The Second Exam

The proctor grabbed the microphone and announced the next exam.

I looked around.

Roughly half of the students seemed to have passed the first exam.

Clutching their newly crafted weapons, they were all heading toward the second testing ground.

Though some faces were tight with tension, most looked bright, buoyed by the confidence of passing the first round.

"Hey, that hammer looks pretty cool. The judges' reaction earlier was no joke."

A student approached from the side and struck up a friendly conversation.

In his hand, he held a longsword that gleamed with a silvery light.

It didn't feel particularly special, but it was a sword that showed solid fundamentals.

If I had to grade it, it'd probably be High-grade.

A High-grade weapon was quite decent.

It was of a quality that could fetch about thirty silver coins on the market. With that level of skill, he would easily be treated as a mid-level craftsman or higher in any blacksmith shop.

Any blacksmith capable of producing High-grade weapons would be welcomed with open arms by almost any forge.

"Thanks. Your sword isn't half bad either."

"Right? Using the weapon we made in the first round for the second exam... this is going to be pretty fun. I'm looking forward to it."

The student's face was full of excitement.

And understandably so. Being admitted as a freshman to the Imperial Academy's Weapon Crafting Department was an unparalleled opportunity for countless blacksmiths across the empire.

Hope shone on the faces of the other successful applicants from the Weapon Crafting Department as well.

Come to think of it, I didn't recall any mention of an academy weapon crafting department in the lore of the game I used to play.

Yeah. If the game had this kind of setting, the blacksmith class's popularity wouldn't have hit rock bottom.

It seemed the system itself had changed quite a bit since I arrived in this world.

The current flow was clearly nudging me toward the academy.

Well, now all that's left is the second exam...

Since the first exam for the Weapon Crafting Department was weapon creation, what would the second be?

Although I didn't know the exact details yet, if we had to take the second exam with the weapons we crafted in the first, I was bound to have a massive advantage.

After all, the Hammer of Ether I fashioned in the first exam was likely a Mythic-grade weapon.

Mythic-grade—a tier that transcended even Legendary.

Even when I was playing the game, I could count the number of times I'd crafted one on one hand.

Well, Legendary-grade materials are hard to come by, and using two of them at once costs an astronomical amount... so I rarely had the chance.

I felt a swell of pride at the fact that I had crafted a Mythic-grade weapon with my own hands after such a long time.

Gripping the warhammer tightly, I followed behind the other students.

The moment I stepped into the second testing ground, the sight before me took my breath away.

A dazzling white space stretched out endlessly, and deep within it, massive black magic spheres floated serenely in the air.

Are those our targets...?

The moment I looked at the spheres, I could intuitively grasp the nature of the second exam.

All the applicants were already gathered in the testing ground.

Their diverse weapons and attire hinted at their respective departments.

Mages draped in elaborately patterned robes, knights clad in heavy full-plate armor, and warriors radiating agile movements.

It seemed the second exam was a common test taken by all departments together.

Hmm... Everyone came prepared.

Scanning the surrounding applicants, I began to analyze their characteristics.

The shape of their weapons, the details of their attire, and even the aura they exuded.

All of it served as a yardstick to estimate their rough skill levels.

"Huh? Who are those guys? Don't tell me they're taking the exam too?"

As we, the applicants of the Weapon Crafting Department, showed our faces in the testing ground, whispers began to rise from all around.

The appearance of the weapon crafting students, myself included, looked rather shabby.

After all, simple armor, hammers, and various tools were all we had.

It was a modest appearance that contrasted sharply with the flashy attire of the students from other departments.

The gazes pouring toward us.

There was a clear mixture of strange wariness and outright contempt.

"Who are those nobodies? You're telling me they passed the first exam too?"

Mocking whispers drifted from among the students of the Swordsmanship Department.

It seemed we looked like easy targets in their eyes.

"Ah... I guess those are the ones. The Weapon Crafting Department they started recruiting for this year."

"Seriously, it's ridiculous. Why on earth would they create a department like that at the Imperial Academy of all places? It lowers our status."

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"Hey, they'll hear you."

"Let them. They all look like commoners anyway. Let's see how long they can even last."

The students of the Magic Department also scoffed, shaking their heads in disbelief.

To them, mostly hailing from nobility or prestigious families, we probably looked like lower-class rabble defiling the testing ground.

