Chapter 641 – Bernir’s Trial Continued.

“You seem stressed these days. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, it’s just… I don’t want to fail…”

“Aww, you’re being too hard on yourself. I don’t think he is the type of man to hold something like that against you.”

“Aye, I know…”

Bernir let out a sigh as he leaned against his wife, her ample bosom pressing against the back of his head as she hugged him. The embrace eased his mind and helped him forget, if only for a moment, the importance of the day ahead.

“Well, give it your all!”

The hug did not last long. A firm palm landed on his back, sending him stumbling forward. His wife was much larger than him and far above his level, her strength was immense enough to nearly knock him to the ground. His son, sitting on a nearby chair, burst into giggles, and Bernir could not help but smile as well.

“Don’t worry. Daddy will come back a new man!”

“That’s what I like to hear. Oh, and bring back some oats on the way. We are all out.”

Bernir nodded and headed outside. People greeted him with respectful nods, and even the guards stepped aside, all of them aware of his connection to Roland. Though he appreciated the treatment, Bernir did not feel he deserved it. Everything he had was thanks to Roland, while he himself could not even cross the threshold into the tier three realm.

The thought haunted him at night. He was not useful. He was not truly helping the man who had long since surpassed him. Once, he had taken pride in his craftsmanship as a blacksmith, and in that field, he had even outmatched Roland. In time, however, that gap closed. When Bernir saw the last set of dark armor his boss had forged, he had to admit that he could likely never create anything better.

If he could not reach him through pure metalwork and craftsmanship, then he needed something new. The only way to catch up was through this ascension trial. The class he might obtain was something even his boss was not capable of acquiring. It opened new possibilities that runes alone could not yet achieve. At least for now.

Roland had a talent for coming up with new ideas, so perhaps even this class and the equipment Bernir would create with it could eventually be replicated. Bernir did not care about that. As long as he could be useful to the man who had changed his life and made it better, it would be enough.

After four failures already, he hoped the fifth attempt would finally be the one. He arrived at the underground workshop, where the magical tower spirit Sebastian was waiting for him. Sebastian’s body was now fully golemic, complete with articulated fingers and even a mouth that moved when he spoke. While it was not quite finished yet, he was beginning to look more and more human.

“Let’s go, Sebastian. This time, for sure.”

Sebastian and Bernir moved toward the memory chamber. Bernir was growing tired of the white walls and the sterile atmosphere. He hoped this would truly be the last time he would be here for a while. Before entering, he quickly pulled out a few notes. They detailed various scenarios and changes within the ascension trial, things he had studied for days before attempting it again.

Soon, he was back in the chair, holding the crystal. With a single thought, he activated it and found himself in his old home village. After walking to his house, he picked up the white hammer, and the test began anew.

This time around, it was neither an axe nor a bow, but a shield that he needed to prepare. Even though he lacked many of his memories, some of them began to rush back. It was as if the constant study of the images produced by the memory machine and the repeated reinforcement of them had triggered this strange effect.

It felt as though he already knew what to do and which materials to choose in order to craft this soul-infused weapon. Once the temporary skills were granted to him again, he began working at a rapid pace, finishing in record time while remaining completely at ease. Half of the starry sky was still lit when he finally finished the first part of the trial.

“Now then, on to the true test…”

It was time to cross the threshold and begin anew. Just like the last time he had been here, though this time the weight on his shoulders felt different. The door appeared once more, formed from the same quiet radiance as before. Bernir did not hesitate. He stepped through. The world snapped into focus around him, and the two assistants appeared again.

“Chief!”

One of his apprentices came running to inform him about the lord beacon. In the past, he had answered the call without much thought, but this time he knew better. The moment he spoke to the strange amalgamation of Arthur and Roland, the timer would begin ticking. If he delayed it slightly, he could gain some precious time to set up his forge first, and that was exactly what he intended to do.

“You two.”

“Yes, Chief?”

“Take this list. Go to the market and buy everything on it.”

“All of this, Chief? This is our whole budget. Are you sure?”

The assistant barely finished speaking before Bernir smacked him over the head.

“Aye. Just get it and stop asking stupid questions.”

The apprentice rubbed his head, wincing, but nodded and sprinted off with the list clutched in both hands. The other followed close behind, as if accustomed to this sort of treatment. Bernir exhaled slowly and turned back toward the forge.

“Aye. Let us not waste any time. Once the knight appears to take me, I will not have a choice.”

Thanks to the memory machine, he knew a few loopholes in this trial. Some things changed, but others remained constant. This was the first trick he learned after his boss told him to experiment and go off the path to see what would happen. He asked him to explore the city, to ignore orders, and to try to find anything he could use to his advantage.

One early loophole was gaining a few hours of spare time if he did not visit the lord. Another was that buying resources early was the best choice, since when the creatures came attacking, the whole area would be suppressed, rendering merchants scarce and everything more expensive. To alleviate this problem, he needed to start crafting as soon as possible. Every weapon he created and everything he made properly added funds to his smithy. The fewer soldiers who died, the more the lord would reward him. This was the main crux of the trial.

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