[LSB] Chapter 113: Finally Doing Some Blacksmithing

"Did… you see that?"

"The issue isn’t seeing it. The issue is that it happened in the first place."

"The phasing weapon… lost? But aren’t they both made from xylarion?"

It was hard to tell which was louder—The violent hum of the shattered phasing blade still lodged in the wall, or the exterminators, who couldn’t stop whispering.

Some were still staring at the embedded fragment, wondering what might have happened if it had flown toward them instead. But most—

Most were staring at the naginata.

Their narrowed eyes searched for any sign of damage. A scratch. A dent. Anything. But no matter how much they leaned forward, no matter how many times they blinked, the weapon was flawless.

Perhaps if they moved closer, they could get a better look, but with Cindy standing near Julian, it would be hard to do so without annoying her and incurring her wrath.

And so, they simply watched.

Cindy, meanwhile, stared at the weapon in Julian’s hands.

The broken phasing blade in her twitching hand dropped to the ground along with her jaw, she didn’t even care that it cost hundreds of thousands of credits. None of that mattered.

Her lips barely moved as she muttered under her breath—

“Sword Junkie…”

Her hands continued to twitch, itching to reach for the naginata. But with so many eyes on her, she restrained herself.

Instead—

She stepped forward, cleared her throat, and waited.

And after a few more subtle gulps, Julian finally turned to her.

A sharp click whispered through the air as he disassembled the naginata, returning it to its original form—a katana and a wakizashi.

And then, without even any ceremony, he casually handed the weapon to her.

“Here you go.”

Cindy gulped again as she stared at the weapon, and Julian urged her to get it.

"I’d like to believe you’re the only person in the universe with something like this," he continued. "So please—take care of them."

Cindy had so many things she wanted to say. But as her hands slowly, carefully wrapped around the hilts, all that came out from her trembling lips were—

"Do… they have a name?"

She had never named a weapon before. Had never even thought about it.

But as she held the almost weightless blades in her hands, that was the only question that danced in her mind.

Julian’s lips curled into a small smile at her question.

His fingers brushed against the blade as Cindy held it, almost causing her to let it go. But she tightened her grip on it, not willing to set it free as Julian whispered—

“They do. They share a single name, Phantasm.”

***

[Item: Phantasm]

Type: Shifting Weapon [Current Form: Katana and Wakizashi]
Grade: Unique Legendary
Durability: 500/500
Sharpness: 300
Weight: 1.4

Special Effects:

Momentum Reverie – The weapon’s movements flow like a dance, storing kinetic energy with every motion. Each consecutive strike becomes swifter and sharper, resetting only when the wielder is still.

Silvie’s Blessing – Forged with the flames of an unknown spirit, Phantasm does not weaken with time—instead, it grows stronger and more durable the longer it remains in use, its edge refining itself in battle.

Willed Untethering – By the creator’s design, Phantasm grants no enhancement to its wielder. Strength must come from within; the blade merely follows.

Skills:

None.

Description:

Designed and crafted solely for Cindy Solis, Phantasm is not a weapon that leads its wielder—it is one that follows. Each motion is an extension of the body, each strike an echo of its master’s intent. Unbound by rigid form, it shifts to match the rhythm of battle, complementing Cindy’s speed, fluidity, and relentless pursuit of motion.

Though imbued with Silvie’s fire, it does not burn—it refines. Like the woman it was made for, Phantasm does not dull with time but grows sharper, faster, more precise with every clash.

It does not offer strength. It does not provide guidance. It merely exists as a partner in the battlefield—a blade without burden, a weapon without restraint.

[End of Description]

***

"Phantasm…"

Cindy's breath hitched as she tightened her grip around the hilts. She had only been holding the blades for a few seconds, yet it felt as though her hands were already sinking into them.

Like she'd wielded them all her life—

No.

Like she had been born with them in her grasp.

"Can… can I start training with it, Julian—no, Master Julian?"

She swallowed hard, and for some reason, she suddenly found it difficult to meet his gaze. As if he weren’t the same person she had been stalking through the internet for a long time now.

To try and recruit her in her guild-slash-explorer team, of course.

