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Chapter 16

There, Se-Hoon was face down on the desk without moving a muscle. His body was so slouched that it seemed as if he was dead. At this sight, the other students in the room exchanged whispers.

“Was he not able to forge it well?”

“He’s probably just tired. He already managed to forge Rare-tier equipment, so he should have pulled it off this time too.”

“Well, he did use Hero-tier material.”

Se-Hoon’s forging session was the first attempt at an intermediate-level forging session among the freshmen. And since he was Borsippa College’s freshman honor student, there was naturally a heightened interest in his forging sessions.

But even though everyone was curious about the finished equipment, none of the freshmen dared to approach him. His so very grim expression on top of his atmosphere, which was so unique for someone of their age, made it difficult for other freshmen to strike up a conversation with him.

He’s definitely going to explode if we approach him now.

He’s an honor student, after all; we should be careful.

As everyone cautiously gauged the atmosphere and quietly made their own internal deductions, Se-Hoon, who had his head buried in the desk, quietly muttered to himself, I’m going to die...

He thought he would get better after a nap, but it seemed that he had overestimated his young body. With every single part of his body aching, he slouched down, without any strength left to muster up.

But it was definitely worth it.

[Lee Se-Hoon]

[Strength - E (68) Endurance - E (63)

Mana - F (47) Agility - F (52)

Unique Skill: Blacksmith of Bonds

Elemental Mana: Scarlet Flame (F)

Learned Skills: Master of Flames (C), Black Weaver (D)]

He hadn’t started to train, yet his stats had already increased by about five points across the board. Considering the path ahead of him, however, this was but a drop in the bucket. Regardless, compared to his past self, it was a remarkable rate of growth.

And now, this is where it truly begins.

He could feel the heavy Inkstone Bracelets, which were attached to his wrists and ankles, absorbing his mana. Despite the feeling of his already minuscule strength draining even faster, he smiled instead. He knew that the greater the pain, the faster his physical growth became.

Before the end of my first year, I will definitely strengthen my body to a usable state.

As he slouched with widened eyes, the lecture room door opened.

Is the professor here?

Today’s class was one of his major classes: Understanding Tools. Although the description of the class mentioned that they would learn about the different characteristics of forging tools, judging from the fact that they were instructed to wear athletic attire, there seemed to be some physical activity involved.

This class will be perfect for performance testing the Inkstone Bracelets.

He raised his head and looked at the podium, where a man who seemed to be the professor was standing. The man had insanely rugged muscles that made one wonder if he could scratch his own back. Puzzled, Se-Hoon observed the man’s body, which almost seemed like a living weapon.

Why is someone like him in the Department of Blacksmithing?

He seemed more of a warrior than a blacksmith, evident not only from his muscles but from every part of his body. Moreover, he seemed to have a considerable amount of physical skill, to the extent that it wouldn’t be surprising if he were a professor at Aqar Quf.

As Se-Hoon curiously wondered why such a man was here, the man standing on the podium began to speak, “I am Ricaros Miles, who will be leading Understanding Tools starting today. Just like you all, this is my first year in office. I look forward to working with you guys.”

Clap, clap, clap.

After the light applause from the students, Ricaros continued with a bright smile, “I think that’s enough for my introduction. Now, let’s head over to the training center. Let’s get up, everyone.”

“What?”

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a theoretical class?”

The class seemed to be different from what they heard from their sunbaes, starting from when they were told to wear athletic attire to class.

Although confused, they stood up from their seats one by one.

“The last one there runs twenty laps around the track.”

Ricaros’s eyes gleamed with a spark of mischief.

“And... start!”

At his signal, Se-Hoon rushed out of the classroom. He was able to prepare early by quickly catching onto the fact that something was off, while other students, who belatedly realized the situation, only followed after quickly regaining their composure.

“Dude, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know. Just run!”

The distance from the main building of the Department of Blacksmithing to the training center was approximately two kilometers. Although they were students who dealt with equipment all day, they all possessed basic physical fitness. They were able to quickly sprint to the training center.

However, there was one person who lagged behind.

“Huff... huff...!”

Despite being the first one to start running, Se-Hoon quickly found himself at the very back. To others, it seemed as if he had deliberately slowed himself down, but of course, that wasn’t the case.

An ominous sound came from his arms and legs. As his movements strained his nerves, the previously suppressed Inkstone Bracelets began to absorb his mana at a frightening speed. Like sponges that soaked up water, they became heavier as they soaked up mana.

