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Chapter 178

“Alright. The test will now commence.”

Just like the students’ wish that the semester evaluation test wouldn’t arrive.

Boom! Crash!

Throughout Babel, students, who looked tense as if about to head into battle, were accompanied by loud and small explosions as they marched toward their respective academic buildings with determined expressions.

Today they would showcase their growth over the past semester, with the lower-ranking students aiming to ascend upward and the top-ranking ones fighting to maintain their positions. Regardless of rank, they were all desperate to display their abilities.

Thus, a warlike atmosphere formed among the students, and the Department of Blacksmithing was no exception.

“Last year, the exams were conducted individually for each major class, but this year, we will be administering a single comprehensive test integrating all three subjects. Please remember that we are aiming to evaluate your overall abilities as you take the exam.”

Scanning the tense first-year students, In-Sung turned his head toward the examination hall, which had originally been a forging room before being remodeled.

“Now, I will explain the test. The first thing you need to do is select the materials you will use for blacksmithing.”

Following his gaze, the students turned their gazes to the massive display rack at the innermost part of the exam hall. On it were smooth metal balls, tightly packed with no gaps. Each was about the size of a basketball and appeared identical in size at first glance.

“The metal balls on the display rack might look the same on the surface and in the information message, but they each have a different mana array inside. It\'s your job to distinguish these differences.”

Tensing even more, the students stared at the metal balls on the display rack while In-Sung continued his explanation.

“Once you have selected your desired metal ball, you need to decompress them to prepare them for refining. The method you choose to decompress it will likely determine the quality of your submission for this test.”

Demonstrating, In-Sung placed a prepared metal ball on the table and infused it with his mana.

Crack!

The students watched the metal ball disassemble into pieces that were reassembled into a neat, square ingot.

“Then, once you have decompressed it into an ingot, you can start forging. You may not use personal equipment in this exam, but you can use any skills. Are there any questions?”

It was quiet. The students, who were all nervous, didn’t reply. They were hyper-focused only on the display rack.

Smiling at the sight, In-Sung shouted to declare the beginning of the test.

“The time limit is twelve hours. The test will now begin!”

Sprinting toward the display rack, the students grabbed the metal balls they had their eyes on.

Buzz! Clang!

Testing out various methods, they infused their balls with mana, tapped them with their hands, and even listened closely to the sounds. Each student examined the mana array of their metal ball in their own way, but over time, their expressions just became more and more confused.

Is there really a difference in their mana circuits?

Did they prepare the wrong balls?

Despite examining them multiple times, the differences in the mana arrays between the metal balls were imperceptible. They could tell there were minor differences, but they were so subtle that it was difficult to identify what was different.

Eventually, one student amidst the confused and flustered acted.

Woong!

A wave of mana emanated from Hans. The blond youth with slicked-back hair, who was ranked second in the Department of Blacksmithing, smiled confidently upon seeing his mana resonating with the metal ball.

Fools. It\'s not about looking at the present; it’s about the future.

The metal balls used for the test were made by compressing alloys, meaning the mana arrays were adjusted artificially before the test. That information, on top of what the examiner said, allowed Hans to deduce the intention of the test.

It wasn\'t about just comparing the differences in mana arrays; they needed to understand how those subtle differences would affect the ball once they decompressed it.

The instructor spoke as if analyzing the mana arrays and decompressing the ball were separate tasks, but that\'s a trap. To even decompress it properly, you must consider them together.

Without understanding that fact, one could never grasp the differences between the metal balls. Confident in his deduction, Hans confidently analyzed the mana array within the metal ball.

“Hm. This one looks good.”

Meanwhile, Se-Hoo just nonchalantly picked up a metal ball from the display rack before heading to his workstation.

“...”

Seeing Se-Hoon’s demeanor, both Hans, who had been full of confidence, and the other students, who were troubled, just watched him blankly. It wasn’t that Se-Hoon had analyzed the ball faster than others or had done anything special.

In fact, it was the opposite. All he did was walk up, glance at their surfaces, and choose a metal ball that he would use for this exam. Normally, others would have laughed, thinking he had given up, but it was Lee Se-Hoon who had done it.

“Let\'s see...”

Crack!

Upon returning to his workstation, Se-Hoon immediately began to tap the ball with his fingers, decompressing it bit by bit. With each tap, he was infusing small amounts of mana to work as a lubricant to decompress it with minimal damage. The result was an ingot that was smoother and neater than the sample shown by In-Sung.

