Chapter 14: The Reincarnated One Completes It

The smelting room of the Smelting Department can be freely used by any affiliated student, but there are safety rules that must be followed.

Most of these rules are simple, such as submitting a list of materials before use or recording the usage time, but the most stringent rule is the limitation on materials.

[Rule 8 of the Workshop Safety Guidelines - If using materials of Hero grade or higher, a supervisor must be present.]

While the safety devices in the workshop can handle issues that arise during the smelting of Rare-grade materials, the potential of Hero-grade materials makes the process more challenging.

Therefore, for safety reasons, a professor or teaching assistant must be present during the smelting, but due to the high value of the materials, it is rare for a freshman who hasn't received a budget to make such a request.

[A request for intermediate smelting from first-year student Lee Se-hoon has been received. Please contact if you wish to supervise.]

However, today, after several years, an exception appeared.

'How many will show up this time...'

The administrative staff, who had sent messages to all the professors in the Smelting Department, looked at the panel with curiosity.

Supervising smelting is generally considered a tedious task among professors. They must monitor the process for hours, ready to handle any accidents that might occur.

Therefore, it is usually the teaching assistants who take on this role, but the situation is different for students with high grades and no 'affiliation.'

Ding!

"Wow... He came right away."

Less than a minute after sending the message, a reply came back.

Moreover, the reply was from Professor Kim In-cheol, the head of the Smelting Department and the most powerful figure so far.

"Indeed, the top student of the department..."

The influence of those who teach extends not only to themselves but also to their students.

In this sense, Lee Se-hoon, the first top student the department has produced in 12 years, was a student that professors were eager to recruit.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

As if to prove his popularity, replies continued to arrive, and it became faster to count the professors who hadn't responded.

'Not even one from Deputy Dean Michael's line.'

It seems the atmosphere was bad because his son was ranked second. The administrative staff, judging that all the replies had come, looked at the professors who had expressed their willingness to participate.

'This time, it's better to choose randomly.'

If a specific professor wasn't requested by the student, they would be assigned in a predetermined order to ensure equal opportunities for recruitment.

However, with so many professors participating and all of them eager, it would be better to choose randomly.

Just as the administrative staff was about to enter a random selection site, a message appeared.

[The department head will personally oversee Lee Se-hoon's intermediate smelting.]

"Oh."

Unreasonable power had descended upon the professors.

* * *

"It's been a while, student Lee Se-hoon."

"..."

Lee Se-hoon, who had arrived at the workshop with his materials, looked at the red-haired woman, Ryu Eun-ha, waiting for him with a bewildered expression.

He had thought any professor would come, but he didn't expect Ryu Eun-ha to be the supervisor.

'Once she gets hooked, she doesn't hold back... just like before.'

It was the beginning of the semester, and it was her first year, so she must be very busy, yet she came as if she had been waiting for him. It seemed she had high expectations for him.

"It's a bit much for you to come here when you're so busy..."

"I'm not that busy. And as the department head, I need to see your skills."

She was probably just curious about the weapons he would create, but Lee Se-hoon nodded, understanding.

"In that case, I'll have to do my best."

"Hmm. If it's too much pressure..."

Ryu Eun-ha, offering to consider his feelings, couldn't bring herself to call another person.

Seeing her reluctance, Lee Se-hoon smiled inwardly and replied.

"It's fine. In fact, it might be better if you watch."

Most blacksmiths would dread the notorious 'gourmet' watching them, but for Lee Se-hoon, it was a common occurrence before his reincarnation, so it didn't bother him.

Moreover, with Ryu Eun-ha watching, he would feel a healthy tension that would help him focus.

"..."

Ryu Eun-ha looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.

That watching would be more helpful was a surprising answer for someone who had been told to stay away from the workshop.

"Is that so?"

Her usually expressionless face softened slightly.

"If you have something you want to do, just do it. I'll make sure you don't get hurt."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Ryu Eun-ha, not just any professor, would definitely protect him perfectly if anything happened.

'Though I don't expect that to happen.'

Lee Se-hoon went to the workbench and took out his materials one by one.

The 'Black Heavy Rock' from Ludwig and the 'mold' he had prepared. After inspecting the two materials, Lee Se-hoon reviewed the process.

'First, material distribution.'

Estimating how much Black Heavy Rock to use, he immediately brought a bucket, put the rock in it, and covered it.

A rather unfamiliar method compared to the usual. Ryu Eun-ha looked at him with surprise.

"Have you handled Black Heavy Rock before?"

