WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Academy's Turn-Based Swordsman ◈
Chapter 110: Might as Well Give It a Shot
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The Work Workshop's reception room.
Three cups of milk, bubbling like lava, sat on the table.
“Have some.”
Enedor smiled.
While I hesitated over whether to take a sip, he placed a basic Abyss Core on the table.
“Do you know what this is?”
“An Abyss Core.”
“More precisely, an Abyss Core made from the byproducts of the Shards created thanks to you.”
'Is this why he welcomed me?'
Besides strengthening the body through Abyss Cores, Shards were used in countless other places.
But because obtaining Shards inevitably required entering dungeons, supply was never smooth.
The former Shard Converter, now the Alicia Machine, worked by condensing Shard energy to create higher-tier Shards.
Shards whose energy had been fully spent became blank Shards, the key material needed to make basic Abyss Cores.
The Alicia Machine in one corner of the Academy was still operating well, but its use had inevitably declined.
Students needed to feel a sense of urgency to use the machine, but there was little reason to make higher-tier Shards now.
Except for me, who farmed Shards relentlessly.
Thanks to that, the exchange rate, which had initially been close to ten to one, had dropped to five to one before I knew it.
Then where did all the blank Shards produced in that process go?
Naturally, Elia collected all of them, and Enedor enjoyed the benefits as well.
Even apart from the Alicia Machine, I had regularly supplied Elia with Shards to speed up technological development however I could.
Of course, since I mostly visited at night, I never had a chance to see that sleep-loving middle-aged man's face.
In other words, I was the sponsor supplying the workshop's core materials. It was only natural for him to look favorably on me.
“Please continue using it often. If possible, I'd appreciate it if you brought me some of the Shards you give my son as well.”
“I will.”
Elia, who was wiping up lye in the corner of the workshop, clicked his tongue.
“Thanks to you, we've made progress. If there's anything you need, I'll help with whatever I can.”
I cheered inwardly.
I had come to buy a new sword to replace the Clown's Sword, and the Empire's greatest craftsman was offering to make one himself?
If I was lucky, I might get not just a Level IV weapon, but even a Level V one.
My greed flared up.
“Actually, I need a sword. The one I'm using has reached the end of its life.”
“Swords are my specialty. Did you know I made the one the Empire's Greatest Sword is carrying over there?”
Enedor gestured at Adeline with his chin.
He wanted to see her sword.
“You still treat people so carelessly, sir.”
“Ha ha. If not now, when else would I get to treat the Empire's Greatest Sword carelessly?”
With a sigh, Adeline drew her sword just enough to reveal half of it.
Its blade was sleekly forged to catch the light, while its hilt carried a black sheen like obsidian.
It was her sword, [Yang Sword - Corona].
In the original game, it had only been sold as a decorative costume that could not be equipped.
I knew it existed, but I never imagined Enedor had made it.
Then Enedor beckoned to me.
“You should come over here as well.”
When I approached, he examined every part of my body.
His rough, coarse hand moved down my body before stopping at my upper torso.
The place where I had been burned. The scar was gone, but on closer inspection, the color of the skin was subtly different.
“Do you need a sword to fight monsters?”
“I need a sword that can cut down anything that stands in my way.”
“...Show me your sword.”
“Here it is.”
Enedor stared at the Clown's Sword I handed him for a long time.
“Is this dungeon-made equipment? Strange. I've never seen a sword like this. The sword itself is terribly weak, yet its balance is bizarrely aligned with its user's movements.”
He returned the sword to me.
“It is a sword extremely focused on speed.”
As expected of the Empire's greatest craftsman. He saw through the sword's core trait at a glance.
“So, do you need a sword with the same performance as this?”
“I need a sword far stronger than this.”
“It won't suit your fighting style.”
He even seemed to have noticed that I used Fast Sword.
“I only need to change my style.”
