Book 1 Chapter 279

279

The next morning.

Leo opened his eyes to the rising morning sun.

Whoosh-!

Karl also sprung up from the bed, scratched his stomach, and yawned.

"When did you come in?"

"Two hours ago."

"Wow, so you only slept for about two hours? Can't you sleep?"

"Not really. I can last even if I don't sleep for a few days."

"I'm realizing it again, but you really are a physical monster."

Karl stuck out his tongue.

Until the beginning of the first year, Leo was evaluated as being weaker in strength compared to other top students in other departments.

But even amidst that, there was one thing he excelled at: his tireless stamina.

In the actual physical evaluation classes for the Knight Department, Leo had never once given up the 1st place.

And 2nd place was Chen Xia.

‘Celia and Duran are training their stamina with clenched teeth, but Leo and Chen Xia are still 1st and 2nd, right?’

As someone who shared a dormitory and knew how much effort Duran put into training morning and evening, Karl could only shake his head in disbelief.

‘How much of a fuss they made to build a training room first when the dormitory was being built.’

Karl shook his head, recalling the training room located on one side of the Noble Dormitory.

Since students from the Knight Department in the same dormitory also frequently use it, he ultimately felt it was well-built.

‘And sometimes female students from other departments use it too.’

Of course, the main reason why female students from the Magic and Summoning Departments went to the training room to lift dumbbells, which were not in their destiny, was largely to see Duran.

Thinking up to that point, Karl poked Leo's side, who had finished getting ready to leave, and flashed a lewd smile.

"By the way, Leo. Going out late at night two days in a row to meet a girl. Nothing happened?"

"I just studied magic, what could have happened?"

"These honor students, seriously! They don't know the romance of a student! The romance of a student!"

Karl grumbled and ate breakfast.

Today, like yesterday, was about finding a smith suitable for him in the grand hall.

After breakfast.

The dwarf students were already waiting for other hero academy students in the grand hall.

Meanwhile.

"Oh? Isn't that the dwarf who only made imitations yesterday?"

"She can't go into the grand hall and is just staying there."

"That's a bit sad."

Dryana was displaying her armaments at the entrance, away from the grand hall.

However, not a single student from the hero academy approached Dryana.

Rumors about Dryana had already spread among other hero academy students.

A blacksmith who only copied the armaments made by Dweno.

Regardless of skill, no student wanted to commission armaments from such a student.

Every hero candidate wants armaments made specifically for them.

Of course, if one could receive a Hero Weapon or a genuine item as a reward through the "World Conquest of Heroes," everyone would covet items made by Dweno.

But what Dryana made was merely a fake made by a later generation.

Even the armaments currently displayed on the stand were recorded in Dweno's armament dictionary.

Watching Dryana out of the corner of their eyes, the hero candidates from Lumern, Seirun, and Azonia all entered the grand hall.

It was while Dryana was staring blankly at them.

"Why do you only copy Dweno's armaments?"

"Huh?!"

Dryana jumped in fright at the voice from behind her.

"N-you startled me!"

Dryana looked up at Leo standing behind her and said.

Seeing Dryana, Leo reached for one of the spears displayed on the stand.

Judging from what was displayed here, it must have been an armament made by Dweno, but it was an armament Leo didn't remember.

'It must have been an armament made for one of the heroes of Gardsron.'

Leo lightly spun the spear in his hand, *whoosh-*.

It was a heavy, numb spear, but Leo handled it with ease.

Seeing Leo, Dryana said.

"Indeed, fitting for someone who boasted they could handle all armaments."

Dryana, with her arms crossed, spoke.

"The reason I only make Dweno-nim's armaments? It's simple. Because Dweno-nim's armaments are perfect."

Dryana held a sword from the display stand in her hand with enchanted eyes and rubbed it against her face.

"Look! This beautiful form, close to a work of art!"

"I understand even less. Are you not saying you respect Dweno as a blacksmith? Your way of speaking is imitating Dweno right now."

