Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer

[OP: ]

“How are you doing today, Miss honorary judge?” The teacher asked her as soon as she descended to their arena.

For a moment, it seemed like the other duels around them had stopped, but then they resumed quickly.

This was not going to be all that special. This was a guidance duel as well as they all needed to pay attention to their own things before they start staring at someone else.

Besides that, they were not doing all that good. The teachers were not ganging up on them, like they had to do with some of the teachers, but they still pushed back as best as they could.

“It’s a fine day, teacher. A very fine day.” Zoe nodded at her teacher, the dwarf who she had been seeing for the past year and someone she was going to see this year as well since she had chosen to continue with his special class this year as well.

She did not like changing her classes, she liked being around the people that she had already known and doing things that she had been learning already.

The course was already of the greatest difficulty. There weren’t basic courses like these anyway, and those who chose the same courses this year as well, were going to learn how difficult and different the second year teachings were going to be compared to the past year.

But that was something they should be thinking about when they go to their classes, not when there’s a duel going on…

“Seems like you were having fun with the judges, huh? You were pretty impressive up there as well.” He smiled, and at the same time, revealed a simple magic furnace to her.

That was going to be the only thing they were going to need for their duel this time. Aside from the hammers and a few basic equipment, there was nothing else present here. Not even a bellow to control the flames.

“I know you are supposed to be the one setting the rules but I just wanted to suggest something. How do you feel about competing in a simple manner, like the Creators.”

The teachers could very well suggest something. And as the top student, it was a pretty common thing for her to accept the suggestion.

“I apologise, teacher. I am not yet good enough to call myself a true Creator. There are still countless things I must learn before I can call myself a Creator. I cannot compete with you as a creator.” She was very humble as she said those things.

There was no shred of ego or arrogance in those words. Even the ones who did not hear them directly could tell she was being sincere right now.

She would have accepted the challenge had she been going against a student like herself, or someone who was still learning.

However, if she accepted the suggestion of her teacher, a great grandmaster, she would only be insulting him by calling herself a Creator.

She was nowhere on his level, she was nowhere near someone who had mastered this craft either.

As good and talented she may be, she was still a student who had just started learning this craft. As such, if anything, she wanted to use this opportunity to learn, not compete against her revered teacher.

“While I cannot compete against you on the same level, may I suggest something else?” The teacher was a little disappointed that they would not be able to compete on the same level, but he was also happy that she had such a deep understanding of the traditional roles.

He was impressed already, but then she suggested something even more amusing.

“How about we try creating something we have already created, something we are already proficient in. That way, we would be competing on the same level and if we judge each other’s items, then we will come to a valid conclusion as well.”

It wasn’t about competing against each other in this manner. This was creating the best thing that they could and judging both of them from their own perspective.

If someone with judgement so great that even the representatives of the island acknowledged her checks his work, then it would not be one sided or invalid either.

She was a good creator as well so judging her work would only be a positive thing in his eyes.

If anything, he was looking forward to seeing what cool thing she creates already.

“I cannot deny such a good request now, can I? But, will we need anything more? Or do you want to show off your skills?” He picked up his hammer and took out his materials from his storage device.

“I’d like to learn, teacher.” And that was her reply as she took out her own things from her storage space.

The two got to work immediately, knowing the conditions and limitations without saying out loud. Both of them were aware of the limitations that they would have to follow in a competition as small as this one.

If anything, they needed to limit the options that they had. The time that they were given wasn’t too long. A few hours were all that they had to finish the items that they would select, and if they were going to create something complex, then they needed to manage their time more than their production speed.

-Tank! Tank! Tank!

Zoe started working on her metals… She had chosen a bunch of special metals containing Mana. There were some metals which weren’t easy to work with.

Plus, since they did not have any way to control the flames, they needed to rely purely on their affinity with the flames as well as their magical abilities.

If they had a spirit, then they would have used that as well. But neither of them did that… Instead of using spirit magic, they both controlled the flames with magic.

“She is the same age as most of the young students, and yet…”

“There was a reason she got the top scores, after all.”

“Just looking at her reminds me of Sir’s younger days. Have you seen him in the grand competitions?”

“When the grandmasters go against one another, it’s a completely different view. But even against a student… I feel like I’m witnessing something similar.”

The teachers were all speechless right now.

They could not fathom just how well she was handling the flames right now… it was almost as if the flames were listening to her, as if she was a being that was an essence of the flames and could control the flames like her own limbs.

Just this scene alone made them speechless, however, that was just the start.

“Oh?”

Once she started mixing the metals to create an alloy, the things started getting heated.

“She’s going to use alchemical techniques as well, isn’t she?”

When the metals went inside the furnace, it seemed pretty obvious that she would use various natural materials to get a stable combination of metals and create the thing she was making.

However, that did not happen… She did not use any natural materials like plants or crystals. She used metals alone, simple metals that melted and mixed together inside the flames.

“She measured the ratios beforehand?”

“No… that can’t be.”

She had not measured anything. Not on any scales at least.

She simply measured the pieces of the natural materials by hand and with her eyes before throwing them inside the furnace.

It was a sight that stunned a few who understood what she had just done.

“That right there, friends, is the true intuition of a master.”

“It’s like she had worked with it several thousand times already.”

“Who would say she’s a second year student? Hahaha.”

The teachers were impressed. CheckforthelatestupdatesonMyVirtualLibraryEmpire(*).

Her teacher had used Mithril and finished his smelting process already, moving on to the next steps, feeling ashamed of himself.

They were making something they were well familiar with so he was making a simple blade. He was going to engrave it and make it better, but…

‘There she is, creating a unique alloy right from the start.’

The process was neither easy nor simple. She must have tried this countless times before reaching the perfect ratio of all things.

That wasn’t all there was to this whole process either…

-Tang!

“Ah…”

The very first strike from her simple hammer, and the entire arena froze once again.

-Tang! Tang! Tang!

People watched with wide eyes as sparks started flying all around a certain arena.

“Do you see that, Tia?”

All students looked at the big floating screen above the arenas, all the screens showing the same scene.

“That’s the reason I keep telling you why we should worry about her instead of my Lucifer.”

The mere sound of a hammer striking the metal was resonating within their entire body.

Even while sitting far away from their arena, they could feel the vibrations on their fingertips, something not even the grandmasters are able to produce most of the time.

Her focus alone was impeccable. She was lost in her work right now, and there seemed to be nothing that concerned her right now aside from the metal and the hammer in her hands.

She was making something, she was Creating something, and that was all that mattered to her right now.

“Seems like I’m seeing the younger days of a legend.”

Smiling bitterly at his own work, he shook his head and retired to his work.

He already knew who the winner was going to be, but at the very least, he wanted to finish his work.

He needed to do at least that much to show a decent result to this young prodigy beside him…