Marcus was observing a pink liquid swishing in a glass jar.
The liquid appeared to have glitter in it, and it glowed slightly.
"It should be highly flammable…" his gaze traveled down to the scorched marks on his apron and glove.
Right before Marcus was informed that an embryo for the sword made from the refined iron had been completed, a few minutes before that, he was almost engulfed in flames.
Even a part of the ground and ceiling of this personal workshop had been affected and turned black.
At the same time, Marcus received a surprise.
[+10 Fire Resistance].
Not only that, he received over a hundred achievement points for creating this liquid.
So almost being burned wasn't entirely a bad thing. Also, it helped him confirm a theory of his.
His achievement points were closely tied to his participation and the results of his endeavors.
If he had failed, he might not have gotten anything.
And if he had asked others to make this–putting aside the fact that he didn't have the people with said skill–his achievement points wouldn't have been that much.
Lastly, making it the first time was enough. Trying to milk a particular product for points wouldn't work as the reward reduced as the quantity increased.
Raising the jar carefully, scared that it would slip from his hands, Marcus licked his lips.
"It also contains mana. But the real question is, would this suffice?"
After he was almost scorched by the fire caused by this pink liquid, Marcus was able to sense some difference between the nature of its flames and the ones he used to kill the devilish mutant.
Both contained mana, however, the one he cast was used in a different way.
Fire comes from a spark, and mana could be used as fuel to amplify the spark.
Many spells would use mana to create this spark and continue to amplify its output with Mana.
This was the way of the Mages.
But what came from Marcus's spell was almost the opposite.
The mana… was the fire.
Though Marcus didn't know that his spells differed from mainstream spells, hence his doubt over what he had created.
In the case of this pink liquid, it replicated what mainstream spells were capable of, using mana as fuel to amplify its effects.
In that comparison, it wouldn't be far off for one to consider this pink liquid to be a form of mana.
After all, there were dusts of Mana Crystals swirling in it.
"Alchemy isn't magic, it's just another aspect of science… at least not this level of alchemy. I think I should name you Phosphorus-I." Marcus shook his head with a slight smile.
Was he proud of himself?
Just a little bit, after all, this was the first thing he had created from himself. He could relish in this achievement until he could confirm its effectiveness.
From his level 1 Arcane Knowledge, he had studied a few hundred herbs that were flammable and then he came up with the idea of how to include mana in its results.
Its concept was relatively simple, even easy if some were to say.
However…
Putting the jar aside, Marcus returned to his table to look at what he had designed to carry and execute Phosphorus-I in battle.
Currently, he couldn't have them made because of one major issue.
They required materials that he didn't think existed on this continent yet.
Synthetic rubber.
That was the only solution he could come up with for now.
Metal, or anything made from iron, couldn't be used to carry Phosphorus-I as Marcus had learned the hard way.
The moment Phosphorus-I touches such materials, it immediately combusts as though a match had been lit.
As for wood, it would only absorb the liquid and waste most of its contents.
Phosphorus-I had mana crystals in its ingredients… It wasn't cheap.
As for glass, it was also unreliable as it could break easily… and yet, it was his only option at the moment.
"I should at least prepare a hundred. If we do come across that monster again, even with glass as carriers, we can throw them at the mutant and manually set them on fire. This way, even if I'm not there, and the new weapons don't cut it, the knight should still have a way to fight… supposing it works."
Marcus clicked his tongue, tempted to stir the calm waters just to get the chance to test Phosphorus-I's effectiveness.
But that was just an impulse to test his success.
He sat down, folded his arms over the papers stacked on his table before resting his head.
For a few minutes, the room was silent, as though Marcus had fallen asleep.
Just then, he chuckled.
"Who would have thought that I would be doing such things in my life? It's so addictive and scary, it's comical… but to sustain it would require more money.
"Relying on that stingy merchant house alone for occasional funds wouldn't be sufficient. Should I sell a bit of our purified iron?"
Marcus considered.
Since this was a purified and treated metal, it couldn't be called iron anymore.
In other words, the terms and conditions restricting his ability to sell iron mined from Daze didn't apply to these forms of iron.
He could set the price and sell them willingly.
Marcus raised his head.
"Doing this will certainly bring upon new restrictions, but they shouldn't be as bad… Moreover, I will be selling a downgraded version of it."
He couldn't have his enemies beating him down with his own products. Also, his purified iron could rival, or even surpass that of the Imperial Army.
Which would invite untold troubles.
They wouldn't even find it shameful to request his formulas as possessing such a thing could be considered treason…
But the people Marvus could sell this newly purified iron to weren't many.
The Imperial Army, the Royal Army, Noble's personal guards… of these options, only a minority might buy his purified iron.
"I don't have the reputation yet. Many wouldn't trust my purified iron yet until they've seen what it's capable of… but how do I do that? I can't possibly have my knights go from castle to castle advertising it."
Just then, Marcus felt the hairs in his skin stand.
A ferocious wind blew past the walls of his personal workshop, slicing through one end to end.
Am I being attacked? Has the cult realized who? He jumped to his feet.
These thoughts of his were simply dismissed as a few things didn't add up.
And the Edge Of Death notice didn't show up.
"Milord!"
"Lord Governor!"
Brown, followed by the blacksmiths, burst into his office with faces that carried fear and worry.
"Are you okay, Milord!" Brown ran towards him.
"I'm fine, what happen–"
"Forgive me, Milord. I was careless and struck with too much strength, almost harming you!" Brown dropped to his knees, feeling guilty.
Even scolding himself internally.
"Huh?" It took Marcus a few seconds to process what he heard.
Was that sharp sensation and wind done by Brown? Have his abilities grown again?
The stone wall behind him had split open like it was paper.
A deep slash ran through both rooms, sunlight pouring through the gap.
It was at that moment that his eyes caught a familiar item resting by the knight's leg.
A sword made from purified iron, sharpened and glaring in its completeness.
"Did you do this with this sword?"
"Yes sir. I didn't know it would be this sharp because it was light. But after infusing a bit of Blood Force and slashing with some effort, it cut through the walls of the workshop and went through yours." Brown explained.
Amazing!
What was amazing wasn't Brown, but rather, the sword.
"What do you think?" Marcus asked, excited.
"Sir, of what?"
"Of the sword, would it be able to cut through that monster we fought if you faced it with this sword?"
Brown became enlightened. "If the sword is durable, it would stand a chance…" he began recalling the toughness he faced when trying to cut through the mutant.
This sword was sharp, however, even he could confidently say that it could cut through the monster completely.
They had only been able to pierce an inch of its thick skin.
How tough would its flesh and bones be?
Marcus ignored the knight, even forgetting the scare that the commotion brought to him.
"You guys, come forward," he called out to the blacksmiths, handing them armor and weapon designs in the dozens.
Each with different styles, pros, and cons.
"I want you to make three lesser versions of the purified iron…" Marcus explained a bit of his thought process to the crowd and their eyes shone with excitement and respect toward the young lord.