SOUL FORGE CHRONICLES
Chapter 10 — Magic Stones and Magic Items
Aldric had heard the name "magic stone" mentioned by the nobles on the airship, but this was the first time he had actually held one in his hand.
The magic stone was about the size of a thumb, pitch black, and diamond-shaped — resembling a glittering black gemstone under sunlight.
Aldric used his Aether Resonance to probe the stone and found that the magical energy stored inside it even exceeded his entire Mana Flow capacity. And what surprised him even more was how easy it was to absorb.
This was clearly an extraordinary treasure.
A sorcery student's Mana Flow had limited capacity. Once depleted, they needed to re-absorb magical energy from the surrounding world — and that process was extremely inefficient. Aldric himself had needed two full days on the airship just to recover half of his reserves.
With this magic stone, that recovery time could be cut from two days to two minutes.
No wonder a single magic stone could be worth a hundred thousand gold coins, Aldric thought as he turned the stone over in his hand. With two stones like this, a sorcery student could dominate an exam almost without limitation.
By the same logic, if sorcerers didn't have special methods to deal with this, battles between sorcerers could easily turn into contests of personal wealth.
Aldric's eyes grew brighter as he stared at the magic stone.
A magic stone wasn't just wealth. It was part of a sorcerer's own power.
He pocketed the stone and prepared to continue his journey.
But this time was different from before.
Before taking a step, a flash of light moved across Aldric's body.
Zero-Ring Spell: Featherweight.
With the magic stone as a backup energy source, Aldric no longer hesitated to use spells freely.
The moment Featherweight took effect, Aldric immediately felt his body become significantly lighter. Every step felt like leaping on the wind, and the bag at his waist felt as though it had almost no weight at all.
The effect of the spell lasted half an hour, and during that time Aldric covered nearly twice the normal distance.
If things continued like this, he would only need about three days to reach the pillar of light.
But just as Aldric was running at full speed, a hissing sound cut through the air from the direction of the forest.
Whoosh!
Aldric instinctively ducked — and a frost spike shot past his head, burying itself deep in the tree trunk behind him.
"That was close!"
Aldric stared at the frost spike that had pierced through solid hardwood, a wave of cold creeping down his spine. If he had ducked half a second later, his head would have been the one with a hole in it.
"I can't be this reckless. Speed matters, but staying alive matters more," Aldric scolded himself.
He raised his hand and fired a Mana Bolt toward where the frost spike had come from, then immediately reactivated Featherweight and moved in a zigzag pattern toward the source of the attack.
Whoosh!
A second frost spike flew — but this time it missed Aldric's position by a wide margin.
This person is panicking, Aldric thought. Their sneak attack failed, and the moment their attack was countered, they completely lost their composure.
Someone like this won't be able to beat me.
Aldric pressed closer, and his attacker finally came into view.
A young woman in expensive clothing with rings on her fingers — clearly a noble's descendant. She now stood trembling, her ring-adorned hands raised nervously, trying to cast another frost spike spell to finish Aldric off.
"Don't come closer! Don't! Stay back!"
Seeing Aldric approaching, the girl squeezed her eyes shut and screamed while releasing her spell.
But the frost spike missed yet again by a wide margin.
"It's over."
Aldric stood not far from the girl, his expression flat, blue light flickering at his fingertips.
In an exam that bet their lives, there was no room for hesitation.
After it was done, Aldric approached the body with steady steps.
Two bags lay nearby — indicating another unfortunate soul had already fallen victim to the girl before him.
Aldric removed the ring from the girl's finger. The ring was made of grey metal with an antique setting that appeared designed to hold magic stones.
So this is the magic artifact the nobles were talking about in the observation deck. This is the underlying reason Kevan's alliance was able to form.
Aldric tried touching the ring to the Soul Forge — hoping to obtain the method of crafting it. But the Soul Forge showed no reaction at all. The quality of this artifact was too low.
Aldric searched further and found three magic stones and a dagger with runes carved into its blade.
The Soul Forge showed no reaction to the dagger either.
"The nobles really are wealthy. If all nobles are this poor at fighting, I wouldn't mind hunting them one by one."
Aldric examined the dagger carefully. Its handle had a small socket shaped to hold a magic stone. Aldric placed one of his magic stones into the socket, and instantly, a line of runes lit up along what had been an ordinary-looking blade.
He swung it once, and the blade sank easily deep into a large tree beside him — a tree that appeared to be over a hundred years old.
"Remarkably sharp!"
Aldric immediately thought of the Storm Eagle Sword Technique he had obtained from the broken sword of the first Baron of Thornwood.
Although he was now a sorcery student, if someone managed to get close to him and he ran out of magic, he would revert to being a useless peasant boy in close-range combat.
This dagger was too short for the full sword technique — but it was enough to apply some of the Storm Eagle Sword Technique's movements. Combined with its extraordinary sharpness, this was more than enough to cover his weakness.
With the Storm Eagle Sword Technique and a razor-sharp dagger, Aldric wasn't just covering his weakness in close combat — he was elevating his combat ability to an entirely new level.
Aldric suppressed the urge to smile with satisfaction, then removed the magic stone from the handle and stored it away.
Good weapons must be used at the right moment. He didn't have enough magic stones to use carelessly.
Aldric slipped the magic ring onto his finger, tucked the magic dagger into his belt, and continued on his way.
The other belongings from the body weren't useful enough and would only be a burden. He left them where they were, waiting for someone else who might need them.
Learning from his earlier experience, Aldric no longer moved carelessly. He became far more cautious and thorough with every step through the forest.
His speed decreased, but his safety increased. A worthwhile trade.
And so the first day of Aldric's examination passed.
...
Night fell over the ancient forest. The sounds of night insects filled the darkness from every direction.
Aldric piled up a thick layer of fallen leaves beneath a large tree to serve as a makeshift bed.
The temperature in this forest was far warmer than the winters in Thornwood Territory. Even at night, there was only a slight chill that meant nothing.
Aldric opened a bottle of nutrient potion and drank it slowly.
It tasted like diluted vinegar mixed with wild grass juice that had been fermenting for a month — truly unpleasant on the tongue.
But its effects were undeniable.
The moment the potion entered his stomach, warmth spread from his belly throughout his entire body. His hunger vanished completely in an instant.
Aldric lay back on the pile of leaves, and the exhaustion of the entire day struck him like a tidal wave.
But instead of sleeping, he closed his eyes and entered meditation.
On the airship, Aldric had already discovered that two hours of meditation was more refreshing than eight hours of deep sleep. In a dangerous forest like this, remaining half-conscious and alert was far better.
Not to mention that meditation itself gradually increased mental strength — a situation that was beneficial on two fronts simultaneously.
Aldric's mind began to sink into the depths of the Soul Sea, and the endless stars welcomed him once again.
But just as he was entering a deeper state of meditation, a strange, ferocious roar thundered through every corner of the forest.
— End of Chapter 10 —