Blacksmith: The Tempering Begins With One’s Flesh - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Beast Tide Strikes Again

[As the host’s Flame Energy has reached the threshold of 1,000 points, the host has won a lucky draw chance!]

As the notification voice died down, Lin Feng suddenly beheld before him an old-looking chest that only he could see.

He carefully reached out his finger, and the instant his finger touched the chest, a pillar of dark yellow light shot out from it.

The chest began to fade away. Lin Feng’s gaze focused, and he saw an uneven piece of material with more than a dozen faces and glowing with a dark yellow light appear in the air in front of him.

The second he took the mineral, a notification rang in his head.

[Grade-3 Material, Refined Steel]

[A piece of steel ore that has surpassed the limits of human forging technique. It can greatly increase the quality of a weapon when used in forgery.]

Lin Feng put the ore away, feeling reassured.

As he thought, his Holy Flame leveled up to Grade-2 after he made the Blue Crystal Sword.

He swung the weapon, a white flame with a tinge of holy power immediately flaring up around Lin Feng. His gaze flickered, and he put out the flames in the next second. At the same time, however, he frowned slightly.

After he tried unleashing the Holy Flame just now, he noticed that the Flame Energy inside his body had actually decreased. It had gone from 1,000 to 999 points.

“Wait, after leveling up, the Holy Flame costs Flame Energy just to be released?”

Lin Feng snapped his fingers incredulously. The second the Holy Flame flared up, he felt his Flame Energy take another dip.

“Tsk…”

After a few more experiments, Lin Feng finally understood the change in his Holy Flame.

Every time he unleashed it, the Holy Flame would consume a Flame Energy point for every minute it existed in the world outside his body.

The new, energy-consuming version of the Holy Flame was much stronger than before, and it had an extra edge of holy power as well. When he used it to protect his body, both internally and externally, he could speed up his rate of recovery.

In that case, Lin Feng was still decently happy with the change in his Holy Flame. After all, it was only normal that he paid a small price for an improvement.

Besides, Flame Energy was practically an infinite resource for Lin Feng, who spent all his time forging.

He did not really mind a little energy consumption.

When Lin Feng stopped to examine his own changes as well as the quality of the Grade-3 Blue Crystal Sword, he suddenly felt the earth jolt beneath him.

Turning to look outside the window, Lin Feng soon saw that the city defense corp had all gathered at the city gates instead of patrolling the streets.

“What’s happening now?”

Confused, Lin Feng opened the smithy door and walked out. Just then, he crashed right into Brent, who was running into the smithy.

“Brent? What’s happening out there?”

Brent was abnormally panicked, his little face completely red.

“Master! I-It’s… a beast tide! It seems like the beasts at Whitewing sent a branch over to attack Whitestar!”

Lin Feng’s expression changed.

He swept his gaze across every passerby on the street.

These people were reacting just as the citizens of Whitewing had that day, in panic, confusion, and helplessness.

Back then in Whitewing, Lin Feng had not completely tempered his body yet, but he was different now.

He had not completed the reinforcement of his bones, but with the help of his Holy Flame, he could temporarily push his muscles and bones to Grade-3 without much difficulty.

“Brent, go back to the smithy and pack your things. If the beast tide really breaks into the city, you have to escape to another city with the others!”

With that, Lin Feng suddenly grabbed the Grade-3 Blue Crystal Sword and headed toward the city gates. The weapon was still warm.

Brent blinked but quickly realized what was happening.

“Master! Are you going to…?”

Lin Feng turned to look at his disciple, his lips curving slightly as he said at the top of his voice,

“Back in Whitewing, I watched my neighbors die before my very eyes. This time…

“I won’t let that happen again!”

He declared his resolve with such determination. Brent knew that his master seemed friendly and kind most of the time, but once he made his mind, even ten strength-type demonic beasts would not be able to pull him off his path.

Brent pursed his lips. The next moment, he seemed to remember something, running into the smithy and bringing out the jug of water he had prepared for Lin Feng.

“…”

Lin Feng chuckled and drained the jug, then strode away without looking back.

Brent waved at him, suddenly yelling out behind Lin Feng,

“Master!

“I’ll be at the smithy waiting for your return!”

At the Whitestar city gates, where the defense corp was gathered…

Acht was wearing a suit of heavy armor, looking at the plume of dust in the near distance with a solemn gaze.

The scouts had confirmed that the ones coming for Whitestar were the same beasts that had just recently attacked Whitewing.

The beast tide was advancing at an extraordinary speed. Right now, the men could only see smoke, but soon these destructive beasts would be right at their doorstep.

Just then, a tall man with a Whitewing emblem on his chest stepped out of the crowd.

“Those beasts have already destroyed our home, Whitewing!

“And now they’re here at Whitestar!

“City defense corp! Raise your swords! Today, we will not let these beasts take a single step into the city!”

The man was none other than the leader of Whitewing’s previous defense corp, Captain Holland.

He raised his sword high into the air, and the soldiers gathered in front of him roared deafeningly.

Just as Holland was about to mobilize his troops, though, a defense corp scout suddenly rode up to him on horseback.

“Captain Holland… We found someone fighting against divisions of the beast tide up ahead!

“He dove into the tide a few times and has killed two Grade-3 beast kings now!”

Holland and Acht were both stunned to hear that report.

“Who could be so valiant?”

“Could it be a hero from the Warriors’ Association?”

The scout scratched his head, looking a bit incredulous, as though he suspected he was still dreaming. After Holland asked him again, he finally said with some hesitation,

“I… I know him.

“He’s the blacksmith from our city… His name is…

“Lin Feng!”