PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

Of course, it was one thing to have an interest or be somewhat attracted to Aisha’s charms, but it was another thing to act on those feelings. Regardless of whether or not the interest was mutual, Desmond simply had no intention of making his romantic life at home more complicated than it already was.

Desmond loved Claire and Sasha dearly. In turn, he was becoming increasingly attached to Revna and Cecilia. Still, on more than one occasion, he thought that only a masochist would actively seek to have a harem. While satisfying, Desmond’s romantic life was complex, barely reaching a tenuous harmony. But that was because everyone involved in his love life played their part in the complex relationship.

Despite having a harem himself, Desmond firmly believed that he did not have a mindset that actively sought such a thing. He believes you can’t say you value something if you constantly want something else, plain and simple. To some, it might sound hypocritical, but Desmond didn’t care; only he knew how much he loved the people next to him and how sincere that feeling was.

In any case, romance was not something Desmond thought about as he watched Aisha hold the ring she had just forged.

The dominant color in the ring was dark gray, almost black. The silver streaks in the alloy had been masterfully manipulated to match the carving of the runes and energy circuits.

Desmond just couldn’t imagine the kind of control one had to have during the smelting and cooling process to manipulate metal to that level; the accuracy was a bit frightening.

With most of the energy circuits and runes carved into the now hidden surfaces of the three pieces that make up the ring, only a few delicate patterns were visible from the outside. The dark metal with beautiful silver carvings, the tiny but exquisite gems set; the ring looked gorgeous and masculine.

Aisha could see Desmond’s interest in the ring, bringing her an incredible feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. As a craftswoman, it was of the utmost importance that her work was appreciated. Aisha came out of her impromptu workshop, and she passed the ring to Desmond as a beautiful smile full of joy with a hint of pride took place on her lips.

.....

Desmond held the ring, somewhat fascinated by it, and Aisha took the opportunity to explain a bit. “It may be wrong of me to say it, but this is a magnificent piece. One of my best works in the accessories category. Although I must give a lot of credit to the gem in the center. With my current skill level, it would be impossible for me to replicate the abilities in the gem through inscriptions, runes, and circuit carvings on something as small as a ring.”

Desmond paid close attention, not only because he was very interested but also because it was a matter of respect for Aisha as a craftswoman. Aisha was quite pleased to see Desmond patiently listening to her instead of immediately demanding information about the ring’s powers. People should have shown this basic respect for her job.

“I designed a new composite alloy that is a perfect fit and will even function as a conductor and amplifier of the gem’s abilities. Normally, when an item’s abilities are used, the wearer still bears some of the strain of using that ability. This ring is different; the ring will take the full charge of the ability instead.”

Aisha continued excitedly, describing some of the processes and logic around which she designed the alloy, and Desmond continued to listen intently. Finishing talking about the alloy used in the ring, Aisha described some information about the carvings on the ring.

“To achieve the perfect resonance between user and artifact, runes and mana circuits have been adjusted to optimally respond to your mana signature. Although the purity and density of your mana can change, the process is rarely spontaneous; as long as the frequency point of your mana stays the same, the ring adjusts little by little. Lastly, most of the runes and circuits are hidden in the internal parts of the ring; this will prevent them from being easily damaged. Although such a thing is difficult, given the inherent hardness of the ring, it is mostly for aesthetic purposes.

Aisha paused, her eyes sparkling at Desmond’s reaction. Seeing that he continued showing sincere interest and patience, she smiled more joyfully. “Well, I think that was enough about the technical aspects. I believe you should be very interested in the function of the ring, so I don’t plan to keep you waiting much longer. However, I still want you to experience it yourself instead of telling you directly.”

There was something mischievous in how Aisha said that last part, but Desmond let it slide. A certain fidgety faery had already made him train his patience for these things. “What do I need to do?” That was all Desmond said.

According to Aisha, all Desmond had to do to activate the ring was use any of the abilities at his disposal that might involve using his fists. He would direct the attack at the ring. Although the instruction was somewhat strange, this one was quite easy to pull off.

Following the instructions, Desmond concentrated his mana, creating hundreds, if not thousands, of intertwining blue mana threads. He weaved a long gauntlet covering from the tips of his fingers to the middle of his forearm by just a couple of inches of the shoulder. Afterward, Desmond concentrated the water mana and executed his ability, focusing his attention on the ring.

