01. A sword for you (19)

Time flies like an arrow as I frantically made a sword.

Yoon Seo-hee couldn’t see her face outside of class because of her volunteer work in the school due to her vandalism.

Whenever we ran into each other, we just said hello and passed by, and there was no conversation between us.

It seemed strangely avoiding my gaze and running away… I don’t know why. It may have been an illusion.

And, over the past few days, Lee Hyeon-woo’s gang has been surprisingly quiet.

I thought that more vicious bullying would follow after the fight, and I was preparing my mind to some extent, but strangely, not only me, but also the bullying towards Yoon Seo-hee became quiet like a lie.

I didn’t think it was fortunate. Because this momentary peace felt like the calm before the storm.

But even if you worry in advance, worrying about something that can’t be helped is just a waste of time.

I just quietly carried on with my work.

Thursday, after school.

I was in the process of polishing at the studio today as well.

Wicked, evil. You can hear the pleasant sound of the blade grinding on the whetstone at your fingertips.

The black surface that was just finished forging is rough and black, so it doesn’t look like a sword at all.

The shiny silver blade that people are familiar with can be made only when the surface is ground with a rough whetstone.

It is a tedious and repetitive task, but a humming song flows naturally. It’s not music I know, I just hum along to the rhythm, but it’s quite worth listening to because of the overlapping crunching whetstone sounds.

Maybe it only sounds like that to my ears. But what do you mean by having fun?

A silver blade that gradually reveals itself with every whetstone.

Sprinkle water on the whetstone and change the level from a coarse whetstone to a less coarse whetstone. Do not grind only one side. It took a long time to polish because it was necessary to grind all sides evenly.

I raised the sword I was sharpening on the whetstone and held it up to the light. The black blade was set on the straight sword body.

“It’s okay.”

The perfect balance. Even if you feel the surface of the sword with your hand, it is smooth without getting stuck.

As per Yoon Seo-hee’s opinion, the focus was on stabbing, so the blade was set on both sides and the tip of the sword was sharpened.

A long, round groove, especially on the black side. These grooves, called blood grooves, were made during the forging process to reduce the weight of the sword, but since they could not be sharpened with an electric grinder, the exterior had to be cut individually with a chisel and hammer.

Nogada did not have this kind of labor, but it was made with a degree of perfection worth the hard work.

“Whoa….”

But now, forging and polishing are just over. There are countless processes to go through to complete the sword.

Still, the most time-consuming task was over, so I thought I could somehow make it in time for the final exam on Friday.

I can make it on time, but….

To be honest, I am still afraid.

I am afraid that the sword I made will not live up to my expectations, or that it will not produce sufficient results.

Even if you put in your best efforts, the best results do not always follow.

Even if a sword that I pride myself on being perfect in my opinion has been completed, it is a completely different matter for Yoon Seo-hee to beat Lee Hyun-woo in the final performance with it.

I felt terrible just imagining that I might fall behind in terms of weapon performance.

After entering the academy, my sluggish appearance for the past few months was enough to drop my confidence in my skills to the bottom.

But.

I slapped my cheeks with all my might before being swallowed up by gloomy thoughts.

Pair!!

“Keah!”

With the tingling pain, the complicated head is completely emptied.

Did I hit you too hard? My eyes are dizzy.

Instead of gloomy thoughts swallowing me, I think of Yoon Seo-hee’s voice saying that I believe in you.

Her grandfather’s benevolent smile, who always supported her, reminds her of the brilliant memories of her childhood that she will never forget.

We are receiving undeserved expectations. I want to live up to that expectation.

I didn’t have time to think about things even for the sake of the people who believed in me and waited for me.

‘I will definitely complete it today.’

I took her heart and lit the furnace.

“Suck!”

The bellows is pulled vigorously and oxygen is injected to raise the temperature.

Flame! The fire soars fiercely, and the heat is hot.

I plunged the sword, tightly gripped by the tongs, into the red-hot coals of the furnace.

Even though the forging work to make the shape was already finished, the reason why the sword was put into the fire was to proceed with hardening.

I fill the soaker with oil, waiting for the steel to heat up to the desired temperature.

When heated metal is cooled, its internal crystalline quality changes and its strength increases.

That’s why quenching can be said to be the most important part and the culmination of sword making. This is because the level of difficulty is considerable among the processes that must be passed through to make a sword.

If the temperature of the heated steel and the temperature of the oil are not carefully controlled, the sword will not harden properly. On the contrary, it is common for the structure to shrink and the sword to bend or even crack and break due to rapid temperature changes.