Although it was difficult for him to even walk, Se-Hoon smirked.

It’s working... remarkably well!

It was extraordinary that he was able to train his strength this much during such an ordinary running session. But although this was exactly what he wanted, at this rate, he might collapse before the class ended.

Thus to prevent himself from collapsing, he utilized another feature of the bracelet.

Adrenaline

The mana stored inside the Inkstone Bracelets was released and seeped into his body, restoring his vitality, which was on the verge of collapsing. This released mana was able to seep in deeper and accelerate his physical growth due to the extreme strain on his body.

Now with newfound vitality, he was able to teeter on the edge between falling and remaining upright.

This is excellent...

He chuckled as he casually used training methods that others would be too terrified to even try.

Observing him from behind, Ricaros made a bitter expression.

“I didn’t know he would be this weak.”

He had already heard from In-Cheol about how Se-Hoon’s physical abilities were on the lower side. However, he didn’t expect Se-Hoon, the honor student from the department, to be this feeble. Ricaros, who was unaware of the effects of Se-Hoon’s bracelets, looked at him incredulously.

Eventually, the two belatedly arrived at the training center.

“Huff... huff...”

Se-Hoon had arrived five minutes after the other students. And it was only five minutes because the other students had started to slow down when noticed that Se-Hoon was undoubtedly going to be the last place. If not for that, he would have been at least ten minutes late.

I’m going to die...

The effects of the bracelets were just too excellent. Se-Hoon breathed heavily, his body pushed to its limits.

But despite just arriving, a thick hand immediately grabbed onto his shoulder.

“Twenty laps.”

“...Okay. I’ll start right now.”

He quickly caught his breath and started running around the track. At that sight, some of the freshmen who were watching sneaked a smile.

“His stamina must be at rock bottom.”

“I know right? He must stink in combat.”

To see Se-Hoon, who had a tremendous presence as the top student, in such an embarrassing state, some of them felt a sense of familiarity, while some of them even belittled him. It was at this sight that they all realized that, in the end, he was just like them—just a fellow freshman.

“Well then. Attention, everyone.”

With a light clap, Ricaros captured the attention of the freshmen. He started the class with a loud voice, making sure Se-Hoon could hear as well.

“Originally, Understanding Tools was more of a theory-based class focused on the study of the structures of tools. However, due to the ongoing Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunt, we decided to reformat the class.”

At the mention of the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunt, the students began murmuring. Recently, several blacksmiths who had forged a fire-attribute sword were targeted in this hunt.

While there was no casualty yet, the incident sparked significant controversy, as the victims lost both their hands and weapons during the assaults.

“Even as blacksmiths, it is necessary for you all to have basic combat abilities. Some of you might argue that such abilities could be learned from minor classes alone; however, we have decided there will be no exceptions, especially considering what’s happening nowadays.”

Ricaros looked at the freshman with a serious expression.

“No matter what kind of armor you might wear, in the end, you are the one who will protect yourself. So, through this class, you all are to learn how to utilize the tools and find the right techniques to protect yourselves. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Well, then, we are going to dive into swords today. Training swords are over there, so...”

As Ricaros began class, Se-Hoon, who was listening while running around the track, made a strange expression.

The Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunt... come to think of it, I did hear about it before.

Since it happened so long ago, his memories of it were a bit hazy. However, he still remembered it pretty well compared to other memories. After all, before the regression, the Flame Sword Blacksmith Hunt had concluded as an unsolved mystery, with the culprit’s identity remaining unknown until the very end.

I think the last sword stolen was the Fire Illusion Sword.

Although he didn’t remember who forged the sword, he did remember that it was an item of considerable perfection, a Legendary-tier weapon. As he thought about the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunt, he once again became aware of his own body.

I should also be careful this time.

As an honor student of Babel Academy, even if his current skills were lacking, he was in a position where others regarded him as a future master blacksmith. Considering that he might run into some kind of accident here and there, it would be wise to be prepared for such unforeseen situations.

With these thoughts in mind, he glanced at the ongoing class.

“As you can see, you can deflect attacks like this.”

Clang!

Ricaros easily deflected the student’s swing.

He handles the sword well, but it doesn’t seem to be his specialty... huh? Se-Hoon started watching Ricaros’s fluid movements attentively.

Usually, those who focus intensively on a specific weapon or technique tend to reveal some of their form even while wielding a completely different weapon. However, in Ricaros’s movements, Se-Hoon could only see swordsmanship, which was quite mismatched with his actual strength.

