32 System Level Two: A.I. Valentine Heart

They all had a hearty laugh for a few minutes and Lucas left with Henry as he had something to discuss with him. They both entered Henry's room and Lucas sat down in a corner. Henry went towards the table and opened the drawer. After a few minutes, he saw the top of the table slide open. "This is a secret compartment. I have been saving this to give it to you", said Henry as he pulled out a black book.

"This notebook here belonged to my dearest friend. He left the palace a long time ago, in search of new methods of smithing. Or to be more precise, he was an Inscriptor Blacksmith. He once saw a weapon that was handed to him, and he was taken aback in awe. It came from the outside, and he had no knowledge in how to repair it at that time", said Henry. Lucas was listening keenly.

"He gave this notebook to me when he returned. He said that there are nine volumes spread throughout this galaxy. One notebook will lead to the next. And if someone with nefarious intentions began to use these techniques, then the universe will be in chaos. This here is the first volume", he said and handed over a thick black notebook to Lucas.

Lucas took the notebook and flipped open the first page. "This technique, isn't this the one that I just used?', he asked Henry. He smiled. "Yes, that is the test technique. Only those who are worthy will be able to perform them, or that's what my friend said to me. I've tried that technique a lot of times and only recently did I master it. But you made it in your first attempt. Which means that you are more suitable to hold this than me", he said.

Lucas placed his hand on Henry's shoulder. "Do not fret, Forge Master. If I ever learn all of these techniques, then I shall teach you how to as well. You have always been with me, teaching and nurturing me, guiding me towards the right path", said Lucas. Henry's eyes began to sparkle, and he held Lucas's arm. "You will?", he asked in a shaky voice. Lucas nodded his head.

"Thank you", he said as he shook his hand fervently. He was about to kneel down to him when Lucas stopped him. "I will see you later, Forge Master", he said as he left the room. He headed towards his room and fell on his soft bed. "Only two minutes left until the upgrade is over", he muttered. He then studied the notebook. "For the weapon to be complete, one must bound it to him by blood. Carve your Blacksmith mark onto both of the blades, and place a drop of your blood on it", read the notebook.

Lucas took out his carving tool which he had in his room and began to carve his Mark. After carving it, he pricked the tip of his index finger and placed a drop of blood on both of his blades. He picked up the notebook and saw a formation drawn in it. "So, to become an Inscriptor blacksmith, one must even know formations. It's a good thing that it is in the notebook", he thought.

[System Upgrade is Complete]

Lucas was elated as he saw the notification. Just as he was about to check out what was new, a voice sounded in his head. "What year is it? Ugh", said the voice. Lucas dropped to the floor. He picked up his blade and looked around frantically. "Who goes there?", he asked. "Who goes there my arse! I am the creator of this system, you stupid arsehole", said the voice.

"Huh? So you're inside my head?", exclaimed Lucas. "Where else would I be, you dimwit! I still do not understand why Benjamin did this. How many years have I been asleep? Hey kid, what year is this?", asked the voice. "It's the year 2248", said Lucas. "It's been six years?! Tell me, kid, what'd I miss?", he asked.

"First, I need your name. And what in the world are you doing inside my head?", asked Lucas. "Ah, where are my manners. My name is Valentine Heart. And I am the first wielder of this system", he said. "You're the First Ancestor?!", asked Lucas. "Yes, I am. Now tell me, is that Benjamin still King?", he asked.

"And why are you inside my head?", asked Lucas. "I am what you may call bound to this system. I and this system have become one now. We were gifted this power in exchange for our very soul. I happily agreed as this would keep me alive to right the wrongs which I had done. And watch my descendants grow up", said Valentine. Lucas was trying to understand what Valentine was trying to say.

"You're too young to understand my words. Maybe someday you will, but not today", he said. "How long have you owned the system?", asked Valentine. "Maybe about a week, or two. I'm not quite sure", he said. "That's quite something you have right there", said Valentine. Lucas didn't understand and he began to look around. "Those blades over there. It seems like you are a dual wielder, just like myself", said Valentine.

Lucas smiled as he picked them up. He almost forgot about the binding process which he was doing due to the voice inside his head. He picked up the notebook and was about to draw a formation when Valentine told him to stop. "Draw the formation as I tell you so that it would be less likely to be unbound by a third party. I was a formation master during my roaming days. Haha", said Valentine.

Lucas began to follow his instructions. "Although First Ancestor is bound, his voice tends to get annoying", he thought. "Hey kid, I can hear your thoughts", he said. Lucas just scoffed and continued drawing. After finishing it, he dropped five drops of blood in five different circles of the formation.

The formation began to light up. "Ek hereby claim that lierekpi weapon pieralioioi watu bound by liertu cealinetu frde holy liertutu lifr Lucas Heart. Bind!", chanted Lucas. (I hereby claim that this weapon shall be bound by the name of holy thee to Lucas Heart. Bind!). The formation glowed up bright, and Lucas's eyesight began to fade. After a few moments, he woke up.

[Weapon has been bound to user]

[Icy Flame Dual Blades - Growth type Weapon]

[Current - Advanced Tier Weapon. Growth until Demi-God Tier]

[Passive Skill - Increases efficiency of Ice and Fire related Magic spells by 100%. Can be increased as Weapon grows]

[Active Skill 1 - Icy Flame Blast]

[Create a blast of Fire and Ice towards opponents. An Area of Effect skill. 5% chance to cause Frost-Burn to enemies. Cooldown time of five minutes]

[Active Skill 2 - Chains of Hades LV 1]

[Attaches a pair of chains to the user's forearms and helps in increasing range in combat. Requires Combat Mastery to bring out full potential. No cooldown]

[Combat Skill - Fusion]

[Fuse the elements of Fire and Ice to create new attacks. No cooldown]

After seeing all the information, he was stunned. "Chains attached with swords? How will I be able to maneuver them?", he thought as he pictured it. "Nope. It's going to be hard to master that particular skill. But once done, it is going be a great skill in my arsenal", he thought. He wanted to test it out, but then he heard something from Valentine.

"Seems like although your stats are quite high, you aren't able to bring out the full potential?', asked Valentine. "Do you know how?", asked Lucas. Valentine laughed but didn't answer him. "You will have to remove the impurities in your body. Or, I could force them into your body, but that would be a very painful process. I suggest you take the first route. Until you haven't brought out the full potential, don't increase your stats", he said. Lucas just nodded his head.

He looked at the time and saw that it was just four in the evening. "There are still three hours left until sunset. Maybe I should just go for a hunt in the woods", he thought. He left to look for Sam and Kate. After he found them, they left for the woods again. "I guess I must go a little bit deeper than before. And Kate, here", he said as he handed Kate her weapon back.

He picked out his new weapon and wanted to test it out against some beasts. "Although I do want to know what this Growth type is, and how I made one, I am more eager to test this out in battle", muttered Lucas as he walked deep into the woods. The deeper he went, the lesser the beasts were. "That's strange. Shouldn't there be more the deeper I go?', he thought. Just as he was about to venture further, he heard a roar.

"That sounds like Sally. What is happening?", he thought as he began to run across the woods, jumping from tree to tree. "I hope they are alright", he thought as he rushed.