Episode 89 Week 5 Mentoring, In-person Battle (12)
He kept walking with Hongyeonhwa attached to his back like a tail.
Until you reach the blacksmith’s workshop.
“!”
For a moment, an exclamation mark seemed to appear above Hong Yeon-hwa’s head.
I think I’m starting to get a feel for what special ingredient I was talking about.
Since you’re in the workshop, there’s a very high chance that it’s metal.
However, it is a bit unclear what kind of metal has coldness.
I went straight to see the blacksmith chief.
He was busy working as usual today, because he had to continue making other items while my request was temporarily suspended.
When the message arrived, he stopped working for a moment, approached us, and immediately asked me a question.
“Are you ready?”
It’s a question that cuts off everything, but since we only have one common interest, the omitted sentence is obvious.
He asked if I had prepared a method to melt the eternal iron ingot.
Instead of answering, I turned my gaze towards Hong Yeon-hwa, and the manager’s gaze also moved accordingly.
“Hong Yeon-hwa.”
“hello…….”
Judging from their reactions, it seems like they know each other.
Since blacksmiths and fire are inseparable, there must have been quite a bit of interaction with the Ruby Tower, so they would have encountered each other often.
However, Hong Yeon-hwa did not seem to be a very comfortable person, so her attitude was a bit awkward.
The blacksmith chief turned his gaze back to me and pointed to Hong Yeon-hwa with his eyes and asked.
“Is this the solution you had in mind?”
“Yes.”
When I asked him for a confirmation, he showed his disappointment without holding back.
“You did something great. You already received help from the pyromancer.”
I must have called in a few pyromancers I knew and unleashed some firepower on them.
However, unless it is a manager-level or Aquaflame-level trait, it is almost impossible to melt it.
“They must have failed too.”
“Knowing that, you still brought Hong Yeon-hwa?”
“Yes, I would appreciate it if you would give me a chance.”
“… … .”
The manager’s eyes narrowed and he looked at Hong Yeon-hwa closely again.
What’s different about Hong Yeon-hwa?
Even though he is a promising first-year student, there is a question as to whether he is significantly better than the second- and third-year pyromancers he had previously asked for help with.
However, as I had hoped, it seemed like the conclusion was that there was nothing to lose by trying it once.
If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work, but if by any chance it succeeds, then that’s great.
He takes out a black glossy ingot and places it on his chin.
“Okay. Go ahead and try it.”
Hong Yeon-hwa also seemed to have a rough idea of what was going on while listening to the conversation.
Even if you don’t know that the ingot in front of you is an alloy of eternal iron, you will immediately realize that it is the special material I mentioned.
At first glance, it was a high-grade metal, and it was emitting a cold air that was enough to make one feel chilled in the hot workshop.
You may have inferred from the conversation that the Chief Blacksmith and I want to melt this ingot.
In some ways, it may feel like you’re being used, but it doesn’t seem to matter as long as you can rank up Aquaflame.
Hong Yeon-hwa looked at me as if asking for permission, and I nodded.
“Try burning it.”
Hong Yeon-hwa immediately casts a spell.
A circular magic circle appears beneath the eternal iron alloy, and geometric characters are engraved on it.
This is [Fire Pillar], which I have used several times before.
Since it was impossible to turn the workshop into a sea of fire, the size of the magic circle was intentionally made small, but its power became even stronger as the range was limited to a small space.
Soon, Hong Yeon-hwa will complete her magic,
– Whoosh whoosh!
A small but clear pillar of fire rose from the magic circle.
Everyone focused their gaze into the blazing pillar of fire.
“… … .”
Even in such a powerful flame, the perennial iron alloy still retained its shape.
The way the flames split apart, as if they were deliberately trying to avoid that area.
Then, Hong Yeon-hwa quickly overlapped the magic with a serious expression.
[Fire Pillar] One more circle is drawn around the magic circle,
– Whoosh whoosh!
