Date: July 01, 2018 (Wednesday)
Location: GDA Central Command, Geneva, Switzerland
Time: 10:15 AM
A new room had been prepared in the deepest and most heavily guarded level of the GDA bunker—'The Forge.' The temperature here was significantly higher, and security access was strictly limited to Richard and Aris.
In the center of the room sat a massive, modified anvil. Standing before it was forty-two-year-old Viktor Kael. His build was broad and powerful, typical of a heavy-metallurgy engineer. His eyes reflected a mix of confusion and exhaustion.
The door opened, and Richard Vance entered. Behind him was Aris, carrying a secure metal case containing a dense C-Rank Essence Stone and a glowing Mana Core.
"Viktor Kael," Richard said in his signature icy voice. "You are a B-Rank Blacksmith. Our modern machines cannot handle these magic materials. You will combine these two items to create a sword."
Viktor looked at the stones. "Sir, I am a metallurgy engineer. It is impossible to forge these... their melting point is beyond any known metal—"
"I did not tell you to use an ordinary forge," Richard interrupted. "Pick up the hammer and touch the stone."
As Viktor's hand made contact, his dormant B-Rank mana surged. A bluish aura radiated from his body, flowing into the hammer and stone. A blueprint flashed through his mind—instinctive knowledge hardwired into his neurons.
Aura Hammering & Circuit Weaving
Viktor struck the stone. A thunderous metallic ring echoed, but the stone didn't break. Under the strikes of 'Aura Hammering,' the material stretched and bent like soft metal.
Richard observed in silence. His S-Rank senses could see Viktor weaving microscopic mana threads—'Circuit Weaving'—into the blade. This was something no machine could ever replicate.
After an hour of intense labor, a pitch-black sword with a glowing blue line along the center lay on the anvil. Viktor stepped back, gasping. "How... how did I do that?"
Richard lifted the weapon. Its balance was perfect. The Mana Core in the hilt acted as an engine, allowing energy to circulate through the internal circuits. The sword powered itself.
He pushed a portion of his suppressed S-Rank energy into the blade. Unlike the Hybrid Alloy, this C-Rank Magitech sword held the pressure perfectly. No vibrations. No cracks. Infinite durability achieved.
The Elite Mandate
"Aris, record the data," Richard said coldly. "True Magitech can only be created by a Blacksmith. Machines cannot comprehend these materials."
"Sir," Aris noted, "if that's true, we can never mass-produce these for 300 million Dungers."
"Exactly," Richard agreed. "Therefore, Magitech will be strictly limited to our highest-ranking strike teams of C-Rank and above. The infantry must survive on the fifteen-minute-limit hybrid swords. Viktor, from today, you are the GDA's Chief Blacksmith."
Aris checked an urgent update. "Sir, 50 to 60 E-Rank Hell Gates are appearing daily. We are losing Dungers due to weapon failure and the suffocating atmosphere inside."
"Any reports of F-Rank gates?" Richard asked.
"Zero, Sir."
"Because F-Rank mana is exactly zero. A dimensional door cannot open without mana," Richard solidified the logic. "The world thinks these E-Rank gates are the maximum threat. They are wrong. The day the first D-Rank gate opens is the day we realize how unprepared we truly are."
The Magitech Era had officially begun, but the coming storm was far larger than a single sword.