Reyn spent the rest of the day in the training hall, sparing no effort and drilling the charge over and over.
Swoosh! A sharp, silence-shattering sound of cleaved air—and Reyn froze in place. Soaked in sweat, his clothes in tatters, every muscle ached, nausea rising from extreme exertion. He had to stop; hands on knees, he gulped air, trying to steady his ragged breathing.
Charge required immense stamina; each burst was a heavy burden on the body. Thus, aside from Iron Guards and berserkers, few superhumans could master it. Even Reyn, with Steel Body and far superior endurance, started tiring after two or three hundred charges.
Repeating the exercise again and again, his body gradually adapted to the furious speed. Using the gyroscope, he fine-tuned his stance, crouching lower to reduce air resistance and boost charge speed a bit more. By his estimate, speed increased by about one tenth.
Each charge covered about twelve meters. With optimal running form—leaning forward and pushing off the ground—range could extend another two or three meters, unleashing even greater power. Don't underestimate those two or three meters—they could mean life or death in a pinch.
Moreover, Reyn tried changing direction mid-charge. But at such high speed, it was extremely difficult. Forced turns disrupted rhythm and inevitably led to falls. Falling at that speed was deadly. Even with his phone's gyroscope for precise body control, Reyn fell five or six times. Given his monstrous strength, each fall hit like a car crash; the hall shook with thunderous booms, invariably piquing the manor's servants' curiosity as they wondered how their lord made so much noise.
Fortunately, Reyn's body was tough enough. He got away with scrapes and shredded clothes. Anyone else would suffer severe injuries from the first fall, and death after two or three.
The falls weren't in vain. Analyzing mistakes, Reyn grasped key points and could now barely alter direction mid-charge. His charge was no longer strictly straight—he could arc slightly. Though the arc was very small, enough to dodge an obstacle half a human body's size, it was huge progress.
Mastery comes with persistent practice. Reyn was sure ten or fifteen more days of grueling training would perfect his charge technique. In future, he'd freely change direction and control distance: dash or stop at will. And if he could level up "Charge" itself, this seemingly ordinary move would play a key role in battle, compensating for his current lack of maneuverability.
"That's enough for today. Tomorrow, continue."
Reyn rested briefly, recovering strength. He was about to leave when a tall figure entered—the Viola.
"It's already dark, Reyn, and you're still not done? Dinner's almost ready; I'm waiting for you," Viola wore a simple house dress, her hair carelessly tied in a ponytail over her shoulder. She looked enchanting.
Reyn stood and smiled:
"I'm just heading back."
He approached the wall and casually lifted his purified iron warhammer. Actually, he'd planned to test his increased strength on it today, but got absorbed in spells and charges, so it sat unused. Even without testing, it was clear: the hammer was now too light for him. In hand, it felt no heavier than a wooden stick—lacking weight to fully unleash his power.
Reyn swung the hammer a few times, whistling through the air. Indeed, too light.
"I have over two thousand gold shields left. Need to find time and buy a proper warhammer," he thought.
Viola had sharp eyes. Noticing, her expression shifted slightly, and with some uncertainty, she asked:
"Reyn, did you level up and fuse with a new demonic soul?"
"Yes, just today," Reyn wasn't hiding the obvious.
"So fast!" Viola could hardly believe her ears.
She knew Reyn's power changes better than anyone, having witnessed his soul transformation ritual. Not even two months had passed, and he'd gone from first-level battle mage to talking about advancing! Turning from ordinary human to second-level mage in just two months! Such astonishing growth—no one would believe it if told.
Viola knew Reyn was a genius with Perfect Soul Transformations, meditating and training tirelessly every day with incredible effort. His power grew faster than others', but this efficiency still stunned her.
"Do geniuses with Perfect Soul Transformations develop this fast?" Viola asked, somewhat dazed.
She'd always seen Reyn differently, never as a beginner superhuman. At Winter Thunder lake battle, he'd shown incredible combat power far exceeding his level, daring to face a sixth-rank elementalist head-on. Viola was only mildly surprised then. Deep down, she prided herself on her achievements. As an all-spirits mage reaching sixth level before thirty, she was extremely confident. In all Longsande, maybe the whole empire, few geniuses could match her.
But news of Reyn hitting second level so soon shook her confidence. At this rate, he'd reach mid-level and match her in two or three years. Viola suddenly felt acute, almost painful urgency. If Reyn hit her sixth level, she wasn't sure she'd surpass him. His power would definitely be higher, leaving her only two edges: noble birth and wealth. But for Reyn, both seemed easily attainable.