Well... even if you become a famous blacksmith, it's not like they grant you a noble title.

In this medieval world with its rigid class system, it was only natural, in a way, for them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to openly look down on the Weapon Crafting Department, which likely had almost no one from a prestigious background.

Right then, the proctor's voice rang out.

At his words, the attention of all the applicants focused on the proctor.

The proctor turned his gaze toward us and continued.

Tension rippled through the weapon crafting applicants at the proctor's words.

The proctor scanned the surroundings one last time.

Inflicting the maximum amount of impact within three minutes... not an easy task.

Looking around, the testing ground was divided into about twenty zones.

Each zone was separated by a transparent wall, allowing a clear view of the other applicants taking their exams.

Those transparent walls... they seem to be reinforced with magic. No need to worry about flying debris.

I began to closely observe the exams of the applicants who had already entered.

They attacked the spheres with their respective weapons.

The mages unleashed colorful elemental magic, executing a variety of attacks.

Knights and warriors struck the spheres with powerful blows.

Those wielding heavy weapons were slow, but the power behind each strike was considerable.

Melee attacks have high power but low frequency. Besides, against a giant sphere like that...

Yet, despite their attacks, the spheres held their ground without a single tremor.

I noticed that every time a melee attack connected, the sphere absorbed the impact, momentarily halting the attacker's movement.

With that level of hardness, it won't break easily. I need to consider the timing of my attacks, accuracy, and the weapon's characteristics.

I quickly began to formulate a strategy in my head.

Time ticked away, and my turn gradually approached.

A strange tension crept in, causing me to tighten my grip on my weapon.

Whew... Calm down. If it's a weapon I made, it can definitely do this.

Steeling my nerves, I reviewed the strategy I had tailored to my weapon's characteristics.

The time limit was a mere three minutes.

Due to the aftermath of the first exam, I had very little mana left.

Of course, I had set it up to maximize mana efficiency, but the baseline amount of mana required was still substantial.

My mana was nearly depleted from handling two Legendary-grade materials during the first exam.

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Sigh... Even at max level, I'm running low on mana.

There was a good reason why I hadn't invested many stat points into my mana pool.

Above all, I had focused on leveling up as quickly as possible, which required a stat distribution optimized for raising blacksmith proficiency.

In my view, increasing my mana pool wasn't very necessary once it reached the minimum threshold required to trigger skills.

After all, it was a class that spent most of its time in a forge where there was no combat. If I ran out of mana, I could just chug a potion.

That was why my inventory was always packed with mana potions.

I had stuffed my backpack with hard-to-get mana potions this time too, just in case, but I was forced to hand over all personal belongings at the entrance of the testing ground.

To be honest, I hadn't expected to head straight into the second exam right after the first, so I was caught off guard.

I thought there would at least be a brief break to quickly down a few potions, but the exam schedule didn't give us a single moment to catch our breath.

Well, it's not like I have enough mana left to swing this weapon for long anyway.

Composing myself, I recalled my strategy.

Right. I didn't have the mana to keep swinging this weapon repeatedly.

Even if the attack speed is slow, I have to pack the maximum power into every single blow. I must conserve my mana and distribute it efficiently.

Before long, the door to the zone in front of me slid open.

Taking a deep breath, I strode inside.

For a moment, I felt overwhelmed by the sight before me.

The sphere was much larger and more intimidating than I had anticipated.

Its pitch-black surface exuded a mysterious yet eerie energy, as if it might swallow even the light itself.

They want us to break something like this in three minutes?

A wave of dismay washed over me, but I quickly took a deep breath and steeled my resolve.

There was no time to hesitate.

I quickly drew my weapon. It was the very weapon I had crafted in the first exam.

The moment I gripped it, I felt a surge of power coursing through my body.

It was as if the power dwelling within the weapon was becoming one with me.

Alright, let's do this!

Gripping the weapon firmly, I charged toward the sphere with all my might.

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.
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[BZZZZZZT!]

I stopped my weapon at the sound signaling the end of the time limit.

Panting heavily, I took a step back.

The sphere was only slightly cracked; it still looked largely intact.

After the second exam ended, the judges gathered to evaluate the students' performances.

Among them, the most prominent figure was Professor Kane Arthur.

Professor Kane was a man in his late forties with reddish-brown hair and sharp eyes, and he was a former knight commander.

