Chapter 32: Preparation (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 32: Preparation (7)
Saturday morning dawned.
Usually, my weekends involved sleeping in late and lounging around, but today, my body moved on its own.
Today was the day I was supposed to pick up Murasame, which I had left at the blacksmith’s for forging.
Finally.
A cheerful whistle escaped my lips, and my heart swelled with anticipation as I got ready to head out.
Up until now, I had been using a Daixo Sashimi knife as my armament.
Calling it an "armament" was a stretch; it was essentially a steel tool I’d picked up just to save face. Naturally, receiving my first proper armament filled me with deep emotion.
Moreover, the only stat that hadn't increased on my status window so far was "Armament Rank." Perhaps this would provide a clue to the mysterious "Blessing of the Sword God."
Of course, that was just a guess, and for now, I didn't want to stress over the blessing.
The core of my excitement was simple: there is no gift more valuable to a swordsman than a new blade.
A smirk escaped me.
At least, it did until I arrived at the blacksmith’s.
"…Uh, well… Hah, man. This is unfortunate. My hands were tied."
"……."
The blacksmith scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, offering a hollow consolation.
His face, already flushed from the heat of the forge, turned as red as a ripe tomato from embarrassment.
"I really did my best, but I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve been swinging a hammer for nearly thirty years, but I’ve never encountered a case like this. The damn piece of metal just snapped in half with a single strike. It was as if the sword itself refused to be forged. For a second, I swear the blade felt alive! So, I had to quickly cast a mold and melt the metal down to refine it, and… well, this is what came out. Still, if any ordinary blacksmith had touched it, it wouldn't even have a shape; it would’ve just been a lump of iron. It’s only because it was me that it turned out this well. Yes, indeed! Hahaha!"
"……."
The blacksmith let out a hearty, forced laugh as he handed over "Murasame," which had been transformed into a short sashimi knife.
It had a smooth, reddish-brown wooden hilt, and the blade was tightly wrapped in twine as if to replace a scabbard.
The sleek blade, which seemed to emit an eerie aura from its hilt-wrap, shimmered with a glossy finish from being coated in warm oil.
The craftsmanship itself screamed of a master’s touch. Even to the eyes of a swordsman who had spent twenty years in the trade and seen many sashimi knives come and go, it was clearly a blade of high caliber.
It seemed the blacksmith had indeed done his best, just as he claimed…
However, the window that popped up before my eyes the moment I took hold of the armament was so absurd it made me want to burst into a hollow laugh.
*
[Murasame (叢雨)]
Type: Sashimi Knife
Description: A sword that was once called the "Blade that Gathers Dew." It has been reborn as a carbon steel sashimi knife infused with a master’s know-how. Though small in size, its performance may vary depending on the user.
Specifications: 「Blade Length – 35cm」, 「Width – 6cm」
Attributes: 「Destructive Power – C」, 「Range – E」, 「Hardness – E」, 「Growth Potential – A」
Rank: (E) ~ (?) Rank
*
Are you fucking kidding me?
What the hell did he do to the weapon to turn a B-rank armament into a bottom-tier E-rank—and a sashimi knife at that? I had never experienced something like this even when I was playing Miracle Blessing M.
Back then, the rank would drop by one or two levels at most.
My head throbbed at the sight of a rank that had plummeted faster than Bitcoin in a bear market. To make matters worse, the form was still a sashimi knife. Whether by coincidence or fate, it was a sashimi knife again.
"……."
The blacksmith who had refined and tempered Murasame must have noticed something was wrong.
The reason he was sweating bullets wasn't just because of the heat from the forge.
As I stared down at Murasame with a vacant gaze, the blacksmith rubbed the bridge of his nose and patted my back.
When I turned my head and glared at him sharply, he flinched and recoiled, sensing the predatory edge in my eyes.
"Look, I said I’m sorry. I didn't know it would turn out like this. Really! I tried my best, but I guess the original form and the current form just didn't have good compatibility."
He took B-rank metal scraps in lieu of a fee and thought an apology would settle it? After turning a multi-million won weapon into a bottom-tier piece worth a tenth of that?
Should I cut him?
I considered christening Murasame’s blade with blood for its first use, but I just lowered my head and let out a long sigh.
I shook my head vigorously to cool the heat rising to my skull and began to examine Murasame slowly.
The hilt’s craftsmanship was excellent. The dimensions also perfectly matched the requirements of my blessing, and perhaps because its origin was a B-rank armament, the destructive power was decent enough.
I had already given up on range the moment I picked up a sashimi knife. However, it was truly a shame that the hardness was at the lowest rank.
Even at E-rank, it was still an armament, so it could probably cut through most objects, but I didn't go through all that hell during the midterms just to slice up wooden blocks. I needed it to be at least average. This hardness was woefully inadequate for cutting through magical beasts with tough hides.
"Haaa……."
The only encouraging thing was the growth potential. Honestly, it was strange that only the growth potential was conspicuously high.