“You'll regret it. Your body is already accustomed to a fast sword. Using a sword with a different balance now would be like relearning swordsmanship from the first steps after already mastering it once.”
“That doesn't matter. I'm turn-based.”
Come to think of it, the military iron sword, the standard noble's sword, and the Clown's Sword.
Their balance, materials, and durability had all been completely different.
Yet once battle began, they were all the same.
Whether it was Fast Sword, a speed-focused sword, or Strong Sword, it probably would not matter much to me.
Once battle started and I became turn-based, as long as I built up enough Fluidity, wouldn't they all look more or less like fast swordsmanship to anyone watching?
Maybe even if I switched weapons entirely, to a greatsword or dual blades, my proficiency would remain similar.
“A genius, huh... [1]”
Enedor did not ask any further questions.
“Fine. I like your nerve. But there is a problem.”
“A problem?”
“My heart isn't in it.”
“?”
What was that supposed to mean? Hadn't he said he would help with anything?
“Don't misunderstand. This isn't a matter of personal preference. I don't think I can make a sword suitable for you.”
“Are you lacking materials? If it's materials...”
As I reached toward the [Abyss Fragment] in my pocket, Enedor stopped me.
“It isn't a matter of that kind of material. It is entirely a matter of the person.”
He seemed to recognize that what I had in my pocket was no ordinary material without even seeing it.
Was this some kind of craftsman's intuition?
“A craftsman has times when they should lay a hand on something, and times when they should not.”
Enedor said as he stroked his beard.
“A skilled craftsman can look at a person's body and energy and get a rough idea of the weapon they need. Young lady Empire's Greatest Sword.”
“Yes?”
“The moment I first saw that girl, the image of [Corona] was already complete in my mind. There was no reason to hesitate, nothing to ponder.”
“...Oh. You weren't calling for me.”
“But you're different. No matter how much I try to picture your sword, the image fails to form, as if it hits a wall at a certain point.”
He looked as though he could not understand it.
“If I force myself to make a sword here, it won't give you strength. It will become poison instead.”
Before I could speak, Enedor rose from his seat.
“I suppose the time has not yet come.”
He headed to the storage room behind the workshop, then soon returned holding a sword.
“As long as you exist as a swordsman, your bond with a sword is inevitable. It is only a matter of timing.”
“That is...”
It had no flashy decorations, but it was a sturdy straight sword whose quality and construction were clearly different at a glance.
[Work Straight Sword (IV)]
[Attack Power 35]
[A sword Enedor Work made casually.]
“It is a crude sword, but it will be a hundred times better than that cracked lump of scrap. Make do with this until your time comes.”
I accepted the sword in a daze.
'It isn't something I'll merely make do with, though?'
The fact that it was Level IV already made me like it.
Its Attack Power was nearly three times that of the Clown's Sword I had been using.
It had no other stats or special abilities, but with raw damage alone, it was practically absurdly powerful.
More than anything, it fit snugly in my hand.
When I swung it lightly, a heavier sword wind than before swept through the workshop.
“Oh.”
Adeline let out an exclamation of admiration.
“...Is it really all right for me to accept something like this?”
“What are you saying? I feel sorry that all I can give you is something like that.”
Enedor was genuinely sorry.
In any case, my objective in Gravner had been achieved.
But apart from my joy at acquiring a new weapon, I could not simply dismiss what he had said.
I had planned to learn about Halibal's ultimate weapon here.
Yet for some reason, even the Empire's greatest craftsman had declared that he could not make my weapon.
Even if I used the [Abyss Fragment] as material.
My thoughts became troubled.
'There is a time for it?'
When was that time supposed to be?
Did he mean when Elia later inherited the title of the Empire's greatest craftsman?
But Elia would inherit Enedor's metallurgy as well. If the master could not make it, would the apprentice be any different?
If it were swordsmanship or dungeon raids, I could somehow search for an answer...
But weapon crafting, of all things.
“There's no need to overthink it. Timing does not come just because you force it closer.”
