[I am changing Attribute symbols to attribute glyphs.]
*****
Lost in the his own version of self-reflection, Levian experienced what could be best described as a rebirth.
The way he looked at the world changed along and for the first time he felt true peace, not because he found what he wanted but because he knew what he wanted.
The core high above him or rather the virtual image of the core begins sheding it's outer layer like a cocoon on the verge of hatching.
Darkness recided away to the far depths as the core begins shining brighter and brighter until.. there was no darkness but just the mind realm.
Akin to a blank canvas, the realm grew white, losing all its colour before a tremor shook it from the very foundations it stood on.
And finally with final burst of light akin to the nova, the core blew away it's false shell and was reborn anew with a shine enough to match the stars in the cosmos.
Levian finally came to his senses, his body white like paper. The world which formerly appeared to him as just things now seemed much more complex and much more simple at the same time.
"Why is it empty? I would rather it be the dark sky instead" He mumbled as he closed his eyes again from mind numbing white colour surrounding him.
The mind realm moved again as if it was waiting for a command as it returned to it's former state.
"Woah. This is insane!" Floating around like a ballon in the sky, Levian couldn't help but admire the beauty of his new core.
To him it felt like watching a sci fi space fiction in a theatre with 3D glasses or something akin to standing in anti-gravity room with a screen at all angles.
In the distance he could see Nimim sitting in air as if still on ground and tried waving his arms around to approach him.
"Use the flux you idiot." Nimim said with a mocking gaze as he stood up on literal nothing and began walking forward like king.
"Say that sooner you jerk!"
Regaining his balance, Levian rose to the core above that shine like a diamond in a black sky. The Attribute sets who used to be about a quarter of its size now barely come close to a tenth of it.
"Is this?.. this is just first stage?"
Questioning the surge of power pumping through the core, Levian forgot everything else.
Before he could lost himself to it, Levian was woken up by a uppercut to the chin and flew away like a rock of a catapult.
"Go deal with your work first, You only have a hour and half till morning.", Nimim dropped a bomb shell on Levian before trying to kick him out of the mind realm.
Refusing to leave just yet, Levian dodged the kick before moving towards the core and asked, "Isn't this supposed to be my mind realm? Why the hell can you control it then?"
" Because it isn't, you haven't unlocked your own and this is mine merged with yours. Now get out." Catching up, Nimim struck with a light axe kick, sending Levian out of the mind realm.
****
Through he only got hit in the mind realm, the pain and sense of motion was enough to make Levian smash his head onto the ground.
Opening his eyes, He looked at the familiar forge room, the chitter chatter of the morning crowd reaching his ears from the open door.
Raising to his feet, Levian looked around to find the scales still not completed and almost felt his soul leave his body as Dolla's voice came to him.
"No food until you complete them, You have two hours until breakfast time."
Forgetting about both his pain and fatigue, Levian spared no second as he got to work faster than a workaholic, the vision and taste of morning breakfast with a bowl of udon and a piece of steak was enough to make his mouth water.
Like a machine that knows no stopping the attributes glyphs were punched into the scales like a repeating rhythm game to the point Levian almost forgot to even breath.
200 scales in two hours, A rate of about one and two-third per minute almost made Dolla question the work speed Levian had showed before.
'Should I threaten him with food everyday?', the Thought came to his but eventually Dolla threw it away, he isn't cruel enough to do it everyday, two times a week would be enough.
Barely completing the milestone set for him, Levian devoured the plain food as if it was some gourmet meal. If there was one thing he learnt during weeks spent in the lab, it was to savour and respect every drop and bite of food.
Everytime he saw someone throwing a incomplete burger or other food in a bin, he felt like killing them but held on for sake of identity.
"How can those rich pampered brats in their flying cars know the value to food and work? If not for their families they wouldn't even make a decent living." Unable to hold the criticism, Levian mumbled while sitting across Dolla on the table.
Raising a eye, Dolla looks at him with a bit of pity and Content? , before talking to him in a decent tone for once.
"You hate those rich brats as well? For once I am happy you ain't one of those scum who lick the boots of the wealth"
Picking up a salad, Dolla felt a wave of ease wash over him as he finally let his guard down for once.
Levian looked at the old man who relaxed his muscles and basically melted into the chair, raising his voice Levian demanded a explanation, "You thought I was one of them? And why did you think that?"
"You reel of poverty, starvation and looked like someone who will kiss ass for benefits." Dolla said.
The words hit like a sharp spears straight to his Levian's chest and even the demon himself couldn't help but burst out laughing inside the mind realm.
"I wanted to ask you," Levian redirected the subject.
