Chapter 26 - You might want to learn, but I can't teach you

Forge a sword. For a familiar. The familiar is a husky.

Master Lin understood every word spoken to him, so why couldn't he understand them when they were combined?

Was he crazy, or was this new guy crazy?

"You heard me correctly."

Lu Ran also knew that giving a sword to a husky didn’t make sense. In fact, it made no sense at all, but the key point was that he had Super Beast Mimicry.

One day, after successfully reverse-engineering Super Beast Mimicry and introducing the 2.0 version, he and Captain Doofus could achieve "dual cultivation." With that, their swordsmanship skills would grow rapidly, and the concept of a swordsdog would be born.

"This is the first time I've received an order like this."

Master Lin was silent momentarily before giving Lu Ran a serious look to ensure he wasn’t joking.

"I don't recommend you mess around like this. Although it sounds fun and interesting, based on my experience, this kind of weapon isn’t compatible with dogs unless you can evolve your familiar into a humanoid form, such as a werewolf from the West. However, that’s still in the distant future for you."

"Thank you, but I’ve already decided. Can you forge it?" Lu Ran asked.

This old man was quite nice.

Master Lin paused and pondered for a moment.

"Interesting. It seems like you already have it planned out. Fine then. I will only be responsible for forging and nothing else. Don't look for me if your dog cuts itself. If you’re ok with that, take out your materials.

"If you only have the meteorite iron ore, the price is going to be 2,000 crystal coins."

"Huh?" Lu Ran was shocked by the price. "So expensive!"

He thought it would be, at most, a few hundred crystal coins, especially since he brought his own materials.

Master Lin countered, "You only have a piece of meteorite iron ore. How could that alone be enough to forge a weapon? Release your familiar, and I will help you add other Advanced-rank materials according to its attributes and other characteristics.

"Once this sword is finished, not even Rare equipment will be able to compare. It will definitely be the best among Advanced-rank equipment. Even if a dog uses it, it could slice through iron like mud, providing you with a huge advantage in low-level secret realms."

"Okay."

Since the information dealer said he had a great reputation, Lu Ran chose to believe what Master Lin told him. Wasn’t it just 2,000 crystal coins? It was still within his budget.

For Captain Doofus!

"Go ahead and pay."

Master Lin tapped the table and pointed out where to place his palm print.

Lu Ran paid the 2,000 crystal coins, took the silvery-white meteorite iron ore from his storage and placed it on the counter. Just like that, Lu Ran used up all the rewards he got from the beginner trial except for a few thousand crystal coins.

As for this last couple thousand of crystal coins, I’ll use a portion of it for secret realms, and the rest will be used to buy food for Captain Doofus to raise his level based on recipes recommended for wind-type familiars in the Basic Beastmaster Manual.

In the forging room, a circular summoning diagram appeared.

"Master Lin, how long will it take to forge?" Lu Ran inquired as he summoned Captain Doofus.

"Awoo~!"

A light flashed as Captain Doofus appeared, looking around excitedly. Admittedly, the husky was really handsome. It had a face that could woo other dogs.

"Hmm..."

Master Lin looked at Captain Doofus and fell into deep thought. He originally thought there might be something special about Lu Ran's familiar, but in the end, wasn’t it the same as any other husky?

"Woof."

Captain Doofus stared at Master Lin.

What are you looking at?

"It's just an Advanced-rank weapon. Find a place to sit, and we’ll get it done in an hour. By the way, this guy is a Wind attribute, right?"

"Yes."

Master Lin just glanced at Captain Doofus and determined the attributes based on its characteristics. Wind-attribute familiars typically had soft fluffy fur, as if constantly blown by the wind.

"Wait here."

He picked up the heavy meteorite, weighed it in his hand, and called out to the inner room. "Old man, get ready to work."

"Ok!!!"

In the hot inner room, next to a huge furnace, a red-shelled turtle with limbs and a head made entirely of red flames shouted in response.