When I could not hide my frustrated expression, Enedor laughed heartily.
“As you wield your sword, the sword meant for your hand will naturally come to mind one day. Come find me again when that time arrives.”
Was he telling me to level up more before coming back?
'Wait. Force it closer?'
My gaze suddenly turned toward the furnace and the straight sword in my hand.
Thinking back, why had I chosen a sword as my weapon?
Aren Bright may have influenced me, but more than that, it was because a sword was simply the first weapon that ended up in my hands.
But in reality, I had never properly swung a sword before.
The only reason I had been able to cut down opponents and win battles with a sword was because I had worked myself bloody in this world.
Turn-based combat's adjustments and luck had also played a large part, so it was not as if I possessed extraordinary talent for swordsmanship.
And yet, I had risen to the position of a fairly strong person in this world.
There was already no first-year student who could stand against me, and I could probably surpass most second and third-years as well.
How had that become possible? It was because I had pushed myself and forcibly pulled everything closer.
The timing of dungeon raids.
The creation of the Alicia Machine.
Even my connections with others.
There was not a single thing for which I had quietly waited for the appointed time without forcing the issue.
'Should I at least try?'
If nobody could make my sword anyway, did I really need to wait for the right time?
As I had always done until now, I only had to pull this closer too.
I had managed swordsmanship, so why had I given up in advance on weapon crafting alone?
“Workshop Master, may I ask you something?”
“Ask anything.”
“How can I learn metallurgy?”
“...You.”
For the first time, Enedor's eyes held displeasure at my question.
“Being a genius at swordsmanship does not grant you the right to be reckless.”
He pointed at the [Work Straight Sword] in my hand.
“To make that single sword, I spent my entire life with a hammer. Yet without having held a hammer even once, you dare say you will learn a craftsman's skill?”
He was saying that swordsmanship and metallurgy were separate fields.
He was right. Being good with a sword did not mean I would be good at hammering or working a bellows.
“With that mindset, even if you married the Empire's Greatest Sword and stayed by her side for the rest of your life, your time would never come.”
“M-Mister?!”
That was possible.
Even I thought it was absurd.
It was like someone who had never used Arts in their life suddenly asking the Empire's Greatest Sword to teach them Arts.
And I had already done that.
“As you said, Workshop Master, I don't know when my time will come. But I cannot simply wait.”
Through the workshop window, I could vaguely see the Sky Nail.
“Because I don't know when that will come crashing down.”
“Waiting is important too.”
“I will wait. I only intend to move while I wait.”
I sheathed my new sword at my waist.
Unlike the Clown's Sword, which had fit slightly loosely, the Work Straight Sword was exactly the right size for my scabbard.
“If I must take up a hammer right now to bring closer the time when I can obtain my sword, then that is what I intend to do. That is how I have lived all this time.”
Then it happened.
A familiar message appeared before my eyes.
[An ability will be unlocked due to equipping a Special Shard.]
'Huh? Why is this appearing all of a sudden?'
It was a message that only appeared when I equipped a new Special Shard.
Had they somehow ground a Special Shard into the straight sword?
But that was not it.
[Special Shard: Hard Stillness]
The Special Shard [Hard Stillness], which I had obtained while clearing the Undead Dungeon.
Like the [White Tome], its special ability had been sealed at the time.
But its stats for taking hits were useful enough, so I had put it into my Core for the moment.
And now, at this exact moment, its sealed special ability had been unlocked.
[Special Ability: Smithing]
[Smithing - The user can consume specific materials to craft weapons.]
[Proficiency Level: 1]
Rather than answering, Enedor placed a suitable hammer in my hand.
“Then give it a try. Do it yourself, and feel to your bones just how difficult it is.”
Despite it being the first hammer I had ever held, somehow, the grip did not feel bad.
Might as well give it a shot.
Footnotes:
1. Enedor playfully connects the Korean for “turn-based” (턴제) with “genius” (천재).
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