"I'll take three Magic Recovery Stones."
The shopkeeper carefully removed the stones from the shelf and placed them on the counter.
"That'll be thirty silver coins... or three gold coins."
Enrico picked up the three stones and, after counting the coins with some difficulty, handed over one gold coin and twenty silver coins before leaving the shop.
'I really didn't expect Enrico's family to send so little money. In the end, I had to borrow the rest from Serenya.'
[She seemed genuinely happy to help.]
An image of Serenya appeared in Enrico's mind, covering her mouth with one hand as she laughed elegantly.
"Hohoho... your family is trash. Let me help you."
A small smile appeared on Enrico's face. Serenya seemed to have been much happier lately.
'Well... she's changed a lot.'
After that, he stopped by another shop and bought a silver ring reinforced with magical resistance. The shopkeeper seemed like an honest person, and after hearing that Enrico was a student at Astrong Academy, he even offered him a small discount.
Enrico took the opportunity and bought it immediately.
Next, he visited a few more shops to acquire the remaining materials. Once he was finished, he headed to the underground laboratories of Astrong Academy. Surrounded by flasks, scrolls, magical engraving tools, and metal fragments scattered across the workbenches, he took a deep breath.
It was time to put his idea into practice.
"Alright... let's begin."
He arranged all the materials on the table.
"First..."
Magic Recovery Stone. A small transparent gemstone crossed by thin bluish filaments. When incorporated into an artifact, it allows the user to recover mana slowly. It is compatible with any affinity, but its nature changes according to whoever uses it first. In Enrico's case, it would evolve into a Flame Recovery Stone, specialized in channeling fire mana.
"Second..."
Magic Resistance Core. Produced from refined steel, condensed magic, and Obelium stone powder. Its function is to stabilize artifacts subjected to large amounts of mana, making it an excellent foundation for a ring with passive magical resistance.
"Third..."
Magical Engraving Tool. Similar to a scalpel, but designed to carve magical circuits. Its blade emitted a faint purplish glow, allowing mana to be channeled with extreme precision. However, a single mistake during the engraving process was enough to compromise the entire artifact.
"And lastly..."
Instant Magic Circle Scroll. Once activated, it automatically projects a magic circle capable of fusing the materials placed at its center. The circle responds directly to the creator's mana and becomes extremely unstable if poorly calibrated. In combat, it is almost useless, since it requires a very long preparation.
Enrico took a deep breath.
"Everything's ready... now."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead while holding the unfinished silver ring, still completely dull. Beside it were the Magic Recovery Stone, the Resistance Core, and the scroll. Carefully, he connected the three using a thin thread of mana extending from the tip of his finger.
One hour later...
The first attempt ended in disaster.
The moment he set the stone into the center of the ring and activated the engraving tool, the magic circle lost stability and exploded into a cloud of smoke. The ring cracked immediately, while mana began flowing through it chaotically.
"Damn it... I put in too much mana."
He took a deep breath.
"Second attempt."
Another hour passed.
This time he reduced the amount of mana used. However, the problem appeared during another stage. The Resistance Core completely rejected the fusion with the silver. The metal vibrated for a few moments, cracked, and eventually shattered.
"Not again... maybe I inserted the core too early."
Enrico gathered the remaining materials.
"Third attempt."
This time he decided to completely reverse the order of the process. First, he fused the core into the ring, and only afterward activated the magic circle to insert the stone.
For a few seconds, everything seemed to be working perfectly, but then the Magic Recovery Stone crystallized sooner than expected.
The following explosion threw him several meters backward.
"Agh!"
Lying on the floor, Enrico coughed as a thick cloud of smoke escaped from his mouth.
"Cough... damn it... cough..."
When he managed to see again, everything had been burned, melted, and rendered completely unrecognizable.
"Damn it... damn it!"
Even after another hour of frustration, he refused to give up.
He gathered the charred fragments of the ring and tried to salvage whatever could still be saved.
Using a low-intensity flame, he carefully welded the pieces together and performed another fusion, and this time the energy remained stable.
For three seconds.
Right afterward, a wave of unstable mana erupted from the ring, knocking Enrico down once again and splitting the artifact in half.
"Why?! Why does it always break?!"
Taking a deep breath, he decided to simplify the project completely.
He reduced the complexity of the magic circle and performed a much slower fusion between the core and the silver.
The result was better, and the ring remained intact for longer, but the instant he inserted the Recovery Stone...
Crack.
The metal split apart like glass subjected to unbearable pressure.
"AAAAAAAARGH! DAMN IT!"
[I really didn't imagine it would be this difficult.]
"Honestly... a project like this should take days to complete. The problem is that I need it before the dungeon."
Enrico let out a long sigh as he looked at the remains of the ring scattered across the workbench.
"And to make matters worse... I'm out of money."
He dropped to his knees, breathing heavily, while his fingers still trembled from the effort and accumulated frustration. His eyes remained fixed on the charred remains of the ring scattered across the workbench until a small detail caught his attention.
A thin thread of mana was still circulating among the fragments.
"These remains... still have a structure..."
Without wasting any time, Enrico gathered his fire mana once more and released it slowly and with perfect control. Instead of forcing another fusion, he simply heated the fragments little by little, allowing the heat to do the work. Gradually, the pieces began to melt and merge together as if they still remembered their original shape. Soon afterward, the Resistance Core fused perfectly with the silver without showing any sign of rejection.
Enrico held his breath.
