Chapter 279
The next morning.
Leo opened his eyes to the rising sunlight.
Swoosh—!
Carr suddenly sat up in bed, scratched his belly, and yawned.
“When did you get back?”
“Two hours ago.”
“Wow, then you only slept like two hours? You’re not tired?”
“Not really. I can go a few days without sleep.”
“Every time I think about it, you really are a stamina monster.”
Carr clicked his tongue.
At the beginning of the first year, Leo had been seen as weaker than the other department tops in terms of physical strength.
But even back then, there was one area where he was undeniably the best—his inexhaustible stamina.
In the Knight Department’s physical training assessments, Leo had never once lost first place.
Second place was always Chen Xia.
‘Even with Celia and Duran pushing themselves so hard in training, Leo and Chen Xia still hold the top two spots?’
Now that they were in the same dorm, Carr knew just how much time Duran spent training every morning and night.
‘He made such a fuss when the dorm was built just to make sure a training room was included.’
Carr shook his head as he recalled the training room tucked into one side of the Noble Dormitory.
In the end, it turned out to be a good idea—it was often used by Knight Department students.
‘Even girls from other departments stop by sometimes.’
Of course, the reason Magic and Summoning Department girls came to lift weights—something far from their field—was mostly to see Duran.
With that thought, Carr jabbed Leo in the ribs and grinned mischievously.
“By the way, Leo. Two nights in a row sneaking out to meet girls? Nothing happened?”
“I was just studying magic. What could’ve happened?”
“You damned honor students! You guys don’t understand the romantic fantasies of student life! Fantasies!”
Carr grumbled as he started breakfast.
Today, like yesterday, they would head to the main auditorium to find a compatible smith.
After breakfast…
The Dwarven students were already at the auditorium, waiting for the other Hero Academy students to arrive.
Among them—
“Hey, isn’t that the dwarf who only makes replicas?”
“She’s stuck outside the hall again.”
“Kind of sad, huh.”
Driana had set up a display of her weapons near the entrance, away from the main hall.
But not a single Hero Academy student approached her.
By now, the rumors about Driana had spread among the students from the other academies.
A smith who only copied weapons made by Dweno.
Regardless of her skill, no one wanted to commission a weapon from someone like that.
Every hero candidate wanted a weapon uniquely made for them.
Sure, if you could conquer the [Hero’s World] and receive a real [Hero Weapon] as a reward, anyone would covet something made by Dweno.
But Driana’s weapons were merely replicas made generations later.
Even the weapons she had on display now were all recorded in Dweno’s armory.
As the candidates from Lumene, Seiren, and Azonia glanced at her briefly, they all filed into the auditorium.
Driana was staring blankly at them when—
“Why do you only copy Dweno’s weapons?”
“Wha—?!”
Startled by the sudden voice behind her, Driana leapt in surprise.
“Y-you scared me!”
Looking up, she saw Leo standing there.
Leo reached out and picked up a spear from her display.
It looked like one of Dweno’s weapons, but Leo didn’t recognize it.
‘Must’ve been made for one of the heroes of Guardslone.’
Leo spun the spear lightly in his hand.
It was a hefty, grounded weapon, but Leo handled it with ease.
Watching him, Driana spoke.
“As expected of someone who claims to handle all weapons with ease.”
She crossed her arms and added,
“You asked why I only replicate Dweno’s weapons? Simple. Because Dweno’s weapons are perfect.”
With a look of rapture, Driana picked up a sword from the display and rubbed it against her cheek.
“Look at it! This beauty—it’s practically a work of art!”
“I don’t get it. You clearly respect Dweno as a smith, right? You’re even copying his speech patterns.”
Driana’s eyes widened.
“You noticed I was copying his speech?”
“You use the exact phrases and intonations from books about him. But yesterday, during the chaos, your tone was completely different.”
“Hmph! Keen eye you have there.”
Driana gave a sheepish smile, a little embarrassed.
“Why give up being a smith just to imitate Dweno’s weapons and his speech?”
As far as Leo was concerned, Driana had given up on becoming a smith.
And he wasn’t wrong.
“Because I can never become like him.”
Driana gave a dry laugh.
“Dweno’s craft was at a godlike level.”
Her face was full of reverence.
“The genuine weapons he left behind are mostly worn out now. Some are even too broken to be used. But…”
“But?”
“The moment they’re held by someone worthy, they become stronger than any other weapon. No matter their condition. You have no idea how amazing that is!”
She started bouncing excitedly.
‘She was imitating a solemn old man just moments ago, and now she’s acting like a kid her age.’
“That’s true craftsmanship on a divine level!”
Having used many of Dweno’s weapons himself, Leo understood just how incredible they were.
‘Aron and I broke his weapons so many times.’
But that only happened *after* the battle was over.
Until the battle ended, they never failed.
They never broke or wore out.
Even now, the weapons in Damienne’s arsenal were the same.
Though they had been neglected for centuries, even millennia…
The moment they were held by someone worthy, they performed as if new.
It was nothing short of divine craftsmanship.
“When I was younger, I wanted to be like Dweno. So did every other student in Damienne. We all wanted to be like him.”
Driana smiled gently.
“That’s why I gave up forging.”
“Why?”