Hm. I’ve seen this kind of characteristic before somewhere...

Se-Hoon squinted his eyes and closely observed Ricaros’s swordplay while he was running. Immediately noticing his gaze, Ricaros shouted at him, “Stop running and come over here!”

In response to his call, Se-Hoon turned immediately and headed toward Ricaros. Examining Se-Hoon, who was covered in sweat from head to toe as though the running had been exceptionally challenging, Ricaros became surprised.

His condition isn’t that bad.

Even while he was gasping for breath, Se-Hoon’s core remained stable and well-aligned. Although he lacked stamina, it seemed like he genuinely understood how to use his body. Intrigued, Ricaros handed Se-Hoon a training sword he had prepared in advance.

“You heard about the purpose of this class when I mentioned it earlier, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll judge whether swordsmanship suits you. Go ahead and swing it at me.”

As soon as he held the sword, Se-Hoon instinctively appraised it.

Quite crude.

It wasn’t the worst, but it was far from passable. He supposed it was suitable for training purposes, but it wasn’t appealing to him.

Let’s see. I can balance it like this...

Ricaros’s eyes narrowed as he watched Se-Hoon modify his grip to adapt to the sword.

That adjustment just now...

Se-Hoon’s movements were so subtle that other students wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual, but Ricaros immediately picked up on the change brought about by his grip adjustment. His lax posture suddenly adopted a new stance, aligning perfectly with that of another person.

He doesn’t seem to have learned swordsmanship.... Maybe he’s naturally talented at it?

As Ricaros watched with a puzzled expression while doubting his own eyes in disbelief, Se-Hoon checked his posture.

It’ll be hard for me to move properly due to the Inkstone Bracelets.

He knew that sluggishly swinging the sword aimlessly would only ignite his frustration.

Hm. Right, maybe I could use that skill.

It wasn’t a refined technique, but it seemed decent enough for parrying once. Envisioning how he was going to move, he swung the sword forward, prompting a gleam in Ricaros’s eyes.

His posture isn’t bad.

However, the strength in his swing was lacking, perhaps because he had been running laps. While he could have easily deflected the swing, Ricaros swung his sword instead, matching Se-Hoon’s speed in order to see his potential.

Clang!

Their swords clashed somewhat sluggishly, drawing murmurs from the students.

“That swing was so slow. Did he really become exhausted after running that much?”

“Still, his form’s pretty decent.”

“Man, if I swung that slowly, I could probably manage something like that too.”

Everyone thought that Ricaros was going easy on Se-Hoon. However, the person who was actually facing Se-Hoon’s sword had a different opinion.

Brilliant.

Unlike other students, whose swords flailed in all directions, Se-Hoon’s sword moved unwaveringly along a set path. To wield the sword with such precision meant that either he was exceptional in swordsmanship, or he had a remarkable sense of body control.

No wonder he was chosen as an honor student.

Although his potential was hidden by his lack of physical abilities, if he invested ample time in growth, he would become a completely different person. Ricaros, now engaged with genuine interest, faced Se-Hoon’s sword with sincerity. This swiftly changed the atmosphere between the two.

Hm...

Although Se-Hoon had been blocking Ricaros’s attacks quite effectively so far, there was a glaring flaw in his defense that was caused by his misstep. Ricaros had noticed that Se-Hoon had been doing it habitually throughout their entire duel.

Now, this persistent mistake manifested itself, exacerbated by his drained stamina.

I should fix his mistake right now.

Although such mistakes could be overlooked during practice sessions, committing such an error during real combat could cost him his life. Deciding to bring an end to the duel with his final attack, Ricaros swiftly exploited the opening.

“...?”

Ricaros involuntarily looked into Se-Hoon’s eyes. He had such a calm demeanor that Ricaros could hardly believe that it belonged to someone whose defenses were about to be breached.

Accelerating his thoughts, his gaze moved toward the tip of Se-Hoon’s sword. At the sight of the trajectory of that tip, Ricaros’s eyes became stained with astonishment.

Clang!

A sword flew through the air.

“...”

“...”

A still silence settled among the students. At that moment, Ricaros glanced down at his hands, realizing that his sword was still tightly gripped.

As he realized what he had just done, an expression of disbelief crossed his face.

I... I didn’t trust myself.

At that realization, he stood there with a shocked expression.

He found it hard to believe that he had imagined that he would not be able to parry a strike from a student who was not even from Aqar Quf but from Borsippa.

...How did that work?

Se-Hoon, too, looked down at his own hands, shocked.