"I only knew the method. This is my first time trying it."

Lee Se-hoon's calm answer left Ryu Eun-ha puzzled.

'To use this method on his first try...'

There are several ways to distribute Black Heavy Rock, but the most difficult is the 'Darkness Sealing Method.'

'Placing the Black Heavy Rock in a completely dark space and separating it using only magic power...'

Easy to say, but the Black Heavy Rock spreads like water in the dark, so it's essentially a complete 'reconstruction' from start to finish.

A very difficult method that could lower the quality of the Black Heavy Rock if attempted recklessly by a beginner.

Thud thud thud thud.

But Lee Se-hoon casually tapped the bucket with his hand, releasing magic power, and then opened the lid to take out the Black Heavy Rock.

"!"

A precisely cut square of Black Heavy Rock, the size of a golf ball.

Seeing its perfect shape, Ryu Eun-ha was speechless, and Lee Se-hoon looked at it matter-of-factly.

'One quarter in total.'

It was a bit wasteful, but reducing it further would not yield the desired performance.

Putting the remaining Black Heavy Rock aside, Lee Se-hoon lit the furnace and clutched the flintstones in his hand, striking them together.

Snap!

The flintstones began to heat up, bouncing off the fire.

Normally, he would have put them in immediately, but to melt the Black Heavy Rock, a more intense flame was needed.

'Flame of Crimson.'

Whoosh!!

Lee Se-hoon's fire attribute magic power, the Flame of Crimson, enveloped the flintstones, and their shape began to change.

Sizzle.

The flame, reflecting the nature of the Flame of Crimson, flowed like a river, following his gestures. Inspecting the inside, Lee Se-hoon quickly inserted his left hand to scoop out the differently colored flames.

Sizzle!

Continuously separating the flames like separating the white and yolk of an egg, the balance inside eventually tipped, and the flame turned green in an instant.

Whoosh.

Unlike the fierce burning at first, the flame now burned calmly. Ryu Eun-ha, intrigued, asked.

"An unusual flame."

"It's called the Flame of Ho-ya. Its characteristic is..."

The Flame of Ho-ya, thrown into the furnace by Lee Se-hoon, instantly dyed the inside. It looked like a fire spreading across a field.

Confirming that the entire furnace was burning green, Lee Se-hoon calmly continued his explanation.

"It has the property of maintaining the temperature when it was formed. It's a useful flame for tasks where temperature control is important."

Although it had a limitation of not being able to exceed a certain temperature, it was perfect for the Black Heavy Rock, which didn't require such high temperatures.

"Student Lee Se-hoon knows a wide variety of techniques."

Who would think this was the skill of a freshman who just enrolled this year? With her curious gaze, Ryu Eun-ha, Lee Se-hoon mentioned the all-purpose word.

"Thanks to my skills."

"..."

She couldn't doubt him, as she herself had gained skills that allowed her to eat iron. Perfectly covering his tracks, Lee Se-hoon looked at the Black Heavy Rock beginning to heat up in the furnace.

Hum-

Distorted flames around the Black Heavy Rock. Seeing the area gradually expand and the heating stop, Lee Se-hoon immediately grabbed the hammer and tongs.

Clang! Clang!

He applied shock to the Black Heavy Rock in the order it entered the furnace.

The struck area slightly faded in color, and the area distorting the flames shrank.

The Black Heavy Rock absorbed less of the flames as it absorbed the shock from Lee Se-hoon.

'Shall I start?'

Repeating this process was the method to smelt the Black Heavy Rock.

With a determined look, Lee Se-hoon took a less energy-consuming stance and began the process.

Clang! Clang!

Smelting the Black Heavy Rock was quite monotonous.

He applied the necessary force and magic power to the Black Heavy Rock at the right moments, continuously heating it. Although it was quite tedious, Ryu Eun-ha couldn't take her eyes off him.

'He doesn't react even when moving so close to the furnace...'

Anyone would react to pain if they had sensation. But Lee Se-hoon moved as if the pain was normal.

A sight only those who had honed themselves through long periods of pain could show. At his age, to have reached this level, what kind of time must he have spent?

"..."

Recalling Lee Se-hoon's background, where his parents were killed by a monster, Ryu Eun-ha looked at his back with a heavy gaze.

The smelting continued in a solemn atmosphere. When Lee Se-hoon's body was drenched in sweat and his arms began to tremble.

Sizzle.

The Black Heavy Rock, which hadn't changed color until then, began to melt, and the distorting phenomenon around it disappeared.

Four hours since the smelting began.