As I was lost in thought, the blacksmith stroked his soot-stained beard and approached me.
"To tell you the truth, in my thirty years as a blacksmith, it doesn't sit right with me to hand over an armament like this either. But the potential within that armament is incredible, so if you enhance it, it’ll definitely become useful. It’s a bit awkward to call it an apology, but if you bring the enhancement materials, I won't charge you for my labor."
I looked at the blacksmith. His eyes didn't look like they were lying. Seeing those eyes, the rage bubbling in my chest subsided a little.
If the growth potential was as high as A, then the armament’s potential was at least A-rank, or S-rank if I was lucky. It was a proposal far too tempting to refuse.
However, the supply of enhancement materials was a concern. The primary source for such materials was magical beasts.
Materials could be harvested from groups of lower-tier beasts like those Mermen, but for a single enhancement, I’d have to subjugate hundreds of them.
On the other hand, materials derived from high-tier magical beasts could cover the requirement with just seven or eight kills, depending on the rank.
In terms of efficiency, I would eventually have to hunt high-tier magical beasts to avoid wasting time.
Furthermore, as is common in mass-produced Korean mobile games, there was naturally a chance of failure, which essentially forced one specific option.
There were special enhancement materials that guaranteed success… but since those materials came from Majin, I brushed that possibility aside.
I couldn't put my life on the line just to enhance a single armament. I was doing all this to survive, not to gamble with my life.
Having finished my deliberations, I nodded reluctantly.
"…You have to promise me."
"Of course, I promise on my honor as a blacksmith."
The blacksmith let out a boisterous laugh and thumped his chest with his gloved hand. I stared at him blankly for a moment before extending my open palm.
"That’s one thing. But you should return about half the value of the leftover metal from the forging."
"…What?"
The blacksmith’s eyes narrowed. I tilted my head significantly and asked back.
"Did you really expect to get paid in full after turning my armament into this?"
"Hey, I made it according to your order, and didn't I say I wouldn't charge for the enhancement labor!"
"If you sell the leftover scraps, you’ll make tens of millions. How about exactly ten million won? My circumstances aren't exactly great, and I’m a bit short on cash. I’m being very generous here."
"What kind of brat are you?! Look at this kid, trying to swindle an elder?!"
The blacksmith roared. Being a businessman by nature, he wasn't the type to let things slide if the math didn't add up. I let out a dry chuckle and firmly locked the latch on the blacksmith shop’s door.
Shring—!
Next, I began to slowly unwrap the twine while caressing the paulownia wood hilt that fit perfectly in my palm.
Thanks to the Blessing of the Sword God, my temperament had changed; my tether on my reason was not just calm, but deathly still.
"You—you brat! What do you think you’re doing?!"
The blacksmith’s pupils shook violently.
"I needed to test its performance anyway. This works out perfectly."
With a sneer on my lips, I approached him with slow steps. Perhaps because this was my second time since the incident with Nox, I had become quite adept at intimidation.
"Th-then, how about five million, half the amount? Even if it’s B-rank scrap metal, the market price fluctuates, so it’s hard for me to even break even, I swear!"
Sensing that something was very wrong, the blacksmith hunched his back and began to stutter. I took another step forward, slowly unraveling the twine from Murasame.
"E-eight million! I can’t go any higher!"
The blacksmith held up his fingers one by one, offering prices. But I approached him in silence.
Finally, as I stood before him, the twine wrapping the blade slid off. As the white edge bared its teeth, familiar words echoed in my ears.
[The Armament Rank increases slightly.]
[Using Deterrence to begin synchronization for the user.]
Vrrr—
[The Blessing of the Sword God is manifested.]
A bitter silence filled the forge.
"……."
"……."
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing hard rang out loudly.
"Ten million."
"I-I understand."
* * *
The conference room was vast to the point of feeling empty, yet it was decorated with extravagant luxury.
Five men sat around a circular table with numbered seats, beginning to interrogate Elder Cladi, who had recently been slapped.
"…Elder Cladi, you acted without consulting the Council of Elders at all. This time, you went too far."
"I agree. This is clearly being taken as an act of defiance against us, Elder Cladi."
Their tone was polite, but their gazes were cold.
It was because of Cladi’s unilateral decision to attack Leon’s group during the midterm exam.
However, the reason they expressed such dissatisfaction wasn't out of concern for the students' safety.
"You all practically agreed to it anyway!"
"Even so, does it make sense to send a Majin? Even if we have a ceasefire agreement, they are strictly the enemy."
"Is this the time to be picky? We need to deal with those rebellious brats as soon as possible, dammit!"
Cladi slammed his fist on the table, getting angry in return.
"Your voice is too loud, Cladi."
"…Ah, my apologies, Elder Chairman. I’ve shown you something unsightly."
An old man with a thick scar carved across his face spoke. When the Elder Chairman narrowed his eyes, Cladi sat back down, looking sheepish.
