I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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I will destroy the Black Yakstone.

As Edgar uttered that shocking statement, Gracia’s gaze fixated on him.

At the same time, a silence fell over the noisy classroom.

Everyone who heard his statement couldn’t believe their ears.

To say he would destroy the Black Yakstone, which symbolizes the Zigmund family. What nonsense was that?

[Edgar Fix, don’t intervene. You are my student. I have a duty to protect you.]

What was most important to Gracia was not the truth of the statement but the safety of the student.

He had already made a grave error by allowing Max to end up like that, and he couldn’t let his student get hurt any further.

[But Professor, if we stay like this, there’s no other way but to kill that guy, right?]

[······.]

However, Edgar’s following words hit the mark.

No matter how much of a Swordmaster Gracia was, he couldn’t “subdue” someone who had become a “madman” with a 17cm stick, let alone someone wielding the Black Yakstone itself, which represented the Zigmund family.

Of course, if he truly wanted to, he could kill him at any moment, but because of Gracia’s nature, he couldn’t bring himself to kill his own student.

[Paah!]

In the brief exchange.

Black mana shot from Max and plunged towards Edgar and Gracia.

However, Gracia continued to keep his gaze fixed on Edgar, effortlessly waving the 17cm stick to completely negate the black mana.

[Krhhhhh! Krhh! Krhhhhh!!]

Max then began to laugh like a beast, using his sharp claws to injure himself.

He was harming himself to gain more power.

Seeing Max like that, Gracia sighed.

[···There’s no other way.]

Max had already entered the full-blown “madman” stage.

He couldn’t subdue him with conventional means.

With a heart gripped by desperation, he had no choice but to accept Edgar’s proposal.

[···Edgar, I’ll accept your plan. But─]

Even if they set a plan, Edgar’s safety was paramount.

Gracia emphasized this point as he spoke.

[─If I give the retreat order, retreat unconditionally. And I won’t accept any plan that puts you in danger.]

[···Of course.]

Edgar readily accepted this.

Then Gracia asked Edgar to explain the plan, and Edgar began to outline his idea.

After hearing all the explanations, Gracia nodded, acknowledging the plan.

[So, if I endure while receiving Max’s Black Yakstone, you intend to ambush and destroy the Black Yakstone, right?]

[Yes.]

[Kekeh. That’s a crazy plan.]

A crazy plan. There was no other way to describe it.

To withstand the power of the madman wielding the Black Yakstone with just a 17cm wooden stick.

[Do you have confidence that you can destroy the Black Yakstone?]

However, Gracia didn’t voice any objections to that.

Because it was actually possible.

He was among the four Swordmasters of the Empire.

He was truly one of the absolute strong ones who transcended weapon types.

[Yes. I’m a blacksmith after all.]

And Edgar was also a talented boy rising to the peak of blacksmithing.

Just as Gracia received the Black Yakstone with a 17cm wooden stick, Edgar could also smash the Black Yakstone through engineering analysis.

[Then let’s begin.]

Kwaang!

As soon as Gracia finished speaking, Max, who had completed his transformation, charged at them.

At the same time, an immense wave of black mana extending from the Black Yakstone pursued those retreating.

[Wooong!]

In response, Edgar activated the Plasma Mana Shield to block it.

Gracia also let most of the mana flow away with a practiced step, and with some mana, he deflected those that came at him with the stick covered in strong energy.

-Paah!

However, Gracia didn’t stop there.

Instead, he charged towards Max.

To fulfill what Edgar had ordered.

“Legion Commander! I’ve located the training arena!”

At that moment, a subordinate who had found out the location of the training arena reported to Alerina.

However, Alerina, with her gaze fixed on the screen in front of her, mumbled something.

“I feel like… something’s going to happen…”

“Excuse me?”

“I think they’ll resolve it between the two of them. That pretty boy has a hidden card.”

A hidden card?

The subordinate turned his gaze to the screen.

A barely surviving video transmission magic circle was broadcasting the fight between Gracia and Max live.

[Kooohhh!!!]

Max was swinging his sword madly, pouring out his rage.

Feeling mocked like a child with just a wooden stick from Gracia, who was toying with him, the embarrassment ignited his fury.

[Chwaaaa─!!]

Then an immensely enlarged black mana surged towards Gracia.

The black mana, shaped like sharp needles, split into hundreds of shards and pierced Gracia’s body.

“Surely a Swordmaster…”

However, just as an unnamed cadet muttered, Gracia skillfully dodged the attacks with movements befitting a Swordmaster.

Then, with his rage at its peak, Max began to injure himself again to increase his power.

Seeing Max like that, Gracia shot him a disdainful look and spoke in a cold voice.

[You will be remembered as the worst swordsman in history. The only thing you can do is harm yourself under the influence of drugs.]

[Kooohhh!!!]

With Max’s enraged roar, a red haze exploded around him.

