Chapter 7: First Creations
After finishing his meal at the inn, Aldric went straight to his room. The wooden door shut behind him, muffling the noise of drunken laughter and chatter from below. For the first time since awakening, he was truly alone with the materials he had bought.
He sat on the simple bed and spread out his supplies. Iron, steel, polished wood, and cloth were stacked neatly thanks to his new dimensional storage. The information engraved into his heart from the artifact told him exactly what to do, but knowing and doing were two very different things.
The Creation Path was difficult.
Even though the knowledge was there, the actual act of shaping materials with mana demanded focus, control, and precision. He wasn't going to master it in a single night, but he had to start somewhere.
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Aldric placed four steel ingots in front of him. He closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and began channeling mana.
The ingots trembled faintly as his energy flowed into them. Slowly, they began to soften, the rigid steel turning malleable under his will. Sweat formed on his brow as he kept the mana steady, controlling the heat and the shaping force. The four ingots fused together into one glowing mass.
Piece by piece, the mass began to stretch and narrow. The shape elongated, curving slightly as he refined the details. Bit by bit, a katana emerged.
When the blade was nearly done, Aldric paused. He wiped sweat from his forehead and reached for a piece of polished wood. Channeling more mana, he shaped it into the pommel and handle, attaching it seamlessly to the steel blade.
By the time the katana was fully formed, an hour and thirty minutes had passed.
It wasn't smooth work. Several times, Aldric had to stop midway, draw out a spirit stone, and absorb its energy just to continue. His mana reserves were still shallow, and every mistake cost him extra effort to fix.
Finally, he held the completed weapon in his hands. The blade gleamed faintly under the lantern light, sharper and sturdier than anything he had ever touched before. He tested the balance, and though imperfect, it was a weapon worthy of use.
Aldric exhaled deeply. This was his first creation.
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He wasn't done yet. A katana without a scabbard was incomplete.
Aldric pulled out more polished wood. Once again, mana surged out of him. He shaped and hollowed the wood carefully, molding it to perfectly fit the katana. The process was tedious, demanding precision at every step.
An hour later, the scabbard was finished.
When he slid the blade inside, the faint shing sound brought a sense of satisfaction.
He immediately sat cross-legged, clutching two spirit stones to replenish the mana he had lost. Already, he could feel the cost of following the Creation Path. Every step consumed resources.
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Next, Aldric set his sights on something bigger—armor.
He pulled out more steel ingots and began shaping them. Piece by piece, he molded plates for the chest, shoulders, arms, and legs. He had to reinforce them with mana to ensure durability, all while maintaining a design that would allow for movement.
He worked without pause, losing track of time as he shaped, adjusted, and corrected mistakes.
By the time the armor was complete, four hours had passed.
The night outside was already fading. Birds had begun to chirp faintly, signaling dawn.
Aldric leaned back against the wall, panting. Sweat soaked through his shirt. His mana was drained to the point that he had to use more spirit stones again.
When he counted, he realized he had only 75 spirit stones left.
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Aldric frowned slightly.
In just a single day, he had spent more than 20 spirit stones. For him, it was necessary investment, but when he thought about it, he realized the true cost of being an arcanist.
It was said that a single spirit stone could feed a simple family for three months. With 20 spirit stones, an ordinary family could live comfortably for at least five years. And yet, he had spent it in less than a day on basic equipment.
"The life of an arcanist is truly expensive," Aldric muttered under his breath.
He knew this was only the beginning. Higher-ranked arcanists used rare materials and consumed spirit stones in massive amounts. If he wanted to walk his path, the cost would only rise.
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Even though exhaustion weighed heavily on him, Aldric didn't stop immediately. He still had some energy left, and he decided to create supplementary items that might be useful in the future.
He fashioned simple tools: small knives, hooks, reinforced cloth wraps, and containers. These weren't glamorous, but they were practical. He knew that surviving in the wild or dealing with unexpected situations required preparation.
Each item drained him further, forcing him to spend more spirit stones to replenish himself.
By the time he finished, his stock had dropped to 70 spirit stones.
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The sun had risen fully now. Faint light spilled through the small window of his inn room. Aldric looked around at the results of his work.
The katana rested inside its scabbard. The armor gleamed faintly, though still rough compared to the equipment of wealthy arcanists. His supplementary items were stacked neatly.
It wasn't perfect, but it was a start.
Aldric's eyelids grew heavy. The mental strain of controlling mana for so many hours was unbearable. His body felt weak, his mind foggy.
Finally, he let himself collapse onto the bed.
Within moments, he was asleep, his creations safely stored away inside his artifact.
For the rest of the day, Aldric didn't move. He let his body and mind recover. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but for now, rest was the only thing he needed.