"We will begin by teaching you the difference between simply placing Magic upon an object and actually teaching said object how to retain it.", Frigga explained, continuing where our previous lesson had left off. "Fortunately, we need not search for something suitable to practice with. You already have an item of interest, do you not?"
"I do. I was given a special tool for exhausting that nearby mining node just now. Give me a moment.", I responded, immediately opening my Inventory.
It did not take long to find what I was looking for. Sitting among my newly acquired items was the Durable Pickaxe the Gamer System had rewarded me with for triggering Mining Quest I. With a thought, I selected it and pulled it from my Inventory, feeling its weight settle into my hands as I held it out for Frigga to see. At the same time, another familiar Gamer Notification appeared before my eyes.
[Ding! Observe LV21 -> LV22.]
For now, the information on the Durable Pickaxe came into view.
[Durable Pickaxe]
A durable mining pickaxe made for breaking hard rock and extracting exposed mineral deposits, ores, and various gemstones. Its hardened steel head is designed to withstand repeated heavy impacts without significant deformation or wear. With proper use, it can last quite a long time!
Grade: Blue
Durability: 1,000/1,000
Source: High-Carbon Steel
Attachable Options: 2
Effect 1: Not Attached
Effect 2: Not Attached
"A pickaxe made of high-carbon steel, a durable metal capable of enduring considerable punishment before it begins to deform or fracture.", I explained while holding onto it. "Courtesy of us Humans. It is not some special element or anything, though. It's an alloy made primarily from iron and carbon. What matters is how we refine it and control the amount of carbon used during the process."
"Mmm. Then your people have learned that lesson quite well already.", Frigga replied. "There are many materials throughout the Universe that you have yet to encounter. Even here in Asgard, we possess numerous metals and alloys suited for different purposes, along with our own methods of refining and working them."
Frigga's attention then returned to the pickaxe in my hands.
"The tool you are holding is rather ordinary compared to such materials, but that does not make it unsuitable. Enchantment is not solely dependent upon the strength of the Magic being used. The material receiving that Magic is equally important. An Enchantment must have something capable of bearing it.", Frigga continued to say.
"I can see that. If you tried forcing an Enchantment that is far too powerful into something made from a weaker material, the object might not be capable of containing it.", I reasoned, and looked down again. "The material could deform, crack, or outright break under the strain, destroying the object in one go. This pickaxe is durable enough that it should be at least good for a first attempt."
"Very much so.", Frigga said with an approving nod. "And it appears we may attach up to two Options to it. Now comes the enjoyable question. I shall leave this decision entirely to you."
As Frigga said that, a small smile appeared on her face as she gestured toward the pickaxe again.
"You see, Enchanting an object and successfully binding an effect to it permanently allows for a remarkable degree of variety. Self-repair, automatic functions, improving the amount of material you extract, allowing the tool to affect a wider area, the possibilities are nearly endless.", Frigga continued to explain.
That certainly wasn't an exaggeration. As long as the object itself could endure the Enchantment, you could theoretically do just about anything with it.
Choices...choices...
Thankfully, I didn't spend all day contemplating the possibilities. I couldn't afford to. We were still inside the Instance Dungeon, after all, and there were plenty of Kobolds waiting deeper inside. I simply thought about what would benefit me the most right now, and it didn't take long for two particular ideas to stand above everything else.
Remember what I did just a couple moments ago?
I dumped all 48 Points of what I had available directly into LUK. And well, Mining came with its own Chance Encounters.
If LUK was going to help me obtain rarer materials in the future, then why not lean even further into that idea? An Enchantment that improved what I received while mining sounded like the perfect complement. I don't have a godlike tool yet. Until that happens, I'll mostly stick to what benefits me the most right. And that is getting the most bank for my buck.
"This Durable Pickaxe can support up to two Options, just like you pointed out, Master. Let's go with one that increases the amount of items I can obtain while mining, and another that lets the pickaxe affect a much wider area.", I answered. "At the end of the day, it is still a pickaxe. It's not some omnipotent tool. Left untouched, it can only swing down on one small spot at a time. If we can get around the limitation, mining should become a lot faster."
I mean, sure, I could swing the thing down with enough force to shatter the ore and surrounding rock through brute strength alone, but that wasn't really the point. Smashing half the cavern apart wasn't the same thing as actually mining it. I'm not the Hulk, haha!
What I had in mind was closer to what Frigga had done with Sever.
One action. One targeted effect.
