My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 450: Blacksmith

Ethan and Lilia dashed onward until the scenery they fled vanished from sight.

Initially, faint noises lingered in the distance. Echoes of far-off yells. Perhaps locals spotting the bloodstains. Or perhaps silence. Gradually, those sounds vanished too. Before long, only the forest remained. Countless tree trunks rose high, resembling columns supporting the heavens. The atmosphere cooled down. It became moist. Untamed.

Lilia tripped and clutched a nearby tree for support.

"I can't... I can't keep going," she panted.

Ethan halted at once. He'd been matching his speed to hers, yet it still exceeded what a regular woman could handle. He gazed at her slender shoulders heaving up and down, a slight ache forming in his heart.

He had pulled her into this mess.

"Yumiko," he inquired silently, "what's our next move?"

[Master, a town lies one hundred kilometers to the east. Still, stay hidden in the woods for another seven days. Your body will finish its rapid development phase. Once that's done, your looks will settle into a teenage form. After that, the alterations will ease off greatly.]

Ethan gave a subtle nod.

He faced Lilia.

"Aunt, let's remain in the forest for seven days."

Her expression showed shock, as if he'd proposed leaping from a precipice.

"Stay? In this place?"

"I've received a legacy from a supreme expert," he explained steadily. "That's the reason for my quick growth. It's just for now. If we conceal ourselves here for a week, I'll appear more mature. Folks won't freak out. It'll keep us safer."

Lilia gazed at him intently. Only a week prior, he resembled a small child. Yet now, he conversed with an eerie composure.

"The forest holds dangers too," she murmured. "Woodcutters wander in. Hunters prowl. And further within... folks whisper of odd occurrences."

"They won't reach the spot we're heading to," Ethan assured her with a grin.

"What about wild beasts?"

He grinned wider.

"No harm will come."

He spoke sincerely. Lacking any energy arts, his bodily power and spiritual sense had already turned freakish. He could even shift items using pure mental might. In this realm dominated by spirit masters, he was already nearing their level.

"Hold on here."

He moved a brief way off and pressed his palm against a sturdy downed log. Applying measured strength, he carved and molded it solely through force and accuracy. Wood chips drifted down like falling flakes. In mere moments, a level wooden plank emerged.

Rough yet practical.

He set it before her.

"Aunt, stand on this."

She blinked in confusion.

"For what reason?"

"Give it a go."

With reluctance, she placed her foot on the plank.

Ethan concentrated.

The board rose up.

Lilia's eyes grew wide as the earth fell away below. She didn't feel entirely without weight, but buoyed. Held steady. As if poised on serene waters.

"Ethan..."

He offered only a comforting smile.

Then he began to stride forward.

The plank hovered after him, sliding effortlessly airborne like the woods bore her aloft. Foliage whispered by. Limbs yielded way. Dappled shades danced.

They journeyed in this manner for four uninterrupted hours.

At last, the foliage grew denser. Rays of sun barely filtered through the overhead branches. The breeze felt dense and timeless. Ethan came to a stop.

"This depth will do."

He refrained from venturing deeper. Greater depths harbored fiercer spirit creatures. Even he sought no needless risks at present.

Over the ensuing seven days, they existed like phantoms.

They avoided lingering anywhere for extended periods. Should Ethan detect motion or catch echoes of axes or chatter from afar, they shifted spots right away. By night, he pursued game silently. Deer. Rabbits. One time, a feral pig.

Lilia observed with mounting wonder.

Every dawn brought a changed Ethan.

Taller in stature.

Shoulders widening.

Features honing sharper.

On the seventh day, the shift came to a halt.

[Master: Ethan Hunt

Physique: 320 Tonnes

Spirit: 320 Tonnes

Talent: Infinite Comprehension]

He now resembled a sixteen-year-old lad. Slender yet toned. His countenance held a balanced allure that could spark envy among aristocrats. His gaze remained serene, nearly indolent, but subtly threatening.

He came back from foraging, slinging a deer casually across his back.

This time, Lilia stared without restraint.

"You've turned far too striking," she remarked with a playful smirk. "Anywhere you appear, women will stir up chaos."

Ethan chuckled.

"Let it happen. That's a worry for future Ethan."

