Stella is now in front of a crate filled with Enhanced equipment.

"Whoa… So many… It seems that you made more than the last time I checked this."​​

"That's right… There was a lot of free time months ago… Anyway, don't spend too much time here, it's already late…"

"Mhmm… At least about an hour. I want to test them all…"

Stella said as she still has to pick the ones that will suit her the best. Anyway, she doesn't feel sleepy yet.

"Alright… Just clean up after you found your set." Hemil instructed as he left her in the storage room. He needed to sleep now as he still has to work early in the morning.

"Yes, uncle… Thank you!"

Stella couldn't wait to see the gears she could choose from and immediately grab one that caught her attention after her uncle left.

It was a small but sturdy iron shield. It has the shape of a diamond and it emits a cold aura after being touched.

She's unaware of the type of metal used but it was surprisingly light. The shield's edges are augmented with layered blue metal scales and have been decorated with intricate metalwork. What truly caught her attention was the crystal-like stone embedded at the center of the elongated shield…

"Is it a beast core? I wonder what kind of enhancement this shield has… There should be a logbook here…"

Stella muttered as she looked for the book that contains the record of each piece of equipment here.

"…Got it. I hope that uncle already hired someone to appraise these…" The young girl silently prayed after she found the book.

Unfortunately, only Arcanists can fully appraise an Enhanced Weapons so she had to rely on the records left by its creator if they were not appraised yet...

At the very least, using the materials used as a reference, they would somehow know the effects it has until an Arcanist confirmed it.

Aside from that, during the creation process, the weapon or the equipment that was made would faintly glow to confirm whether the enhancement was successfully applied. This way, they would know which weapons require appraisal and which weapons failed the process.

'Oh~ That looks awesome…'

Reiji saw the small shield that Stella was holding and praised the impressive design on it. Stella's uncle seemed to have spent a lot of time making it.

'Alright, let's see how good you are…'

He then tapped his body in order to get the information about the shield.

As far as he knows, Enhanced Weapons were a weak version of Magic Weapons since they can be made by normal people. Aside from that, an Enhanced Weapon doesn't have any Arcane Magic… At the very least, it has one or two "enhancements" due to the materials used in production.

That's right, the enhancements didn't come from the blacksmith who made them but from the effects of the materials used in the process.

Apparently, the Arcane Magic in a Magic Weapon can only appear if the Arcanists used their ability together with the effects of the materials used.

This is what Reiji knows based on Stella's explanation before.

[ Decent Durable Shield ]

[ Type: Enhanced ]

[ A diamond-shaped shield that is made of cold iron alloy and mystic ice powder. It has a Winter Egret's core clumsily attached at the center to provide a small boost to its durability and enhancements. ]

[ Durability: 85/85 ]

[ Enhancements: Weak Ice Resistance, Weak Frostbite ]

[ Creator: Hemil the Metal Worker ]

[ Set Equipment ]

"Oh~"

Reiji read the details and he wasn't sure whether it was impressive effects or not, so he decided to check the others and made a comparison.

Of course, it was needless to say that the Magic Weapons and Arcana that the guide appraised before was better… But for a non-Arcanist to create these Enhanced Weapons, it must be a decent job like the shield's name.

He then found a steel glove in the crate and appraised it through the guide's help.

[ Decent Durable Gauntlet ]

[ Type: Enhanced ]

[ A comfortable full-finger steel gauntlet mixed with lesser fire phoenix's bone powder. ]

[ Durability: 50/50

[ Enhancements: Weak Ice Element Resistance, Weak Fire Element Resistance ]

[ Creator: Hemil the Metal Worker ]

[ Set Equipment ]

"Woah! Two Enhancements!"

Reiji suddenly heard Stella exclaim as she read the logbook she found somewhere…

However, it seems that her excitement died down after she continuously read its details.

"What happened?"

"Oh, master… It's about this shield. It has Weak Frostbite enhancement and it can affect the enemies… but it includes the wielder… This is just sad." Stella explained to her master.