Finally, the properties of the Black Heavy Rock began to change.

'But this is just the beginning.'

If he hesitated even a little, the Black Heavy Rock would revert to its original form, albeit in a lower quality state.

If the smelting failed and the quality dropped, the thought alone made his stomach churn, so Lee Se-hoon moved quickly.

Click.

Using tongs, he took out one of the containers with the Black Heavy Rock and headed towards the prepared mold.

Seeing this, Ryu Eun-ha looked at him with surprise.

'Pouring?'

A method of creating an item by pouring molten material into a mold with the item's shape carved into it.

It's simpler than forging but has a drawback. The lack of magic circuit adjustment results in lower durability and performance.

'To use this method with Black Heavy Rock...'

While some materials are suitable for pouring, Black Heavy Rock is particularly incompatible.

While Ryu Eun-ha was debating whether to stop him or trust him.

Sizzle.

Lee Se-hoon poured the Black Heavy Rock into the mold.

"Oh."

There was no turning back now.

If he had this much confidence, there must be a method. Ryu Eun-ha looked at him curiously.

"Whoa!"

Lee Se-hoon, shouting, inserted his right hand directly into the inside of the mold.

"Wait...!"

Surprised by Lee Se-hoon's unexpected action, Ryu Eun-ha jumped up.

While she knew he had resistance to flames, the heated Black Heavy Rock was on a different level.

It had an incredible temperature because the flames absorbed to the limit had overflowed and changed its properties.

Sizzle!

Proving this, smoke rose from inside the mold with a fierce sound.

For a blacksmith, nothing is more important than their hands. Unable to watch any longer, Ryu Eun-ha moved to pull out Lee Se-hoon's right arm.

Hum-

But Lee Se-hoon's magic power flowed out first.

The reason Black Heavy Rock is unsuitable for pouring is that the 'darkness' inside the mold changes the properties that have been altered before the magic circuits are engraved.

Therefore, what is needed to successfully pour is something to slow down this change.

Squeak!

Simply put, it was an adhesive.

The mold, receiving magic power, glowed white, and the magical symbols engraved on its surface immediately activated.

The dispelling symbol from the Spellcraft Department, which had broken Robert's barrier, emitted heat and held the Black Heavy Rock, which was trying to return to its original state.

Sizzle!

As a result, the temperature of the Black Heavy Rock, which should have gradually decreased, was fixed at its highest point, and Lee Se-hoon naturally felt intense pain in his hand.

But in that situation, Lee Se-hoon smiled. Maintaining the temperature meant he had successfully maintained the properties of the Black Heavy Rock as he intended!

'Shall I do the rest...!'

He couldn't ruin his now-clean hand.

Recalling the blueprint in his mind, Lee Se-hoon quickly began engraving the inside of the Black Heavy Rock.

His magic power, without any waste, penetrated the inside of the Black Heavy Rock, building circuits.

Squish.

As if struggling against the erasure of its existence, the Black Heavy Rock absorbed the surroundings more violently, and the magical symbols engraved on the mold were sucked in by the strong force.

And the moment the circuits engraved by Lee Se-hoon and the magical symbols interlocked as if by agreement.

Crack!

The mold shattered, revealing the completed weapon.

[Weapon 'Black Spider Ring' has been completed!]

[To break prejudice, a bold challenge that doesn't spare one's body is necessary!

Although the potential of the material was not fully realized, the blacksmith's skill in creating new possibilities is first-class.]

[The grade of 'Black Spider Ring' is 'Rare']

[You have learned the skill 'Black Spirit Strike (D)'.]

A bracelet with a matte black color and spider web-like patterns engraved on it. While the grade and the fact that it was properly made were impressive, the performance needed to be seen.

To examine it more closely, Lee Se-hoon raised his right arm.

But he felt a strong resistance, as if someone was pulling his arm down.

Although he was exhausted from the smelting, that alone couldn't explain this much weight.

With a determined look, Lee Se-hoon forced his right arm up to check the information of the Black Spider Ring.

[Black Spider Ring 黑蛛環]

[Grade: Rare] [Quality: Medium]

A bracelet made by smelting Black Heavy Rock.

It has the property of absorbing the wearer's magic power, and its weight increases according to the amount absorbed.

* Absorbs the wearer's magic power and stores it.

* Can use the skill 'Explosion'.

'...It's done.'

A weapon made exactly as he intended.

Satisfied with the content, Lee Se-hoon smiled.

Rumble.

"..."

"..."

An embarrassing sound came from the side.