I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 145 Sword Forging
DuPont gripped the greatsword in his hand, looked at the vampire in the training field in front of him, and took a deep breath.

He wrote a request to the black market in Whitestone City to help buy a +4 Strength and Constitution belt, offering 12,000 gold. However, the black market obviously didn't have this level of item in stock, and it would probably take another week to arrive.

Before that, the only thing I could do was train by empowering myself with the strength of a bull.

However, what drove DuPont somewhat crazy was that his record of one-on-one fights with vampires in this training ground was one of complete defeat.

The summoned vampire looked exactly like the vampires he had killed before, and had the same attributes. It was an 8th-level warrior with 18 strength and 20 agility. However, without the sunlight counter, according to the system, the vampire could recover 20 health every six seconds. Even after he used all the buff spells he had learned, he still couldn't win a single battle.

After all, he couldn't make the vampire lose its balance.

Of course, he could impose some restrictions on the venue, requiring the training ground to be in daylight. However, not many vampires would be foolish enough to fight in the sunlight. Setting this condition would be essentially self-indulgent and would cost a lot more money to set up the venue, which is completely unnecessary.

However, the training was effective. DuPont learned a lot about vampire swordsmanship. With the help of weapon proficiency, his attacks were now quite skilled, and he would no longer slip and fall.

Even when wielding a giant sword for extended periods, his wrists and arms would ache terribly. Maintaining high-intensity combat for less than 20 minutes would cause his movements to become stiff. DuPont calculated that his optimal condition was around 8 minutes.

I estimate that these problems will disappear once my strength surpasses 20 points.

DuPont, wielding a longsword and staff, was able to hold out longer, but the damage he could inflict with these weapons was much less. Even with the holy water applied, his healing speed was only slower. The vampires in the training ground would fly away to dodge for a while, and then launch an attack after the holy water on their bodies was exhausted by the necromantic aura on their bodies.

This is quite different from the real situation. The vampire he was facing had a reason for not being able to leave, and was also careless and didn't take him seriously. The vampire in the training ground was absolutely rational and much more difficult to deal with.

It seems I need to buy an item similar to the Dawn Sphere, or go to the church to buy some high-quality holy oil or similar items, otherwise I have almost no chance of winning against a vampire like this.

Of course, a weapon that is both handy and powerful is also an option.

His Eastern Longsword works well, and he successfully repaired it these past few days. It's just that the enchantment on it is really bad. It's okay for crushing noobs, but it's not good for high-level games.

Thinking of this, DuPont awoke from his meditation and headed to the logistics department.

When it comes to enchanting weapons, is there anyone more professional than him from the mage academy?

The clerk, whose lunch break had been interrupted, was naturally not in a good mood. However, when William on duty saw that the person who came was DuPont, his expression immediately changed, and a friendly smile appeared on his face: "Oh, isn't this Master DuPont? What brings you here?"

"I just had something I wanted to ask you about." DuPont said, taking out 10 scrolls and raising his eyebrows: "We used to be strapped for cash, but now let's settle our accounts to avoid future troubles."

“Oh, this little thing is easy for me to handle,” William said, but he put the scroll away and changed the file in front of DuPont with a smile. “Don’t worry, it’s foolproof. Besides, even if someone finds out, it’s not a big deal. I’ll just say I forgot and then fill it in.”

"Wouldn't that embarrass you? I can't do something like that." DuPont smiled and took out a scroll: "By the way, who in the academy is good at enchanting weapons?"

"What's this for?" William pushed the scroll back. "In our academy, the strongest crafter of magical items is undoubtedly the Dean, followed by the Fireforging Instructor, that dwarf master. He's a genius who can forge an entire steel golem from start to finish by himself, so adding an enchantment to a weapon is a piece of cake for him. The only problem is his eccentric temper. If you get along with him, he'll probably do it for you without hesitation, otherwise, he might not even bother with you even if you offer him thousands of gold."

"I see." DuPont nodded. Dwarves were indeed not an easy race to get along with. He put away the scroll and placed some pastries he had bought from the elves earlier. "Then I'll be going. Let's have dinner together sometime."

