Chapter 274

“Healer! Healer!”

“Eget’s arm is twisted at a weird angle!”

Panic spread among the Damienne students.

“Well, I’ll go take a look at some weapons.”

Naturally, Leo didn’t pay it any mind and walked over to examine the weapons Eget had displayed.

“You really just walk away after doing that to someone.”

Ar clicked her tongue as she watched Eget being carried off on a stretcher.

Meanwhile, the Azonia students watching Leo were visibly confused.

“How does someone with arms like that have strength like that…?”

“Eget’s strength was real though…!”

Only five students had managed to beat Eget in arm wrestling—despite numerous strong Azonia students having attempted it.

And besides Ar Tune, all of them had far bigger builds than Leo.

“It’s technique.”

That was when the tiger beastkin, Borman, spoke.

“Technique?”

“Yeah. Leo Plov has incredible strength, but the technique he uses to focus his power must be just as advanced. That’s why he could unleash that explosive force in an instant.”

“Ooooh.”

“As expected of Borman!”

“You saw right through it!”

“That’s the kind of guy I want to face in a glorious showdown!”

Borman stepped in front of Leo.

“That was an impressive match, Leo Plov. Your control over strength was superb!”

Leo looked up at Borman.

“Don’t you wonder which is superior? Your technique or my raw power?”

Borman pointed to the steel table.

Leo glanced at Ar Tune.

“Could you ask your friend to step aside?”

“I’ve never had a musclehead like him for a friend.”

“Come now, Leo Plov! Face me in an arm wrestling match!”

Ar folded her arms.

“You should just back off before you end up in an embarrassing mess.”

“Ooh! Ar, are you worried about me?”

Borman looked touched.

“But I, Borman the man! Swore never to back down until I became a man worthy of you! Come, Leo Plov! Don’t hide—face me!”

“A man worthy of you?”

“He started saying that after I patted him on the head once at the start of the semester. What can I say, I’m just that charming.”

Leo gave Ar a look of disbelief before turning to Borman.

“If you want a strength contest, there’s plenty of equipment right behind you for that.”

He pointed to Eget’s collection of weapons.

“Hmph, fair enough. But don’t think you can handle them easily.”

‘Does this idiot actually believe Black Rabbit beat Eget with just technique?’

Ar looked at Borman in disbelief.

Leo had beaten Eget purely with raw strength.

‘This is the same Black Rabbit who passed Lumene’s entrance exam without even using Aura.’

And back then, she’d been chosen as the freshman representative.

Anyone who’d understood that should’ve realized just how immense his physical strength was.

‘Well, I guess our school’s students never pay attention to other schools. Sheesh.’

While Ar sighed deeply, Borman followed Leo to Eget’s weapons.

He reached for a massive two-handed sword.

With a single hand, Borman effortlessly lifted the heavy blade.

“Excellent. I don’t primarily use swords, but this weight… I can tell it’s well-crafted—”

As Borman turned his head toward Leo, he froze.

“Wait! These weapons on display are Eget’s heaviest ones!”

Since Eget had been taken away, Leo hadn’t been given an explanation of the weapon tiers and was reaching for the heaviest one—a massive battle axe.

‘Grab—!’

Leo lifted the battle axe with no visible effort.

“Amanthadium alloy.”

He inspected the axe calmly.

Borman stiffened.

“Still think it’s all technique?”

Ar grinned at him.

‘He has that much raw strength with that body?’

“L-Lifting it is one thing! But you’ve got to swing it like this!”

Borman swung the two-handed sword with full force.

‘Whoooom—!’

A heavy sound cut through the air.

Using Aura, he barely managed to wield the ultra-heavy blade with ease, flashing a proud grin.

“How about that, Leo Plov?!”

Borman beamed with confidence as Leo lifted the battle axe with one hand.

Then—

‘Shhk—!’

Leo swung it.

A clean, slicing sound followed.

Just one simple, powerful stroke—containing both precision and destruction.

Borman’s expression shifted.

Even Ar was surprised.

‘That strike was fully concentrated on a single point.’

The movement of someone who fully understood the nature of the weapon.

Leo then began casually swinging the battle axe through the air.

His movements were so fluid and perfect that the Azonia students couldn’t hide their awe.

“Oooooh…!”

Just then, Eget came running back in—having escaped his stretcher.

And seeing Leo perfectly wielding the ultra-heavy axe he had made, tears of joy welled up in his eyes.

“To think someone could wield my weapon so perfectly!”

‘Thud!’

Eget ran up to Leo, who was placing the battle axe back on its stand.

“Leo Plov! I must’ve misjudged you! You are truly worthy of the weapons I make! Say the word, and I’ll craft any custom weapon you want!”

As Eget shook Leo’s hand enthusiastically, Leo replied,

“Well made.”

“Of course! I’m the best at crafting ultra-heavy weapons in second year! You must’ve appreciated the perfect balance of my work!”

“The balance is awful.”

“…What?”

“The point of ultra-heavy weapons is their weight. The heavier they are, the more destructive power they carry.”

Leo frowned.

“But your battle axe focuses too much on weight. The balance is totally off.”

“Impossible! I balanced the weight perfectly! For maximum destruction, I made the impact point heavy and the handle light!”

