(Arin's POV)
The sharp clang of metal slamming against the stone floor instantly shattered the enthusiasm that had just bloomed in Stain's workshop.
Clang!
An iron bar slid uncontrollably across the floor, stopping right at the tip of my boot. The object was bent and clearly of low quality. Its surface was full of microscopic air pores that might escape a layman's notice but were absolutely considered trash by the sharp eyes of a master.
"Trash," grumbled Stain. The dwarf spat to the side, hitting a pile of rusted gears perfectly. "You ask me to make a shaft capable of spinning two thousand times per minute with zero tolerance? Using what? Scrap iron from this flea market?"
Stain pointed at the iron near my feet with his screwdriver. His face, smeared with grease, was now flushed red from offense.
"Listen, Kid. If I recklessly make ball bearings with this soft iron, the friction heat will immediately expand the metal in the first ten minutes of operation. The balls will turn oval, the shaft will vibrate violently, and that genius machine of yours will explode into dagger shards ready to tear the face of anyone nearby."
He leaned his face, covered by protective goggles, toward me.
"I am not assembling a bomb. I am making a machine. A machine needs a sturdy backbone."
I bent down to pick up the bent iron, weighing it in my hand. Stain's words were entirely correct. The laws of physics could not be tricked. Centrifugal force from such a fast rotation demanded materials with extreme tensile strength and high-level thermal conductivity to dissipate friction heat.
"So, what do you need?" I asked calmly.
"Alphine Black Steel," answered Stain without the slightest hesitation. "Specifically, I need grade A quality cold-forged in the northern mountains. The crystal structure of that steel is extremely dense, it does not expand from heat, and it will become as smooth as glass when polished. Without that material, this blueprint of yours will only end up as peanut wrapping paper."
Karim, who had been standing alert near the door, sighed a long breath. His heavy voice implied the typical despair of a bureaucrat.
"Alphine Black Steel," muttered Karim while massaging the bridge of his tired nose. "Arin, you know very well how the situation is out there. Elian has blocked all the Alphine family's official distribution routes. That type of steel is now far rarer than Mithril in the capital market. Even if the goods exist, the price must have spiked fivefold on the black market."
"And I do not have the free time to bother haggling over prices with foreign smugglers," I cut in quickly.
My brain spun looking for a way out. We needed that steel tonight. If we had to wait until the official route reopened, the antibiotic factory would never be ready on time.
A moment later, a thin smile carved itself on the corner of my lips. I turned slowly to look at Karim.
"We absolutely do not need to buy it in the market, Instructor. We know the original owner."
Karim stared at me with a furrowed brow, before his eyes widened realizing my meaning. "You mean, the stock saved by Kars?"
"Exactly," I nodded firmly, then looked back at the mechanic. "Prepare your forge furnace, Old Man. I will bring the best quality steel in this entire kingdom within an hour."
Stain grinned widely, showing off his row of gold teeth. "Good. Never dare come back here if you only bring iron for making pots."
Warehouse Number 4 in the River Port District was not an eye-catching place at all. From the outside, the red brick building just looked like an old, long-abandoned wheat storage warehouse. The sign on its front was weathered by age, while its windows were covered by incredibly thick dust.
However, deep inside, the place was alive with a highly dangerous illegal pulse.
Karim and I sneaked in through a side door heavily guarded by two masked Shadow Guild members. They apparently recognized Karim, or at least realized the killer aura of the former knight, allowing us to pass without asking many questions.
The moment we stepped foot into the main warehouse area, the aroma of cold iron blending with the smell of wet wood immediately assaulted our sense of smell.
Under the dim light of low-hanging magic lamps, dozens of large wooden crates appeared neatly arranged. Several crates were left open, arrogantly showing off their contents. The black steel bars gleamed darkly, as if absorbing the surrounding light instead of reflecting it.
The Alphine family's inherited treasure.
Amidst the bustle of shadow workers passing by moving crates, there were two figures standing watch with serious expressions.
