The Entrance Exam, Part 1
I stepped into the testing hall of the Department of Weapon Crafting.
Wow...
The scale of the place was overwhelming.
Right in the center of the plaza sat a massive object draped under a large cloth.
Around it, about a hundred examinees sat in a wide circle.
At each of their stations lay tools and equipment reminiscent of a miniature forge.
"Attention, everyone! We will now begin the first practical exam for the Department of Weapon Crafting."
The chief examiner's voice echoed throughout the hall.
He began to briefly explain the testing procedure.
"You must craft your own weapon using the materials provided. Your work will be comprehensively evaluated based on creativity, technical skill, and overall quality."
Looking around, I could see the other examinees sitting at their stations, looking visibly tense.
I didn't expect there to be this many competitors...
Doing a quick head count, there were easily over a hundred people.
But I wasn't particularly worried.
For the past month since my memories returned, I had spent almost all of my time in the forge.
I had practiced day and night to revive the skills and know-how I had acquired as a max-level blacksmith back in my gaming days.
I desperately worked to recall the countless crafting experiences and instincts I had accumulated, striving to apply the skills I used in the game to reality.
As a result, I had managed to recover a significant portion of my former abilities.
Because of that, I was confident that I wouldn't lose to anyone when it came to weapon crafting.
The examiner continued.
"Immediately following the first exam, the second exam will take place. The scores from both exams will be combined to determine the final passing candidates."
Everyone's gaze focused on the center of the plaza.
The examiner stepped closer to the draped object and spoke.
"Now, please check the materials prepared for you."
With his words, the cloth was whipped away.
Beneath it lay a mountain of colorful materials.
From old, rusted iron to high-grade metals shimmering with a silvery light, an incredible variety of materials caught my eye.
I wonder if there are any legendary-grade materials in there?
I stared blankly at the pile of materials.
Everyone around me wore expressions of excitement and tension.
"You have three hours."
"Begin!"
At his shout, the examinees rushed toward the materials all at once.
Dust kicked up as a stampede of footsteps echoed through the plaza.
Instead of running, I stood back for a moment, observing the situation to get my bearings.
Everyone was moving frantically, trying to grab the materials they needed.
It's only natural that choosing better materials leads to a higher score.
A colorful array of materials lay before me.
Each one tempted me with its unique color and texture.
I stood still, scanning the pile as my eyes darted back and forth.
I had to pick out the absolute best materials.
The purity of this iron ore is exceptional. And over there... is that Mithril?
As expected of the Empire's top academy, high-grade materials were scattered here and there.
Looking around, the other examinees were also rummaging frantically to find the best pieces.
Voices were already starting to rise.
"Hey, hand over that ore!"
"What are you talking about? I found this Mithril first!"
Although the other examinees were shouting nearby, I paid them no mind.
I couldn't afford to waste precious time getting caught up in such petty squabbles.
Taking advantage of the chaos, I quickly snatched up a familiar material that had escaped everyone else's notice.
First, a translucent, pale blue mana stone caught my eye.
Is that... Ancient White? They even have something like this here?
I recognized the true value of the mana stone at a glance.
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary pebble, but an immense amount of mana lay dormant inside it.
It seemed the others hadn't recognized it.
I felt its heavy weight and coldness in my palm.
I feel like I can make something incredible with this...
As my expectations soared, I scanned the area further until something else caught my eye.
Wait, that's...
A piece of pitch-black wood buried deep within a pile of old timber.
On the surface, it looked like nothing more than a decaying, ancient scrap of wood.
However, a familiar energy radiated from it.
It was the exact feeling I had dealt with countless times in the game.
The moment I grasped the ancient wood, an unimaginable life force flowed through my skin.
It was a crystallization of life and time, condensed within wood that had endured for thousands of years.
This was undoubtedly the Sacred Tree of Life.
Holy crap.
This was a legendary-grade material.
Who on earth hid such precious things here?
I almost screamed out loud.
Ancient White and the Sacred Tree of Life.
With these two materials, I could create any masterpiece.
A smile naturally spread across my face at that conviction.
I couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
As inconspicuously as possible, I cradled the two materials in my arms and crept back to my workbench.
Looking at the top-tier materials resting on my workbench, my heart pounded. Now, all that was left was to show them what I could do.
At the testing hall for the first round of the Department of Weapon Crafting exam.
The judges were closely observing the applicants as they crafted their weapons.
Among them, one person stood out in particular.
It was Elena von Walter, a woman with gray hair, glasses, and a distinct aura.
After serving as the youngest dean at the continent's top magic academy, she had recently been appointed as a professor for the newly established Department of Weapon Crafting.
She was known as the unrivaled authority on magic weapon crafting.
The magic weapons Elena crafted herself were considered the ultimate gifts among the royalty of various nations.
The core of this exam is to evaluate their eye for recognizing the necessary materials, their proficiency in handling them, their craftsmanship, artistry, and creativity.
