<h4>Chapter 3</h4>


    Forging is the process of heating up and reshaping the metal.


    Based on Se-Hoon’s theory, the most important aspect of forging was how the metal was molded. Anything going wrong during this stage would severely affect the oue of the forging, and it couldn’t be correctedter by any means.


    <i>But in my current condition, it is impossible for me to forge perfectly.</i>


    He was thoroughly dissatisfied with his stats, with his strength, flexibility, quantity and quality of mana, and skills. Not even the devil himself could forge with these stats.


    After contemting what forging method he should use to make it worthwhile, he decided to proceed using a special heating method called the Five-Color me.


    <i>Boom! Bababang!</i>


    Explosions resounded violently within the furnace. And with each explosion, the five different colors fiercely shed and burned among each other, as if they wanted to devour one another.


    “Aagh!”


    “It’s... exploding!”


    The brilliant, intense mes seeped out of the furnace and heated the surrounding atmosphere, terrifying those nearby. They had a tremendous force, almost as if they were about to explode any second. The mes were so powerful that even from afar, they were able to scorch one’s face.


    Unsettled, the surrounding trainees instinctively flinched and swiftly retreated away from the furnace.


    “Hmm...”


    Meanwhile, Se-Hoon, who ignited the mes, didn’t move a single inch away from where he stood. Instead, he crouched to inspect the mes.


    “Pro-professor. We should extinguish it right now...!”


    As In-Sung was on the verge of pressing the emergency extinguishing button, fearing that the fire might lead to an ident, In-Cheol grabbed his wrist and stopped him.


    “Let it be.”


    “But it’s too dangerous, sir!”


    “It’s fine. There won’t be a problem.”


    “How in the world is that thing safe...”


    If it were just mes leaking out of the furnace, it would be fine. But now, the mana stored inside the furnace was quivering ominously, as if it were on the brink of an explosion.


    “<i>Tsk-tsk</i>... don’t just look at the strength of mana, examine the flow of the me.” In-Cheol clicked his tongue when he noticed that In-Sung was still regarding the me as a time bomb.


    “What? What flow...”


    As In-Sung looked at the mes again, his eyes gradually widened as he noticed something about the mes. While the mana inside was pulsing fiercely, the mes themselves seemed to be organized and settled inyers, as if they had structured themselves.


    <i>What is this me...</i>


    While In-Sung stood there bewildered by the situation he couldn’t understand, Se-Hoon, who was calmly looking at the me, tossed the pieces of iron ore in.


    <i>Fwooosh!</i>


    As the furnace engulfed the pieces of iron ore, the me erupted again, as if it were showing hostility in the face of a new opponent.


    “Wow...”


    “The color of the metal...”


    Despite sparks soaring into the air and the me shuddering madly, not a single person found it a problem, as they were speechless at the sight of the metal being enveloped and heated by the Five-Color me.


    The trainees stared nkly and wondered if Se-Hoon was using his unique skill. They found it hard to believe that he was using the same materials as them.


    <i>I see. It all makes sense.</i>


    In-Cheol, who had figured out how the Five-Color me method worked, was intrigued by it. On the surface, the method seemed intricate and dazzling, but its effect was simple. Each ignition stone had different characteristics, but they resonated with each other, enhancing their power.


    <i>He aimed to strengthen the me and quickly alter the properties of the pieces of iron ore.</i>


    This was a brilliant improvisation in response to the short amount of time left on the clock, but there was one risk involved with this approach. It made the iron ore sensitive to change, and one small mistake might lead to an irreparable w.


    This was truly a high-risk, high-return method. In-Cheol became even more intrigued by Se-Hoon’s boldness.


    <i>He would have easily passed the test if he hadn’t smashed the knife, but he chose to bear the risk instead. Which means...</i>


    In-Cheol quietly looked at Se-Hoon, his thoughts more certain than before.


    <i>Fwoosh!</i>


    The fully heated metal was ced on the anvil.


    <i>ng-!</i>


    Se-Hoon hammered the metal without a single sign of hesitation. Each of his strikes moved the metal as much as ten strikes from other people, and his eyes gleamed at this sight.


    <i>It’s ready.</i>


    The me produced using the Five-Color me method had been thoroughly infused into the metal. With the assurance that he could forge as he desired, See-Hoon gripped his hammer tightly and began striking with all his strength.


    <i>ng! ng! ng!</i>


    Sparks flew with each strike on the metal, and droplets of blood sttered from his clenched hand. It was from a burn incurred when he was handling the resonating ignition stones. His mana was insufficient to protect his hands, leading to this wound tearing open further and spurting blood out.


    He was enduring pain that other trainees, and even most cksmiths, couldn’t withstand. However, what Se-Hoon let out wasn’t a scream.


    “Hehehe...”


    He was showing genuine tion as the metal was being forged the way he nned it to be. The surrounding trainees were disgusted when they saw that his smile was conveying pure joy.


    <i>Psycho. He must be out of his mind.</i>


    <i>Clearly, he’s not sane.</i>


    His presence alone dominated the entire room. Beyond just being unique, he was now exerting extreme pressure on everyone.


