Chapter 3

The Regressor did it all 3rd Chapter

Forging is the process of heating metal and shaping it.

The key here is how balanced the metal is shaped, and according to Lee Se-hoon, if this forging step is messed up, it cannot be fixed no matter what process is applied afterward.

'But with my current body, perfect forging is difficult.'

His strength, flexibility, the quality and quantity of his magic power, and even his skills—nothing is satisfactory. In his current state, even if he were to die and come back to life, proper forging would be impossible.

Then, how can he at least make something that looks decent? The solution is this special heating method called 'Five-Color Fire Mill.'

Boom!

Kaboom!

The explosion sounds reverberate inside the furnace.

Each time, five colors of flames intertwine and fiercely battle each other as if trying to consume one another.

The magnificent and intense flames that spill out from the furnace and heat up the surroundings make the onlookers panic.

"Ah!"

"It's going to explode!"

The overwhelming momentum that seems about to explode at any moment and the intense heat that makes even those far away feel the heat!

At this ominous sight, the candidate students quickly stepped back, and those who had already moved away instinctively huddled.

"Hmm..."

But Lee Se-hoon, who had started the flames, did not move from his initial position and even bent down to observe more closely.

"Professor, we need to extinguish it right now!"

Just as Han In-sung, worried about a possible fire accident, was about to press the emergency extinguishing button.

"Leave it."

Kim In-cheol grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"It's too dangerous!"

"It's fine. There's no problem."

"But, what exactly is...?"

If it were just the flames overflowing, it would be one thing, but the magic power contained within is also violently fluctuating as if about to explode at any moment.

Seeing this, which looks like a bomb, Han In-sung was worried, and Kim In-cheol clicked his tongue.

"Tsk tsk... Don't just look at the magic power; observe the flow of the flames closely."

"What? What flow...?"

Hearing Kim In-cheol's words, Han In-sung looked at the flames again, and his eyes slowly widened as he noticed something.

While the magic power is violently fluctuating as if about to explode at any moment, the flames themselves are already layered and organized as if their hierarchy has been established.

'Those flames... What is the purpose of creating such flames?'

Unable to understand the situation, Han In-sung was perplexed. At that moment, Lee Se-hoon, who had been quietly observing the flames, placed the iron ingot into the furnace.

Whoosh!

The flames, which seemed stable, immediately intensified and hammered the iron ingot as a new adversary appeared.

Sparks flew in all directions, and the flames danced wildly, but this was clearly not a normal sight.

"Wow..."

"The metal is changing color..."

The sight of the metal being heated by the five-colored flames left everyone speechless.

Was it a special skill? The scene, where the same material was used, was unbelievable, and the candidate students watched in amazement.

'So, that's what it was.'

Kim In-cheol, who had figured out what Lee Se-hoon's 'Five-Color Fire Mill' technique was, wore an interested expression.

While it looks very elaborate and complex, the effect of the Five-Color Fire Mill is simple. The characteristics of the five types of firestones resonate and reinforce each other.

'The goal is to enhance the firepower and sensitively change the properties of the iron ingot.'

All of this was to reduce the time spent on forging. Considering the tight schedule, it was an excellent improvisation, but there was one risk.

If the properties of the iron ingot become too sensitive, even a small mistake can cause uncontrollable distortion.

It's a high-risk, high-reward approach. Kim In-cheol found Lee Se-hoon's bold move even more intriguing.

'He destroyed a perfectly good item and chose a gamble. This means...'

With this speculation, now more like a certainty, Kim In-cheol quietly observed Lee Se-hoon.

Whoosh!

The completely heated metal was placed on the anvil.

Clang!

The hammer struck the metal without any hesitation. A single strike caused a deformation equivalent to dozens of strikes, and Lee Se-hoon's eyes sparkled.

'It's done.'

The flames of the Five-Color Fire Mill had sufficiently permeated the metal.

Now confident that he could shape it as he desired, Lee Se-hoon gripped the hammer tightly and began to hammer with all his might.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With each strike of the hammer, sparks flew, and blood dripped from his clenched hands.

The burns from the firestones resonating earlier, and the lack of magic power to protect his hands, had caused the wounds to tear open and bleed.

