventually couldn’t endure it and broke in the middle. The hilt and guard are also cracked. This is the same result as when Asuka channeled magic into the Lapis Laz dagger before!
“Whoa, even 94 can’t withstand the magic of an Arch Class,” Marina stated.
“It’s truly fortunate that Hihishirokane is complete,” Fiana said.
“Indeed,” Asuka agreed.
Thanks to Asuka, we found out early, but without him, we might not have known until someone like Yamato evolved. Then, we would have faced alloy problems again. As it turned out, Hihishirokane is complete, so that problem has been averted. I didn’t expect that a value of 94 couldn’t withstand Arch Class. Hihishirokane has a value of 120, so it could withstand it, but could the threshold for withstanding Arch Class be around 100? Even if that’s the case, since other alloys are below 90, we can’t test them properly! I’m truly glad Hihishirokane is complete.