The Black Yakstone began to tremble strangely, sucking in the floating red haze like a vacuum.

Strengthened further, Max aimed the Black Yakstone down at Gracia.

[······.]

However, at that moment, Gracia used a “secret technique.”

While everything else moved in slow motion, only Gracia seemed to flow differently in time as his body felt free.

It felt as if he were slicing the fleeting moment into thousands of frames, examining each one.

‘Well hidden.’

And in this static space, Gracia confirmed Edgar’s position.

For Edgar’s plan to destroy the Black Yakstone while hiding from Max’s blind spot, both timing and aggro needed to be just right.

‘I’ll leave the back to you.’

And now was that time.

A blue haze erupted from Gracia’s entire body, overwhelming the red haze of Max.

-Paah!

Then, the time that had stopped began to flow again.

The massive Black Yakstone that Max brought down was about to vertically crash towards Gracia at lightning speed.

[-Kwaang!!]

But Gracia blocked it with just a wooden stick.

The blue energy extending from the 17cm stick acted as a sword blade.

It was reminiscent of a lightsaber.

[Sooohhh!!!]

But that wasn’t the end.

The Black Yakstone began to recollect the vast amounts of black mana that had been dispersed.

Accordingly, the power of the Black Yakstone crushing Gracia intensified, and cracks began to appear in his expression.

[-Taah!]

However, at that moment.

Edgar, who had been lying in ambush on the ceiling, activated his propulsion and rushed towards Max.

Gracia had done his part, now it was his turn to step in.

***

Just as Max was about to strike Gracia with the empowered Black Yakstone.

I caught a glimpse of Gracia’s gaze briefly resting on me.

And in that moment, I sensed that it was my turn.

He had confirmed my position before receiving Max’s Black Yakstone.

-Chwaarr!

Thus, I immediately transformed my gauntlet.

The only way to break the Black Yakstone was through the ultra-hot plasma blade, so I shifted the gauntlet to the form that could execute that technique.

Bwaaaang!

In due time, the ultra-hot plasma blade erupted from the transformed gauntlet.

This ultra-hot plasma blade, reminiscent of a zealot’s psionic lightsaber, was enveloped by a powerful magnetic field generated in the conductor, allowing it to maintain its blade shape without transferring any temperature to me.

-Kwaang!

Then, the Black Yakstone collided with Gracia’s wooden stick.

At first glance, it seemed like a cat’s paw was pinning down a mouse, making it look like Max was overwhelming Gracia, but Gracia was not a mouse.

He was merely a beast unable to reveal his paw.

-Sooohhh!

Thus, I waited for the moment.

Until the Black Yakstone focused entirely on absorbing the black mana to attack.

I slowly timed it until the moment Max completely exposed a gap and became helpless to my ambush.

‘Now!’

Finally, the time had come.

The Black Yakstone began to absorb all the mana and transitioned into an attack, while Gracia started to be pushed back slowly.

-Paah!

I bent my legs as far as they would go like pressing a spring, then sprang off the wall, sending my body towards Max’s Black Yakstone.

Simultaneously, I activated the propulsion to accelerate my surprise attack.

-Hwooom!

In that fleeting moment.

I arrived directly in front of the Black Yakstone.

Now, all that remained was to destroy his Black Yakstone with the ultra-hot plasma blade.

‘Can I do it?’

After all, damaging an artifact with the title of ‘artisan’ was no easy task.

To achieve this, many conditions had to be met.

The first was that Max’s black mana must fully switch to an offensive state.

However, thanks to Gracia’s aggro, this issue was resolved.

The second was that Max should not notice my ambush at all.

If he notices my ambush, he could switch the black mana to defense.

The third was that I must launch an attack with an immense ultra-heat sufficient to melt the Black Yakstone, which had an incredibly high melting point.

This was plausible as my plasma blade would exceed 6,000 degrees.

‘I can do it!’

With all those complicated conditions met.

Confident, I swung the plasma blade at Max without hesitation.

Simultaneously, before the plasma blade could touch the Black Yakstone, I released a small part of the magnetic field that surrounded the ultra-hot plasma.

This was to expose the ultra-hot temperature of over 6,000 degrees directly onto his Black Yakstone.

-Chiiiiiing!

And it worked perfectly.

The Black Yakstone, which had been using all its mana for the black magic, could not send mana to the “reinforcement technique” due to the sudden ambush, and it warped under the pressure.

-Pikuh! Paddik!

The blade momentarily melted, creating cracks and gaps.

I drove the plasma blade deep into that gap, and finally, the infamous Black Yakstone, one of the four great demonic swords, was····.

───Paaaang!!

Shattered into pieces.

It could not protect itself by delivering mana to the emerald mana stones embedded throughout the blade, and it melted and broke under the surprise attack.

“······?”

And it was an unbelievable sight.

Even the madman Max gazed at his broken sword in disbelief, his face blank.

