Advent of the Archmage

Link had plenty of materials on hand. Previously, when the Beastman Warlord commissioned Link to craft his axe, there were many leftover materials. There was plenty left to craft a magic sword.

Link once crafted a Khorium sword for Kanorse. Kanorse had provided Link with the design for the sword, so it was very simple. Therefore, right now, based on a similar design, all Link needed to consider was the magical component of the sword.

After thinking about it for a while, Link decided to use talismans to inscribe the sword with magic. He had plenty of experience with using talismans, and based on his experience with it, he could create profound effects.

He had a few high-grade talismans with him, ones that he had gotten from High Elf Lord Derrac's Lightning Wand.

He took out one lightning talisman from his dimensional pendant.

When no energy was being inputted into the talisman, it looked like a transparent crystal, beautiful to look at. It would definitely make a good necklace for a gift to one's wife, and would absolutely fetch a high price on the market.

This lightning talisman was originally designed for the wand, and not for a sword. Therefore, some adjustments would have to be made.

At this stage, Link already had an idea of the things he'd need to change. After casting an Eagle's Eye spell on himself, Link began to modify the talisman.

Hmm, my eyesight has also improved. Previously, these minute markings weren't so clear before. Now, I can see everything clearly, Link mused to himself in surprise.

In the past, he truly envied Felina's eyesight. Right now, his body had improved to the point that it was comparable to the best.

With plenty of spirit, outstanding eyesight, Link's modifications to the talisman were completed quickly.

Three hours later, a brand new talisman lay in his hand. Information about this new talisman appeared in his vision.

Lightning Tempest Talisman.

Level: Epic

Effect: After channeling Mana into the talisman, the talisman will convert the Mana into lightning energy.

(Note: Priceless gemstone)

The talisman thus formed the core of the sword. The next step was to construct the carrier, the sword that would support it.

Whether or not the talisman could fully utilize its power would depend on the grade of the sword. The sword was fundamentally many times easier than the talisman and was simply no challenge to Link.

Modifying the talisman took Link three hours, whereas constructing the carrier took only half an hour. Very soon, a shape similar to the Khorium sword was produced.

Link inlaid the talisman into the base of the sword blade, aligning the talisman with the lines on the sword. The lightning talisman sword was created!

The process was extremely fast, taking only about 3.5 hours.

If I had used traditional methods to create this sword, it would take me at least a week. Using talismans to do it is a much better way!

Picking up the blade, Link made some adjustments to the body of the sword. Now, the sword was considered complete.

Since this sword was a gift, it would not be appropriate to simply hand it over like this. Link created an elegant ebony box for the sword which he then placed the sword into. Suddenly, Link had a flash of inspiration. He quickly put away the sword and began studying the Flame and Purification spell.

Very quickly, a day passed by.

The next day, after conducting the regular training for the Magicians, Link chose not to leave from the training grounds. Annie walked over, accompanied by Kanorse.

Annie waved her hand helplessly, saying, "Link, I told Kanorse about your request, and he immediately came over."

Kanorse laughed and said, "I heard that you were preparing a magic sword as a gift. I was curious and couldn't resist coming to take a look."

Well, fine. He's already here, Link thought. He retrieved the box from within his dimensional pendant and handed it over to Kanorse.

The box was simple but incredibly elegant. Looking at it, Kanorse's eyes lit up. He carefully opened the box and laid his eyes upon the sword within.

The exterior of the sword was a silvery white. Along the body of the sword was carved exquisite flowing runic lines which sparked with electricity. At the base of the sword was inlaid a brilliant gemstone which emanated a thick aura of lightning energy. It made the entire sword feel very electrifying.

Kanorse held his breath as he kept the sword aside. Immediately, the electricity disappeared, causing the sword glow to fade away. Kanorse was puzzled by this effect. Link explained, "When you're not channeling your energy into the sword, the sword will automatically stop releasing energy so that it doesn't appear too eye-catching. Now, try channeling your Battle Aura into the sword."

Kanorse followed Link's instructions. Immediately, the sword lit up with electricity as small explosions of lightning went off around them. Kanorse did not control his strength earlier and used too much force, causing the sword to explode with energy, transforming a nine-foot area around them into a lightning field.

Link and Annie were surrounded by a defensive barrier that Link had prepared earlier. He said, "Your power is too strong, but it is also too dispersed. You need to control the direction of your power on the sword. I can't advise you much with this; you'll need to figure it out yourself."

However, Kanorse's attention was completely focused on the magic sword in his hands. Who knew if he had heard Link's advice.

Kanorse was completely engrossed with the sword. At first, the electricity on the sword still striking randomly around the area. Ten minutes later, he managed to contain the electricity onto the body of the sword. Yet another ten minutes later, he was starting to be able to release the electricity as he willed it.

This rate of improvement was stunning, to say the least. It was no wonder that Kanorse was the human race's strongest champion.

Nonetheless, time was passing by quickly. Annie reminded, "Hey, Link is still waiting to learn swordsmanship from you."

"Oh? Oh right, I completely forgot! This sword is just too amazing; it's the best and most beautiful magic sword I've ever used. I was just too engrossed in trying it out. It handles well too!" Kanorse praised as he admired the magic sword in his hand. No matter how he looked at it, there were no aesthetic flaws in this sword, and the more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

Of course, since he already received the tuition, Kanorse had to teach Link properly too. He took out a pair of wooden swords that he had prepared beforehand and tossed one over to Link. Holding the other sword in his hand, his expression became serious. "Sir Link, I know that you only want to learn some basic swordsmanship to train your body. Yet, it is the basics that are the most important to build a good foundation. Not only is a proper mastery of basics important for learning advanced techniques, but it is also important to ensure you don't hurt yourself. So, Sir Link, you must learn this properly."

