After completing the Academy's Novice Master Certification Exam in Alchemy, Jack's heart thundered with excitement
THUMP….
THUMP!
THUMP…
THUMP!
He'd done it. Not just conquer it.
No hesitation. No uncertainty.
He knew he'd passed.
Everything had flowed like clockwork: from ingredient gathering to potion crafting, to Professor Elira's subtle nod of approval. It was more than confidence; it was a certainty pulsing in his bones like warm fire.
CRACKLE!
The sound of the fireplace in the dining hall echoed faintly as Jack finished his meal. Without lingering, he stood up, eyes gleaming with purpose. It wasn't over yet.
CLACK! CLACK!
His boots echoed down the corridor as he made his way to the Blacksmith Class Classroom A.
The moment he stepped inside, a familiar wave of heat and scent washed over him.
WHOOOSH!
The smell of molten metal, oiled tools, and coal smoke filled his lungs. To anyone else, it might've been overwhelming but to Jack, it was home.
He walked over to his usual seat, the metal stool letting out a soft creeeaak as he sat down.
But something was off.
The air buzzed not just with the heat of the forges, but with tension and whispers.
"Did you hear? Today might be the day of the 1st Star Blacksmith Novice Master Certification Exam…" A hushed voice came from two seats down.
"No way, I heard we're forging special weapons today, custom cores and all!" Another responded, eyes wide with barely-contained excitement.
Jack leaned back slightly, arms crossed, observing the excited chatter around him. Whispers filled the space like a rising tide:
"Maybe a blacksmith forging duel?"
"What if it's an enchantment challenge?"
"I bet they'll test us on heat control. Last time someone melted their whole blade!"
The murmur of voices clashed and collided like a hammer on steel.
CLANG! CLANG!
Excitement. Anticipation. Pressure.
It was written on every face the fire of ambition burning bright.
And Jack? He simply smiled. Because whatever today held be it certification or challenge, heat or hammer. He was ready.
After a few tense minutes, the classroom door
SWUNG OPEN
SLAM!
In strode Professor Borin Stonebeard, his presence hitting like a hammer to an anvil.
THUD… THUD… THUD…
Each step of his heavy boots echoed with iron-clad authority, silencing the last few whispers instantly. His robust frame moved with purpose, his thick braided beard swaying with every motion like a banner of experience.
Jack straightened instinctively. This wasn't just any instructor. This was Borin Stonebeard, the iron-willed, fire-blooded Master Smith of the Academy.
The professor marched to the front and turned, his deep eyes scanning the room like a hawk sizing up prey.
His voice rumbled gritty, raw, and unyielding.
"Today is indeed a special day."
DING…
The tension in the air chimed like a struck blade.
"Lads and lasses, silence!" he barked, voice like grinding stone over steel. "As with the Alchemy department, we too shall conduct the 1st Star Blacksmith Novice Master Certification Exam!"
BOOM!
The words dropped like a hammerblow.
The classroom fell deathly silent, no more whispers, no shuffling, not even a breath dared to break the moment.
Jack's eyes sharpened, lips curling into a small smirk. So it begins.
Professor Borin raised one hand, palm open, fingers thick with callouses earned from decades of labor.
"The path to a Blacksmith's honor is not forged in a single strike. You must pass three stages each testing your mettle, mind, and mastery."
ZING!
He gestured, and a glowing blueprint unfurled mid-air behind him, shimmering with magical etchings.
Stage One: Knowledge Test on Ores. "You must know everything about 1-Star ores Low-tier to High-tier. From properties to origins, to smelting behavior. Fail to understand your metal, and your forge will fail you."
Stage Two: Theory Test. "Questions on our craft blacksmithing techniques, tool mastery, production rules. You will be tested on the heart of the forge, not just its fire."
Stage Three: Practical Forging. "You will each receive a randomly selected forging recipe. It could be a blade, a breastplate, or even a magical ring. All 1-Star tier Low to High. And you will forge it. No shortcuts. No help."
CLANG!
He slammed a thick gauntlet on the desk, causing several students to flinch.
Jack remained still, calm.
This... this was just like the Alchemy exam. Familiar structure. Predictable flow. He liked that. It gave him something to anchor to.
While others swallowed hard and shifted nervously, Jack sat taller, feeling the heat of the forge around him like an old friend.
This wasn't pressure.
This was home.
------
Just like in Alchemy, the practical test would begin first. While students forged their assigned equipment, Professor Borin silently roamed the forge hall, placing scrolls Knowledge and Theory tests beside each workspace with grim precision.