“Mhm.”

Satisfied, Se-Hoon put down the ingot he was examining and prepared to start forging by first lighting the forge and rolling up his sleeves. It was at this point that he noticed the students huddled by the display rack, all staring intently at him.

“What are you looking at?” He scowled fiercely.

“Ahem...”

Intimidated by his menacing look, the students turned their attention back to the display rack, contemplating whether Se-Hoon had any limits to his skill. Then, as if rehearsed in advance, both Hans and the other students all quickly came to the same conclusion.

He\'s in a league of his own. I\'m the best here.

We should just consider him non-existent.

I’m just going to ignore him.

Since surpassing Se-Hoon didn’t seem remotely plausible in this exam, there was no point in being conscious of him. Slightly relieved, the students calmly began examining the metal balls again.

Guessing what had run through their minds, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes at the now harmonious atmosphere.

These guys...

He really wanted to bash all of their heads with a hammer, but doing so during the test would result in a penalty. So he decided to deal with them later and refocused his attention on the decompressed ingot.

An alloy composed of five different metals... they really do intend on making this a challenge.

The more metals used in an alloy, the more variables that would arise during forging. On top of that, they had to be especially cautious about the use of their skills. Skills, by their very nature, were fully developed techniques with specific requirements that had to be met. Achieving those when trying to work with such sensitive materials could immediately backfire.

If one can perfectly control their skills, it’s fine... but how many of them are even able to do that?

When the instructor mentioned that skills could be used freely, it would have sounded advantageous to those with powerful skills, but improper and reckless use would be more detrimental than simply not using skills at all.

It was a test that, despite its simple appearance, effectively evaluated the students’ fundamental techniques and application skills.

Even Se-Hoon was impressed by it. He felt a renewed admiration for Helena, the test’s designer, for her skill in crafting such a thorough evaluation.

I knew that she was pretty skilled the moment I saw her in the hardware store.

Not only was Helena skilled as a blacksmith, but she also had a talent for teaching others. Se-Hoon genuinely believed that her being the lead professor would greatly benefit the Department of Blacksmithing.

Putting away his thoughts, Se-Hoon refocused on the test.

Clang! Clang!

Having finished heating the ingot, he began shaping it with his hammer. If he just normally forged it, he could still produce a decent item, but he needed to score as high as possible to maintain his honor student position. Thus, he decided to enhance his hammering technique.

Fwoosh! Clang!

Infusing his hammer with fire mana, flames engulfed it. Then, taking the blazing hammer, he struck the alloy with intense force. The internal heat inside the ingot reacted violently, wanting to explode, but Se-Hoon quickly switched the elemental mana he was infusing into his hammer and swung it again.

Woong! Clang!

This time, his darkness mana enveloped the hammer in dark shadows and calmed the alloy’s turmoil as if it had never happened.

This is perfect.

By enhancing the heat with Scorching Wheel to maximize the effect and then immediately calming it with Moonlit Shadow, he allowed the mana to deeply penetrate inside the alloy. Satisfied, he continued alternating between the two types of elemental mana, and soon, the changes began to manifest on the surface.

Woong-

A faint black hue appeared on the blade’s edge and a reddish hue emerged in the center. Confirming that his elemental mana had settled in the way he desired, Se-Hoon began the final steps.

Hiss!

Plunging the blade into cold water, he sharpened the cooled blade on a whetstone to produce a long sword.

And as always, an achievement message appeared before him.

[Weapon \'Inferno Shadowblade\' has been completed!

An excellent sword crafted by a highly skilled blacksmith who has perfectly utilized his abilities! The young blacksmith, now able to create a masterful sword even with inferior materials, has reached a level that no one can deny.

The tier evaluation of \'Inferno Shadowblade\' is \'Rare\'.]

Hm. This should be enough.

The alloy used for the material was top-quality Advanced material, and the sword, the Inferno Shadowblade, came out as a piece of top-quality Rare equipment, perfectly elevating it by one tier.

If I could add a few enchantments here and there, it should reach Hero tier... but I guess it can\'t be helped.

Upon examining it, the professors should recognize that this sword was close to Hero-tier and would score it generously. Finished with the Inferno Shadowblade, he handed it to In-Sung.

“I’m done. Can I leave now?”

“Huh? Ah... um...”

