Chapter 65 of the Academy's Weapon Replicator

Chapter 18: Bipgang

After that, Constel was abuzz with the story of Ajie becoming a teacher.

The absurd story of Frontier eliminating a horde of monsters with 'fireworks' quickly died down.

“Aster, are you okay?”

Lunia approached Aster with a worried expression.

She had heard that Aster couldn't even land a proper attack on Ajie and lost.

“I'm fine. I'm not hurt.”

But he was angry that he wasn't hurt.

At that moment, the laughter of passing students could be heard.

Aster was well-liked, but there were always students who envied him wherever he went.

Aster, a commoner with outstanding divine power and talent, was the perfect target for jealousy.

“Talking about being the most promising in Constel, what a sight...”

A voice that seemed to be passing by but was clearly meant to be heard.

Lunia's head snapped around.

Aster could only see the back of Lunia's head, but the student who had been mocking him just moments ago ran away as soon as he saw Lunia's face.

When she turned back to Aster, Lunia was smiling brightly.

“Aster, don't worry too much. They say Frontier didn't hold back at all, right? You just stopped there because you're at that level.”

“...”

“Aster?”

Lunia's words made Aster recall the sparring match he had just witnessed with Frontier.

No matter how it looked to others, Frontier had clearly fought a bit better than Aster.

The problem was the gap. The gap between him and Frontier.

As Lunia said, Ajie didn't hold back when facing Frontier.

She swung her fists without hesitation the moment she saw an opening, and Frontier was helpless against all her attacks.

However, she didn't hit his face, jaw, or vital points in the center of his body.

And the final throw.

Unlike Aster, who was thrown as if he were a child, it was a rough and brutal throw.

Ajie clearly didn't hold back against Frontier.

Perhaps it was because she couldn't.

‘I thought I would try not to rely on divine power as much as possible.’

Even that was arrogance.

Without divine power, Aster wasn't sure if he could beat Ajie, let alone Frontier.

But that doesn't mean he would wallow in inferiority or envy Frontier. Such feelings didn't suit Aster at all.

But he couldn't stand losing.

Aster simply thought about how he could grow from this. Although he didn't feel like it, he already knew the way.

“...Sigh.”

“Why the sigh?”

“I need to go see my sister. She's always in the sparring room after school.”

The best swordsman in Constel. It's the perfect choice, logically speaking.

Feeling her own shortcomings, Aster decided he would humbly ask Elin for training, even if it meant bowing to her.

Elin's eyes, which would probably say, "Hm, really?" and look at him dismissively, were already clear in his mind.

But then Lunia made a subtle expression.

“Hmm, how about next time?”

“Why?”

“I overheard that Elin-senpai won't be in the training room today.”

“What? She's going home right away?”

What's going on? Is she sick?

Aster was a bit worried, but Lunia shook her head.

“No, she's meeting a blacksmith.”

“A blacksmith...?”

Aster's expression was filled with confusion.

* * *

Niel, who works with Sibel's father, ‘Daud Forte,’ is one of the blacksmiths most frequently visited by players.

Unlike the typical stern or boisterous image of a blacksmith, Niel is shy and cautious.

Daud seems to have taken all the blacksmith-like traits. He, on the other hand, seems to need more delicacy.

So, players usually receive weapons from Niel and then commission Daud to engrave magic arrays on them. This is the standard route.

Niel is one of the pieces of knowledge I already have. I received a lot of help from him when I was a player. Explaining the relationship is difficult, but I decided to push forward without an explanation.

Elin would benefit from getting weapons from Niel.

Niel said to me,

“Mr. Frontier, how about you? As a token of gratitude for introducing me to a customer, I'll provide you with a weapon for free.”

“Any weapon?”

“Sure.”

I looked around the blacksmith's shop.

Even if it's not a magic-enchanted sword like Elin's, Niel's weapons are excellent.

Any weapon here would be useful. Besides, with my current skill level, I don't need a magic-enchanted weapon yet.

But because I have a habit from being here before,

I can't just choose ‘any’ weapon.