" What is the difference between a articifier and a blacksmith?"
*****
A few minutes later, Dolla now stood in front of a mechanical leg prosthetic placed atop a pedestal.
They are on the hidden basement below the shop's basement, Pedestals cover the entire place with all sorts of good places atop them.
Watching things ranging from a light saber katana to a wrist item similar to a certain show where people go running and swinging from walls and giants, Levian could help but awe at the wide variety.
" What is this place? I didn't even realise such a place was hidden beneath that pathetic centu-." Levian couldn't help but ask Dolla before he saw the him glaring.
He came closer and put his hand on Levian's shoulder, sending chills and shrudders down his spine and said, "That is a antique desk worth more than a year of your current salary, insult it again and I will use your limbs as a replacement."
" Y.. Y. Y-Yes ssiir." Levian stuttered like a faulty voice recording, taking over 5 seconds for two words.
Lifting his iron like palm from his ungrateful apprentice's shoulder, Dolla turned to display of a single item hung alone on the biggest wall of the room.
A single guandao with a edge made of sharp teeths put together in liquid like layer of metal was hung majestical on the wall, it had shaft made of multi layered metal and a red cloth tied onto the blade.
"You asked me what difference is there between a blacksmith and a articifier right?" Grabbing the guandao from display, Dolla pointed it's edge at Levian.
"A blacksmith bends metals and glyphs together, we articifier merge them into one. We don't create items, we give birth to them with this very arms of our own."
Dolla declared with a prideful voice that may very well become a soldier encouraging speech. Walking to a large chest to the side, He brought out another guandao and handed it to Levian.
"That one is made by a blacksmith, try to hit mine with it." Said Dolla will raising his masterpiece upwards like cavalry.
Through he wanted to reject, Levian couldn't find himself refusing Dolla's order, deep down he also wanted to satisfy the bubbling curiosity inside him.
So he struck, not randomly or like a amateur, but with proper posture as he swang the weapon in his hand downwards with the full weight of his body begins it.
He expected a clash with a few chirps on his weapon based on the prideful and confident expression but the result was far greater than he could ever anticipate.
The edge clashed but there was no spark as his weapon passed through Dolla's masterpiece as if cutting through air.
"All thy big talk for n-" Levian stopped mid sentence from the sheer shock on the event that he now sees.
His guandao, a decent piece of art had it's blade cut to two pieces without a single bit of resistance as the Dolla's masterpiece basically absorbed the cut part into itself.
" This child of mine. Was made for a single purpose i once pursued like a obsessive priest." Lightly caressing the guandao in his hand, Dolla couldn't help but remember the old days of his youth.
"I was once a battle fanatic, my lust for fighting so big i tried everything to find a weapon perfect for myself, but never once did I find one." His voice and raised goosebumps on skin hinting at a obsession still running deep down in his heart.
" So i decided to make one myself, one cared and made from my very own sweat, a weapon that listened to me more than my mind. A true mirror to my real self."
Just when Levian was engrossed in the story, he was woken by a sort of pulse that begins radiating from the weapon.
He felt it calling to everything and everyone around it, to kill, to fight. He almost couldn't control himself when Dolla noticed the state he was in.
Sealing the weapon back into the display, Dolla smacked the hell and bloodlust out Levian with a slap.
Already unstable, Levian fell conscious with just that one slap as the old man had to carry him out of the room himself.
******
Another day has passed and nothing was out of the ordinary, Levian was again running the delivery errands for Dolla on the lowest floors of the city.
It was plain work with just walking around with a backpack full of items like daggers, shields and sheathed weapons but today was different.
Returning from completing the final delivery, Levian went to a small roadside cafe and bought a icecream as he proceeds for the black market again.
He was completely unaware of what danger was about to befell as over 12 people stalk him from shadows.
"This is R-7, I have the target in visual he is moving on the sidewalk."
" Copy that, this is G-2. Surround the target and neutralize him."
"Roger that."
The dozens of armed soldiers with their guns and swords jumps stealthly make their way around Levian, Circling around while disguised as civilans.
But their movements didn't go unnoticed by the demon who has seen more battles then the number of days in a human's life.
'Oi brat, There are a dozen of people coming for you, you need to escape now!' Nimim warned from inside the mind realm.
Levian almost couldn't believe people will come for his lousy bounty but hearing there were a dozen he realised it.
"A false sense of safety eh? Well I ain't someone who will die so easily." He whispered to himself and quickly moved to the alleys while placing his ice cream in a nearby bench.
If it's a game of mouse and cat they wanna play, then he will show them the difference between a cornered prey and overconfident hunter.