Kars Benzzi stood tall while holding a clipboard. His face indeed looked tired, but there was a flash of satisfaction radiating clearly from his eyes. Right beside him, stood Celia Alphine.
The girl was not wearing an elegant evening gown or a neat academy uniform. She wrapped her body in a practical work tunic. Her sleeves were rolled up high to the elbows, revealing well-formed arm muscles. She was busy checking the quality of a steel bar just taken out of a crate, tapping its surface slowly using a small hammer to listen to its chime of purity.
Ting...
The resulting sound was incredibly clear and rang long.
"Perfect quality," muttered Celia softly. The corner of her lips lifted to form a thin curve. A very rare smile from the Iron Maiden. "Thank you for helping me get it out of the customs warehouse, Kars. Without the help of your rat paths, this precious metal would surely just rust in Elian's hands."
"That was already part of our agreement, Celia," answered Kars casually. His voice now sounded far more confident compared to when he brought coffee in the garden back then. "The casino fund flow is used to cover the Shadow Guild's operational costs, and your steel can reach the buyers safely. We mutually benefit."
"I will not forget this service," said Celia while putting the steel bar back in its place.
I stepped forward, coming out of the shadows of the wooden crate piles.
"Sorry for having to interrupt your romantic logistics moment," I greeted casually. My voice succeeded in making Kars jump in surprise, nearly dropping his clipboard to the floor.
"Arin?! And... Mr. Karim!" Kars stared at me with wide eyes. "What are you doing in this place?"
Celia reacted immediately with vigilance. Her hand moved reflexively to touch the dagger hilt at her waist, before she finally realized my presence. Her gaze instantly sharpened.
"Arin," greeted Celia with an extremely cold tone. "I hope you came here not to whine for a friend discount. These steels are already awaited by their buyers in the southern weapons market."
"I am not asking for a discount, Celia," I replied while walking closer. I bent down and took one of the black steel bars from an open crate. The coldness of the metal pierced right through my skin. The material felt extremely dense and heavy. This was truly premium quality. "I came to ask for an investment."
"Investment?" Celia raised an eyebrow high. "You want to switch professions to become an iron merchant now?"
"Not trading, but manufacturing," I corrected quickly. I looked straight into Celia's eyes. "The machine I am currently assembling requires a sturdy backbone that will not break even spinning two thousand times per minute. Ordinary iron will not be able to withstand it. I desperately need Alphine Black Steel."
Celia snorted softly. "Our forged steel is specifically made to create swords and armor capable of withstanding the brutal strike of an Ogre, Arin. Not to be used as a spinning toy in a laboratory."
"This is not a toy at all," I cut in firmly. I immediately took out the Centrifuge machine sketch from the protective tube, then unrolled the paper over the pile of wooden crates separating us.
Celia glanced at the sketch. At first she looked indifferent, but her instinct as a child of a forging expert family took over. Her eyes locked instantly onto every technical detail drawn there. She observed the ball bearing design, the gear rotation ratio, and the load specifications on the shaft.
"You..." Celia traced the lines of the drawing using her calloused fingers. "You replaced the function of Stabilizer Runes with these small steel balls?"
"A mechanical precision," I explained patiently. "Much cheaper, proven more durable, and absolutely requires no mana. However, this system demands high-quality material that will not expand."
Celia was completely speechless. She was indeed a tough warrior, but at the same time, she was a cunning businesswoman. She could clearly see the complexity and potential of the design.
"Who is going to forge this complex object?" asked Celia sharply. "Ordinary blacksmiths will never have adequate equipment to make balls this small."
"Stain," I answered short and concisely.
Celia's eyes widened in surprise. Mentioning that name clearly made a huge impact on her.
"Stain? The crazy Dwarf who was dishonorably expelled from the guild?" Celia stared at me with disbelief. "My father despises that person. He always says that Stain desecrated the sanctity of metal by mixing it with steam engines."
