Episode 78 Week 5 Mentoring, In-person Battle (1)
Now that we had the metal to make weapons, there was no reason to delay.
So my next destination was the blacksmith’s workshop.
Knock! Knock! The sound of iron striking resonates regularly, and every now and then a blast of hot air gushes in.
It was clear that numerous students were busily working inside, but strangely enough, no human voices could be heard.
It probably means that everyone is so focused that they don’t even have time to say a word.
Since it would be very annoying for an outsider like me to wander around the workshop while I was concentrating so much, I stood by the door and waited for someone to come out.
As I was mentally tapping to the sound of iron striking, a muscular man greeted me.
His uniform is half-undone so you can’t see his tie pin, but there’s a high chance he’s a senior.
Because his face didn’t look like that of a freshman at all.
Since the face value is 3rd year, let’s consider him a 3rd year senior.
On the other hand, the blacksmith senior only had to quickly check the tie pin on my chest.
“First year? What’s the matter with you?”
“I came here to request a production.”
The third-year senior scratched his back as if he was a little annoyed, as if he was one of the few people who came looking for me.
“I’m sorry, but the waiting list for this semester is full. If I submit a request now, it won’t be ready until the beginning of next semester.”
“Can I see the manager?”
There must be more than one person who makes a request like mine, and my senior seemed to think that he could see right through me.
I guess he’s thinking of giving the item to the manager and asking him to do it for him personally.
“What can’t be done is what can’t be done. Even if you’re a direct descendant of a prestigious family, they won’t do it for you. So don’t waste your time and just go.”
“It’s not a direct lineage of a prestigious family, but there are things like this.”
He took out a small ticket from his bosom.
When he saw that, the eyes of the third-year senior who had been indifferent widened.
[Production VIP Ticket]
“No, where did a first-year student get this… … .”
Where, I got it from another club.
It was a reward for winning the duel with the Emerald Tower, but it became mine after I beat Gwak Ji-cheol to the ground.
And after sitting in my inventory for a few weeks, it’s finally coming into my light.
I smiled and asked again.
“Can I see the manager?”
“Uh… … . Oh, okay. Just a minute.”
The third-year senior ran inside in a hurry, and a moment later, another muscular man came out in his place.
The president of the blacksmith club looked older than the senior who had just greeted me.
He was clearly a third-year student, but he didn’t seem like a third-year student at all.
Looking back, all the blacksmiths I trained in the past seemed to have been worn out and worn out.
Does a person grow old when he picks up a hammer?
While I was making such a rude hypothesis, the president of the blacksmith club came up to me and blurted out a word.
“Ticket.”
“yes.”
When I show them the VIP ticket, they just quickly check if it’s genuine, but they don’t accept it yet.
VIP tickets do help get you to the front of the line, but it’s up to the craftsman to decide if he or she wants to do something.
It means that I will listen to the story until the end and then decide.
“What are you going to make?”
“I think it would be faster if you see it for yourself.”
I handed over the blueprint I had drawn in advance to the manager.
A stick slightly longer than a human forearm.
Designed to be assembled.
The chief blacksmith looked over the blueprint carefully.
“This isn’t an ordinary seal. It has a unique shape, and it has parts attached to it. It’s quite sophisticated. Is it a magical engineering device?”
“You saw it right away.”
I handed over the E-grade [Floating Bar] that I had previously made for reference.
Of course, the core components were separated.
The manager turned the horizontal bar around and examined it, then nodded.
“It looks fun. Normally I wouldn’t make magic engineering equipment, but I’ll make an exception this time.”
Blacksmiths usually do not prefer to make magic engineering components.
The macho reason is that it is more manly to swing a large, heavy block of iron around than to tinker with several small parts.
Still, the blueprint I showed him was enough to pique the interest of the blacksmith club president.
The manager moved on to the next question.
“What about the ingredients?”
“Please use this as the main ingredient.”
When he took out the eternal iron ingot, the chief blacksmith’s expression changed slightly.
Until now, he had not even glanced at me as if he had no interest in me, but now that he has started to show interest in me, we are looking at each other for the first time.
“It’s a fun first year. The requests are unusual, and it includes VIP tickets and a lifetime of experience.”
“I was lucky one way or another.”
“It’s not something you can get just by being lucky… … Let’s say that’s the case. If the main ingredient is Eternal Iron, what additional ingredients do you add?”
“I plan to use this as the side dish.”
The [Black Mithril Band] I was wearing,
And he took off [the priest’s black bracelet] and handed it over.
Both are mainly composed of a metal called [Black Mithril].
The first strength of Black Mithril is that it has a very high mana conductivity, and the second is that it can be used effectively in small quantities to make jewelry.
The manager’s eyes sharpened as if he had understood my intentions.
“Black Mithril alloy in Eternal Steel… … If we do it well, we can get the best of both metals.”
“That’s right.”
“It’s a combination I’ve never tried before, but it shouldn’t be difficult. It’ll probably take about a week. I’ll contact you when it’s done.”
But I was sure.
The fact that I would be hearing from the president of the blacksmith club in just a few days, not a week.
Nothing difficult?
It won’t be as easy to solve as you think.
* * *
Week 5.
monday.
For some, it was a week of big battles like any other, but
It was a week that meant a little more to some.
Because mentoring starts this week.
There are no changes to the academic schedule, and only those who apply for mentoring will be able to pursue both.
As Lee Soo-dok finished class, he delivered an announcement.
“Students participating in the first mentoring session should go to the arena immediately. Please check the back of your student ID for the exact location.”
A little less than half of the students stood up from their seats.
