The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Chapter 10: Examination Questions for the Alchemy Institute

Wiener opened the envelope containing the exam questions.

The task was simple: forge a standard steel sword, with the required parameters attached.

If forged successfully, it will be a weapon that can reach the D-rank.

The weapons forged by a seasoned blacksmith who has immersed himself in the art of blacksmithing for over a decade are generally of this quality.

In the military, only soldiers at the captain level or above are qualified to be equipped with such equipment.

It's not that we can't afford to equip ourselves with more steel swords.

Rather, it's because D-rank weapons usually require corresponding skills to master. If one's swordsmanship is insufficient and one forces the use of equipment beyond one's capabilities, it will only result in a waste of effort.

The more powerful a weapon is, the more stringent the restrictions become.

The highest level of hero legacy requires not only superb skills but also the enhancement of specific emblems to unleash its full power.

However, for beginner Emblem users, D-rank weapons are just right as an entry point.

As for the requirements for the format, they are easier to understand.

Becoming familiar with a weapon requires extensive training.

But weapons are consumables after all, and wear and tear and breakage are common occurrences.

At this point, it becomes necessary to spend a significant amount of time readjusting.

Standard weapons can effectively avoid this problem. When training with standard weapons in peacetime, and when encountering intense combat situations with high weapon wear and tear, simply switching to the same standard equipment allows the user to maximize their capabilities.

Without logistical support, the stranger the weapon, the faster the demise.

This is a lesson learned at the cost of countless lives.

The standard D-rank steel sword is the most abundant and consumed type of sword.

Setting this as an exam question is clearly intended to test the candidates' basic skills in forging.

At the same time, it eliminates the possibility for candidates to pass the assessment by relying on piling up materials to manufacture high-level weapons beyond their level.

The materials prepared for the candidates by the Alchemy Institute were two pieces of forging stone extracted from pig iron ore.

It is one of the most basic materials for forging.

Wiener picked up one of the forging stones from the table and weighed it in his hand.

"Two chances, so that corresponds to two sets of materials?"

"Considering the losses during the forging process, there is actually a surplus. That's quite thoughtful."

Wiener raised the temperature of the furnace and then dropped one of the forging stones into it.

Once refined, the forging stone can be directly used for forging.

But that wasn't enough for Wiener.

One refining process cannot remove all impurities.

Purity is a relative concept.

Even materials that have undergone multiple refining processes should never be arbitrarily assumed to be completely pure.

Just as steel is not essentially refined from pure iron, but rather an iron-carbon alloy with varying carbon content.

When using materials, this unstable factor should also be taken into account.

Wiener was able to iterate the Mura Yoshitsugu sword up to 9,527 generations; it wasn't just a matter of repeating the same thing.

Each forging must be a step further, and the experience gained each time will be applied to the next.

Only after the forging stone softened in the furnace did Wiener lift the hammer.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Wiener's hammer swing speed suddenly increased.

The forging stone, originally the size of a sandbag or fist, has shrunk to about one-third of its original size after repeated forging.

However, Wiener did not stop, he simply changed the speed of the hammer strike.

Sometimes it is as swift as thunder, and sometimes as gentle as spring rain.

He planned to shape the forging stone in one go using only forging.

About twenty minutes later, the hammering stopped.

Wiener looked with satisfaction at the unfinished blank that had been hammered into shape on the furnace.

Next, all that's needed is for the quenching process to complete, followed by a little polishing, and a well-made steel sword will be finished.

But just as it was about to be completed, Wiener suddenly realized a problem.

It seems like I've overdone it again?

He kept saying he was tired of blacksmithing, but when he picked up the hammer, he couldn't resist.

This steel sword, forged in one go, is excellent in every way, except that it has nothing to do with the word "standard".

If this steel sword were for sale in the store, it would be a prized possession. But this is an exam; going off-topic would be certain death.

However, this did not stump Wiener. In just five seconds, he came up with a perfect solution.

"Why not just use the remaining materials to make another one?"

Wiener said so.

......

"Phew, finally I'll be free soon. I can go home after handing in the list of those who passed the assessment."

After glancing at the time, the alchemy student who had registered for Viner earlier stretched.