“Professor.”

“Yeah. Finish it.”

But there was still work to be done.

Subduing the madman Max.

With the Black Yakstone gone, he had no choice but to become our prey.

-Paah!

Gracia’s new method quickly spread.

He dug into Max’s blind spot and swiftly severed his Achilles’ heel.

“Koohhh!!!”

Then, a furious Max swung his fist.

But by that point, Gracia had long since vanished.

Before he knew it, he appeared right in front of Max, striking with energy at his wrist.

-Fuhwaaaaaaa!!!

Then Max’s wrist was severed, and an enormous amount of blood gushed forth.

Of course, while Max became stronger the more wounded and angry he got, a mere cadet who drank an enraged potion posed no threat to Gracia.

“Krurrrr… Krurrraaaa…”

About 30 minutes passed as Gracia bound Max with the black ichor and began to cook him.

Max, who had poured an unimaginable amount of blood, was losing his madman mode.

The berserk potion dissolved in his bloodstream, returning him to his normal state.

“Our, our heirloom… the Black Yakstone given by Father…”

Now regaining his sanity, Max began to comprehend the situation and wept bitterly.

At that, Gracia let out a small sigh, withdrew the strong energy from his wooden stick, and clapped my shoulder, thanking me for my efforts.

“Edgar Fix, thanks to you, I was able to subdue him safely. You always manage to surprise me.”

“······.”

After leaving those words, Gracia approached Max.

And looking at the guy who was madly scraping up the shards of the Black Yakstone, he spoke in a cold voice.

“Max. Why did you do that? You have crossed a line that should not be crossed.”

Yet, seemingly unconcerned with Gracia’s admonition, Max mumbled to himself.

The family head will kill me.

I’m done for now.

Father will kick me out.

Damn, it’s all that commoner’s fault, among other things.

He fired off various phrases in rapid succession.

“I knew you were a precarious child.”

Gracia continued calmly.

Perhaps due to the magical energy in his voice, even the madman Max looked up at Gracia.

“If you had asked for help without relying on that madman’s power, I would have helped you at any time.”

“······.”

“Max Zigmund. You just lost that last chance. Do you dare attempt to kill your fellow student with a forbidden potion driven by personal feelings?”

“B-but if I don’t win in this duel… the family head will…”

“Count Zigmund is also your father. Consider the things you’ve done up till now. He tried to suppress your wicked side, even using intimidation.”

“Keuh… Kekeh… You don’t know shit about it… Father never acknowledged me… he just… trained me like a dog…”

“You foolish boy, look at the shattered Black Yakstone caused by your stupidity.”

“······?”

“That sword is the very heart of your father. He entrusted the sword that symbolizes the Zigmund family to you.”

“······.”

“I know Count Zigmund. He is not a person who will become cruel for no reason.”

Gracia said and kneeled down to meet Max’s gaze.

Yet, there was still anger in Gracia’s eyes.

“The sin of being swayed by emotions and killing a loyal servant who has served the family for a long time. The crime of touching Princess Cruel without knowing your place and embarrassing the family. And all the other minor evils you’ve committed.”

“······.”

“Count Zigmund buried all those sins and sent you here. He entrusted the family’s sword to you, hoping you would change.”

“Ah… Aah… Uuuu…”

“Yet, you still tried to manipulate your family’s competition during the preliminary assessment. Did you think Count Zigmund was oblivious to that?”

“B-but… the family head…”

“…Not tarnishing the family’s name. That is not just winning. It’s about upholding the responsibilities and dignity that come with the name.”

Gracia said and cast a healing spell on Max.

Even so, the anger still etched in his gaze did not fade.

“But now, you no longer have the honor to protect. In the end, you brought this upon yourself. Your sins will cause Count Zigmund to weep blood.”

Gracia said that as he rose.

At the same time, Alerina’s subordinate and the aid team he brought began to enter the training arena.

Max wept for a long time, clutching the broken Black Yakstone.

***

In the end, Max was expelled.

Moreover, the Zigmund family underwent a thorough investigation, but nothing suspicious was found.

Max, who had hung around with low-life scum since his childhood, had simply procured a berserk potion through a broker.

Once the incident was resolved, the topic shifted from ‘Max’ to ‘Black Yakstone’.

What should be done about the artifact Edgar Fix had shattered?

Ultimately, the decision lay with Count Zigmund, the owner of the Black Yakstone.

The count wanted the Black Yakstone fully repaired and sent letters to the empire’s blacksmiths and the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom in search of help.

However, there was no blacksmith within the empire capable of repairing the Black Yakstone, which embodied the skills of dwarves, and the Dwarf Alliance Kingdom outright rejected the cursed demonic sword, stating they didn’t even want to look at it.

“······.”

In response, Count Zigmund fell silent.

There was only one person in this world he could trust to repair the cursed blade.

That was the one his son had attempted to kill.