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--donation bonus (day #24, post 1/5)--
He’d already learned from his previous sparring sessions with Lynn that the metal he created wasn’t as strong as that of a professionally forged sword, but a lot of it also had to do with learning to hone the blade’s weight and balance. Granted, it wasn’t the biggest concern for him, seeing as he could freely manipulate the size of the blade whenever he wanted, but even so, Garovel encouraged him to come up with a “default” form for his sword. The idea was to memorize the shape so that he didn’t even have to concentrate in order to make it.

And indeed, it proved quite effective. He learned to do it well enough to create the full sword in under three seconds. It was only a one-handed blade in its normal state, unlike Lynn’s two-hander. He wanted to ensure that his left hand remained free, as he would undoubtedly need it in order to continue creating more iron on the fly. Plus, he wanted his left arm to be where he mounted his shield--something he considered even more important than the sword.

Most of his training, however, was spent alone. He kept trying to add his soul to the metal and thereby strengthen it, which reminded him of his battle with Andres, along with a question that he hadn’t been able to ask before.

‘Garovel, how was Andres able to manipulate his crystals the way he did?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘The way he could just, like... launch them at us. He didn’t have to throw them or anything.’

‘Oh, right. I doubt you’re able to do that yet. I mean, you can try, but it’s a pretty advanced technique.’

‘How does it work, though?’

‘It’s not an easy explanation. But, um. Let’s see. You’ve probably noticed by now that once you make your iron, you’re not able to manipulate it in any way. Apart from destroying it, that is. Correct?’

‘Ah--yeah?’

‘That’s just how materialization works in general. Once it’s created, it’s a finished product. You’re done with it. It becomes subject to gravity and any other environmental forces, just like normal metal would.’

‘Right, so...?’