I Refused To Be Reincarnated

"Let's continue with the Starmetal Ore. Instead of an armor suit as you planned, how about using it as mana channels?"

Her lips curled into a mysterious smile, sending his mind into a world of new possibilities.

It made sense! Constructing a circuit for the puppet to reduce the strain on his!

Yet, the same problem that plagued him remained. He didn't know what they looked like.

After killing humans, they disintegrated into mana particles, making the study challenging for anyone.

Even if the Grimoire Beastaria referenced beasts', he didn't possess a core, making the knowledge unusable.

Of course, he could fix it by capturing weak mages and torturing them while fidgeting with their circuits. But did he want to become like that?

Someone who's no better than the accursed Ignatius?

'Never!'

He gritted his teeth, the memory of the atrocities the mad scientist committed flashing in his mind.

'I'll find something else but never become like him.'

A surge of anger flooded his soul, making it heat under the tree's palm.

Feeling it, she spoke again.

"I'll guide you in building them. But they won't work on living beings. Be patient, and you'll get genuine mana circuits."

She retrieved her hand and leaned closer, looking into his eyes' depths as if trying to peer into his soul.

Then pulled back and continued.

"The branches are dead but sturdy. I recommend you use them to protect the joints while the bark will protect the frame."

Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at his pensive frown.

"With the remaining metal and branches, why don't you cast a composite blade mixing wood for the body and metal for the edges? You'll optimise your resources that way. We'll start without delay if you agree."

He gazed back at her, matching her intensity.

"Why do you want to help me that much?"

Even if he had saved her, he had also learned in the most bitter manner not to trust others and be wary of their intentions.

She shrugged in response, raising two fingers.

"With the Silvermoon elves extinct, I have nowhere to go. Consider it payment for the rent and the care you provided."

She lowered a finger and continued.

"I and the cleaver know somewhat backs you. We felt her gaze and power. You can say we want to enter her good books if it allows us to live without fear."

A light chuckle reverberating with the night echoed as she jumped back into the garden and recovered her tree appearance.

"But if you want a proper reason, I can't bear to see my body become merdiocre. I've seen you rise from a newbie to a master enchanter and trust you to make my forgotten name stuck to any enchanter's lips."

"Hahaha. A good reason, indeed!"

He laughed at the tree's pride.

After all, generations of archmages venerated it in its glorious age, and he understood it wouldn't accept anything but perfection.

"We'll work together. The mythical rank is the minimum we'll achieve!"

"That's all I wanted to hear."

As her last answer hung in the air, the vision of the past shattered in glistening sparks and his mind returned to the smithy.

His amusement vanished with it, leaving only focus, solemnness and a burning desire in his soul.

Without wasting time, he threw the starmetal ore into a pot filled with simmering liquid.

He added an indecent quantity of its tier-one version before imbuing everything with a wave of pure mana, forcing a resonance to increase the primary material's quality.

Through his metal affinity, he scrutinised any change in the metal. When energy saturated it, he paused to let it rest and assimilate the other ores thoroughly before restarting.

After three hours of intense focus, he retrieved the final product, noticing its incredible sheen and how the mana stuck to it each time he moved it.

"Perfect," he muttered before placing it on the side.

He repeated the process with the five tier-five ores, bringing their qualities to the limit.

The rising sun burned in its descent towards the horizon, and the streets exploded into bustling activities as dwarves returned from their work when he finished.
Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Yet, his endeavor just started.

Focus still high and passion brimming in his heart, he gripped Picket's core and placed it in the center of the symbols he had drawn for the ritual.

He added the one remaining ore from the purification next to it before planting his two legendary blades on the energy nexuses.

Shiro had taught him this technique last year when they escaped from Elena's ruin in Avaloria Frostpeak, and he was determined to use any trick to increase his success chances.

Mana hummed in the room as a soft glow imbued the symbols. Gradually, they became brighter and brighter, overwhelming the furnace's fire sheen in a blanket of sky-blue.

The Blade of Adaptation and Luminous Wildblade trembled, and noises of trembling metal echoed as they supplied the ritual energy.

Despite her shock at the exquisite weapon and the itch crawling under her firm hands, Yngrid remained silent, observing Adam's every move and ready to correct him at the slightest mistake. Yet, so far, he did none.

Even when he let the fusion occure and focused on the bark, he kept his mana supply steady and the process controlled like a watchmaker with dozens of years of experience.

Then, he did the unthinkable.

Before her enlarging eyes, he dug the wood's inside using miniaturised mana drills as if to create the outline of a blood system.

She watched, her frown deepening with each passing second. She didn't stop him but confusion and incertitudes gnawed at her.

Was he ruining the materials? Would he succeed?

As she clasped her hand in a silent prayer, Adam worked on the puppet.

He deepened and rearranged the channels around the engraving to complete the mana circuits. Of course, the silver fruit tree guided him in this critical process, showing him the perfect path not to threaten its integrity. Then, he sculpted the thick branches and replaced the old joints, increasing their durability and flexibility.