The Marine Logistics Department.
The Sword smitihng Unit.
This was a specialized unit that bore no combat responsibilities; they were, quite simply, blacksmiths. Most of them weren't legendary masters of the craft, but ordinary smiths.
However, that was sufficient. The Marine never expected this unit to forge legendary blades. Their sole purpose was to mass-produce the standard-issue sabers used by the rank-and-file Marines.
For this task, quality was secondary. What truly mattered was... quantity!
The number of Marines was staggering. Even at Marine Headquarters, the standing force numbered around fifty thousand. Ensuring a steady supply of standard-issue sabers was no small feat.
'''
Sean had been here for a month.
Between his daily studies and the system's multiplyments, his skill level had already surpassed the vast majority of the smiths. Captain Antonio, who oversaw the unit, had even gone to the Elite Training Camp to ask if Sean could be transferred to his command.
Antonio never told anyone exactly how Zephyr had responded. However, one thing had become common knowledge throughout Headquarters, eventually turning into a favorite piece of gossip among the Marines.
The reason was simple: Antonio had returned from that meeting with a face as swollen as a pig's head.
It was clear just how furious Zephyr had been.
Despite this, Antonio didn't give up. He had watched Sean's progress over the last month and was convinced that the boy was a prodigy. He harbored no doubt that Sean would one day become a master swordsmith, capable of forging blades that could rival Great Grade or even Supreme Grade weapons.
Once that kind of talent was fully unleashed and the Fleet Admiral recognized the potential, Zephyr's opposition wouldn't matter.
Consequently, Antonio issued a strict order within the Sword Forging Unit: no one was to hold back. They were to teach Sean everything they knew, treating him like their own son.
He was dead serious about it.
But a month later, the entire unit was left stunned.
They simply had nothing left to teach him.
Not only had Sean mastered every secret technique they possessed, but he applied them with greater precision than the masters themselves. Most shockingly, Sean had begun integrating various forging styles, innovating and creating entirely new techniques.
It was becoming borderline terrifying.
After two months, realizing he had hit a ceiling in terms of available knowledge, Sean decided to put everything he had learned into practice. He wanted to attempt to forge a truly high-quality blade and use the system's multiplier to see exactly how far he could push the results.
'''
'Clang...'
'Clang! Clang! Clang!'
The rhythmic sound of hammering echoed relentlessly through the forge. A few meters away, a circle of thirty blacksmiths watched in silence. Antonio was among them.
The previous day, Sean had approached him, stating that he wanted to put all his effort into forging a single blade and requested some high-quality materials. Antonio had agreed without a second thought.
In fact, he had gone a step further, producing a rare material he had kept in his private collection for years. While not the absolute pinnacle of materials, it had cost Antonio thirty years' worth of his meager Marine salary to acquire.
Everyone watched in breathless silence, terrified that even a stray sound might distract Sean.
Ten hours passed. Finally, the blade was complete.
As Sean stepped back, a flicker of disappointment crossed Antonio's eyes. To the naked eye, the sword looked utterly ordinary. Forget a Great Grade blade—it didn't even look like a Skillful Skillful Grade Sword.
Then again, Antonio realized he might have been too optimistic. Although Sean's technique surpassed everyone in the unit, the smiths at Headquarters were not world-renowned masters. Furthermore, the material he provided wasn't top-tier. It was naturally impossible to forge a legendary name-brand blade under these conditions.
The reason the sword looked ordinary was simply because Antonio's expectations were too high; he had been comparing it to the likes of Great Grade blades. Compared to a standard sword, this was already a fine piece of work.
However, none of them noticed the slight smirk playing on Sean's lips.
'System, perform today's multiplycation. The target is this blade I forged by hand. Multiplication method: Quality. Begin!'
[Ding! Command confirmed. Beginning multiplication.]
[Ding! Multiplication complete. Target attribute: Quality. Multiplier: 99x!]
'Jackpot.' Another massive multiplier.
Sean had been lucky over the past two months, hitting ten-fold multipliers three times, with most results falling in the 20x to 50x range. But he hadn't seen anything over 50x in nearly two months.
Ninety-nine times...
Not bad. Now, he wondered what grade the quality of the blade had actually reached.