Jack exhaled calmly and nodded to himself.
"Let's get it done."
Moments later, the sound of wooden wheels creaking
CREEEAAAK…
Echoed through the chamber. Carts rolled in, each holding sealed black iron boxes, humming faintly with enchanted runes. The air buzzed with anticipation.
These weren't just boxes. They were their trials randomly assigned forging recipes.
Professor Borin raised a calloused hand, his voice like a hammer striking steel. "Step forward one by one. Pick your box. No switching allowed."
A line formed quickly.
Tension mixed with the scent of oil, soot, and molten ore.
Jack stood back, eyes scanning the reactions of the others ahead of him.
"Ugh… crap, I got the Lava Axe," muttered Toran Brimholt, a mountain of a teenager with biceps like anvils. He stared at his scroll, looking like someone had just told him to forge a meteor.
"Don't whine," came a quick retort. "That thing can slice through rock if made right."
"And melt your forge if done wrong," Toran shot back, groaning as he stomped toward his station.
The floor shook with each step.
"Oho!" laughed Selene Farris, her fire-orange braids swinging as she opened her box. "Frostfang Dagger. Looks like I'm cutting through this exam cold and clean."
She twirled her carving chisel like a dagger, grinning at Toran. "Need help handling that magma axe, Brimholt?"
"Handle your own ice tooth, Farris," he grumbled, but there was no venom in it, just the usual workshop banter.
Further down the line, a more nervous voice piped up.
"Voidspark Ring… artifact again?" Milo Vint frowned at his scroll, spectacles sliding down his nose. He adjusted them hastily. "Magical threading is a nightmare under pressure."
Selene glanced over. "Threading is easy. You just gotta breathe and stop shaking like you've downed a mana potion with coffee."
"That's because you don't use precision mana lines. You just blast ice at everything."
"It works." She shrugged with smug satisfaction.
Jack chuckled to himself quietly as he stepped forward. He selected one of the rune-sealed boxes.
Click.
The lock released with a subtle hiss of air.
[Craft: Beastcaller Whistle]
Jack's eyes sharpened.
"Artifact type, low-level 1-Star Recipe. Not bad."
Then He Remembers what Materials needed for forge this equipment.
Materials Required:
Molten Nature Crystal (1)
Deer Core (1)
Deer Antler (1)
Perfect for a Beast Tamer utility tool…
A subtle smirk crossed his lips.
The Molten Nature Crystal was a material he had studied obsessively. Stable under magical pressure. Resonant with primal energy. It was, in his opinion, one of the finest beginner-level artifacts to work with.
Properties: Stabilizes chaotic magical energy. Ideal for controlling magical beasts.
He made his way back to his workstation, already planning each step.
"First, refine the Molten Nature Crystal carefully… then shape the core housing… adjust for resonance with beast frequencies… maybe reinforce the whistle's chamber to prevent overload…"
Around him, the room exploded into motion.
Clang!
Thud!
WHOOSH!
CRACKLE!
Furnaces roared to life as hammers danced, metal screamed, and sparks erupted like fireflies in a storm.
Selene's icy blue enchantment shimmered along her dagger's edge. She was already etching the frost sigils into the metal. "This is more fun than the Theory exam already."
Toran wrestled with a chunk of volatile Lava Ore, sweat hissing on the hot stone as he hammered away.
"This crap's bubbling like a volcano," he muttered.
"If it explodes, I'm blaming Borin."
Milo, on the other hand, was in the middle of a panic spiral. His hands shook as he tried to align fine gold threads of mana into the enchanted socket.
"Left line, right node… wait NO dammit, it's fraying again!" He wiped his forehead, leaving behind a streak of soot.
Jack blocked it all out.
He placed each material before him like sacred relics.
This forge was now his temple.
Molten Nature Crystal steady.
Deer Core pulsing faintly.
Deer Antler rough, but lightweight.
He began.
The rhythmic clang of his hammer found a natural cadence sharp, crisp, controlled.
Professor Borin moved through the rows like a shadow given form silent, observant, and ancient as iron. With every step, he dropped the two scrolls Knowledge Test and Theory Test beside each student.
No commentary. No praise. Only a stern gaze and the weight of judgment.
He paused at Jack's station.
Watched his precision.
Note the clean separation of core crystal shards.
And gave a single, gravel-rough grunt.
"Hmph."
Then walked on.
Jack didn't even blink..He calmly unrolled the scrolls and set them beside his workspace.
This was his forge now. His battlefield. His test.
And just like Alchemy…
He intended to pass.
--------
To Be Continued…!!