Ryan and the others lay on the infirmary beds, instructed by the attending doctor to rest due to extreme fatigue. Some classmates visited and inquired about their well-being. Professor Amira also came to visit briefly.
"I'm sorry, kids, it's because of my assignment that you're in this state," Professor Amira said remorsefully about the task she had given.
"No need to apologize too much, professor. It's called exploring the forest. Unexpected things are bound to happen when we explore the forest; it's our fault for not bringing our equipment," Alicia comforted Professor Amira.
"But earlier, when we were chased by the Epihorn herd, you were angry with the professor," Matt said, making Alicia feel embarrassed and bow her head. Everyone laughed at Alicia's embarrassed behavior.
"It seems like you guys didn't experience trauma, that's good. I have medicine for you to recover quickly," Professor Amira said, taking out a bottle from her subspace ring on her finger and placing it on the table next to the room.
"Sorry, kids, I can't stay with you for too long. I still have classes to teach. Well then, goodbye. Don't forget to take your medicine!" Professor Amira said before closing the infirmary door.
"So... who do you think released those Epihorns?"
"It seems like it will remain a mystery that cannot be solved. Instead of thinking about it, we'd better drink the medicine the professor gave us," Ryan said, taking a bottle of medicine and drinking it.
"Hmm—tastes sweet like sugar," Ryan lied to them.
Hearing that, the others then took the bottles of medicine, feeling like they were drinking something sweet. But when they drank it, they were surprised by the very bitter taste.
"Ryan, you lied to us, didn't you?" Clara said, surprised by the bitterness of the medicine she drank.
"Ughhh... this is so bitter, how could you lie about it being so bitter," Tiana said, only taking a drop of the medicine.
"I have my ways," Ryan said proudly of his actions. Alicia then looked at Ryan sharply and turned her face away. Ryan, who didn't care, then planned to sleep after taking the medicine.
'The others seem unaware because they're still carried away by the adrenaline from this afternoon's events. However, he managed to create a lot of ether beams and other forms with Etherization even though he only learned it for 1 day. Such a crazy talent!' Alicia was lost in her thoughts as if still not believing it.
---
Time had changed from noon to morning.
The third day in Etherea.
The first lesson for today was the Production class. A lesson related to forging, a lesson that suited Matt very well. But when Ryan looked at Matt, he seemed lethargic and uninspired.
"Why do you look so down?!" Ryan asked Matt, while Alicia, who heard it, was also curious and waiting for Matt's answer.
"It's because I don't like forging," Ryan was surprised to hear this and immediately replied to Matt.
"Why? Aren't you from the Hendrix family? How come you don't like forging?"
"Because in my family, it became like a demand, and it made me hate it," Matt sighed heavily.
"Ah, I see... but you're good at it, aren't you?" Hearing Ryan says that, Matt was slightly annoyed but answered sincerely.
"Well, you're not wrong, I can forge, but I hate it. I... don't you agree that doing something forced makes you not enjoy it anymore?" Matt asked the others, his eyes showing deep hatred, but in his heart, he still doubted his decision. Seeing his friend's despair, Ryan couldn't say anything.
Then Matt continued, "And it seems like our professor will arrive soon."
The teacher then entered the classroom, he had a body with a quite short stature but was wide and muscular. He also had a very long beard, reaching up to his chest. If described, he was a Dwarf. The teacher then introduced himself by writing his name on the chalkboard.
"Ahem... let me introduce myself, my name is Hjuldan Frostwanderer. The way to read my name is by replacing the letter j with y. Nice to meet you, new students, hopefully, we can get along for the next year. That's all from me, let's start the lesson."
"What do you think forging is?" Professor Hjuldan asked while circling the classroom.
"Heating metal and hammering it until it becomes the desired shape," one of the students said.
"A very simple answer, any others?" with a lethargic look, Matt answered the teacher's question indifferently.
"Forging is—a process that pours the emotions of the blacksmith into a piece of iron, which is then transformed into a work that can be used and cherished by its owner."
"An interesting answer, I like that, 100 for you. And what's your name, lad?"
"Matthew von Hendrix," Matt said reluctantly.
"Oh, Hendrix, no wonder your answer was interesting." Hearing that, Matt reflexively clicked his tongue. Seeing this, Professor Hjuldan couldn't resist his curiosity but decided against it because it seemed like a personal issue.
'There seems to be a problem within him, he rejects the roots of himself and his own family. I'll try to get him to like forging again. I think I'll ask Professor Marius about it,' Professor Hjuldan thought to himself.
"Let's move on to another question, how many types of metal are commonly used in forging to make swords?"
"The most commonly used metals are 3, namely Black iron, Blue steel, and Red metal," Alicia answered Professor Hjuldan's question.
"Correct! 100 for you too, and what's your name, miss?"
"Alicia von Talvi." Professor Hjuldan then nodded his head and noted Alicia's name.
"I'll add a little bit, with these three metals, we can combine them into a sword with the characteristics we desire. Black iron, which has strong resilience but is heavy, can be combined with Blue steel, which is light and thin but has brittle resilience, to increase the lightness and resilience of the sword so it doesn't break easily."
Then a student raised their hand to ask, "What about Red Metal?"
"A good question, Red Metal itself doesn't need to be combined because this object has quite versatile characteristics. It's light and has fairly good resilience. However, its downside is difficult forging, and if made into a sword, it has quite a thick thickness compared to the combination of the two previous metals. Most people don't like it, but some actually like the thickness of Red Metal. If asked why it's not forged again to make it thinner. The answer is that continuous forging will damage the quality of Red Metal. Any more questions?"
"What if all types of metal are combined, what will happen?"
"An interesting question, if you combine all types of metal, it can be done. However, it requires a very skilled forging skill and must understand all the characteristics of these types of metals to meet the demands of the swordsmen."
"For example, if someone wants to make a sword that is light but not thin and has strong resilience, there you can combine these three metals into a sword."
Then the clock on the
wall indicated that Professor Hjuldan's class time was over.
"It seems there are no more questions. Time flies too fast, class time is over, then see you next week." Professor Hjuldan then left the class, and the teacher from the non-major subject came to fill his teaching time.
Hearing that, Ryan couldn't hold back his sadness because the next lesson would drain his mental energy.
* * *
After today's lesson ended, Ryan then returned to his dorm room to go to sleep, even though it was still early evening. But he couldn't sleep because he heard the sound of forging that never stopped. Ryan still forced himself to sleep, but the sound kept him awake. Ryan, who knew the origin of the sound, came from Matt's room and then knocked on his door.
"Hey, Matt, if you're forging in your room, at least use soundproofing. Oh wait, where did you get the forging tools, and how did you manage to bring them into your room?" Since he didn't hear Matt's response, Ryan then tried to open his door and found it unlocked. When Ryan opened Matt's door, he saw Matt forging silently and seriously.
Seeing that, Ryan didn't want to disturb Matt's activity and immediately closed Matt's door, but when he was about to close it, Matt then spoke.
"Look, Ryan, I succeeded in combining them!" Matt said while holding a still red-hot forging iron with a tong that was peculiar in a blacksmith's shop.
"Crazy! You're going against your hatred without telling your friend. As a friend, I appreciate your attitude, but at least know the time to do that!" Ryan yelled with bags under his eyes like a panda while pointing to the wall clock showing that it was already midnight. Matt, seeing this, then apologized to Ryan.