Panic gripped Viola for a moment. She bit her lip, staring at Reyn. Her eyes reflected complex emotions. She stayed silent for a long time.
Reyn froze too, not expecting such impact on Viola. Activating Soul Eye, he saw her soul colors shifting nonstop and guessed her thoughts. He smirked inwardly: were all women in love this sentimental? Or did Viola, orphaned young and finally finding a true close one, fear losing him?
Reyn hastily set the hammer down and approached to comfort her:
"Don't overthink. Wherever I go in future, I'll never leave you."
Viola's eyes glistened. She pressed tightly to Reyn's chest, ignoring his sweaty smell, and whispered softly:
"Remember those words."
"Yes, I'll remember," Reyn inhaled her hair's scent and replied seriously.
They lingered in each other's arms a while longer until housekeeper Abigail personally came to say dinner was ready. Only then did they smile at each other and leave the training hall.
For the next half-month, Reyn stayed home except for one night shift at Public Security Bureau and one squad callout to apprehend a fallen. He spent whole days in the training hall, relentlessly drilling Reynbow Ray and Charge.
One day, Viola unexpectedly returned home early. Entering the training hall, she called to Reyn mid-charge and said with a smile:
"Reyn, look at this!"
With that, she handed him a warhammer. It was extremely heavy. Even for Viola's strength, it was hard to hold, and it immediately tilted toward the ground. Reyn, with lightning reflexes, caught it.
"Viola, where'd you get this hammer?" Reyn asked in surprise, feeling the weapon.
This warhammer was slightly larger than his purified iron one but weighed nearly twice as much—at least two hundred twenty pounds sterling. The massive cylindrical head, with smooth blue-white surface like carved from solid icy crystal, gleamed coldly. Rounded edges were trimmed with elegant gold inlay, and each of the two round striking faces bore an intricately engraved white rune emanating palpable icy chill. The sturdy metal handle, about egg-thick, passed through the head, securely joining them. It was covered in intricate gold spiral grooves hiding faint runic script. These not only ensured grip, preventing slips, but evidently activated the head's enchantment. Unquestionably, a masterfully enchanted warhammer.
Viola, beaming with pleasure, asked:
"What do you think of this enchanted hammer? Like it?"
"Not bad. Heavy enough, just right for me now," Reyn felt it fit perfectly from the first touch. Though still a bit lighter than ideal, compared to his old purified iron one, it was a huge upgrade—not to mention cost. His weapon appraisal knowledge was limited, but he knew this was no ordinary item.
Reyn didn't want to accept such expensive gifts from Viola for free and asked again:
"Where's this hammer from? Definitely not standard enchanted gear. How'd you get it?"
"It's called Icebreaker. I ordered it for you from a high-rank mechanicus. My gift to you," Viola, knowing Reyn might refuse without full explanation, added: "Icebreaker is enchanted gear, but not top-tier. Among enchanted weapons, it's high-class, but far from epic."
Reyn was touched. He guessed Viola started preparing this gift half a month ago.
"How much to make it?" he asked curiously, thinking luckily it wasn't epic—otherwise, cost would be astronomical, ten thousand gold or more. He wouldn't accept that.
"Not that much, really," Viola smiled. "I bought materials at cost from Violet House. Mostly high-quality ice crystal stone for the head and two hundred pounds sterling refined gold, plus some enchanting materials. Another three hundred gold to the high-rank mechanicus for labor. Total under fifteen hundred gold."
Reyn nodded; the price was lower than expected. But Soul Eye, activated almost reflexively, clearly showed Viola was fibbing. Icebreaker definitely cost more than fifteen hundred gold! Reyn sighed inwardly but didn't shatter her innocent lie.
"Thanks for the gift; I love it," he happily accepted the hammer.
"Glad you like it. Try it out quick," Viola was thrilled too and explained in detail: "Icebreaker—that's what I named it. Its enchantment is Frost Breath. Grip the handle, and your stamina or soul force activates it. It can apply Ice Armor Art to you, and on impact, releases frost power, freezing nearby enemies."
"Good, let's test it," Reyn hefted the hammer and headed to the hall's center.
Soon after, a very satisfied Reyn stopped. His first enchanted weapon. Not top-class, but it embodied Viola's care. After a few tries, he couldn't part with it.
He looked at Viola by the hall's edge and, on sudden impulse, said:
"You gave me such a great gift. Give me some time, and I'll prepare something for you too—but not enchanted equipment."
"Of course, I'll love any gift from you," Viola's eyes filled with anticipation.
Reyn smiled mysteriously:
"You'll definitely like it."