Chapter 547: Chapter 547- Blooming Delicia (4)

That said, unlike before, the hammer no longer felt impossible to lift. She instinctively understood that the hammer wasn’t rejecting her.

Huff.... Taking a deep breath, she planted a foot forward, straightened her spine, adjusted her stance and exerted her strength.

At that moment, it happened.

KRRRKK...

A sharp, unmistakable sound rang out. The handle tilted, just slightly. But it tilted.

Above, the training field erupted into a commotion.

"What?! Did you see that?!"

"No way, no way!"

"Good heavens, it moved. It actually moved!"

Some of the members of the Temple of Light rubbed their eyes, doubting their vision. Others leaned forward unconsciously, mouths hanging open. A ripple of disbelief surged outward, spreading to the entirety of the training ground in the blink of an eye.

Even the Holy Knights found it difficult to rein in their astonishment.

Bob usually composed, found himself standing stiff.

Marcus sucked in a deep breath, his expression exaggerated.

Grey’s eyes narrowed, calculating something.

As for Zerina, she found it surprising and amusing by her rival who managed to do something that even she failed at.

"That wasn’t any Transcendent State, she made it respond?" Grey spoke, questioning his own logic.

Inside the crater, unbothered by what everyone was speculating, Delicia focused her attention on the hammer.

At that moment when she tried to lift it, although it moved, she distinctly felt a resistance. Of course, the hammer no longer felt as immovable as before, the resistance came from the unyielding nature of the weapon spirit.

Like a mountain that had acknowledged her presence yet refused to rise.

Not ready to give up, Delicia tried to lift it once again. This time she used both of her hands.

The hammer hummed again.

Then, CRACK...

In front of the gobsmacked eyes of everyone, the gravel below the hammer vibrated, dust slid down from the edges of the hammer head, and it left the ground.

Finall,y the hammer was lifted.

In front of the shocking event, silence descended, replacing the commotion.

The audience stood there rooted, unable to take their eyes off the spectacle. There was no doubt, the hammer moved. It did not just tilt, but the entire body was lifted one full inch off the ground.

The process was by no means graceful or clean; they could see Delicia struggling. Nevertheless, the truth was that she managed to lift the hammer that no one, not even the holy knights, had managed to even move.

Inside the crater, unable to hold it up any longer, the hammer slammed down on the ground.

Forced to take a few steps back, Delicia gasped for breath. Beads of sweat dripped from her chin onto the stone below and arms were numb.

Yet despite the immense exhaustion her body felt just from lifting it one inch off the ground, a smile of content and satisfaction was plastered on her face.

She did it.

Although she hadn’t completely gained the recognition of the Hammer of Resolve, she had nonetheless resonated with it and talked with its weapon spirit. She did not betray the expectation of the commander.

Satisfied, she relaxed for a moment.

At that moment, immense exhaustion took hold of her body and her vision blanked. Just before she fell unconscious, she felt her body being held by strong reliable hands and the face of the Commander appearing at the edges of her vision.

"You did well."

Those were the last words she heard before losing consciousness.

.

.

White greeted her first. Clean white linen sheets, pale curtains swaying faintly with the draft, and the familiar scent of antiseptic herbs.

When Delicia opened her eyes again, she found herself in the infirmary. She blinked once, twice, her head throbbing dully, as if she’d run headlong into a wall.

"I’m..."

"You’re awake."

At that moment, a voice sounded from beside her.

Turning around, she saw Reinhardt sitting by the stool with his arms crossed in front of his chest, appearing all relaxed.

Relief flickered across his face for just a fraction of a second before it was buried beneath his usual calm.

"C-Commander!" Delicia tried to sit up instinctively.

Though before she could, a firm hand pressed gently against her shoulder, stopping her.

"Easy, you collapsed from excessive mana and physical exhaustion. If you force yourself up now, you’ll be back here for twice as long." Reinhardt spoke, eyeing Delicia’s condition.

The latter nodded and crashed back into the bed, her eyes staring in a daze at the ceiling.