Lost in thought, Elena watched the applicants select their materials.
"Hmm... Not bad."
She nodded, spotting a few promising candidates.
Having the eye to pick out high-quality pieces from a mountain of materials was crucial.
Developing that skill required long experience and sensitivity to mana.
For a blacksmith, the ability to discern materials was the most basic yet vital quality.
No matter how outstanding one's crafting techniques were, it was impossible to make a top-tier weapon with terrible materials.
Of course, one could make a decent, usable weapon with average materials.
However, to create a truly powerful and special weapon, top-grade materials were essential.
A blacksmith had to handle and observe countless materials, developing the insight to pierce through their characteristics and quality.
They couldn't judge simply by appearance.
They had to be able to read the fluctuations of mana flowing through the materials.
They had to comprehensively examine the presence of impurities, density, and durability.
Reaching this level required years, if not decades, of experience and research.
For this very reason, Elena had designed this exam herself.
She wanted to test not only their crafting skills but also their eye for discerning excellent materials.
Through this exam, she hoped to find individuals with the qualities of a true blacksmith.
Elena's sharp gaze swept over the students.
Who among them would be able to choose the superior materials?
That was the absolute foundation for growing into a legendary blacksmith.
Huh...?
Her gaze stopped at one spot.
A young man with short black hair.
He stood in front of the pile of materials with his arms crossed.
It was a stark contrast to the other applicants, who were all scrambling to examine the materials.
What is that student doing?
The exam time was three hours.
It was by no means a generous amount of time to select materials and craft a weapon.
It was barely enough time to make even a basic sword.
Yet, the young man's attitude seemed incredibly relaxed.
Intrigued, Elena observed him.
He's moving.
The young man, who had been standing still, walked into the pile of materials.
Then, without a moment's hesitation, he began to pick out specific items.
What is he doing...?
His movements were so swift and precise, as if he had already decided what to choose.
"Could it be that he noticed?"
Elena couldn't help but be startled.
In truth, two very special materials were hidden in this exam.
Ancient White and the Sacred Tree of Life.
They were the continent's finest mana stone and sacred wood.
In its raw state, Ancient White looked like a common rock. It emitted absolutely no mana, making its value incredibly difficult to detect.
The Sacred Tree of Life also had its energy masked by a special spell, making it hard to find.
Moreover, these materials had to be handled in an extremely delicate manner.
Even if someone happened to find them by chance, crafting a proper weapon out of them would be nearly impossible.
Thus, they were placed there without any expectation that someone would actually use them.
They were meant to be a sort of easter egg.
She had planned to tell the students later when she taught Materials Science:
"Actually, among the materials you saw during the entrance exam, everything from the lowest grade to legendary grade was present."
Yet, that young man didn't even look at the other items, picking out only those specific materials in one go.
As if nothing else was even worth his consideration.
No, it's too early to jump to conclusions.
Elena shook her head.
Instead, she felt a sense of pity.
If the young man had chosen them by chance, that was one thing.
But if he had intentionally selected only the best materials, she could acknowledge his outstanding ability to discern materials...
But that was it.
In truth, there was one more important factor in selecting materials. Choosing good materials was indeed a great ability.
However, that only applied to general-use materials. That mana stone and sacred wood were special.
They were not things just anyone could handle.
In the entire Empire, the number of people who could use those to craft a weapon in three hours could be counted on one hand, including Elena herself.
Rushing in just because they were good materials would only invite disaster.
He will likely run out of time without even being able to properly work them.
Even if he luckily succeeded in carving them, the mana stone could easily explode if he misjudged the amount of mana to inject, or the weapon could shatter in an instant if he failed to finish it with precision.
Yet, strangely...
As if possessed, Elena walked toward him.
Step by step.
"How is this possible...?"
Elena watched with eyes full of wonder as the young man stood before his workbench.
Without hesitation, he began to handle the materials.
His hand movements were like those of a veteran master craftsman.
He was refining the materials with delicate, precise touches.
It was as if he were sculpting a work of art.
Has he already grasped the properties of the materials? And he's handling them so skillfully?
Elena's eyes widened.
An unbelievable sight was unfolding before her.
He was filtering out the impurities embedded in the materials with mana, and releasing the magic seal placed on the Sacred Tree of Life.
What's more, he was doing it all in just a few minutes.
These were techniques that Elena herself had only mastered after decades of research and experience.
Yet, the young man in front of her was performing all of it as naturally and effortlessly as breathing.
Who on earth is that boy? A hidden talent from the Imperial Family? Or is he something even greater?
She had never heard of anyone reaching this level, even within the Imperial Family.
Was he a hidden genius?
An exclamation involuntarily escaped Elena's lips.
Her face was filled with excitement and awe.
It felt as though she was witnessing the birth of an unprecedented blacksmith, right before her very eyes.