"……What?"When I frowned and asked again, Ciel answered with an expressionless face."I meant exactly what I said. Loen, your next Competition Battle opponent has been set as me."Competition Battles can be fought via challenge letters, but by default the main structure is weekly random matchups determined by rank.Once per week, you’re randomly matched with students whose current rank is close to your own.My current rank is 112th. Ciel’s rank is exactly 100th.I did think that once the gap narrowed, a matchup might become possible, but I didn’t think it would actually happen."What, what is this? Don’t tell me the two of you got matched for the Competition Battle?"At Philip’s question, I let out a small sigh."Looks like it. Ciel wouldn’t lie about something like this.""Then isn’t it actually good? If Ciel lets you off a bit, you’ll win easily…."Philip spoke without thinking, then clammed up when he saw Ciel’s hardened expression.I gave him a wry smile as I advised him."Watch your mouth, Philip. For Ciel, combat is her pride. She already told me she won’t go easy on me in the slightest. I’m not sure if I should call this loyalty or inflexibility."Then Josephine, who had been quietly listening, spoke up on Ciel’s behalf."In a way, you could call her a true retainer. Rather than indulging her master’s convenience, she protects her own martial path and bolsters her master’s growth.""Well, I do respect Ciel’s conviction, but still…."You should consider timing and circumstances. Sometimes harmony is the best option.We could just get through this Competition Battle smoothly, then train together separately afterward."Anyway, the Competition Battle between me and Loen is scheduled for one week from now. Until then, I won’t visit the Student Council Room, so please keep that in mind."Ciel bowed her head, greeted us, and left.'She’s completely serious.'Watching Ciel’s back grow distant, I let out a deep sigh.***I returned to the Student Council Room with a complicated feeling.I had accounted for this possibility, but I never thought the fight with Ciel would actually be realized.I sat at my desk with a grave expression and tapped my fingers lightly.'Ciel isn’t like the mediocre nobodies I’ve fought so far.'Her current rank is 100th, but if she used her full strength, she could easily place within the top 10.Which meant that suppressing her would require combat power on the level of named characters from the Mirellin Saga.Even more, unlike with Meyer, it’s hard to cheese the fight; Ciel is a case of pure martial prowess.She has enough brute strength to rip off steel doors with her bare hands and punch through concrete floors without effort.Her sheer physical ability is comparable to Freya, the strongest in our year.Thinking of Ciel’s physical specs, I clicked my tongue.'Honestly, fighting Beatrice—with all those destructive spells flying everywhere—might be easier than fighting Ciel.'Beatrice’s magic is overwhelmingly powerful but has weaknesses you can exploit; Ciel, on the other hand, has no noticeable weaknesses.The example is odd, but if fighting Ciel is like facing a tank barehanded, then fighting Beatrice is like facing someone with a nuclear missile button.In terms of pure destructive power, Beatrice is overwhelming, but she has restrictions and collateral risk, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} so she can’t fully unleash that power in a Competition Battle.Meanwhile, Ciel’s overall balance of abilities is excellent, making her perfectly suited to the one-on-one format of Competition Battles."Whoo…."I exhaled deeply as I stared at the matchup list.If I truly didn’t want to fight Ciel, I could just forfeit.My score would drop a bit, but I could match with someone else randomly and climb back up.There’s no need to overexert myself just to beat Ciel.'However.'If it’s a wall I have to overcome eventually, there’s no reason not to challenge it.It’s simply come a little earlier than expected.And if I beat Ciel, I could enter the double-digit ranks.I clenched my fist.'And I should protect my dignity as her master, too.'I can’t keep hiding behind Ciel’s skirt forever.And considering the amount of sharp-tongued comments I hear from her, I need to bring down that nose of hers at least once.Lately it’s getting hard to tell who the master even is.Well—if I take those sharp comments as a sign of familiarity, it’s fine enough.Ciel is always so blunt; in a way, her jabs are at least some form of emotional expression.'