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Chapter 25

[A gleaming white longsword.

The delicately sharpened blade has been imbued with a mana array that endows it with both strength and a sharp aura. It is a masterpiece by a highly skilled blacksmith.

*Imbuing mana enhances cutting force]

“Hm...”

“This is...”

“Uhhh...”

Three professors of the Department of Blacksmithing were at a loss for words upon the sight of the gleaming white Radiant Long Sword laid before them; they simply stared at the sword.

Although Babel Academy contained countless iron swords that surpassed this one in performance, that wasn’t what was important.

“Mr. Han, was this really forged using only iron ingots? He didn\'t use any other materials or skills?”

“Yes, yes... that’s correct,” In-Sung replied.

“Are you sure?”

“Really, for real?”

As if they couldn’t believe his words or their eyes, the professors once asked again.

“It’s actually true! Can’t just you see for yourselves?!” In-Sung responded upsetly.

“Well, it does seem true.”

“But, no matter how you look at it, isn’t this level of completion a bit strange?”

Despite the clear-cut evidence in front of their eyes, the professors still murmured their suspicions. At that sight, In-Sung felt not just injustice but also absurdity. It was a sorrowful thing that they were doubting his eyes as a teaching assistant, even when they could see the result of Se-Hoon’s forging skill. However, he could understand such reactions.

“How could a freshman, who’s not even an active-duty blacksmith, forge something like this?”

“Active-duty blacksmith? I doubt even one out of ten of them could forge something like this.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a sword that displays such a strong foundation of the basics. Really, it’s truly remarkable...”

Although the professors had evaluated the swords of countless students before, they still found it unbelievable that a sword this close to perfection was in front of them.

“Professor Kim, for a sword of such quality, there’s no need for us to worry, right? Let’s just set the starting bid at the highest price.”

At the suggestion from Professor Lis, a short, stout middle-aged man, Kim In-Cheol shook his head.

“We still need to determine the price accurately. If we’re not careful, we might end up misrepresenting him as a faux genius that was made by our hands.”

“Professor Kim, you worry about the strangest things. He made an Advanced-tier sword with just basic skills and ordinary iron ingots. Who would treat him like that?”

“The people who know those facts won’t. But among those who don’t, rumors will start circulating. We need to be careful.”

If their actions were to negatively affect Se-Hoon’s future in any way, they would feel an incredible amount of regret.

Thus, In-Cheol, one of the three that came to evaluate, began pondering over an appropriate price that wouldn’t cause any misunderstandings.

“Is this the sword made by the honor student?” asked Michael, who was followed by ten other professors. They had suddenly entered the workshop.

With their arrival, the atmosphere in the workshop instantly became suffocatingly tense and heavy. The Department of Blacksmithing contained two main factions. In-Cheol led the Classic Blacksmithing faction, while Michael led the Advanced Blacksmithing faction.

Under the heavy atmosphere, In-Sung tensed up.

“Indeed, it’s magnificent. As expected of the honor student... I’m really looking forward to his endeavors.”

Michael smiled calmly as he praised the sword. It was an unexpected compliment, but the professors of In-Cheol’s faction still looked on with wary eyes. Michael had a reputation for backstabbing under the guise of a friendly demeanor.

“What brings you here? We are supposed to handle this inspection,” asked In-Cheol.

“Why so hostile? I simply wanted to see the honor student’s sword.”

“Then now that you’ve seen it, you can leave.”

In-Cheol didn’t even spare a glance at him, as if this were the end of their conversation. At the blatant disregard, Michael’s expression became slightly distorted.

It’s funny how he’s acting all high and mighty just because he found some breathing room after being cornered all the way to the edge.

Although Michael wanted to remove In-Cheol from the department right away, In-Cheol was still the lead professor and was under the watchful eye of Ludwig, at least for now. Plus, he also now had Se-Hoon, a monstrously talented freshman, under his wing. Unlike before, Michael was no longer able to easily get rid of In-Cheol.

In situations like this, caution is paramount.

It was only a matter of time until In-Cheol was eliminated. The outcome wouldn’t change. Affirming himself, he composed his expression and spoke up again.

“But are you really fine with just this? With a sword of this caliber, it might be better to take advantage of it...”

“We’re busy with the evaluations, so please get to the point.”

“Pairing it against Lee Se-Hoon’s peers would be pointless, so how about we put it up for next week’s regular auction with the second-year students? It just so happens to fit the auction theme: iron swords.”

