I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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After class, Kim Il-shin headed to Hanarin’s shop and opened the door to step inside.

However, there was no one in the shop. He had contacted them in advance, so they shouldn’t be away.

Knock. Knock.

As he tapped on the counter, he heard a stir from the workshop in the back.

“Did you come?”

Hanarin, drenched in sweat, walked out while drying her hair with a towel.

She seemed to have been working hard just until a moment ago.

He had heard that her work had piled up because of his personal request involving the Hyeonwoll Sword and the gloves of the Four Kings.

Both the sword and the gloves required quite a bit of time to craft, so it made sense.

“You said you had something to show me. Show it quickly and go. I’m busy.”

Perhaps due to being so busy, Hanarin didn’t seem very relaxed. Her tone was exceptionally unfriendly.

‘Why does her attitude reset every time I see her?’

When he brought rare materials, she could be so polite and courteous, but once that was over, she returned to her initial unfriendly self.

‘I wonder what will happen this time.’

Kim Il-shin held the Hyeonwoll Sword.

The power still wriggled intensely, sending fierce vibrations through his hand that gripped the sword.

“Take a look at this.”

“Hm…? Uhmm….”

Hanarin began to inspect the Hyeonwoll Sword, which he’d placed on the counter.

Just a few seconds later, she erupted with a strong reaction.

“This… this… this…!”

She let out a series of exclamations, resembling admiration, as she examined the condition of the Hyeonwoll Sword.

Her trembling gaze revealed her tumultuous emotions starkly.

“What… what’s going on with this?”

Her changed tone indicated the phenomenon occurring with the Hyeonwoll Sword was not something common at all.

“I fed it a ton of life force, and that’s what happened.”

“How much…?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but it’s at least over three hundred.”

“Was there anything unusual before this happened?”

“Oh, a big event took place.”

Kim Il-shin detailed the situation right after the Hyeonwoll Sword absorbed all the life force contained within the Stone of Immortality.

He didn’t leave out any details, including witnessing the sword rapidly expand and nearby plants withering instantly upon contact.

He also made sure to admonish Hanarin, who had said that nothing bad would come of it.

However, Hanarin showed no interest in such things.

Currently, her focus was solely on the Hyeonwoll Sword.

“Wait a moment, I need to check something!”

After hearing all the explanations, Hanarin grabbed the Hyeonwoll Sword and dashed into the back workshop.

She seemed to want to analyze it more precisely using the specialized equipment there.

It didn’t take long for her to return.

With a flushed expression, she came out even more exhilarated than before.

She was so excited that her tone reverted to how it was at the beginning.

“I’ve never seen such a phenomenon before!”

It was a disappointing statement that even after a precise analysis, she hadn’t learned anything.

But it seemed like she had more to say, so he waited for her to continue.

“I couldn’t figure out what power is inside the Hyeonwoll Sword. It’s a power that has never existed in this world before. There shouldn’t be anything in this field that I don’t know.”

Though it may sound somewhat arrogant, Kim Il-shin well understood that Hanarin possessed that level of knowledge.

So, the power lurking inside the Hyeonwoll Sword was very likely something new.

“It seems that it absorbed much more life force than the predetermined limit all at once. Originally, it should have gone through a process of gradually absorbing and stabilizing, but suddenly it got hit all at once, so it mixed together and went boom!”

That meant if Kim Il-shin hadn’t used the Stone of Immortality to fill the gauge, such a dangerous situation wouldn’t have occurred.

But there was no regret about that choice.

Otherwise, such a new power would never have been born.

“The power created like that overwhelmed the Hyeonwoll Sword and erupted. It’s absurd that it pierced through my masterpiece! It seems to contain not just energy but also some special properties…”

Hanarin, fixated on the Hyeonwoll Sword, began to spill out information.

However, none of it was what Kim Il-shin was particularly curious about.

“So, can I keep using it like before without any issues?”

“No. Right now, thanks to the way you’ve handled it, it’s calm, but I don’t know when it might go berserk again. I only suppressed it with your mana, and the root of the problem hasn’t been resolved.”

“Is there a solution?”

That was a very important issue. If it couldn’t be resolved, he might have to let go of the Hyeonwoll Sword.

It would be impossible to engage in battle while holding a ticking time bomb.

‘I can’t find another sword of this caliber right now.’