"Still so polite." William smiled as he saw DuPont to the door, then looked back at the pastries on the table and couldn't help but marvel, "In less than a month, you've actually been able to afford such expensive things." DuPont is now a big star in the academy; the dean personally ordered that DuPont has become a true apprentice and no longer needs to submit his scrolls.

Although he hasn't graduated yet, it's only a matter of time before he officially becomes a formal mage and a high-level mage. He's not someone that a bronze-level employee like him can afford to offend.

More importantly, this guy actually made it into the newspaper and was featured on the front page, which was quite a rare thing for Northwest College.

It's important to know that the Daily Mage's Gazette is a professional newspaper that never includes advertisements or gossip. Its content is mainly about council decisions or new magical discoveries. It's only published once a week, and there's practically no junk information in it.

In the academy, only the content published by the dean receives the same treatment. Other high-ranking mages' publications usually only appear on the last two pages, and even then, they don't appear frequently.

Seeing someone you know in the newspaper is a very prestigious thing, and now there's a new topic to talk about while drinking.

Friday's last period was the Golem class. After class ended and everyone else left, DuPont found the old dwarf, took out a cup of Ale Town's specialty: "Master, I want to enchant my longsword. What enchantments are effective against undead creatures?"

"Undead creatures? The best ones are of course Radiance and Fire. The former has fewer ways to mitigate damage, while the latter can inflict continuous damage. Of course, weapons of kindness are also acceptable." The master, who had been rambling on for the entire class, was obviously a little tired. He picked up the ale and took a sip without ceremony, letting out a refreshing burp: "The craftsmanship of the dwarf brothers of Aletown, but it's not the best Bergman beer. It's not cool enough and doesn't have any bubbles. It's just so-so."

DuPont nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Master is indeed a master. Whether it is enchanting or ale, you are a first-class connoisseur. I have some acquaintances in the town of Beer. I will bring you 10 barrels. I wonder if you could help me enchant this sword?"

The old dwarf picked up the uniquely shaped sword and looked at it: "An Eastern-style sword, huh? This kind of weapon is too light. It does rely heavily on enchantments when fighting undead creatures with hard bones. However, you can ask me for fire enchantments. If you find good enough materials, you can even enchant it with flames. But for other types, you'll need to go to the Church."

DuPont listened thoughtfully, and thought that the church was indeed a good idea: "What if we recast one separately? For example, with adamantite or other materials?"

“If it’s made entirely of adamantite, then this sword will be heavy, at least three times heavier. Your small frame won’t be able to handle a 12-pound sword.” The dwarf thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you want one specifically to counter undead creatures, or do you want both?”

"Let's use this sword specifically to deal with undead creatures. We'll save it for other types of enemies."

“The silver sword is better. Since you’re a mage, you can add some mithril as a base, so the sword can also increase your spell power.” The dwarf said, taking out a piece of parchment and quickly sketching a draft on it. “Silver is relatively soft, but it’s very effective against ghosts or vampires. With mithril as a base, its hardness is guaranteed. However, it’s best not to use it to cut down low-level undead like skeletons. The loot you get will probably not even cover the repair costs.”

“I naturally understand that,” DuPont chuckled. “Master, then how much would the casting and enchanting fees plus the material costs be?”

"The materials cost about three thousand gold. Normally, it would cost me at least ten thousand to forge them, but since you're an apprentice in the academy and have recently brought honor to it, I'll just give you half."

Although the price was outrageous, DuPont did not hesitate and immediately took out four gems worth a fortune: "Master, you can take half of this first. I'll have to put together the rest. Don't worry, the Bergman beer you wanted will definitely arrive tomorrow morning."

The old dwarf nodded in satisfaction and put the gem into his pouch: "Alright, come find me around this time next week to collect it. A good sword can't be rushed."

DuPont breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this and followed the Northwest carriage to the town.

Although dwarves tend to boast, they don't say anything too outrageous. Since a master foundry dares to ask for a processing fee of ten thousand, it must be worth it.

(End of this chapter)