A pain that even other candidate students, or even average blacksmiths, would find unbearable. But what came out of Lee Se-hoon's mouth was not a scream.

"Heh heh heh..."

Looking at the metal being shaped as he had intended, a sense of joy and a genuine smile appeared on Lee Se-hoon's face, making the surrounding candidate students grimace.

'He's... crazy.'

'He's definitely not normal.'

A single candidate student dominated the entire examination hall.

With a presence that went beyond being unique and now felt oppressive, everyone's concentration was disrupted.

"Focus."

Kim In-cheol's deep voice echoed throughout the examination hall.

"Everyone, focus on your work."

"Yes, yes!"

The chaotic atmosphere among the candidate students was quickly restored, and the sound of sharpening knives filled the examination hall as the final touches were made.

Kim In-cheol, who had used a skill to instantly restore order in the examination hall, looked at Lee Se-hoon, who had shown no reaction.

'Really, no hesitation...?'

Less experienced blacksmiths often hesitate during forging.

They know that a single mistake can require dozens of hammer strikes to correct, and sometimes the entire piece must be scrapped.

Clang!

But Lee Se-hoon does not hesitate.

Despite knowing that a single mistake can be fatal, he moves as if he is certain he will not make any mistakes.

Kim In-cheol, who had used a skill to restore order in the chaotic examination hall and to eliminate Lee Se-hoon's hesitation, smiled wryly.

'What a waste.'

Time passed quickly in the now calm examination hall, and Lee Se-hoon's hammering, which had been echoing alone, stopped.

"...It's done."

A straight sword about 60 cm long. It looked ordinary, but its true value would be revealed through quenching.

Lee Se-hoon brought a bucket containing cooling stones and immediately began the quenching process.

Sizzle!

The blade cooled instantly in the cold water, and he adjusted the blade, which had bent during the process, with a hammer.

As the blade took its final shape, the completed form began to appear.

"Huh..."

A faint five-color pattern appeared on the entire blade.

Like the Five-Color Fire Mill in the furnace, the colors were naturally layered, giving the blade a mysterious aura.

'The magic power from the flames embedded in the iron ingot has remained on the surface.'

It is not overly flashy but clearly present.

Impressed by the result, which exceeded his expectations, Kim In-cheol glanced at the time.

'Time remaining... 5 minutes.'

It's a bit tight to sharpen the blade, but since it's a single-edged straight sword, it will save time. He probably planned to make it this way from the beginning.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Lee Se-hoon's arms moved back and forth, and the blade of the straight sword scraped the whetstone sharply.

His body was drenched in sweat, and the blood from his hand, which he had bandaged with a torn sleeve, seeped through, but there was no waver in his movements.

A sense of detachment from the surroundings. Just as Lee Se-hoon's mind was about to completely immerse itself, Kim In-cheol's voice woke him up.

"1 minute remaining. Everyone, finish up!"

"...Tsk."

He would have liked to sharpen it a bit more, but he cannot submit an incomplete item.

Still, it was not as bad as it was at the beginning, so Lee Se-hoon quickly inserted the blade into a prepared handle and secured it with hammer strikes.

He then wiped the blade clean with a piece of cloth.

"Done!"

The first weapon after regression was completed.

[Weapon 'Five-Color Fire Blade' has been completed!]

[A straight sword of such excellence that it is hard to believe it came from a young blacksmith!

While the quality of the materials and the magic power bestowed are lacking, the technique used is undoubtedly first-class.]

[The grade of 'Five-Color Fire Blade' is 'High'.]

[You have learned the skill 'Master of Flames (C)'.]

A semi-transparent window appeared in front of Lee Se-hoon.

The 'Settlement Window' appears only when one has perfectly utilized their abilities to achieve something. It was an achievement that other candidate students could not even witness.

"..."

But Lee Se-hoon's face contorted as if he had seen something he shouldn't have.

'High...'

Among the grades indicating the level of weapons—[Common], [High], [Rare], [Heroic], [Legendary], [Mythical]—High is the second grade.

Considering that he had no proper skills, lacked magic power, and used low-quality materials, it was a somewhat expected result.