With extreme care, he set the Recovery Stone into the center of the ring.
The gemstone glowed softly.
For the first time, it accepted the fusion.
Enrico's hands began trembling again as he activated the Instant Magic Circle Scroll. A circle of runes appeared above the ring and slowly descended, enveloping the artifact in an intense light. Mana flowed through every engraving carved into the metal, circulating steadily until the glow disappeared completely.
The ring remained intact.
[Congratulations... I guess.]
Enrico cast a tired glance at the System.
"You were hoping I'd stay frustrated a little longer, weren't you?"
[Tsk.]
Ignoring the response, Enrico turned his attention back to the newly created ring. A small smile of satisfaction appeared on his face as he carefully picked it up and began examining the result of his first creation.
[Flame Heart Ring — Created!]
Flame Recovery (Level 1): Slowly restores fire mana with increased efficiency.
Adds a percentage to the user's Magic Circle according to their Circle for five minutes.
Core Harmonization: The ring gradually adapts to its owner's mana, improving its performance the more it is used.
Can only be activated once per day.
Only its owner can use it, unless temporary permission is granted to someone else.
Enrico watched the gemstone pulse on his finger. The reddish glow matched the rhythm of his heartbeat, as if the ring had already become part of his body.
"I... did it."
His eyes remained fixed on the artifact for a few moments.
"I still have a lot to learn... but this is already a beginning."
A satisfied smile appeared on his face. Slowly closing his fist, he felt the ring's gentle warmth spread across his skin, dispelling all the tension that had built up from his countless failed attempts.
'Of course, it's still far from perfect. But once I obtain a Ranvil Fire Core, I'll be able to improve it. That'll still take a long time, though.'
[How did you come up with this ring? Did it exist in the original story?]
"No. It was something that came entirely from my own mind after gathering all the information I could since arriving in this world."
The System remained silent for a moment.
[Tsk... why do you have to be smart?]
Enrico simply ignored the provocation. When he tried to put the ring on properly, he noticed a small problem.
It wouldn't fit.
The band was too small.
Enrico stared at the object for a few seconds before sighing.
"Damn shopkeeper..."
The System burst into laughter.
[Hahaha... don't blame the shopkeeper. It was obvious something was wrong. Hahaha! You somehow manage to be smart and stupid at the same time.]
A vein bulged on Enrico's forehead.
"You'll see. That trick won't work on me twice. Next time, I'll be the one fooling someone."
A devilish smile appeared on his face as he was already thinking of a way to get his revenge.
A few seconds later, however, his expression returned to normal.
"Anyway, I'll still be able to use this ring. I just need to lose a little more weight. And thanks to you, that's already happening."
The System fell silent for a moment.
[Hearing you say that... I'm starting to feel a little regret.]
Enrico simply smiled at the System, satisfied that he had finally managed to complete his first creation.
After that, Enrico spent the rest of the day training. During one of his breaks, he took the opportunity to ask Tolen about the magic he used in his eyes.
That night, he dressed entirely in black and, taking advantage of the empty hallways, discreetly left a letter in Professor Virelle's room.
After training for a few more hours, he finally went to sleep. He rested for only six hours, and when there were four hours left before the academy's scheduled activity began, he was already awake and fully prepared.
Shortly afterward, he entered the classroom together with the other students.
"Good morning, students."
Professor Borem entered the classroom wearing his usual serious expression whenever a test or an exam was about to take place.
"Today we'll be doing something different."
The students exchanged confused glances, causing Borem to smile faintly.
"We're going to enter a dungeon to conduct a real combat test."
The classroom immediately erupted into excited chatter.
While everyone talked enthusiastically, Enrico remained silent.
'If the original story hasn't changed, we'll be facing zombie-type Nartheis... or at least that's what should happen.'
His expression grew more serious.
'But I still don't know how this increase in difficulty is going to affect the dungeon.'
A few minutes later, the class left the academy's main building.
On the way, they passed students from the higher classes heading in the opposite direction. Among them was Elaris, who gave Enrico a brief smile before continuing on her way.
Kai raised his hand.
"Professor, what about the lower-ranked classes?"
"Their level is still insufficient to enter a dungeon."
Kai simply nodded and adjusted the belt holding his sword. Behind him, Valença took a deep breath, trying to hide her nervousness.
'I can't let this affect me... stay calm.'
Beside her, Serenya proudly lifted her chin alongside her subordinates, making Valença want to leave that place immediately.
"Hmph... this is nothing for a noble like me."
"Right."
"Exactly."
Enrico began clapping as a form of encouragement. Serenya, Elian, and Caelan immediately puffed out their chests, pleased by their leader's confidence.
Shortly afterward, Tolen arrived accompanied by Cris, Rank 121.
"You all seem pretty excited."
Cris simply nodded to Enrico before turning his attention back to the professor.
Borem then raised his voice so everyone could hear him.
"Listen carefully. Inside, there is a real battlefield, so do not lower your guard for even a moment. I'll be giving each of you watches synchronized with your mana. If any situation gets out of control, simply activate them. I'll enter immediately to eliminate the dungeon boss. So, stay calm."
"Yes, sir!"
Soon after, the enormous portal began to open.
Kai was the first to step through it.
Next came Serenya, Caelan, Elian, and right behind them, Enrico.
'It's time for the second arc to begin.'
The moment everyone passed through the portal, its surface glowed briefly.
[Zombie Labyrinth Arc — Evolved. Begin.]