Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Magic Item Creation (2)
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As dawn broke, I went through my usual physical training before heading to the Magic Item Creation class.
Listening so intently like this steadily built up the proficiency and points for Absolute Clone.
'Still not even 0.1%.'
Even so, I was operating non-stop, 24 hours a day.
There was probably no faster way to raise the proficiency than this.
"Everyone, it's a pleasure to meet you all like this. I'm Park Tae-yong, the instructor in charge of this Magic Item Creation class."
The world at large tends to view magic items as less useful than artifacts. But I don't see it that way. I believe magic items hold limitless potential.
The instructor who introduced himself as Park Tae-yong had a lean build and gave off the vibe of a researcher.
"At the very least, I trust that all of you taking this class share my view. So, let's start with a basic explanation of magic items."
Soon, Instructor Park Tae-yong gave a brief overview of magic items.
"Magic items refer to objects engraved with specific runes. Once you engrave the rune and infuse it with mana, the corresponding effect activates."
He even pulled up a data screen.
"As you can see here, there's one rune. This is the [Durability Increase] rune. Engrave it and infuse mana, and the item's durability rises by a whopping 7%."
"......?"
7%?
'Isn't that ridiculously low, common sense-wise?'
Lee Seojun, listening beside me, seemed to think the same. He shook his head and said,
"I told you they weren't that great. Plus, you can't engrave that rune on artifacts."
[Only on ordinary items?]
"Yes. For example, engrave it on a training sword and infuse mana, and you get the durability boost."
Magic Item Creation was nothing like what I'd imagined.
'I was thinking of items that could substitute for abilities in emergencies, like shooting fireballs.'
From what I heard, it seemed like a way to enhance existing objects.
Of course, I'd only seen one rune so far, so it was too early to say for sure.
"Next, take a look at this rune."
Hm?
"This is the [Lightning Imprint] rune. Engrave it on a sword or shield and infuse mana, and lightning will course through it."
Fortunately, it wasn't limited to just enhancement runes.
I let out a small sigh of relief as I looked at the second rune Instructor Park Tae-yong showed.
'At least it's worth learning.'
The catch was that it required infusing mana.
And that mana was undoubtedly the mana from this 15th world.
'If I infuse the mana I got from a previous world, it'll probably do nothing.'
It was just a hunch, but a strong one.
"Now, I'll hand out metal plates to everyone. Since this is Magic Item Creation, you ought to make at least one. Just draw the [Durability Enhancement] rune on the metal plate."
For reference, there were about 20 students in the class.
A bit more than in Mana Manipulation or Herbology.
"Don't worry if you fail—feel free to give it a try. The most important thing in creation is that persistent attitude of challenging yourself again and again."
As I listened to Instructor Park Tae-yong, I picked up a metal plate about the size of an A4 sheet, along with the tools.
"......"
A thought suddenly struck me.
"Couldn't we just engrave this with a machine?"
"Ah, I'm not sure of the details, but I heard it doesn't work for some reason."
No sooner had Lee Seojun finished than Instructor Park Tae-yong, who was looking over the students ahead, answered.
"Regrettably, engraving with machines is impossible. The rune only activates if drawn from start to finish by someone with mana. There's probably some secret to mana that we haven't uncovered yet."
There seemed to be some kind of connection between mana and runes.
With no other choice, I pondered as I began drawing the rune.
'If I have to draw the rune myself......'
I'd probably need to use an ability from the 12th world again.
No. 055 『Sculpting+10』
Rank:C
Description: Your fingertips can sculpt any shape.
Special 1: Perfectly remembers the form to sculpt.
Special 2: Can sculpt any material.
With that, I activated the [Sculpting] ability card and got straight to work.
Papapap!—
By the way, the +10 after Sculpting holds significant meaning.
If +9 is the limit a human can reach, +10 transcends human limits.
"......Lee Seongmin. Have you done sculpting before?"
"I've tried it."
I gave a short reply as I carved the rune in an instant.
The rune itself wasn't that complex, so it didn't take long.
'About 30 seconds.'
But this was only possible thanks to the power of [Sculpting].
Nearby students were struggling and grunting away.
'Still, this feels kinda lacking.'
