After speaking with Mandy, Wolf left Silver City and teleported into Demon Forest. He sat next to the Spell Formation and focused on his body, circulating Internal Energy based on his earlier deductions.

Wolf forced his Internal Energy from his right hip towards the right shoulder. The energy surged, creating a sudden void around the hip. Internal Energy rushed from his abdomen and pelvis to fill the gap, while the raging wave Wolf controlled smashed into the shoulder, overfilling it and scattering its energy.

Wolf winced. The motion was too violent. Tone it down.

Wolf willed the storm slamming against his collarbone to weaken. It quieted from gale to high wind, then grew fainter, until it became a gentle breeze, forming a comfortable cyclone which circulated around Wolf’s torso. Energy created a vacuum when leaving the flesh, then over-saturated the tissue it entered. The overflow streamed into emptied bones and muscles, almost becoming a self-promoting loop.

How do I send this into my limbs? Wolf frowned. The current circulated through his chest and abdomen, flowing like water, from high to low, never entering his already saturated arms and his legs. I should start with the legs. They are wider and should be easier to handle.

After three hours of hard work and constant focus, Wolf created two stable Internal Energy cyclones in his thighs. He tried forming two more in his calves, but his level of mastery was lacking. Wolf’s manipulation of Internal Energy was crude and, because of the long and narrow nature of his legs, the egg-shaped currents failed to form, dispersing before adopting proper shape.

It’s easy to send a gush of Internal Energy and let it erupt to deliver a strike, or enhance limbs. But I’ll need time to gain fine control.

Wolf left the cave, focusing three wisps of his attention on three separate Internal Energy currents coursing through his body, gradually getting accustomed to it. Breathing in the forest’s musky air, Wolf grinned. In two days, the Cube of Fusing will finish and I’ll have my Reverse Star Sword. Until then, I can handle Demon Forest with magic and by relying on this technique. I just need to name it… Wolf knew what was important. He couldn’t use a nameless secret technique.

As expected, moving around using Ghost Shroud, as Wolf christened his self-invented skill, made life easier. Ghost Shroud was far from perfect, but it reduced Wolf’s Internal Energy signature, and consequently the radius from which Demonic Beast detected him.

This distance used to be one kilometer for both parties. But under the veil of the initial version of Ghost Shroud, Wolf approached Demonic Beasts up to five hundred meters without getting detected.

After one day of experimenting, Wolf segmented his body in his mind. Torso, thighs, calves, feet, upper arms, forearms, hands, neck and head. Fifteen body-parts. He believed it was possible to form Internal Energy cyclones following that blueprint, and then he would unify them.

Head is the easiest. But it’s also the most dangerous, one mistake and I’ll reincarnate. Technical thoughts flashed through Wolf’s mind, as did new insights.

But even this was enough to mask his presence. Wolf still sensed his oblivious enemies, allowing him to avoid most Demonic Beasts under Eighth Order, saving time and effort.

Other improvements which eased Wolf’s life were the danger zone’s map and information on Demonic Beasts.

Knowing Demonic Converters’ locations should mean less wandering. Which was convenient, considering Wolf’s limited time for this trip. Barbara’s wedding was in five weeks.

***

Two days flashed by. Wolf sat in the folded space. His hands shook and sweat trickled down his brow. The youth was jittery, like a child waiting for presents.

During these past two weeks, not a day went by without him daydreaming about his Reverse Star Sword. And after all that painful waiting, the Cube of Fusing was nearly finished with its premiere creation.

Wolf cracked his knuckles and fingers, his spiritual perception scanning the Ring of Holding every other second. Will it be a huge great-sword? Twenty kilos of metal went into it, so it can’t be flimsy.

Finally, under Wolf’s scrutiny, an inconspicuous long-sword materialized.

This? Wolf frowned. If he hadn’t memorized the contents of his Ring of Holding, he could have mistaken this weapon for one of many pieces of junk littering the extra-dimensional space. The weapon was disgustingly plain. Mix of mithril and adamantium resulted in a material resembling rusted steel.

At least it looks solid? The blade was shorter than the silver-hilted sword Wolf wielded for years, but it was ten times thicker and five times wider than the flimsy-looking near-rapier.

Wolf willed the shabby-looking sword into his hand.

The thing he noticed at once was that, unlike his fancy old blade, whose hilt was too big for him, this one fit like a glove. An instant later, gravity pulled the weapon. Wolf’s arm lurched downward.

Eighteen kilos. Wolf sensed the weight, realizing that two kilos worth of materials had disappeared, likely in the refinement. His lips curled into a grin, then he giggled.

“What a fine sword!” Wolf couldn’t contain his joy and shouted. He hefted the blade thrice, then slashed it through the air.

“This is the weapon I need for direct clashes of power.” Wolf laughed and kept swinging.

The mithril darkened, reaching the hue of steel, while small black spots dotted the blade where adamantium reached the surface of the blade. In light of its quality, the blade grew pleasant to the eye. Even the part of Wolf, which originally saw junk, shifted slightly and instead, he would describe the Reverse Star Sword as a rusted antique.

Wolf could see where the blade got its name. The light surface with dark dots resembled an inverted night sky, if the one examining it had a poetic soul and squinted the right way. In reality, if Wolf stabbed this sword into a garbage heap, nobody would spare it a second glance.

Wolf’s excitement died down a bit. It’s a tad too heavy? Other than Body Refiners, who could use an eighteen kilo sword? Sword-Sages would have to burn too much Internal Energy on every swing, just to reinforce their arms.

Wolf ignored another oddity. To most people, the Reverse Star Sword he wielded was a nonstandard weapon, between a short-sword and a long-sword.

How long can I last with this? An hour? Half an hour? After ten swings, Wolf grew aware of this sword’s issue. I should prepare an extra Endurance from now on. But overbearing weight has advantages. With this thing I’ll be able to chop down Demonic Converters, and it should slice through monsters like Metalshell Snappers and Rockcrushers without wasting Internal Energy.

After thinking for a moment, Wolf nodded. Reverse Star Sword’s strengths overshadowed its weaknesses and perfectly matched Wolf’s preferred, brutally direct approach to melee combat.

He didn’t worry about getting tired when fighting fodder. He could finish off the weak with magic or random junk, then shift to this Reverse Star Sword against tougher foes. If Wolf had to point out one flaw of this weapon, it would be its humble appearance.

The young man took a deep breath and his face turned solemn.

“I made a mistake before. I won’t repeat it. A sword as fine as you are deserves a name.” Wolf regretted not naming his old sword. He posthumously named it Razor, but it felt wrong. Like naming a dead stranger. “However, Star Sword doesn’t suit you one bit. It’s too flashy. You look too humble, yet hide such power inside. I’d call you Junk, but that would be unfair to you because you really are an excellent weapon. Naming you like that would be judging a book by its cover…”

Wolf paused his mumbling. His eyes flashed with inspiration, then he nodded.

“Book. That is a good name for you. Books appear humble, but may contain infinite power and potential. This describes you well. From now on you are Book.”

Wolf was very satisfied with the name he chose. As he considered it, he found Book an excellent choice. The most amusing reason was that Mages should carry books. Another important concern was something Lord of Steel mentioned. An ambiguous name gave Wolf wiggle room in vows and threats to deceive the listeners.

As for his second treasure, Wolf didn’t know what to do with it. Cube of Fusing shouldn’t be idle, but Wolf didn’t have any schemas or recipes. He could mass produce Books, but he didn’t know the schema.

For now, I’ll deconstruct the various weapons I have. When I return to Silver City I’ll look for the highest grade healing potion recipe I can find and then produce them…