“What? Are you serious?”

At Michael’s suggestion, Lis became flabbergasted.

Although the Radiant Long Sword was indeed excellent, he thought it was nowhere near the level required to compete with the other pieces in the upcoming regular auction for second-year students.

Rather than it being because Se-Hoon lacked skills, it was because the swords submitted by second-year students were enhanced with various skills and made out of processed materials, making it inherently unfair to compare Se-Hoon’s with theirs.

“It should be doable based on the honor student’s capabilities,” Michael said provokingly.

“But the second-year students have been preparing their submissions since winter break! It’s absurd to even compete with theirs...”

“That sounds good to me.”

Both of their gazes immediately turned to In-Cheol at his calm acceptance.

“Then, we will assess Se-Hoon’s budget according to the final bid price during the auction, just like the second-year students.”

“But, Professor Kim, that’s...”

“Shush.”

In-Cheol cut off Lis and looked at Michael with a calm face.

“Anything else you want to address?”

“...No.”

“Then you can leave now.”

In-Cheol turned his gaze away, not sparing Michael another look. Michael, unable to discern his thoughts, just turned and left the room.

After watching his departing figure disappear, Lis looked at In-Cheol with a puzzled expression.

“Professor Kim! Why are you willingly sending this sword to the auction when we don’t know what dirty tricks he might pull off?"

“It’s not possible that he will play dirty when it comes to the honor student and risk our department’s face.”

“Now’s not the time for jokes...!”

Lis beat his chest in exasperation, frustrated by In-Cheol’s calm response. According to what he knew, Michael was infamous for tarnishing the department’s reputation for his own gain.

In fact, several professors had already been fired because of his schemes. The decline of the reputation of the Department of Blacksmithing was mostly due to Michael, or more precisely, the Barmuth family.

“At this rate, the department might actually fall into their hands!”

The other two showed worried expressions, agreeing with Lis. In response, In-Cheol just looked at them quietly.

“Tsk tsk...”

He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and pointed at the Radiant Long Sword.

“Look.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you not feel anything even after looking at this sword?”

Lis looked puzzled.

“What do you mean?”

It was well-made, but that fact seemed unrelated to the current situation. The others also showed similar reactions, prompting In-Cheol to sigh.

“Just wait and watch...”

He then looked at the gleaming white blade and smiled faintly.

“For what will inevitably happen.”

***

It was a Saturday morning.

It was the first weekend since the year started, and that brought most of the freshmen out onto the streets, all dressed up. Upperclassmen also joined in, hoping to recruit freshmen into their circles. It was the busiest time inside Babel Academy, except for when events were occurring, offering perhaps the best opportunity to witness the kind of scenes the freshmen dreamed of before entering the academy.

“Is this it...”

However, unlike the other freshmen, Se-Hoon stood alone in front of a classroom in the main building of the Department of Enchantments: Ancient Enchantments.

This was a minor course of the Department of Enchantments, introduced to him by Lea. Se-Hoon lightly knocked on the classroom door.

“Ah, come in!”

A familiar voice came from inside. Se-Hoon opened the door and was greeted by a classroom filled to the brim with all sorts of clutter.

“...What a mess.”

The room was cluttered with bookcases and desks. The floor and any conceivable empty space were completely overrun by items. The sight was more befitting a storage room than a classroom.

He looked around with a grim expression.

Whoosh!

“Welcome to the Ancient Enchantments class!!!”

Lea emerged from amidst the clutter next to the entrance, greeting him with a flourish.

“...”

She was covered in an assortment of unidentified fabrics, talismans, and papers. However, this disheveled appearance elicited no response from Se-Hoon. While even the thickest-skinned person might feel a bit embarrassed by such a cold reception, it was different for Lea.

“Wow. I like them.”

Her eyes sparkled with interest instead.

“Your eyes are so cold; it’s as if you were doused with cold water. I really like them.”

“What do you mean?”

“People who are excited by this kind of situation don’t go well with enchantments. It’s better to be cool and rational like me.”

She smirked as she peeled off the papers stuck to her.

“In that sense, you’re excellent. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that your mental potential is on par with mine.”

It was hard to tell if that was a compliment or an insult. Deciding to assume it was meant in good spirits, Se-Hoon looked around the room.

“Is the classroom always like this?”

“No, it’s usually not this bad...”

She glanced around the classroom with an awkward expression.