To Desmond’s surprise, nothing happened, absolutely nothing. To put it another way, something had to happen because his attack was nowhere to be seen. This had never happened to Desmond; he had never failed to activate an ability, although such a thing was possible.

“No, I’m sure I didn’t fail.” Desmond murmured for a second with a contemplative expression before turning his attention to a small change that took place in the ring. The previously transparent cross-shaped gem now had a faint blue coloration that wasn’t there before.

“If you want, you can try it a few more times. It should work with any ability that derives from those blue gloves you use as a physical means of activation.” Aisha commented at the same time that she watched with pride as her handiwork worked perfectly.

Since Aisha didn’t seem to want to give answers, Desmond kept trying. Eventually, Desmond’s half-recovered mana reserves emptied again. In the end, due to mana shortage, Desmond only cast four other skills, , , , and .

Like in the beginning, the first two abilities didn’t manifest. However, something different happened when Desmond wanted to use his remaining abilities. In the case of and , both abilities involve creating and condensing mana constructs. Such external manifestation of Desmond’s mana still occurred. Still, at the moment of casting, both abilities were sucked into the ring.

At that point, Desmond would have to be an idiot not to realize what was happening; the only thing he didn’t understand was why or what for. As if reading Desmond’s mind, Aisha spoke. “Now try to consciously connect a trace of your mana to the ring; think of any abilities you used before and wish to use them again.”

Since the process was not complex, Desmond carried it out almost instantly, his mind naturally expressing the desire to use the ability that had just been devoured by the ring.

Due to the perfect resonance between the user and the artifact, the intention and the application coincided. The cross-shaped gem on the ring emits a blue glow as the desire to use the ability arose in Desmond’s mind, unleashing a water serpent of colossal proportions.

Desmond almost dropped his jaw as he watched the huge snake be instantly brought into existence. One had to know that even at the peak of his performance, Desmond would need four or five seconds to execute that ability. Between nine and twelve seconds if he wanted to boost the destructive power to the maximum.

Desmond immediately understood the ring’s function and how powerful it was. One must recognize something like ability storage. Taking the newly released as an example, this skill has very high requirements, whether in mana consumption, control, or cast time.

In return, the skill had devastating destructive power, completely exceeding what someone in the one-star class should be able to use. Desmond could already imagine what would happen if he used the ring to bypass all of the ability’s requirements. He can summon the skill to an enemy’s face without warning; Desmond himself would not survive that.

Desmond could also understand what Aisha meant by designing something suitable. Although Desmond was not lacking in prowess, and his cast time was already exceptional for an Elementalist, he still fell behind compared to Aura users. With the ring created by Aisha, Desmond could skip casting altogether. He would become a nightmare for Aura users who thought they could take advantage of getting close to interfering with his ability casts.

The emotion in Desmond’s eyes was hard to hide, and Aisha caught it instantly. The young craftswoman couldn’t help but puff out her chest with pride and thought. “Hump, of course, it’s a masterpiece. I’d put my entire race to shame if I created an inferior item.”

When the excitement wore off, Aisha explained some of the restrictions and limits of the ring. Four different abilities, and a maximum mana threshold, were the restrictions of the ring. According to Aisha, the ring’s function came from the center gem; the other gems functioned as storage banks for skills. With four gems, four skills could be stored. The maximum amount of mana stored in the form of skills was also due to the four gems; they couldn’t withstand the load after a certain threshold.

Aisha added at the end. “Truth be told, these gems are a bit inadequate for the overall quality of the rest of the ring, but I don’t have anything better on hand. In the future, you can try to replace them with higher-level mana gems. I leave a hidden mechanism in the ring that makes it easier to replace them. As the function of the ring comes from the central gem, and the link depends on the runes and energy circuits, replacing the mana gems should be easy to do it.”

Desmond made sure to remember every last letter of what Aisha said. Desmond praises the girl in his mind for even having the foresight to leave enhancement and modification measures for the ring.

As if she remembered it at the last minute, Aisha made an exaggerated gesture and exclaimed. “Right, I almost forgot to tell you the ring’s name. I decided not to base the name on its function or structure. It is called , in honor of our meeting.”