A rush of excitement and adrenaline coursed through Yngrid's veins as the possibility bloomed in her mind.
Her eyes narrowed into determined slits.
She wasn't sure if Adam would reach that level one day, but she would bet on him and pass on the genius traitor's most incredible technique. One that would shake their society to its core and send the royals into a frenzy despite their hate for him.
It was also the only reason they kept her alive and pressured her into this backwater shop, isolated from everyone and cut from the outside world.
After decades, she learned to live like that, but in reality? She was in a prison without walls, limited to the mountain's outskirts.
Brown mana wafter from her eyes, then wrapped her body like a blanket, causing Adam to gulp.
Then, her fierce voice echoed in the shop, shattering its dreary appearance in a sea of scalding passion and defiance.
"My last technique allows you to combine two materials attuned to the same element to create a composite. If done right, you'll keep a hundred percent of both ores' or cores' properties and can even force the composite to jump a tier!"
As her words registered, Adam gawked at the terrifying technique.
Didn't it mean he could mix the Starmetal Ore with Picket's core to make it almost jump to the seventh tier? If he added the silvery tree fruit branches and bark...
The thought alone sent his soul into a seizure of excitement and dread. Dread for the out-of-this-world puppet he could create. Even Elena wouldn't have made one this terrifying!
A smirk split his face the next second as his fiery voice broke the settling silence.
"What if I use alchemy and transmutation to increase the materials' properties and remove impurities? Do you think it's possible?"
A pensive frown creased Yngrid's brows at the question.
The rhythmic tapping of her fingers on the counter followed as her mana dissipated.
"It's an idea many thought about. But no one pulled it off. It's too time-consuming to learn both fields, not to mention the abyssal chasm regarding resources."
Despite her negative answer, his smirk only enlarged to reach his ears.
"Did I forget to mention it? I was a tier-four alchemist when we first met. I can probably brew tier-five potions by now, though."
Yngrid's eyes enlarged, and her heart drummed against her chest. It changed everything.
Transmutation alone always made enchanters salivate with its potential to turn each metal core or beast body part perfect. Yet, she had never heard about a transmutation master of the fourth tier. The art was as dead as its creators, leaving only one old acclaimed expert named Thaddeus. But even he only reached the art's third tier.
As for alchemy, many enchanters sought tier four alchemists, but higher than that? They never worked together, each party too proud to seek help. It wasn't like there were many tier-five crafters in the world, anyway. Perhaps two dozen? Or was it even less?
She exhaled, arms trembling at the implication.
"With alchemy alone, you can become this century's best enchanter. You'll be the uncontested number one if you can add transmutation."
"I can use it for beast materials. I'll have to study metals in-depth and understand their properties."
He shared his understanding of Elena's grimoire. As for the beast part? He had the Grimoire Beastaria.
Even if he never used it actively, it had silently registered every beast he had defeated, including the evil ghosts, silver moon strikers and Dreg'nars.
With it, he understood their structures down to the molecular level.
As his word lingered, Yngrid struck her fists against each other, sending a blast of air to ruffle his hair.
"Three days. You'll master my technique in three days. Show me how you'll do it."
She turned, stepping into the smithy with determined steps.
She retrieved an old encyclopedia on the way, feeling its old cover under her firm hand and smelling the dust permeating its yellowed pages.
"Study it when we take breaks. It has many mineral compositions recorded."
After putting the book on the material table, she explained the theory behind the technique, mentioning it was initially at the sixth tier. But after decades of research, she succeeded in transforming it into a complex ritual requiring much less mana but taking much longer.
Under her guidance, he learned how to perform it step by step. From drawing the symbols to fueling it with mana-rich items, her patience shone despite his many failures.
Then, she showed him how to calculate the proportion of the materials to get the best result and minimal waste.
Despite the challenge, he smiled in happiness at the chance to learn new knowledge, his arms blurring into action without stopping until the sunset.
At night, he focused on studying the ores and developing a new spell for his last match. After all, he would face the ultimate cheater possessing two tier-five monsters in his deck.
Yet, he planned to forbid him from playing entirely, resolving the problem and securing the win.
And finally, the fourth day arrived.
"I'll start with Picket's core. I know where its defects are and how to manipulate it to turn it perfect."
He remembered Elena's grimoire content and used the forgotten art of transmutation to modify the rough core structure.
Light shone in his hand for ten minutes as Yngrid's eyes narrowed in focus, unwilling to miss a second of the process.
Gradually, the minor imperfections disappeared as subtle changes manifested on the core. It became luscious and smooth to the touch before glowing an earthy hue.
Without waiting, she snatched it from his palm and scrutinised it under every angle before her eyes widened.
"It is at least twenty percent better than before! You fixed its inherent problems but also purified any external contamination. It's as if the creature was born on the fifth tier yesterday with an immaculate core!"
She exclaimed, lunging at and throwing him into the air before catching him in joy.
His face darkened. His body was short because of the lack of materials. It was a puppet, too. But being thrown in the air?
'Somehow, it's not that unpleasant.'