In-Sung, who had watched Se-Hoon\'s full forging process in a daze, snapped out of it and checked the clock. Only an hour and a half had passed since the test began, with the other students just starting to select and decompress their metal balls; and less than half at that. Normally, he would tell a student to go back and spend more time checking the sword, but the sword placed in his hand was of such high quality that he couldn’t argue.

“Um... sure. Good work today.”

“Then I’ll be leaving now.”

Grinning, Se-Hoon left the exam hall.

Watching him go, In-Sung placed the submitted Inferno Shadowblade on a nearby golem cart once Se-Hoon had left.

Woong-

Sealed the sword with protective magic, the golem headed through a passage to the upper grading room.

***

“Why are some students still stuck on examining the metal balls?”

“We should reinforce the curriculum on mana arrays.”

Observing the exam hall through a special glass that appeared as a wall from the outside, the professors took notes and commented on the situation.

They ignored the golem cart moving past them since it was heading toward an old woman in work clothes, Helena, who was in the far corner.

“Hmm...”

Deactivated the protective spell, Helena picked up Se-Hoon\'s submitted work and inspected it closely.

There are no flaws in the balance of the sword or its mana array... even the edge is well-sharpened considering it was done with a communal whetstone.

What stood out the most was the perfect separation of the fire and darkness mana in the sword’s core and blade. Testing it out, she infused her own mana into the sword.

Woong-

She observed the mana circulating the boundary between the two types of elemental mana, reinforcing them without causing any conflict.

It uses the wielder\'s mana not only as fuel but also as a buffer to prevent the two types of elemental mana from clashing.... It\'s amusing that such a monstrous talent is attending Babel as a mere student.

Had Se-Hoon made even a slight mistake, the wielder’s mana could have acted as a bridge between the two types of elemental mana instead of as a buffer, causing the blade to explode. However, he had perfectly isolated the two types of elemental mana during forging and avoided such issues.

It was only classified as top-quality Rare-tier equipment because its durability was just short of elevating it to a Hero tier.

This should suffice for the department exam.

With this level of craftsmanship, it was unlikely any student in the entirety of Borsippa could score higher. However, the college-wide and year-wide exams remained, making it hard to come to conclusions yet.

If possible, I would like him to become the year-wide honor student...

After all, that would also help with her vendetta against the Barmuths. Thinking it was a good idea, she pondered over how she might offer legitimate assistance.

At that moment, a teaching assistant approached hurriedly.

“Professor, the Dean is here.”

“Dean Ryu?”

Surprised, Helena looked toward the entrance, where a woman dressed in a suit with neatly combed red hair entered the room.

“Sorry for the sudden visit. I came to seek advice about the structuring of the college-wide exam.”

“Ah, I see. Shall we step outside to talk?”

“Yes. But before that...”

Stopping Helena from leaving, Eun-Ha glanced toward the back of the room where Helena had just been.

“I heard from the others that Lee Se-Hoon had already submitted his work... may I take a look at it?”

Sensing that Eun-Ha’s curiosity was pure, Helena handed her the Inferno Shadowblade she had left behind.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

Gazing at the sword, Eun-Ha tenderly caressed it, scrutinizing every tiny detail as if trying to memorize its form.

Gulp-

The sound of her dry swallow echoed loudly in the upper grading room.

“...”

“...”

An awkward silence filled the room.

Seeing the other professors glancing at Eun-Ha, Helena, feeling inexplicably uneasy, extended her hand.

“I think you\'ve seen enough. Let\'s go discuss the exam.”

“...Okay.”

Nodding, Eun-Ha reluctantly extended the sword back to Helena who quickly grabbed the handle to take it.

Grip-

“...?”

However, the Inferno Shadowblade did not budge. Moving her eyes up the blade, Helena saw Eun-Ha’s hand firmly gripping the blade without moving, causing her to look up at her in disbelief.

“Dean Ryu, you\'ll break the submitted work.”

“...”

Reluctantly, Eun-Ha finally released her grip, allowing Helena to actually take the sword and set it aside.

“Now th—”

Growl-

Before Helena could finish speaking, a loud rumble echoed from Eun-Ha’s stomach. Seeing Eun-Ha’s eyes still lingering on the sword, Helena quickly shoved her out of the room.

And when she passed an assistant nearby, she gave them a warning-filled instruction.

“Hide that sword well. The Dean might come back and take a bite out of it.”