As Nis’s hand just touched Renko’s skin, Renko suddenly trembled violently, letting out a scream unconsciously.
At the same time, a bright red mark was left on Renko’s skin.
Nausicaa looked a bit dazedly at the scene before her, wasn’t Nis just lightly touching him? How could there be such a big red mark, and why is Renko still screaming?
Nausicaa looked at Nis: "Master, what is his condition now?"
Nis didn’t answer immediately, his eyebrows tightly knit as he observed Renko. However, he no longer directly touched him but rather examined Renko’s condition through the perspective of energy.
After a moment, Nis slowly said, "I initially thought the ’forging’ phase of the forging water was over, but unexpectedly, it’s not finished."
"What do you mean?"
"The effect of forging water is just like its name, it hammers out the potential of humans bit by bit. Each hammer strike can lead to physical collapse and mental breakdown," Nis said. "You should still remember the shrill scream this guy let out before we left, right?"
Nausicaa nodded in agreement. The actual sound of the scream at the time made everyone on the Moonlight Bird feel uneasy.
Humans indeed find it hard to empathize, but the deeply ingrained sound of the scream still sent chills down their spines.
From this, one could tell how terrible the pain Renko was in at the time.
Nis: "Actually, Renko’s state now is just like it was before we left... Well, not completely the same; the toxins in his body have long been hammered out. Now Renko is still activating his potential."
Nausicaa was dumbfounded: "Master, are you saying he is still in the forging phase of the forging water, enduring immense agony?"
Nis nodded, his gaze at Renko showing admiration for the first time.
"This guy’s endurance is excellent; the hammering hasn’t ended, but he has already started to adapt to the pain brought about by it." The earlier scream from Renko was actually the result of Nis’s wrong judgment, as he thought the forging water was exhausted. When the cycle that could originally be endured encountered an external factor—Nis’s touch, it was like a camel already at its limit suddenly having a straw added onto it. Even if the weight of the straw was negligible to others, the camel’s experience was real, and adding any external factor could lead to the camel’s collapse.
However, Renko is ultimately not a camel; a camel cannot withstand the weight of the straw, but Renko can. Even though Nis’s mistake caused Renko to experience even more painful suffering, he still managed to endure.
At this moment, Nausicaa also understood what Renko had been through. Clearly, Nis’s operation earlier was a bit reckless, but not entirely to blame. If it were her, she might have also thought Renko had passed the "hammering" phase since he looked so calm.
Fortunately, Renko’s resilience is strong; otherwise, all would have been in vain.
Now, Renko has once again entered the "forging" state, with his spirit and body not having collapsed.
However, the red mark on his skin is difficult to disappear.
"Can he succeed?" Nausicaa asked after a few minutes of silence.
"I don’t know," Nis replied. "But if Renko succeeds, he should be quite promising... What should I do? I’m starting to fancy him."
When they left, Renko was already enduring the "forging." Now that they’ve returned, the "forging" still hasn’t ended. Nis knew exactly what this meant.
Renko’s potential must be very strong, or the forging water wouldn’t sustain this long.
Of course, strong potential isn’t the main reason for Nis’s interest in Renko.
Many talented ones have strong potential, with some even manifesting strong abilities, like Nausicaa’s friend—Xiliu. Her ability of water transmutation is a manifestation of her potential, strong enough to rank in the Barbarian Cave.
But in Nis’s view, Xiliu is just so-so. Not because of her "drowsiness" problem, but because potential cannot be regarded as the absolute value of the wizard’s path. Compared to potential, he is more interested in decisive courage and tenacious perseverance.
And Renko possesses both.
Back then, when Renko chose between "conventional treatment" and "forging water," all other crew members leaned towards conventional treatment, but Renko decisively chose the forging water. This illustrates a kind of courage to challenge oneself.
During the forging water’s effect, the grueling pain was acknowledged by all wizards, even causing some high-order apprentices to undergo physical and mental collapse in the painful forging, leading to this Vanderval school potion gradually fading out.
Yet Renko, an ordinary person, endured it all. Endured for two whole days, showcasing Renko as someone with strong survival instincts and tenacious perseverance.
If such a person can embark on the wizard’s path, his future achievements might not be inferior to the gifted types.
"I hope Renko has soul talent," Nis murmured.
Nausicaa was taken aback, then her tightened lips lifted into a slight smile. Although Nis said he didn’t know whether Renko could succeed, from his self-talk, it was actually apparent that Nis estimated Renko’s success rate to be high.
More so, Nis began to hope that Renko has a soul talent, so it would naturally be justified for him to take Renko as an apprentice.
"Isn’t having little Same as your disciple enough for you, Wizard Nis?"
Just then, a voice sounded from the clinic’s doorway.
When they turned to look, it was Angel coming in. Behind Angel were Sanders, Ferro, and Kanter, along with Reynaud following along.
"Weren’t you all uninterested in Renko? Why did you come?" Nis asked, looking at Sanders and the others.
Sanders didn’t speak, walking straight over to sit down upon entering. Ferro gently pointed at Angel, "He said he had something to discuss with us, so we came."
Nis looked at Angel: "Little Same is one matter, Renko is another. If Renko is a soul talent in the mysterious side, it’s only logical for me to take him."
Angel chuckled, not continuing the debate. In truth, he only made a casual jest. If Renko indeed had soul talent, he would also recommend Renko to Nis. Although Nis is unreliable as a person, his soul abilities are among the top in the Barbarian Cave.
"Angel, do you have something to say?" Sanders asked.
Previously, Sanders was outside studying Reynaud when Angel communicated through the mind ribbon, saying there was something to discuss. So he came over.
Upon seeing Angel, Sanders inexplicably felt a slight irregularity in his heartbeat, as if something was about to happen.
Good or bad, Sanders could not predict, but it definitely related to why Angel called them over.
"I came here to check on Renko. Since Renko is fine, that means the forging water’s duration isn’t over yet," Angel said with a smile.
Everyone: "..." So you don’t know whether it’s over or not?
After a brief pause, Angel continued, "Besides that, there is something else that I want to discuss with everyone."
Everyone’s gaze focused simultaneously on Angel.