All his strength converged into the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers.
The Heavy Silver continued to contract. Five percent. Ten percent. Fifteen percent.
At this point, its density reached a limit. It could shrink no further.
Still, Ray did not stop.
Now, every strike refined its internal veins instead. The vein lines grew clearer, more even, more harmonious, as though the metal itself were being reborn.
The furnace's glow painted the workshop crimson. Sweat poured from Ray's body, soaking his clothes completely. Even Gilbert, standing idle, felt his brow slick with perspiration.
This was it.
This was the essence of Thousand Refinements.
As a Grandmaster Blacksmith, Gilbert possessed an extraordinarily sharp intuition. He knew, without doubt, that Ray and the Heavy Silver had reached an accord.
This was a feeling that could not be taught, only experienced.
Gilbert had originally intended for Ray to simply familiarize himself with Heavy Silver, perhaps completing his first Thousand Refinement sometime before leaving for the intermediate academy.
He never imagined the boy would enter this state on the very first day.
This was not just strength.
This was perception.
A child like this was destined for greatness.
Gilbert's greatest regret was his inability to ascend to the Saint Craftsman realm. Watching Ray now, he felt as though his own unfulfilled dream was unfolding before his eyes.
Three hours passed.
Ray had never forged with such intensity for so long.
Three and a half hours.
Then four.
Outside the workshop, Wilheim waited anxiously. When his son failed to return, he came searching, only to find him drenched in sweat, hammering without pause.
The rhythm inside the workshop was mesmerizing, like a forging symphony guided by pure will.
This was the first time Wilheim had witnessed his son forging. What he saw left him shaken. This was no ordinary skill. This was mastery taking shape.
Ray was only nine.
In just three years, he had climbed to such heights.
Wilheim dared not interrupt. Gilbert's presence alone told him that his son stood at a critical juncture.
Four and a half hours passed.
Ray's face had turned deathly pale. The golden patterns had long faded. The familiar swelling pain from his earliest days of forging returned with a vengeance.
His arms felt unbearably heavy.
He was overdrawing his strength.
Yet he did not stop.
Every strike remained identical in power. His body was moving on sheer will alone.
Almost there. Just a little more. I can't stop now.
The bond between him and the Heavy Silver held him upright.
Gilbert's fists clenched unconsciously. He was more anxious than the boy himself.
If Ray succeeded on his very first attempt, the confidence gained would shape his future path. His success rate in all future Thousand Refinements would surpass that of most blacksmiths.
But could he endure?
Nearly five hours had passed.
Even Gilbert would need to expend soul power to forge for so long.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The hammers continued to fall. The Heavy Silver remained a blazing red within the furnace. Had the hammers not already been Thousand Refined, they would have shattered long ago.
Suddenly, the Heavy Silver trembled.
A burst of silver radiance erupted from within, flooding the workshop with brilliant light.
Ray raised both hammers and brought them down together in a final, decisive blow.
The silver light flared violently.
In a flash, Gilbert was at his side.
A blade appeared in his hand.
With a swift motion, he sliced Ray's wrist.
Blood splashed onto the glowing Heavy Silver.
Wilheim cried out, but Gilbert had already sealed the wound. His eyes were fixed entirely on the metal as he shut down the furnace.
The blood sizzled upon contact, evaporating with sharp hissing sounds.
The flames died.
The Heavy Silver was revealed.
It was now significantly smaller, perfectly compact. Its red glow faded, and the silver radiance dimmed. The original dazzling luster had transformed into a subdued, deep gray.
Wave-like vein patterns rippled across its surface, intricate and profound. Though richly textured, the metal felt impossibly smooth to the touch.
It radiated an unmistakable sense of depth and power.
This was Thousand Refined Heavy Silver.
Compared to Thousand Refined Tungsten, whose difficulty ranked perhaps a one, Heavy Silver's difficulty was at least a five, possibly even an eight.
Gilbert had never expected success.
He had only hoped the metal's resilience would temper the boy.
Yet after five hours—
Ray had done it.
He had completed a true Thousand Refinement.
,A wave of weakness crashed over Ray, and he sank to the floor.
Gilbert reacted at once. He pulled a bandage from his pocket and skillfully pressed it over the cut on Ray's wrist, sealing the wound in a single practiced motion.
The master blacksmith stood there in silence, his mouth slightly open, his eyes still fixed on the metal that had just been forged.
A genius was a genius, no matter the path fate had chosen for him.
Even without a hammer-type martial soul, Ray's comprehension more than made up for everything else.
Thousand Refinements.
Among blacksmiths, this was a threshold most could never cross in their entire lives.
Yet it had been completed by a nine-year-old child.
It was nothing short of unbelievable.
Wilheim rushed forward and caught his son before he could slump over completely, holding him firmly in his arms.
Gilbert remained quiet for a long while before finally speaking, his voice low and heavy with emotion.
"Genius. This is what true talent looks like. Ray, remember the feeling you experienced today. Engrave it into your bones. To you… This is only the beginning. Today is merely the first shock you will bring to the blacksmithing world."
Unfortunately, after five hours of relentless forging, Ray was utterly exhausted. His consciousness faded before he could hear a single word. He had already fallen asleep in his father's arms.
When Ray opened his eyes again, he was lying on his own bed.
Sunlight streamed through the window, warm and bright, illuminating the room. The light fell upon the empty bed beside him, the one Vivienne used to sleep in.
Even though she was gone, Ray had never allowed his parents to remove it. Somewhere deep inside, he believed she would return one day.
His wrist no longer hurt, though his body still felt weak and pleasantly warm. He lay there lazily, wrapped in an unfamiliar sense of comfort.
A faint smile curved his lips.
The Thousand Refinements… I really did it.
So this was what it felt like.
Even as he had lost consciousness, the sensation remained vivid in his memory. During the final stage, every hammer strike had resonated with the Heavy Silver. The metal had felt alive, as though it were breathing alongside him. Each strike was no longer an act of force, but of communication. The Heavy Silver responded with relief, even joy.
When that feeling reached its peak, the metal transformed.
The change had not been sudden, but inevitable, as though everything had been leading toward that single moment.
'I'm not useless… at least not as a blacksmith. And even as a Soul Master, my Silverfalls Vine isn't ordinary anymore.'
His thoughts drifted to Vivienne.
'If you were still here, you'd be smiling so brightly right now. Brother will become stronger. I'll protect you. No one will ever hurt you.'
'Vivienne… please come back. Or at least tell me where you are. Why didn't you explain anything before you left? I miss you so much.'
Her sweet smile surfaced in his mind, her clear voice calling him "big brother" like a songbird's call.
'I will find you. No matter what. I promise.'