"Yet, your father also once admitted that Stain is the only person in the world capable of creating a vault lock mechanism impossible to breach using magic, didn't he?" chimed in Karim, supporting me.
Celia fell silent again. Her gaze shifted from the pile of steel in the crate, then back to the sketch before her.
"Just one crate," I said breaking the silence. "That is all I need. Grade A quality."
"One crate of this steel costs up to five hundred gold coins on the black market right now, Arin," replied Celia stiffly. "My family is facing a major crisis. I cannot possibly give away this valuable asset for free just because you suddenly come bringing a brilliant idea."
"I am not asking for it for free. I am offering you the future."
I leaned my body forward to give emphasis.
"Listen to me, Celia. The Alphine family is indeed very famous for the quality of its weapons. The problem is, war does not happen every day. When peace arrives, your income surely drops drastically. This machine..." I tapped the centrifuge drawing with my index finger. "...this is the initial milestone of a medical revolution. If my plan succeeds, every hospital, every alchemist alliance, even every city in this kingdom will desperately need it."
"And if you are willing to hand this steel over to me now," I continued while staring at her sharply, "The Alphine family will hold exclusive rights as the sole supplier for the frames and components of these medical machines. This is business diversification. You will no longer only sell life-taking tools, but also life-healing tools."
Celia was transfixed in her place. Her brain must have been spinning incredibly fast, weighing all the risks and financial benefits. She could see the vision I offered. A brilliant vision where the Alphine logo was not only engraved gallantly on blood-stained sword blades, but also beautifully carved on the bodies of advanced machines capable of saving human lives.
It was a completely different kind of historical legacy. A manifestation of power in a new form.
Slowly but surely, the stiff expression on her beautiful face began to soften. She took the steel bar I had held earlier, weighed it for a moment, then offered the solid object to me.
"You truly have a very silver tongue, Arin. Exactly the same as when you tried to convince me to accept Kars's offer of help the other day," said Celia. There was a tone of sincere respect in her voice.
She turned toward Kars. "Give him one full crate from my personal reserve stock. Pick the ones that have passed the double forging process."
Kars smiled in immense relief hearing that. "Ready to execute, Miss."
"However, remember this well," Celia held back the steel bar right as I was about to pull it from her hand. Her gaze became sharp and dangerous again. "There is one condition you must fulfill."
"What condition is that?"
"I want to see the machine work with my own eyes when everything is finished being assembled. If it turns out the machine explodes or fails to operate..." Celia brought her face closer until our distance was just a few handspans. "...I will forcefully collect that five hundred gold coins from you, plus interest of course."
"Fair enough to me," I answered while taking full possession of the steel. "You will see that machine spin perfectly, Celia. Its rotation will be much faster than the flap of a Wyvern's propeller."
Celia released her grip. Our transaction was finally complete.
However, Celia's business was apparently not finished there. She walked approaching an elongated wooden crate placed separately from the pile of other crates. She opened its lid slowly. Inside the crate lay a weapon that looked both incredibly beautiful and terrifying.
A one-handed mace with a sharply serrated head made of solid black steel. Its design looked brutal, yet still radiated the elegant aura characteristic of the Alphine family's craftsmanship.
Celia lifted the mace with one hand, then turned her body to face Kars.
"Kars," she called briefly.
Kars turned his head with a slightly confused expression. "Yes?"
Without warning, Celia immediately threw the heavy mace at Kars.
Whoosh!
Kars managed to catch its handle with fairly good reflexes, although his hands slumped slightly downward because he was not ready to bear the weapon's weight.
"That is a gift for you," said Celia flatly.
Kars stared intently at the weapon in his hand with growing confusion. "For me? But I am not a frontline fighter like you at all, Celia. I am merely..."
"You are their leader now, Benzzi," interrupted Celia with a sharp tone. She walked closer to Kars, then stood tall right in front of him. The girl's height nearly equaled Kars's height.