Kim Il-shin hoped that Hanarin would present a clear solution.

“There is a way. If we apply strong pressure from the outside, it will stabilize the internal power. I’ve done it a few times before. This is the first time dealing with such strong power, but… I’m sure it will work. Ah, of course, it’s because it’s me that it’s possible.”

“That’s a relief.”

Fortunately, Hanarin had a solution as Kim Il-shin had wished.

Since she mentioned having experience with this, he felt he could trust the outcome.

“But there’s one problem.”

“…What is it? Is there something you need? If it’s that, I can try to find it as much as possible.”

“No, it’s not that. The power of the Hyeonwoll Sword is so strong that I don’t think the equipment here can handle the stabilization process. We’ll probably need to go to the Mountain Range Workshop…”

The Mountain Range Workshop was a massive workshop located in the city of blacksmiths, far from here.

As the name suggested, it could utilize the power of the mountain range and handle large or powerful items without difficulty.

“I’m not sure if we can get permission to use it there… there are quite a few people whose relationships are strained.”

Hanarin just brushed over the strained relationships, but Kim Il-shin was quite aware of the situation behind it.

However, there was no reason to pry, so he let it go.

“So if we go there, we can definitely solve it, right?”

“Yeah. If we can just get the usage permit for the workshop.”

After pondering for a moment, Hanarin seemed to have made a decision and raised her head.

“Let’s just go for now. If we get rejected, we can think of other methods. Ah, do you need to come with me?”

“I need to?”

He had naturally planned to go with her, but he didn’t expect that Hanarin would suggest it first.

“The sword is already choosing its owner, see?”

Vrrrmm!

As Hanarin gripped the blade, the counter started to tremble as if the Hyeonwoll Sword was vibrating intensely.

It seemed to be refusing her touch.

Since her hand didn’t leave, it even began to emit waves of mana on its own.

‘… How satisfying.’

Kim Il-shin couldn’t help but smile at the unexpected reaction from the Hyeonwoll Sword.

It felt like watching a puppy he raised reject someone else’s touch.

“It reacts when touched elsewhere, but it’s particularly severe with the handle. Even if we get permission to use the workshop, it’ll be hard to work without you. You’re coming along, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll go with you.”

“Then let’s head out immediately.”

Without even waiting for Kim Il-shin’s answer, Hanarin stood up and started packing her things.

“Are we really leaving right now?”

“Yeah. Do you have something else to do? It’s the weekend tomorrow, so there won’t be any classes.”

“That’s true, but weren’t you busy?”

“I can handle it when I get back. Come on, let’s go!”

In an instant, Hanarin completed her preparations and opened the shop door to head outside.

Kim Il-shin, who hastily grabbed the Hyeonwoll Sword, followed her out without thinking.

‘… She’s really reckless about work, isn’t she?’

*

The city of blacksmiths, Jangsangul (壮山窟), is located quite far inside Geumgangsan, away from Hanam City, where the Cosmo Academy is located.

So by the time Kim Il-shin arrived there, the sun had already set.

Even after taking a taxi along the wide-open road, it had taken over three hours.

“Wow…”

After getting out of the taxi, Kim Il-shin couldn’t help but marvel at the view laid out before him.

True to its name, the city of Jangsangul was shaped like a cave.

Decades ago, a clan of dwarves who crossed dimensions helped Korea fight against the Great Rift.

They were recognized for their contributions and received various support, including the right to choose the land they would inhabit afterward.

What they chose at that time was this Geumgangsan area.

This place, imbued with clear spiritual energy, was closest to the environment of their homeland.

For the first few years, Jangsangul was merely a small village inside Geumgangsan.

However, once they had all the necessary facilities, their remarkable metallurgy skills allowed them to amass wealth from around the world as a result.

They were able to create this gigantic city.

‘The entrance is magnificent already.’

At the bottom of the towering cliffs of Geumgangsan stood a massive entrance.

With its splendid carvings and large jewels decorated all over, it felt like gazing upon the gates of heaven.

“What if they don’t accept us…?”

As she walked toward the entrance, Hanarin muttered, looking quite worried.

If they didn’t get permission to use the workshop, there would be no reason to come here, so it was understandable for her to fret.

‘It’s okay.’

But Kim Il-shin had no worries at all.

He had a surefire way to secure permission to use the workshop.