The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Chapter 375 The Most Talented Student

Heroes and demons always appear together.

That being said, the interval between the birth of the hero and the revival of the demon god is not fixed.

It might take ten years, or sometimes as long as twenty, as if deliberately giving the brave time to grow.

The demons could vaguely sense signs of the demon god's resurgence, but the signs were unclear.

Only the brave can accurately know the time when the demon god will break the seal.

Logically speaking, since the time when the demon god breaks free of his seal is known, the safest approach would be to gather enough manpower in advance and surround and annihilate him the moment the seal is broken.

Actually it is not.

First of all, not every Emblem user can play a role in the battle against the Demon God; those who are not strong enough do not even have the right to stand in front of the Demon God.

Secondly, the fact that a large number of high-end human combat forces were gathered could not be hidden from the demons' eyes and ears.

The rallying cry for humanity is also the rallying cry for demons.

During the period when humans are besieging the demon god, the demons will indiscriminately destroy human cities.

For most people, there is no difference between demon gods and demons; they are both natural disasters that they are completely powerless to resist.

Without strong human warriors, especially heroes, to restrain them, the scattered demons would be no less destructive than a demon god.

Even if this method could seal the demon god, the price to pay would be unbearable for humanity.

Thus, humans and demons unconsciously reached a tacit understanding.

The demons will try every means to kill heroes who have not yet grown up. Once they find that a hero has grown to a point where he is irresistible, they will immediately go into hiding and preserve their lives.

The hero will try to eliminate as many demons and demon apostles as possible before the demon god revives, in order to alleviate the pressure of fighting the demon god.

Thanks to the continuous efforts of heroes throughout the ages, the number of external demons has been decreasing, to the point that it is now necessary to create demon apostles to provide combat power.

It was under this premise that Arios and Tilisa were able to spare the time to go and find the Holy Sword.

"No matter what, five years is far too short..."

A hint of disorientation flickered in Lisette's eyes.

The hero graduated two years earlier than Jessica. Based on this calculation, five years later he would only be twenty-five or twenty-six, still quite a distance from the peak strength of a Crest Envoy.

At this stage, one must directly confront the threat of demons; how can this not be worrying?

"So you all need to hurry up, so that you can at least be of help when that day comes."

Tissa gently took Listy's hand and carefully examined it.

"As expected of a dual-symbol holder, you've broken through to the fifth rank so quickly. Even Jessica at your age isn't as good as you."

"Huh?" Vena looked at Lisette with a face full of surprise.

He thought he was the fastest to break through and would at least be ahead for a while.

Unexpectedly, following Felix, Lisette also caught up.

But in Venere's eyes, Lisette hadn't changed at all.

"It's only been a short time," Lisette said modestly.

Strangely enough, after the Griffin Battle, she took a couple of days off and spent them with her parents.

Perhaps it was her state of mind that caused her to unknowingly cross that threshold and become a fifth-tier emblem wielder.

“You don’t need to give Vena any face,” Tilisa bluntly pointed out. “Being able to suppress your aura to the same extent as a fourth-tier emblem user means that you have a very solid grasp of it.”

“But I’d like to hear your reasons for doing this,” Tissalis said, giving her an encouraging look.

"Hmm, both Vena and Felix have the ability to burst out instantly, catching the opponent off guard. So, can I do something similar?"

"Although ascending ring casting can greatly increase the power of spells, the casting speed is still too slow."

"I thought that combat for spellcasters, apart from basic skills, was all about information asymmetry. Since we can't improve, we might as well lower our standards."

"If a mid-to-high-level spellcaster will arouse the opponent's vigilance and lead to a focused attack, then wouldn't it be better to use a low-level spellcaster instead?"

This was the result of Lisette's careful consideration.

She had tried to suppress her aura even further, but doing so would increase the difficulty significantly. Furthermore, she had already demonstrated the strength of a fourth-tier emblem user in the Griffin Battle, and if she appeared before everyone in her third-tier form, it would only arouse suspicion.

"You truly are the most talented student I've ever seen," Tilissa couldn't help but praise.

While her peers were still immersed in the idea that more is stronger and bigger is better, and simply pursued the power of spells, Lysty had already begun to focus on casting efficiency, which put her far ahead of the competition.

"But the teacher still saw through it, which means I didn't do it well enough."

Lisette blushed slightly at Tilissa's praise.

Although she achieved her current success through hard work, she would not deny her talent.

But to receive the "best" rating compared to oddballs like Felix and Jessica was truly a huge honor for her.

"Then look at me again."

“This…” Lisette exclaimed in surprise.

Watching Tilisa's aura, which had been completely undetectable and profound, it began to decline steadily until it reached the level of a first-tier entry-level emblem master.

To suppress one's aura with such skill is clearly the mark of a master.

"Demons are very cunning. To lure them out, we need some special methods."

"Unfortunately, after defeating the Sword Demon, they no longer fall for my tricks."

Tilisa looked regretful.

It's one thing for me to conceal my presence and set up an ambush, but to also hide a hero who has never shown himself before, the Sword Demon's death was truly worthwhile.

"Since you've thought of this yourself, I'll teach you later how to better conceal your presence."

