The First Project, Part 4
Edward lifted the shield with a satisfied expression.
"Alright, it's done!"
At his shout, William and Chloe, who had been dozing off, rubbed their eyes and looked up.
William yawned as he spoke.
"Wow... I can't believe we actually finished this the day before..."
"I'm so tired I could die," Chloe muttered.
"Come on, everyone. It's time to test it out."
They headed to the magic training grounds to test the completed shield.
Magic absorption devices were installed throughout the spacious area, and various magical testing tools were neatly arranged.
Edward turned to Lily.
"Miss Lily, you said you majored in fire magic during your undergraduate years, right?"
Lily nodded.
"Yes, that's correct."
"Could you cast the strongest magic you can use on me?"
Lily's eyes widened.
"Excuse me? Your strongest magic? Right away? Shouldn't we start with something a bit weaker first?"
Edward replied with a smile.
"It's fine. Don't worry, you can go all out."
Lily was clearly hesitant.
"Still, how could I... I might have gone into research, but I graduated as an A-rank, you know? If something goes wrong, don't blame me."
Edward simply nodded.
Lily studied his expression.
He surely knew what it meant to graduate with an A-rank from the Empire's finest academy.
It wasn't just a grade; it was a testament to her immense skill and recognized potential.
Had she not remained at the academy for research, she would have joined the Empire's frontline magic division like her peers.
Yet, Edward's expression remained filled with absolute confidence.
There wasn't a single trace of doubt in his eyes.
Though bewildered, she began preparing to cast her ultimate fire spell.
For some inexplicable reason, she felt a sudden trust that if Edward said it was fine, it truly would be.
Lily's gaze sharpened, and the surrounding air grew scorching hot.
She took a deep breath and slowly began chanting her spell.
The name of the spell spilled from her lips.
A spell of the 8th circle.
It was the most powerful magic Lily could wield.
Lily waved her staff, beginning to draw the magic circles.
The chant flowing from her mouth was mysterious and solemn, sounding like an ancient tongue.
"O immortal flame, O pillar of wrath that devours the enemy..."
⟨ Pillar of Ruin ⟩
Normally, this magic was so complex and powerful that it required multiple mages to cast it simultaneously.
To cast it alone demanded immense concentration, vast mana reserves, and a significant amount of time.
As such, rather than being used in active combat, it was primarily employed in siege warfare to tear down castle walls.
Beads of sweat began to form on Lily's forehead.
After a lengthy preparation, four massive magic circles finally materialized in front of her, one after the other.
Each magic circle was filled with intricate patterns and runes, rotating slowly as they emitted a crimson glow.
The surrounding air began to warp and distort.
It felt as if all the heat in the world was gathering in this single spot.
The crimson magic circles vibrated violently, absorbing a massive amount of mana.
Chloe cried out in alarm.
"Wait, hold on! Is this really okay? This is insane!"
Finally, Lily's chant came to an end, and the four magic circles merged into one.
Whoosh—
For a split second, everything fell dead silent. And in the next instant—
KABOOM!
With a deafening roar, a pillar of fire shot up, piercing toward the ceiling.
The magic absorption devices installed on the walls glowed in multicolored hues, working furiously.
As the entire training ground trembled faintly, the multi-layered special barrier desperately absorbed the immense impact.
Had it not been for this defense system, the entire place would have been reduced to ruins by now.
The flames slowly subsided, leaving a thick shroud of smoke filling the training ground.
"Cough, cough..."
William and Chloe coughed as they stumbled through the smoke.
Chloe spoke in a worried voice.
"Edward... you're alive, right?"
William added.
"This was way too much..."
Just then, the smoke slowly began to clear.
A faint silhouette appeared, and finally, Edward's figure was revealed.
An unbelievably powerful surge of mana emanated from the shield in his hand.
The energy swirling across the shield's surface was visible to the naked eye.
A particularly intense aura was concentrated at the center of the shield.