……If anything, the timing is perfect.'Ever since clearing the Aether Dungeon, I’ve spent the last few weeks immersed in crafting the Azoth Sword.There’s one week left until my Competition Battle with Ciel.I can use this opportunity to finish the Azoth Sword and test its power.A strong opponent like Ciel is a perfect test subject for a new artifact.Once I finished my thoughts, I rose from my seat and headed for the laboratory.***A large mercury vat placed in the center of the lab.And inside it, a sword emitting a faint golden glow.Wearing protective gear, I silently stared at the sword submerged in the mercury.'The Azoth Sword is now in the final stages of completion.'All that’s left is to attach the “elemental stones” to each slot of the fully stabilized Azoth Sword.The “slots” referred to the five alphabet letters engraved on the blade: A, Z, O, T, H.The word “Azoth” has Arabic etymological roots and various interpretations, but in general alchemy it refers to the legendary universal catalyst.It was also the word engraved on the sword used by Paracelsus, the great alchemist.It seemed the Mirellin Saga incorporated that anecdote by designating the Azoth Sword as the symbolic weapon of alchemists.Anyway.The Azoth Sword I’m making now is forged from the dwarf-made gold bars obtained in the Aether Dungeon.But since pure gold alone would be too soft, I mixed in various metals.The process was anything but smooth, but with the help of the blacksmith introduced by the dwarf triplets, I succeeded.Thanks to that, my [Ore Smelting] level increased, and I got bonus HP stats as a freebie.Beep-beep-beep—.The alarm went off.I turned it off, put on protective gloves, and opened the mercury vat.It’s liquid, so it’s not extremely dangerous, but mercury is harmful by nature.If left out, it vaporizes, and inhaling the vapor is extremely dangerous.Once I was fully prepared, I picked up the golden sword glowing beneath the silver liquid.Zeeeelp—.The mercury slid off the blade like slime, revealing the brilliant form of the Azoth Sword.Pure gold normally dissolves in mercury—that’s how gilding works.But this Azoth Sword had undergone magical processing, so it was unharmed.'……If it dissolved, that would’ve been a disaster.'Do you know how much this sword cost?I sprinkled yellow powder on the sword to eliminate any remaining toxicity, then thoroughly washed it in the mana tank.After cleaning, the Azoth Sword was completely dry and gleaming.I admired its beauty for a moment.Its size was slightly smaller than my forearm.A typical double-edged dagger with a guard extending to both sides.The blade had been magically processed, emitting a deep golden radiance.A brilliant glow like the sun melted into metal.The A, Z, O, T, H letters I engraved were carved into the blade.Its handle was also processed from gold, adorned with antique patterns and intricate designs.Solid yet comfortable in the hand, it was both beautiful and practical.All that remained was to infuse each engraved alphabet with the elemental power of the elemental stones."……"I checked the air quality on the meter, confirmed the room was safe, and removed my mask."Whoo."I placed the Azoth Sword on the alchemy workstation and set the pre-processed elemental stones in their respective positions.Once the preparations were done, a system prompt appeared before my eyes.Ting—.[Would you like to begin the Magic Imbuement process?]I nodded with a small smile."Yes."Following the system’s guidance, I initiated the [Magic Imbuement] process.'Magic Imbuement is a technique newly acquired as my Intermediate Alchemy trait leveled up.'Originally I could only perform basic processes like [Amplification], [Restriction], [Enhancement], and [Repair], but once I became able to create artifacts directly, I naturally acquired [Magic Imbuement].Magic Imbuement grants entirely new properties or effects to an artifact.Unlike Amplification, it’s not bound to existing effects; unlike Restriction, it carries no demerits. Its freedom is extremely high.'For this Azoth Sword, I’ll be imbuing it with the Five Elements using the elemental stones.'I placed my hand over the Azoth Sword and spoke."Structure Analysis."Fwsh—.The sword’s structure drew itself vividly inside my mind.Unlike before, when only system diagrams were displayed, this was