The next instant, Lu Ran felt the temperature in the forging room rise by several degrees. His eyes turned towards the inner room as he really wanted to see what kind of familiar was inside, but unfortunately, he couldn't catch a glimpse.

Since he had to wait an hour, Lu Ran naturally didn't just sit idly. While stroking Captain Doofus’ fur as it lay down by his legs, his eyes became fixed on the wall.

They were lined with weapons, equipment, and items whose prices were unlisted. However, since he had the Eye of Detection, he could see the information of non-living things such as these low-level items.

The Eye of Detection was a reward that could only be obtained by scoring an S or better in the beginner trial, which was also one of his trump cards.

[Name: Red Leaf Blade]

[Grade: Advanced]

[Description: A short blade with a fire-attribute enchantment. Activating the flame requires drawing stamina from the user.]

---

[Name: Black Steel Shield]

[Grade: Advanced]

[Description: A shield that can absorb attribute damage to a certain extent.]

---

[Name: Shining Jade]

[Grade: Advanced]

[Description: Activating forms an energy shield that lasts for one hour. The energy shield will disappear after taking one attack.]

---

There were many kinds of equipment and items hanging on the wall, and after seeing a few swords, Lu Ran began to think.

If the sword forged from the meteorite iron ore is going to Captain Doofus, do I need a sword for myself?

After all, his iron sword at home couldn’t be brought into Limitless City. Also, Lu Ran was quite tempted by consumable protective items such as the Shining Jade.

The beastmaster was undoubtedly the weakest link during a battle. Before he could cultivate a stronger physique through Super Beast Mimicry, these consumable protective items could greatly enhance his survivability.

Too bad... My wallet has been losing weight, so I probably can’t afford to buy too many things. Forget it. The Divine Deer Pendant is enough.

Lu Ran continued to browse the equipment and items on the wall. By this point, he already knew how items were ranked: Common, Advanced, Rare, Treasure, Epic, and Legendary.

His Divine Deer Pendant was ranked fifth on the list, which can be said to be quite valuable, so he was even more curious about the origin of his family heirloom.

When I have the time, I should go back to my hometown, Lu Village, to investigate. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone back.

After his grandparents passed away, Lu Ran’s father and mother rarely interacted with the village.

Forty-five minutes later.

Master Lin came out of the forging room with a medium-length silver sword.

"Sir, your weapon is ready. Please take a look."

Lu Ran stood up and looked at the sword on the counter.

[Name: Cascading Wind Sword]

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

[Grade: Advanced]

[Description: A weapon that can conduct and amplify Wind energy.]

"Your familiar should know how to infuse energy around its body, right?" Master Lin confirmed before he continued.

“This sword has energy conduction and energy amplifying abilities. When your familiar holds it, even if it hasn’t mastered the technique of external energy infusion, it will still be able to infuse energy into this sword. If it has, infusing it will be much easier and less laborious.

"When energy is infused into this sword, it will also enhance the effect of the attribute, increasing its lethality.

"Meteorite iron is the best amongst Advanced-rank resources. In theory, it can conduct and amplify any attribute. Still, because your familiar is a Wind-attribute familiar, I have enhanced its Wind-attribute conductivity and amplifying effects on top of adding some other materials.

"Of course, it still retains the function of conducting other attributes, so you can continue to use this sword even after your familiar awakens a second attribute. With this sword, even if your pet is level 6 or lower, it has a chance of seriously injuring a level 10 monster. For newcomers like you, it’s a major boost."

The premise... is that your dog will actually be able to use it effectively. Don’t waste time and bring disaster upon yourself by letting your dog play around with a sword.

Master Lin looked at the excited husky suspiciously.

"Good sword!"

Lu Ran was in a great mood. He didn't know how effective this sword was, but he was very satisfied with its appearance. The entire blade was silver and shined brilliantly. The etchings resembled a storm, and the color matched Captain Doofus perfectly.

"Here."

