Chapter 138

Chapter 138

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 138The Blue Yaksha Workshop, an offshoot of Kwak Chun-sik's Aura Style martial arts hall called Tool Adornment.

Their leader, Yoon Gwang-su, succeeded in creating a new technique by combining the general-purpose Aura Style he'd learned at the martial arts hall with their own know-how developed here, and through that, established a new branch on Jeju Island.

A technique for refining items without fire or water, using only hands wrapped in aura as hammers.

Tool Adornment.

In the game, it was known as such a versatile technique that it was considered one of the essential skills when taking the blacksmith route.

But.

“Even my apprentices can barely reach the entry level after training for several years. No matter how much you are my Senior Uncle, learning Tool Adornment may be a little diffi──”

“What did you say?”

I freely changed the shape of the aura above my hand as I asked him again.

For someone capable of handling aura, changing its shape like this wasn't particularly difficult, but constantly transforming it into smooth forms was on an entirely different level.

It was a method of control I'd learned only by studying the operation of Aura Style under Kwak Chun-sik.

Since he'd attended the martial arts hall, he should be able to roughly estimate what level I'd reached by now.

“Do I still fall short of the standard?”

“...

There shouldn't be a problem.”

Of course.

Since the mechanism itself was based on Aura Style, it shouldn't be that difficult for me, who had learned the original.

Creating something new was difficult, but learning it itself was relatively easy.

Provided, of course, that you had Aura Style and aura control capable of handling it.

“Can you teach me the flow?”

“It will take quite a bit of time. Will you be all right, Senior Uncle?”

“I didn't get the title of the Old Man's disciple for free.”

Because this wasn't a game, I'd have to learn it directly, but for me, already accustomed to the sensation called aura, it was very easy.

The flow itself and the sense of familiarity were simply different.

In the game, it merely gave an additional buff to the speed at which secret techniques were acquired, but if my prediction was right...

A broad smile spread across my face.

“I'll teach you as Senior Uncle requested, but...”

He trailed off and turned around.

At that, the apprentices who had been staring blankly at us tilted their heads.

“Even if Senior Uncle has come, what the hell are you doing?! Get back to hammering right now!”

At Yoon Gwang-su's shout, the apprentices returned to their original positions and infused aura into their fists.

Each of them resumed training by striking the objects placed in front of them with their fists.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

With the sound of impacts echoing through the cavern behind him, he looked back at me, raised his fist, and showed me his hand wrapped in aura.

“This is Tool Adornment, the secret technique of our Blue Yaksha. It's a technique for reforging an item by wrapping your hands in aura.”

After saying that, he took a mana stone from his pocket and placed it on his palm.

A moment later.

Szzzzzt──The mana stone resting on his hand turned red-hot and slowly began losing its shape.

He gripped it with both hands and kneaded it like clay, and soon placed the mana stone, now shaped like an ingot, onto a rock.

And.

Claaang─! Claaang─! Claaang─!

It was metal meeting flesh, yet the sound rang out as though metal were striking metal.

Before long, the mana stone had stretched out long, and when he stopped tempering it, it quickly cooled and became a rod.

“By rapidly and forcefully rubbing aura together to generate heat and reduce hardness, then striking it with the other hand to change its shape. That is the basic principle of Tool Adornment. And an item altered this way with aura has the advantage of disturbing its original properties as little as possible.”

As he spoke, he heated the elongated mana stone until it turned red once more, placed it on the rock in front of him, and pounded it with his fist.

The long mana stone gradually began taking on a defined shape.

And finally, a dagger made entirely of mana stone appeared before my eyes.

“...

So this is Tool Adornment.”

“That's right. Since monsters, villains, and Raiders are scattered all around here, we also have the advantage of being able to obtain materials easily.”

That was the reason they had settled on Jeju Island.

Of course, the fact that they'd settled in a demonic realm like this just to obtain materials already placed them outside the bounds of common sense...

“Is the material not very good? Looks like it needs a bit more work.”

Seeing him crumple the mana-stone dagger with his bare hands and hammer it again, maybe trying to understand them in the first place had been a mistake.

Seriously, what kind of blacksmith thinks of doing everything from refining to forging barehanded?

Right.

Let's not think too deeply about it.

I just need to take the benefits that fall into my lap.

Leaving him behind as he already became absorbed in his new creation, I circulated my aura along the path he'd shown me.

Red aura began covering my hands with a sensation different from what I usually used to wrap my fists.

When I grabbed a rock beside me, a chunk came away easily, as though I were tearing off clay.

“Oh.”

It works.

I didn't expect to succeed on the first try.

Finding the sensation amusing, I eagerly kneaded the rock.

“A-ah, no. S-Senior Uncle, what are you doing right now?”

“Hm? I'm using Tool Adornment just like you taught me.”

“No, not that... I mean what you're holding in your hand.”

“What's wrong with this?”

Is there something wrong with the clay?

“...

That's the head of a Granite Golem.”

“Hm?”

At his words, I slowly looked at the clay in my hand.

It certainly looked a little brighter than an ordinary rock.

“This squishy thing is a Granite Golem's head?”

“Yes. Normally, far from being squishy, it's a material that requires pouring in quite a lot of aura just to barely tear a piece off... as expected of Grand-Senior Uncle! Of course something like this would be nothing for you.”

How was I supposed to know that?

Granite Golem.

It was one of the monsters on Jeju Island known for having some of the highest hardness.

Even in the game, it was so pointlessly tough compared to the materials you got from it that it was the kind of monster you'd avoid whenever you encountered one... and you're telling me this is the head of one of those things, the part known to be the hardest?