Having shown such a natural talent for swordsmanship that he rose to the position of knight commander in his early thirties, he had joined the academy after his retirement to nurture the next generation.

"There are many outstanding talents this year," Professor Kane muttered to himself.

A crystal ball sat before him, playing back footage of the students' exams.

"I wonder if the top score this year will come from the Swordsmanship Department or the Magic Department."

Sitting next to Professor Kane was Professor Nicole Lenworth of the Magic Department.

A beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, she boasted vast knowledge and skill in magic, befitting someone from the continent's greatest mage family.

"Fufu, the top scorer will naturally come from the Magic Department. We have so many truly exceptional students this year," Nicole said with a confident smile.

"No, the Swordsmanship Department is where the finest talents gather. Several students I saw were truly formidable," Kane praised.

The two professors went back and forth, boasting about the students from their respective departments.

"Now, let's look at the scores."

Professor Kane picked up the paper containing the students' evaluation results.

"Hmm... As expected, the average score of the Swordsmanship Department is high again this ye—"

As he spoke, Professor Kane's eyes suddenly widened.

"This is impossible! Who on earth got this overwhelming score?"

He was utterly shocked by the score of a certain student written on the paper.

It was a colossal score that far outstripped everyone else.

"We must recruit this talent! They must belong to the Swordsmanship Department. I will personally raise them as my disciple!"

Excitement and anticipation sparkled in Professor Kane's eyes. He quickly played the student's exam footage on the crystal ball.

On the screen, a young man appeared holding a massive warhammer.

An immense power was radiating from his body.

However, the speed at which he swung the warhammer was surprisingly slow.

Perhaps because the weapon was too heavy, he couldn't easily build up speed.

That warhammer... it must be incredibly heavy. The mana consumption would be substantial too. Wielding a weapon like that freely is no easy task...

Professor Kane tilted his head. It was clear that the weapon possessed immense weight.

Yet, throughout the entire three-minute time limit, the young man moved his weapon without any sign of haste or impatience.

Even though time should have been tight, he actually looked relaxed.

Thud! Clang!

The heavy warhammer collided with the sphere, producing a thunderous roar.

A first strike, a second, a third.

The student struck the sphere slowly but with immense weight, matching the rhythm of the weapon.

But there was something strange.

Although the young man's movements seemed somewhat slow due to the weapon's weight, the destructive power slamming into the sphere was colossal.

It was as if he was controlling his strength against the heavy weight to maximize the destructive impact.

What was even more surprising was the amount of mana detected from the young man's body.

The flow of mana was so faint it was barely perceptible.

It looked as though the young man was deliberately conserving his mana.

Despite that, every single one of his attacks remained devastatingly powerful.

While using only the bare minimum of mana, he fully utilized the weight of the warhammer to unleash incredible destructive force.

"Look at that! It's not because he's unskilled at handling the weapon. He's deliberately hiding his strength and mana. To produce that kind of power with such a minuscule amount of mana!"

Professor Kane's eyes sparkled. His heart pounded with excitement, like a man who had just discovered a hidden treasure.

"He's definitely hiding his true strength. He must be doing that on purpose to demonstrate efficient mana control and weapon handling!"

Having deduced this, he couldn't help but marvel.

It was clear that he was using only restrained strength and mana to showcase his efficiency and technique in handling the weapon with minimal resources.

This was a strategy employed by masters to conceal their true worth and throw off their opponents.

This was not a level that an ordinary student could ever hope to reach.

"It's indeed remarkable mana control and understanding of the weapon... but unfortunately, it doesn't look like he's from the Swordsmanship Department," Professor Nicole murmured, sounding disappointed. She, too, seemed impressed by the student's skill.

"Hmm? Not the Swordsmanship Department?"

Professor Kane looked at Professor Nicole in bewilderment.

"Then did he summon the weapon with magic?"

He snatched the paper with the scores from Professor Nicole's hand.

Upon reading the words written on the paper, Professor Kane's eyes bulged.

"The... The Weapon Crafting Department?!"

Professor Kane shouted in disbelief.

Professor Nicole also wore a shocked expression.

"To think such a formidable talent was in the Weapon Crafting Department... This is truly unexpected."

Both professors were utterly astonished.

It was something no one could have imagined.

That this year, an unprecedented, prodigious weapon crafter would enter the academy.