THE SSS-RANKED TAMING VILLAIN SKILL-Chapter 31: Craft et colt : Materials

For the first time, Aelion had managed to land a hit on her, but he wasn’t proud of it at all, because Seraphina had been holding back far more than necessary despite her aggressiveness. Feeling happy over such a tiny victory was pointless, because in the end, he had still lost.

« I lost again, it seems. »

« Yes, but this time you managed to hit me. Don’t rush—one step at a time, and you’ll get there, » she said, trying to encourage him.

Aelion wasn’t neglecting his efforts—the problem also came from the conditions he was working under. Trying to increase his muscle mass and body weight was useless since the stat gains were extremely low. The highest he’d ever gotten was 1 point. The best way to level up was by killing monsters like the Vestige to grow stronger.

Unfortunately, there were no monsters—none near his level anyway. Aside from the Vestige, which they had needed to team up against, nothing guaranteed he would even be able to face it again, even if he became stronger. Aelion wondered if perhaps, if he managed to tame and fulfill the conditions of the skill linked to Seraphina, he might gain some rewards. He had already managed to reach 0% resistance, but he still didn’t feel ready. Who knew what he would have to do to reach 100%, especially now that the completion speed had drastically decreased despite their frequent interactions?

Going to Accnessea was essential for his future, so he had come up with a plan to level up now that there were three of them. His priority was to create the Colt, essential for his progression. And today, he was going to begin. When UGAEL appeared in the room, Aelion instinctively knew it marked the start of a long series of grueling efforts.

Seraphina knew it too, and aware of his dedication, she began acting less intrusive so he could focus on his goal. She didn’t want to be the burden holding him back with her jealousy, especially knowing UGAEL was the only one who could help him after seeing the plans—far too complex for her to understand.

« Good luck! » shouted Seraphina, waving her hands to cheer him on.

Aelion smiled, nodded in response, and followed UGAEL into the forge.

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Before diving deeper into studying the materials, Aelion had asked the automaton in charge of managing the manor to give him an inventory of all available materials to avoid filling his head with unnecessary information.

There would be no point in learning about things he couldn’t use right away—or at least, not yet. In total: 8 metals and 4 types of wood. Among them:

Metals: Dragonis Alloy, Dark Mythril, Solar Iron, Eternal Steel, Moonsilver, Stormsteel, Deep-Titanium, Pure Mythril.

Woods: Runic Oak, Dark Holly, Duskwalnut, Ghostwood.

Using the corresponding books, he finally familiarized himself with each of their properties.

Dragonis Alloy came from ancient forges that used the flames of dead or captured dragons. Its exact composition was unknown, but it could withstand extreme heat without deforming, and retained temperature for long periods.

Dark Mythril was a derivative of Pure Mythril, found in deep deposits untouched by light. It was supple, resistant, and incredibly fluid.

Solar Iron, as its name implied, was a variant of common metal altered by extremely hot and incandescent magical zones like volcanoes... Some even claimed it formed in craters left by fallen fragments of the sun. It channeled heat and conducted energy evenly.

Eternal Steel was a sacred-forge metal. Its fabrication process was never revealed, but it was nearly indestructible and used for forging paladin weapons and grand cleric staffs. It resisted time, impact, corrosion, and even magic.

Moonsilver was collected during full moon nights from veins that appeared only when the moon was high. It was extremely stable, absorbing and regulating vibrations and impacts.

Stormsteel originated from zones where magical and meteorological densities—storms, rain, lightning—had shaped the metal. According to the book, it was hyper-reactive and almost alive, something Aelion didn’t quite understand.

Deep-Titanium came from extreme oceanic trenches mined only by specialized divers. It absorbed sound and vibrations, was very heavy but very compact.

And finally, Pure Mythril, known as an excellent magical conductor.

As for the woods:

Runic Oak came from ancient forests near the borders of the elven kingdom, with trees marked by natural runes at birth. Very stable, naturally balanced, slightly neutralizing ambient energy.

Dark Holly grew only in shaded forest areas, almost never exposed to sunlight. Extremely light, easy to handle, perfect for structures requiring speed and agility.

Duskwalnut was described as a "noble wood" from rare trees growing on high plateaus. It had no exceptional properties, but excellent grip, balance, aesthetics, and solidity.

Ghostwood was extremely rare, said to exist at the border between the material and immaterial world. It originated from semi-ethereal trees found in haunted forests or magical anomaly zones. Very light, naturally insulating magical energy.

With all this information gathered, he showed his weapon prototype to UGAEL, who confirmed she could reproduce it with 99% accuracy. But before using the special materials, he wanted to build it first using only basic metals to note any issues and see how the special properties might correct them later. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Inside the forge, Aelion wasted no time and changed into proper work clothing. Although he had provided the blueprint and wouldn’t be doing all the work, he would attend every step and assist UGAEL.

He also intended to use the opportunity to learn the basics of forging, since he couldn’t always rely on someone else to craft his personal weapons. He needed to be the one to put in his effort and passion, even if just a little.

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To begin, they chose to use regular iron only, and with the ingots already available, things progressed quickly.

While UGAEL organized the tools, she tasked Aelion—who wanted to be useful—with heating the furnace using coal so the chamber for the main step would reach ideal temperature.

At the same time, the automaton used the moment to give him a short forging lesson divided into four steps: heating, holding, hammering, and shaping.

Once the furnace reached the ideal temperature, UGAEL began immersing the metal inside. The rest of Aelion’s work was mostly observation.

He watched UGAEL forge the different parts, plunge the iron into the flames, hammer it, temper it, and shape it according to the blueprint he had shown her.

Soon, the barrel and cylinder were formed. Wanting to help, Aelion went to the storage room to retrieve wood for the handle. UGAEL was surprised at first but eventually gave him the necessary instructions. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.

Then, little by little, he integrated himself into the forging process; sometimes, the automaton gave him some space to hammer the iron, pointing out the areas he needed to flatten more or less.

Three hours passed before all the parts were ready. UGAEL made a mold for the bullets, and this time, she didn’t intervene—she entrusted the task entirely to Aelion while she focused on assembling the different pieces, internal mechanisms, and welds.

Feeling more professional, he put on gloves and protective goggles. Now it was his turn to beat the iron; when his strength wasn’t enough, he relied on instinct and memory, recalling the gestures and posture of his master of the moment to deliver the needed force.

[ Congratulations! You... ]

System notifications went unheard; during his work, he couldn’t afford to fail or let himself be distracted—every detail mattered.

After eight hours of intense labor, keeping up with Aelion’s pace, he finally succeeded in creating the first prototype of the Colt he envisioned.

[ You have acquired the title: Bearer of otherworldly knowledge ]

[ You have unlocked the unique profession: Conceptualist-Blacksmith ]