After going into the sea, I met the witch.

"The man inside the [Inheritance Crystal] must be at least at the fourth rank or higher..."

After sighing for a while, Ryan got up and went to the beach outside the cave, drew his greatsword, and began to try.

Through the inheritance of the [Crystallization of Inheritance], he has gained a basic understanding and mastery of the [Storm Sword Technique - Sea Divider].

Unlike the first sword technique of Storm Sword Art - [Breaking Waves], the second sword technique - [Parting the Sea] - has two different variations based on the former.

Firstly, there is sword energy.

Previously, no matter how many times Ryan charged up his power, his greatsword strikes were all solid physical attacks. However, after learning the second sword technique, he was able to generate sword energy attacks based on the charging up of his power.

However, compared to a solid sword strike, the attack power of sword energy is somewhat weaker.

However, when attacking enemies with flying abilities, sword energy attacks can have unexpected effects, thus expanding his mid-to-long-range attack methods.

Another change is what Ryan values ​​most.

Above the "three-stage power accumulation", the brand-new derivative "power accumulation" is based on this move, which is why the sword that cuts down the hundred-meter-high wave is able to achieve this.

Compared to that, even the power of "three-stage charging" feels like "children playing house".

Therefore, Ryan named it "True Charge," meaning a true charged greatsword strike.

And this is the move that Ryan is now preparing to try.

Spirituality is surging, and power is converging.

Soon, the "three-stage power accumulation" was completed!

According to the teachings, Ryan began to adjust the speed and position of the spiritual flow, causing it to gather into a sphere. When the sphere was compressed to its limit and then exploded, he could unleash a "true power-accumulation" sword strike.

However, even though Ryan had mobilized all the spiritual energy within him, he still couldn't get the sphere of spiritual energy to the point where it was compressed to its limit and about to explode.

—His spirituality of 5.3 did not meet the minimum threshold for using "True Power Accumulation".

A few seconds later, the gathered sphere of spiritual energy dissipated, and Ryan put down his greatsword and sighed.

According to his estimate, one needs at least 10 [Spirituality] to use "True Power".

In other words, this is a sword technique that he, at the first level, cannot use.

In fact, a [Spirituality] of 10 or higher is already the standard for Tier 3. This means that Ryan has two professions and the [Gluttony Hunter] buff is much higher than that of a normal profession. Otherwise, even if he is Tier 2, he still cannot meet the requirements for using this sword skill.

Compared to spirituality, the difficulty of this sword technique for a normal professional lies in physical strength.

The highly compressed sphere of spiritual energy requires a sufficiently strong body to withstand it. Therefore, the minimum physical strength requirement for using the "Storm Sword Technique Second Skill - [Parting the Sea]" is the same as the spiritual strength requirement, both being 10 points.

How can a normal professional achieve 10 points of [Physique] at Tier 3?

This is almost impossible. Even the "Soldier Path," which is more focused on physical fitness, only has the possibility of achieving this [physical] requirement at the third-tier limit.

"No wonder the Storm Sword Technique is widely known only in its basic version; the difficulty of this sword technique has increased dramatically."

Ryan shook his head.

Since he couldn't use "True Power Charge," he had no choice but to settle for second best and begin studying the "Three-Stage Power Charge" sword aura attack.

This attempt also made Ryan realize that it was not an easy thing to use sword energy to attack.

The process of charging up a greatsword is essentially a process of compressing spirituality and power before unleashing it. Adjusting the structure of spirituality during this process and transforming it into sword energy is extremely difficult.

Ryan tried for a while and found that he could unleash sword energy with 100% success rate only when he was charging up to the first stage. When he charged up to the second stage, the success rate dropped sharply.

"More practice is still needed; there's a long way to go..."

"Facing the brisk sea breeze," Ryan sighed.

……

Time for spiritual practice always flies by.

By the time Ryan came to his senses, it was already evening.

The soft, shimmering moonlight spread across the sea, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility to the heart.

After quickly settling the dinner issue, Ryan bid farewell to Freyne and Cecilia and resumed his journey to Saint Tos.

after a while.

Golden Hammer Blacksmith Shop.

Seeing that the "Forging in progress, no guests welcome" sign was no longer on the door, Ryan smiled faintly and pushed the door open to enter.

A familiar, enormous figure stood in the hall. Upon seeing Ryan, Master Golden Hammer spoke:

"It's only nine o'clock, you're really punctual."

"Follow me, the forged greatsword is behind me."

"I must say, this is truly an excellent weapon material. The greatsword crafted from this unicorn horn is a pinnacle of its quality—no, a masterpiece that surpasses it!"

Led by the Golden Hammer Master, Ryan arrived at a back room of the blacksmith's shop and saw a mighty greatsword stuck on a special weapon rack.

It is black and yellow in color, and the blade and hilt are much larger than the usual style. On the surface of the huge blade, you can vaguely see a texture similar to horn, giving people a rough, violent, wild and bloody visual impact.

At first glance, Ryan was captivated and couldn't look away!

Chapter 119 [Crimson Claymore with Horn] (7,000 words, please subscribe)

Inside the room, Ryan walked step by step to the weapons rack.

He reached out and gently stroked the blade of the greatsword.

The uneven texture of the horn seemed to silently tell the story of the life-and-death battles that the unicorn had experienced in the past.

“I’ll call you ‘True Red Crown Horn’.”

