Chapter 38: Rejector of Trash

Draven took his hands out of his pockets. He stepped directly toward the flaming forge.

Cole Rust did not even notice the group entering his workshop. The soot-covered boy raised his heavy iron hammer high above his head. He brought it down with devastating force.

CLANG!

CRACK!

The cheap iron on the anvil violently splintered. It shattered into dozens of useless and jagged pieces. Shards of hot metal scattered across the stone floor.

Cole dropped his hammer. He grabbed his own hair in deep frustration.

"Trash!" Cole screamed at himself. "It is all trash! Why can I not control it? Why does it always break?!"

Estella and Reina took a step back from the sudden outburst. Aegon looked at the boy with pity.

"Hey," Draven called out over the crackling fire.

Cole spun around. He glared at Draven with defensive and angry eyes. He was used to the other Academy students coming here just to mock his failures.

"Who are you?" Cole snapped. "The shop is closed. Get out before I throw you out."

Draven ignored the threat. He kept his eyes locked on the boy. A glowing blue screen hovered perfectly over Cole’s head.

[SYSTEM STATUS: COLE RUST]

[Class: First Year Smithing Student]

[Potential: S-Tier]

[Talent: Crucible Heart (Dormant)]

[Condition: Curse - Rejector of Trash]

Draven read the hidden details. The system confirmed everything. Cole was not lacking physical control.

His internal mana was simply too heavy and too pure. Whenever he struck a piece of metal, his soul instinctively tried to inject extreme power into it.

"You are not failing because your technique is bad," Draven stated calmly. "You are failing because you are forcing a god to drink from a mud puddle."

Cole froze. His angry expression faltered. "What are you talking about?"

"Your mana is too dense," Draven explained while stepping closer to the anvil.

"Basic iron and cheap steel cannot handle your innate energy. The moment you strike them, they crumble under the sheer weight of your talent. You have a curse. Your body actively rejects trash."

Cole stared at him in pure shock. Nobody had ever analyzed his forging like this before. The instructors just called him clumsy.

"Who cares if my mana is dense?" Cole muttered bitterly.

"I am broke. This cheap iron is all I can afford to practice on."

Draven smirked. He tapped his spatial storage ring.

VWOOM!

A heavy block of silver metal materialized and slammed onto the anvil.

The entire workshop instantly dropped in temperature. The metal radiated a faint and freezing blue aura.

Cole gasped. He stumbled forward. His hands hovered over the block with pure reverence.

"Pristine Steel Iron," Cole whispered in awe.

"This is an A-grade material. You need a military license just to look at this stuff. Where did you get this?"

Draven did not answer the question. He had looted it directly off Instructor Graves’ dead body inside the Academy vault.

"You have the potential to be the best Blacksmith in the world, Cole," Draven said with absolute conviction.

"You will not dirty your hands with trash materials anymore. Pick up your hammer."

Cole looked at Draven with wide and trembling eyes.

"Hit it," Draven commanded. "Do not hold your mana back. Give it everything you have."

Cole swallowed hard. He gripped the leather handle of his hammer. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them, the frustration was entirely gone. Only pure and unadulterated focus remained.

He swung the hammer down with terrifying speed.

CLANG!!!

A massive shockwave of blue mana erupted from the anvil. It blew the soot and dust right off the workshop walls. Aegon had to shield Estella from the intense wind.

The A-grade metal did not shatter. It glowed a blinding white and folded perfectly under the strike.

[System Alert: The seal on ’Crucible Heart’ has been broken!]

Cole dropped to his knees. Tears streamed down his soot-stained face.

For the first time in his entire life, the metal had actually listened to him. He looked up at Draven like the transmigrator was a literal savior.

"I did it," Cole breathed out. "It did not break."

"Of course it did not," Draven said. He crossed his arms.

"Now that you are awake, I need to commission you. You work exclusively for my party from now on."

"Anything," Cole agreed instantly. He scrambled to his feet.

"What do you want me to forge? A broadsword? A heavy shield?"

"I need two very specific items," Draven instructed.

Draven pointed to the Pristine Steel Iron.

"First. I want you to forge an indestructible and extremely sharp arrow. Do not make a bow for it. Just a heavy and perfectly balanced spike. I will fire it using my own telekinetic power."

Cole nodded rapidly.

"A mental projectile. I can temper the steel to channel kinetic force. What is the second item?"

Draven’s eyes darkened into a cold and murderous stare.

"The second item is for a special pest control operation," Draven said smoothly.

"I need a specialized hollow kunai. It must look identical to the standard stealth weapons used by the underworld guilds."

Draven stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"I need a sealed chamber inside the blade," Draven continued.

"Fill that chamber with pure sodium. Make it so the seal breaks upon deep impact."

Aegon scratched his head in confusion. "Sodium? Why do you need that?"

"Because pure sodium reacts violently with water," Estella answered quietly. She looked at Draven with a calculating gaze.

"And the human body is mostly water. If that blade pierces someone..."

"They will literally explode from the inside out," Reina finished. She grinned fiercely. "That is brutal. I love it."

Draven ignored their chatter. He looked at the young Blacksmith.

"Can you make the hollow kunai?" Draven asked.

"I can have both items finished by tomorrow night," Cole promised. His eyes burned with intense loyalty.

"I will not fail you, Customer."

"You better not, because what I freed you from was not a simple Curse. It was a lifeline I had provided you. I will continue to provide you with materials to work with, but you should never ever forget the debt you owe me today." said Draven as he turned around to leave.

Before he left, he threw a note towards Cole.

"Also, here is my contact information. When your Entrance Exam is finished, you will meet me to give my Items I have requested from you."