Even the surrounding air seemed to warp under the pressure of its power.
The three of them rushed over to me.
Lily asked with a worried expression.
"Are you alright?"
I held up the shield and replied.
"As you can see, it's a success."
Chloe, William, and Lily cheered simultaneously.
Their faces were filled with joy and relief.
The mana stone embedded in the center of the shield flashed brightly, signaling its status.
"Miss Lily, that spell was even more powerful than I expected. This is a top-quality rechargeable mana stone I bought from the shop, but the spell completely exceeded its mana capacity."
Lily smiled sheepishly and replied.
"Ah, well, you did ask for the strongest one... I used up all my mana in one go. I was born with a pretty large mana pool, if I do say so myself. Hehe."
...The mana conversion efficiency is higher than I anticipated.
"With this level of durability and efficiency... we might be able to store far more mana than I originally thought."
At my words, William tilted his head in confusion.
"But that was already an incredibly expensive mana stone. For a rechargeable one to hold that much, isn't that already an immense amount? I've never even seen a stone that expensive before."
Chloe chimed in, agreeing.
"She's right. Anything higher than that would have to be custom-ordered from a famous workshop. Ed, I know you've made a lot of money, but the price for something like that would be astronomical..."
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
I spoke in an excited voice.
"I just had a great idea."
.
.
.
Once I finished explaining, Chloe asked with wide eyes.
"What? Is that even possible?"
William stood there with his mouth agape, utterly stunned.
I nodded slowly.
Lily was also visibly surprised, but she spoke cautiously.
"Theoretically, it is possible..."
"Then let's remake it."
As if struck by lightning, Chloe and William's faces froze.
Chloe said hurriedly.
"But Edward, look out there. The sun is already setting."
William chimed in, flustered.
"Y-yeah, did you forget that tomorrow is the submission deadline?"
Both of them looked at me with deep concern.
I smiled and replied.
"Exactly, it's tomorrow. The important thing is that we still have time before class starts."
Besides, we didn't need to start entirely from scratch.
We just had to strip away the mana-inscribed parts, recast them, modify the mana circuitry design, and then I would engrave it.
My heart began to race.
I felt like we could create something truly extraordinary this time.
Early the next morning, before the campus had even woken up.
A pair of students walked into the Weapon Crafting Department building.
A woman with long silver hair led the way with an elegant stride, followed by a man of robust build.
They were the very individuals who had stood on the stage alongside Edward on the day of the entrance ceremony.
The woman was Sian Winters, the freshman representative of the Magic Department.
Her cold gaze and sharp jawline accentuated her intellectual aura.
The man was Leon Blade, the freshman representative of the Swordsmanship Department.
His broad shoulders and solid forearms bore the marks of long years of swordsmanship training.
Sian sighed and spoke.
"Why do we have to do something like this?"
Leon replied in an annoyed tone.
"Tell me about it. Once a weapon is made, you just use it. Why bother calling us out here? It's such a hassle."
Sian fell into thought for a moment before speaking.
"Well, we don't have a choice since we were ordered to. But... who knows? Maybe they made something amazing and wanted to show it off."
"No way. It's probably just a formality. Let's get this over with and leave," Leon said, picking up his pace.
At his waist, a dark blue sword emitted a faint, subtle glow.
In truth, Leon was a member of the Kraken Dan, learning the Kraken Swordsmanship style directly from Tom, the captain.
He thought to himself.
Well... it's true that "he," the one who created the Kraken's Sword, is also a blacksmith, but...
When the Weapon Crafting Department was first established, Leon hadn't paid much attention to it.
He had simply thought of it as just another new department.
However, as he listened to the talk around him, his perception had gradually turned negative.
"What's so great about blacksmiths anyway...?"
"Aren't they just support roles who make gear?"
Those kinds of comments had constantly lingered in his ears.
But after using the Kraken's Sword himself, Leon's thoughts had begun to shift.