“Sure, from a pure damage standpoint, that makes sense. But you didn’t account for the wielder at all. Tell me—can you even use your own weapon properly?”

Leo’s question made Eget flinch.

“Our lives will depend on the weapons you make. And you’re making something you can’t even use yourself? Is it really the legacy of Dweno to forge something that only looks good on the outside?”

Eget dropped to his knees.

Hands pressed to the ground, he wailed.

“You’re right! I can’t use it properly! I focused so much on boosting power that I made a weapon I myself can’t even wield… You’re right! I pretended the weight balance was perfect when it was just shiny on the outside! I… I made trash! And that makes me trash too!”

He cried out, then began stuffing all of his weapons back into his subspace.

The Azonia students who had been admiring the weapons watched in shock.

“These trash weapons are going into the furnace!”

Eget fled the auditorium in tears.

Leo muttered as he watched him leave.

“There was no need to throw away the good ones, though.”

“The ‘other’ ones were good?!”

“Of course. The guy’s skill was excellent. Anything within his own handling range would’ve been perfectly made.”

“Then why didn’t you say so?! What a waste.”

“He wouldn’t have listened anyway.”

Leo shook his head.

“Dwarves aren’t exactly the most reasonable bunch.”

Saying that, Leo continued inspecting the other weapons.

This set off a wave of similar incidents.

As if proving his earlier claim—that he could wield any weapon—

Leo flawlessly demonstrated every single weapon made by the Damienne students.

And pointed out their flaws one by one.

“The mana output’s too high. You won’t be able to use it for long.”

“This orb’s supposed to assist with summoning the four great spirits? It’s too unfocused—it can’t properly support any of them.”

“Perfect? You keep calling it perfect. Does this look perfect to you? Apologize to the minerals.”

Each word left the Damienne students stunned, many of them weeping as they exited the hall.

By the time Leo reached the 56th student’s weapon—

“Leo, we’ve seen enough of your brilliance. Please… stop destroying my students’ spirits.”

Depeto finally approached and intervened.

Leo looked around.

“My work… is garbage…”

“Great mineral spirits, forgive me! I’m sorry for turning you into this!”

Some Damienne students stood dazed, while others knelt before raw minerals and begged for forgiveness.

Others simply averted their eyes when Leo looked their way.

Before anyone noticed, Leo had become a figure of terror.

Nothing was scarier to a creator than having the flaws in their work exposed completely and precisely.

Even if the criticism was valid, it cut deeply.

Looking at the Damienne students trembling before him, Leo asked,

“Should I stop now?”

‘Who even is this student…?’

Depeto stared at Leo in disbelief.

All the students Leo had devastated were among Damienne’s top performers.

Sure, they were still students—flaws were expected.

And the Damienne students accepted that.

But the issue was that Leo, a fellow student, had exposed those flaws too thoroughly and without mercy.

Ar glanced at Depeto, who looked fed up.

“Was all of that really necessary?”

“There’s something an old blacksmith I knew once said.”

Leo answered calmly.

“A smith is the one who decides a hero’s final moment.”

“The one who decides a hero’s final moment?”

“Yeah. He said that in battle, the only thing a hero can rely on in the end is their weapon. That’s why a smith should never overestimate their own skill.”

Leo looked at the weapons.

“You should strive for perfection—but no weapon is truly perfect. That was his belief.”

“To never stop improving… it’s a good mindset.”

Depeto nodded.

The younger someone was, the more they tended to trust their own ability blindly.

‘Especially young craftsmen.’

Dwarves were stubborn and proud of their work—it was part of their racial identity.

‘But it’s also what we have to be most cautious about. Leo’s words will probably be a strong motivator for them.’

Depeto glanced at the students still slumped on the floor.

‘Even if he went way too far.’

Just then—

“You brought that knockoff trash again!”

“What I make is none of your business!”

A new disturbance broke out at the entrance of the hall.

Depeto groaned and held his face.

“What now?”

Ar perked up her ears and headed toward the noise.

A crowd had already gathered.

Leo spotted the Damienne student at the center of the commotion and tilted his head.

‘A female Dweno?’

It was the dwarf from the day before—Driana—arguing with other Damienne students.

“Planning to disgrace the name of the Divine Blacksmith with such shabby skills?”

“Hmph! I say it’s worse to disgrace the name by making things without heart!”

“What did you say?!”

Enraged, one Damienne student kicked the weapon box Driana had brought.

‘CRASH!’

Swords spilled out from the box.

The Hero Academy students gasped in surprise.

All the swords looked exactly the same.

And the design was unmistakable.

Leo picked up a sword that had rolled to his feet.

‘This is…’

He recognized it instantly.

The first sword Dweno had ever crafted for Arron—

[Wolf Fang].

A sword from Arron’s early days—recorded not just in documents but confirmed in the Hero Record as one of the most famous swords in the world.

Leo stared at the sword, then at Driana.

‘A replica?’

He drew the blade from its scabbard.

‘Shrring—!’

The sensation at the blade’s edge made his eyes widen.

Compared to the real Wolf Fang, it was subpar—no doubt.

Of course it was—after all, the original was forged by Dweno.

But purely as a sword, it was excellent.

‘So she’s not just a personality clone of Dweno, huh?’

Leo glanced around.

‘But then why do the Damienne students hate her?’