Melina first used the Whetstone Knife to gently scrape the halberd, removing gray, translucent crystals one by one.
"To apply a new Ash of War to a weapon that already has a skill, you must first remove the old one."
Next, Melina evenly sprinkled the Ash of War: Storm Stomp over the halberd's surface while explaining to Bai Shi.
"Ashes of War are essentially the remnants of warriors who were masters of a certain skill. When you use one, it acts as a medium through which you activate the memories of its original owner, unleashing the skill that warrior once possessed. That's why it requires magic power."
"Even though it consumes magic power, you should be able to feel the refinement of those skills, right?"
Bai Shi nodded. Take a skill like Advancing Slash, for instance. Although he could perform the move himself, when he used magic power to activate the warrior's remnants, the feeling of exquisite mastery, as if it had been honed through tens of thousands of swings, was completely different.
"If I completely master the skill from the remnants, and then apply a new Ash of War, wouldn't I be able to use two skills at once?"
"It would be very difficult, but since it's a move you've honed and mastered yourself, why would it be impossible?"
Melina infused magic power into the Whetstone Knife. The arcane runes on its surface emitted a faint glow, and under the light, the Ash of War seeped into the halberd like a liquid.
"This knife can change the weapon's affinity from Standard to Quality. Do you want to change its affinity?"
Bai Shi thought for a moment. He couldn't quite remember the effect of the Quality infusion; he only recalled that the Heavy infusion gave high Strength scaling.
Adhering to the principle of asking when in doubt, Bai Shi asked a question.
"Melina, what does the Quality affinity do?"
"The Quality affinity slightly decreases the weapon's base damage, but it allows you to better leverage your strength and dexterity."
With Melina's reminder, Bai Shi finally remembered. Quality was the infusion that balanced Strength and Dexterity scaling. The higher those two attributes were, the more power the weapon would have.
But the weapon's base damage would be slightly reduced.
Bai Shi considered it. Although he had indeed put points into Strength and Dexterity, the bonus from those few points in the early stages might not make up for the loss in base damage.
"No, thank you. Let's keep the Standard affinity."
Melina nodded and performed no further modifications on the halberd.
Melina picked up the crystals of the original Charge Forth Ash of War from the halberd and placed them in the small bag that had previously held the Storm Stomp Ash of War.
She handed the halberd and the Whetstone Knife back to Bai Shi.
"There, the replacement is complete. Do you want to go try it out?"
Bai Shi gripped the halberd. Though its appearance hadn't changed at all, the feeling in his hands was different.
The memories lingering in the Ash of War surfaced in Bai Shi's mind. He could now use the skill called Storm Stomp whenever he wished.
But Bai Shi wasn't in a hurry to try it.
"Not just yet. I want to level up first."
After killing so many enemies, he should be able to gain a level or two. FΔ±nd the newest release on π£π€π«ππ‘β’πππ§πβ«π£ππ©
After killing so many enemies, he only had a little over 1,100 runes.
In fact, those enemies weren't even worth that much originally. The ones he had executed contributed a little extra.
Melina's explanation was: "Runes reside within the bodies of the people of the golden lands for many years, and a small portion integrates into their flesh. A violent execution is like squeezing a sponge, forcing out even the runes that have merged with the body."
Now Bai Shi understood. The game had this mechanic too: when an enemy was killed with an overkill that dealt 1.5 times the normal damage, the number of runes obtained would increase to 1.2 times the usual amount.
Fortunately, he still had 300 runes saved up, plus the 200-some runes from killing Misbegotten along the way. Otherwise, Bai Shi would have been just short of leveling up.
In the end, Bai Shi put the point into Vigor and was left with just over 100 runes.
Castle Morne was overrun with Misbegotten. He would probably face a siege even more terrifying than in the game.
Choosing to imbue the halberd with Storm Stomp was also for the purpose of having two area-of-effect damage options.
Bai Shi rose from the Site of Grace. The thin mist around them had dispersed when Ranni left, but Irena and the nomadic merchant were still fast asleep.
Bai Shi looked at the sky. It was still night, so he didn't disturb their rest. He took out a torch and lit it with the flint from his tool pouch.
Bai Shi mounted Torrent, held the torch high, and set off down the road where the Frenzied Flame enemies had come from. There was something there he needed to get.
"Huh, Torrent, why is your fur a bit... sparse here?"
Torrent didn't respond and just ran on silently.
Soon, he had carried Bai Shi to a village nestled in the dense forest on the hillside.
A large bonfire was built in the middle of the village, but now, there was no one left to gather around it.
Looking at the empty village, Bai Shi was certain. The enemies from before had come down from this villageβthe Ailing Village.
Bai Shi searched the area and picked up a Flame Crest Wooden Shield from a corpse.
Then he arrived at the Callu Baptismal Church next to the village.
The ruined church had become a completely open-air structure, leaving the giant statue of Marika to endure the ravages of wind and rain.
Bai Shi's objective for this trip was at the base of the statue: an exquisite golden chalice, empty inside.
It was a Sacred Tear, an item that enhanced the healing effect of the Sacred Flasks.
Melina's voice sounded in his ear at the same time:
"That is a Sacred Tear. Take it. It can reproduce the miracle of the chalice receiving the tear, enhancing the ritual of the Sacred Flask and making its effects more potent."
Bai Shi stepped forward and took it. He would have taken it even without Melina saying anything; after all, it was what he had come for.
Returning to the Ailing Village, Bai Shi gripped his halberd with both hands. He was going to test the power of Storm Stomp.
Following the memory carried by the weapon, Bai Shi gathered magic power in his foot.
With a forceful stomp, a strong gust of wind generated around him, covering a radius of two or three meters before dissipating.
Bai Shi was fairly satisfied with the effect. It was good for disrupting enemy attacks, and the strong wind could also disturb the trajectory of ranged weapons.
The Ancient King's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Still not enough. You have clearly witnessed a true storm."
The Ancient King's voice carried Bai Shi's memory back to the Chapel of Anticipation. He recalled the relentless storm that swirled and raged around that isolated island.
He had some insight, but it felt like something was still missing, so he asked the Ancient King what to do.
"Imagine it. Follow your heart. Imagine that you are the storm."
Following the Ancient King's guidance, Bai Shi continuously deepened his understanding of the storm.
He tried again. With a stomp of his foot, a much fiercer storm was born.
A fierce gale erupted. The wooden huts creaked under its impact, and the storm, like a blade, left gashes on the wood.
Bai Shi was very surprised. The difference in magic power consumption was not large, but the range and damage had both increased dramatically.
"Not bad, but you are still far from a true storm."
"I will only teach you once. Remember this."
The Ancient King guided Bai Shi's magic power. Without Bai Shi needing to do anything, a surging storm erupted.
Within a radius of over ten meters, the houses crumbled to pieces in the storm, and the bonfire, along with its base, was utterly destroyed.
A true storm had descended here.