The spar stopped just when things were about to get heated. Alephee took Eren's about-to-be-broken blade in one hand while with the other she flipped the pages of her grimoire.
She closed her eyes before casting her time-element spell.
Age Reverse!
Eren had only used this spell for processing raw ingredients for brewing potions. The spell didn't work well with inorganic objects when he was employing it. But Alephee had managed to do just that by using it on one of Eren's Rigor Mortis Shamshirs.
The cracks on Eren's blade began to heal as the time-element spell activated. It wasn't long before the runes on the blade were repaired as well.
"Here. As good as new."
Alephee smiled, satisfied as she observed the spell's effects on the blade. Eren took the blade from her with a frown on his face.
"Why do these blades keep on breaking?"
Eren asked while looking at Shamshir displeasingly. He didn't like the feeling that his weapons might break mid-fight. It was okay because it was a spar. But what would have happened if he was in mortal combat with somebody?
This was not the first time Eren's artifacts had developed signs of wear. Almost all of them that had been upgraded to Adept rank were riddled with the same problem. They would be in a perilous state if and when Eren started being serious with them.
He would prefer getting new artifacts one at a time if the problem persists. Alephee shrugged off her shoulders before commenting.
"I upgraded the runes on the artifacts and made them so that they would work well with the current vessel they had been carved on. But I couldn't change the metal that acted as the conduit itself.
We need better metals serving as replacements for the existing ones. Just get me a better chunk of metal suitable for your current rank and I'd fix your artifacts for good. Till then, we can count on my spells."
Alephee said it was no big deal. Eren frowned some more before starting to ponder. He could always get chunks of premium-grade Andrium suitable for his rank from Minerva's Utopia.
Eren had first thought that Alephee's spells were exclusive to his weapons. Then when the weapons started showing signs of wear, he realized that the spells were not as reliable as he had thought them to be.
However, realizing how Alephee's spells worked gave Eren another idea: he could make use of this ability of hers to make crazy profits. He already had a constant supply of raw ingredients, thanks to Minerva's Utopia. Plus, he was planning to get his hands on the Soul Seed Insertion array from House Lancelot.
What if he uses Alephee as an artisan for producing high-grade weapons? He could then give those weapons to his subordinates and team members. He could also sell them inside his city at a lucrative price, earning hefty profits.
Alephee knew what he was thinking. She liked Eren's line of thinking but she needed to make her stance clear.
"Eren, I don't mind making a few artifacts. But I don't want to spend most of my time crafting weapons. I accepted this vessel so that I could train you better first and foremost. Everything else is secondary."
Eren was busy thinking of a lot of things when he heard Alephee's words. He chuckled when he understood what she was trying to say and then assured her with his words.
"Don't worry, Alephee. We'll come up with an arrangement. I'm just glad you can do this."
Eren said before swinging his weapon. He then imbued it with his mana and spun around before releasing a flying slash. Upon confirming that the weapon was ready to use, he smirked before adding up.
"Alright. Let's continue with our battle."
Alephee smiled mildly before agreeing to his decision. Money was an indispensable resource for rankers. She could understand his drive to earn more of it so that it wouldn't ever become a bottleneck.
Eren and Alephee continued sparring after that. The sessions continued for a few more days. Alephee showed Eren what kind of integrated spells he could try. She also guided him in the right direction regarding this topic, making him try various things at once.
Eren wasn't a quick learner at first. But thanks to his diligence, he slowly got the hang of it. His training to take control of his mana circuits was also paying off. He could cast spells more easily while reducing their casting time. He also stabilized all his gains during this time.
Three days before they left the Oni dungeon.
A time just before dawn.
Eren was being trained by Alephee in the king's chamber. He had been practicing his ranking technique throughout the night. He would then practice the same in conjunction with his new form of training arranged by Alephee.
This was Eren's routine after Alephee possessed her homunculus vessel. He had stopped his nightly activities with the Orcinas these days so he could concentrate on the task at hand.
Eren was sleeping with almost no clothes on him, on a bunch of pointy metal shards that served as his bed. He was forced to retract his mana defense layer, making his skin come in direct contact with the sharp points of the shards.
The bed of metal shards was placed inside an array that was exuding a faint white light. The runes inscribed in the array were made to react with the mana-conducting shards.
These pointy metal shards were still unable to injure Eren's bare skin. But that was about to change.
"Are you ready?"
Alephee asked Eren while standing outside the array's core. She was the one handling the array. She had decided to train Eren in this way instead of the usual practice. By doing so, she had increased the difficulty of the training. But it would also deliver superior results to traditional methods.
"Yes!"
Eren said and gritted his teeth. He then started executing his ranking technique with his eyes closed. The tiny metal shards glowed in a distinct yellow light as Eren activated his technique. In the next moment, they started moving as per the flow of the mana inside the mana pathways.
"Stop!"