It was then that memory flooded her mind. She remembered the crater, the hammer resonating with her, showing her those visions and probing her resolve and her subsequent attempt at lifting it.

In the end, with her pushing herself to the limits, she managed to lift the Hammer of Resolve by a full one inch off the ground. It was the last thing she remembered before everything turned dark.

As it appeared, she lost consciousness. Though before losing consciousness, she distinctly saw the face of the Commander, holding her body from falling.

To think, just lifting it an inch drained her this much. She can’t even imagine how exhausting it would be to actually wield the Hammer of Resolve.

Delicia thought, awestruck and in disbelief.

Lost in her thoughts, silence spanned for a while.

Seeing through her thoughts, Reinhardt remarked. "Although the hammer cannot be wielded without being recognized, the weapon itself is also extremely heavy. Having accompanied Tollivar Stout, it absorbed his skills, experience and power. There is a certain standard one’s stats must reach to even wield it."

So that was the case, no wonder. She nodded her head.

She had gained the recognition of the hammer; however, it did not mean that her stats had reached the level to wield it normally.

With her Intermediate (High) and Intermediate (Intermediate) stats, it imposed a heavy toll on her body, leading to excessive depletion of her mana and strength.

Delicia gulped, her hands inside the sheet curled into a fist. "Commander, it’s just as you said, the hammer really does house a weapon spirit."

Reinhardt’s gaze sharpened slightly.

Over a month ago, when Delicia first heard that strange buzzing and was drawn over to the field, the commander also present at that time, told her it was trying to communicate with her.

He said that the Hammer had reached a stage that made it a top caliber weapon, comparable to the Holy Sword itself. Back then, she was still slightly doubtful.

However, having communicated with the hammer and even probed by its spirit on her resolve, she had no choice but to believe it.

Hearing her words, Reinhardt leaned back slightly, his shoulders relaxed as if he had put down a weight.

"Since you can now hear the weapon spirit, it must mean that the hammer has acknowledged you. You did good." He praised, a small smile tugging at the corner of his face.

His gaze looking at her was not like a commander looking at a subordinate squire, but a full-fledged knight who was walking the same treacherous path as him.

"Then, does that mean that I haven’t disappointed you?" Delicia looked at him, her eyes slightly weary from exhaustion and fear of disappointing him, trembling.

Reinhardt shook his head, dispersing her worry.

"No, you have surpassed my expectations."

He was not lying. While he did hold her [Prodigy] trait quite highly, he realized that he had still underestimated her. Reinhardt expected her to resonate with the hammer in her first try.

Yet she had gone beyond his expectations and even lifted it.

It needs to be stressed that Tollivar Stout, who wielded the hammer, had all of his stats maxed out in Pinnacle. That is to say, the requirement for swinging the hammer that had absorbed the power and abilities of the knight was to achieve the stats of Pinnacle.

Delicia, who was regaining her strength, was still just at level 5.

"Remember this, the Hammer of Resolve is a powerful weapon that can kill even the ruler class demons. Just merely possessing the ambition and strength wouldn’t allow you to truly grasp the strength of the hammer. What is necessary for wielding the hammer is this."

Reinhardt made a fist and pressed at his heart with his thumb.

"It requires an unwavering heart. A will to stand before despair without breaking."

Delicia nodded, determined and happy that she didn’t let him down.

Just as he finished explaining things, things became noisier outside.

Delicia’s teammates, Kevin, Gwen, Silvia, Vangeance, and the others rushed in after hearing that she was awake.

Quickly, the quiet infirmary began bustling with their boisterousness. They all came here, excited by the news and worried about her condition.

At that moment, looking at the anxious and worried expression of her comrades, Delicia was genuinely touched. This scene was completely different from a few years ago, when she was lying on the bed of the infirmary of the Silver Shields with no friends or comrades.

However, right now, looking all around her, she was surrounded by friends and comrades whom she could trust wholeheartedly.

She was no longer alone... the last of her restraint finally shattered, and she was free.