Ryan said softly.

-

【Greatsword - Crimson Horn】: A mid-tier man-made artifact, forged using the crimson horn of a [High-Rank] Unicorn Dragon as the primary material, supplemented by various rare materials, and crafted according to giant standards. The blade is incredibly thick and heavy; even with maximum effort, an ordinary person cannot move it an inch. The secret forging method, pursuing the ultimate perfection, completely strips the material of any enchantments, leaving only its purest sharpness and physical destructive power.

This rare item contains a "weak" essence of spiritual energy; absorbing it can improve the restoration progress of the [Nameless Ship Sculpture].

-

Mid-tier rare item!

Looking at the description of the Greatsword Crimson Crown Horn on the panel in front of him, Ryan's eyes showed astonishment.

This was the first time he had come into contact with a "mid-level" rare item.

What's even more terrifying is that this greatsword is a "mid-level artifact" that reaches its full potential purely through its sharpness and destructiveness, without any enchantment. This also reflects the terrifying nature of its physical attack capabilities.

Moreover, in the derivative description below the panel, the essence and spirituality contained in the artifact itself has been improved from "weak" for low-level artifacts to "relatively weak" for mid-level artifacts.

Ryan had no idea how much difference there was between "weak" and "relatively weak," because he had too few artifacts at his disposal to be extravagant enough to sacrifice one to improve the "repair level" of the [Nameless Ship Carving].

But the gap must be quite large.

"How does it feel? This greatsword is one of my most satisfying creations in recent years."

"As per your request, I forged it to the standards of the giant race. However, due to the special nature of the material used in this greatsword, its weight is terrifyingly high, making it unusable even for ordinary giants. Would you like to try... try it..."

Master Golden Hammer's original intention was to advise Ryan, telling him that while a greatsword is more powerful the heavier it is, it's not necessarily the better. Only a weapon that can be used is a truly good weapon for oneself. He then proposed a modification plan, which would lower the weapon's performance, but it was still better than making it completely unusable. However, before he could finish speaking, he was stunned to see the young man in front of him pull the greatsword out of the weapon rack with one hand.

Within that "petite" body, less than two meters tall, seemed to lie a terrifying sea monster.

“…Good lad!” Looking at Ryan, who turned around and looked at him with a puzzled expression, as if asking “What do you want to say?”, Master Golden Hammer took a deep breath and laughed heartily: “Not bad, very good.”

"This is indeed excellent material for making greatswords!"

"Alright, now that you've seen the weapon, if you have no objections, you can leave."

"I am very pleased with the forging of this greatsword, so I will not charge you forging fees."

"Wait!" Seeing that Master Golden Hammer was about to turn and leave, Ryan quickly spoke up to stop him, "Master Golden Hammer, I have another request to ask of you."

"Oh?"

Master Golden Hammer paused slightly, looking at Ryan: "What other novel forging materials do you have?"

Ryan gave an awkward laugh: "We're out of novel materials at the same level as the Crimson Horn, but the owner of the Crimson Horn still has quite a few. I'd like to commission you to craft a set of protective gear. As for payment, how about using this as a substitute?"

Ryan's spatial ring on his finger flashed, materializing two piles of materials. One pile consisted of bones, scales, and other materials collected from a [high-rank] unicorn dragon, while the other pile consisted of materials collected from a mud dragon.

He pointed to the mud dragon material: "Although the quality of these materials is not as good as the Crimson Unicorn, they are still quite novel."

The [Umbrella Fire Scale Armor Set] is armor crafted from materials of the "Lower Rank One" special species - Fire Umbrella Bird, and played a significant role in defeating the "Lower Rank Pinnacle" Rathalos boss.

However, as Ryan's travel clone now enters the inner area (Stone Wasteland) and faces powerful special species at the [Higher] level, this protective gear has gradually lost its effectiveness.

The defense it provides is as fragile as paper against attacks from [high-rank] monsters. It's time to upgrade your armor.

Master Golden Hammer gave Ryan a deep look.

Although he felt that Ryan's strength was far from sufficient to hunt down the owners of these materials, he did not press the matter. After all, everyone has their own secrets, and as long as Ryan could produce materials that interested him, it was none of his concern.

After examining the mud dragon material for a while, Master Golden Hammer's eyes showed surprise: "Quite interesting material, alright, it's settled then."

"What are your requirements for protective gear?"

Ryan said, "As long as it doesn't interfere too much with our operations, it's fine."

This was the same requirement that Ryan made when forging the [Umbrella Fire Scale Armor Set].

"Okay, the voucher is still the same, but the protective gear will take a long time to make. Come back to pick it up at this time tomorrow."

"I'm working overtime for the sake of the materials, which is rare for me."

"Master Golden Hammer said."

"Thank you for your help." Ryan bowed slightly to express his gratitude.

"Alright, alright, if you have nothing else to do, hurry up and leave. Don't waste my time." Master Golden Hammer impatiently waved his hand after putting away the materials. He couldn't wait to try out the new materials.

Ryan smiled, put the Greatsword Crimson Horn into his spatial ring, and then turned and left the Golden Hammer Blacksmith Shop.

……

The city of Santos was much quieter under the moonlight compared to the daytime.

Although a few shops still operate along the streets, the bustling scene of the daytime is gone.

Ryan walked briskly down the street. It was already past nine o'clock, and soon it would be midnight, at which point he would be able to resume his travels.