“Because I can never be like him.”
Even as she mimicked his speech and actions, she had come to a realization.
She would never reach Dweno’s level.
“Damienne is different from the other Hero Academies.”
Driana glanced at her display of replicas.
“Students from Seiren and Azonia don’t get directly compared to Luna or Aron.”
She looked at Leo.
“And Lumene doesn’t get compared to the Hero of Beginnings, Kyle, either.”
“Even if they wanted to be compared, Kyle’s only recently been confirmed to be real.”
“Exactly. Anyway! Dragonkin won’t get compared to the Wise King either, but we Damienne students are different.”
She picked up one of her weapons.
“We get directly compared to the weapons Dweno made. That’s how we realize—we’ll never reach him.”
“So you gave up?”
“When I was younger, I said I wanted to be like him. But the more I grew as a smith, the more I realized my limits.”
Driana shrugged.
“I want to be the best. That’s why I gave up forging early.”
“You know you could get expelled from Damienne for that?”
“Can’t be helped. I already gave up being a smith.”
‘She’s the first of her kind.’
Most people dream of becoming Great Heroes.
But no one truly believes they’ll surpass them.
They remain distant idols.
But Driana was different.
She wanted to surpass Dweno—not just admire him.
‘And when she realized she couldn’t, she gave up.’
Leo looked at the spear in his hand.
Just from swinging it, he could tell.
It was clumsy—if compared to Dweno.
But only *if* compared to Dweno.
Driana was still an incredible smith.
‘Dweno might’ve taught her his techniques himself.’
Unfortunately, Leo wasn’t a blacksmith.
He had no technique to pass on.
‘Still, the way she keeps making replicas shows she hasn’t fully let go.’
Leo wanted to see Driana pick up the hammer and anvil again.
He wanted this girl who resembled Dweno to once again set her sights on him.
‘If Dweno knew she existed, he’d be genuinely delighted.’
Even though he wanted to be remembered as an artist, Dweno still took pride in being a smith.
‘And more importantly… now that Dweno is gone, we need a smith who can create powerful weapons.’
Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘Because the Giant King Gias is still out there.’
A monster with a body beyond imagination.
A calamity in physical form.
Back during the Age of Calamity, cities vanished with a single sweep of his hand.
But unlike the fearsome power he wielded, the Giant King was extremely cautious.
The fact that he hadn’t appeared publicly in the last 5,000 years proved that.
He was different from the Monster Queen, who spread disaster freely, and the Necromancer King, who constantly schemed.
Gias simply remained silent.
‘And worst of all, he’s Tartarus’s weapon master.’
During the Age of Calamity—
If Dweno stood with the subjugation force, Gias stood with Tartarus.
He created all kinds of catastrophic weapons and was the direct counterpart to Dweno.
‘Well, Dweno clearly outclassed him as a smith.’
But now that Dweno was gone, Leo couldn’t say if there was any dwarf left who could craft weapons to match Gias’s.
‘How do I change this girl’s mind?’
As Leo pondered—
“That’s why I decided. If I can’t surpass Dweno as a smith, I’ll surpass him as an artist!”
Driana’s proud declaration made Leo look at her in shock.
There were no records left of Dweno being an artist who praised beauty.
And yet, she declared she would surpass him as an artist.
“Artist? Where’d that come from?”
“You can tell just by looking at the weapons he made! Dweno must’ve been an artist who revered beauty! Otherwise, how could he create such beautiful things?”
It seemed even calling herself an artist came from Dweno’s influence.
‘Incredible. She figured out Dweno’s personality just from looking at his weapons.’
Leo was impressed.
Driana grinned at him and said,
“You inspired me. Honestly, if you’d agreed to be my nude model, I could’ve gained even more inspiration… but I sculpted you anyway.”
She looked quite confident.
“Once you see it, you might want to become my model for real.”
“I doubt that… but now I’m curious.”
When Dweno sculpted Kyle or Luna, the statues always looked like they were alive.
Leo used to say Dweno’s sculptures were more beautiful than the originals.
Which always earned him a punch or a kick from Kyle or Luna.
Driana pulled out a clay sculpture from behind the display.
“Here! Feast your eyes on my masterpiece!”
“……”
Leo stared at the grotesquely shaped thing in her hands.
“Is that… a type of monster I’ve never seen?”
“Monster?! This is *you*! I sculpted you! Of course, I reinterpreted it with my artistic flair! So? Isn’t it amazing?”
Beaming with pride, Driana shoved the sculpture toward Leo.
Taking it in hand, Leo felt an indescribable discomfort.
‘How the hell is this supposed to be me? I could make something better using my feet.’
Dweno used to say Kyle was cursed in the arts and would give him pitying looks.
If he saw this sculpture…
‘He would’ve smiled warmly, encouraged her… and personally taught her blacksmithing.’
That’s how much talent Driana had.
But if he saw *this*?
Leo imitated what Dweno would likely have done.
Whoosh—! *Crack!*
The clay sculpture of Leo shattered into a mess.
“I’m being serious. You should *not* become an artist. So give it up and pick up the hammer.”
‘Don’t insult art! If you call this thing art, just give up!’
If it were Dweno, he probably would’ve roared that while unleashing a storm of curses.