"Thank you, teacher," Lisette said quickly.

“It’s probably too early to thank me now,” Tilissa shook her head. “My training is very rigorous.”

“I know! We need to make the most of the remaining time,” Lisette said without hesitation.

“Okay,” Tilissa then turned her gaze to Jessica.

“I’ve seen the recording stone; your swordsmanship should have already reached the level of a Sword Saint.”

"I really can't hide it from you."

"You should have gained some insights into the matter of power by now, right?"

"...Yes, we've found the direction."

After feeling the oppressive aura of the giant and the force of Venere wrapped around her, which countered and neutralized each other, Jessica finally grasped a sliver of a feeling.

"That's good. With this gain, it's not for nothing that you made yourself look so miserable. Once you understand your own power, you should be able to break through to the eighth-tier emblem master."

"Felix," Tilisa called out to her last disciple.

"Here! Master, what is it?"

Felix, with the lion cub on his head, darted in front of Tilissa in a flash.

"Once Jessica has recovered from her injuries, have her spar with you. You can get a good feel for what it's like to have the Sword Saint level, and she can also take this opportunity to consolidate her skills."

"Uh, then Master, you have to make her promise me that she won't use those weird and strange moves!"

If it were merely a swordsmanship exchange, Felix would naturally not be afraid; what he feared was—

"Don't worry, this is just a friendly spar. I will suppress my strength to the same level as yours."

Jessica herself has also made a statement.

"That's fine then." Felix nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing that Tissa had arranged everything for everyone except herself, Vena finally couldn't help but ask, "What about me?"

"You should pay off your debts first."

Chapter 376 The Shop Manager Who Was Kicked Out of Her Home

Vina's injury wasn't serious, at least compared to Jessica's.

After being observed in the infirmary for another day, he was released.

The kingdom compiled the compensation list quite quickly, but it's hard to say how long it will take for the goods to actually arrive.

Vina didn't have the time to just wait for the kingdom to pay reparations.

After briefly selecting a few items left over from the Titans, he still decided to shop around at Anna's place.

"Wow, everyone else raises fish and flowers, but you're raising teacups?"

Upon entering the store, Viva saw a transparent fish tank on the table.

There were no fish or shrimp inside, not even a single aquatic plant; just a teacup hanging there.

"How about next time Vena sends me a bouquet, I can get a different one to grow?"

The teacup in the fish tank was naturally the "tea money" that Wiener had left behind.

“I heard from Jessica that you were hospitalized and I was planning to visit you, but Jessica said not to disturb your rest and told me not to go.”

Anna stepped out from behind the counter and carefully examined Vina, making sure she wasn't missing any limbs before saying, "But seeing how quickly you've recovered, you should be alright."

"She told you not to go, so you just didn't? That guy is much more seriously injured than me. She told you not to bother me, but she clearly wants you to visit her. If you just ignore her like this, be careful she doesn't remember everything."

"Hehe, it seems that's really the case. I'll bring her some gifts to visit her later." Anna was amused by Vina. "So, what are you planning to ask for this time?"

"I don't know yet, it depends on my mood."

Vena still owes Felix a sword that hasn't been forged, and Jessica also needs a replacement for the Lionheart.

Fortunately, there was nothing pressing behind us this time, and no strict requirements. Wiener planned to see what materials he could find before deciding on the forging direction.

"Then you can keep an eye on it for now, I'll brew you a new pot of tea."

"Thanks."

Wiener thanked him, then walked towards the ingredients section with his hands behind his back, as if he were an old man at the market thinking about what ingredients to cook today.

In selecting ingredients and preparing dishes, blacksmiths and cooks are indeed not much different.

Viner has plenty of regular materials on hand; what he needs more are the rare materials produced in the dungeon.

Even with the dungeon as a treasure trove, the output of rare materials is still limited, and even fewer are willing to trade them.

To obtain suitable materials, you need not only sufficient academic credits, but also a bit of luck.

Fortunately, Wiener is past the age of worrying about credits, and he can now buy those high-end materials that he once wouldn't even dare to look at without batting an eye.

"The Heart of the Frost Giant... Although it's far inferior to the Heart of the Fiery Iron Giant, it's still a good item. I'll take it."

"This is... Leviathan Spine? This thing can be used to upgrade the Three-Day Blade, so I took it too."

“Star meteorite iron, silver wolf hair… these are all good things!” Vena was overjoyed.

Many of these materials would have been snapped up by alchemy students as soon as they were put on the shelves in the past.

Unfortunately, they had made a large purchase of forging and casting materials some time ago, which not only left them penniless but also left them with a large number of unfulfilled orders.

With the deadline fast approaching, they simply don't have the extra time or credits to acquire rare materials before finishing this batch of orders, which is why they all benefited from Wiener's efforts.

Just as Viner was making her selections, the wind chimes in front of the shop suddenly rang.

"Dingling bell~"

"What a coincidence, junior Viner, I didn't expect to see you here."

Adele swept her long hair behind her head and walked in confidently.

"Welcome, Your Highness, Edelweiss."

Anna, who had just brewed the tea, hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

"Excuse me, Miss Anna."