Imagine bringing the pickaxe down once and having the effect spread throughout an entire mining node, extracting everything at once instead of forcing me to chip away at it piece by piece. Similar idea, different application. Combine that with an Option that increases the amount of material I receive, and this simple Blue-grade pickaxe could become one hell of a useful mining tool. I won't go on and on about this. I'm excited to try it out!
"Very well. Those two effects should complement one another nicely.", Frigga said, nodding approvingly. "I shall proceed with those Enchantments."
Frigga's attention then shifted completely toward the Durable Pickaxe.
"Watch carefully, Myles. Do not focus solely upon the Magic you see. Observe how I guide it into the object, how the material responds to it, and most importantly, how I persuade the Magic to remain once my own influence is withdrawn.", Frigga said, only to slowly raise one of her hands toward the pickaxe. "You'd do best to commit this to memory."
For once, I didn't have a witty response ready for Frigga. I simply nodded and focused my attention entirely on Frigga. I did not want to miss out on anything that might prove important later. This demonstration alone could very well be enough to cause my current Enchantment Skill to undergo a change. Right now, I can only attach the elements I know onto weapons.
The first thing I noticed was how little Magic appeared to be using. There was no grand display like when she had used Sever. Nor was there a sudden burst of energy or overwhelming pressure. Instead, it was minute. A faint golden glow gradually gathered around her raised hand. It illuminated her fingers before moving on their own. The golden light became tangible, and turned into threads. The strands reached the steel head first, before wrapping themselves around it at a slow and steady pace. I had initially expected Frigga to pour Magic directly into it, but what she was doing looked far more controlled. It was as if each strand of this golden light moved with purpose.
[Ding! Observe has detected an unusual movement. Now beginning analysis...]
Now that's something new I hadn't seen Observe do before. Is my Observe high enough now that I can properly look at something being played out? Maybe I will get something out of this!
Still, I didn't say a word. My eyes narrowed, solely focused on what Frigga was doing. She wasn't simply forcing her Magic into the Durable Pickaxe. She would guide a small amount of it inside, allowing it to remain there for several moments, and only then, would she add more Magic into it. Each time she repeated the process, the golden glow spread a little deeper throughout the steel. It almost reminded me of a lesson in physics where you keep adding water into it until it reaches the fullest point it can reach before spilling over, but without the spilling part.
"Do you see the difference?", Frigga asked me, never once breaking her concentration.
"I believe I do. You're not forcing your Magic onto it all at once.", I answered.
[Ding! Observe has analyzed part of the unusual movement. It is now at 20%...]
Sure enough, Observe is definitely analyzing something. "You're introducing it little by little, which allows enough time for the material, in this case, the carbon steel, to adjust accordingly before adding more. It's a gradual process. I take it that only experts could do an Enchantment in one swoop. I bet you could, but you're doing this as a demonstration. It would have little meaning if you did something that I couldn't grasp."
"Precisely. You catch on quick.", Frigga said, giving me an approving nod. "This pickaxe is an item which does not possess a will of its own to consciously accept the Enchantment. Those items are exceedingly rare and are quite valuable. For those, the item must additionally accept the Enchantment being put into it, rather than just us doing the process. Here, we do not have to worry about that. We mostly have to see whether the material can withstand it."
That makes sense. Items that have wills of their own...like the godslayer sword Gorr uses in Thor Love and Thunder? It was called the Necrosword, I believe. It corrupted the villain named Gorr from the inside out, becoming hellbent on destroying all of the gods, only to shatter into pieces by Mjolnir during its finale. That's a bonafide MCU weapon, just like Mjolnir, Loki's Golden Scepter which will eventually house the Mind Stone in the coming future, and so on. There are many fantastical weapons out there that are ripe for the taking, and there's even Nidavellir, which is where more powerful weapons are crafted.
This is still early in the timeline, so perhaps given enough time here in Asgard, Frigga may take me there one day. All of the few hundred dwarves should be alive and not dead by Thanos yet. As long as I don't craft Stormbreaker and such, interacting with them shouldn't pose an issue. I know I have weapons and armor rewarded to me by the Gamer System, but imagine a fully-crafted weapon from Nidavellir. How exciting!
[Ding! Observe has continued to analyze the unusual pattern. Now at 50%...]
Looks like I am halfway there now. It shouldn't be much longer before I see what happens to this. For now, I continued watching Asgardian Magic play out before me. Contrary to the sparkly orange Magic of the Mystic Arts, Asgardian Magic seems much more pure. Golden energy. It is quite fantastic to watch.