Chapter - 16

Two hours later....

Rex Vagus was frustrated. To him, it felt something like a sportsman coming back to play his sport after a year of absence. He had the feeling, but he was lacking the familiarity that he had before.

Enchanting had always been a fun process for him. During the beta phase, when the game resembled every other VR game there was, he had the sub-class of an Enchanter. He had also managed to reach the Master Rank. It had taken him a good year to reach that level. Obviously, the Natives of the world were shocked at the time. But, at the time, Rex had simply been following the leveling system. It was during that time that his travels had started. Not long after, mostly due to the events that seemed to center around him, Rex had gained a title, 'Wandering King'. It was an odd title, one that he had begun to grow tired of. However, it seemed that it was the title that he was remembered by. He had been no actual 'King'. But, he had been told that his bearing resembled one.

Pulling his thoughts out of reminiscing about the past, Rex tried to focus on the present. He was holding a Greatsword, the target of his enchanting. However, he wasn't sure of the Grade of the sword.

Equipment, like Beasts, were given Grade or Rank ratings. These Ranks or Grades were something that Natives used to categorize how dangerous a Beast was or how well made a piece of equipment was. There were also institutions that had adopted this system. The Adventurer's Guild, for instance, had ranked their employees in a similar fashion. However, many institutions had remained stubborn and followed the old system of ranking. The old system went like this: Amateurà Beginnerà Intermediateà Advancedà Masterà Grandmasterà Deity. The Enchanting Guild was one of the institutions that had stuck with this system.

Rex admired the sword and then got to work. He wanted to start with a simple enchantment: Fire Aura. Rex manipulated as much Fire Mana as he could and started to slowly fuse it into the sword. The first few times that Rex had tried to do this, either the sword had melted due to overheating or there had been a small explosion. Now, Rex was successfully able to fuse the Mana particles into the sword. The trick, Rex remembered, had been to imagine the sword to be filled with a different Mana, Earth in this case. Then he had to fuse or insert Fire Mana particles into the 'gaps' thereby completing the simple fusion.

What Rex didn't realize was that what he had just done was not typical enchanting. Since Rex had been a Master Rank Enchanter and he also received the skill from another Master Rank, he didn't understand that what he had just done was not Fire Aura but actually making the sword gain properties of Fire. A typical Intermediate or Advanced Rank Enchanter usually would manipulate Fire Mana to 'stick' to the equipment they aimed to enchant. That was when one could actually observe the effects of Fire Aura.

"Haa...Haa...this process doesn't make me as tired as it used to. I wish I had an Appraisal-type skill, though. It would've helped me understand the effects I have bestowed. Now for the next part." (Rex)

This part was where Rex was having the most difficulty. He had been unable to gain any success in this part. He had to direct the Mana in the sword in a specific manner. This is how specialized enchantments were made. Fire Aura was considered a simple enchantment. However, it was also considered the base on which specialized enchantments were built. Rex had understood that after some painstaking work.

"Let's see....What effect should it be? Fire Blast, Fireball, Fire Edge...? Hmm...maybe Fire Blast is worth a try." (Rex)

Rex focused on the greatsword again. He sensed the Mana within the sword and willed it to converge at a single point: the tip of the sword. He was able to bring the Mana to the tip but as soon as the Mana converged, a small explosion occurred.

"My, my! Here I was worried about your state of mind, but you seem to be doing just fine!" (???)

"Who!? Oh...Hey sis, what are you doing here?" (Rex)

"I finished the errand you gave me. Nox is doing his bit, though it would be better if you visited the library once you're done here." (Regina)

"Ah..thanks." (Rex)

"I am sorry about Laxavis. I had taken a liking to him." (Regina)

"It's fine. I'll get to the library once I'm done here. I'll try to find more on what happened to him-" (Rex)

"Is that it?" (Regina)

"What?" (Rex)

"Are you going to do what you usually do? Make yourself emotionally numb? Pretend to not hurt on the outside. Go all silent and act calm? Where is the rage? Where is the sadness? Or are you saving all that for later? You-" (Regina)

"It. Is. None. Of. Your. Business." (Rex)

"It is. You are my brother. My twin brother if I may add. We know each other well enough. I know you won't do anything stupid. But, you can't bottle it up all inside you like that." (Regina)

"I was doing fine till you showed up. It was almost off my mind too." (Rex)

"It shouldn't be. I would have lost it. I would be going crazy looking for the bastard that was responsible. But, not you." (Regina)

"STOP LECTURING ME! I am well aware of who the culprit is! However, I am not stupid enough to just simply confront someone like that head on. Unlike you, I have patience. I will wait. I will gather strength. And then, when all is said and done, I will strike. Now, I have scraps to blow up. So please, leave." (Rex)

"....Fine. I'm sorry. Just..... don't do anything stupid. Talk to Marcus, I mean Kazmain. You don't have to alone in this. I have your back too bro. See ya." (Regina)

"I'll talk to him. Bye." (Rex)

Regina left the scrapyard but as Rex watched her go he saw another person making their way here.

"You're done with your business old man?" (Rex)

"Haa....yes. So troublesome. Well then, shall we?" (Sano)

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Heyo folks!

So...looks like stuff has stabilized. Consider this a filler chapter more than anything else. I am already working on other chapters.

Oh and keep them suggestions coming. I often find that the greatest inspiration can come from your audience/readers. So, inspire away!

Adios! Ciao! Alvida!

Author out!