This is the moment to be most careful because it can ruin the results of several days of work.

The heat that touched his skin directly and his senses as a blacksmith told him that it was right now.

I took out the sword, which was hotter than usual, from the furnace.

“… ….”

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Just because the temperature has been set, do not immediately throw it into the soaking container. Such rapid cooling hardens the steel more than necessary.

Because it is too hard, it means that it becomes weak in impact. Like a diamond

When people soak in a hot tub, don’t they soak their feet first instead of entering it right away? The same goes for swords. Steel needs time to adapt to the changing temperature.

If you didn’t want to see the sword break like a snack every time you hit it, you had to soak it in oil slowly and carefully.

Chiik-!

When the sword was immersed in the soaking container, white smoke billowed out.

I immediately took out my sword and held it up to the light to make sure there were no problems.

The sword was straight and unbent, without any scratches. This meant that the quenching was perfect.

“Haa….”

I thought it would be successful, but I am relieved to see the results.

Once quenching has been completed, the sword is almost finished. At least I don’t have to mess with making it anymore.

‘Now I just need to make a guard and a hilt.’

It was not difficult to make the guard. Heat iron sand iron that you have set aside, beat it with your hands to lengthen it, and then bend it around to make a shape.

The characteristic guard design to protect the hand was built in consideration of the size of Yoon Seo-hee’s hand.

Next, it’s time to make the hilt.

I took out the orchid wood I had prepared in advance.

I didn’t prepare it for the sword I’m making this time, it was originally a material for a dagger to be submitted for the final exam, but since that dagger became one with this sword, I decided to use this for the hilt as well.

The orchid tree, also known as Bauhinia, is a tropical evergreen tree that is widely regarded as the national flower of Hong Kong. However, the reason why this tree is famous is not because it is the national flower of Hong Kong, but because it has the highest magic content among the trees that grow outside the tower after Outbreak.

It is truly the best material for the wood used in the hilt.

Of course, the best material is the root of Yggdrasil or the branch of a singular tree, which can only be obtained inside the tower. But how would a mere academy student find such a thing? You should be content with this.

I pulled out an old carving knife that was stained with finger marks. There are no electric chainsaws or grinders here, so of course, as always, these have to be sharpened by hand.

“There is nothing that is not hard work, really.”

Please, a masterpiece should come out….

Remembering in detail the feel of Yoon Seo-hee’s hand, which I kneaded myself, I hand-carved the small tree one by one. After cutting it for a long time, a hilt was created that perfectly fit the shape of her hand.

I rubbed it with sandpaper to make the surface smooth and oiled it, so it was finished with a design that looks good on the outside.

All that remains now is assembly. There are many ways to secure the hilt to the sword, but I decided to use the most traditional method.

The tang is heated on a brazier, and then the hilt is driven into the end of the tang, which is secured with a guard.

Boom! Bang!

I hit the base of the hilt with a hammer, and the heated iron penetrated the wood and was firmly fixed.

After wiping away the soot and dust that had accumulated over a long period of time with a clean cloth, the finished sword was finally revealed.

“It is over.”

Completed.

I finally finished it!

I clenched my fists in a thrill. Unknowingly, a mischievous smile forms on my lips. My heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment that I had created a proper weapon from start to finish.

In fact, there was only one process left. I had to work on synchronizing the magic inside the sword with Yoon Seo-hee, but even if I made everything else, it was impossible because there were no facilities in my workshop.

And, since the blueprints I was originally going to make ended up here, in a way, I could see that I finally completed the sword I had originally envisioned.

When I checked my watch with a lighter heart, it was already 2 am. After working through the night for several days, the fatigue that I forgot about came rushing in.

I really need to sleep now. I think I’m going to die.

But I think I forgot something….

“Ah, the scabbard.”

My steps on the way to bed were firm. I finished making the sword and forgot the sheath.

I calmly returned to my place and took out the wood for making the scabbard.

After all, it was an all-nighter today.

–

Friday morning. The day of the final performance was bright.

“I’ll be back!”

“Have you not eaten breakfast?”

“I’m in a hurry!”

“Heh heh, this bastard. Be careful.”

I had to hurry early in the morning to use the academy’s studio for the finishing process. I took the finished sword and left the front door.

But the moment I left the front door, I sensed a strange feeling.

A group of people was blocking the road from my house to school. It was not unusual to feel an ominous feeling.

“Hey, who came out?”

“That’s right. It’s finally out.”

A familiar face as if I had seen it somewhere.

These were the students of the combat department who were flocking to Lee Hyun-woo’s side.