"You…"
Kaela was speechless.
Having such combat prowess at such a young age yet also having such insight as a Force Crafter… Was this supposed to be a practical joke?
Kaela could be considered rare enough, having decent strength along with good skill as a Crafter. But, she was also much older than Leonel. Though she didn't want to admit it, she was easily over double his age.
Well… Double what she estimated his age to be. If she knew Leonel was only 19, it would be much closer to triple than double.
Leonel raised his brows. Was it really so shocking? He understood that Crafters would be rare on Earth, but even if they were also rare here, running into one or two every so often shouldn't be impossible. There was no need for such surprise.
Kaela shook her head.
"You're right, we are making grenades. Initially, as you said, we wanted to use the Polished Glass stores we found for the sake of making sharp weapons.
"If we managed to succeed, even if the finished products were only Tier 3, they'd be able to rival Tier 5 and 6 weapons in pure sharpness alone. They'd be hot commodities among the lower class of Valiant Mountain and there would be more than a few elites interested in them too."
Leonel frowned.
Polished glass was a Tier 6 Ore. To use it to make Tier 3 weapons was a bit wasteful. He didn't quite understand why they would do that.
If he thought about it more deeply, though, Kaela likely planned on using an exceptionally small amount right on the edge of the blade. This would indeed make a big difference in the sharpness of a weapon.
But, even then, Kaela spoke as though she had no plans at all of making true Tier 6 weapons. If used properly, they could nearly rival Tier 7 weapons. That would truly make them a hot commodity and this endeavor would be far more worth it.
Of course, that was ignoring the idea of grenades which Leonel felt was an excellent pivot.
Seeing Leonel's look, Kaela put on a wronged expression.
"I know what you're thinking…"
Leonel raised his brows.
"But Valiant Heart Mountain only has stingy people. If you came here hoping you could find a pathway to Tier 5, 6 or higher, this senior of yours will have to disappoint you.
"The elders hoard everything, even from their disciples. I used to be under the tutelage of the best Crafter Valiant Heart has to offer, Tier 9 Black Crafter, Jac Beinala. But after realizing that that old fogie only want to work me to the bone while giving me nothing in return, I left."
Kaela sighed as she 'broke' the news to Leonel.
She had correctly guessed that Leonel's weird expression was about her not being able to complete Tier 6 Crafts. But, what she incorrectly guessed was that Leonel was also unable to.
"Because of that bastard, I can only Craft up to Tier 5 on an excellent day, and that's despite the fact I already have the skill to complete Tier 7 Crafts. Even if I have all the materials, I just don't have the knowledge of Force Arts necessary to bind them properly."
The lab entered a somewhat depressing state.
'Oh? So that's the limitation…?'
Leonel grasped a bit of what was going on.
He agreed with Kaela's assessment of herself. Her hand speed and control was indeed at the Grade Two Designation. Though it was a far cry from Leonel's own Superior Grade One Designation, it was still good enough.
Speaking of which, Leonel had long since begun on his Bronze hand exercises, so he had actually already entered the Grade Three Designation and was approaching Advanced Grade Three Designation. So, technically, he was already beyond his previous Superior Grade One Designation for the Black Grade and could begin to work on Fifth Dimension Crafts.
Still, to put this matter into perspective, not all Bronze Crafters even reached Grade One Designation first. So, Kaela was indeed not wrong when she said she had the skill to complete Tier 7 Crafts.
What did all this mean? It meant that Kaela's only real limitation was her lack of understanding in high level Force Arts.
Leonel sighed. This was his first time finally understanding the scope of what he had in his hands.
Even a Bronze Organization like this one was hoarding knowledge Leonel might not even deem important enough to write on a piece of tissue paper. owns all content.
The words of his grandfather couldn't help but come back to his ears. Should he be handing over his things to those who were less privileged than he was…?
Leonel could only sigh again.
At that moment, he felt a light pat on his shoulder.
"There's no need to feel so down." Kaela said with a smile, trying to comfort Leonel. "Those old bastards are just jealous of our youth. Once they croak, it's not like they can take their knowledge with them. By then, we can just rob their graves."
Hearing such words, Leonel could only burst into a fit of laughter.
This Kaela was indeed quite an interesting character. She somewhat reminded him of Mordred.
'I wonder how Camelot is doing now…?' Leonel thought somewhat absentmindedly before shaking his head.
Clearing his mind, Leonel suddenly clapped, startling everyone in the lab. By now, even a casual clap from Leonel seemed to send swirling winds in every direction.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you trying to kill us all?!" Kaela panicked.
Leonel grinned. "Hey Kaela, I have some ideas. I wonder if you're willing to take another gamble on me?"
Kaela blinked, her beautiful eyes sparkling somewhat.
For some reason, whenever Leonel entered such a state, just his aura alone seemed to make everyone gravitate toward him. The confidence he exuded bordered on intoxicating.
Kaela looked around at the others, only to find that they were curiously observing Leonel too. It seemed that they had been caught up in it all as well. In the blink of an eye, the depressing atmosphere had vanished with the wind, the entire room orbiting around Leonel's bright smile.
"Alright freshman, what ideas do you have?"
Leonel's eyes sparkled.. Since Valiant Heart wanted to hoard high level Force Arts, he would just have to show them how powerful low level Force Arts could be.