At his words, Dryana's eyes widened.

"How did you know I was imitating Dweno-nim's way of speaking?"

"Because you're exactly imitating Dweno's tone and accent from the books. And yesterday, when all that commotion happened, your way of speaking was different from now."

"Hmm-hmm! You have quite an eye!"

Dryana, whose speech had changed, made a somewhat awkward smile.

It seemed she was embarrassed.

"Why did you give up on being a craftsman, even though you copy the armaments Dweno made and even mimic his way of speaking?"

In Leo's eyes, Dryana had given up on being a craftsman herself.

And his thought was not wrong.

"That's because I can never become like Dweno-nim."

Dryana chuckled.

"It's no exaggeration to say that Dweno-nim's skill in making armaments has reached the ultimate realm."

Respect rose on Dryana's face.

"The genuine armaments Dweno-nim left behind are mostly worn out now. Some are almost broken and can no longer function as armaments. But…"

"But?"

"The moment they are grasped by the user's hand, they become more powerful than any other armament. In any condition. You probably don't know how amazing that is!"

Dryana bounced up and down in her spot with an excited face.

'Just a moment ago, she was mimicking a serious old man, but now she's like a peer.'

"It's literally reaching the realm of gods!"

From Leo's perspective, having handled Dweno's armaments countless times, he knew how amazing Dweno's armaments were.

'Arion and I broke Dweno's armaments countless times.'

But that was only after the battle ended.

Until the battle ended, they absolutely performed their function.

They never broke.

The same applied to the armaments currently stored in Damian's arsenal.

Although they had been left unattended and displayed for at least hundreds, and up to thousands, of years without maintenance.

They were armaments that performed their role the moment they were held in the hand of one worthy.

It was literally the work of a god.

"When I was little, I wanted to be like Dweno-nim. The other Damian students are the same. They want to be like Dweno-nim."

Dryana smiled sweetly.

"So I gave up making armaments."

"Why?"

"Because I can never be like Dweno-nim."

Dryana imitated the speech and actions as described in historical records, but she thought.

That she could never reach the same realm as Dweno.

"Damian and other hero academies are different."

Dryana looked at the display stand.

It was full of imitations she had made.

"Students from Seirun and Azonia are not directly compared to Luna, the progenitor of the Nebula, and Arion the Brave."

Dryana looked at Leo.

"Even you Lumern aren't compared to Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, are you?"

"Even if we wanted to be compared, Kyle is a hero whose real existence was only recently confirmed."

"That's true. Anyway! The dragon race isn't directly compared to the King of Wisdom, but we Damian students are different."

Dryana gripped an armament.

"We are directly compared to the armaments Dweno-nim made and our own armaments. So we always realize. That we can never reach that level."

"So you gave up?"

"In my childish days, I said I wanted to be like Dweno-nim. But now, the more I grow as a blacksmith, the more I realize. My capabilities as a smith."

Dryana shrugged.

"I want to be the best! That's why I gave up the path of a smith early on."

"You might be expelled from Damian, though?"

"Can't be helped. I gave up the path of a smith, didn't I?"

'This type is new to me.'

Everyone in the world aims to be a great hero.

But no one truly believes they can surpass a great hero.

They simply leave them as objects of admiration and longing.

But Dryana seemed a little different.

After admiration and longing, she wanted to become a smith who surpassed Dweno.

'And she's resigned herself to not being able to reach the same realm as Dweno.'

Leo looked at the spear in his hand.

He could tell just by swinging the spear.

A clumsy skill compared to Dweno.

But that was only when the comparison was Dweno.

Dryana was an incredible smith.

'If it were Dweno, he might have taught her blacksmithing skills.'

But unfortunately, Leo was not a blacksmith.

Therefore, he had no skills to pass on.

'Even so, making Dweno's armaments in this way means she hasn't given up her lingering attachment.'

Leo wanted Dryana to pick up the hammer and anvil again.

