The First Legendary Beast Master

Chapter 708  Forgemaster Granite

Forgemaster Graniteʼs arms were powerful, and the first swing that he made with the regular hammer caused a flare of light on the barrier over the dummy.

”Impressive strength without using a combat skill. Do you need me to teach you one quickly for more effective testing?” Karl asked.

Forgemaster Granite shook his head. ”I know how to fight well enough. But pure strength should always be the first test for a weapon. You never know when that fancy magic mumbo jumbo will fail you, and it will be time to just beat something to death.”

Duke Ambrose looked somewhat dubious about the logic behind that, but Karl knew that it was true in more ways than one. You could be injured, out of mana, exhausted, or simply in an argument with Cara, and you wouldnʼt be able to use the skills that you were after.

Granite swung the hammer and smashed it into the barrier, giving a solid low Commander Rank impact reading just from physical impact. That was truly impressive, and under that loose shirt, he had to be even more physically powerful than Karl himself had become.

”Impressive.” Karl congratulated, but the smith simply grunted and nodded as he switched weapons with a reverent smile at the new one.

He swung again, and the numbers on the meter began to grow, stopping just short of the standard for a Royal Ranked skill.

”Now thatʼs a hammer.” He sighed fondly.

”Thatʼs as good as an actual skill, and all he did was swing the hammer. There was no added input on his part. Now, a lot of that is down to his physical strength, which humans will struggle to replicate, but I must say that the result is impressive.” Duke Ambrose noted.

”Do we have a regular human Elite here?” Karl asked.

Duke Ambrose looked pointedly at Karl, and the bearded Forgemaster began to laugh.

”No, we donʼt have any other Warrior type Elites here. Most of the apprentices have system skills, but theyʼre the ones that awakened research and crafting related skills, so theyʼre not officially Elites, they are researchers.” Granite explained.

Karl sighed. ”Alright, then we have Forgemaster Granite do the honours for Commander Rank testing. I will do the full output destructive testing, and his strength can be our proof of concept.

I strongly suspect that we wonʼt be having too many problems with the quality of the weapons his subordinates have been turning out. But with every new design, there is a need for testing.

Now, we have a blade design that will enhance skill output. A hammer to improve impact force. Do you make ranged weapons here?” Chief Engineer Fizzspark jumped up and down on Caraʼs back, waving her hand, while here pink pigtails waved along with her.

”That is my department. We have learned that the gods disapprove of mixing too much technology with magic, so while it can work, it wonʼt link with the system. The operating theory is that the nature of the World Dragon as a Nature God prevents perversions of nature from working properly. Complex chemical compounds like potions work great. But Complex chemical reactions to create substances that donʼt exist in nature, like gunpowder, donʼt interact with the system.

There are ten thousand or more years of research, including the most recent research, as we were working to improve our base technology. But so far, nobody has found a proper answer, and the more you try to mix them, the worse the outcomes become.

So, we have worked out three different paths. One is thrown and hurled projectiles, such as knives and spears. Second are the bows and catapults. Third, are grenade launchers.”

Karl stared at her for a second.

”I thought that you just finished saying that system linked items and technology donʼt mix?” He asked.

”They donʼt. The grenade launchers are actually just a rifle - shaped magic wand that fires fireballs. Theyʼre wonderful.”

Granite chuckled. ”They come in pistol form too. Fantastically dangerous for the user.”

Fizzspark shrugged. ”Minor technical difficulties. You just need to hold it far enough from your body that the proximity doesnʼt trigger the fireball to detonate.”

”Which a Gnome is incapable of doing.” Granite reminded her.

Lotus would love this creature.

Cara already did.

Karl smiled at the excited little woman. ”It sounds like theyʼre already well under development. But I can do something for the bows. I was reading a book the other day on Dwarven Runecrafting, and it included a section on how to enhance bows.

Of course, the most practical application, creating arrows so that the archer never runs out, is a spell effect that isnʼt as popular with the author, but it is a common part of enchantment. I also have a bow of that nature, and from there, I think that I can make something functional.” Fizzspark gestured toward a hallway behind Karl. ”Then, onward! We will inspect the bows. Iʼm trusting you to know how to operate them. My arms are too short.”

Cara flapped her wings and flew down the hall with her pink haired rider, while Duke Ambrose sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. ”I thought that this was supposed to increase productivity and morale.” He muttered.

Granite shrugged, and Karl could see that he was hiding his smile behind his beard. ”I donʼt know, it looks like it has improved morale already. Plus, we have two preliminary plans for actual Overlord issued weapons, and thatʼs more productivity than the rest of us have managed in the last year.”

Duke Ambrose didnʼt appear to be fond of that reminder, as he was head of Research and Development. An area where their ambitions had fallen so far off target that the King himself had called in a replacement to put their projects back on track.

It appeared to be an unspoken understanding that Karl was not so much an outside contractor as he was a direct slap in the face to the Research and Development department. Even the hour that he had spent here was enough for Karl to understand that much.