Chapter 215 - 214: Hammer of Destruction
Zelir picked up the packaged bread and pastries and went straight to the Mage’s Guild.
Then, following the route from memory, he arrived at Mage Hedley’s workshop.
KNOCK KNOCK...
He knocked on the door.
Silence. No response.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...
He knocked again.
Still nothing.
"Alright..."
’This door is probably just for show as far as Mage Hedley is concerned.’
Zelir mimicked what Bev had done before, feeling around the side until he quickly found the movable stone panel and pressed it.
CLICK—
The iron door slowly swung open.
Zelir squeezed through the opening. The room inside was just as messy as he remembered from his last visit.
This time, however, Mage Hedley wasn’t passed out.
She was sitting, completely absorbed, at a desk piled high with books and papers, occasionally scribbling something with the quill in her hand.
"Mage Hedley, I’m here." Seeing how focused she was, Zelir had to raise his voice.
Only then did Mage Hedley snap out of her concentration.
She looked up and rubbed her eyes sheepishly.
"Oh... I’m so sorry. I was organizing my old experiment notes and wasn’t paying attention."
"Have you eaten, Mage Hedley? I brought you some bread and pastries." Zelir placed the food on the table.
"Thank you!"
Hedley’s eyes lit up. She rubbed her stomach. "I was just starting to feel hungry."
After opening the package, Mage Hedley let out a soft sigh.
"It’s my favorite—bread with strawberry jam! I haven’t had any time to go out and buy some."
She eagerly took a huge bite, an expression of pure bliss spreading across her face.
"It tastes just as good as I remember..."
She quickly devoured the strawberry jam bread, then picked up a small cake piled high with thick cream.
It was clear Mage Hedley had a serious sweet tooth. Every bite seemed to fill her with bliss.
"Um..."
Zelir pointed toward her mouth. "You’ve got some cream on your lip."
"Oh..."
Hedley responded instinctively.
Then she did something Zelir never would have expected.
Hedley actually turned her head to the side and leaned forward slightly.
The gesture was completely natural.
Without a doubt, the gesture was an invitation for Zelir to wipe the cream away for her.
Zelir froze.
’Wait... what?’
’Are we that close? Close enough that I can just... touch her face?’
Sensing Zelir’s hesitation, Hedley finally realized what she’d done, and blood rushed to her cheeks.
Her face flushed as she stammered an answer.
"Oh, right... the cream."
Hedley quickly wiped at the corner of her mouth with her right hand.
She kept her head down, but a storm was raging in her mind.
’What is wrong with me...?!!’
’How could I do something so improper!’
Hedley screamed internally.
’That wasn’t my intention at all, but I just did it so naturally, without thinking, as if it was the most obvious thing to do.’
’Could this be a side effect of the Eye of Enchantment...? Making me subconsciously want to be closer to Zelir?’
"Ahem... You got it. It’s gone," Zelir said, clearing his throat to break the awkward silence.
"Oh, right... Zelir, your timing is perfect."
Hedley’s eyes darted away as she quickly changed the subject.
She swallowed the bite of cake in her mouth. "Regarding the suggestions you made last time, I’ve thought about them carefully and made some new improvements."
"I’ve come up with two new spells."
"One is a modified version of the one you tested before. I changed its final structural form into a hammer to better synergize with the vibrational resonance Rune Circuits."
"Then, using that as a base, I created another spell. Most of it is the same, but for the attack Rune Circuits, I changed it to a sharpness Attribute, which is better suited for slashing."
"And then..."
Hedley snapped her fingers. "The resulting shape is a sword! This should be a true Arcane Sword."
"Come on! Let’s give them a proper test!"
As she spoke, Hedley set her cake aside, pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment, and began to inscribe the Spell Structure.
When it came to creating Magic, it was as if Hedley became a different person.
Soon, the two began a new round of experiments in the backyard.
It was clear that Mage Hedley was genuinely talented in this regard.
Only a few days had passed since Zelir’s last visit.
Yet Hedley had already managed to refine the Spell Structure of a Level Four Magic to a fairly advanced state.
She hadn’t just changed the form and shape of the Magic Power output.
She had even optimized the small details in the circuits, making the entire Spell Structure flow more smoothly, perfecting it.
Zelir tested both spells.
First was the Arcane Sword.
The Arcane Sword that coalesced at the tip of the Night Peace Staff was incomparably sharp.
With a single downward slash, the Light Saber shot out with a whistle, cleaving the stone wall Zelir had summoned clean in two!
Next was the hammer-shaped spell.
After it finished charging, a massive, deep blue, square-headed Warhammer materialized.
Arcane Runes swirled across the surface of its head, radiating a dangerous, heavy aura.
With a mental command, Zelir sent the hammer smashing forward!
BOOM!!!
The moment the hammer’s face struck the stone wall, it unleashed a terrifying, shockwave-like destructive force!
The entire stone wall, over two meters tall, was instantly demolished, sending rubble flying everywhere and THUDDING against the surrounding walls.
This shockwave’s destructive method was somewhat similar to the Aurora Energy Beam.
The difference, however, was that the Aurora Energy Beam only affected an object’s surface.
In other words, it first had to bombard a Demon’s Armor, and only after piercing through could it harm the Demon itself.
If it couldn’t pierce the Armor, it couldn’t inflict any effective damage.
But with the hammer spell, even if an enemy’s Armor was strong enough to withstand the direct impact, the Magic Power imbued with vibrational resonance could penetrate it and inflict massive damage on the body underneath!
This was evident from the way the stone wall had been destroyed.
The powerful vibrational force had penetrated the outer surface and directly inflicted devastating impact damage to the rock layer behind it!
It was the perfect counter to heavily armored foes whose defenses were otherwise hard to breach.
"Wow."
Hedley applauded lightly. "The test results are even better than I imagined. Excellent!"
"Whew..."
Zelir caught his breath.
"So? Any suggestions for improving these two spells?" Hedley asked.
"None... They’re both perfect," Zelir said.
’The structure is stable, the power is immense, and they’re both exceptionally effective in specific situations.’
’With this, I’ve mastered two more powerful Attack Magic spells, and they’re both Level Four.’
’Neither is any weaker than the Aurora Energy Beam.’
"Then I’ve created two more Level Four spells! One is called Arcane Sword, and the other... I’ll name it the Hammer of Destruction!"
Mage Hedley nodded, satisfied.
"Once I inscribe a new copy, I can send them to the Registry Office to be officially recorded."
"And then, every Mage who learns these two spells will know that they were created by me, Hedley!"