Even with superhuman sculpting that surpassed human limits, it was just a 7% durability boost.
Honestly, 7% was practically nothing, so after a moment's thought, I decided to experiment further.
'Item Duplication.'
First, I used the miracle from the 9th world, [Item Duplication].
As the name implied, it perfectly duplicated an item to create one more.
Pop—
With the metal plate engraved with the rune now two, I used the next ability.
'Armament Evolution.'
This was one of the many powers I'd gained in the 5th world.
It merged two identical items to evolve them into a superior form and performance.
Pababat—
After using [Armament Evolution], the two metal plates fused, and the engraved rune changed.
'The rune's gotten more complex.'
Since the rune had changed, the durability boost was surely higher than 7% now.
"Lee Seongmin, what did you just do?"
"Tweaked the rune a bit."
No sooner had I answered than Instructor Park Tae-yong, who had been glancing at the students behind me, approached.
"Finished already? You're quick-handed, Cadet."
Instructor Park Tae-yong came over to me, who had set the tools aside, and examined the rune on the metal plate.
He naturally noticed it differed from the one he'd taught and gently chided me.
"I see it's engraved quickly and cleanly. However, it's different from the rune I showed you. Even a slight deviation prevents the effect from activating. Let alone something like this."
The instructor's criticism was fair.
But I trusted my abilities.
"I had a feeling this rune would work better."
"As I said earlier, that challenging spirit is good. Essential for Magic Item Creation, even. But isn't it a bit premature?"
Instructor Park Tae-yong picked up the metal plate I'd made, apparently to demonstrate.
"As you'll see, even infusing mana into a metal plate with a different rune like this will yield......"
He intended to show that a different rune produced no effect even with mana.
Paat—
"Huh......?"
But contrary to Instructor Park Tae-yong's expectation, the rune on the metal plate glowed vividly.
"No way this should work."
Instructor Park Tae-yong stared at the plate again, his face showing he couldn't comprehend why it activated.
He peered at it almost as if to bore holes through it, still baffled, then asked me.
"May I have your name, Cadet?"
"Lee Seongmin."
"Yes, Cadet Lee Seongmin. Hard to believe, but could you explain how you engraved such a rune?"
I couldn't exactly say I'd used [Item Duplication] and [Armament Evolution].
I pondered briefly but came up empty, so I answered offhandedly.
"I just thought engraving it this way would be better."
"Hah."
Yet for some reason, Instructor Park Tae-yong let out an admiring sound and muttered to himself.
"A genius, perhaps. Finally, a genius in Magic Item Creation......"
......Genius?
A word that had nothing to do with me.
Feeling absurd inside, I glanced at Lee Seojun, and as usual, he explained.
"Classes like swordsmanship or magic occasionally produce students worthy of being called geniuses. Cheon Seo-yun's one this time."
It seemed there had been genius-caliber students in swordsmanship or magic, but not a single one in Magic Item Creation.
'Does he think I'm a creation genius or something?'
The result might look the same, but it pricked at my conscience a little.
"Cadet Lee Seongmin. Mind if I test this metal plate? I want to see how it differs from the standard Durability Increase rune."
Instructor Park Tae-yong clutched my plate tightly, visibly excited for anyone to see.
"Ah, sure. Go ahead. More than that, could I get more plates and other runes?"
"Of course—what a given. Lend me your tablet, and I'll send the runes. There are spare plates up front, so use them as you like."
I handed over my tablet at his response, and Instructor Park Tae-yong quickly transmitted the runes.
After sending them, he sat at an empty spot to intently examine the plate I'd made.
'That said, I've drawn too much attention.'
Most of the 20 or so students were staring at me.
The word "genius" from Instructor Park Tae-yong earlier had probably sealed it.
'Leave it be, and the interest will fade.'
I first checked the runes Instructor Park Tae-yong had sent on my tablet.
"Not many runes."
Scanning through, there were exactly 12.
Including the initial [Durability Enhancement] and [Lightning Imprint], there were 10 more.
"[Weight Increase], [Impact Enhancement], [Flame Imprint], [Flame Resistance]......"
There were various runes, but nothing that jumped out as special.
Then I spotted the very last one and fixed my gaze there for a moment.
[Mana Suppression].
The name of the final rune listed.