the result of performing Structure Analysis at Intermediate Alchemy.I didn’t understand it, but I could clearly see its inner structure.Alongside the sword’s structure, the [Transmutation] magic circle I had engraved during crafting also surfaced in my mind intact.Looking at the cross-sectional blueprint-like vision inside my head, I murmured:"Required materials."Float—.As I spoke, the five elemental stones on the workstation lifted into the air and naturally settled over each letter on the Azoth Sword.Once they were all in place, I continued."Magic Imbuement."Fwoosh—.With a bright flash, my mana rushed outward, and a complex magic circle appeared above the workstation.The five elemental stones melted into the blade, absorbed into the carved letters.Zeeeee—.Their colors spread across the blade, following the engraved alphabet shapes.Five colors for the five letters.Fwooom—.A brilliant five-colored radiance filled the lab completely.In the bright light, I raised an arm to shield my eyes as the system window appeared.[Magic Imbuement] has been completed.Artifact creation has been completed. Please designate a new name.A name, huh.Mmm—.I looked at the resplendent golden Azoth Sword glowing in five colors and fell into thought.It can’t perform miracles like turning coal into gold or granting life, as the legendary Azoth Sword supposedly could, but it was undeniably an excellent artifact.After a brief moment, I made my decision."I’ll call it Aether."After all, the dungeon where I obtained the elemental stones was named Aether.And although its elemental system differs from Mirellin Saga’s, “Aether” also refers to the concept of a nonexistent fifth element.A fitting name for a weapon with endless potential.Just as I named the Azoth Sword, brilliant golden notifications burst before my eyes.Ting—.Name has been designated.You have achieved an astounding feat. A bonus title has been registered.[Aether : Ouroboros]Classification: One-Handed SwordGrade: LegendaryAn Azoth Sword crafted by the alchemist Loen Dvralis. A weapon containing the power of the five elements, specialized for [Transmutation].Casting speed of [Transmutation Magic] increases by 100%.Power of [Transmutation Magic] increases by 100%.Mana cost of [Transmutation Magic] decreases by 50%.All [Transmutation Magic] is infused with elemental power. Effects vary according to possessed origin attributes.Unique Effect: [Beginning and End]When the Unique Effect is used, transmutation magic power increases every second. Increases up to 100%, consuming mana.Durability 100/100"……"I blankly stared at the golden notification window floating before me.My gaze focused particularly on the item grade.Legendary.An artifact I crafted at merely Intermediate Alchemy receiving a [Legendary] grade—this had never happened even after clearing the Mirellin Saga a hundred times.Moreover, receiving an additional title during the naming stage was extremely rare.I stared at the radiant Aether, then finally grasped it in my hand.Grip—.It fit my hand as if custom-made—no, as if it had always been a part of my body.There’s plenty to explain, but the best way to understand an item like this is simply to use it."Okay."I took a small breath and brought the tip of the sword to a nearby steel ingot.I would transmute the ingot into a sharp projectile for testing.I had never used Transmutation Magic even once before, but with the Azoth Sword’s power, it might be possible.'Preferably something sharp and forceful—like a steel spear.'As my intention and mana flowed through the sword into the ingot—Crackle—.A spark of mana flickered at the sword tip, and the rectangular steel ingot began to change shape.In an instant, it swelled into a large conical shape, sharply refined into a steel spear.Boom—!The sharply “transmuted” steel spear shot straight through the lab wall.Krrrrrrrr—!Not stopping there, it tore through Union’s main building wall, extending endlessly as it pierced forward.Bricks shattered like straw along its path, cascading down below in heaps.Aghast at the overwhelming destructive power, I hurriedly pulled the Azoth Sword away from the transmuted steel.Crackle—.Even though the mana stopped, the transmuted spear remained embedded deep into Union’s main building."……"For a moment, I was stunned by the devastation—but soon, a smile slowly rose to my lips.

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