Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“This is your last warning; if there is another racket, you will be disqualified from the exam and kicked out of the room immediately.” The proctor warned Lee Se-Hoon in a stern voice.

As the proctor left, the momentarily gathered attention dispersed. Since this exam was crucial for entering the famous Babel Academy, trainees paid no attention to whether others made mistakes or not. Instead, they took it as one of their competitors dropping out and continued with their weapon forging.

“...”

Se-Hoon gazed blankly at his hand, spacing out after being warned by the proctor.

I returned to thirty-one years ago? Why? How?

He thought it was just his life flashing before his eyes before he died, yet his sensations felt too vivid. As he fiddled with the cheap hammer in his hand, he tried to recall the last few minutes before he died. Moments later, a faint recollection surfaced.

[Weapon ‘---’ synesthetic mindscape has been activated.]

[Activating skill ‘Return to Origin’]

Right, synesthetic mindscape manifestation... A phenomenon where a powerful skill gets imbued into items forged with Fatestones. Although he had encountered this countless times while forging, there was something off this time.

It was the first time it happened with my Fatestone.

Despite having crafted millions of items using his Fatestone, this kind of manifestation had never taken place.

Then how did the synesthetic mindscape activate, and how did I return to the past?

This situation puzzled him, but he eventually reached a conclusion.

Was it by coincidence?

Come to think of it, his first display of synesthetic mindscape manifestation was when he had been frantically trying to fend off an assault at his workstation. So perhaps it was also just a coincidence this time. His face turned blank as he thought about it, and then he burst into laughter at the weak conclusion he had come to.

This is crazy.

Either he was insane, or the world had gone mad. He couldn’t comprehend what was going on, but the reality was that he had returned to the past. And it wasn’t just any moment that he had gone back to; he was back to the very first regretful moment of his life.

What to do... well, there’s nothing to think about.

With his mind finally clearing up a bit, he turned his head and checked the remaining time for the exam. One hour.

He glanced around and noticed that the rest of the trainees were almost done with their forging.

This is ridiculous. He quickly scanned the piece of ore he was working on. It was haphazardly pounded and poorly balanced, lacking any proper form, making it unsuitable even for decorative use.

Perhaps I should stick to refining it for now, he thought, stroking his chin in dismay. The score might drop a bit, but passing the test was all he needed anyway. With that thought in mind, he grasped the hammer lightly.

***

“How atrocious.” Kim In-Cheol, a middle-aged man, was staring at the trainees and muttering with discontent. Although he didn’t expect much from this group, as it only consisted of reserved trainees, they were far worse than he had anticipated.

Even accounting for the substantial drop in the Department of Blacksmithing’s position... The candidates didn’t even have the basic knowledge of how to control the flames or what posture they should take when wielding a hammer. They struck the iron blindly while pouring out whatever little mana and skills they possessed without even following the basic rules of forging. Could this process really be described as forging?

Gathering many candidates didn’t really solve the issue. He let out a deep sigh and lowered his head in disappointment while rubbing his eyebrows.

Clang!

Suddenly, a single sound resonated within the examination hall. It was a sound so sharp that he could instantly distinguish it among all of the trainees’ hammering. His eyes widened in surprise as the sound reverberated in his ears.

Clang! Clang!

The sound was slow but rhythmic, undisturbed, and clear. Its peculiarity startled him and grasped his attention.

Who is making this sound? He searched frantically across the examination room to find the source—his gloomy mood was completely gone.

Unlike In-Sung, he was a man who rightfully deserved the title of head professor of the Department of Blacksmithing at Babel Academy. He was a colossal figure, earning a spot among the world’s top one hundred blacksmiths.

“Hey, you,” said In-Cheol. He stared at Se-Hoon as he put back the broken piece on top of the anvil.

“Do you think that breaking this knife was the right thing to do?”

This question could be interpreted in many different ways. Other trainees would have panicked, thinking they must have done something wrong. But only one answer popped into Se-Hoon’s head for this question.

“Yes. I didn’t want to submit something like that for this examination.”

“...I see.” After seeing how unwavering he was, In-Cheol thought for a moment and then shifted his gaze to In-Sung, who was staring blankly beside him.

“Proctor Han, are there any leftover materials?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. There are some left.”

“Then bring some here. It doesn’t conflict with the examination rules anyway.”

“That’s true... but...”

In-Sung cautiously questioned this decision, thinking it might be excessive considering the circumstances.

“Should I bring them here myself?”

“No, sir!” In-Sung quickly scurried to the materials room and came back with a large box.

“Huff, huff... I have brought all the iron ore and ignition stones.”

“Good job.” After patting In-Sung’s shoulder, In-Cheol checked the remaining time and looked at Se-Hoon.

“There are only forty minutes left. Will these be enough?”

“Yes, it’s enough.”

The usual method would not work in this situation, but there was another way to make it work. In-Cheol grinned at the sparkle in Se-Hoon’s eyes, which showed that the young man was brimming with ideas.

“I look forward to it.”

The proctors went back to their seats, and Se-Hoon glanced at the materials laid out in front of him. Without further inspection, he noticed that the iron ore was uniformly excellent and the ignition stone was of an excellent-quality variety. The reason why the materials were of such high quality was to not give applicants any room for excuses such as inadequate preparations for the exam.

This should be just enough, he thought with a content expression. Things might get a bit rough, but that’s life; you can’t make anything good without suffering a little.

He picked out a few pieces of iron ore and ignition stones and stood in front of the dying furnace. Then, focusing the oh-so-little mana he had into his hands, he smashed the ignition stones against each other.

Cr-Crackle!

Sharp clashing sounds were accompanied by flying sparks. Flames flashed in his hands like flickering lamps. Everyone in the examination room gazed in awe at this eerie spectacle.

If the ignition stones are injected with mana, they will get extremely hot...

Where is that burning smell coming from?

Something was about to happen; everyone felt it instinctively.

Wham-

A distinct resonance, unlike the previous collision sounds, echoed from all the ignition stones simultaneously. Startled by the sound, Se-Hoon swiftly tossed the ignition stones into the furnace.

Kabaang!!!!

Iridescent flames burst out from the furnace.Find updated novels at novelhall.com