chapter 3
3 episodes
Forging is the process of heating and shaping metal.
What is important here is how well-balanced the metal is, and Sehun Lee’s theory was that if it is disturbed during this forging stage, it cannot be reversed no matter what work it goes through.
‘But it is difficult to forge perfect with the current body.’
From strength and flexibility, to the quality and quantity of magic power, and to skills, nothing is satisfactory. Right now, even after waking up from death, it is impossible to properly forge.
If so, how can I make something worth looking at? The solution was a special heating method called ‘five colors of fire’.
Whoops!
Kugugung Kwaang-!
Explosive sound resounding in the furnace.
Each time, the five colors burn each other and fight fiercely as if they are devouring each other.
Those around them were frightened by the splendid yet intense flame that leaked out to the outside of the furnace and heated the surroundings.
“Aww!”
“Blast, explode!”
The loud momentum that seems to explode at any moment and the tremendous heat that makes your face get hot even though you are far away!
At the unusual appearance, the candidates around them retreated back and forth, and those who fell also reflexively shrugged.
“Hmm… … .”
However, Se-Hoon Lee, who caused the spark, did not move even a single step from the spot where he first stood, and even leaned forward to take a closer look.
“School, Professor. Evolution right now… … !”
At that time, Han In-seong panicked and was about to press the emergency extinguishing button for fear of a fire accident.
“Leave it.”
Kim In-cheol held his wrist and dissuaded him.
“Too dangerous!”
“it’s okay. There will be no problem.”
“Hey, where the hell is that… … .”
If only sparks overflow, the magical powers inside are also fluctuating ominously as if they would explode right away.
Kim In-cheol clicked his tongue when Han In-seong was worried about how he looked like a bomb no matter how he looked at it.
“Ttttttt… … Don’t just look at the magic power, but look closely at the flow of the flame.”
“Yes? What is the flow… … .”
At Kim In-cheol’s story, Han In-seong looked at the flame again, and his eyes slowly began to widen when he saw something.
Unlike magical power that fluctuates violently as if it will explode at any moment, the flame itself is being arranged in layers as if the order had already been arranged.
‘What the hell is that flame… … .’
For what purpose did you create such a flame?
When Korean In-seong is embarrassed by a situation that he does not understand. Sehun Lee, who had been quietly watching the flames in the meantime, put an iron ingot into the furnace.
Whoops!
The flames that seemed to be stable burn fiercely as soon as a new enemy appears and beat the iron ingots.
It was not normal to see sparks bouncing in all directions and the flames oscillating.
“Wow… … .”
“The color of the metal… … .”
Everyone was at a loss for words at the sight of the metal being heated with flames of five colors.
Did you use a separate skill? When the candidates stare blankly at the scene that it is hard to believe that they used the same material.
‘indeed. Was it like that?’
Kim In-cheol, who understood what kind of technique Lee Se-hoon’s flame and five-color horse, made an interesting expression.
On the surface, it looks very colorful and complicated, but the effect of the five-color flower horse is simple. Characteristics of five types of ignition stones. They resonate with each other and become stronger.
‘What that friend was aiming for was strengthening the firepower. And it would be a sensitive change to the iron ingot’s shape.’
All were choices to cut down on forging time, and great improvisations given the time was tight, but there was one danger.
This is because, if the iron ingot’s characteristics become sensitive, even the slightest mistake can lead to uncontrollable twisting.
Truly a high-risk, high-return. Kim In-cheol was more interested in Lee Se-hoon’s shocking move.
‘I made a choice that was nothing more than a gamble by destroying things that would be enough to pass. That is… … .’
Guessing, no, now close to certainty, Kim In-cheol quietly looked at Lee Se-hoon.
Hwareuk-
Fully heated metal stood on top of the anvil.
Kaan-!
The hammer struck the metal without any hesitation. A single tap created a transformation like hitting dozens of times, and Sehun Lee’s eyes lit up at that sight.
‘done.’
The flames of the five-colored horse were fully absorbed into the metal.
Sehun Lee, convinced that he could create whatever he wanted, grabbed the hammer tightly and began to beat as hard as he could.
Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!
Each time the hammer beats the metal, sparks splatter, and drops of blood scatter from the gripping hand.
A burn from just resonating an ignition stone. It was a wound caused by lack of magical power to protect his hand, but it was torn while hammering, and blood was gushing out.
The other cadets, no, even the most blacksmiths could not bear the pain. But what Sehun Lee uttered was not a scream.
“Heh heh… … .”
Candidates around them were disgusted by the ecstasy that leaked out while looking at the metal being made according to his thoughts, and Lee Se-hoon smiling as if he was really happy.
‘mi. He’s crazy.’
‘It’s not normal either.’
Only one candidate overwhelms the entire exam hall.