He wanted the girl who resembled Dweno to aim for Dweno again.

'Because if Dweno knew there was a child like this, he would genuinely be happy.'

Although he wanted to be remembered as an artist rather than a smith, he also took pride in being a smith.

'Crucially… with Dweno gone, a blacksmith capable of making powerful armaments is desperately needed.'

Leo narrowed his eyes.

'Giant King Gias is still active.'

A monster with an unimaginably colossal body.

He was a formidable 'calamity' in himself.

During the Age of Calamity, he was a monster with such overwhelming physical power that an entire city once disappeared with a single flick of his hand.

But unlike such terrifying power, the Giant King was also a very cautious legion commander.

His caution could be glimpsed from the fact that he had never once engaged in external activities for the past 5000 years.

He was different from the Monster Queen, who spread calamities freely, and the Necromancer King, who plotted wicked schemes.

He simply remained silent.

'Crucially, he is Tartarus's armory.'

During the Age of Calamity.

If Dweno was on the expeditionary force, Tartarus had the Giant King Gias.

He, who created all sorts of catastrophic armaments, was also an antithesis to Dweno.

'Well, Dweno's capabilities as a smith overwhelmingly surpassed his.'

But now that Dweno was gone, there was no guarantee that there was a blacksmith among the dwarves who could create armaments to rival Gias's.

'How do I change this child's mind?'

It was while Leo was contemplating.

"So I thought. If I can't surpass Dweno-nim as a smith, I'll surpass Dweno-nim as an artist!"

At Dryana's confident shout, Leo looked at her with surprised eyes.

Among the existing literature related to Dweno, there is no record anywhere that Dweno was an artist who admired beauty.

Yet, Dryana declared that she would become an artist who surpassed Dweno.

"An artist out of nowhere?"

"You can tell just by looking at the armaments Dweno-nim left behind. Dweno-nim must have been an artist who admired beauty! Otherwise, he couldn't have made such beautiful objects!"

It seemed that even calling herself an artist was influenced by Dweno.

'Amazing. To grasp Dweno's inclinations just by looking at his armaments.'

Leo was impressed.

Seeing Leo, Dryana said.

"I got inspiration from you. In fact, if you had been a nude model, I could have gotten even greater inspiration… but for lack of a better option, I sculpted you."

Dryana wore a confident expression.

"Maybe if you see this, you'll want to be my model too?"

"That won't happen, but I am curious."

When Dweno sculpted Lycinas and Luna, he would create sculptures that truly seemed to move.

Leo always said that when Dweno made sculptures, Dweno's sculptures were more beautiful than the originals.

Of course, then kicks and punches would come flying from Lycinas and Luna.

Dryana took out Leo's sculpture made of clay from behind the display stand.

"Here! Look! My work of art!"

"…"

Leo looked at the deformed sculpture held in Dryana's hand.

"Is that a monster of a shape I've never seen before?"

"A monster! This is a sculpture of you! Although I reinterpreted it with my artistic sensibility! How is it? Isn't it cool?"

Dryana wore a proud expression and thrust the self-proclaimed Leo sculpture at Leo.

Leo, taking it, felt an indescribable discomfort and fell into thought.

'How is this supposed to be me? I think I could make something better than this even with my feet.'

Dweno often gave Kyle a sympathetic look, saying he was cursed in art.

What if Dweno had seen the armaments Dryana made?

'He would have smiled kindly, encouraged her, and personally taught her blacksmithing skills.'

Dryana's talent was that exceptional.

But conversely, what if he had seen this?

After contemplating, Leo perfectly reenacted what Dweno would have done.

*Whoosh-! *Thud!

Dryana's self-proclaimed deformed sculpture of Leo, made of clay, was terribly crushed.

"Seriously, I don't think you should be an artist. So quit and grab a hammer."

'Don't desecrate art! If you're going to call this garbage art, then quit!'

It was possible that Dweno would have furiously shouted this and showered her with all sorts of insults.