Those who are still sitting still may not have applied for this mentoring for various reasons, but after about a month, when the gap between them and the students who applied begins to widen, they will change their minds.
Participation rate will skyrocket starting from the second mentoring session.
Go Hyun-woo and Seo Ye-in started to leisurely move to the arena.
The destination is the same for all of them: ‘Arena’.
Since we were planning to have a face-to-face match while receiving mentoring anyway, the academy decided to set the arena as the meeting place.
But exactly where in the arena they go varies.
If you check the back of your student ID card as Lee Su-dok said,
[163-H]
I got a seat number in the stands.
The seat numbers that Go Hyun-woo and Seo Ye-in received were different.
Each person will meet their mentor at their designated seat.
Go Hyun-woo asked me if something came to mind.
“Come to think of it, aren’t there other people besides you who receive teachings from that so-called mentor?”
“Of course there are. Maybe three or four.”
“Are they also inspectors like you?”
“Unless it’s a really special case. That’s why I wrote the application so meticulously.”
Since the classes of teachers and learners have been narrowed down to be as similar as possible, the classes of learners have to be similar as well.
If there are four other mentees besides Ko Hyun-woo, it means that there is a high possibility that all four are prosecutors.
Go Hyun-woo’s face became even more filled with anticipation.
“I think it was a good decision to participate in the mentoring program because I was able to see the skills of not only senior experts but also other people.”
“I spar when I get the chance.”
“Of course I think so.”
However, it remains to be seen whether there is a prosecutor in his group who is skilled enough to spar with Ko Hyun-woo.
Because group members are matched based on mentors, group members are completely random.
You might be disappointed because there’s not much to see.
At that moment, a question came flying over my shoulder.
“Did you guys apply for mentoring too?”
When I turned my gaze, I saw Han So-mi walking nearby, keeping pace with me.
Since we were in the same class, we had no choice but to walk together.
There was also Song Cheon-hye, who was always sticking close to Han So-mi, but when Han So-mi spoke to me, she was trying to distance herself from us and ignore us.
I nodded nonchalantly.
“It’s a good opportunity. There’s no reason not to do it.”
“Are you a caster?”
“uh.”
“Are you a battle mage? An all-rounder.”
“That’s right, but why?”
When I asked back, Han So-mi pointed at Song Cheon-hye and answered.
It’s almost like hearing a “ta-da!” sound effect.
“I applied for the Cheonhye-do all-rounder position! If we do well, we can both receive mentoring!”
Song Cheon-hye, who had been pretending to be interested in something far away, blushed in disgust at those words.
“Stop talking nonsense, seriously!”
“Huh? Why is it weird?”
“that…….”
When Han So-mi tilted her head with an innocent expression, Song Cheon-hye seemed speechless.
It seems like he hasn’t fully revealed all the suspicions he had about me, such as the Inferno Fist and the underground intrusion.
There is nothing clearly confirmed yet, and the 2nd and 3rd year leaders may have taken the lead in regulating the entrance.
After opening his mouth a few times, he seemed to have decided not to speak.
“… … There is something like that!”
It was somewhere between a blur and a slap in the face.
I quickly turned around and walked ahead,
“Ugh.”
I stumble and fall in the middle of nowhere.
After barely regaining his balance, he glares at us and then walks away at twice the speed.
I asked Han So-mi.
“Does he do that often?”
“Yeah, it’s like that all the time.”
You do that all the time.
I’ve felt this before, but there’s a weaker side to it than I thought.
After some small talk, the arena was right in front of us.
We also decided to disperse and find our own seats.
“Good luck with the mentoring and interpersonal battles. See you later.”
“Yeah! Hello!”
“I hope that good luck will be with you, Brother Kim.”
“… … .”
Han So-mi greeted him brightly and left, and Go Hyun-woo smiled brightly and walked in the same direction as Han So-mi.
The calligrapher waved his hand with languid eyes as a greeting and went his way.
In various places in the audience, third-year or graduating senior mentors took their seats and waited, warmly welcoming the first-year students who approached them hesitantly.
Some people seemed to have already gathered, with four or five people sitting around the mentor, listening to the explanation.
I also checked the seating chart to find my seat.
‘163-H is probably around there.’
Because it was an upper seat, I had to raise my gaze quite a bit.
Judging by the empty area, our mentor must not have arrived yet.
I walked towards the stairs with the intention of going up first and waiting.
I was just about to take my first step up the stairs,
“… … .”
Song Cheon-hye, who was walking up a little ahead, felt the presence of people and looked back.
As soon as our eyes met, his expression immediately became displeased.
“Why are you following me?”
“I’m not following you.”
“Then you go first.”
“Well, that’s what it is.”
I passed Song Cheon-hye, who had stopped, and trudged up to seat 163-H.
And then I sat down in a very comfortable position.
Song Cheon-hye started moving again only after confirming that I was in place.
… … I moved again and stopped right in front of me.
He checked his student ID and seat number alternately with a face full of distrust.
“no way…….”
“Are you 163-H too?”
“How did this happen?”
“Why don’t you ask me that?”
All I could give in return was a shrug.
Did you know that it would turn out like this?
“under…….”
Song Cheon-hye took a deep breath, stood a little distance away, folded her arms, and closed her eyes.
Of course, he only pretends to close his eyes, but sometimes he opens his eyes half-closed and sneaks glances at me.
Either way, I waited leisurely for the next people.
There is no way that Song Cheon-hye is the only one receiving mentoring together.
Who else will come up?
I was looking down with excitement.
‘These are all familiar faces.’