    “Focus.” In-Cheol’s dignifying voice resounded across the room. “Focus on your own work, everyone.”


    “Yes, yes!”


    The disordered atmosphere among the trainees was swiftly settled, and only the sound of knives being sharpened echoed in the room.


    In-Cheol, who had regted the atmosphere instantly by using his skill, realized that Se-Hoon showed no reactions at all.


    <i>Does he really have no hesitation at all?</i>


    It wasmon among trainees and inexperienced cksmiths to show some hesitancy while forging. They realized that to make up for a single mistake, they had to repeat the hammering process dozens of times or even discard the entire piece of work.


    <i>ng!</i>


    But Se-Hoon didn’t show a single sign of hesitation. Even though he knew that a single mistake would be fatal, he moved as if he were certain that he wouldn’t make that mistake.


    <i>Seems like what he did was unnecessary. </i>In-Cheol, who used his skill to tidy up the cluttered room and dispel Se-Hoon’s hesitation, smiled wryly.


    Time flew by quickly in the now-quiet exam room. Soon, the solitary echoes of Se-Hoon’s hammering sounds came to an end.


    “It’splete.”


    He had forged a straight sword with a length of about 60cm. At a nce, it looked like any other straight sword, but the true value of this sword would only emerge after quenching it. After carrying over a bucket of cooling water, he immediately started the quenching process.


    <i>Hiss!</i>


    The de immediately cooled when it was drowned in the bucket. During this process, he hammered the de again, readjusting any bent parts.


    “Ha...”


    The de was slowly revealing its final form. A radiance of five different colors subtly appeared across the entire sword. It developed naturally, much like the Five-Color me in the furnace, adding an eerie sense of mystique to the sword.


    <i>Is this a result of the mes’ mana that was infused in the iron ingot showing on the surface?</i>


    Without being too excessive, it certainly showcased its presence. In-Cheol marveled quietly at the sword, it had surpassed his expectations.


    He checked the time.


    <i>How much time do we have left... five minutes.</i>


    Although the time was a bit tight for sharpening the de, the sword was single-edged, so it wouldn’t take as much time. It was most likely that Se-Hoon had nned out the shape of the sword from the beginning, considering the remaining time.


    <i>Shnnnk. Shnnnk.</i>


    Se-Hoon moved his arms back and forth, moving the de sharply across the whetstone. Although he was drenched in sweat and blood was oozing out of his hands that had been hastily wrapped using his torn sleeves, his movements remained unfazed. It was as if he was disconnected from the surroundings,pletely absorbed in that moment.


    “One minute remaining. Wrap it up, everyone!” In-Cheol’s voice pulled him out of his reverie.


    “<i>Tsk</i>.”


    Se-Hoon wanted to spend more time grinding the de, but he didn’t want to submit an iplete sword. Since the sword wasn’tpletely unbearable for him to look at, he quickly slid the tang into the prepared hilt and firmly secured it in ce by hammering it. Finally, he polished the de with a cotton cloth.


    “And... stop!”


    With that, the first weapon Se-Hoon forged after his regression wasplete.


    <strong>[Weapon ‘Five-me Sword’ has beenpleted!</strong>


    <strong>The brilliant design of this sword makes it hard to believe that it was forged by a young cksmith! The imbued mana and the quality of the material areckluster, but the craftsmanship employed is nothing short of first-rate.</strong>


    <strong>The tier evaluation for ‘Five-me Sword’ is ‘Advanced’.]</strong>


    <strong>[Skill ‘Master of mes (C)’ has been acquired.]</strong>


    A translucent window floated in front of Se-Hoon. Achievement Windows only appeared when one perfectly utilized their ability to make an aplishment, so it was something that other trainees most likely wouldn’t have seen before.


    “...” But Se-Hoon contorted his face in discontent as if he had seen something uneptable.


    <i>Advanced...</i>


    There were six tiers of ssification for equipment: Normal, Advanced, Rare, Hero, Legendary, and Mythical. Advanced was second from the bottom of the list.


    He ground his teeth out of discontent. This was an obvious oue considering that he wascking proper skills, mana, and materials. But it was a disgrace to him, as he had been able to forge equipment even beyond the Legendary tier before the regression.


    <i>Yeah... I should bear with this for now.</i>


    Although the sword in front of him was aplete mess even when ounting for his current condition, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had pulled out 120% of the sword’s limits.


    As Se-Hoon suppressed the creeping destructive impulse, In-Sung brought the exam to a conclusion.


    “Thank you for your hard work today, everyone. Now that the forging part of the exam is finished, I will exin the grading process.”


    The grading process wasn’t special at all. Trainees would be called up front individually and would be required to exin their piece of work. In-Cheol would then examine the work and ask some follow-up questions. Finally, there would be a Verification process.


    “The ingot on the table is a metal called Self-Regenerating Iron. It’s decently rigid, and it has the property of Restoration when infused with mana.”


    The metal was silver with a softly shimmering green hue. Having already dealt with this metal extensively before the regression, Se-Hoon had a rough idea of the Verification process.


    “Trainees will be graded on the depth of the indent they can leave on this ingot with their weapons. We will proceed in sequence, and we’ll call you out by your number.”


