Chapter 121: Weapon Refinement!

The off road vehicle raced along a highway battered by years of war.

Outside the windows, ruined wilderness gradually gave way to the outskirts of Norcrest. Broken concrete and empty lots thinned out, replaced by scattered buildings and the first real signs of human life.

Inside the vehicle, things were still far livelier than they had any right to be.

Most of that energy came from Sable.

The same inspector who had wanted to drag Joren before a military tribunal not long ago had now settled comfortably into the role of an old friend.

"Manester!"

Sable twisted around from the passenger seat, practically glowing.

"You are finally going to walk into this year’s review meeting with your head held high."

Manester smiled.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Still pretending?"

Sable clicked his tongue.

"Norcrest was never dead last before, but you know exactly what it was like. Every year you went there, sat somewhere off to the side, drank tea, gave your report, and went home."

The annual review meeting was held in Highcrest City near the end of every year.

Commanders from the satellite cities under Highcrest City gathered there to report local conditions, military readiness, recent losses, major achievements, and future plans. The governor would then use those reports to adjust resources and strategy across the region.

Norcrest had never been a disaster.

It had simply never had much worth showing off.

That was why Manester usually spent those meetings quietly in the background.

This year would be different.

Sable leaned farther around in his seat, growing more animated as he spoke.

"You reclaimed a Fallen Zone and killed three Rank Five beast kings. Put that record on the table and everyone else might as well stop talking."

That landed exactly where Manester liked it.

The smile on his face widened.

There was no point pretending otherwise. It felt good.

After years of showing up with nothing remarkable to report, he finally had something that could silence an entire room.

"All thanks to the Frontier Marshal."

Manester turned toward Joren, looking at him with the sort of warmth usually reserved for family.

Joren himself looked much less interested.

Official praise, networking, end of year meetings.

None of it had much appeal.

Sable noticed immediately and came to the obvious conclusion.

Joren probably did not understand how valuable that meeting could be.

So he kept going.

"Do not underestimate it. People fight for the chance to attend."

"If the governor remembers your face, if a few major commanders remember your name, that alone can open doors."

"Even the strongest students from Highcrest College appear there. They are supposed to represent the best young talent Highcrest City has."

The moment the words left his mouth, Sable paused.

Supposed to.

That was the problem.

The real monster was sitting directly behind him with his eyes half closed.

Joren still showed no interest.

Sable was already preparing to explain the importance of connections and influence when Joren simply shut his eyes.

The rest of the speech died in Sable’s throat.

Manester, on the other hand, looked entirely unsurprised.

"The meeting itself is mostly ceremony."

He let the subject drop for a moment, then glanced toward the weapon beside Joren.

"How has that blade been holding up lately?"

Joren opened his eyes.

His hand settled on the sheath of [Heaven’s Sin], fingers brushing across the cold surface.

For a Rank Four Awakened Warrior, the weapon was exceptional.

It had been forged from deep sea silver iron essence together with the spine of a peak Rank Five Earth Rending Demon Bear.

Among S Class weapons, it stood near the very top.

Joren had received it when he became Frontier Marshal.

Back then, it had been more than enough.

Now he was Rank Five.

More importantly, [Peerless Blade Saint] had changed what his blade could carry.

The difference was becoming obvious.

[Heaven’s Sin] was beginning to struggle.

So were [Black Dragon Nano Symbiote Armor] and [Voidshard Array].

All three were still powerful.

They simply no longer matched the pace at which Joren himself was growing.

"It is starting to feel a little strained."

Manester nodded.

That answer did not surprise him.

"S Class is basically the limit of conventional weaponry."

"The material can be excellent, the hardness can be excellent, but it is still only material."

"For someone at Rank Five or above, that eventually becomes a problem."

He tapped a finger against his knee.

"If you want the weapon to carry greater bursts of power, or even begin resonating with the person using it, then you have to take the weapon beyond what its original materials should be capable of."

Joren’s attention sharpened.

"How?"

"Refinement."

Sable answered before Manester could.

He had finally found something useful to contribute and was not about to waste the chance.

"Weapon refinement is not some simple matter of adding a component or coating the surface."

"It changes the weapon itself."

"Through special tempering methods, the limits of the original material are broken and the weapon’s potential is raised to another level."

Joren looked at him.

"Norcrest cannot do it?"

Manester shook his head.

"No."

"The Vega Forge branch here is basically a large warehouse with a repair shop attached."

"They can distribute standard equipment. Fix damaged blades. Replace parts."

"That is about it."

"True refinement is core technology, and Highcrest City keeps it at the main Vega Forge division."

His tone turned a little sharper.

"That is what a real technical barrier looks like."

"Too few people know the process."

"If you want an S Class weapon to cross that line and become a true spirit weapon, perhaps even one of the legendary divine weapons, Highcrest City is the only realistic option."

Joren went quiet.

His fingers moved once along his chin.

Then he looked up with an almost harmless smile.

"You know, I have been thinking."

"As a member of Norcrest, I probably do have a responsibility to attend this review meeting."

Manester said nothing.

Kyo said nothing.

Sable said nothing.

Joren continued with a perfectly straight face.

"If Norcrest finally has a chance to earn the recognition it deserves, I should be there."

"At a time like this, collective honor matters."

The silence lasted another second.

Manester almost laughed.

So that was all it took.

Mention networking and official recognition, Joren closed his eyes.

Mention weapon refinement, and suddenly this became a matter of duty to Norcrest.

The kid really would not move unless there was something in front of him worth taking.

"Good."

Manester slapped his thigh.

"Then it is settled."

"We leave for Highcrest City in three days."

"This time, Norcrest is getting the recognition it should have had years ago."

He looked at Joren and grinned.

"And while we are there, Highcrest City can finally see what a real genius looks like."

The mood inside the vehicle brightened again.

Only [Heaven’s Sin] remained quiet in Joren’s arms.

Then the blade gave a faint tremor.

Almost as though it had heard everything.

And was already waiting for what came next.