Julian simply shrugged. "You can do whatever you want with it." He took a step back and turned away. "As long as you take care of it, it will be the last weapon you’ll ever need."

With those parting words, he returned to his smithy, standing in his usual quiet posture, head slightly tilted downward.

Cindy, meanwhile, felt like a child unwrapping a long-awaited gift—except her new toy was capable of slicing through one of the sharpest known weapons in the entire universe.

She swung both blades in unison, refusing to use just one at a time. Her movements were fluid, precise, almost playful as she danced across the floor.

The other exterminators stood mesmerized, watching from a safe distance. None dared to step closer. The way Phantasm had already proven its cutting power made them wonder—if she so much as brushed against them, would they even realize they had been sliced?

And then—

She flew.

A blur of motion, her thrusters whispering before she disappeared into the air.

Julian finally understood why she was called the Phantom of the Battlefield.

At first, he assumed she must have been some kind of assassin, or perhaps someone like him—silent, elusive, lingering in the shadows, only metaphorically.

But that wasn’t it at all.

She wasn’t a ghost because she hid.

She was a ghost because she moved too fast and too unpredictably to see.

Although Julian had no trouble tracking her because he was blind in the first place and relied on his abnormal senses, he was certain that to everyone else in the room, she was vanishing and appearing randomly in the air.

Her speed wasn’t just impressive—it was unnatural.

Her movements were erratic yet controlled, like an insect darting unpredictably through the air. The G-forces alone should have torn her apart or at least knocked her out, yet she maneuvered with ease, weaving through the training hall like she was weightless.

Finally, she came to a stop.

Only then did the others finally see her again.

She descended slowly, her breaths calm and measured, and as her feet touched the ground, she merged the blades into their naginata form.

Then, with a single but casual downward swing—a thin, deep crevice split the floor beneath her, the longer blade of the naginata buried at the end of it.

A silence stretched over the hall…because she didn’t mean for that to happen at all.

"Oh… oops," Cindy mumbled, eyes widening as she stared down at the damage.

She hadn’t even swung with force.

Barely any at all.

The katana, half of it, was now embedded in the floor.

Slowly, she pulled Phantasm free, and with barely a glance at the damage, she resumed her training as if nothing had happened.

The DCC will cover it, she thought.

A few of the other exterminators considered approaching her.

They immediately thought better of it.

Instead, they went back to doing what they had been doing for the past several minutes—

No, not training.

Gossiping.

And this time, all of it was about Julian.

"Wait… he had his back turned when the Phantom attacked him. How the hell did he slice her weapon?"

"Idiot, he’s blind. It wouldn’t have mattered if his back was turned."

"Are we even sure he’s blind? How does he move like that?"

"Cindy was already wearing her armor… Just how strong is Julian Winters? So it’s true? He’s some kind of mutant?"

And while their whispers filled the training hall, Julian remained still in his station, unmoving, silent.

But unknown to them—

He was examining his level.

He had leveled up several times on his way to Piathus, and again after reaching the borders of gnarfolk territory. By the time he left Artemia, he had been sitting at level 26.

But now—

[Level: 30]

With a single Unique Legendary-grade weapon, he had jumped straight to 30.

If he continued forging xylarion equipment, wouldn’t he continue leveling up just as fast?

A small smile started to creep onto Julian’s face at the thought.

This is it.

This is how a blacksmith should live—

Growing stronger not through battle, but through craft.

He needed to take advantage of this opportunity and forge as many xylarion weapons as possible. But realistically, the next ones he created wouldn’t provide as much experience.

After all—

Cindy’s grandfather had been the first person to truly appreciate his weapons, and Julian had grown to like him even though they had only met once.

That was why he had secretly used Silvie’s flames to forge Phantasm.

He wouldn’t do that again.

At least, not unless someone else earned it.

Well—

That is, if he even got another chance to forge in the first place.

Julian had been standing at his station, quietly observing everyone’s combat styles. He already had ideas for what each of their weapons should be—

But no one had approached him.

Should he just choose an exterminator and make a weapon for them? If so…

Then it had to be Katsuki, the first man who approached him earlier.

Julian was about to turn around, ready to start forging—

But before he could, someone stepped up to his counter.

Julian tapped his foot lightly on the ground, using the vibrations to recognize who it was.