"I have given my steel to Arin's hands to assemble his machine. Now, my steel is also in your hands for a different purpose."
Celia pointed right at the serrated mace.
"Tonight, you promised yourself to sweep clean the remnants of Karl's loyal followers, didn't you? You have to face them directly."
Kars's face tensed suddenly. A flash of fear crossed his eyes quickly. "Yes. That is indeed... the plan."
"Never use a sword," suggested Celia with a lowered voice, yet laden with deadly intensity. "A sword is the symbol of a noble knight's weapon. Karl uses a sword. If you truly want them to fear you, if you want them to submit obediently not because you are Karl's younger brother, but because you are Kars..."
Celia gently touched the head of the mace full of sharp serrations.
"...use this weapon. A mace is the embodiment of a brutal weapon. It is a weapon created to crush an opponent's defense absolutely, not to dance beautifully around them. Crush all their doubts exactly as you would crush protective armor."
Celia stared sharply piercing into Kars's eyes.
"Prove to them that you also have fangs, Kars. Prove that you are indeed worthy of bearing the great Benzzi name, and the Alphine name standing tall by your side."
Kars looked down, staring at the pitch-black weapon. He could feel its mass weight. Its coldness. And a promise of merciless violence stored neatly within it.
Slowly but surely, Kars's grip on the mace handle tightened. His posture changed drastically in an instant. His shoulders, which had slumped wilted from exhaustion earlier, now stood tall and challenging.
"I will take care of them all," said Kars firmly. His voice no longer sounded like a timid young man full of doubt. That voice now sounded heavy and final. "Starting tonight, Benzzi's lackeys will have a new master."
Celia smiled thinly. Very thinly, but it was the most sincere smile I had ever seen carved on her face.
"Good. Remember, do not let the weapon get scratched. That item's price is very expensive."
One hour later.
I re-entered Stain's workshop panting heavily. My hands struggled hard dragging a small wooden crate containing black steel bars with an incredibly unreasonable weight.
Thud!
I dropped the wooden crate right in front of Stain's workbench.
"Open it," I ordered between breaths.
Stain jumped down from his work chair immediately. He snatched a crowbar and pried the crate lid open with full enthusiasm.
The eyes behind his protective goggles widened as they caught the pitch-black glint from inside the crate. He picked up one steel bar, stroked its incredibly smooth and cold surface, then licked it. A disgusting habit that for some reason seemed to be shared by all the geniuses in our circle of friends.
"A truly perfect taste of carbon," whispered Stain. His voice trembled with a sense of ecstasy. "This is pure Black Steel. An extraordinary result of cold forging. Hard, but absolutely not brittle. This... this is truly sacred material."
He looked up, staring at me with a terrifying crazy grin.
"You really brought it here, Kid. Whose warehouse did you just rob?"
"This is called a future investment," I answered casually while dropping myself to the floor out of exhaustion. "Now it is your turn to act, Stain. Make that object I designed spin."
Stain laughed loudly. The sound of his laughter echoed shrilly, bouncing between the walls of the room filled with thousands of ticking clocks.
"Just sleep there in the corner! Do not you dare wake up before I finish my work! Tonight, the God of Forging will surely cry tears of joy seeing what I am going to do to His sacred metal!"
Stain immediately ignited his micro-scale smelting furnace. Bright blue tongues of flame blazed wildly.
(Third Person POV)
Meanwhile, far away, in another corner of the academy territory covered by the darkness of night...
Kars Benzzi stood like a statue in front of the double doors of a large room located on the ground floor of the Class B Boys' Dormitory.
The place was the Benzzi Faction's Exclusive Lounge, which was nothing less than a venomous snake's nest. Based on the intelligence reports he had received, there were at least fifteen to twenty students gathering inside there tonight. They were a mix of musclemen, amateur mages, and sycophants who had been busy enjoying the privilege of Karl's protection all this time.