Link understood the seriousness of this. He had never looked lightly upon the skills of Warriors. For their skills to last so long in this world, it certainly had to have its own mysteries and strengths.

Kanorse used the wooden sword to demonstrate some basic sword forms. He knew that Link's eyesight was good, so he moved rapidly. After running through the forms, he asked, "Sir Link, did you understand?"

Link closed his eyes for a few minutes before opening them. "Let me try," he said.

Link slowly repeated the motions that Kanorse demonstrated—chopping, slashing, stabbing, parrying, so on and so forth. Because he wasn't familiar with the moves, he took a much longer time going through them. What took Kanorse half a minute took him two full minutes.

Actually, the moves were very simple. Link memorized them all after looking at them once. However, when he actually did it himself, he found that his body could not keep up with his thoughts and would constantly make mistakes.

After he was done, Kanorse nodded his head in satisfaction. "Well done, the overall form is there. However, there are many areas that need to be worked on. Continue training; I'll correct you as you go along."

Link nodded his head and repeated the sequence.

Kanorse was a strict teacher. He would shout at Link to stop the moment he noticed a slight mistake to correct the mistake. The basic sword forms comprised of 20 strokes. He took half a minute to demonstrate them, but now, he spent almost an entire hour correcting Link's form.

An hour later, Link ran through the sequence of forms once more, going very slowly this time.

He didn't dare to go through the forms quickly. When he did, he found that he could not control his movements properly and would make many mistakes.

Kanorse nodded his head, pleased. "This is it. From here, you need to work on the speed of the movements. Sir Link, even though you are only doing this as a form of exercise, I hope that you would still take it seriously. Based on your current physical capabilities, as long as you train constantly and become familiar with these basic sword moves, they can still become very useful. It is also better for tempering your body."

Initially, Link had only planned to learn this as a pastime. However, after going through that session with Kanorse, he was beginning to find swordsmanship interesting. Hearing what Kanorse said, he nodded, saying, "Don't worry. This is really interesting; I will continue to train seriously."

Kanorse continued, "Over the next week, I will constantly come to check on you until the point where you are able to run through the sequence of forms without making a single mistake. If you have any doubts, feel free to send someone to look for me. I will immediately come over to help you clarify your doubts."

For such a valuable magic sword, Kanorse was only teaching Link the basics of swordsmanship. Kanorse felt that this trade was too much in his favor, so much so that if he didn't take responsibility for Link's training, he would feel guilty.

Of course, Link was not likely to make many mistakes. With his photogenic memory, it would not even be a problem for him. Nonetheless, he still said sincerely to Kanorse, "My utmost gratitude."

Following that, Link continued practicing.

Annie and Kanorse stood by the side watching him. After watching for a while, Kanorse waved his hand and said to Annie, "I have a feeling that if Sir Link continues to train like this, he could become a very formidable Assassin."

Annie was skeptical. "That can't be. Where would Link find the time? He still needs to study magic."

"I can't be wrong. Based on Sir Link's intellect and focus, as long as he continues to train for just an hour every day, he would definitely make incredible progress with the sword within a year.

"This…" Annie was speechless. She had no doubts about Kanorse's appraisal. It was just that it was simply too unbelievable. Would a Magician that mastered swordsmanship still be a Magician?

The two of them stood in silence for a while. After observing Link for a while more, they left.

Link continued to train.

In the next few days, Kanorse continued to come daily to observe. However, after three days, he decided to stop coming. It was simply pointless. Link did not need Kanorse around, every motion he made was simply flawless.

Link had reached the point where he could feel his own progress.

Every day, after practicing with the magic formation, he would study his magic books, burying himself deep into the books. Then, when he found himself stumped by a problem, he would practice his swordsmanship in the study room of the magic tower. As he practiced, his inspiration would come back, and he would return to his books. Then, soon after, he would return to training the sword, alternating between the two. Surprisingly, his efficiency increased while doing this, and he had unexpectedly found the answer to many problems that were confounding him.

In fact, due to Link training his body, not only was his body getting stronger, the maximum limit of his Dragon Power was rising as well, increasing 20 points every day.

His Dragon Power which started off at Level- 7 quickly rose to Level-8 within half a month.

How interesting. I should've done this earlier instead of just strolling. Link found it a real pity and decided to step up the intensity of his training.

A week later, Link's Soul Slalom magic formation was starting to show signs of being effective. The coordination between the individual Magicians was improving, and right now, they could actually unleash some magic spells. Unfortunately, there was a high possibility that they would make a mistake and needed more time to become familiar with it.

Based on this rate of progress, it seemed likely that Link's deadline of mastering the magic formation within ten days would be met.

On the other hand, Link's swordsmanship practice was becoming more fluent, to the point where he had almost mastered it. He no longer needed to use a wooden sword. Now, he used the Storm Lord's sword.

The sword spirit in the Storm Lord's sword ignored him, letting Link swing it around without making noise. After practicing for a day, Link found it pointless. Swordsmanship was originally meant for slaying opponents. Where was the fun in practicing it alone?

Link looked at Nana.