It was Mohinder, the exterminator who, based on Julian’s observations, was as popular as Cindy.

"Namaste, lohar."

And much like his humble mechanical frame, Mohinder’s voice was soft—almost high-pitched. He pressed his palms together and bowed deeply, and Julian hummed in response.

"Hello," Julian said, placing his hands on the counter as he turned toward him. "Are you looking for a weapon?"

"I am."

Mohinder bowed once more before lowering his hands.

"But I have never truly used a weapon before, lohar. I will leave that up to you."

Julian raised an eyebrow. "I won’t know what to make for you if I don’t know how you fight."

At his words, a small smile formed on Mohinder’s face.

"Then… would you like to spar, lohar?"

"I believe that would provide the fastest and best result."

Julian considered the offer for only a moment before humming in agreement. Without another word, he stepped out from behind his station, making his way toward the training floor.

And once again—

Those pretending to train but were actually eavesdropping quickly moved aside to make way for him.

"I will only—"

Before Julian could even finish speaking, he instinctively tilted his body to the left, dodging Mohinder’s hand as it struck toward his neck.

The first blow came like a hammer striking the air, a skirt of wind and a boom following in its wake. The sheer force of Mohinder’s strike displaced everything around them, rattling the floor beneath their feet. If it had landed, the fight might have ended then and there.

But it didn’t.

Julian had already stepped aside, tilting his head slightly as the gust from Mohinder’s palm rushed past his face. The moment the first strike missed, another followed—a downward thrust powerful enough to crack the reinforced flooring. 

The impact sent a dull tremor through the ground, but Julian wasn’t there to meet it. His body shifted like a leaf, flowing just beyond the attack’s reach before Mohinder launched into another.

Every strike was relentless, raw, and unchained.

Mohinder’s hands carved through the air like blades, each motion carrying a force that could shatter stone. Thunder rumbled with every swing, the air howling around them as he fought with a power more suited to tearing apart machines than sparring with a man. His movements weren’t measured or restrained—they were wild, instinctual, and fueled by something deeper.

But Julian still dodged.

He didn’t parry. He didn’t counter. He simply moved, as if each attack was expected before it was even thrown. To the other exterminators, it was as if he had memorized Mohinder’s patterns before the fight had even begun. In reality, he was studying, mapping out every shift in Mohinder’s balance, every subtle giveaway in his movements, every fraction of a second where his opponent was open.

And the way Mohinder fought… it wasn’t martial arts.

This wasn’t a soldier who had refined his technique over years of disciplined training. This was something else entirely.

A beast, more similar to the monsters of Artemia.

Every breath, every step, every motion carried the weight of something primal. He fought not with logic, but with raw instinct, striking with the precision of a predator.

Julian already knew what weapon to make Mohinder, but he didn’t stop the fight just yet as he wanted to test something else entirely.

His own body.

He hadn’t fought like this since facing Vijaya’s clone on Artemia. Back then, he had still been unsure of his strength, pushing himself only when absolutely necessary. 

But now, after leveling up repeatedly, he had no doubt that he was stronger than before. Faster. Sharper. The fight was exhilarating, but it also made him wonder.

Was he already stronger than Vijya’s clone on Artemia back then?

It was hard to determine. After all, on Artemia, every strike seemed more normal due to its higher gravity. But here on Earth, each of Julian’s strikes would also leave behind a shockwave.

If he attacked just once, would Mohinder even be able to withstand it? Would the fight end in a single blow? Or will he tank it completely with only minimal damage on his mechanical body?

The thought lingered for only a moment before logic took over.

And finally, Julian moved toward Mohinder instead of back.

He caught Mohinder’s wrist, fingers clamping down with just enough force to halt the momentum. Mohinder barely had a chance to react before Julian stepped behind him, shifting his weight just enough to unbalance him. 

Before Mohinder could pull away, Julian raised his free hand and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"It’s okay now," he casually said,

"I know the weapon to make for you."

[LAST CHAPTER] <-----> [NEXT CHAPTER]

AUTHOR NOTES

Deyumn. And who said Julian wasn't badass!? Well, it is true that he's mostly dumb when it's not concerning equipment and crafting. lol