She shook her head with affection.

"Time to exit the woods," he suggested. "We'll trade the deer, secure lodging in the town, and begin anew."

Yet he glanced back over his shoulder.

"I'll unravel your secret another time," he thought to himself. He'd glimpsed something astonishing back there, and he aimed to figure it out alone, without consulting Yumiko.

He advanced.

A subtle ripple stirred the air.

In the blink of an eye, they leaped dozens of meters forward. Then repeated. And again.

As they progressed, he pondered internally, "Yumiko, any idea on the divine fruit's location?"

[No, master. Its fate is concealed by the Tower. My power falls short of piercing that safeguard.]

He let out a gradual breath.

Naturally, simplicity wasn't on the cards.

By dusk, the woodland eased. The trees opened to cleared fields. Far off lay a simple settlement encircled by timber barriers.

No sentries by the entrance.

No checks.

They passed inside unchallenged.

Ethan bore the deer still.

"Hey!" a fellow shouted. "You selling that?"

"Yes."

"Fifty silvers from me."

The deal seemed just. Ethan accepted without dispute.

He passed the deer and pocketed the money.

Afterward, he located a humble tavern. Thirty silvers for two chambers over five nights. Fair enough. He settled the bill promptly.

The next dawn, he departed at first light.

To gain sway, he required fame.

And fame demanded prowess.

He strolled the lanes until spotting his target. A smithy nestled amid two grander structures. The board dangled askew.

An elderly fellow struck the anvil sluggishly, each blow hesitant.

Ethan entered.

The aged smith looked up briefly.

"What brings you here, lad?"

"I'm seeking employment."

The elder let out a rough guffaw.

"This place scarcely sustains me. No wages to offer. Try Henry Smith for real jobs. They draw actual buyers."

"Pay can wait," Ethan responded evenly. "Let me borrow your gear. I'll craft an item that pulls crowds through the door."

The old man squinted suspiciously.

He'd intended to shutter the business that very day. Decades of fading trade had exhausted him. But this bold young man intrigued him.

"Hahaha. Alright. Demonstrate your skill."

Ethan approached the furnace.

"Yumiko."

[Understood.]

A method emerged in his thoughts.

[Basic Weapon Creation]

Before the details fully sank in, a surge awakened within.

[Ding! Infinite Comprehension triggered. Basic Weapon Creation upgraded.]

[Chaos Ember Creation Technique]

Ethan's mouth quirked upward faintly.

Impressive.

He grasped unrefined iron.

He positioned the ore in the flames and concentrated.

He went beyond mere heating.

He broke it down.

Through his senses, the metal's makeup frayed into core elements. Flaws appeared like fractures in crystal. He mended them. Reshaped them. Reformed them.

The elderly smith's grin faded.

His working arm halted mid-swing.

Ethan raised the radiant ore and started forming it. Every hammer blow landed with exactness.

The clang resonated uniquely.

Time slipped by.

Beads of sweat gathered on Ethan's brow, born of focus rather than fatigue. As the edge solidified, he stretched his mental reach and inscribed.

A symbol.

The Chaos Ember Creation Technique enabled etching laws' symbols into arms, granting the tool the mark's trait. He'd grasped all cosmic laws in prior times. Thus, inscribing one proved effortless.

He infused modest might, nothing excessive.

Sufficient for this edge to slice through anything short of a martial grand master.

In typical scenarios, forging such from plain iron defied possibility.

Yet the Chaos Ember Creation Technique transcended usual limits.

The symbol merged flawlessly with the edge.

Upon cooling, vapor erupted in a fierce sizzle.

Quiet enveloped the workshop.

Ethan took the completed dagger and offered it to the elder.

"Test it against that iron bar."

The old smith accepted it dubiously. He seized a hefty iron shaft from the side and slashed.

The bar parted smoothly.

His inhale hitched.

He swung once more. Then repeated.

Every cut flowed without resistance.

The elder's grip quivered a bit.

"This... this defies common craft," he breathed.

Ethan merely grinned.

"Display it by the entrance."

The old man regarded him as if beholding a gem.

"Your name?"

"Ethan."

"Well, Ethan," the elder uttered deliberately, his gaze alight after long years, "looks like my forge stays open today."