Beside him, Captain Antonio's eyes widened.
Though the sword's appearance hadn't changed, the feeling it emanated was entirely different. No, this was absolutely not an ordinary sword.
'A Skillful Skillful Grade Sword... No, the sword Energy it's emitting is denser than a Skillful Skillful Grade Sword. Could it be... Great Grade?'
How many years had it been since someone in this world forged a new Great Grade blade?
'Am I... witnessing history?'
"Sean, may I see it?"
"Of course!"
Antonio had taken great care of him over the last two months, so Sean had no reason to refuse.
A moment later, Antonio reached out with a trembling hand and gripped the hilt. Instantly, a surge of dense sword Energy erupted from the blade, sending a sharp, piercing sensation through Antonio's entire body.
The pain was so sudden and intense that he nearly let go of the sword.
"Quick! Get me a suitable scabbard! Now!!"
"Yes, Captain!"
A blacksmith hurried over with a sheath, and Antonio slammed the blade into it immediately. The moment it was sheathed, the oppressive aura vanished as if it had never existed.
'Whew...'
Antonio let out a long breath of relief. As expected, this was a legendary blade that chose its own master; those not recognized by the sword would only be wounded by its Energy.
After a moment of contemplation, Antonio made a decision.
Then, everyone was stunned once again.
Antonio hugged the sword to his chest and sprinted out of the forge at full speed, running for his life.
Watching this scene, Sean's face went blank.
"He didn't just abscond with my sword, did he?"
Facing this question, the surrounding blacksmiths didn't know how to answer. If they wanted to say "no," they simply couldn't.
But he couldn't bring himself to say it!
The scene just now had a strong sense of déjà vu—like someone who had just stolen something and bolted!
'''
A few minutes later, a panting Antonio appeared in the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Antonio, what on earth is the meaning of this?"
"Fleet Admiral, please look at this sword first!"
"Hmm, a sword?"
Looking at the blade Antonio handed him, Sengoku was somewhat perplexed. Still, he took it and drew the steel from its scabbard.
'Sss...'
What is this?
Sengoku was instantly shocked by the sword Energy emanating from the blade. He had seen several Great Grade and Skillful Grade swords at Headquarters, and he had even encountered a Supreme Grade sword.
While the blade in his hand hadn't reached the level of a Supreme Grade, it was undoubtedly top-tier even among Great Grade swords. However, the blade didn't seem to accept him; the sword Energy it emitted was highly aggressive, and the target... was him.
Of course, Sengoku wasn't threatened by this level of sword Energy, but it was enough to surprise him. Even among Supreme Grade swords, a famous blade capable of choosing its own master was an incredibly rare existence.
"Antonio, where did this sword come from?"
"Reporting, Fleet Admiral! This was just forged by our Sword Casting Unit ten minutes ago!"
Hearing Sengoku's question, Antonio straightened his back and spoke with pride.
However...
"Get out of here. Is there actually someone in your Sword Casting Unit capable of forging a blade of this caliber?"
Okay, that was a bit hurtful. 'Just how much do you look down on us, Fleet Admiral...'
"Fleet Admiral, it really was forged by our Sword Casting Unit! Every blacksmith can attest to it!"
"Really?"
"Absolutely!!!"
"Fine. Tell me, who forged it?"
"Reporting, it was Sean, who joined our Sword Casting Unit two months ago. His rank... uh, he doesn't have a rank yet!"
Antonio paused mid-sentence, suddenly remembering. After all, Sean hadn't graduated from the Elite Training Camp yet, so he didn't have a formal rank.
"Wait, who did you say?"
"Sean! Sean Campbell! He was transferred from the Elite Training Camp to our Sword Casting Unit two months ago!"
Silence stretched for over ten seconds.
"Someone, come here!!"
"Fleet Admiral?"
Hearing Sengoku's shout, the messenger outside immediately scurried in.
"Go and tell Zephyr from the Elite Training Camp to get over here immediately!"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
'''
At this moment, Sean had no idea what was happening in Sengoku's office. He was simply standing at the entrance of the forge, gazing into the distance.
'Did he really make a run for it with the sword?'
'Probably not, right?'
'Maybe...'
'No way!!'