Chapter 11: Sword Testing (2)

The old man took me to an empty lot behind the smithy to prove my skills. This area seemed to be used for testing the durability of armor and the sharpness of swords. Various damaged weapons and armor pieces lay scattered on the ground.

“Do you even know what it means to tidy up?”

I wasn’t particularly obsessed with cleanliness, but the chaotic scene made me say that without thinking.

“Shut up. I remember where everything is, and everything’s in its proper place.”

People who don’t usually clean often use this excuse. He probably belonged to that group.

Anyway, I wasn’t here to discuss cleanliness. I pointed to a nearby armor piece and asked:

“Should I cut that?”

“No, what you need to cut isn’t some test armor.”

The old man pointed to a large wooden crate over a meter high. Unless he had lost his mind, I wasn’t supposed to cut the box itself but whatever was inside it.

“What’s inside?”

“This is armor commissioned by a senior swordsman.”

Judging by the word “senior,” it must have been commissioned by a second or third-year student.

The old man grabbed a crowbar lying next to a sword and started prying out the nails from the crate.

“I say this as the one who made it, but this is a masterpiece made from the best materials available.”

“And you’re okay with this masterpiece being cut in half?”

“Heh…”

The old man chuckled, confident that I wouldn’t be able to scratch it.

When he opened the crate, what emerged was a suit of pure white armor, as white as snow. While I wondered which senior character wore such armor, the old man took it out and placed it on the wooden lid.

The armor had a design that resembled roses, giving it a somewhat flamboyant appearance.

“This armor is called White Rose. It’s made from White Iron, a rare metal mined in the North.”

“White Iron?!”

Having read about it several times in the novel, I immediately understood the significance of this armor.

White Iron, a rare metal mined only in the North, was more than worth its weight in gold.

In terms of sheer strength, there might be metals comparable to White Iron.

However, no other metal could match the unique properties of White Iron. It reacts to the wielder’s aura and mana, becoming harder.

So, even if the wearer didn’t enhance the armor with their aura, it would automatically harden in response to attacks imbued with aura or mana.

Though there was a limit to how hard it could become, the stronger the attack, the tougher it got, making it the ultimate shield.

For the old man to ask a freshman to break such armor meant that what I had said earlier had really pissed him off.

“Old man, do people often tell you you’re not very mature?”

“Say whatever you want. So, are you going to do it or not? If you know about White Iron, you should know how reckless this is.”

“Yes, I’m well aware.”

I knew both the strengths and weaknesses of White Iron.

“Old man, don’t tell me to compensate for the armor after I cut it.”

“That won’t happen, but even if it does, I’m not petty enough to demand compensation.”

The old man placed the helmet on an anvil scarred with marks from previous blows.

“Cut this helmet. If you do, I’ll make you that reverse-bladed sword or whatever you call it. But if you can’t cut it, don’t ever pick up a sword again.”

Don’t pick up a sword again, meaning never practice Baldo again—an extreme consequence. Yet, my heart didn’t waver even a bit.

“…I just have to cut through the helmet?”

“You won’t even be able to cut the helmet, so why worry about the armor? Do you think you can go beyond the helmet to cut the armor?”

“To be honest, cutting it in one stroke might be too much, but I think I could at least cut it halfway….”

The old man, seemingly provoked, removed the helmet and placed the armor on top, then set the helmet back on top of it.

“If you’re so confident, give it a try. But remember, if you fail… you know what happens.”

“Yes, I understand perfectly.”

As soon as I said that, the first thing I did was step back more than ten paces from the armor.

White Iron hardens in response to the opponent’s aura.

Just in case, I didn’t want it to harden due to any aura I couldn’t control.

‘There are two main strategies to deal with White Iron.’

The first is to destroy it with an aura or mana stronger than its maximum hardness.

The second, which I was about to attempt….

“Haa….”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, recalling the old man’s words: never pick up a sword again.

Even though there was no magical contract binding me, if I failed, I intended to keep that promise.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to face myself or, more importantly, the art of Baldo.

When I reopened my eyes, the pure white armor, White Rose, stood before me, looking even tougher than the academy’s white walls.

Without taking my eyes off the armor, I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword.

“Inhale… exhale…”

I breathed deeply, channeling aura into my bloodstream, slowly enhancing my body.

As my body heated up, an unfamiliar sensation spread throughout me, indicating that I was in the best physical condition I’d ever experienced.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

If sheer strength could cut through White Iron, it wouldn’t have earned its reputation.

Although I was using Baldo, it wouldn’t be my body directly confronting White Rose.

I poured as much aura as possible into my sword and reinforced the scabbard to withstand the moment of the draw.

The scabbard, overwhelmed with aura, began to shake violently as if an earthquake were occurring.

I was honestly nervous.

This Baldo technique was based on destroying both the sword and the scabbard, so I’d only used it once before.

Though I had only used it once, its destructive power was greater than any other technique I had, which was why I chose it now.

If I failed, there would be no second chance.

With my mind set on putting everything into this one draw, I waited for the right moment.

Creak!

When I heard the ominous sound from the wooden scabbard, I knew, just like the first time I developed this technique, that it was the perfect moment.

“Ahhhh!!!!”

With a loud shout, I drew my sword, but my yell was quickly drowned out by the explosive sound from the scabbard.

The sword glowed with a brilliance comparable to thunder or a massive bomb as the compressed aura burst from the scabbard, creating a shockwave that tore through the air.

For a moment, the recoil caused the sword’s trajectory to waver, but I managed to correct it at the last second, directing my blade straight at the helmet of White Rose.

Crackle!

With the sound of metal shattering, the helmet broke into pieces and fell apart.

My sword, having destroyed the helmet, continued its path toward the chestplate, the main body of White Rose.

Once again, my sword clashed with White Rose.

The wretched screech, like torn metal begging for mercy, echoed through the empty lot.

Sparks flew as my sword collided with White Rose, but the fierce confrontation ended abruptly with a sudden explosion.

“Ugh!!”

The sword I brought down on White Rose exploded, causing such a strong vibration that I nearly lost my grip on the hilt.

This happens when too much aura is infused into a weapon, beyond what it can handle. It was the second time I had witnessed this phenomenon.

Moments later, as the black smoke from the explosion cleared, carried away by the wind, I saw White Rose and smiled.

Though my sword hadn’t completely cut through White Rose, it had sliced a significant portion from the chest to the abdomen. The impact of the explosion had ripped open the armor, leaving it in a pathetic state.

Not only that, but the soot from the explosion had blackened White Rose, making it seem as though I had trampled on the old man’s pride, which felt incredibly satisfying.

‘Success.’

The second method to cut through armor or shields made of White Iron is to cut as quickly as possible before it can react to aura or mana.

[Baldo: Explosive Sword] [Grade: B+]

[A technique where aura is infused into a sheathed sword, then released from the scabbard to propel the sword and cut the enemy, causing the sword to explode.

If used with the sword already drawn, the scabbard won’t be damaged, and the recoil can be used more effectively. Additionally….]

No, that’s nonsense.

The power from earlier came from compressing the aura as much as possible while the sword was sheathed, then releasing it.

[Moreover, comparing the power of releasing aura from a sheathed state and after drawing, the difference is negligible. It’s more efficient to release aura after drawing to avoid damaging the sword from the friction and impact during drawing.]

“…….”

Shut up. Damn it.