    As In-Sung called the trainees up one by one, they would swing their weapons against the Self-Regenerating Iron, and In-Cheol would then proceed with the evaluation.


    While the other trainees all wore nervous faces, Se-Hoon watched the process with indifference.


    “Even after being given so much time, it’s not properly bnced. You should relearn the basics from scratch.”


    <i>Crack!</i>


    “A bit of fanciness is nice, but without any real substance, will it serve any purpose? Even ceremonial swords require a minimum level of durability.”


    <i>Crack!!</i>


    “I don’t understand what you were trying to make or what you have made. That’s all I have to say to you.”


    <i>Crack!!!</i>


    With each broken sword that failed to leave a scratch, In-Cheol’s cutting critiques proved to be true. asionally, there were swords that didn’t break, but even those were barely holding on. There wasn’t a single instance where a sword was able to scratch the Self-Regting Iron.


    <i>It’s just like the previous evaluation.</i>


    As In-Cheol already knew, the forging processes during the exam hadn’t been exceptional, so it was unlikely that the results would be satisfactory. But he wasn’t disappointed because he was looking forward to one evaluation.


    “Next... trainee number 289!”


    Se-Hoon, trainee number 289, calmly stepped forward and handed over the Five-me Sword to In-Sung.


    “Now please exin... huh?”


    In-Sung’s eyes widened as he was about to hand over the sword to In-Cheol.


    “The tier for the sword is Advanced. I am not very adept at giving exnations, so please refer to the information window for details... sir,” Se-Hoon said calmly.


    He was scared that he might speak to the proctors informally, and he didn’t really feel like giving an exnation for this mere Advanced-tier sword. While he was unwilling to talk about his sword, however, the surrounding trainees were all shocked and in awe.


    “What... Advanced tier?”


    “How is it possible with these materials...?”


    To forge a piece of Advanced-tier equipment, other trainees would have to possess some skill and some decent materials. But forging one out of these ordinary materials that weremonly used for entrance exams? It was something that even the first batch of trainees, whose entrance was guaranteed, could hardly achieve.


    “Is it just for your eyes, Proctor Han?”


    “Huh? Oh, yes! I apologize.”


    In-Sung btedly came to his senses and handed over the sword to In-Cheol, who then quietly examined it.


    <strong>[<u>Five-me Sword</u>]</strong>


    <strong>[Tier: Advanced] [Quality: Average]</strong>


    <strong>[A sword marked by five mes.</strong>


    <strong>When mana is imbued into it, the mes condensed in the de disy a spectrum of colors. This sword hints at the cksmith’s untapped potential.</strong>


    <strong>*Color and properties will be altered slightly based on the imbued mana]</strong>


    “...”


    For previous trainees, it had only taken In-Cheol twenty seconds for evaluation. But he carefully examined the Five-me Sword again, even after reading the information window. It was as if he were revisiting every single step of the forging process.


    “Do you think this meets the standard for submission?” he asked Se-Hoon after examining the sword for five minutes.


    “As of now... I suppose it does.” Se-Hoon answered the question, which held multiple meanings.


    While he wished so badly to smash this sword, this was his best for now.


    Observing Se-Hoon’s nonchnt attitude and his words that other trainees would never think of uttering, In-Cheol was initially surprised but then burst intoughter.


    “Hahaha! I see. I’ve got pretty high standards myself... but it seems that yours are even higher.”


    Merely having high standards without knowing one''s ce was arrogance, but if one possessed the skills and talents required to reach that level, it was genuine aspiration.


    “I have nothing more to add. If I must say something, it would be to train both your physique and mana diligently. Ah, and make sure to treat your injuries before you leave.” In-Cheol spoke as if there was nothing to evaluate.


    Though anyone could have raised an objection, not a single trainee voiced their dissent. The sword was on a different level from theirs, not to mention it was of the Advanced tier.


    “What about the Verification process?” Se-Hoon insisted as if it were crucial.


    “Um... is it really necessary?” In-Cheol was perplexed.


    “Yes. I’d rather have this evaluation clear and straight so that I don’t hear anything about itter on.”


    “That does seem reasonable. Proctor Han.”


    “Oh, yes, sir.”


    In-Sung was handed the Five-me Sword by In-Cheol and stood in front of the Self-Regenerating Iron. Se-Hoon watched with his arms crossed.


    <i>What’s going to happen?</i>


    <i>If it’s of that caliber, wouldn’t it slice through half?</i>


    Considering the materials, the limits of the de were obvious, but taking into ount its tier, it would probably prate halfway.


    Everyone’s attention was gathered as the Five-me Sword was held aloft, then swung in full force toward the Self-Regenerating Iron.


    <i>Swoosh.</i>


    Without much resistance, it was cleanly cut in half.


    “...Huh?”


    The result was far off from the expectations of both In-Sung, who swung the sword himself, and the trainees, who were watching intently.


    “Ha. It’s going to take some time regenerating.” Having already predicted the result, In-Cheol sighed at the unnecessarily prolonged exam.


    <i>Well. It’s decent.</i>


    Se-Hoon decided that there was no need to smash the sword this time.