Undying Warlord

"Old Jeff, here are the Essence crystals you need to advance to Tier-1! Even if it might be too much Essence, absorb everything!" Dilan suggested with a smile while revealing the Tier-1 Essence crystals in his hand.

Dilan hadn't wasted any time running over to the workshop where Old Jeff was working.

After digesting the Essence that had allowed him to reach Level 10, Old Jeff's appearance was less haggard than before.

It looked like he was aging backward, which was a great sign as Old Jeff's vigor was constantly increasing.

In his current state, Old Jeff appeared fit to be able to forge which made Dilan feel hopeful as he pushed the Essence crystals he was holding in the old man's hands.

They crumbled a moment later. Old Jeff was not someone who stood on ceremony. He knew that he had to repay Dilan for everything he received from the young man.

Even if it looked like Dilan was doing everything for his own sake, it was obvious that Old Jeff was the one who gained the most from the support he received.

What was the value of a few forged goods in comparison to aging backward, and being able to continue pursuing one's dream?! It was simply priceless.

When Old Jeff finished digesting the Essence he absorbed from the Essence crystals, his eyes shone brightly.

He was overflowing with vigor and was ready to advance to Tier-1.

However, Dilan suddenly stopped Old Jeff when he recalled something.

"Before you advance to Tier-1 can you use your ability to appraise this marble, please? It manifested after I defeated the Death Beatles gang's leader. He possessed an Origin ability that allowed him to manifest and control fire at will."

Old Jeff knew about Dilan's conquest against the Death Beatles gang. As such, there was no need to hide anything.

Thus, Old Jeff quickly threw a short glance at the small blazing marble that radiated a terrifying heat. His eyes lit up the moment he finished his appraisal with his [Material inspection] ability.

"Exceptional, truly exceptional!! This marble is called [Orb of Pyromancy] and it can be used for various purposes. However, from what I can decipher, it is an extremely great forging material that can be embedded on wands to amplify fire-based attacks.

With enough mana used, it will even be possible to create fire-based attacks without the need to possess an ability related to fire.

For this, you might need a high control over mana but with lots of practice this should be no problem!!"

Old Jeff's excitement was quite obvious. The moment he finished reading through the description of the orb, he wanted to get it in his hands.

However, this was not in order to steal it from Dilan. He would never do something like that.

Instead, it was the forging material that attracted his interest and the fact that it could be used to forge a powerful weapon with it.

As long as the wielder of the weapon he had in mind was able to control both the weapon and the Orb of Pyromancy, it would be possible to elevate the lethality of the wielded weapon manifold!

Dilan was unable to hide a smile as well. His sky blue eyes shone brightly and he could not help but ask,

"Would it be possible to embed the Orb of Pyromancy in the Serpentine Blade?"

The Serpentine Blade's characteristics were already quite complex, to begin with.

However, the thought of wielding a fire-engulfed Serpentine Blade caused Dilan's heart to beat wildly.

'Great minds think alike.' This was the only thought that flashed through Old Jeff's mind as he smiled confidently.

"I hope I will be able to find that out once I advance to Tier-1! Brat, even I am now excited to start experimenting with everything you brought to me during the last few days!"

When Old Jeff finished his words, he didn't even think of continuing to speak with Dilan.

Instead, he immediately chose his Ancient Path of Advancement before he ascended to Tier-1.

[The Wise Blacksmith] was Old Jeff's occupation and ancient path of advancement which was why Dilan could only look at the old man while being slightly baffled.

'You're even less patient than I am...Aren't blacksmiths supposed to have patient hearts, and an iron will…or something like that?"

Dilan smiled wryly before shrugging his shoulders while his eyes remained fixated on Old Jeff.

The old man sat down, closed his eyes, and began to accept the changes that happened within his body.

His senses enhanced, and every single inch of his body began to itch and a searing heat surfaced from the depths of his body.

Knowledge, abilities, and experiences were imprinted in Old Jeff's mind and his Essence crystal that was embedded in his brain.

This was rather painful but Old Jeff didn't even sense this anymore as his entire being was overwhelmed by the sensation of his mind being flooded with knowledge while every single receptor in his mind was being flooded with the information of the itching sensation.

For several hours, Old Jeff was oblivious to what was happening to his body.

But he was not worried in the slightest. Instead, he smiled faintly and accepted everything.

It was not difficult to perceive that Dilan had already undergone his advancement to Tier-1. The pressure his sheer presence radiated on those around him was more than enough to understand this.

As such, Dilan would be able to help if something were to go wrong.

However, nothing serious happened. There was no trace of an incident and everything went by smoothly.

While Old Jeff hadn't been able to feel much after some time had passed since he initiated his advancement to Tier-1, Dilan had been unable to see much either.

Shortly after the advancement had been initiated, Old Jeff's body was shrouded in a whitish cocoon-like layer of fog.

Instead of a fog, Dilan presumed this to be the Essence Old Jeff was requiring to advance to Tier-1.

A part of it had been released to protect the advancing individual for a short period while simultaneously tempering the body from outside as well.

Dilan could only faintly sense Old Jeff within the cocoon, however, it was impossible for him to figure out what exactly was occurring within the cocoon.

He was forced to wait, which Dilan did diligently.

But after four hours had passed without even the slightest bit of change, he couldn't help but worry.

'Old Jeff will be fine, right?'

Another hour had passed since Dilan started to worry about Old Jeff's well-being.

However, it was impossible to get through the Essence cocoon. It didn't look anything special but the cocoon was quite sturdy.

And even if it was possible for Dilan to break the cocoon, it might do more harm to Old Jeff who was inside it, than it would help.

As such, Dilan could only continue to wait.

It took Old Jeff another hour to finish his advancement to Tier-1. Afterward, the Essence cocoon dissolved slowly, revealing Old Jeff's outlines.

Yet, what Dilan saw the moment the cocoon had disappeared astonished him greatly.

With a disbelieving look, he simply stared open-mouthed at Old Jeff, whose appearance made it seem as if he was in his 50s.

He had aged backward quite a bit but that was not everything!

Rather than his relatively younger appearance being the most impressive, Dilan was able to sense that he was in the presence of a powerful being.

This power did not only include physical strength but also intellect. Old Jeff's demeanor had changed quite a bit, which made it look like he was a scholar teaching his students.

Even if Dilan had expected a lot from Old Jeff's advancement, he was still baffled. A bright smile emerged on his face as the final result was far better than he could imagine.

Meanwhile, when Old Jeff opened his eyes, they encountered Dilan's excited sky blue eyes.

Fiery vigor gleamed within Old Jeff's eyes, only for a bright smile to blossom on the old man's face.

"So it's like this…"

**

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