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Chapter 5

Making a city-sized school on top of an artificial island in the Pacific Ocean... I don’t know whose idea it was, but it sure slaps.

Se-Hoon had heard that it started out as a small island, but after expanding endlessly over the years, it was now the size of a large city. It was bound to grow this large as there were over a hundred different department facilities and living quarters for students and staff, not to mention the amount of investment it had received as well as all of the facilities owned by external companies.

Isn’t this enough to announce it as an independent country?

As he was lost in thoughts while looking at the passing buildings out the window, an announcement blared from the light rail’s speaker.

—This stop is the main building of the Department of Blacksmithing.

The mana-powered light rail came to a stop at the station. After Se-Hoon stepped off the train, he looked up at the main building of the Department of Blacksmithing.

It’s still really huge.

Although he had failed to enter Babel Academy before the regression, he had been invited after he had become more established in the field of blacksmithing. By then, the Department of Blacksmithing was gone and the building was being used for a different purpose, but its appearance was pretty much the same.

Let’s see. I believe it was forging room three.

After following the direction panels for a few minutes, the smell of acrid fire and heated metal tickled his nose. Feeling this smell, which was both disgusting and arousing, he quickened his pace without even realizing that a smile had appeared on his face.

Is it this room?

Seeing that the plate hung up in front of the room labeled “Forging Room 3,” he pushed open the tightly closed doors with both of his hands and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered the room, he marveled at the sight of dozens of magic furnaces and pieces of equipment all lined up. Each of them was state-of-the-art and worth a fortune at this point in time.

This sure is a lot of support for a small department... Babel Academy is still on a different scale.

He knew of Babel Academy’s vast expenditures before the regression, but it hit differently when he witnessed it in person. He examined the inside of the room with fascination.

“Lee Se-Hoon.” A cold voice rang out from up ahead.

A middle-aged man with a sharp look on his face was sitting at the table. His slicked-back blonde hair and a perfectly immaculate white suit made him seem like he had OCD, and it was certain that his personality was awful.[1]

“We’re all waiting for you, aren’t we? Come on, stand in place.”

Even though there were ten minutes remaining, he was being impatient, as if Se-Hoon had come late. Se-Hoon frowned at his blatant hostility.

“Sir, there are still ten minutes left,” asserted In-Cheol, who was standing in front of the podium.

“There’s no need to hurry, as the Dean isn’t here yet.”

“It’s about his attitude.”

“Then, I will give him a warning myself.”

In-Cheol’s expression smoothed out as he looked at Se-Hoon.

“The Dean will be here soon, so please have a seat and wait.”

“Okay.”

Sitting on an empty chair on the side, Se-Hoon looked at the two men, who briefly exchanged arguments.

The Department of Blacksmithing should be in a bad state... I guess it also left a bad impression on the Vice Dean.

Considering the poor performance, if there was further conflict with the higher-ups, they might pick a fight with the department without hesitation. As he started to understand why In-Cheol recommended another academy to him, he felt a glare from the side.

“Hm?”

A student was sitting across from him, staring at him. His blonde hair was slicked back cleanly, and his uniform was wrinkle-free, unlike Se-Hoon’s well-worn uniform.

“Tsk.” After looking Se-Hoon up and down, he clicked his tongue and turned away. Se-Hoon was dumbfounded at his reaction, which was as blatant as the vice dean’s.

Is there something wrong today?

Not one, but two people were pissing him off from the start. Without realizing it, his hands were moving toward the hammer beside him.

“I apologize. It seems I came the latest.” A monotone voice called out as the door was opened.

“...?”

Se-Hoon immediately turned his head to find the owner of the voice, which sounded vaguely familiar.

She was objectively beautiful, with long red hair neatly tied back in a ponytail. But her black suit and completely emotionless expression made her look intimidating.

...Ryu Eun-Ha? Se-Hoon’s eyes widened at her familiar looks.

She was an S-rank hero—Weapon Eater Ryu Eun-Ha.

She had a unique ability that amplified her power by consuming equipment. She was also his oldest trading partner before the regression, having known each other for even longer than he’d known the three Dogs.

She did mention that she briefly worked at Babel Academy for a year, but it was as a dean? Se-Hoon was startled at her sudden appearance and he felt that the position of dean didn’t really suit her at all.

She walked straight ahead and took the empty seat next to the vice dean.

“Let’s start right away.”

“Yes, ma’am. Both of you, stand up.”

As the two stood up from their seats, In-Cheol started with his explanation of the exam.

“The topic of this additional test is to create equipment that can be used with the swords you two have previously forged.”

In-Cheol touched the panel on the podium, which unlocked an iron box placed next to the furnace, revealing materials stored inside.

“Ooh...”

Unlike the basic materials that were provided during the previous exam, the ones provided this time were quality materials that were full of mana. Presumably, they were going to be graded on not only their basics this time but also their utilization of skills and mana.

This should be enough for...

After only a quick glance at the provided materials, Se-Hoon was able to think up blueprints of possible pieces of equipment he could forge. As his eyes sparkled while drawing the schematics in his head, In-Cheol continued.

“Your equipment will be judged by Dean Ryu Eun-Ha and Vice Dean Michael Barmuth, so do make sure that you bring forth work that you will not be ashamed of.”

“...?” Se-Hoon, who was preoccupied with the materials, furrowed his brow at In-Cheol’s explanation.

Barmuth... I’ve heard of the name before somewhere.

He found the name strangely unsettling. It was definitely not a name he had just heard somewhere in passing.

While Se-Hoon was digging through his memory, In-Cheol touched the panel again and displayed a timer in the air.