He had experienced firsthand just how crucial a role good equipment played in drawing out a person's potential.
Of course, his overall opinion of the Weapon Crafting Department hadn't dramatically improved.
But at the very least, he had come to acknowledge its potential.
Who knew?
Perhaps the weapon he was about to see today would completely change his mind.
Professor Elena stood in the center of the wide training ground and raised her voice.
Her voice echoed across the spacious area.
"Today is the day of the presentations for your first project."
Elena paused for a moment, scanning the students.
"We have invited special guests to help test the weapons you have crafted. They are the freshman representatives of the Swordsmanship and Magic Departments. Please give them a warm round of applause!"
At Elena's introduction, the students of the Weapon Crafting Department cheered and clapped.
"Whoa!"
Exclamations of awe erupted from all around.
On the other hand, Sian and Leon looked somewhat uncomfortable.
Their faces clearly asked, How on earth did we end up doing this?
Nonetheless, they did their best to smile and nod politely.
Professor Elena spoke.
"We will begin immediately. Let's start with the groups from the back."
Several groups came forward one by one to introduce their creations.
One student stepped forward and spoke.
"What we have crafted is this magic sword. We have inscribed various spells to reduce the weight of the blade, allowing the user to swing it much faster."
He handed the sword to Leon. Leon took it and swung it a few times, but his expression remained unchanged.
After that, several more presentations followed.
Most of them were magic weapons of a similar caliber, and as time passed, the presentations grew increasingly tedious.
While another group was preparing, Leon and Sian whispered to each other.
Leon spoke in a low voice.
"Well, it's not as bad as I thought."
Sian tilted her head slightly and replied.
"Really? Even the most basic products from Mystic Arts look better than this to me."
"True," Leon nodded and continued. "I heard Mystic Arts has been pretty quiet lately because of Song of Steel."
"Well, as expected, nothing special. They're just freshmen, after all. What did we expect?"
Once their whispering ended, the next group's demonstration began.
A new presenter spoke in a nervous voice.
"The staff we have prepared is inscribed with none other than Magic Missile..."
Sian, the Magic Department representative, received the staff.
As she cast the spell against a training dummy for the demonstration, the staff suddenly shattered, unable to withstand the mana.
The presenters panicked and began to scramble.
"Huh? It definitely worked fine yesterday..."
Professor Elena kept scribbling away, evaluating their performance.
The two representatives were starting to get bored.
Just then, Professor Elena's voice rang out.
"The final group to present is Edward Granger's group."
Applause and cheers erupted from the other Weapon Crafting students.
Sian whispered to Leon.
"Ah, that's him. The top overall student. I wonder if he'll be any different?"
Leon replied indifferently.
"Well, he's still just a freshman like the rest of us."
The black-haired top student walked toward the representatives.
In his hands, he held a shield and a lance of unusual design.
Peculiarly, the shield and the lance were connected by a single cord.
"First, I'd like the Swordsmanship representative to hold this shield and lance. Magic representative, please stand on the opposite side over there."
Leon received the shield and the lance.
He lifted the heavy-looking equipment, his face registering surprise.
His eyes widened at how light they felt compared to their appearance.
The lance, in particular, was exceptionally well-balanced and felt comfortable in his grip.
As Edward explained how to use them, his gaze drifted to the Kraken's Sword at Leon's waist.
A subtle smile played on the corner of Edward's lips.
"Ah, in that case, we won't be needing this lance. Could you hand me that sword for a moment?"
Though puzzled, Leon handed over the sword. Edward detached the cord from the lance and connected it to the Kraken's Sword instead.
He manipulated the components with practiced ease, as if the shield had been designed for this very sword from the beginning.
Edward then proceeded to explain how to use the setup.
.
.
.
Leon's face filled with shock as he listened to the explanation.
"Wait... how is that even possible?"
Utter disbelief colored Leon's voice.
Edward finished with a smile.
"Now, why don't we give it a demonstration?"