Grinding his teeth.

But for Lee Se-hoon, who had created weapons of Legendary and higher grades before regression, it was nothing short of a humiliation.

'Endure... Yes, endure.'

The sword in front of him was a mess even considering his current physical condition, but he had pushed himself to 120%.

As the destructive urge slowly rose, Han In-sung began to clean up the examination hall.

"Everyone, well done. Now, I will explain the evaluation process."

The evaluation process was not particularly special.

The called candidate student would explain the weapon they made, and Kim In-cheol would examine it and ask questions. The final step was 'verification'.

"The ingot on the stand is called 'Self-Repairing Iron'. It has a decent strength and can be repaired by infusing magic power."

A metal with a silver base and a faint green glow. Having handled this material countless times before regression, Lee Se-hoon understood the verification process.

"The depth of the wounds inflicted on this Self-Repairing Iron will determine the score. We will proceed in the order of the called numbers."

One by one, the candidate students were called, evaluated by Kim In-cheol, and they swung their weapons at the Self-Repairing Iron.

Lee Se-hoon watched the process indifferently, but the other candidate students were anxious.

"The balance is off. You should start from the basics again."

Crack!

"Beautiful, but what's the point if it lacks substance? Even a ceremonial sword requires a minimum level of strength."

Crack!!

"I can't even tell what you were trying to make. That's all I can say."

Crack!!!

The harsh criticism from Kim In-cheol, which was proven by the swords breaking without leaving a single mark.

Occasionally, some items did not break, but they only left superficial scratches. There was nothing that could be considered a proper wound.

'Just as I expected.'

A poor process cannot produce a good result.

While the results were poor, Kim In-cheol was not particularly disappointed. He was only expecting one person in this evaluation.

"Next... Number 289!"

Candidate 289, Lee Se-hoon, calmly stepped forward and handed the Five-Color Fire Blade to Han In-sung.

"Now, the explanation... Oh?"

Han In-sung's eyes widened as he was about to hand the Five-Color Fire Blade to Kim In-cheol, and Lee Se-hoon calmly said:

"The grade of the weapon is High... I'm not good at explaining, so it would be better if you just look at the information window."

He didn't want to boast about a mere High-grade weapon, and he was also wary of slipping into informal speech.

Lee Se-hoon spoke indifferently, but those around him were surprised.

"Wait... High grade?"

"How did you... with these materials?"

While other candidate students with some skill could easily make a High-grade weapon, it required decent materials.

Creating a High-grade weapon with such ordinary materials, which are typically used for entrance exams?

Even the 1st group candidates, who were almost guaranteed to pass, found it difficult to achieve.

"Assistant Han, are you the only one who will examine it?"

"Uh? Ah, yes! Sorry!"

Han In-sung, who had belatedly regained his composure, handed the Five-Color Fire Blade to Kim In-cheol, who quietly examined it.

[Five-Color Fire Blade 五色火刀]

[Grade: High] [Quality: Upper-Middle]

A straight sword with five colors of flames engraved on it.

The compressed flames in the blade react with magic power, creating a colorful appearance. A weapon that showcases the potential of the blacksmith who made it.

*The color and properties of the blade change slightly depending on the nature of the magic power bestowed.

"..."

The time spent examining the previous candidates' swords was about 20 seconds. But Kim In-cheol carefully examined the Five-Color Fire Blade for about 5 minutes after reading the information window.

As if retracing the entire process of making the weapon. After about 5 minutes:

"Is this submission-worthy?"

With a question that carried multiple meanings, Lee Se-hoon calmly replied:

"Given my current state, yes... I think so."

He wants to destroy it just as much, but this is the best he can do for now, so he will endure.

The calmness with which Lee Se-hoon spoke, which would make other candidate students burst with anger, made Kim In-cheol first look surprised and then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! I see. I have high standards, but it seems you have even higher ones."

Having high standards alone can be seen as arrogance, but if one has the talent and skill to back it up, it is a genuine drive for improvement.

"I have nothing else to say. If I must, I would suggest focusing on physical and magic power training. And, get your wounds treated before you leave."

Kim In-cheol spoke as if there was no need for verification.

While