Kars looked down, staring at the weapon in his right hand. A black steel mace given by Celia. The dark iron felt cold, heavy, and spread a brutal aura. There was absolutely none of the elegance of swordsmanship there; what existed was only the promise of crushed bones.
"Crush their doubts," whispered Kars bracing himself. His hand trembled slightly, not because he was struck by fear, but because of the flow of adrenaline flooding his bloodstream. "Crush them all until they no longer dare to lift their faces to look into my eyes."
He had no intention of knocking at all. Kars's hand immediately turned the doorknob, then kicked the door hard until it opened wide.
BAM!
The sound of thick wood hitting the stone wall successfully silenced the entire room instantly.
The sight inside the room immediately made Kars's blood boil.
The room looked crowded. Low-quality cigarette smoke hung thick in the air, mingling with the aroma of expensive alcohol they must have secretly stolen from the logistics warehouse.
On the sofa located in the middle of the room, Gordon Kyle appeared to be sitting relaxed with his nose still wrapped in thick bandages. Both his legs were propped up on the table impolitely. Beside the man was Gareth, holding a drink glass with his left hand, considering his right hand was still wrapped in a stiff cast. Maya sat alone in the corner of the room, playing with sparks at the tips of her slender fingers. Gaston, the cunning spy, was busy counting stacks of gold coins on the gambling table. Meanwhile, a dozen other students, including Lianne, Jhon, and other lowly grunts immediately stopped their activities.
Twenty pairs of eyes simultaneously turned sharply toward the entrance.
Seeing Kars arrive alone, unescorted by anyone, and without Karl's presence by his side, a condescending smile slowly rose on Gordon's still swollen face.
"Well, well. Look who our guest is, daring to enter this wolf's den," exclaimed Gordon with a hoarse voice full of mockery. He didn't bother getting up from his seated position at all. "The 'Spare' Young Master. What urgent business brings the Little Master to visit this late at night? Do you want to tattle because your diaper is wet?"
Uproarious laughter instantly broke out filling all corners of the room. Gareth joined in laughing out loud, though his laughter occasionally stopped due to pain. Maya snorted cynically from her seat. Gaston smirked slyly from behind the arrangement of playing cards in his hands.
They harbored absolutely no respect for Kars. In their wild eyes, Kars was merely a whiny younger brother figure who always hid in fear behind Karl's broad back. Like a dumb sheep lost amidst a pack of hungry wolves.
Kars did not offer any reply. He stepped inside calmly, then pulled the door tightly shut behind him.
Click.
The soft sound of the door lock turning successfully silenced their laughter.
Kars pulled the key from its hole, then tossed it carelessly into the pitch-black corner of the room.
Silence.
The laughter in the smoky room died slowly. Several students began to look at each other with confused expressions. That reckless action was not rational at all. It was the action of a madman intentionally locking himself in with a pack of predators.
"You all misunderstand," said Kars breaking the silence with a quiet voice. He let his black mace hang casually at his side, letting its iron tip drag pressing into the thick carpet beneath it.
Gordon immediately lowered both his legs from the table. His eyes narrowed radiating danger. "What do you mean by locking the entrance, Kars? Are you wanting to play around with us?"
"I am not asking you to leave this place," Kars continued calmly, ignoring Gordon's provocative question just now. His voice began to grow heavy, layered with dense Senior Aura that slowly began to seep out from his skin pores. The aura pressure instantly made the air inside the room feel heavy and suffocating. "I am going to kick you out."
"So, the story is you are challenging us to a fight?" Gaston laughed off-key from his messy gambling table. "Alone? Against all of us here? You must be heavily drunk, Young Master."
"He must think that because he bears the Benzzi name, we will not dare beat him to a pulp," sneered Maya sharply. The girl stood up, while a small-sized fireball began to dance wildly in the palm of her hand.