They were all forced to do manual labor, but since there were more students from other colleges, they were divided into groups of several and worked in shifts of a few hours each, so the time passed quickly.

The Alchemy Institute was small, and everyone was busy with their own research projects. No one wanted to take time away from their research to do such odd jobs.

To be fair, only one unlucky person can be chosen by drawing lots to guard the examination venue.

This defense lasted for an entire day.

Clay, who had been working on his research project all night and hadn't slept yet, was thinking about getting off work as soon as possible so he could continue his unfinished project.

"Even after get off work, Clay, you don't get a proper rest, do you? Your body won't be able to take it if you keep going like this." A female voice rang out.

"Jessica-senpai!"

Just a moment ago, Clay was listless, but he suddenly stood up from his seat and walked quickly to Jessica. There was no trace of fatigue in his eyes.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to collect the list of those who passed the assessment."

The person who arrived was Jessica, who had escorted Viner and the other person back to the academy earlier.

"Don't get so worked up, making me sound like some kind of monster."

Seeing how nervous Clay was, Jessica smiled and reassured him.

"How could you possibly be a monster? You..."

Clayton blushed and quickly tried to explain.

Jessica didn't say anything more, but looked at the parchment already sorted on the table and picked up the smaller stack.

"It seems the Alchemy Institute is still sparsely populated this year."

Although it was expected, Jessica still asked one more question.

"Is this all?"

"Well, that should be all. But there's still one candidate being assessed."

Clay looked toward the forging room, the only room in the temporary workshop still in operation.

"Judging from the time, it's probably too late."

Although his main focus is on enchanting magic runes, Clay is not completely ignorant of forging, given that he is in charge of the Alchemy Institute's freshman assessment.

The fact that it takes so long to forge a standard steel sword means either the craftsman is not skilled enough and wastes time on the process, or the first forging attempt failed and they were forced to start all over again.

Regardless of the reason, it basically means saying goodbye to passing the assessment.

"Then wait a little longer."

Upon hearing Clay's explanation, Jessica put down the parchment in her hand.

"After all, this candidate hasn't given up yet, so how can we prematurely pronounce a 'death sentence'?"

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Chapter 11 Jessica's Attention

The busy work in the forging room has entered its final stage.

After undergoing numerous processes such as quenching and polishing, two final products were placed on the table.

One is thick and the other is thin, creating a striking contrast.

The thicker one is a standard steel sword forged strictly according to the various indicators required for the assessment, highlighting its originality and simplicity.

The thinner one was more like the katana from Vena's past life memories than a sword.

Wiener even squeezed out of his already limited time to specially make a scabbard, which was clearly a thoughtful gesture.

After tidying up the workbench, Wiener wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long sigh of relief.

"We really can't push things to such extremes next time."

With one sword tucked into his waistband and the other held in his hand, Viña pushed open the door to the forge.

"This is the sword I forged."

Wiener returned to the Alchemy Institute examination registration desk and placed the steel sword on the table.

The student sitting across the table had changed from the alchemy students to a strange young girl.

Her long, golden hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, immediately catching Venus's eye.

Before Vina could take a second look, she felt two pairs of eyes fixed on her.

He looked up and met the girl's gaze.

The girl looked at herself with great interest.

Then shift your gaze to the owner of another pair of eyes.

Senior, you were here all along?

Viner felt a chill run down her spine from the stare, but Jessica spoke first, easing the awkwardness of the situation.

"You... you actually applied to the Alchemy Department?"

Jessica naturally wouldn't mistake this little guy who was almost beaten to death for saving a damsel in distress, and who she ended up carrying back to the academy.

But Wiener didn't know.

How could he possibly know exactly when he had caught the other person's attention?

The senior next to me was practically radiating murderous intent.

"Um, do you know me, senior?"

"do not know."

"Why would you ask that, senior?"

"Because I think you should apply to the Fighting Academy."

Seeing Vina's nervous expression, Jessica couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. I'm not from the Alchemy Institute, so whether I pass the assessment is up to Clay."

"Is Clay one of those professors?"

“It’s me,” Clay said with a dark expression.