"Th-then, let me speak again."
Cladi gulped down the high-end bottled water from a glass, cleared his throat, and continued.
"My dear fellow Elders, this is not a matter to be taken lightly. Think about it. Didn't that bitch Medea kick all of our people out of the Academy just ten years ago? Yet, she took the opportunity to bring the Sword Emperor into the Academy herself."
"And what does that have to do with your earlier point about investigating the student named Kang Geomma?"
"The Principal is blocking information from us under the pretext of protecting that special student. It’s as if she’s trying to hide something."
"Tell us in detail what you think she is hiding," the Elder Chairman asked in a sharp tone, having listened in silence.
Cladi clenched his slightly trembling hands into fists and spoke again.
"The Elder Chairman saw the footage from the class placement test as well. Do you really think that level of swordsmanship could belong to an ordinary student? I’ve spent a long time at this Academy, but in all my life, I’ve never seen swordsmanship like that. I believe he is clearly an anomalous student."
"…Ahem."
The five men mentally replayed the scene of the test.
In just a few seconds, the way he had slit the throats of the genius twins was like a ghost wielding a blade.
Though the Academy was teeming with geniuses, that was on a different level entirely—it wasn't something that could be considered the skill of a minor.
An elder wearing an eyepatch asked Cladi.
"So, what exactly do we need to investigate?"
"He is a special student of unknown identity. It’s only natural that his background is suspicious. Who knows? Maybe that special student is actually the Hero Candidate?"
"…Isn't the Hero Candidate Leon von Reinhardt?"
"Isn't that brat still a half-wit who hasn't even properly manifested his blessing? Honorable Elder Chairman, the disposal of the Hero is an inevitable task anyway. We’re already having a headache dealing with the Seven Stars; to have a Hero on top of that! We must prevent this and root him out in advance."
"……."
The Elder Chairman sat with his hands politely folded on the round table, his eyes closed. Ultimately, the decision of the Council rested with him. The other elders rarely offered counterarguments to the Chairman’s words.
Cladi used the Principal—the Council’s most sensitive sore spot—as his pretext.
Since Medea took office, the Council’s influence had diminished significantly.
No matter how powerful the five members of the Joaquin Academy Council of Elders were, in this world, one’s words only carried weight if they possessed both justification and martial power.
Even though they held sway over politics and finance beyond the Academy, their influence paled before the prestige of the "Seven Stars." Since Medea’s appointment as Principal, the Council’s current status was reduced to occasionally acting as a brake.
And while they were already feeling diminished because of the Seven Star Heroes, a Hero Candidate had suddenly appeared.
The Council of Elders needed a public enemy like the Demon King to maintain their meager power.
Because the Demon King existed, the public remained obedient to the heroes who kept the demons in check—or more accurately, to the nobles.
However, if the public enemy disappeared, not only would the Council face a backlash, but the very foundation of the "nobility" would crumble.
The Council of Elders, experts in agitation and fabrication, knew better than anyone: an army without an enemy is worthless.
Therefore, a Hero was an existence that the Council absolutely had to oust.
Cladi spoke again.
"The most necessary existence for humanity is our Council, which strives to lead the foolish masses and maintain balance. Look at us since the 6th Corps Commander Basmon was subjugated. The world only looks up to the Seven Star Heroes, while we are treated like old men in the back room!"
"……."
No one spoke, but everyone present agreed with those words in silence.
"It’s like that now, but how much worse would it be if a Hero appeared? Our very existence as leaders of the masses would be at stake. Elder Chairman, I humbly request that you commission the Auditore."
When the name "Auditore" came up, the elder with the eyepatch furrowed his brow and said, "Those people who love their justifications so much… I don't think they’ll accept a commission without a clear reason, Elder Cladi."
"If the Elder Chairman speaks to them personally, it will be hard for them to ignore, regardless of the justification. To be blunt, they call themselves a House of Order, but aren't they just butchers in the end?"
"Hmm, I agree with that. They are a lot without any of the elegance or dignity of nobility."
"If they refuse, wouldn't there be other ways? Elder Chairman, please make a wise judgment."
Having finished his long speech, Cladi stroked his chest, trying his best to calm his pounding heart.
He knew himself that this was based on speculation and stubbornness, but his life was on the line—what wouldn't he say?
It wasn't that he was afraid of becoming kindling in the hands of that sinister female instructor.
Cladi was also one of the Academy’s elders. He wasn't going to such lengths to persuade the Council just because of one woman.
The one he truly feared was someone else. A demon so terrifying he didn't even want to speak her name.
The Demon King’s Army 5th Corps Commander, Agor.
If he didn't do something here… it would be better to beg for death.
Thinking of that made the blood in his veins feel like it was turning to ice. Cladi shuddered and focused his gaze back on the Elder Chairman.
Finally, the Elder Chairman half-opened his eyes and spoke in a low voice.
"Contact the Auditore family."