Lu Ran picked up the Cascading Wind Sword and handed it to Captain Doofus.

It bit onto the hilt and took a few steps back.

Master Lin had a strange expression as he watched.

"Woof."

Captain Doofus’ gaze sharpened as shocking air currents emerged from its body. Wisps of white gradually turned into blue streams that quickly infused around the sword’s hilt!

Boom!

Right away, the Cascading Wind Sword took on an amazing brilliance. Under the buzzing sword hum, the originally weak airflow seemed as if it was about to grow into a terrifying hurricane! It was like a storm dancing on the edge of the sword.

"Stop!"

Master Lin's eyes twitched as he recalled the stereotype of huskies being homewreckers, quickly stopping Captain Doofus from continuing to unleash its energy.

"It's really effective. Captain Doofus only injected a small amount of energy, but it was amplified to this extent," Lu Ran commented.

The 2,000 crystal coins were well spent!

"Has your familiar mastered the external energy infusion technique?”

Master Lin was quite surprised by Captain Doofus' energy control. Although the Cascading Wind Sword had good conductivity, he could see that the husky’s level wasn’t very high.

This husky... isn't even level 10 yet?

Generally speaking, familiars below level 10 rarely mastered advanced skills like external energy infusion.

"Well, it has high comprehension," Lu Ran explained as he smiled. "We are very satisfied with this sword."

"As long as you are satisfied." Master Lin nodded as he watched Captain Doofus proficiently control his power.

This dog looks very good holding the sword. It must have trained quite a lot. Can it really fight with the sword in its mouth?

Stop joking.

He then looked at Lu Ran.

This guy might not be a simple newcomer. A normal newcomer wouldn’t be able to train a husky like this, much less come up with meteorite iron ore and 2,000 crystal coins!

Forget it. No matter who he is, it's none of my business.

"Okay. Well, if there's nothing else, I won't see you out," Master Lin stretched and said.

"Wait, Master Lin. How many crystal coins does this cost?" Lu Ran pointed to the wall.

[Name: Wind Slashing Sword]

[Grade: Advanced]

[Description: A sword enchanted with wind-attribute energy. The user’s stamina will be consumed to activate the wind blade.]

"Oh? You’re asking for yourself this time, right?" Master Lin asked.

Weapons with natural enchantments, such as the Red Leaf Blade and the Wind Slashing Sword, were used by beastmasters for self-defense or in specific secret realms.

In some secret realms, there were many ice creatures. If a beastmaster had the Red Leaf Blade enchanted with fire energy, they could cause a lot of damage to low-level creatures. It would be quite useful for beginners.

Master Lin casually glanced at the sword Lu Ran pointed to and quoted a price.

"The Wind Slashing Sword is 1,500 crystal coins."

"I’ll take it," Lu Ran said through gritted teeth.

"Okay, transfer the money," Master Lin instructed.

Soon, Lu Ran completed another transaction. After doing so, Lu Ran casually inquired, "Master Lin, where did you learn your forging technique?"

Next to him, Captain Doofus looked up at Lu Ran.

Is Captain Lu going to forge a sword for me himself next time?

I love you!

"Why? Do you want to learn?"

Master Lin also glanced at Lu Ran. Since Lu Ran spent a lot of money, he decided to add a few more words.

"My situation is special and not suitable for you. I learned these forging skills from an ascension realm. However, I don't know if that was good or bad luck.

"90% of the breakthrough secret realms are for testing the combat effectiveness of beastmasters. However, I encountered a weird breakthrough task back then that asked the beastmasters who entered to forge equipment suitable for their familiars. There were also rank requirements. Except for civilian beastmasters, who would study that kind of thing?" Master Lin cursed.

"Fortunately, I am very talented and chanced upon a forging master in the secret realm. He taught me a few tricks. I was the only one among the beastmasters who entered to pass the level.

“However, If you want to learn, isn't the alliance preparing a beastmaster university? There will definitely be someone to teach you there."