[Niel Zark's Iron Lance]

•Grade: Intermediate

•Description: A long spear forged by Niel Zark. Made for practice, but its quality is excellent. Plain and unadorned, but the weapon's quality is impeccable.

[Niel Zark's Throwing Dagger]

•Grade: Advanced

•Description: A dagger forged by Niel Zark. An order that was canceled midway, leaving it in the blacksmith's shop. It's hard to find a better non-magic-processed dagger.

This way, I have all the information on the weapons in the shop.

Even as I casually looked around, my eyes were already reading the information.

Suddenly,

My gaze stopped at one place.

[Niel Zark's Short Sword]

•Grade: Unique

•Description: A masterpiece that even the renowned blacksmith Niel Zark would find difficult to recreate. Suitable for a ‘legendary name’ in terms of the sword's strength, sharpness, and the quality of the hilt. However, due to its awkward length, no one has bought it.

Ability Details >

- Eternal Sharpness: The blade of this weapon never dulls. The only way to reduce its sharpness is to destroy the weapon itself.

...Unique?

What is this?

I walked over, almost in a trance, and picked up the sword I had checked in the workshop.

“Oh, Mr. Frontier. I just made this for fun.”

“Fun?”

“Yes, I just made it without any particular purpose, hehe.”

The blade hidden in the scabbard.

I slowly unsheathed it, revealing its form.

“...!”

I could hear Elin gasp from behind.

...Could it be?

To confirm the thought that flashed through my mind, I used the skill ‘Analyze.’

This time, the analysis was quick.

It was just one line.

- The blade of this sword is made of Bipgang (非破鋼).

“...Bipgang (非破鋼).”

The mythical steel that had captivated Elin's ears not long ago.

It's in my hands now. And it's a completed Unique-grade weapon.

“Oh, Bipgang? No, it's not that. I just gathered some ordinary scraps of iron,”

“Mr. Niel, the reason you're hiding this sword is because of the blade's length, right?”

I held the sword horizontally.

...It's definitely an awkward length. It seems to be for a one-handed sword, but it's shorter than a typical ‘short sword.’ It's too long to be a dagger.

It can't be hidden in a sleeve for a surprise attack, and using it openly in a frontal assault would be too short.

No one would have bought it just by seeing the length inside the scabbard. Even if someone did, Bipgang is so rare that only a few people have ever seen it.

‘...What a waste.’

But putting it back now would be too much of a waste.

Very few weapons made from Bipgang reach the Unique grade. And it's qualified to have a ‘legendary name.’

A legendary name is, simply put, something like ‘Gram’ or ‘Mjolnir’ in my workshop. It means the weapon has the potential to be known by a new name among people.

Moreover, the ability ‘Eternal Sharpness’ is only granted when Bipgang is perfectly handled.

Bipgang, as its name suggests, is extremely difficult to damage. When a proper blade is made from this metal, it doesn't lose its edge. And the metal itself is not easily destroyed.

It would be a lifelong companion, staying by the user's side until they die.

So, a blade made from Bipgang can't be resharpened. ‘Not dulling’ means exactly that. The only way to make it sharp is to hammer it.

Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of hammer strikes and extreme high temperatures gradually make Bipgang sharper.

It's not something a person could do alone.

“...I'll take this one.”

“Eh, really?”

Niel looked surprised at my words.

But my mind was made up.

“I'll take this weapon. If you're concerned about it being free, I can pay the appropriate price—”

“Oh, no, no! I would be really happy if Mr. Frontier uses it! I was just having trouble because no one was buying it.”

A blacksmith knows the value of their work.

It must have been frustrating for him to see a Unique-grade weapon, one that could have a legendary name, just gathering dust in the shop.

If I take this weapon and give it an appropriate legendary name, it would be a form of repayment.

‘...Wait. This length.’

I suddenly thought.

If I were to hold one in each hand, that is, use them as a pair of swords.

This awkwardly short length would actually be easier to handle. The swords would be less likely to interfere with each other.

Of course, there are no other Unique-grade weapons that are equal to this and have a similar length. So, it can't be used as a pair.

...But I can. With Black Heaven.

Perhaps this weapon is the most suitable for dual-wielding.