The flames raged even more fiercely.
Hong Yeon-hwa controlled the flames by wielding the wand and forced them into the ingot.
Then, finally, little by little, changes began to appear.
The surface of the perennial iron alloy is gradually eroded by fire.
“… … !”
The blacksmith club president’s eyes lit up.
He turns his gaze away from Hong Yeon-hwa, who is maintaining her magic, and speaks to me.
“It seems to be working as you said. However, it is too slow. I don’t know how long it will take to process it.”
“I hope you’ll watch a little longer. This is just the beginning.”
The reason why the progress is slow is because Hong Yeon-hwa’s Aqua Flame is only E-rank.
As your rank increases, the speed at which you melt ingots will also increase.
The difficulty level of processing the Eternal Iron Alloy is around A-rank, but considering the power of Aqua Flame, it should be easy to melt it down even if you only get it to C-rank.
Since the desired results had already been achieved, the chief blacksmith did not doubt my words much.
“Okay.”
He left to resume the work he had been doing with short answers.
I also had no reason to stay here and kill time.
I told Hong Yeon-hwa.
“I’m going too.”
“Huh? Store?”
He asks again with a slightly embarrassed look.
If we fill in the missing parts in Hong Yeon-hwa’s words,
It would be, ‘Where are you going, leaving me here like this?’
I answered as if it wouldn’t be difficult.
“If you want, it will stay.”
Hong Yeon-hwa hurriedly waved her hand.
“Oh, no? I can do it by myself. I’m just developing my traits. Go and rest! Okay!”
I think it would be a hundred times better to be left alone than to watch from the sidelines as a burden.
I left the workshop with a carefree step without asking twice.
Hongyeonhwa is good because it gives you the opportunity to grow your characteristics with rare materials.
The blacksmith chief can resume the temporarily suspended item production, which is good.
I like that the manager gives me a small bonus in addition to making weapons.
It was a win-win strategy that made everyone happy.
* * *
Mentoring continued on Friday and Saturday.
Since I taught Dang Gyu-yeong the technique of training both offense and defense, there was no need for him to participate in the training.
Instead, as the week was almost over, I tried to challenge myself to a sticker battle with Hong Yeon-hwa once every time I finished training.
Even though it’s still absurd, it’s a shame to just blow three more chances.
If you lack something, it’s better to try it out.
I thought it would be useless to plan an operation at this level, so I said only one thing to Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Come in and take a look.”
Let Hong Yeon-hwa be as free as possible, and I will provide support accordingly.
[Windforce]
– Phew!
A strong wind blew for a moment, separating Hong Yeon-hwa and Dang Gyu-yeong.
The shadow bat the size of a human torso swung by Dang Gyu-yeong ended in a miss.
Hong Yeon-hwa quickly steps back and regroups, the short wand in her hand emitting a red light.
– Pfft pfft!
A chain of fire explosions engulfs Dang Gyu-yeong’s position.
Hong Yeon-hwa jumps into the large flames that have risen without hesitation.
The shadows of two people dance and sway in the flames.
On Friday, the first time I tried to help, I hesitated every time I tried to save him with Windforce, and I missed several good opportunities because of it.
On the other hand, now he has adapted quite well to my methods, so whenever I save him, he reacts immediately and tries to seize the opportunity.
– Phew!
Tang Gyu-yeong’s movements were cut off like a broken toy doll due to the strong wind that continued to blow back and forth.
He sends me a look that says he wants to die from jealousy, but Hong Yeon-hwa, who is running towards me right in front of me, is my priority.
As I wave my hand lightly, several shadow arms and legs rise up and attack me.
Hong Yeon-hwa did not back down and responded calmly.
Spews out flame magic at close range or charges mana into his hands and strikes them.
Hong Yeon-hwa kicks away the shadow hands and feet and then actively attacks to try to remove the stickers.
And Dang Gyu-yeong counterattacks skillfully.
