Abe the Wizard

Chapter 15 Learning Forging

Abel rubbed his hands in the dirt on the ground. Since there was no anti-skid powder available, he used the dirt instead. This was a habit of his when coaching fitness. With dirt on his hands, he could prevent slipping. His body was still young, and he didn't want to risk injuring himself. Therefore, he paid attention to protecting his body in every detail in his daily life.

Standing in front of a 150-pound iron lock, Abel positioned his legs close to the iron bar in the middle of the lock, grabbed the iron bar with both hands, and lifted the iron lock from the ground over his head in one continuous motion, fully extending his arms above his head.

Master Bensum let out a light exclamation. Although it was only 150 pounds, Abel's movements were clearly much smoother and more fluid than Gaden's.

On the other hand, Knight Marshall had a different view. Abel lifted the iron lock by starting from the feet, then using the legs, passing through the waist and abdomen, and finally reaching the arms. This technique was somewhat similar to the power accumulation in knight skills. Abel could use this technique to lift the iron lock for the first time, indicating that he had already reached a very high level of understanding of strength.

Dropping the 150-pound iron lock, Abel then stood in front of the 200-pound lock and effortlessly lifted it. He proceeded to lift the 250-pound lock with ease. Under the astonished gaze of Master Bensum and Gaden, Abel was now standing next to the 300-pound iron lock, which had previously been a challenge for Gaden to lift.

Gripping the iron bar with both hands, this time his hands were closer together than before. He squatted slightly, lifted the iron lock, passed it over his chest onto his shoulders, and then stood up straight. Then, gripping the iron bar with both hands, bending his arms, and keeping his chin parallel to the iron bar, he pushed it straight up until the iron lock was lifted over his head.

"Marshall, where did you find this monster?" Master Bensum asked Marshall, as if waking from a dream.

"What do you mean by 'monster'? He's a fourth-level apprentice knight. What kind of fourth-level apprentice knight wouldn't be able to lift 300 pounds?" Marshall was not pleased with the Master calling his adopted son a "monster," and directly disclosed Abel's level.

"A fourth-level apprentice knight, my goodness. How old are you this year, boy?" Master Bensum asked Abel in amazement.

"I'm almost 13," Abel replied softly.

"So you're only 12. A 12-year-old apprentice knight? Who in their right mind would give such a treasure to you as an adopted son?" Master Bensum looked disdainfully at Knight Marshall.

"What's wrong with me? I'm also a mid-level knight, okay?" Marshall shouted loudly.

"You seem to have just entered the mid-level knight, right? Such a genius should be handed over to the knight commander for training. Even if there were a grand knight commander, they would take on such a disciple."

"Don't worry about that. It's fine for him to learn forging with you." Having had a close relationship with the Master for many years, Marshall didn't want to argue with the Master anymore. If it weren't for Marshall's close relationship with the Master, he wouldn't have been able to invite the Master back to the territory. The Master's straightforward personality always made Marshall feel overwhelmed.

"Let him stay, Marshall, are you sure teaching him won't hinder his future?" After agreeing, Master Bensum added.

This remark prompted Marshall to say to Abel, "You stay here with the Master during the day and learn well. Practice your knight skills in the castle in the morning and evening." Then, somewhat flustered, he left the blacksmith shop.

"Gaden, you teach Abel some basic skills first," Master Bensum said before heading to his own workshop.

"Your strength is really impressive," Gaden said with curiosity as he looked at the small-bodied Abel, praising him.

"Your strength is also very impressive." Abel had undergone knight training, but he could tell that Gaden was just an ordinary person, so Gaden's strength was indeed impressive.

"But I'm much older than you. I'm 19, and you're only 12. Moreover, I saw you lift 300 pounds very easily. You should be able to lift heavier iron locks," Gaden said confidently.

"You simply haven't fully exerted your strength. If you want to learn, I can teach you how to lift iron locks like me when you have time."

"Really? Can I really learn that skill? I will teach you forging techniques seriously. Whatever I know, I will teach you," Gaden said excitedly.

...

It had been almost a month since Abel arrived at Harry Castle, and New Year's Day was approaching in three days. Abel had been learning in the blacksmith shop for almost a month.

Regarding forging techniques, Abel had learned all the basic skills from Gaden. At this moment, he was working on forging his first great sword, intending to give it to his elder brother Zack as a New Year's gift.

Abel held the red-hot iron billet with one hand using tongs and hammered it with a 10-pound iron hammer on the anvil with the other hand. After dozens of hammer strikes, the billet slowly cooled down, and Abel threw it back into the furnace to reheat it.

The smelting technology of this era was not advanced. Abel learned that the work of a blacksmith was merely repeatedly hammering and heating the iron billet, cooling it down, and then reheating and hammering it again. The number of repetitions represented the fineness of the ironwork. When Knight Marshall showed Abel a longsword formed by 100 repetitions, it was made from a billet refined 100 times.

Ordinary blacksmiths could produce billets with a fineness of up to 30 to 40 repetitions, while Gaden, as a disciple of Master Bensum, could produce billets with a fineness of 60 repetitions. Only the master could produce billets with a fineness of 100 repetitions.

Abel found this repeated hammering process easy to understand. Having seen scientific programs, he knew that this process was a means of removing carbon from the billet. The more repetitions, the less carbon remained in the billet, and the better the quality of the billet.

After nearly a month of repeatedly hammering the billet with an iron hammer, Abel also mastered the technique of using the iron hammer. With his learning speed, he could now accurately grasp the position of the strikes. The billet had been hammered 50 times, and each strike required increased force, yet Abel's hands remained steady.

Quietly watching Abel nearby, Master Bensum had not taught Abel any knowledge during this period, but he had been closely observing Abel. Gaden had been with the Master for five years, and teaching Abel some basic skills was enough.

Watching Abel's every strike on the billet, Master Bensum always felt a peculiar fluency. Abel's speed was not fast, with a one-second interval between each strike, making it look effortless. However, the master knew that a 10-pound iron hammer striking over a hundred times could be done by anyone, but the number of repetitions required for a 50-fine billet was different. It was non-stop hammering from morning until noon. Abel's striking method was something he had figured out after practicing strikes during this period. It was similar to punching in boxing, where it was tested that the heavy punch in boxing was the strongest of all punching techniques because it used the body as a medium for transmitting force, rather than just using arm strength.

Now, Abel's method of striking the billet was like this. He did not use too much force for each strike, transmitting the force from his feet to his body and finally to his arms to drive the iron hammer downward. Then, using the rebound force of the iron hammer, he only needed a little force to lift the iron hammer back to its original height, starting the next cycle. This striking method actually did not require much effort; it was just difficult to master. Abel also discovered that as long as he had theoretical support, his body could make corresponding movements.

Wouldn't it be better if this child were not an apprentice knight? He's such a genius blacksmith. Why does he have to do those fighting and killing things? With Abel's learning ability and current level, if he could learn for a few years, he would definitely become a new master-level blacksmith. Master Bensum felt conflicted.

Having forgotten to eat, Abel finally finished hammering the billet 80 times at two o'clock in the afternoon and could no longer continue hammering it. Even with all his strength, it was difficult to continue hammering the 80-fine billet.