“The time given is 180 minutes; time starts now!”

As the timer started, the magic furnaces were unlocked, and the rival student started picking out his materials.

I should forge the equipment first.

Deciding to think about Barmut later, Se-Hoon quickly took off his jacket, tossed it behind him, and rolled up the cuffs of his shirt. According to the instructions, the jacket was supposed to have temperature control and protection, but to him, it was just in his way.

In response to Se-Hoon’s unhesitant actions, the other student muttered as if he found Se-Hoon pitiful.

“He’s so undignified.”

“Hans Barmuth. Please refrain from making comments unrelated to this exam,” said In-Cheol.

“Apologies,” the student answered politely and went back to picking out the materials.

So... it wasn’t just a bad relationship between Michael Barmuth and Kim In-Cheol. Se-Hoon thought as he looked at Michael.

He couldn\'t believe that the son of the vice dean was his competitor for this exam. This sort of situation would have stunned most people, but Se-Hoon smiled instead.

I was only going to screw over one of them, but now... I can screw over both of them together.

As Se-Hoon sifted through the materials, full of motivation, Hans chose his first material and placed it on the table next to the furnace.

“Lazulite and Sea Jade. Both are materials full of mana,” said Eun-Ha.

Both of these ores had a blue hue. Seeing that she had shown interest, Michael smiled and added an additional explanation.

“Yes, they are ores enchanted with water elemental mana.”

Enchanted ores were tricky to work with anyway, but ones with specific attributes for elements were on a different level. Even the slightest mistake during forging stimulated their internal elemental energies, deteriorating the quality of the ore in an instant.

“I have heard that water elemental enchanted ores are particularly tricky to forge due to their sensitivity to fire.”

“Usually, that would be the case... but it all depends on who is handling them and how,” Michael spoke confidently.

Hans, who was all set, gathered his mana.

Grayish mana gathered in his hands. He moved his hands in the air in an intricate pattern. A moment later, a magic array was formed.

He then inserted the mana stones he had picked out into the circle, and the circle changed once more. It glowed brighter as it was supplied with mana from the mana stones. He grinned at the colorful magic circle, which looked like a tiny star, and put the lazulite and sea jade inside.

The two ores inside the magic circle trembled and suddenly turned into liquid. After smelting the ores without heating, he immediately put his hands into the magic circle to refine them into a shape.

“Oh, so he is doing alchemical forging,” said Eun-Ha after observing the entire process.

Unlike traditional forging, this new method was based on alchemy and magic. It was a method that was gaining traction in the blacksmithing industry because it eliminated the need for casting and quenching and made it easier to draw out the mana inside the materials.

“It is a method trickier than normal forging, but one that, when mastered, allows the full unleashing of the potential in the materials,” said Michael.

“I’ve heard that the method is still unstable.”

“That is old news. It won’t be long before alchemical forging completely surpasses the traditional method.”

Michael subtly promoted alchemical forging, as the Barmuths were known for their mastery of alchemical forging. He was intending to make it the core discipline of the Department of Blacksmithing.

If I just persuade the dean, Kim In-Cheol will be left with no choice.

As long as he had even the slightest bit of justification, he would be able to revamp the department in his favor since the Department of Blacksmithing had been declining for several years. As he was satisfied with this situation, which looked like it was only a matter of time, Se-Hoon came to his eyes.

“The Barmuths... and alchemical forging...”

Se-Hoon mumbled as he picked out his materials, lost in thought. Michael’s eyes glowed coldly at the sight, as he thought Se-Hoon seemed much less competent than his son.

He’s got his basics down... but it won’t be easy.

Unlike the previous exam, which prioritized traditional forging methods, this exam required the proper utilization of skill and mana. And from what he could tell, Se-Hoon’s mana was the lowest among this year’s freshmen. It would be impossible for him to win against his son, who had the skill to even rival the second-year top-ranking student of the Department of Blacksmithing.

I can\'t believe the person he’s leaning on is In-Cheol. He’s just out of luck.

This was probably his last shot too, having been born into a worthless family. Michael sneered at Se-Hoon and turned his head.

“Ah!” shouted Se-Hoon with a relieved expression.

The Barmuths and alchemical forging were both well-known in the blacksmithing industry before he had regressed. But there was another reason why Se-Hoon remembered them.

Yeah, they were definitely involved with that Blast Dog.

Of the three Dogs he had to persuade, they were involved with the Blast Dog Luize Valente. With one more reason to crush Hans Barmuth, he changed his plans and grabbed the ignition stone.

Cr-Crackle!

The ignition stones crashed into each other in his hands, sparking and bursting into flame. Everyone’s attention was drawn to this simple yet unfamiliar technique as Se-Hoon slowly began to channel his mana into one specific ignition stone.

Alchemical forging...

Before he had regressed, Se-Hoon had learned everything he could about blacksmithing. The circumstances weren’t good enough for him to have the luxury of selecting what he would learn.

Do you guys think you know this stuff better than me?

Hans and Michael didn’t know that, but they were actually the ones at a disadvantage here.

Boooom-!

An explosion erupted without any warning.

The scarlet flames, fueled by Se-Hoon’s hands, captured the attention of everyone in the examination room. Had an incident occurred at the start of the exam? Everyone was bewildered due to the unforeseen situation.

[Bond Imprint ‘Flame Inclusion’ has been activated.]

The flame began to compress into Se-Hoon’s hands.

1. The original says "paranoia" but there is no explanation whatsoever as to what the connection is between white suits and paranoia, and we believe the author meant OCD. ☜