The night passed in the blink of an eye. The next morning, Lucian woke up with a splitting headache.
Seems like I pushed myself too hard last night.
"[Annihilation Maker: Phantom Butterfly, State Reversion]," Lucian murmured the moment he woke up, immediately manifesting the dream-colored butterfly.
The butterfly fluttered its wings, scattering a faint light over Lucian's body. Instantly, the agonizing headache vanished.
"Phew... That was awful. Nightmares all night," Lucian gasped, drawing a sharp breath.
It looks like I need to make the Phantom Butterfly a permanent creation too. If it can grow independently, it can cast its healing spell on me even if I pass out.
Although the Phantom Butterfly's magic was based on conceptual manipulation—fundamentally different from the Slime Armament's natural manipulation—the mental cost remained identical thanks to the foundational framework of [Rule Creation].
Just as Lucian was about to begin his experiments, a knock came at the door.
Hephaestus? With a mere thought, his pajamas shifted, morphing into a sleek black trench coat. He bounded out of bed, skipping the hassle of changing clothes or folding the blankets. The [Slime Armament] fit perfectly, possessed excellent breathability, and was incredibly comfortable to wear. Ordinary clothes couldn't even begin to compare, especially since the armament seamlessly combined the traits of casual wear and combat gear.
"You're awake?" Hephaestus asked as Lucian opened the door. Her gaze swept over him before she spoke in a measured tone. "Wash up and grab some breakfast. Once you're done, come straight to my workshop. From now on, report there directly at this time every day."
"Understood."
Hearing his confirmation, Hephaestus turned and left.
Her personal visit to wake him up didn't go unnoticed. The surrounding blacksmiths exchanged surprised whispers. Lucian greeted them casually, not minding the opportunity to build a little rapport. However, his own progression remained his absolute priority; maintaining social connections was merely a secondary convenience.
There was virtually no toxic seniority or bullying. Rank and respect here were dictated entirely by forging skill.
After breakfast, Lucian headed to Hephaestus's workshop. Upon entering, he found the goddess sitting at a desk, seemingly lost in thought.
"Since you're here, let's begin your formal instruction," Hephaestus announced, gesturing for him to come closer. She immediately dove into the foundational theories of blacksmithing.
She demonstrated the entire process hands-on, walking him through every meticulous step while providing a highly detailed explanation.
"[Magic Creation: Focus Magic]."
A spell governed by pre-established rules instantly activated.
Lucian's concentration honed in perfectly. The colors of the world around him faded to gray, leaving only Hephaestus's movements and her voice in sharp, vivid detail.
In the future, all the magic beasts and spells Lucian created would operate in tandem with his established rules. Of course, the chaotic nature of the Dungeon would inevitably demand impromptu casting, but that was a bridge to cross later.
What terrifying focus.
During her demonstration, she sensed the subtle fluctuations of his magic. Catching a glimpse of Lucian out of the corner of her eye, she immediately understood his current state. Her explanations were incredibly dense and comprehensive, yet Lucian absorbed the knowledge like a sponge. In fact, his learning comprehension was so monstrously accelerated that her teaching speed could barely keep up.
Several hours later, Hephaestus had finished covering the core fundamentals and the properties of basic materials. Concluding her demonstration, she completed the process and produced a finished dagger.
Feeling the lingering trace of his magic, she stepped back. "Your turn. Give it a try."
"Yes."
Under the absolute influence of [Focus Magic], Lucian's demeanor was almost devoid of emotion. He flawlessly executed the sequence: selecting the raw materials, cutting, heating, and most crucially, the physical forging and shaping. This was followed by the post-processing steps of annealing and quenching.
While this was the standard procedure, the true test lay in the precision and force applied during the hammering phase—a skill heavily reliant on pure talent and years of experience. Specialized techniques would be covered in future lessons.
For any blacksmith, the only path to mastery was endless repetition. However, Hephaestus's expectations for Lucian were incredibly low; she simply wanted him to grasp the basics.
Lucian quickly produced a completed weapon. While the finer details were undeniably rough, the overall quality was solid.
"Not bad," Hephaestus remarked with a glance. "Shall we continue?"
"[Annihilation Maker: Phantom Butterfly]," Lucian chanted, summoning the iridescent creature. "[State Reversion]."
With a flash of light, his physical exhaustion vanished. He then pulled out a mind-recovery potion and downed it in two massive gulps.
"Continue," Lucian confirmed.
Hephaestus gave a slight nod and launched into a comprehensive breakdown of advanced forging techniques. Whenever practical application was required, she demonstrated it without hesitation.
Ever since the previous night, her mind had been a chaotic mix of fluttering emotions and intense preparation for today's curriculum. She delivered her lessons with perfect, methodical structure.
The day flew by. Hephaestus skipped lunch entirely, and by the end of the session, her voice was completely hoarse. Material identification, basic forging, advanced techniques, magic sword crafting, the theoretical framework of magic items, and even the highly taboo subject of cursed weaponry—she had unloaded everything onto Lucian.
Magic swords could unleash elemental attacks, but they had strict usage limits—typically one to five casts—functioning essentially as single-use magic scrolls. They consumed their own structural integrity to fire the spells and would shatter once depleted.
Cursed weaponry, on the other hand, involved infusing a specialized armament with a literal curse, designing it strictly as an anti-personnel tool. These horrifying weapons could inflict the 'Incurable Curse' that prevented wounds from healing, the 'Bloodborne Curse' that rotted flesh, or the 'Chaos Curse' that drove victims to madness.
For some inexplicable reason, Hephaestus harbored an immense amount of trust in him, unknowingly pouring out all of her accumulated knowledge. Even though Lucian was only Level 1 and lacked the 'Smithing' Development Ability, she didn't doubt for a second that he possessed the capability to forge these items.
"Magic swords are one thing, but I only taught you about cursed weapons so you understand they exist. Even if you forge one, absolutely do not let it circulate in the market," Hephaestus warned, suddenly feeling a wave of regret. She had successfully summarized the entire mortal realm's forging repertoire. Have I lost my mind? Why did I teach him everything?
"Thank you very much. I won't craft cursed weapons casually, and I definitely won't let them hit the market," Lucian promised, stretching his arms. A deep exhaustion lingered on his face.
Despite [State Reversion] restoring his body, his mental reserves had hit rock bottom. The sheer volume of knowledge violently crammed into his brain had left him psychologically drained.
"That covers just about everything on the forging side. Once you've digested all this, we'll discuss the underlying philosophy of the craft and the future of the industry," Hephaestus said, stretching as well, unable to hide her own fatigue. "By the way, what do you want to learn tomorrow?"
"Koine, Magic Script, and Sacred Glyphs." Lucian listed the three subjects without hesitation.
Koine was essential for daily communication, Magic Script was the foundation of magical engineering, and Sacred Glyphs were an investment for the future.
Koine functioned like English, and combining it with mathematics birthed Magic Script. Magic items, indestructible magic swords, grimoires, complex ritualistic arrays... all of these required Magic Script as the fundamental medium to construct the necessary formulas.
. . .