When everyone’s concentration is disturbed by the huge presence that goes beyond the singularity and now you can even feel the pressure.
“Concentration.”
Kim In-cheol’s profound voice resounded throughout the examination hall.
“Let everyone focus on their work.”
“Yes, yes!”
The atmosphere of the candidates, who had just been chaos, was quickly settled, and the sound of sharpening knives resounded in the examination hall as a final finish.
Kim In-cheol, who used his skill to clear up the atmosphere of the exam hall at once, looked at Lee Se-hoon, who had no reaction.
‘Is there really no hesitation… … .’
Inexperienced blacksmiths like the candidates often hesitated during forging.
It was because he knew that to make up for one mistake, he had to re-hammer it dozens of times, and sometimes it was necessary to discard what he had made altogether.
Kaang!
But Sehun Lee doesn’t hesitate.
Knowing that a single mistake can be fatal, he moves as if he were convinced he couldn’t make a mistake.
Kim In-cheol, who used his skill to clear up the cluttered examination hall and to get rid of Lee Se-hoon’s hesitation, smiled bitterly.
‘You did something useless.’
The calm time of the exam hall passed quickly, and Lee Se-hoon’s hammering, which had been resounding alone, stopped.
“… … done.”
A straightness of about 60 cm. Although seemingly ordinary, the true value of this product is revealed through quenching.
Se-hun Lee, who brought a bucket of cooling stone, went straight to quenching.
Chi profit!
When immersed in cold water, the blade quickly cooled, and in the process, the curved blade was tapped again with a hammer to adjust it.
And around the time when the swordsman took full shape, the finished figure began to appear little by little.
“her… … .”
Five shades of color appearing subtly throughout the straight line.
It was carved naturally in layers like a five-color flower blooming in a brazier, but a strange sense of mystery permeated the entire Jikdo.
‘Is the magic of the flames absorbed in the iron ingots left on the surface?’
It is not too flashy, but it clearly shows its presence.
At the result that exceeded his expectations, Kim In-cheol looked at the time with a little admiration.
‘The remaining time… … 5 minutes.’
It’s a little tight to set the blade, but it’s a single-edged straight sword, so it will save you money. Perhaps it was made in such a way by allocating time from the beginning.
saah. saah.
Lee Se-hoon’s arms move back and forth, and the sharp blade of a straight sword cuts through the sharpening stone.
His body was drenched in sweat, and blood dripped from his hand, which had torn his sleeve and gave first aid, but there was no disturbance in Lee’s movements.
A feeling of being separated from the surroundings. At that moment, Lee Se-hoon’s mind was about to completely fall into it.
“One minute left. Let’s finish it all up!”
Kim In-cheol’s voice woke him up.
“… … ttt.”
In my mind, I would like to polish it a little more, but I can’t submit unfinished things.
Still, it wasn’t as far-fetched as the first time, so Sehun Lee quickly put the sword body in the prepared handle and fixed it with a hammer.
And finally, I wiped the blade clean with a cotton cloth.
“stop!”
After returning, the first weapon was completed.
[The armless ‘Five-Color Flower Map’ has been completed!]
[A jigsaw so good that I still can’t believe it came from a young blacksmith!
Although the quality of the given magic power and materials is inferior, the technology used in it will not be enough to be called first-class.]
[As a result of the judgment, the grade of ‘Five Colors’ is ‘Advanced’.]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Master of Fire (C)’.]
A translucent window that rises in front of Sehun Lee.
A ‘settlement window’ that appears only when you achieve something by using your abilities perfectly. It was an achievement that other candidates could not even see.
“… … .”
In fact, Sehun Lee’s face was distorted as if he had seen it even though he couldn’t see it.
‘Advanced… … .’
Advanced, which is the second rank among [Normal], [Advanced], [Rare], [Heroic], [Legendary], and [Mythic], which are the ranks that indicate the level of the weapon.
There was still no proper skill, lack of magic power, and the quality of the materials was also poor, so it was a natural result.
puddle.
However, it was explained only as a disgrace to Lee Se-hoon, who had created legends and higher ratings before returning.
‘Hold on… … Yes, I’ll be patient.’
The sword in the front was a mess based on the current physical condition, but it is not an exaggeration to say that it drew 120% this time.
When Sehun Lee is suppressing the urge to destroy that creeps up. Han In-seong started cleaning up the exam hall.
“Everyone worked hard. Now that the production is complete, I will explain the grading process.”
The scoring process was nothing special.
The called candidate explains the weapon he has made, and Kim In-cheol looks at it and asks a question. And the last was ‘verification’.
“The ingot placed on the pedestal here is a metal called ‘ferrous iron’. It has moderate strength and has the property of being restored by infusing it with magical energy.”
Metal with a subtle green tint on a silver background. Sehun Lee, seeing the material he had been getting tired of before returning, knew roughly what the verification process was.