I watched from a certain distance from where the fight was taking place, and then cast Windforce when I felt it was dangerous.
– Boom!
The compressed air between Dang Gyu-yeong and Hong Yeon-hwa exploded.
It acts as a cushion to cushion the shock while also pushing the two in different directions.
And I pulled the floating Hongyeonhwa closer to me.
Hong Yeon-hwa landed lightly on the floor without any major injuries, but unlike before, she didn’t rush in right away.
His breathing is uneven and his movements are noticeably slower, indicating that he is running out of energy.
‘That’s it.’
At this point, forcing the fight any further will not yield any results.
Still, I saw the tip of his finger lightly brushing the sticker at the last moment, so I felt like I could look forward to tomorrow a little.
Dang Gyu-yeong also quickly assessed Hong Yeon-hwa’s condition and concluded today’s mentoring.
“Up to here. Good work.”
But unfortunately, Hong Yeon-hwa still has a long way to go before she can enjoy a proper rest.
Aquaflame training is separate.
The next destination was a blacksmith workshop.
“Please take care of me today too.”
“… … .”
Hong Yeon-hwa nodded weakly in response to my words, then rode a teleportation magic circle and disappeared out of the circular arena.
As soon as they were alone, Dang Gyu-yeong immediately released his ‘stern senior mentor mode’ and returned to his usual self, grumbling.
“Hey, I don’t like that skill.”
“Senior, no one likes this.”
Windforce is a skill that is perfect for inducing hatred from others from the beginning.
You could say it’s the fate of the forced migration series.
People are pushed and pulled by others, and it is impossible not to feel the heat.
If it’s a crucial moment in battle, it’ll be twice as frustrating.
“So, can’t you use some other skills?”
“I want to do that too, but this is the only proper one.”
Right now, the only skill that’s really useful is Windforce.
You can copy other skills, but since Thief’s Step and Overheat are so useful, it would be a waste to send them away.
“Hey, honestly, you have other skills. Seriously.”
“Honestly, I don’t have any other skills. Really.”
Of course, Dang Gyu-yeong looked like he didn’t believe what I said at all.
I think they’re hiding other skills on purpose.
He looked at me for a moment, pouting, then shook his head as if he thought it was pointless and changed the subject.
“That’s right, I’ve been curious since yesterday but I never asked. Why is Hong Yeon-hwa helping you all of a sudden?”
“I had something to exchange with them.”
“Is that Ruby Tower over there? Hong Ye-hwa?”
“yes.”
“Ah.”
Dang Gyu-yeong smiled as if he knew the gist of it.
“So that’s why he’s peeling off the stickers? I thought you’d help him and do it, but it was the opposite, so you did something.”
“That’s what happened.”
“But if you don’t do this, it looks like even one problem will be harder, let alone three. Can I take a score off?”
“Yes, I don’t really care.”
“Really? What do you get from Hong Ye-hwa?
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Tch.”
Dang Gyu-yeong clicked his tongue briefly.
It may seem like you’re trying to learn it naturally, like water flowing, but there is information that is not easily taught.
But wouldn’t it be easy to find out with the information power of the leader of the thieves’ club?
“How about Song Cheon-hye and Gwak Ji-cheol?”
“There’s nothing better than Hong Yeon-hwa. Everyone else is just average except for you.”
Those two are also classics.
As I handed over the role of sticker peeler to Hong Yeon-hwa, there was a slight chance that I would lose the bet with Song Cheon-hye on the right to wish, but if what I heard from Dang Gyu-yeong was true, it seemed like I still had a better chance of winning.
“They are them, and now let’s do what’s ours. I want to finish quickly and rest.”
Dang Gyu-yeong stretched as if his body was heavy.
And as I took off the C-rank restriction bracelet, the shadows beneath my feet began to ripple violently.
Aside from the sticker battle, the one-on-one duels between Dang Gyu-yeong and I will also continue.
Until I learn [distortion].