Gordon stood up slowly. His towering large posture dominated the room. "Listen to me carefully, Spare. Karl might be 'sick' right now, but that condition absolutely does not make you King in this place. You are merely a temporary stand-in. Go home before we make you forget your own last name."
Kars slowly lifted his face.
There was no more doubtful gaze there. No more remnants of fear. What remained in Kars's eyes was only a gaze as cold as ice from a man who had firmly resolved to burn all his bridges back.
"Starting tonight," Kars said firmly. He tightened his grip on the steel mace handle until the veins on the back of his hand popped out prominently. "The management system in this place officially changes."
"Finish off that spoiled brat!" shouted Gordon giving the command.
Three students positioned closest to Kars, lowly grunts intending to curry favor, immediately charged forward using bare hands and liquor bottles, intending to teach the young master a painful lesson.
"Hold his hands tight! Do not let him have the chance to tattle to his father!"
However, Kars did not step back a single pace.
He immediately channeled the flow of Senior Aura into all the tissues of his body. His muscles instantly hardened like forged steel.
When the first student launched a hard punch at him, Kars did not bother to parry. He let his shoulder take the blow raw. His body did not even flinch the slightest bit. The difference in power caste between an ordinary student's Junior Aura compared to Kars's Senior Aura was far too vast when measured by the density of body protection.
"Now it is my turn," whispered Kars coldly.
BAM!
Kars swung his iron mace horizontally at full speed.
It was absolutely not an elegant sword technique pleasing to the eye. That swing was more like the swing of a butcher crushing meat.
The serrated mace head squarely struck the ribs of the first student. The sound of cracking broken bones sounded incredibly terrifying filling the room. The ill-fated student's body was flung hard to the side, smashing into the gambling table until it shattered to pieces.
"Arghhh!"
The two other attacking students widened their eyes in shock seeing the incident. However, Kars did not give them a pause to breathe. He spun his body nimbly, utilizing the momentum of the super heavy mace to smash the second student's jaw using the pommel at the end of its handle.
CRACK!
The sound of falling teeth scattered audibly. The second student lost consciousness instantly and fell sprawling on the spot.
The third student, beginning to realize the difference in their strength, tried to turn around to escape. Unfortunately, Kars was faster. He unleashed a solid kick to the student's knee until his leg snapped backwards.
In a span of just five seconds, three people had fallen helplessly.
The entire room's occupants suddenly fell silent in the grip of horror. They stared blankly at Kars who now stood calmly amidst the groans of pain from the sprawling bodies. There was a speck of red blood staining Kars's cheek.
Kars slowly raised his weapon, then pointed the blood-smeared tip of the mace straight at Gordon. Gordon himself had now drawn his greatsword with a deathly pale face.
"Who else wants to step forward?" challenged Kars with a flat, emotionless tone.
"Attack him together!" shouted Gordon in panic. The large-bodied man finally realized that the 'weak younger brother' figure was secretly hiding a wild monster within himself. "He is only alone! Do not let anyone be afraid! Use your magic right now!"
Gareth hurriedly snatched a wooden shield from the wall. Maya began casting her spell verses rapidly. Gaston drew his favorite folding knife. A dozen other students rushed to draw their respective practice weapons.
In the blink of an eye, the lounge transformed into a bloody war zone.
Kars took a deep breath. He was truly alone, having to face an encirclement of more than fifteen armed people. Logically, this was a crazy action. This was an act of suicide.
However, the memory of Arin's persistence when fighting desperately against the stone Golems, the memory of Elena's resilience daring to challenge the council's authority, and the look in Celia's eyes demanding proof of himself... everything united to give Kars limitless strength.
"Come forward all of you," growled Kars challengingly. Both his eyes now glowed blazing red due to the overflow of unstoppable aura. "I will break your bones one by one until your narrow brains remember who your true Master figure is."
And with a booming war cry, Kars charged bursting into the sea of the crowd. He swung his black steel mace in all directions without mercy, carving a path like a god of war struck by demonic possession.