"Eh? So it can't select a target, huh… Maybe that's why it's stored here? Ahh… Wait, look at this gauntlet… They're set equipment."

"Alright, Master… Let me take a look."

Stella quickly look at the serial number of the gear and checked it on the logbook…

"Oh! This one has ice resistance! So that's it!"

Since the shield has weak frostbite enhancement that affects both the opponent and the wearer, the gauntlet has to be partnered with it to avoid getting a similar status ailment.

Then, after having a first look at the gears in front of her, she decided to take this matter seriously and looked for the gears that would fit her.

Although it took some time as she had to check and understand each of the weapon's descriptions, she still managed to find four gears that would surely assist her for a long time…

Reiji also approved all the equipment after checking them out.

[ Competent Arm Bracers ]

[ Type: Enhanced ]

[ A light but sturdy arm guard made of Lizard Monk's scale and Fake Mythril Alloy. ]

[ Durability: 80/80 ]

[ Enhancement: Weak Arcane Protection Boost ]

[ Creator: Hemil the Metal Worker ]

It was a pair of black bracers that Stella really liked. It was due to its lightness unlike what Reiji had imagined with this type of equipment. Stella even said that the shinai, which is made of wood, was heavier!

Aside from that, he also learned that a true Mythril can be used against Arcane Magic.

It helps the wearer of such metal by boosting their defense from any attacks that came from Arcane Magic.

Although the Fake Mythril Alloy can do so as well, it doesn't even have a quarter of the true Mythril's uniqueness…

[ Competent Half-Chest Leather Armor ]

[Type: Enhanced ]

[ A convenient chest armor made from diagonal layers of armored bear's leather and Null Flower Essence. ]

[ Durability: 70/70 ]

[ Enhancements: Weak Piercing Resistance, Odorless ]

[ Creator: Hemil the Metal Worker ]

Reiji was familiar with the armored bear and null flower…

"I remember you saying that a Null Flower Potion was used to cover the blood scent, right? This one has its Essence..."

"Master? Ahh… Yes." Stella seems to be thinking of something but immediately answers after realizing that Reiji was talking to her.

"You're right… The null flower is being used for that purpose. It can cover almost any unpleasant smell… That was why its essence was used in this leather… I mean, the Armored Bear's leather stinks a lot! Urgh~ I felt vomiting just by remembering it…"

Stella's reaction showed that she had a horrible past with such leather…

"Mhmm… That makes sense..."

Reiji agreed even though he hasn't smelled it yet. At the very least, he remembers that leather can become smelly if it was not processed correctly.

Stella took a couple more things within the crate.

It was a Fair Silver Knife and Fair Leather Belt Bag… This completes her hunting equipment as she excitedly wore all of them and looked in front of a mirror.

She stayed like this for a while before being satisfied and cleaned up the mess. There's a lot of equipment available in the crate but she decided to only take these four since the others were not her style… or perhaps, they will get in the way of her swordsmanship.

She only took the knife since she felt that it can become handy in various ways aside from being used in a battle…

As for the belt bag, it was her only decent storage equipment. It is also designed to safely carry vials, beasts cores, and other small objects. It can be very convenient for her.

Once she finished her master's training this week, Stella had to prepare to head inside the Wailing Forest to hunt a beast alone.

Her master didn't mind if she used various potions for this hunt as long as she showed the sword skills she learned in the fight.

***

The next morning, Stella was about to start her Hanging Wood training to continue her routine but was told off by her master who was leaning beside a tree…

"Pick up your other sword…" Reiji said to Stella.

"Yes! Finally! Will you teach me more techniques in Nitouryuu?!" Stella excitedly asked as she was only using one wooden sword in the Hanging Woods.

She quickly found the other sword as she waited for her master's teaching.

"No… You have a visitor…"

"Eh?"

Stella then looked around and saw a large man approaching her... It didn't take long before she recognized him… He is the annoying village's guard leader, Frank.