“We will wield the swords of the candidates in this wild season and score points according to the depth of the wound. Then, we will proceed sequentially from the number of candidates who are called.”
Candidates are called out one by one by Han In-seong, and they are evaluated by Kim In-cheol and wield a weapon against Ja Saeng-cheol.
Lee Se-hoon watched the process intently, but all the other candidates looked impatient.
“I gave it so much time, but the balance is not right. It would be better to learn the basics again.”
Pakang!
“Glamour is good, but does it have any meaning if it is not so substantial? The ceremonial sword also requires a minimum level of strength.”
Pakang!!
“I don’t know what I wanted to make or what I made. That’s all I’m going to tell you.”
Pakang!!!
Kim In-cheol’s harsh criticism of digging through the heart and swords that break without leaving a single scar as if to prove it’s true.
Occasionally, there were items that did not break, but even that only barely left a scratch. There was nothing that could be said to have left a scar.
‘It’s just as scored before.’
Even if the process wasn’t good, there’s no way the result will be good.
Although the result was poor, Kim In-cheol was not greatly disappointed. This is because there was only one person expected in this verification.
“next… … 289!”
Candidate No. 289, Lee Se-hun, boldly went forward and handed Han In-seong a five-color painting.
“Now explain… … uh?”
Han In-seong’s eyes widened as he was about to hand Kim In-cheol a five-color painting, and Lee Se-hoon calmly talked about it.
“The grade of the weapon is advanced… … no see. I’m not good at explaining things, so just use the information window… … I think you can give it to me.”
It seemed that half words would come out while explaining, and I didn’t want to proudly explain the performance of only high-quality weapons.
Sehun Lee spoke bluntly, but everyone around who heard the story looked surprised.
“no… … Advanced level?”
“How can I use this material… … ?”
If the other candidates had a certain level of skill, it could be easily made at an advanced level, but that was possible only with a certain amount of material support.
But with these ordinary materials used only for entrance exams, high-grade weapons were created?
It was a result that even the first-class candidates, who were almost certain to have passed, could not easily achieve.
“A teacher. Will you be the only one to see me?”
“Yes? Oh yes! sorry!”
Han In-seong, who came to his senses late, handed him a five-color painting, and Kim In-cheol quietly looked at it.
[Five Colors of Fire]
[Rating: Advanced] [Quality: Intermediate]
A straight sword engraved with five flames.
The flame compressed in the sword reacts with magical power, giving it a colorful color. An object that shows the potential of a blacksmith who created it.
*The color and nature of the sword change slightly depending on the nature of the given magic power.
“… … .”
The time spent looking at the swords of the previous candidates was about 20 seconds. However, even after reading the information window, Kim In-cheol looked at the five colors carefully.
It’s like looking back at the whole process of making weapons. When about 5 minutes passed like that.
“Is this something worth submitting?”
Lee Se-hoon calmly answered the question with multiple meanings.
“For now, it is… … I guess.”
There is one thing I want to destroy, too, but for now, that’s the best, so be patient.
Kim In-cheol looked startled at the sight of Lee Se-hoon calmly making a sound that would explode when other candidates heard it, and then burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha! Right. I have high eyes too… … You must be worse than me.”
It’s arrogance to not know the subject if you simply have high eyes, but if you have the talent and ability to go up to that point, it’s an upright spirit of improvement.
“I have nothing else to say. To put it bluntly, it’s about working hard on physical training and magic training. Oh, and let the wounds heal.”
Kim In-cheol talks as if there is nothing to verify.
They could have protested that it was wrong, but none of the candidates objected.
From the outside, it’s different from their own swords, and it’s a high-grade grade, so what can be said about it?
“Aren’t you going to verify?”
However, Se-Hoon Lee spoke as if he had to see it, and Kim In-Cheol made a difficult expression.
“Uh… … Do I have to?”
“Yes. I don’t want to hear strange things later.”
“… … So it is. One assistant.”
“Oh, yes.”
Han In-seong, who was handed the five-color flower map to Kim In-cheol, stood in front of Ja Saeng-cheol, and Lee Se-hoon looked at it with his arms crossed.
‘What will happen?’
‘Isn’t that enough to dig into half of it?’
Considering the material, the limitations are clear, but if it is a high-grade grade, it will not be able to dig into half of it.
In a situation where everyone’s attention was focused, the raised five-color flower was swayed towards the saengcheol with all his might.
spatula.
It was neatly cut in half without any jamming.
“… … uh?”
The result was far beyond the expectations of both the Korean Inseong wielding the sword and the students who looked intently at it.
“ha. It will take some time to regenerate.”
Kim In-cheol, who had expected the result, sighed during the unnecessarily long test time.
‘What. It’s okay.’
Sehun Lee changed his mind, saying that there is no need to destroy it.