The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

No, senior, why are you still here?

Jessica handed the standard steel sword on the table to Clay, who was standing behind her, and then spoke.

"Was that sword also just forged?"

"There was a slight hiccup during the forging process, so this is a semi-finished product that does not meet the requirements of the exam."

"But it was a piece I made for the St. Freya Academy entrance exam, so I want to keep it as a souvenir."

“If needed, I can compensate for the materials used in the forging.”

Wiener then delivered his prepared explanation.

"Keep it if you want. All the materials used in the assessment are meant for students to practice with. The Alchemy Institute isn't that stingy."

Clay casually agreed.

After saying that, he took the steel sword that Wiener had handed over and walked to the testing area to verify the results.

"We will now begin examining the candidate's Wiener examination questions."

"Size standard".

"The weight error is within the acceptable range."

"Sharpness is acceptable."

"Toughness meets requirements..."

Clay meticulously carried out the inspection, not intending to overlook any detail.

Vina and Jessica stood by and watched, waiting for the final result.

Actually, he already sensed something was wrong when he saw this.

Shouldn't the attributes of a weapon immediately come to mind the moment you touch it?

Why make it so formal?

Does this mean that not everyone has this ability?

Wiener secretly noted down this discovery.

"nervous?"

Jessica's sudden conversation startled Viner.

"what?"

Wiener did not understand what she meant.

"Whether it's forging or enchanting, the uncertainty is very high. After all, no one can forge two swords that are exactly the same."

"Whether the assessment is passed or not depends heavily on the examiners. For common weapons like standard steel swords, you can just try them out and see if they're roughly right."

"It's just testing an ordinary steel sword, there's no need to make such a fuss. Did you offend him somehow?"

Jessica suddenly changed the subject.

Wiener glanced at the other person with a helpless expression.

He finally understood that this senior, who clearly held a high position in the academy, was either someone who had no self-awareness whatsoever, or someone who enjoyed having fun.

At present, the latter seems more likely.

I didn't offend this senior, Clay; I offended you, not him.

"Senior Clay simply takes the work assigned by the college to heart and is extremely diligent..."

"speak English."

"I am sure I will pass the test."

Wiener's words were full of confidence.

Jessica mentioned that the examiners had a lot of influence, and he got a little nervous.

If this senior student were to definitively conclude that the assessment was unsuccessful based solely on his intuition, Wiener really wouldn't have any good solutions.

The more serious he became, the more confident he was that the other party couldn't find fault with him.

“We’ll see,” Jessica said.

If it's a higher-class weapon, or an enchanted weapon, just studying its properties and attributes would be a considerable undertaking.

But as Jessica said, it was just an ordinary steel sword, nothing special could be found.

"All parameters are qualified."

Clay, who couldn't find a single fault with the results, announced them with a conflicted expression.

"Congratulations on passing the assessment, Viner. I will report your information shortly. Please keep an eye on the new student list later."

"Uniforms will be distributed to the new students and their student cards will be activated during the opening ceremony this afternoon. Dormitories will also be assigned at that time."

"During this free time, you can wander around the academy at your leisure and get familiar with the environment there."

"In short... welcome to St. Freya Military Academy."

Clay extended his hand to Wiener.

"Thank you, senior."

Wiener, of course, wouldn't refuse the other party's request.

After Wiener left, Clay handed Wiener's parchment to Jessica.

"Including him, that makes up all the candidates who passed the Alchemy Institute's exam."

"Well, I see."

Jessica's attention was elsewhere.

"Clay, you should still have appraisal scrolls, right?"

"There are still some left over from the assessment allocation, Senior Jessica, what are you planning to do?"

Clay didn't understand why Jessica had suddenly brought up the matter of the appraisal scroll.

"Try using it there."

Jessica pointed to the steel sword that Vina had forged.

"Um... I already announced that he passed the test, didn't I?"

Now it was Clay's turn to break out in a sweat.