“I, Yoon Gwang-su! Am utterly amazed and amazed again by Senior Uncle's profound and flawless skill. A material that even took me several days to handle, and in only a few minutes... as expected of Senior Uncle!”

“...

Naturally.”...

I knew my sense had improved, but I didn't think it would be to this extent.

______________

I twisted the throttle all the way and drove the motorcycle along the coastal road.

“To think I'd live long enough to enter the sanctuary first. If I told my apprentices, none of them would believe me.”

Sitting in the back seat, Yoon Gwang-su muttered in disbelief and laughed hollowly.

“To think the master of the Blue Yaksha Workshop fears a sanctuary. That's surprising.”

“Isn't that obvious? Who wouldn't be afraid when merely approaching the place causes a cross to fall on their head? I've met Halla Cathedral's bishop a few times for business, but that woman isn't normal either.”

Apparently the bishop also had quite the fearsome reputation befitting the head of one of Jeju Island's major factions.

“...

You remember what I told you beforehand, right?”

“Yes. Treat you not as Senior Uncle, but as a Calione Hitman. Correct? I never imagined Senior Uncle belonged to Calione. Well, considering your talent and strength, it makes sense that he would make you the successor of the Aura Style.”

Fortunately, they didn't seem particularly bothered by the fact that I belonged to Calione.

Well, perhaps they'd accepted it after hearing that Calione and Old Man Kwak Chun-sik had formed an alliance.

The cathedral's spire began to appear in the distance.

At that, I felt tension from behind me.

He had instinctively realized that a single gesture from Augustus could bring an attack down on him.

Sure enough, I saw Augustus sitting in a camping chair in front of the cathedral, smoking as though she'd been waiting for us.

Judging by the fact that she hadn't even turned her gaze toward us, she'd probably been watching us ever since we'd entered the sanctuary.

I turned off the engine and sat in the camping chair set up opposite her.

Only then did she extinguish the cigarette in her hand against the ground and raise her head.

“...

You really brought him.”

“I told you I'd prove it. So, have you changed your mind a little now?”

She snorted at my words and turned her head toward the entrance of the cathedral.

The cathedral doors opened, and Johann slowly walked toward us carrying a box that looked holy at a glance, then stopped behind her.

“Is that it?”

At my question, the bishop nodded.

“That's right. Ascalon, the sacred relic maintaining this sanctuary right now and the source of my power. Since you kept your promise, I should show you the item at the place of exchange. Johann?”

“Yes. Bishop.”

At her call, Johann solemnly bowed his head, knelt on one knee, placed the box across his thigh, and slowly opened it.

An old-looking sword appeared.

“This is Ascalon. You can tell from that guy's expression whether it's real or fake... but it's definitely genuine.”

At that, I looked at Yoon Gwang-su sitting beside me.

“Ooh... th-that is the sacred relic...! Uheh, uhehehehe!”

Yeah.

Judging by his reaction, there's no doubt.

Still, just in case.

“Can I examine it up close for a moment? I do have an appraisal skill.”

“An appraisal skill?...

As long as you don't try anything funny.”

After getting her permission, I stood up and slowly brought my hand toward Ascalon.[A new item has been acquired!][Name: Ascalon][Rank: Relic][Type: Sacred Relic][Description: A sword said to have been used by Saint George to sever the breath of the evil dragon Fafnir.

It explosively increases the user's holy power and can activate a sanctuary in the surrounding area.

It deals holy damage equivalent to 2.5 times against enemies with the Evil attribute, and can deal up to 7 times damage against dragon-kind.]

“No doubt about it.”

Judging by its ability to deal bonus damage against the Evil attribute and devastating damage against dragons, I could tell why it had earned the nickname Fafnir Slayer.

Double effectiveness against evil and dragon-kind.

Since Fafnir fulfilled both conditions, attacks against it could reach up to seven times damage.

A weapon truly designed for use against Fafnir.

“Even if you use Ascalon, defeating Fafnir easily is impossible. There's even a story that Saint George himself couldn't pierce Fafnir's scales with Ascalon alone and had to use another weapon.”

In order to deal that damage, you first had to penetrate ‘Dragon Scales,’ the greatest characteristic of dragon-kind and what was called the strongest shield.

Ascalon had no penetration ability, so just as she said, killing Fafnir with this alone was uncertain.

Which was why.

“The master of the Blue Yaksha Workshop is here, so you don't need to worry about that.”

That was why I'd brought him all the way here.

“...

You definitely said you were going to modify Ascalon a little. So what exactly are you planning? Are you going to strengthen Ascalon or something?”

Since I'd brought a blacksmith, she naturally assumed I intended to enhance the weapon.

At those words, Yoon Gwang-su also sprang to his feet with his fists clenched, looking extremely excited.

“Y-you're giving me a chance to enhance Ascalon? Are you serious, Hitman?!”

I calmly answered the two of them, who were growing excited with a strange feverish look.

“Hm? Enhance it? I don't plan on enhancing it.”

“Hm?”

“Pardon?”

Both of them stared at me blankly.

“Wait a second, you said you were going to modify it a little, but you're not enhancing it. Then did you bring him here just to polish it? You think that alone will let it pierce the scales?

“Did you call me all the way here just to do some polishing?”

“...

You both seem to be badly misunderstanding something.”

“A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? Then what exactly are you planning to do with Ascalon?”

The bishop looked utterly unable to understand.

I said I wasn't going to enhance it.

I never said I was going to polish it.

Just...

Aura bloomed over both of my hands.

Rough, yet softly burning aura.

And the Ascalon resting beneath my hands, I simply──Crack──!

“Ah.”

“!!”

“!?”