“I just thought I should find something interesting to show you, so I ended up pulling all this out.”

“Wow, that’s really... impressive.”

“I know, right? It’s not common for a sunbae like me to go this far for an underclassman.”

In response to her shameless demeanor, Se-Hoon looked at her incredulously and asked, “Where’s the professor?”

“Ah. The professor has some business today and won’t be here. He left me in charge of your application, so don’t worry.”

“Is there going to be some kind of test?”

“Rather than a test, it’s more like a simple interview? Give me a moment.”

She skillfully navigated through the clutter and approached a large box adorned with elaborate decorations. She then pressed the red gem embedded in the lid.

Whoosh!

The items scattered throughout the classroom were instantly sucked into the box. All the clutter, except for the items on the bookcases, disappeared within moments. As this spectacle went on, Se-Hoon watched with interest.

“Is it designed to freely store enchanted items?”

“Oh. Did you notice? You really do have talent, being able to recognize this on your first day...”

“But that alone shouldn’t be able to achieve such a performance... ah, it’s using the fragmentation attribute,” Se-Hoon said. He realized the intricacies as he continued to stare at the box, intrigued.

“...What?” At his explanation, Lea became puzzled.

“It absorbs the items, assuming they are in the complete state that was registered when they were first stored in the box. You’ve also added enchantment patterns to each item to prevent them from merging, right?”

“Ah, yeah. That should be it...”

“It’s quite sophisticated. I didn’t expect to see something this impressive right away.”

Lea stood slightly stunned while Se-Hoon continued to interestingly examine the box. She had planned to lavish praise on him, regardless of his actual talent, so that he would sign up for the class. Yet, this situation was unexpected.

How did he manage to figure out all that just by watching how it sucked in the items? He didn’t even check the information message or anything like that.

While it was true that those sensitive to mana could immediately recognize an enchantment, discerning the specifics of the enchantment pattern applied was not merely a matter of having good intuition. It suggested that he either had a profound understanding of enchantments or an exceptionally high aptitude for them. It was likely the latter, considering Se-Hoon was still a freshman.

He’s truly impressive...

Suppressing a twitch in her smile, she pointed to a now-tidy spot.

“Let’s finish our interview first. You can take your time looking around afterward.”

“Ah. Okay.”

Se-Hoon sat down, Lea sitting on the opposite side. She straightened her back and assumed a formal posture. Then, with a serious expression to set the mood, she began.

“Lee Se-Hoon.”

“Yes.”

“What do you think is the most important aspect of enchantment?”

The answer to this question could vary based on personal views. Since there wasn’t a definite correct answer, Se-Hoon immediately responded with what he personally thought, “Harmony.”

No matter how well one enchanted, if the base equipment was subpar, its power would diminish. The opposite was also true, thus highlighting harmony as the most crucial aspect of enchantments, in his view.

“Hm. I see.”

She nodded solemnly at his answer. Then, as if she hadn’t been serious just until now, she suddenly chuckled and clapped her hands.

“Good. You passed the interview! I look forward to working with you!”

“Quite casual, aren’t you...”

“It just means your answer was straight to the point. So now...”

With sparkling eyes, she leaned forward in her chair and looked at Se-Hoon.

“Now that the interview is over, how about we discuss something more constructive and future-oriented?”

Seeing through her thinly veiled question immediately, he chuckled and asked, “You mean enchanting the Inkstone Bracelets?”

“That, and if you’ve forged anything else, that would be great too. I have a feeling that anything you forge will be good.”

“Enchanting them... well, it’s not a bad idea.”

At his positive response, her eyes lit up and she jumped off her seat.

“Then let’s go to my workshop right now!”

“But.”

He cut her off and looked at her indifferently.

“Only if you show me how skilled you are first.”

Considering her reputation in the future, her skills should undoubtedly be solid. However, currently, she was in a slump she wasn’t aware of how to solve yet.

In order for him to entrust her with the bracelets, which he would continue to use for a while, he needed to be more meticulous.

I need to see exactly what kind of slump she’s in.

Contemplating his proposal, which was filled with various reasons, she nodded after a moment.

“What exactly would you like to see?”

“Your fundamental basics would be good, for starters.”

“Hm... alright.”

She immediately strode towards the door, puzzling Se-Hoon.

“Where are you going?”

“You said you wanted to see my basics.”

She turned around with a grin.

“Let’s head to my workplace!”