The appraisal scroll is a C-rank magic scroll, and its value surpasses that of the five steel swords.

It is generally only used when dealing with precious items that cannot be tested using conventional methods.

Using it on a very ordinary steel sword is actually a waste of its potential.

"Oh, you misunderstand. I had no intention of interfering with the Alchemy Institute's assessment. I just felt that this sword seemed to be more than it appeared."

Seeing Clay's troubled expression, Jessica calmly offered an explanation.

"If Professor Villefort asks, just pin the blame on me."

Chapter 12 Wiener uses facial recognition to pay for meals

With Jessica's assurance, Clay knew what to do.

His concern was that Jessica might have a problem with that student and was willing to nitpick using the evaluation scroll.

Given this senior's status in the academy, it would be just another excuse for him to disqualify someone from another school or even expel a regular student.

But if word gets out that this is a case of going back on one's word, it won't sound good.

If it's just to satisfy the curiosity of a senior, then it's just an appraisal scroll; once it's used, it's used.

Even if asked, he wouldn't be foolish enough to actually pin the blame on Jessica.

It's like their Alchemy Institute can't afford appraisal scrolls.

Clay gently unfurled the scroll and laid it on the steel sword, then began to infuse it with magic.

His fingers lightly glided across the scroll, and the magic runes on it began to shimmer.

After a brief flash, the magic runes seemed to come alive, slowly moving like ants, and eventually coalescing into a piece of text.

"It has been identified."

Clay moved forward to make room for Jessica, allowing her to get a better view.

Standard steel sword: The basic sword weapon, the most commonly used weapon by all swordsmen on their path to mastery.

Weapon type: Sword

Weapon Grade: D

Sharpness: D

Durability: D (40/40)

Usage Restriction: Swordsmanship Level Proficiency (D)

characteristic:

A textbook-perfect standard steel sword: its specifications, dimensions, and even weight are a perfect replica of the standard steel sword described in textbooks. If there's any problem, it's definitely a problem with the textbook.

The demand for this weapon has decreased (the skill level requirement for equipping it has been reduced by one level).

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The basic attributes displayed on the identification scroll were no different from those detected by Clay.

However, the additional weapon characteristics that are added at the end are not something that D-rank weapons should have.

Only from C-rank onwards, weapons have a certain probability of developing special characteristics due to the materials used, the craftsman's forging skills, or the effects of enchantments.

Some characteristics cannot be obtained through conventional identification methods.

This is why it is generally believed that only items of rank C or higher are worth using an appraisal scroll.

Although the two properties on this steel sword did not provide any substantial boost, the very existence of these properties speaks volumes.

In particular, the characteristic of "reduced usage requirements" often appears in high-level weapons of grade B and above. It is added through enchanting to accommodate users who are not capable of handling them.

Clay can assure you that there is no sign of any enchantment applied to this steel sword.

The results are obvious.

The candidate named Wiener was hiding his true abilities.

"Jessica-senpai...how did you figure that out?"

"Clay asked with an admiring tone."

He, a second-year alchemy student, spent a long time testing but couldn't find anything amiss, while Jessica, who came from the combat academy, spotted the difference at a glance.

If someone else had pointed it out, Clay might have felt embarrassed.

But this is Jessica, after all.

“If it were a different weapon, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell anything. But this is a sword.”

"I may not understand the intricacies of your alchemy, but I do understand swords."

"Now I'm more curious about what the other sword will be like."

Jessica's reminder made Clay realize that Viner had forged only one sword during the trial.

The so-called unfinished products and souvenirs seem to be nothing more than pretexts.

"I will report this to Mr. Wilford and raise his ranking in the assessment."

Clay's spirits were lifted.

The Alchemy Institute hasn't encountered such a talented freshman in a long time; this is a very important matter.

"No rush, this person will be assigned to the Martial Arts Academy."

Jessica's words were like a bucket of cold water poured on Clay.

"Senior Jessica, you said you wouldn't interfere with the Alchemy Academy's assessment!"