Chapter 230
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 230
Chapter Title: Chapter 230
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 230
Chapter Title: Failing Students at the Academy
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Perhaps... the one targeting Isna isn't an organization.
Something possessing enormous power. A single entity. That possibility crossed my mind.
If we lack information on the opponent, we have no choice but to act passively.
Catshi finished his cold analysis and judgment.
"I'll follow your words, Father."
"Good. You've thought it through well."
Truth be told, I wanted to speak with Isna the moment she awoke, but I decided to put that off for another time.
Catshi, the head of House Mielephon, had promised to send word once she stirred.
Until then, all I could do was wait.
The only nagging concern... was whether it was right to leave her in Mielephon's care while the crimson moon targeted her...
That said, with a Sword Saint on hand and the house's own formidable strength, it was hard to argue otherwise.
Melissa awoke half a day after Isna's departure.
She bolted upright almost reflexively and headed straight to the training grounds, where she sat at the center and began attuning her aura.
Even at a glance, she wielded upper Expert-level techniques with effortless mastery.
She hadn't quite reached the pinnacle yet, but that would come with time.
Her body now housed a vast reservoir of aura—far more than she could have accumulated on her own.
She then drew a practice sword and silently began swinging it.
Compared to the Melissa I'd seen when I first awoke in Labyrinthos, the difference was night and day.
Best to leave her be for now, letting her consolidate her newfound enlightenment.
Librarian: Soon, it seems I will be able to receive the memories of the new hall.
I nodded at the familiar report from the librarian.
What is it? Still unknown?
Librarian: I can confirm once the download state is complete.
Got it.
I could now acquire the memories of the Hall of Spirits.
But the power of spirits could be manifested through magic or other means for now, so it wasn't urgent.
The advantage of spirit arts was rapid growth with sufficient talent—but that held little appeal for me.
As I arrived at the mountain lodge where I did my crafting, faint echoes of metal striking metal rose from underground.
Had Luna already arrived?
It didn't matter. What counted was the commission's details.
I'd received a request for a short-term instructor position at the Imperial Academy, but I'd never built a proper curriculum.
My training was purely combat-oriented, with few chances to verify if my methods truly worked.
And even if they had—teaching Melissa was basically my only experience, but most cadets wouldn't keep up like she did.
Melissa herself had been half-dead at the start, only revived by Luna's forceful interventions.
For groups—especially less talented than Melissa—such brutal regimens could do more harm than good.
Clang!! Clang!!
Descending to the underground workshop, I saw Luna barehandedly hammering a glowing red ingot fresh from the forge.
True to her angelic origins, she favored ethereal, flowing outfits in private spots like this.
Her pristine white garb clashed with the workshop grime.
Yet her clothes remained spotless, unscathed even by fleeting flames.
"Oopsie~ Hand slipped~ Oopsie, hand slipped~"
That ominous ditty had to go.
Watching her pound a searing ingot barehanded made me vow to avoid marital spats at all costs.
"Leon here?"
"What're you making?"
"Just a simple tool."
A tool for enhancing the millennium fruit?
At least she wasn't hammering the fruit itself...
Glancing at her work, it resembled some bizarre mold.
"What's this?"
"A fermentation frame."
Ah.
Figuring she'd handle it, I gathered ingots from the corner and set them on the workbench, extending my hand playfully.
"Abracadabra~"
Whoooong!!
Of course, it wasn't magic—the Machine God's Heart activated, fusing the ingots in an instant, bypassing every intermediate step as the alloy took shape.
I formed it into a small dagger.
Then, shaving a bit of fairy wood from the elves, I crafted a hilt, bound it securely, and wrapped it in leather.
It looked mass-produced, but the Machine God's Heart skipped steps without skimping on quality.
Kaaang!!!
Slamming it into a nearby metal lump left a deep gash in the tough ingot.
My dagger? Pristine.
"Durability test passed."
The base material's toughness was more than sufficient.
I placed the finished blade aside and drew in ambient spirit energy.
The gathering spirits flowed from my fingertips into the dagger.
Once enough amassed, a spirit sword would form—retaining the dagger's shape if it pleased, though it sometimes shifted.
Creation times varied; even I couldn't predict if it'd be as swift as during the Falling Blossoms.
This time, though, it didn't take long.
After a few hours of silent vigil over the forging spirit sword, Luna finished her task and settled beside me, resting her head on my shoulder.
"What'll it be?"
"No clue. We'll see when it's done."
The dagger, now brimming with spirit energy, emitted a faint glow.
Blue wisps flickered around it like hair drawn to static electricity.
And then, at the form's edge, the dagger began to morph.
Evidently displeased with the dagger shape.
The final product: a sleek, pretty sled hammer blending metal and a touch of wood.
"A hammer."
"Shape doesn't matter anyway."
Spirit swords typically assumed their desired form.
Better this than something unwieldy.
As the glow faded from the hammer, Luna reached out and claimed it.
"Oh... nice grip."
"You can't even use it."
"So, what's its power?"
I quietly took the hammer, communing with the spirit sword.
"This one's name is 'Utopia'."
Spirit Sword: Utopia (Awakening 1)
Spatial Dominion - Transforms enclosed area into a paradise realm
I swung the new spirit sword through the air.
And uttered the activation word.
"Open."
Crack!!
With a shattering sound,
the workshop transformed into a vast flower garden in an instant.
Spirit energy drain dwarfed Falling Blossoms, but efficiency mattered little.
Too vivid for mere illusion—the floral scents and cool breezes evoked another realm entirely.
Yes, like the space-manipulating power I'd seen against the Demon Tree.
Perhaps my battle with it had triggered this one's birth.
"A formation?"
"Something like it."
It seized an area completely, crafting a formation-like domain.
Formation master Hwa-ryeong would faint at the sight—but this was merely Utopia’s first awakening ability.
"Oh, perfect for practical training."
"Thought the same."
Not a hollow phantasm like Paradise artifacts, but a tangible illusion laced with reality.
Training here honed the body for real.
In short, Utopia's prime use: the ultimate training ground.
Days passed since then.
Mielephon was supposed to contact me when Isna awoke, but no word yet.
Whether other reasons delayed it, I decided to wait—for now.
I had a commission, and I'd accepted it.
I'd visited the Imperial Academy before.
Met Professor Rommel for Melissa's reenrollment, even helped proctor exams.
"Oh! Welcome, Young Master Leon."
"Good to see you again, Professor."
"Luna's with you too."
"Hi."
Luna's terse reply came as she clutched a small metallic form—a box likely holding the millennium fruit.
"Phew. You have no idea how relieved I am you're here. I've been run ragged."
"Lots of new students this season?"
"Usually not at this time. But various matters piled up this year."
He offered fragrant coffee with a wry chuckle.
"Thanks for taking the request."
"I'm not exactly skilled at teaching."
"You'll manage. The academy has a full curriculum manual."
He slid over a stack of documents.
Detailed accounts of the Imperial Academy's educational policies and methods.
"Can you just... show me this?"
"No issue. Something wrong I'm unaware of?"
"No."
Skimming the manual, I cut to the chase.
"So, which cadets am I handling? I know about Melissa from your letter."
"Correct. Not the freshmen."
"Then who?"
"Precisely: students who can't keep up with classes."
In simple terms, grade-repeaters. Failures.
"Hmm..."
"They were originally slated for academic probation and expulsion."
"Expulsion..."
"But most are commoners. No early education, so competing with prodigies is tough."
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